24. Orion
CHAPTER 24
Orion
T he smoke bombs worked, at least on the levels where we could get them. Vampires dropped like dead flies, seemingly comatose on the ground…at least until I drilled bullets into their chests. The tiny amount of iron in each shot wouldn’t keep them out for long, but after I found my girl, I’d come back with a machete and cut their heads off to put them down permanently.
Lycan, Kodiak, and I stalked through the asylum like soldiers invading a hostile country, our alert on high, our rifles at our chests, our trigger fingers poised to pull. The hazy cloud of Serpent’s blood poison dissipated as we walked farther down the hall, but I sensed them before they jumped out at me. Two male vampires flashed their fangs in a loud hiss and attacked from around a corner.
I fired two holes into each chest and one in each head for good measure, just to keep them unconscious for now.
“First floor secured,” came Moose’s voice through earpieces. “We’re heading upstairs.”
“Be careful,” Talon said, echoing my sentiments.
My human side had merged so completely with my wolf that I’d nearly lost all sense of empathy. We remained focused on one thing: finding Isolde. It didn’t matter what happened, it didn’t matter what stood in my way. She was still alive and somewhere close.
“This way,” Kodiak said, closing off communication to just me and Lycan so the others could focus on what they needed to do. He stepped in front of me, leading us down a long corridor with doors on either side.
I pointed my gun at each as we passed, satisfied the vampires were too doped up to move, but as we got farther down, the poison stopped working.
A Scorpion launched itself out of a room on our right, taking Lycan down to the ground. He tried to shoot at it, but his rifle didn’t go off. The vampire snarled and Lycan barely had his arm up in time to stop it, but I leapt into action. I aimed my gun at the vamp’s head and pulled the trigger, feeling nothing when it exploded brain and blood all over my brother.
“Fucking yuck!” Lycan spat and rolled to the side, wiping at his face, which was now covered in disgusting vamp insides. “ Why are they so fucking gross?”
“You’re all right,” I said, holding out my hand to help him to his feet, but I noticed the bite mark as soon as he reached out to grab it. “Make sure you get that looked at when we get back to the clubhouse. Who knows what the hell kind of disease they carry.”
He ripped off a piece of his T-shirt and tied it around the wound before giving me a firm nod.
“C’mon,” Kodiak said. “I can feel something in the basement.”
My heart raced and I took long, slow breaths to calm it down, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to get panicked. I already sensed Isolde’s anxiety and terror pulling through the bond, and I sent her as much of my strength as I could, tunneling it into the magical connection.
What I wouldn’t give to be anywhere else with her right now. Perhaps on a beach or somewhere in the woods. Once we were out of this, I’d pray for her forgiveness. I’d never let her out of my sight again. I’d have her in my bed every night and at my side every day. I’d bring her back to pack territory, her family be damned. She was a member of the Bastards now, a part of the Helena shifter pack, and that could never change.
I took another shot when a female Scorpion jumped out of a corner in the ceiling, snarling and screaming and spitting venom, but my gun didn’t go off. I didn’t know if it was jammed or out of bullets, but she managed to latch on to me, her fangs going for my neck. My wolf reacted, snarling as I sunk my claws into her carotid and yanked. Her throat tore open, spilling more gore all over me, and fucking hell, I’d look like a monster by the time I got to Isolde.
“Nice,” Lycan said.
“C’mon,” Kodiak said. “We’re almost to the stairs.”
I fiddled with my rifle, reloading it as we carried on. It felt like it took an hour to walk down the massive corridor, but eventually, we reached a dead end with two exit doors on either side of us and one directly in front of us. Kodiak walked forward and kicked that entry open, revealing a set of concrete stairs that led both up and down. We headed down, our boots echoing like crashing thunder. As soon as we got to the lowest level, the electricity went out. More gunshots rumbled from the floors above us, but I couldn’t focus on that.
Moose and the others could take care of themselves. I needed to find my girl and get her to safety. No distractions. Lycan and Kodiak paused to look around, but I took a moment to let my vision adjust to the darkness, to let the scents of the rooms ahead guide me.
The rancid smell of Isolde’s fear nearly sent me into a blind rage, and if it weren’t for Lycan and Kodiak next to me, I would have gone screaming into the space without any reservations. Instead, I stayed in formation, holding my rifle higher, gripping the trigger just in case I needed to pull it.
