Sabriel’s mouth slanted over hers. Rayna sucked in a breath while a voice in the back of her head screamed, “No!”
Rayna felt powerless to stop him. As much as she didn’t want him near her, a part of her seemed to crave it just the same. She wanted to know what his kisses tasted like. Wanted to feel his skin under her palms and the guilt that came along with those thoughts finally snapped her out of whatever spell he always seemed to weave around her.
She pushed him away and walked to the other side of the room. “Don’t do that again.”
Sabriel smiled and nodded his head. His eyes were sparkling with laughter. He looked pleased about something. “As you wish.”
Rayna stared at him, took in the way his hair fell around his face, the breadth of his shoulders, and the slimness of his hips. This man was dangerous. If Garrett didn’t get here soon she was sure she’d do something she’d live to regret.
Inhaling deeply, she looked away and steered the conversation into neutral territory. “What did Victor mean exactly by calling my wolf?”
He sighed. “It’s exactly as it sounds. He can call the wolf. Make her come to the surface.”
Rayna looked back over at him. “Like, force the change?”
“Yes.”
That’s what she was afraid of. She'd heard some of the others talking about a forced change but wasn't sure how it was done or why. No one seemed to want to talk about it. Shifting was painful enough without the wolf being forced to the surface and now, it seemed, she would be on the receiving end of that painful ritual.
She shuddered and changed the subject again. “Catherine said Victor had the grounds guarded. Do you know by what?”
His body went still, like it had when they’d been in front of Victor. “Things you don’t ever want to meet.”
“What sort of things?”
“Demons.” His gaze hardened and he took a step closer to her. “Please don’t try to leave the house. Even I won’t venture outside without guard here.”
Rayna sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Leaving wasn’t an option, then. If Sabriel was afraid to leave, she’d be stupid to even try.
She’d never met a demon but the way people talked about them, she wasn’t looking forward to it, especially in the dark. She turned her head and glanced out the window. The sun was setting and the forest seemed to loom closer to the house now, bringing with it things that scared other monsters.
Sabriel moved, Rayna seeing him out of the corner of her eye, and she watched him cross the room to the dresser and inspect the items on top. He lifted several things, looked at them, and then put them down again. When he made no attempt at conversation, she leaned her head to one side and said, “What are you doing here?”
He turned to look at her. “What do you mean? You know why I'm here. I'm a guest of Victor's, just as you are.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I meant in my room.”
“Oh.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I thought we’d covered that already.”
Other than him trying to kiss her, nothing of importance had happened or been said. “No, we didn’t. Now what do you want, Sabriel? You wouldn’t be here without a reason.”
He sighed and turned his back to her. “Fine. I just wanted you to know that regardless of what you may hear, or may think about me personally, I don't want you harmed. That was never my intention.”
“And will I be harmed?”
“That is yet to be determined.” He grew still for long minutes before turning to face her. “A forced shift is painful. Its also very traumatic.”
He was changing the subject. Rayna let his purposeful steering of the conversation go. “So I'm in for excruciating pain and will have nightmares afterwards. Sounds like an adventure.”
“How do you stay so optimistic?”
“Beats crying like a girl. I tried that once. Just made me look weak and gave people reason to treat me as if I were insignificant.”
The look in his eyes softened a bit then and a tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “I can't imagine anyone thinking you insignificant.”
She shrugged her shoulder. “Doesn't matter now. I just do what I have to and worry about crying later.”
Neither said a word after that for long moments. Rayna still wasn't sure what Sabriel was doing in her room or why he was staying. He looked troubled about something and common sense told her it wasn't any of her business, but using common sense wasn't her forte. She was a reporter after all. “At your house earlier, you said you had no choice but to go along with the Breed leaders. What did you mean by that?”
His eyes flashed with surprise before he averted his gaze. “They have something I want. I can't get it until this is all said and done.”
“Is this something worth my life?”
He looked mortified and she was sure, if he could blush, he would have. “It's nothing like that, Ms. Ford.”
“Rayna,” she said. “You make me sound old calling me, Ms. Ford all the time.”
He smiled and nodded at her. “As you wish, Rayna. And my part in this has very little to do with your life. I wish it could be avoided all together but I’ve waited a very long time. I’ve been jumping through hoops for the Collective since day one and I will have what is due me.”
“So you'll use me, how ever you can, to get what you want?”
His eyes turned cold then. "You make me sound like a monster."
“Aren't you? You're using me as a bargaining chip. What is it you want? Money? A cozy seat on the Collective's high council?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“It makes little difference to you what it is.”
“Fine. Keep your little secrets.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and tilted her head to one side. “Why do you act as if this whole ordeal is a burden to you?
“I wasn’t aware I was.” He stared at her for long minutes and she was almost positive he was going to say something else. He shook his head instead and walked toward the door, looking at her over his shoulder. “I'm sorry things have to be this way, Rayna. If I were able to change it, I would move hell and earth to see you weren't harmed but there's nothing I can do. I just wanted you to know I wished things could be different. That I don’t want to see you harmed and that I'm sorry. For everything.”
