Surrender (The Tribe MC: Chase of Prey Book 2) (5 page)

What she saw terrified and stunned her. For a moment, her fingers stalled mid–spell. The runes, shimmering a bright silvery blue, shattered and fell into bits. The spell that she’d been weaving cracked and broke as well.

What she was seeing was impossible, and yet, it was there. The queen was old, but she was still fierce and her magic was still strong. She had somehow managed to create a small field around herself, one that would keep the wolves at bay.

But she wasn’t fighting just the wolves. Ion was shooting spells — not at the intruders, but at the Queen. Cara could see that whatever spells he was using were bouncing off the Queen’s force field, but not harmlessly. There were small rivulets of blood on the Queen’s cheeks; her face was carved into grim lines and her exhaustion showed in her shaking hands and quivering voice.

Cara was so busy trying to figure out how, and why, Ion would be casting spells at the Queen — men of that Tribe didn’t have very strong magic when they had any at all! — that she didn’t even notice one of the Fallen shifting without warning.

Even that bemused her. It was the middle of the day! Wolves didn’t shift that way! But this one did; it came at her with foam flying from its muzzle and its eyes glowing with an orange light that reminded her of a jack o’ lantern.

Her hand came up instinctively and the Wolf howled in pain as it ran into a solid wall of her magic, a protection so strong that the Wolf bounced backwards, shifting back to its human form as it did so. The Wolf, a large male with heavy brown fur streaked with red, regained his senses quickly, and so did his fellow Wolf. Before Cara could erect another spell, both of them were rushing at her and Sebastian.

Cara flung her hand up again, but Ion had turned away from battling the Queen long enough to send a lance of power at Sebastian. The long silver knife that Sebastian carried skittered across the hardwood floor. The blade winked as it vanished below the dresser.

Cara’s retaliation spell knocked Ion completely across the room. His back hit a wall and he howled in pain, sounding more like a wolf than the Wolves did. She didn’t know how she’d done it, but at that point she wasn’t trying to figure it out either. She wrapped him in a solid, pulsing green light, then lifted him off of his feet. She pinned him firmly in place, her swirling power wrapped across his face, then reached a long finger down his throat. That would keep him from being able to cast any more spells.

The wolves were stalking Sebastian. Cara knew she could not keep Ion where he was and help Sebastian at the same time. She had a choice: allow Ion to fall from her spell, or allow Sebastian to fight to wolves alone.

“It’s always best to follow your heart,” the Queen said.

Had the Queen read her mind? Cara knew this woman was powerful, one of the most powerful women on earth. But did mind reading come easily to her? It came easily to Nico, who was her great-grandson, but Cara herself had not inherited that gift.

Both wolves, now in full Wolf form, leaped at Sebastian. Cara released Ion and turned her magic towards the fray.

One of the wolves howled with pain as she sent power sizzling out of her fingers. The flames licked across the Wolf’s back, leaving a thick and disgusting smell of burnt fur hanging in the air.

Sebastian had a set of silver knuckles on one hand and was kicking with both feet. His boots were tipped not was steel, but silver, and the Wolf that he was fighting was howling in agony with each blow.

Ion was gone, and the second Wolf, apparently deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, went out the window, glass shattering and wood splintering from the sill as he did so.

The Queen slumped against her pillows, her eyes showing the strain she’d suffered. “My grandchildren?” she asked.

“They’re dead.” Sebastian spoke softly but baldly. There was no use in trying to hide the truth from this woman — she would see a lie from a mile away.

“I’m sorry.” Cara’s voice shook. “Father thought he was doing the right thing sending Ion. He doesn’t know he’s a traitor.”

“Why were they trying to kill you?” Sebastian asked.

“They were trying to eat me, but slowly.” The Queen’s mouth twitched up into a humorless grin. “They’ve discovered the most taboo of spells, and they’ve discovered that if they bite but don’t eat the flesh, they can shift for short periods.

“From what I understood, some have even learned to control the shift, and I can see how that’s possible.”

Sebastian looked down at the dead Wolf at his feet. He’d known him very well. His name was Brent, and he was Gregory’s best friend. The two shared birth age and many other things, including disdain for the Council of Elders and a desire to return to the ways of old.

The Queen spoke again, breaking into his thoughts. “You’re a Wolf.”

Sebastian nodded. “Yes, but I’m not a rogue and I never will be.”

“Of course you are not. You don’t have it in you.” Her eyes were shrewd as she looked from Cara to Sebastian and then back again. “You do realize that the two of you being together is against all of the rules of the world.”

“Yes, we know. I didn’t know he was a Wolf though.” Cara glared at Sebastian. “He sort of lied to me.”

“No, I didn’t,” Sebastian retorted. “You just assumed I was a Hunter. If you’d asked, I would’ve told you I was a Wolf.”