Kodiak opened the door on the basement level, where Isolde’s scent was the strongest. I followed closely behind him, where I came face-to-face with Percival Vanderbilt. He held his hands up, his red eyes streaming blood down his cheeks as he wept.
“Please,” he said, flashing a mouth full of fangs. “Please help them.”
“What the fuck is this?” Lycan whispered. “They turned him?”
“Where are they?” Kodiak asked the eldest Vanderbilt son.
“The last room on the right.” Percy took a step to the side, letting out another desperate sob. “Please, I couldn’t stop it. I tried, I did. But I couldn’t stop?—”
I shot him in the forehead, right between the eyes. I didn’t give a shit if he felt remorseful. It was one thing to be a Scorpion and do this because Marx commanded it. It was quite another to betray your sisters for the sake of money and power. Perhaps Percy felt like he didn’t have a choice, but I didn’t give a fuck. The motherfucker was a disloyal piece of shit, and as soon as I had my girl in my arms, I’d take his fucking head for doing this to her.
We stalked down the hallway, three shifters with our canines ready to tear into anything that came for us. I grimaced as the pull to Isolde got weaker, perhaps indicating that she wasn’t in here…or that she was dead. I damn near sprinted to the end of the hallway, kicking open the door so hard it burst off the hinges.
The first thing I saw was Guinevere hunched down in the corner of the room, her nose and face bleeding, her eyes bruised from whatever they’d done to her. Two Scorpions rushed at us, but Lycan and Kodiak took care of them as I scanned the room for Isolde…only to realize it was empty.
She isn’t here.
“ Where?” I growled, my voice sounding inhuman. I had completely blended with my wolf now, and after this was over, it would take some time to fully separate again…if I ever could.
“They took her,” Guin said when Kodiak pulled her gag down. “She’s upstairs somewhere.”
Yes. Go. Upstairs.
My wolf and I didn’t wait around. I turned and sprinted out of the room, down the hallway, and back up the stairs. I didn’t sense her on the first or second floors, her terror mixing with my fury to make the draw stronger.
Where are you? Where are you?
I took the stairs two at a time, Lycan close on my heels. I probably should have waited for Kodiak. I probably should have made sure her sister and my alpha got out okay before I took off on my own, but I didn’t care. The only thing on my mind was getting to her wherever she was.
When I got to the third floor, my wolf bucked in my mind, the bond vibrating in my chest as her scent got heavier.
Here!
I burst through the stairwell door where five Scorpions jumped me. Lycan fired iron bullets, and I clawed at whatever bodies stood between me and my girl, but they were powerful. One sank their fangs into my left bicep and ripped, sharp slices exploding through that side of my body.
“Fuck,” I growled, shoving that bloodsucker away. Another snapped at my face and I ducked out of the way just in time to prevent it tearing into my cheek.
“Orion!” Vermillion tugged that vamp off me, swinging a machete at its neck to separate the head from its body. “I’ve got it here. Go!”
Lycan and Vermillion took on the fight while I disentangled myself from the chaos and raced toward Sol. I sensed her behind the third door on the right, and when I tried to barrel inside, the barrier wouldn’t budge. I banged my good side against it over and over again, but it didn’t move.
“Isolde!” I threw myself at the metal, my wolf frantic to get through, and finally, with one more good shove, it gave and I tumbled inside.
To my utter horror, Isolde hung from the ceiling by her wrists, her bloody face leaned up against her arm, her pants down around her ankles and her shirt nearly ripped off her body. A huge vampire stood behind her, fangs extended with what I assumed was her blood dripping from his lips.
Something inside me snapped. No one hurt my mate. No one. I let out a growl and emptied my clip into the huge Scorpion, but that didn’t do enough damage. Unsheathing my claws and extending my canines, I rushed the motherfucker, taking him down to the ground. He shoved at my shoulders, trying to get me off him, but I was too big…too heavy…too pissed off. I sank my teeth into his throat, curling my fangs around his windpipe, and yanked.
The wretched taste of decaying flesh filled my mouth, coppery and disgusting, and I spat it out before I went back for more. One hand under his chin, the other digging my claws into his chest, I tore at his neck until I got bone…and then I went deeper until finally I hit the ground. When I had his filthy fucking head in my hands, I tossed it to the side and stood, immediately looking for Isolde.
