Chapter Fifteen
HORVAN PEERED at the gateway through his night-vision goggles.
“No one on duty that I can see.” If the guards had been under Horvan’s command, they would have been out on their ear in a heartbeat.
Theron’s complacency was their good fortune.
Beside him, Saul gave a snort. “So we’re just gonna stroll across the moat? No incursion is that easy.”
“We can hope, right?” Horvan tapped his earpiece. “Okay, we’re good to go. Eve, keep Jake and Orsini close until I tell you it’s safe to bring ’em in. Then head down to the basement. Take Aelryn’s guys with you to bring out the caskets.”
“Copy that. We’ve got a couple of bigass carts at the ready to remove them from the castle.”
“Brick, you know the drill. Gas bombs down the chimney, then deal with the guards as they come out. Not one of them gets into the castle or across the moat, you get it?”
“Copy that.”
Horvan glanced at Saul. “You and Crank get in through a window, then open the front door. If you meet any resistance, deal with it appropriately. Once we’re inside, you two go find Vic and anyone else Theron is keeping locked up down there. But go quietly, okay? Like mice.”
“Copy that.”
“Mice like cheese, y’know,” Crank interjected in a morose tone.
Horvan rolled his eyes. “Are you still going on about that?”
“All I asked was if we could go to London to this really bodacious American bar that has all-you-can-eat nachos and a cheese fountain, for God’s sake. I mean, cheese …,” he whined.
“Fine. If you can get through this mission without bugging me about it anymore, I’ll give you some leave, and you can go to London and eat your little mousey heart out, okay? But right now we’ve got stuff to do…. You know, like taking down a bad guy and finding your mate?”
“Vic likes cheese too. Just saying. ”
Saul shook his head. “You and cheese. Are you sure you’re not hiding something? You know, like you’re really a mouse shifter?”
Crank frowned. “Us meeses, we like cheeses. Gives us a sad when there is no cheeses for the meeses.”
Horvan gave up.
“Want me to wait too?” Doc asked quietly.
“Yeah. Hashtag’ll bring you inside once we locate Alec. Then he’s all yours. Aelryn’s got an ambulance ready to take you and Alec to the clinic.”
“Copy that.”
Horvan smiled. “In case I forget to tell you… it’s been good having you on my team. Kinda like the old days.”
Doc chuckled. “And it looks as if you’ll see a lot more of me, given the recent turn of events. Because if Jake is my mate, then Dellan is sort of a stepson—so what does that make you?”
He grinned. “We’ll talk more about that later.” He returned his gaze to the gate, but there was still no sign of any guards.
“I like that you saved the best part for you and me,” Aelryn remarked in a low voice. “Taking down Theron. I appreciate being included in this.”
Horvan chuckled. “You’re with me to make sure I don’t kill the bastard.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, guys. The word is go.”
They moved stealthily toward the castle, creeping across the road bridge and through the archway into the courtyard.
Brick and Roadkill split off with their team, heading for the barracks.
Saul and Crank moved around the exterior of the castle, where they’d spotted a few open windows during their earlier recon.
Horvan and Aelryn went to the main door, accompanied by four of Aelryn’s men.
“Well, goddamn.” Saul’s whisper filled his ear. “Not only do we have two open windows, they were kind enough to choose ones next to a drainpipe.”
“Then get up there, you spider monkey.”
Saul’s snort was way too loud. “Funny man.”
“Don’t forget. Radio silence once you’re inside, until you get the door open.”
“Copy that. We’re going in.”
Horvan gazed across the courtyard to where Brick’s men had positioned themselves by the door to the barracks. One of the team was already on the tiled roof, poised by the chimney pot. Some of the team were armed with tranquilizer guns, and all of them carried darts to prevent shifting.
It was poetic justice, using the Gerans’ own tech against them .
Be safe, okay?
Horvan could hear the love in Rael’s voice. I will. And I’ll be back there before you know it. He focused, his muscles tensed, straining to catch any noises. No sounds carried on the night air, apart from the soft hoot of an owl—
Oh shit .
Horvan raised his head and sniffed. Don’t let it be a shifter .
Maybe Theron had them out on patrol. That could screw up everything.
Fortunately, a moment later he saw it sail down into the forest and come back up with something in its talons, then alight on a tree and begin enjoying its midnight snack.
Paying them no attention whatsoever.
Thank fuck for that.
Then there was the creak of a door opening.
Horvan gestured to the rest of the team, and they crept inside. Horvan was thankful whoever owned the castle had kept the original stone flags rather than covering them with floorboards. He gave Saul and Crank the thumbs-up, and they peeled off, heading for the basement.