“Oh, I’m so freaking sorry that I never assumed that a werewolf would be hunting down their own kind!” Cara crossed her arms over her breasts and tapped her foot angrily. Sebastian grinned; every time her foot came down, her firm, ripe breasts jiggled slightly. She caught the direction of his gaze, looked down and uttered a curse then forced her foot to be still.

The Queen interjected, “I don’t think it matters now if he lied or if he just didn’t speak on it, child. The truth of the matter is that the two of you are bound; I can see this. It might be the last thing I see, so the two of you better listen to me really well. There was a reason why the truce was created, and every part of the truce had a reason behind it. Cara, do you know why the Fallen cannot mate with the Tribe?”

“Because they’re stinking werewolves?” Cara shot Sebastian a filthy glare as she spoke. To her chagrin, he lifted an arm casually and sniffed his pit before shrugging.

A chuckle broke from the Queen’s mouth. “No, it’s because of that spell. The one I just mentioned. You see, to mate a Wolf with a woman of the Tribe, one who possesses great magic, is to create a child who is possessed of magic that is unnatural.

“If you add to that the fact that that child is also Wolf, and then give that child the ability to shift whenever it wants to, and the ability to teach another Wolf the same trick, what you have is the beginnings of an uprising. That rebellion would spell the end for everyone.”

Cara’s mouth was dry. “Are you saying that Ion is part Wolf? That’s not possible! We would’ve known!”

Queen shook her head, “No, Ion is merely a traitor. He’s a power-mad, greedy traitor, but he is no Wolf.”

Cara was confused. “Either way, we have to get you out of here. I’m calling my father.”

The Queen lay back on her pillows. “It will do you no good to remove me from here. I’m dying, can’t you see that? I won’t live through the day.”

Cara’s throat closed and tears that she could not control poured down her face. There was already too much death. This meant that the Tribe would gather that night and a new Queen would be declared. Cara already knew that unless one of the other women had somehow managed to come into possession of a whole lot of magic almost overnight, she would be the one to shoulder this responsibility, and she didn’t want it.

“I’m still calling my father.” She knew she sounded childish but she could help it.

Sebastian stepped closer and draped his arms over her shoulders, pulling her into a warm embrace that she could not refuse. He spoke softly. “I’ll wait with you, Cara.”

“If my father catches you here, he’ll kill you. He’s bringing the whole crew, and you know that.”

“I’ve got a fast bike.”

“Are you crazy?”

“I’ve been accused of it a few times over the years.”

“I can see why!”

From the bed came a wheezing laugh. Cara turned to see the Queen looking at the both of them with a smile creasing her wrinkled face. “What is it?”

“The two of you. If you weren’t so stubborn, you’d be perfect for each other.”

“He’s a Wolf!”

“Everyone has their faults. My husband snored so badly I wound up casting a spell on him to stop it. I never could figure out how to spellcast away his love of betting on the ponies though; isn’t that the damndest thing?”

“Maybe I’m not the one who is at fault,” Sebastian said stiffly. “Maybe being Tribe is the problem here.”

“Oh yeah? Do you tell yourself that when you’re shaving your back?”

“I have never had to shave my back, thank you very much.”

“Well, maybe you should give it a try.”

Sebastian slapped a hand to his broad and muscular back. “I don’t have any hair on my back!”

Cara couldn’t deny that; she’d seen his back and it was hairless. But still, she couldn’t help but retort, “Yes you do, especially when you’re in Wolf form. I bet you have the hairiest back ever made. I’ll bet you even have hair in your butt crack.”

Why was she teasing him right now? This was serious! The Queen was dying, she was in love with a Wolf, Ion was a traitor and rogues were shifting at will. All those things were going wrong and the only thing she could think to do was to tease Sebastian about hair and his butt crack.

“Come over here and hold my hands, both of you,” the Queen commanded. “Nobody wants to die alone.”

Cara’s insides squeezed and she looked at Sebastian. He merely tightened his own arm around her shoulders. “I have to call my father,” she said weakly.

“Oh, quit being such a crybaby. There will be plenty of time to call him when I’m dead, which will be very soon.”

Cara and Sebastian walked to the bed. Cara climbed up in the bed and held the frail older woman gently in her arms. Sebastian went to the other side of the bed, and took her old, liver-spotted hand into his.

The silence was heavy, hushed and thick. None of them spoke. There wasn’t anything to say and they all knew it. When death came, it came swiftly. The Queen of the Tribe took one last shuddering breath, then her eyes fluttered closed for the last time.

CHAPTER 6

Nico stared at his daughter and the man who stood beside her. A Wolf! A Wolf in human form; a Wolf wearing enough silver to drown a human, but a Wolf nonetheless. So this was the one that she had thought was a Hunter. This was the Wolf who she had fallen in love with.

Nico could read more than just his daughter’s mind — he could read her heart. He’d known almost before she did that she was falling in love; he just had had no idea who — and what — she was falling in love with.