He left then, leaving Rayna with more questions than answers. What did Sabriel get out of this other than the public knowing vampires were in fact real? If not for fame or money, what?
She sighed and crossed the room before sitting down. She needed to get out of here. Now. Once the other Breed leaders arrived, their plan would be set into motion and her wolf was as good as born.
* * * *
Garrett hadn't waited on the others. He left Bryce to deal with informing the pack of what was going on and left the house soon after taking care of the rope burns. He'd walked clear to the creek, and up to Jacob's cabin, and hadn't picked up one trace of Rayna’s scent. Nothing new, anyway. He’d just rounded the side of the cabin when he saw Jacob dart into the trees.
“Jacob!” Garrett gave chase and sighed in relief when the boy stopped running. “Where's Rayna?”
“Rayna? How the hell should I know?”
Before thinking, Garrett grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him from the ground. “Where is she, Jacob? I know Carmen had something to do with this.”
Jacob struggled, his feet kicking uselessly. “I haven't seen her, man, I swear it.”
Garrett let him go, stalking away from Jacob several yards before he turned back around. “She's missing. She was leaving yesterday and Gavin found Mitch's car this morning. Someone ran it over the cliff up on the high ridge.”
Jacob fixed his shirt and took a few steps back. “You think Carmen had something to do with it?”
Garrett laughed and ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I’m guessing. I just don’t know who else to blame.” He paced the small clearing and tried to calm the wolf. It was howling inside his head, wanting out to find his mate. Garrett didn’t blame him. He wanted the same thing but running head first into Carmen’s pack was the worst thing he could do.
He faced Jacob again and saw a few of the buttons on his shirt missing, the material hanging a bit sideways on his thin frame. “I did find Stan's hat in the car, though, so I may be pointing the finger at the wrong person.”
Jacob's eyes widened. “Stan? He's with her. Carmen, I mean.”
“Damn it,” Garrett hissed. “Why the hell didn't you tell me before now?”
“I don't know. It didn't seem important.”
“It probably isn't.”
Jacob shifted on his feet and moved closer to where Garrett stood. “Rayna isn't at camp. Or, I haven't seen her.”
“Where is the camp?”
“Down by the old logging road.”
“Show me.” They left then, running through the densely packed trees until they saw the camp. Over twenty people milled around, Carmen right in the center. She was laughing and preening like a princess. Garrett snorted a laugh at her. “Does she ever get tired of hearing the sound of her voice?”
“No.” Jacob laughed. “She's been celebrating for the last few hours about something. If she had something to do with Rayna’s disappearance, then I guess we know what that is now.”
Garrett stared down at the camp and wondered what to do. If he walked down there and questioned Carmen about Rayna, then the woman would know Rayna was gone. But what if Carmen knew where Rayna was? He couldn’t just leave her in Carmen’s hands.
“What do you want to do?” Jacob asked.
“I don't know. If we wait, she may lead me straight to Rayna.”
“Unless she's already done something with her.”
The thought made him sick. Carmen would not hesitate to kill Rayna but Garrett knew she’d want an audience. It would do her no good to just kill her and dump the proof. She’d want him to see, which made him think whatever Carmen had done, Rayna was safe. For now. “Go down there. Mention you found a car on the high ridge. I want to see what she does.”
He watched as Jacob jogged down the hill and joined the others. He walked close to Carmen before he started to speak. Carmen turned to look at him a moment later. The smile on her face told Garrett she was responsible for Rayna’s disappearance. The question now was, what had she done with her?
* * * *
Rayna sucked in a breath and flattened herself against the wall. The man who walked past her didn’t even blink and she exhaled when he disappeared around the corner.
The fear of getting caught made her want to turn around and scurry back to her room but she had to let someone know where she was. She’d paced the confines of her bedroom for nearly half an hour before the answer to all her problems lit her with enthusiasm and drew her into the hall and down the main stairs.
She’d only encountered the one man and seeing the door Catherine said was Victor’s office, Rayna was torn on whether to take a peek inside to see if the wiry old werewolf was in there or if by some miracle he’d walked away.
The gods must have been smiling down on her. Before she could make a decision, Victor stepped from the room into the hall. He hobbled in the opposite direction, away from where she was hiding, and disappeared around the corner.
Rayna only hesitated a moment before she dashed to the office door, peeked in, and ran to the large desk sitting near the back wall and ducked down behind it.
Staring at the windows, the curtains drawn closed, she tried to get her racing heart to calm. When her breathing was under control, she leaned up, peeked over the desk and looked for the phone. When she saw it, she snatched the cordless handset up and crawled under the desk.
She had to redial twice to get the number right. Her hands were shaking. When the ringing stopped and the name, “Burrows,” was said, she wanted to cry.
Chad Burrows, police detective and Garrett’s old partner on the Bluff’s Point police force for nearly ten years was her only option. If he couldn’t help her, she was as good as dead. “Chad. It’s Rayna Ford. I’m in trouble.”