Horvan pointed to the ceiling, then led his team toward the staircase, its stone treads worn down by centuries of use. On the second floor, Horvan pointed to the room Aric had indicated. He and Aelryn stopped, tranq guns at the ready, the rest of the team lined up along the hallway, weapons raised.
The door was ajar.
Horvan pushed it slowly, before coming to a dead stop inside.
There was no one in the room.
brICK CROUCHED behind the door to the barracks, waiting for Horvan’s signal. His men formed a semicircle, ready to tranq the guards once they tried to escape from the gas.
Horvan’s voice filled his ear. “Brick. The word is go.”
“Copy that,” he whispered. He signaled to Dex on the roof, and a moment later there was the muffled noise of an exploding gas bomb, followed by several roars.
The roars of animals.
Brick yelled, “Shift!”
The door went crashing onto the cobbled courtyard, torn off its hinges, and a lion bounded out, its jaws wide in a ferocious growl, followed by another lion and a cheetah .
They were met by two pumas and a panther who slammed into the guards, going for their throats. It was over in a matter of less than a minute. Roadkill and the others took aim, and those guards who tried to make a run for it were swiftly brought down.
When a brown bear burst out of the barracks, Brick didn’t hesitate. He shucked off his clothing and gave chase, his heavy paws thudding on the hard cobbles.
You think you’re gonna get away? Think again.
The bear didn’t make it as far as the gate.
The final wave of shifted guards were the heaviest hitters of them all, five gorillas, as loud as they were fierce, and it took all Brick’s team to subdue them. But at last the courtyard was silent.
Brick stood over the bloodied heap of brown fur and bellowed. He shifted back as Roadkill strode toward him. Brick pointed to the still forms lying on the ground.
“That’s all of them, right?”
Roadkill nodded. “I thought it was gonna be a walk in the park until the gorillas joined in the fun.” He handed Brick a pile of clothing. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He tapped his earpiece. “H, the guards are taken care of. They all came out fighting, already shifted.”
“Any casualties?” Horvan spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper.
Brick glanced at his team. “Minor injuries, mostly inflicted by the gorillas.” He snorted. “Remind me never to piss Eve off.”
“Good work. We’re heading downstairs to the basement. Wait for us at the gate. I’ll signal if we need you.”
“Copy that.” Brick gazed at the unconscious guards. “They were good, but we were better.” He peered at Roadkill. “Sucks to be them, huh?” Brick signaled to his team. “Okay, guys. We’re on standby in case they need reinforcements.”
Except having him anywhere near Theron was not a good idea.
HORVAN AND Aelryn paused at the door they knew led to the basement.
“H, can you come down here?” That was Saul, speaking in his normal voice. “Last door at the end of the hallway. We’ve found someone you might want to talk to.”
Bingo .
“On my way.” Horvan glanced at his team. “When we get down there, spread out. Search every room. And if you don’t find Alec down here, go search upstairs.”
They had people to find.
Horvan descended into the cool basement, following the faint murmur of voices.
In the hallway, he spied the unconscious body of a man in a robe, possibly a servant who’d heard the noise.
When he and Aelryn reached the heavy wooden door, Horvan went inside to find Saul and Crank standing at the end of the long room with a vaulted ceiling, exactly as Jake had described it, right down to the walled-off section made of glass, a door set into it.
Then Saul moved aside, and Horvan saw an elderly man seated in a high-backed chair, glaring at him. On the table beside him were a book and a pair of glasses, and what appeared to be a glass of milk.
So this is the leader of the Gerans.
Horvan’s skin crawled just looking at him.
“Found him asleep in his chair,” Saul muttered.
Theron fixed cold eyes on Horvan. “What are you doing in my house?”
His voice was as glacial as his gaze.
Horvan ignored him and tapped his earpiece. “Eve? Bring them in. We’re in the basement.”
“Copy that.”
He gestured to Saul and Crank. “We’ll take it from here. Go find Vic. And see if you can find Valmer Cooper.”
“Copy that.” They ran from the room.
“You are remarkably well informed,” Theron said in a dry tone.
Horvan aimed his gun at Theron. “Don’t move. Shift and I’ll put a bullet in you.”
Theron arched his eyebrows but said nothing.
Horvan gestured to the medic who’d accompanied them. “Do it.”
The medic approached Theron and removed a metal box from his backpack.
Theron stared at the syringe in the medic’s hands, then gazed at Aelryn. “Are you going to sully your hands with my execution? I’m surprised you have the stomach for it.”