Now they were here, the two of them standing beside the old Queen’s bed. The Queen was dead and Ion was partially responsible.

Nico looked around the room at the true Tribe members who had gathered there to pay their respects. He could see that they were all wounded by Ion’s betrayal.

Darva was particularly hurt. Ion was his cousin by birth and blood; while Darva had always been more reliable, steadier and far calmer than his wild younger cousin, he’d also felt responsible for him. Growing up, Ion had always emulated Darva, and Nico knew that Darva was wondering if this was somehow his fault. Nico would talk with the young man later and let him know that he wasn’t to blame for any of this. In the meantime, there were other things to consider. Like this Wolf…

Nico motioned to his daughter and Sebastian. “Follow me please.”

The three of them walked out of the room, leaving the rest of the Tribe members to stand guard over the body of their fallen Queen. Nico took them to the room that had once belonged to the beautiful young granddaughter who sang like an angel, and whose head and body were now buried on opposite ends of the garden.

He closed the door behind them, then he asked, not even bothering to be polite, “Tell me, why does a Wolf Hunt its own kind?”

Sebastian met his eyes steadily. “Because many years ago it became obvious to us that it was necessary. The Hunters were so ecstatic over the Vampire and Lycan wars, they were killing indiscriminately in the name of preserving other humans. After those wars were over, those of us who are Werewolf and not Lycan knew we had to police our own kind in order to keep the Hunters at bay.

“We always kept it quiet. We knew that if anyone ever found out, especially anyone who was Tribe or a Hunter, it would give them a reason to hunt us down to near-extinction again.”

“So you’re telling me that the Council of the Elders agreed to this?” Nico’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. It was unusual, but it was a good strategy.

“They created it.” Sebastian was still meeting his gaze. Nico had to admit that the Wolf had guts. He was standing here, amongst a group of people who would rather see him dead, and yet he was standing his ground without so much as a quiver.

It wasn’t just the true Tribe members either. Sebastian was wearing a jacket emblazoned with the Fallen’s colors. To the hardcase bikers downstairs and outside, Sebastian was a symbol of everything they hated, a rival biker gang out to take their territory. Nico knew if he gave the word, this Wolf would be strung up and killed within a matter of minutes.

He knew that Sebastian knew that too, and yet he was still here, and his arm was still around Cara’s neck.

That made Nico frown. There was a reason why wolves and Tribe didn’t mate. Those secrets were only passed down from one head of the family to the next. He supposed that perhaps it was passed down from King to King in the Fallen’s packs as well, but it wasn’t general knowledge.

Cara would have no way of knowing what could happen but he would tell her later, when they were alone. He’d never seen much reason to trust any Wolf and he didn’t see one right now.

There was a loud commotion from downstairs. “What the hell is it now?” Nico muttered. He went to the window and looked down at his frown deepened. “Shit, there’s cops out there.”

“Maybe one of the neighbors saw the rogue and Ion going out the window and called them,” Sebastian said.

“It doesn’t matter how they got here or who told,” Nico replied grimly. “We’ve got to get the hell out of here.”

“But why?” Cara asked. “We can explain this, Dad.”

“We’ve got dead bodies in the garden, a dead woman in a bed, ashes that smell like a dead dog on the floor, Wolves jumping through windows and an armed biker gang on the lawn. How are we going to explain that, Cara?”

Cara had to admit that he had a point. “Well, we at least need to try,” she said weakly.

Sebastian had been looking out the window at the two cops down below, who were arguing with the hardcase Tribe members. His eyes narrowed and he backed away from the window quickly. “Shit, it only gets worse from here. That cop, the one on the right — he’s a Hunter.”

“How do you know?” Cara asked.

Nico peeked out the window and swore as well. “You can just tell. He’s got the marks on him.”

“I hope you don’t take it the wrong way if I decide to bow out now,” Sebastian said.

“No, I don’t mind at all,” Nico said. “In fact I want you to take Cara with you. She’s got a good future as a lawyer, but if they catch her in this mess, she could lose everything.”

Cara knew that her father wasn’t as worried about her future as a lawyer as he was worried about making sure that the Tribe had a new Queen. Her heart ached. This was not what she wanted out of her life! “I’m not leaving you!” she protested.

“Look, we can make bail,” Nico said. “It’s what we pay our lawyers for. As far as they know, all they have right now is a motorcycle club involved in a slightly sketchy death. As long as they don’t get a reason to tear up the garden and the coroner doesn’t look too closely, this will look like the natural death of an old woman. It will all be fine, but I need you to get out of here.”

“But — ”

Sebastian gave her no more room to argue. He grabbed her by the arm and hustled her out the door to the bathroom at the far end of the hallway. There was a small window there on a slight overhang.