“Rayna?” Chad said.
“I need you to trace this number.”
“Trace the number… why? What’s going on?”
“Chad. Listen. Don’t talk,” she said. “I’m in serious shit here and I don’t have time. Trace the fucking number.”
“Rayna… you know as well as I do how this all works.”
“Chad, I’m begging you. Please.”
He sighed. “Give me one reason.”
Rayna rolled her eyes. He could be as big an ass as Garrett when he wanted to be. “I’ve been kidnapped. Is that good enough?”
“Kidnapped?”
“Don’t involve anyone else, Chad. Please. I just need you to trace the number, get the address, and call Garrett.”
“Rayna, if you’re in trouble the police is who you want, not your boyfriend. Give me a second to call the Chief…”
She growled and wondered if it sounded the same over the phone. “No one else,” she hissed as loudly as she dared. “I mean it, Chad. Just trace the number and call Garrett.”
“Okay, okay,” he said. “Give me a second.” She heard him talking to someone, the shuffling of things on the other end, and peeked back over the top of the desk. Her heart was pounding again. If she got caught now… She didn’t even want to think about it. “All right. You have to stay on the line. It’s tracing.”
She blew out a breath and sat back down. “Do you have a pen handy?”
“Yes.”
“Write this number down.” She gave him the number to the house in Wolf’s Creek. “Call Garrett once you find out where I am. Tell him the Collective has me and they’re going public tomorrow.”
“Whoa,” Chad said. “Slow down, Rayna. Where is Garrett and who is the Collective?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just call Garrett.” The sound of someone talking nearly caused her to swallow her tongue. “Someone is coming. I have to go.”
“Don’t hang up! The trace isn’t finished.”
Rayna bit her lip as the voices grew louder. Scrambling to think of what to do, she said, “Call Garrett,” before standing up, laying the phone on the desk and walking to the bookshelf on the opposite wall.
Victor and Thaddeus walked into the room a moment later.
“Ms. Ford,” Victor said. “What are you doing in my study?”
Rayna smiled and hoped she didn’t look as rattled as she felt. “I got bored,” she said, shrugging her shoulder. “I went exploring a bit and saw all the books.” She turned back to the bookshelf and picked one at random. “You really should show your guests more consideration, Victor. A girl would think herself a prisoner the way you treat them.”
A sideways glance to the left and Rayna saw the phone sitting on the center of the desk. She hoped Chad was still on the other end. Would Victor notice it had been moved? She hoped not. At least not while she was still in the room.
Focusing her attention back on him, she held up the book. “Mind if I borrow this?”
He stared at her, his brows inching down over his eyes into that hard scowl of his. “If entertainment is what you wanted Ms. Ford, you should have told Catherine.”
“Oh, well Catherine was long gone before I got bored.” She walked toward the door, book in hand.
Victor stared at her. “Go back to your room, Ms. Ford. I won’t have you wandering the halls.” Turning to Thaddeus, he said, “Go with her, Thad, and make sure she stays put.”
* * * *
Garrett entered the house and walked into the midst of chaos. Raised voices filled the foyer, the pack members seemed anxious, and when no one noticed him in the room, he slammed the door shut to get their attention.
Bryce turned to look at him and the relief on his face was evident. “Man, where the hell have you been?”
“Spying on Carmen.” He looked around the room again. “What’s going on?”
Judith approached, a worried look in her eyes. “A man called for you. He’s been calling every thirty minutes for the last four hours.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Who is he?”
Bryce answered. “He said his name was Chad Burrows and that he’d talked to Rayna. He said she’s in trouble.”
Garrett’s wolf slid against his bones. It howled inside his head loud enough to make his ears ring. He’d had a hard time getting the beast to calm and now, it was all for nothing. It was agitated again.
He headed down the hall, walking toward the office, Bryce’s voice a constant echo in his ears. “He said he knows where Rayna is but refused to tell me.”
“Did he leave a number?” Garrett asked.
“Yeah. It’s on the desk.”
Garrett found the number and recognized it. It was the police station in Bluff’s Point. He dialed the number, typed in Chad’s extension, and waited.
“Burrows.”
“Where the hell is she?”
Chad laughed. “It’s nice to hear your voice too, partner. You sound just as surly as usual.”
Garrett couldn’t help but smile. He’d spent ten years working along side Chad Burrows on the police force in Bluff’s Point and leaving his friend behind without a real explanation had bothered him. Hearing the teasing tone of his voice let him know there were no hard feelings. “Where is Rayna, Chad?”
“Tell me what’s going on first.”
“I don’t have time to explain.”
“Funny. That’s the exact same thing Rayna said.”
At the sound of her name, the wolf pushed harder. Garrett clenched his jaw and counted to ten. “You’ve talked to her? Is she all right?”
“Yes and she sounded fine to me. Although she was a bit rude and I could have sworn she growled at me.”
Garrett grinned. “Do you know where she?”
“Yes.”
“And?” Garrett said after Chad didn’t say anything further.
