Chapter 33 Betrayal
Betrayal
Cade returned some time in the night, and I woke with both men in bed with me. The fated mate bond purred, and I rolled my eyes, climbing over Luca to get to the bathroom.
When I emerged with my hair wrapped in a towel, Cade was gone. Luca pulled on pants and smiled up at me, but it was tight and brief.
“We’re going again. Finn hacked the nest’s new location. We’ll be there before sunset, so they can’t escape.”
“Oh,” I said, halting. “Is it safe? Something feels wrong to me.”
“It’s fine. We’ve done this before. Even before we formed this pack, Cade and I served on a team in our old pack. We know what we’re doing.”
He stood, crossing the room and kissing me. I let my towel drop so I could hold his face, my fingers tracing over the dark tattoos as they cut under the edge of his jaw.
Our kiss morphed into something deeper. I explored his mouth, and his hands gripped the small of my back, lifting me so I was pressed against him.
“I love you,” I murmured as he kissed down my neck and over the claim mark he gave me the night before. “Come back safe. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Of course,” he said with a wicked grin. That warmth and sparkle was back, and I relaxed. “I love you, too.”
With one last lingering kiss, he was off.
The day was tense with multiple meetings with various people. I didn’t see Cade at all, and Luca only briefly when he came to check on me. I took my book onto the deck and tried to enjoy the sunshine, but anxiety churned my stomach.
Elowen stopped by to give me the last injection of birth control. “There, no babies for you, yet,” she said, squeezing my shoulder. “I see you have another mark.”
I trailed my fingers over the tender skin. I wore a wide-necked tank top that showed both of them off, one almost healed and one angry and fresh.
“Yeah, Luca was upset after the stuff last night. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t questioning anything.”
Elowen frowned, sinking down into the seat beside me.
“He would have done that anyway. Don’t think it was reactionary.”
“I know.” My shoulders rose and fell with a heavy breath. “But he was pretty upset at the idea that the vampires wanted me back. I might have waited a bit longer. But honestly, I’m glad he didn't. It felt strange having Cade’s and not his.”
She nodded along. “I only have one mate, so I couldn’t begin to imagine, but it makes sense.”
“It’s complicated,” I said with a light laugh.
“Alrighty , love. I’d better get back to helping them. I swear, these boys can’t organize equipment for shit.”
“You’re not going, right?” I asked, straightening.
Elowen shook her head. “Of course not. But I think this time they’re leaving Holt and Lana. Cade doesn’t want to take any risks with you.” She shrugged. “Or me, I guess.”
“You’re more important,” I said automatically.
Her brows pinched. “You’re the most important to Cade and Luca. And that’s okay. I have Archer and our baby.”
“Sorry.” My shoulders dropped.
“Summer, don’t belittle yourself. I know Cade’s been an ass, but you are worthy of how Luca treats you. And I still believe Cade will come around.”
“Yeah, when hell freezes over.”
It felt wrong when I said it. Cade had shown tenderness, in his glances and the way he touched me. The feel of his body wrapped around mine at night. He was thawing.
But the stress of the fight against the vampires was too much for him, and then with the message...
As the afternoon aged, I went inside to help Holt with lunch. The team ate in silence, everyone tense about the upcoming mission.
The strain escalated as trucks were loaded and everyone pulled on tactical gear. I tried to stay out of the way, kissing Luca goodbye. Cade eyed me from across the room.
Be safe, I wished him silently.
After the trucks pulled away, Holt worked quietly in the kitchen, and Lana sat on the sofa with her arms crossed. Elowen felt sick, so she was resting upstairs.
Lana was the last person I wanted to socialize with. Scowling, I stood in front of the glass and squinted out at the lake as the sky darkened.
“They’ll be fine,” Lana said, coming to stand beside me.
“Yeah, I know.” My arms crossed, hugging myself defensively.
Sighing, Lana propped her hands on her hips. “Look, I’m sorry I was giving you a hard time. I thought you were messing around with Luca while you rejected your bond with Cade.”
The implication was that she no longer thought that was the case, so I kept my mouth shut. There was no need to defend myself.
“I really love Cade,” I finally said. “I know it’s messed up on some level, but I do. I can’t help it.”
“Yeah,” she said, gazing straight ahead at the glittering water.
“And I love Luca too. More than I thought was possible.”
She huffed. “He’s the easier one to love.”
“No kidding,” I said, a small smile curving my lips.
Lana tensed. “What was that?” Her brows furrowed as she pressed against the glass.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to see, but as the sky darkened, the bright interior lights reflected back on the glass.
“Holt, hit the lights,” Lana commanded.
A moment later, the room darkened, and we were treated to a view of the lake and the surrounding forest.