He’d noticed a tree close by to the house on his way in; if they did it just right, they could make it out the window, onto the tree and then down to the ground. They could jump the next-door neighbor’s fence and hide in the empty house.

He dragged Cara along so quickly she barely had time to protest. Not that she wanted to — the truth of the matter was that from the moment his hand clamped down on hers, she lost her will to protest. Sebastian’s touch could inflame her, could thrill her with even the most innocent touches.

They made it into the bathroom and closed the door tightly, but Sebastian knew that was only a temporary solution. If the cops decided to come in and check the place, a locked door would really pique their interest. If there was a locked door with nobody behind it, they might tear the place apart and it wouldn’t take them long to figure out that somebody had gone out the window. He quickly whispered his plan to Cara who gave him a filthy look and snapped, “What are we, twelve?”

“Don’t aggravate me right now. Just get the hell out the window and down the tree.”

“You go first.”

“Ladies first.” His smile held a challenge. “My mother taught me manners.”

“Didn’t your father ever teach you that if it was dangerous, a man would to try it first?”

Gritting his teeth, Sebastian went out the narrow window. For a minute he was almost afraid he would get stuck in it, but he wriggled out and onto a long branch. He wasn’t heavy, but the branch swayed as soon as his weight landed on it and he held his breath, wondering if this was going to be a really big mistake. He jumped nimbly down to the next branch.

Cara’s face was framed by the window and her dark hair waved in the slight breeze. He could hear the police and the bikers quite clearly now, and he knew that at any minute, there would be more cop cars pulling up. The Tribe were deliberately screwing with the cops that had arrived, not allowing them anywhere near the house and riling them up too.

It was typical biker behavior, and he knew that was what the Tribe was banking on. The cops would wait to call backup, and only go in the house when it had arrived. The hardcases were hoping that whatever their main men were doing in that house, they could have that locked down before the cops came storming through.

Sebastian doubted that was going to happen, but he could not leave Cara there, no matter what. He gestured at her and she made a sour face before climbing out the window and jumping onto the tree branch. She clambered down at the branch that he stood on and it trembled beneath their weight.“I think we’re a little too heavy for it,” he whispered.

“Speak for yourself,” Cara replied. She hightailed it down the tree, clinging to the trunk like a little squirrel as she went. Sebastian was torn between amusement and awe. How the hell had she managed that? Deciding to give it a try himself, he lowered himself onto the trunk, but his boots slipped and he took a long tumble to the earth. He landed flat on his back with bits of bark flying all around him, his palms and fingers bleeding and all the air knocked out of his lungs.

Worse than that pain was the sight of her face as she leaned over him, grinned nastily and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?”

“Not really, but I hear Wolves heal fast.”

She headed for the fence and he knew she had the same idea he did: to hide in the abandoned house. He managed to dust himself off before going after her.

Watching her climb the fence was revelatory. Her jeans cupped her tight ass, the seam sinking neatly into the deep cleft between those firm cheeks. When she got to the top, she swung one leg over and then the other before dropping neatly to the ground.

Sebastian followed suit and they streaked across the overgrown lawn and into the house next door. They heard a slight noise behind them and looked up in time to see Darva also coming out of the tree. He was heavier than both of them and the branch gave an ominous crack as his weight settled on it. Cara wanted to cast a spell that would help them, but she was too afraid that it would leave a visible sound or smell in the air, one that would make the police come over toward the other house.

She wasn’t afraid of police, but she was afraid of the one who was a Hunter. A Hunter would kill Sebastian without a qualm. Or worse, Sebastian would kill him.

They crept into the house through an unlocked door. Sebastian locked it firmly and they tiptoed through the silent rooms until they came to a small, partially-furnished room at the end of a long hallway.

The windows were tightly shuttered. They slumped down onto the stained carpet. Cara leaned her head back against the wall and yawned. She wasn’t sure how it was possible that she was tired, but she was. She looked over at Sebastian and asked, “Do you think that Hunter would’ve known you?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it. We’ve run into each other before.”

“Really? Where?”

“Up in Atlanta.”

“So you think you would recognize you?”

“Since he was hunting me quite seriously at one point, I’m sure he would.” Sebastian’s words were grim.

“Why was he hunting you?”

“Because I’m a prince. My father is the king of our pack.”

Cara stared at him in horror. Her father had said that a Wolf and his son were the two rogues responsible for the death of two of the hardcase bikers that rode with the Tribe. “Your father is a rogue.”

She expected him to protest; she even thought she might have to fight for her life against him if he went rogue, but instead he gave her a weary smile. “I know. So’s my little brother.”

“You have a little brother?”

“Well, he’s not so little. He’s my younger brother, anyway. Gregory — he’s like your Ion. Maybe they’re working together. It makes sense, really. The Wolf that I killed over there was one of Gregory’s best friends. If anybody would’ve sent those two it would’ve been Gregory.”