“And you’re as impatient as she was. What the hell has happened?”
The last time he’d seen Chad, Garrett had looked him in the face and lied, told him he was running off with Rayna to get married and start their life over someplace new. It wasn’t a complete lie but the particulars, he’d left out. The why and where he hadn’t shared with him.
He blew out a tired breath and sat down, bracing his head on his hand. “She disappeared on me. I’ve spent hours looking for her.”
The sound of rustling paper and multiple voices dimmed in the background until nothing was heard but Chad’s exhaled breath. “She said she was kidnapped. Wanted me to trace the number she was calling from and told me to tell you the Collective has her and they’re going public tomorrow, whatever the hell that means.”
Garrett’s heart skipped a beat. “Fuck,” he said, hissing the word past his teeth. The Collective had her? They could only want one thing. For her to prove to the world they existed.
“I take it that isn’t good news?”
“No.”
“What’s going on, man?”
Garrett ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t have time to go into the particulars. “I can’t tell you, Chad. You have to trust me. Just tell me where Rayna is.”
“Not good enough, my friend. Either ‘fess up or I’ll go after her myself.”
“Don’t do that. You’ll get yourself killed and I don’t want that on my conscience.”
“Sounds like she’s in more trouble than I thought.”
“She is.”
“Then tell me what’s going on.”
Garrett looked up and saw Bryce standing at the door. He could hear the others in the hall, still talking. The thirty-two remaining pack members were his responsibility now and they were his to protect. Protect from any and all harm. Protecting their identities fell into that category. “Trust me, Chad. You’re better off not knowing.”
Chad was quiet for long minutes before he sighed. “Fine.”
“Where is she?”
“I’ll tell you once you get here.”
“I’m not coming to Bluff’s Point, Chad.”
“If you want to know where Rayna is, you will.”
The line went dead before he could say another word. Garrett slammed the phone down, shouted the word, “fuck,” before he stood and motioned Bryce out into the hall and back to the foyer where the rest of the pack still lingered. “I’m going after Rayna,” he said. “I’ll need help.”
Gavin was the first to step forward. “I’m in.”
“So am I,” Mitch and Dillon said, together.
“And me,” Bryce said.
Garrett looked at Bryce and shook his head. “No. The ones left behind need someone to protect them.” Bryce’s lip twitched but he didn’t say anything. “As for you, Mitch, you’re newly turned. You’re not strong enough to take on anyone stronger than an Omega.”
“I’ll go in Mitch’s place,” Ethan said. Henry volunteered as well.
Garrett nodded his head and looked at Judith when she approached him. She demanded to go with them. Garrett would have argued but didn’t have the time. When his small, rag-tag team was assembled, he gave them twenty minutes to collect what they needed before meeting him outside.
While Gavin’s SUV was being loaded, Garrett watched the people who had volunteered to help him get his mate back. People he knew put themselves in danger. Judith, he knew only had Rayna’s interest at heart. She may not have looked old but Judith mothered Rayna as much as any real mother would have. Gavin and Dillon, both Alpha’s of the pack, were needed if he had to face the Collective. He couldn’t fight them alone regardless of what he thought. He’d need strength in numbers. Ethan and Henry, both older pack members, were fierce fighters. Not Alpha’s, but close enough in power that their help wouldn’t be turned away. What they lacked in strength was compensated in knowledge and skill.
He turned back to the house and looked at Mitch. He knew he was worried about Rayna. The relationship Rayna shared with her newsroom partner had always made him wonder if there weren’t more to it than the casual observer could see. He knew Mitch cared for Rayna, and her him, but the look on Mitch’s face made him question again if there was something he didn’t know.
When Gavin shut the back of the SUV, he turned to him. “That’s it. We’re ready when you are.”
Garrett nodded at him and walked across the driveway to Bryce. “If Carmen comes back, don’t let her know I’m not here and whatever you do, don’t let her in the house.”
Bryce smiled and looked toward the vehicle. “Call once you have something to tell us. The others will be wondering how things are going.”
“Will do.” Garrett walked back across the driveway, looked inside the SUV at the others cramped inside, and climbed in the front seat. He hoped like hell the trip wouldn’t drive him crazy. The wolf was restless. It slinked along his limbs, howled inside his head, and caused Garrett’s temper to flare at unexpected moments. The wolf’s mate was in danger and he knew until he had Rayna back, he’d be unpredictable. Bringing so many of the others along was for everyone’s protection, even his own. If they didn’t reach Rayna in time, he would lose her. The humans would see to that the moment she shifted and when that happened, the wolf wouldn’t rest until they were dead at his feet.
I hope you enjoyed the 10 chapter preview of The Gathering. The novel can be purchased for $3.99 at the following retailers.
» Buy at Amazon Kindle
» Buy at Amazon Kindle UK
» Buy at Fictionwise.com
» Buy at Smashwords
The Gathering
A Night Breeds Novel
© 2011 Lily Graison
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The right of Lily Graison to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Digitally released April 2011
First Edition
All characters in this publication are purely fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Rayna felt powerless to stop him. As much as she didn’t want him near her, a part of her seemed to crave it just the same. She wanted to know what his kisses tasted like. Wanted to feel his skin under her palms and the guilt that came along with those thoughts finally snapped her out of whatever spell he always seemed to weave around her.