“There! I definitely saw something.”
I tried to follow her gaze, but I saw nothing but swaying trees. Lana crossed the room to the table, and strapped on a holster. She checked the bullets in her gun and tucked it in.
“I’m going to go check it out.”
Icy fear prickled along my skin. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Holt’s deep voice interrupted. “You can’t go alone. Gotta stay in pairs. That’s the rule.”
Lana pivoted. She didn’t look like a bimbo now, with her laser focus and weapons strapped to her. “Then you’ll come with me.”
Shaking his head, Holt tapped his thigh. “Can’t. I’ve got a bum leg. That’s why I’m always on van duty when I come along, or I get left home.”
Lip curling, Lana looked him over. “Then I guess I’ll have to go alone.”
“I can come,” I said, my own voice sending my stomach churning.
Twisting, Lana regarded me, sweeping up and down my body. “Can you shoot?”
“It’s not that hard,” I said, faking a confidence I didn’t feel.
“That’s not reassuring,” she said with a harsh laugh. She snatched a sheath and short blade from the table and strapped them around my thigh. “There. Now, you can’t accidentally shoot me. And I swear if you stab me, I’ll eat you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said sarcastically.
Lana rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”
She handed me a flashlight and we slid the glass door open, stepping onto the deck. The night was quiet, with the soft lapping of the lake against the dock, the buzz of insects, and the rustle of leaves.
A few bats flitted overhead, and already stars were appearing. Sunset was almost gone behind the mountain.
“You think they’re at the nest yet?” I whisper.
Lana answered without looking at me, her focus on the trees. “Probably. It’s a pretty long drive though.”
“Why set up the pack so far from the city?” I asked quietly, unable to help my curiosity.
It was a moment before Lana answered my second question. “We don’t want the vampires tracking us here. The hope is that they don’t know where we are.”
“Oh.”
“There.” Lana tensed and then broke into a jog. I jerked into a run behind her, cursing myself for not training harder with Archer.
She slowed, raising her gun and twisting, scanning the trees. I still hadn’t seen anything, and my anxiety was rising. Some intuition was screaming that we needed to get the fuck out of there.
“Lana,” I said cautiously.
A blur struck Lana from behind, sharp nails wrapping around her throat and grasping the wrist of the hand holding the gun.
She slammed her elbow back, trying to dislodge him, but the vampire was too strong. Her gun clattered to the ground, and he kicked it into the bush before I could react.
Wrenching her head to the side, the vampire held her vulnerable as he focused his attention on me. One movement and he could easily end her, and Lana knew it too. She stopped struggling and waited for an opportunity.
I clutched the knife in my hand, trying so hard to not shake.
Evrin smiled at me, and it was cold and calculated, turning my anxiety into full blown terror. Two sets of needle teeth glinted in the starlight.
“Hello, Summer. I’ve missed you,” he purred.
“Evrin,” I said, taking a small step closer.
“Aren’t you glad I’m here to rescue you?” His expression shifted, looking entirely genuine, the perfect picture of a lover reunited. The change was jarring.
“I need you to let her go,” I said, trying to sound soothing.
“Can’t do that. My contact told me you would be alone, not with a guard.”
“Who?” I inched closer.
Evrin laughed. “Does it matter? Do not ask any more questions. You don’t need answers, you need me.”
Shuddering, I tried to focus on his body and how he was holding Lana. I had no idea how to attack him without him first killing Lana.
“Let her go,” I repeated.
“I’ll let her go if you come with me. And if you act like you’re happy about it, I won’t go into the pack house and slaughter the cute little pregnant one. Even though her blood would be so sweet.”
My muscles locked up. Elowen.
With shaky hands, I tucked my blade back in its sheath and plastered on a smile.
“Evrin, I’m glad you’re here to rescue me. Let’s forget about these werewolves and go home.” Each word felt like needles scraping down my throat.
“That’s my sweet little Summer.”
Evrin twisted Lana’s arm around until a pop echoed, and then dropped her in a heap. She gasped, fighting against the pain of whatever injury he had just caused. Before she could climb to her feet, he shoved his foot against her hip and sent her skidding across the leaf litter.
My teeth ground together so hard I was in risk of breaking a molar.
Lightning fast, Evrin swept me up. His hands circled my waist like Luca often did, and I fought back the nausea of his touch.
“I knew you’d come back to me willingly,” he said, fangs gleaming. Without warning, he bit into my neck, high above the claim marks still healing.
The razor feel of his teeth spotted my vision, and I clawed at his arms. Then he released his venom, and the fuzzy feeling filled my veins, blotting out all thought. That was the last thing I knew.