She was barely conscious, so I pushed more of my strength and magic down our bond, grimacing as my vision sparkled from the effort. I was losing blood from the bite on my arm, but I had to make sure she was safe. I had to get her out of here.
When I broke the restraints and freed her wrists, she fell into me like she couldn’t hold up her own weight. Her head lulled to my shoulder, her knees buckling under the strain.
More, my wolf urged, and I poured my desperation into her, pulling at Kodiak’s magic to reinforce what I was giving. He didn’t resist. He let me have it, and finally, she gasped. Her head shot upright, her brilliant amber eyes blinking up at me.
“Little fox,” I whispered, bringing my forehead to hers. Her pulse beat strong and steady as I grabbed the back of her neck and held her jaw.
“My wolf,” she said, and I melted against her, yanking her in close, wrapping my arms to hold her there, certain I would never let her go again.
“Are you hurt?” I said as I looked her over for serious injuries.
“No,” she said, clearly choking back a sob. “Nothing time won’t fix.”
Relief flooded my veins, calming that churning in my stomach that had been there since I first tasted her helplessness. Now that I had her in my arms again, after suffering the thought of losing her, I knew all the shit I’d been angry about didn’t matter anymore. I loved her unconditionally. I loved her more than life itself. My mate. My one true love. Finally, the wolf and the human accepted it, and I would never let her leave again. I’d spend the rest of our lives making it up to her.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so fucking sorry. I love you.”
She ran her trembling bloody fingers down my face and smiled. “I love you, grumpy wolf.”
I didn’t care that I had Scorpion blood on my mouth and dripping down my chin, and seemingly neither did she. Isolde brought her lips to mine, kissing me like she’d been gone for years rather than a few days. I held her close to allow time for our primal natures to be comforted in each other’s company.
She’s alive, the wolf told me. She’s still alive. Never let her leave our sight again. Never again.
“I’ve got you, baby girl,” I told her. “I’ve got you.”
“You’ve got me,” she murmured back. “Thank you for coming for me…for us.”
I hauled her into my arms, one under her knees and the other around her shoulders, ignoring the screaming pain coming from my bicep. However, when I got back into the hallway, my heart dropped into my gut.
Lycan and Poe each had one of Vermillion’s arms over their shoulders, their hands on his waist as they hauled his crimson-soaked body down the hallway. His head hung limp in front of him, suggesting he was unconscious, but his pale skin hinted at something worse.
“We need to move,” Lycan said, nodding toward the door. We headed toward the stairs, taking them two at a time until we got to the main level. From there, it would be a quick left turn outside and into our SUV. Except when we got to the main level, the smoke had cleared and most of the vampires that we’d put down had started to wake up. Marx stood at the head of the hallway with Larentia in his arms, a gun at her head and his fangs next to her throat.
“Uh, uh, uh,” he said, nodding toward Isolde. “That’s not yours. Her brother sold her to me weeks ago, long before you could touch her.”
I dropped Isolde and pushed her behind me, growling at the Scorpion leader, my canines throbbing with the need to tear into his throat next.
But Larentia wasn’t some meek submissive that would go down without a fight. She glanced from me to Lycan and back to Vermillion before extending her claws and sinking them into the vampire’s thigh. Marx let out a loud groan and wilted, taking a step back before he could pull the trigger on the gun. I grabbed his hand and pushed it over her head as it went off. Larentia got free and moved toward her brother as I shoved him away.
He grappled with me, hissing and spitting, while I roared my frustration. I had to kill him now. If I didn’t, he would keep coming for Isolde. He wouldn’t rest until he’d obtained his perceived restitution, and I wouldn’t let him hurt her again.
“You bloodsucking piece of shit,” I snarled as I swiped out with the claws on my good hand, determined to tear his eyes out of his head. Just as I made contact, Marx swirled to the side, kicked himself off the wall and took off down the hallway, disappearing into the darkness on the other end.
I wanted to go after him. I wanted to hunt him down until it was his blood on my tongue, but Isolde needed me.
“Orion,” she whimpered. “Help me. Please.”
I’d almost lost her once, and I wouldn’t put either of us in that position a second time. I scooped her up and pushed through the exit door into the crisp winter air, where the rest of my pack waited for us by the SUVs.
Kodiak glanced between us, but his grief-stricken focus landed on Vermillion and he jumped into action, shouting orders at whoever was around while he helped Lycan and Poe get our injured brother into the nearest SUV. Based on the gaping hole in the pack bonds and the amount of agony pulling on my dwindling strength, I figured whatever had happened to Vermillion wasn’t the end of our casualties.