She pushed him away and walked to the other side of the room. “Don’t do that again.”
Sabriel smiled and nodded his head. His eyes were sparkling with laughter. He looked pleased about something. “As you wish.”
Rayna stared at him, took in the way his hair fell around his face, the breadth of his shoulders, and the slimness of his hips. This man was dangerous. If Garrett didn’t get here soon she was sure she’d do something she’d live to regret.
Inhaling deeply, she looked away and steered the conversation into neutral territory. “What did Victor mean exactly by calling my wolf?”
He sighed. “It’s exactly as it sounds. He can call the wolf. Make her come to the surface.”
Rayna looked back over at him. “Like, force the change?”
“Yes.”
That’s what she was afraid of. She'd heard some of the others talking about a forced change but wasn't sure how it was done or why. No one seemed to want to talk about it. Shifting was painful enough without the wolf being forced to the surface and now, it seemed, she would be on the receiving end of that painful ritual.
She shuddered and changed the subject again. “Catherine said Victor had the grounds guarded. Do you know by what?”
His body went still, like it had when they’d been in front of Victor. “Things you don’t ever want to meet.”
“What sort of things?”
“Demons.” His gaze hardened and he took a step closer to her. “Please don’t try to leave the house. Even I won’t venture outside without guard here.”
Rayna sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Leaving wasn’t an option, then. If Sabriel was afraid to leave, she’d be stupid to even try.
She’d never met a demon but the way people talked about them, she wasn’t looking forward to it, especially in the dark. She turned her head and glanced out the window. The sun was setting and the forest seemed to loom closer to the house now, bringing with it things that scared other monsters.
Sabriel moved, Rayna seeing him out of the corner of her eye, and she watched him cross the room to the dresser and inspect the items on top. He lifted several things, looked at them, and then put them down again. When he made no attempt at conversation, she leaned her head to one side and said, “What are you doing here?”
He turned to look at her. “What do you mean? You know why I'm here. I'm a guest of Victor's, just as you are.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I meant in my room.”
“Oh.” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I thought we’d covered that already.”
Other than him trying to kiss her, nothing of importance had happened or been said. “No, we didn’t. Now what do you want, Sabriel? You wouldn’t be here without a reason.”
He sighed and turned his back to her. “Fine. I just wanted you to know that regardless of what you may hear, or may think about me personally, I don't want you harmed. That was never my intention.”
“And will I be harmed?”
“That is yet to be determined.” He grew still for long minutes before turning to face her. “A forced shift is painful. Its also very traumatic.”
He was changing the subject. Rayna let his purposeful steering of the conversation go. “So I'm in for excruciating pain and will have nightmares afterwards. Sounds like an adventure.”
“How do you stay so optimistic?”
“Beats crying like a girl. I tried that once. Just made me look weak and gave people reason to treat me as if I were insignificant.”
The look in his eyes softened a bit then and a tiny smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “I can't imagine anyone thinking you insignificant.”
She shrugged her shoulder. “Doesn't matter now. I just do what I have to and worry about crying later.”
Neither said a word after that for long moments. Rayna still wasn't sure what Sabriel was doing in her room or why he was staying. He looked troubled about something and common sense told her it wasn't any of her business, but using common sense wasn't her forte. She was a reporter after all. “At your house earlier, you said you had no choice but to go along with the Breed leaders. What did you mean by that?”
His eyes flashed with surprise before he averted his gaze. “They have something I want. I can't get it until this is all said and done.”
“Is this something worth my life?”
He looked mortified and she was sure, if he could blush, he would have. “It's nothing like that, Ms. Ford.”
“Rayna,” she said. “You make me sound old calling me, Ms. Ford all the time.”
He smiled and nodded at her. “As you wish, Rayna. And my part in this has very little to do with your life. I wish it could be avoided all together but I’ve waited a very long time. I’ve been jumping through hoops for the Collective since day one and I will have what is due me.”
“So you'll use me, how ever you can, to get what you want?”
His eyes turned cold then. "You make me sound like a monster."
“Aren't you? You're using me as a bargaining chip. What is it you want? Money? A cozy seat on the Collective's high council?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“It makes little difference to you what it is.”
“Fine. Keep your little secrets.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and tilted her head to one side. “Why do you act as if this whole ordeal is a burden to you?
“I wasn’t aware I was.” He stared at her for long minutes and she was almost positive he was going to say something else. He shook his head instead and walked toward the door, looking at her over his shoulder. “I'm sorry things have to be this way, Rayna. If I were able to change it, I would move hell and earth to see you weren't harmed but there's nothing I can do. I just wanted you to know I wished things could be different. That I don’t want to see you harmed and that I'm sorry. For everything.”
He left then, leaving Rayna with more questions than answers. What did Sabriel get out of this other than the public knowing vampires were in fact real? If not for fame or money, what?
She sighed and crossed the room before sitting down. She needed to get out of here. Now. Once the other Breed leaders arrived, their plan would be set into motion and her wolf was as good as born.
* * * *
Garrett hadn't waited on the others. He left Bryce to deal with informing the pack of what was going on and left the house soon after taking care of the rope burns. He'd walked clear to the creek, and up to Jacob's cabin, and hadn't picked up one trace of Rayna’s scent. Nothing new, anyway. He’d just rounded the side of the cabin when he saw Jacob dart into the trees.
“Jacob!” Garrett gave chase and sighed in relief when the boy stopped running. “Where's Rayna?”
“Rayna? How the hell should I know?”
Before thinking, Garrett grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him from the ground. “Where is she, Jacob? I know Carmen had something to do with this.”
Jacob struggled, his feet kicking uselessly. “I haven't seen her, man, I swear it.”
Garrett let him go, stalking away from Jacob several yards before he turned back around. “She's missing. She was leaving yesterday and Gavin found Mitch's car this morning. Someone ran it over the cliff up on the high ridge.”
Jacob fixed his shirt and took a few steps back. “You think Carmen had something to do with it?”
Garrett laughed and ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I’m guessing. I just don’t know who else to blame.” He paced the small clearing and tried to calm the wolf. It was howling inside his head, wanting out to find his mate. Garrett didn’t blame him. He wanted the same thing but running head first into Carmen’s pack was the worst thing he could do.
He faced Jacob again and saw a few of the buttons on his shirt missing, the material hanging a bit sideways on his thin frame. “I did find Stan's hat in the car, though, so I may be pointing the finger at the wrong person.”
Jacob's eyes widened. “Stan? He's with her. Carmen, I mean.”
“Damn it,” Garrett hissed. “Why the hell didn't you tell me before now?”
“I don't know. It didn't seem important.”
“It probably isn't.”
Jacob shifted on his feet and moved closer to where Garrett stood. “Rayna isn't at camp. Or, I haven't seen her.”
“Where is the camp?”
“Down by the old logging road.”
“Show me.” They left then, running through the densely packed trees until they saw the camp. Over twenty people milled around, Carmen right in the center. She was laughing and preening like a princess. Garrett snorted a laugh at her. “Does she ever get tired of hearing the sound of her voice?”
“No.” Jacob laughed. “She's been celebrating for the last few hours about something. If she had something to do with Rayna’s disappearance, then I guess we know what that is now.”
Garrett stared down at the camp and wondered what to do. If he walked down there and questioned Carmen about Rayna, then the woman would know Rayna was gone. But what if Carmen knew where Rayna was? He couldn’t just leave her in Carmen’s hands.
“What do you want to do?” Jacob asked.
“I don't know. If we wait, she may lead me straight to Rayna.”
“Unless she's already done something with her.”
The thought made him sick. Carmen would not hesitate to kill Rayna but Garrett knew she’d want an audience. It would do her no good to just kill her and dump the proof. She’d want him to see, which made him think whatever Carmen had done, Rayna was safe. For now. “Go down there. Mention you found a car on the high ridge. I want to see what she does.”
He watched as Jacob jogged down the hill and joined the others. He walked close to Carmen before he started to speak. Carmen turned to look at him a moment later. The smile on her face told Garrett she was responsible for Rayna’s disappearance. The question now was, what had she done with her?
* * * *
Rayna sucked in a breath and flattened herself against the wall. The man who walked past her didn’t even blink and she exhaled when he disappeared around the corner.
The fear of getting caught made her want to turn around and scurry back to her room but she had to let someone know where she was. She’d paced the confines of her bedroom for nearly half an hour before the answer to all her problems lit her with enthusiasm and drew her into the hall and down the main stairs.
She’d only encountered the one man and seeing the door Catherine said was Victor’s office, Rayna was torn on whether to take a peek inside to see if the wiry old werewolf was in there or if by some miracle he’d walked away.
The gods must have been smiling down on her. Before she could make a decision, Victor stepped from the room into the hall. He hobbled in the opposite direction, away from where she was hiding, and disappeared around the corner.
Rayna only hesitated a moment before she dashed to the office door, peeked in, and ran to the large desk sitting near the back wall and ducked down behind it.
Staring at the windows, the curtains drawn closed, she tried to get her racing heart to calm. When her breathing was under control, she leaned up, peeked over the desk and looked for the phone. When she saw it, she snatched the cordless handset up and crawled under the desk.
She had to redial twice to get the number right. Her hands were shaking. When the ringing stopped and the name, “Burrows,” was said, she wanted to cry.
Chad Burrows, police detective and Garrett’s old partner on the Bluff’s Point police force for nearly ten years was her only option. If he couldn’t help her, she was as good as dead. “Chad. It’s Rayna Ford. I’m in trouble.”
“Rayna?” Chad said.
“I need you to trace this number.”
“Trace the number… why? What’s going on?”