* * *
I sat next to Isolde in the house on our territory built specifically for our pack healer to take care of us in an emergency. We called it the med-bay, but it was more like a rancher that had been converted to a doctor’s office.
In the center of the chaos, Morwyn struggled over Vermillion’s lifeless body, pushing as much of her healing magic into him as she could. Her dark curly hair had been tied up on top of her head and her bright blue eyes were clenched shut in concentration as she radiated her hand over his forehead and down to his chest.
“Damn it, Vermillion. Respond,” she said, her voice shaking. Vermillion was her older brother, so this was no ordinary patient. For her, this was her literal flesh and blood. I felt the horror ripping through her, the grief and the disbelief that something could have happened to him…that she might not be able to save him.
She gripped Kodiak’s other hand tight, yanking on the pack bonds, pulling as much strength from us as we could give her.
After I’d gone into the room to get Isolde, he’d taken on ten vamps by himself. According to Lycan, he almost beat them off. But just as he’d brought down the biggest, another one got him in the neck, sinking their fangs into his jugular and ripping it clean out. He sank like a stone, his life’s blood gushing from the wound and his mouth and nose. Lycan knew he wouldn’t survive without help.
Poe got there in enough time to put pressure on the blood flow and tried to staunch it himself, but he wasn’t the pack healer. He didn’t have the medical training and the special connection with Kodiak the way Morwyn did. He couldn’t pull on the pack’s energy to transfer that into curing ailments. That was Morwyn’s gift, and hers alone.
But as I sat there, clutching Isolde’s hand and waiting for the silver in her veins to wear off, I realized something horrible.
The absence in the pack’s bonds was due to the fact Vermillion had died. He was barely hanging on while we were still at the asylum and now Morwyn was plunging shifter magic into a soul that had already passed on.
“Morwyn,” Kodiak said, kneeling down beside her. “Morwyn, stop.”
“No, I can save him. I can—” She sobbed and wilted over her brother’s corpse, and my heart cracked into pieces as I sat helpless and watched her.
He had sacrificed himself for me to save Isolde. He had given his life for someone he’d never met, and I’d never be able to repay him.
My eyes burned as tears gathered in the corners, my muscles shivering under the weight of the pack’s collective pain. Sure, there were others in the med-bay with injuries. We’d nearly lost four other shifters in the fray, and Morwyn had already expelled so much of her magic saving them. My arm had deep bite marks, Lycan needed ten stitches, and Talon nearly had her leg sliced off. We were beat-up and bruised, but most of us would recover without any permanent damage.
Now, I sat with my mate’s hand in my mine, watching the pack healer mourn her only remaining family.
“Goddamn it, Vermillion,” she shouted, beating on his chest. Her wails sliced through me, cleaving me in two. My soul ached for her, and shame rattled through me. “Goddamn it. Don’t do this to me. You promised you wouldn’t leave me. You promised.”
She slumped to her side, exhausted and bereft, and Kodiak wrapped his arms around her, holding her shaking body to his while she continued to try to revive him.
“He’s gone,” Kodiak said. A few pack members gasped and some glanced in my direction, raking their gazes over Isolde like it was her fault Vermillion had died. “He’s?—”
I sensed it at almost the same time as the alpha—the stirring in the pack dynamic, the sudden surge that replaced the terrifying void.
Vermillion sucked in a gasp and arched his back off the floor, his eyes shooting open in that glorious hue of deep mahogany that I associated with his wolf.
“Fuck,” Morwyn said, clambering upright so she could put her hands on his throat, pushing more pack energy into him. I gave it freely. I sensed it yank from my soul into Kodiak’s and down into Morwyn. Exhausted from the fight and what I’d already poured into Isolde, I started to get woozy, but I didn’t stop. I gave everything I had, knowing what the pack had done to bring my mate back to me.
Vermillion thrashed while Poe and Kodiak held him down so Morwyn could give him something to knock him out.
“Shh, shh, shh,” Guinevere said, kneeling next to Vermillion’s head, brushing the hair out of his face. “Van, it’s me. It’s Guin.”
He tried to say her name, but all that came out was a garbled whisper. And when I’d given all that I could, all that was left in me, I put my head down on Isolde’s bed and let unconsciousness take hold.