“Chad. Listen. Don’t talk,” she said. “I’m in serious shit here and I don’t have time. Trace the fucking number.”
“Rayna… you know as well as I do how this all works.”
“Chad, I’m begging you. Please.”
He sighed. “Give me one reason.”
Rayna rolled her eyes. He could be as big an ass as Garrett when he wanted to be. “I’ve been kidnapped. Is that good enough?”
“Kidnapped?”
“Don’t involve anyone else, Chad. Please. I just need you to trace the number, get the address, and call Garrett.”
“Rayna, if you’re in trouble the police is who you want, not your boyfriend. Give me a second to call the Chief…”
She growled and wondered if it sounded the same over the phone. “No one else,” she hissed as loudly as she dared. “I mean it, Chad. Just trace the number and call Garrett.”
“Okay, okay,” he said. “Give me a second.” She heard him talking to someone, the shuffling of things on the other end, and peeked back over the top of the desk. Her heart was pounding again. If she got caught now… She didn’t even want to think about it. “All right. You have to stay on the line. It’s tracing.”
She blew out a breath and sat back down. “Do you have a pen handy?”
“Yes.”
“Write this number down.” She gave him the number to the house in Wolf’s Creek. “Call Garrett once you find out where I am. Tell him the Collective has me and they’re going public tomorrow.”
“Whoa,” Chad said. “Slow down, Rayna. Where is Garrett and who is the Collective?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just call Garrett.” The sound of someone talking nearly caused her to swallow her tongue. “Someone is coming. I have to go.”
“Don’t hang up! The trace isn’t finished.”
Rayna bit her lip as the voices grew louder. Scrambling to think of what to do, she said, “Call Garrett,” before standing up, laying the phone on the desk and walking to the bookshelf on the opposite wall.
Victor and Thaddeus walked into the room a moment later.
“Ms. Ford,” Victor said. “What are you doing in my study?”
Rayna smiled and hoped she didn’t look as rattled as she felt. “I got bored,” she said, shrugging her shoulder. “I went exploring a bit and saw all the books.” She turned back to the bookshelf and picked one at random. “You really should show your guests more consideration, Victor. A girl would think herself a prisoner the way you treat them.”
A sideways glance to the left and Rayna saw the phone sitting on the center of the desk. She hoped Chad was still on the other end. Would Victor notice it had been moved? She hoped not. At least not while she was still in the room.
Focusing her attention back on him, she held up the book. “Mind if I borrow this?”
He stared at her, his brows inching down over his eyes into that hard scowl of his. “If entertainment is what you wanted Ms. Ford, you should have told Catherine.”
“Oh, well Catherine was long gone before I got bored.” She walked toward the door, book in hand.
Victor stared at her. “Go back to your room, Ms. Ford. I won’t have you wandering the halls.” Turning to Thaddeus, he said, “Go with her, Thad, and make sure she stays put.”
* * * *
Garrett entered the house and walked into the midst of chaos. Raised voices filled the foyer, the pack members seemed anxious, and when no one noticed him in the room, he slammed the door shut to get their attention.
Bryce turned to look at him and the relief on his face was evident. “Man, where the hell have you been?”
“Spying on Carmen.” He looked around the room again. “What’s going on?”
Judith approached, a worried look in her eyes. “A man called for you. He’s been calling every thirty minutes for the last four hours.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Who is he?”
Bryce answered. “He said his name was Chad Burrows and that he’d talked to Rayna. He said she’s in trouble.”
Garrett’s wolf slid against his bones. It howled inside his head loud enough to make his ears ring. He’d had a hard time getting the beast to calm and now, it was all for nothing. It was agitated again.
He headed down the hall, walking toward the office, Bryce’s voice a constant echo in his ears. “He said he knows where Rayna is but refused to tell me.”
“Did he leave a number?” Garrett asked.
“Yeah. It’s on the desk.”
Garrett found the number and recognized it. It was the police station in Bluff’s Point. He dialed the number, typed in Chad’s extension, and waited.
“Burrows.”
“Where the hell is she?”
Chad laughed. “It’s nice to hear your voice too, partner. You sound just as surly as usual.”
Garrett couldn’t help but smile. He’d spent ten years working along side Chad Burrows on the police force in Bluff’s Point and leaving his friend behind without a real explanation had bothered him. Hearing the teasing tone of his voice let him know there were no hard feelings. “Where is Rayna, Chad?”
“Tell me what’s going on first.”
“I don’t have time to explain.”
“Funny. That’s the exact same thing Rayna said.”
At the sound of her name, the wolf pushed harder. Garrett clenched his jaw and counted to ten. “You’ve talked to her? Is she all right?”
“Yes and she sounded fine to me. Although she was a bit rude and I could have sworn she growled at me.”
Garrett grinned. “Do you know where she?”
“Yes.”
“And?” Garrett said after Chad didn’t say anything further.
“And you’re as impatient as she was. What the hell has happened?”
The last time he’d seen Chad, Garrett had looked him in the face and lied, told him he was running off with Rayna to get married and start their life over someplace new. It wasn’t a complete lie but the particulars, he’d left out. The why and where he hadn’t shared with him.
He blew out a tired breath and sat down, bracing his head on his hand. “She disappeared on me. I’ve spent hours looking for her.”
The sound of rustling paper and multiple voices dimmed in the background until nothing was heard but Chad’s exhaled breath. “She said she was kidnapped. Wanted me to trace the number she was calling from and told me to tell you the Collective has her and they’re going public tomorrow, whatever the hell that means.”
Garrett’s heart skipped a beat. “Fuck,” he said, hissing the word past his teeth. The Collective had her? They could only want one thing. For her to prove to the world they existed.
“I take it that isn’t good news?”
“No.”
“What’s going on, man?”
Garrett ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t have time to go into the particulars. “I can’t tell you, Chad. You have to trust me. Just tell me where Rayna is.”
“Not good enough, my friend. Either ‘fess up or I’ll go after her myself.”
“Don’t do that. You’ll get yourself killed and I don’t want that on my conscience.”
“Sounds like she’s in more trouble than I thought.”
“She is.”
“Then tell me what’s going on.”
Garrett looked up and saw Bryce standing at the door. He could hear the others in the hall, still talking. The thirty-two remaining pack members were his responsibility now and they were his to protect. Protect from any and all harm. Protecting their identities fell into that category. “Trust me, Chad. You’re better off not knowing.”
Chad was quiet for long minutes before he sighed. “Fine.”
“Where is she?”
“I’ll tell you once you get here.”
“I’m not coming to Bluff’s Point, Chad.”
“If you want to know where Rayna is, you will.”
The line went dead before he could say another word. Garrett slammed the phone down, shouted the word, “fuck,” before he stood and motioned Bryce out into the hall and back to the foyer where the rest of the pack still lingered. “I’m going after Rayna,” he said. “I’ll need help.”
Gavin was the first to step forward. “I’m in.”
“So am I,” Mitch and Dillon said, together.
“And me,” Bryce said.
Garrett looked at Bryce and shook his head. “No. The ones left behind need someone to protect them.” Bryce’s lip twitched but he didn’t say anything. “As for you, Mitch, you’re newly turned. You’re not strong enough to take on anyone stronger than an Omega.”
“I’ll go in Mitch’s place,” Ethan said. Henry volunteered as well.
Garrett nodded his head and looked at Judith when she approached him. She demanded to go with them. Garrett would have argued but didn’t have the time. When his small, rag-tag team was assembled, he gave them twenty minutes to collect what they needed before meeting him outside.
While Gavin’s SUV was being loaded, Garrett watched the people who had volunteered to help him get his mate back. People he knew put themselves in danger. Judith, he knew only had Rayna’s interest at heart. She may not have looked old but Judith mothered Rayna as much as any real mother would have. Gavin and Dillon, both Alpha’s of the pack, were needed if he had to face the Collective. He couldn’t fight them alone regardless of what he thought. He’d need strength in numbers. Ethan and Henry, both older pack members, were fierce fighters. Not Alpha’s, but close enough in power that their help wouldn’t be turned away. What they lacked in strength was compensated in knowledge and skill.
He turned back to the house and looked at Mitch. He knew he was worried about Rayna. The relationship Rayna shared with her newsroom partner had always made him wonder if there weren’t more to it than the casual observer could see. He knew Mitch cared for Rayna, and her him, but the look on Mitch’s face made him question again if there was something he didn’t know.
When Gavin shut the back of the SUV, he turned to him. “That’s it. We’re ready when you are.”
Garrett nodded at him and walked across the driveway to Bryce. “If Carmen comes back, don’t let her know I’m not here and whatever you do, don’t let her in the house.”
Bryce smiled and looked toward the vehicle. “Call once you have something to tell us. The others will be wondering how things are going.”
“Will do.” Garrett walked back across the driveway, looked inside the SUV at the others cramped inside, and climbed in the front seat. He hoped like hell the trip wouldn’t drive him crazy. The wolf was restless. It slinked along his limbs, howled inside his head, and caused Garrett’s temper to flare at unexpected moments. The wolf’s mate was in danger and he knew until he had Rayna back, he’d be unpredictable. Bringing so many of the others along was for everyone’s protection, even his own. If they didn’t reach Rayna in time, he would lose her. The humans would see to that the moment she shifted and when that happened, the wolf wouldn’t rest until they were dead at his feet.
I hope you enjoyed the 10 chapter preview of The Gathering. The novel can be purchased for $3.99 at the following retailers.
BUY THE EBOOK FROM:
» Buy at Alinar Publishing» Buy at Amazon Kindle
» Buy at Amazon Kindle UK
» Buy at Fictionwise.com
» Buy at Smashwords
A Night Breeds Novel
© 2011 Lily Graison
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written consent of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The right of Lily Graison to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Digitally released April 2011
First Edition
All characters in this publication are purely fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
No comments:
Post a Comment