21. CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 21
Cassidy
The hatch above me opens, but the footsteps are different. This is not Jason.
Someone growls, and for a moment, I want to close my eyes and wish that I'm not imagining it.
"Cassie?" he calls and I'm moving before he has to repeat it.
"Graham?" I whisper in disbelief.
He actually came. The bond wasn't enough to persuade me. I didn't think I mattered. Not when his family was about to get attacked. Tears fall freely down my cheeks as a wave of relief washes over me.
"I'm so glad you're here," he tells me.
He grabs me, his strong arms lifting me out of the cellar. We keep holding onto one another for a long time. Nothing exists outside the embrace.
I bury my nose in his neck, allowing my mind to be engulfed by his scent. It calms the turmoil, bringing me to a place of peace.
"My love," he breathes. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
His soothing tone makes me cry even harder. "No, no, I'm fine," I sob. "Thank you for coming for me."
"I will always find you, Cassie," he swears. "If you get lost, I'll navigate us back home."
Oh, Graham.
My Graham.
I bury myself in him, needing to feel him. His presence makes me feel safe and secure.
"Jason's gone," he tells me. "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but he's dead."
I can't believe this is finally over. I still shiver at the thought of what could've happened if Graham hadn't come for me.
"How about we get out of here," Graham says, his hands trailing down to my waist. It takes everything in my power to ignore his nakedness. There are more important things that require my attention right now. Though he's not making it easy.
"Wait, we can't just leave," I protest. "What about the others?"
"They're on their way to the Grey Manor," Graham replies. "There's nothing we can do."
"We should go there and help," I argue, but I quickly realize I'm useless in this war. "You should go."
He shakes his head. "No way. I'm not leaving you."
"We have to find a way to help them," I insist. "There must be something we can do."
Graham scratches the back of his head. "I could try giving the General a call. Maybe the humans can send some soldiers to help."
"Do it!" I encourage him. "Please, do it now."
He pulls his phone out and dials the number. The moment the call connects, he begins talking rapidly. There's a faint light coming from underneath the door. I follow it into the backroom.
"Holy shit," I mutter under my breath when I enter the room full of computer screens.
"What is it?" Graham asks, coming from behind me.
"They're connected straight into F-Rec," I tell him, gesturing at the footage in front of us.
"Maybe we can use it to see what's going on at the Grey Manor," Graham tells me. "Try to find out while I make another call."
He returns his attention to the phone, but I zone out the sound, focusing on the screen. That's how they kept themselves hidden. They were deleting the footage before it even appeared in our database. It's genius!
"There," I find the correct path and open it.
"Looks like they got it under control," Graham mutters, his eyes glued to the screen. I didn't even notice when he finished the call.
It looks like the wolves weren't waiting for the radicals inside the manor. The two groups are facing each other from opposite sides of the yard. There are some radicals who tried to get closer, but a pack of wolves took them down.
"There are Garren and Alyssa," I say, pointing at the center of the group.
"Leia and Gavin must be covering their flanks," Graham adds.
"Why aren't they attacking?" I ask, wondering why no one moves.
"See that line in the middle?" Graham asks, gesturing to the white marks that keep the two groups separated. "I'm willing to bet it has something to do with Helia. The radicals must be trying to bring down the barriers."
"So, the ones lying dead near the line weren't attacked by the pack," I say, realizing I was wrong.
"Looks like Helia's work to me," Graham replies. He frowns. "The packs haven't arrived yet. They need more time."
I tense in anticipation as I feel that something's about to happen. All eyes are on the radical's side of the yard. Finally, a lean woman steps forward.
"That's Tiana," I say. "She's still pretending to be one of them."
"We have to tell them Jason's dead," Graham urges. "Maybe they'll give up."
I look around the room, desperately searching for a phone. I quickly drop the idea because I wouldn't know who to call. Would the radicals even believe me?
"The Grey Manor has a speaker system all around the compound," Graham says. "If we hack into it, we can relay the message to everyone at once. The shock could be strong enough to shake the radicals."
"I think we can do it from here," I tell him, pointing at the keyboard.
"What are you waiting for then?" he asks with a crooked smile. "I'll check the perimeter again to make sure we're alone."
"Right," I mutter and sit on the chair, my fingers already hovering above the keyboard.
I enter the familiar software and scroll through the F-Rec's settings. It doesn't take me long to locate the Grey Manor's cameras, but it does take me several attempts to bring their firewall down.
When I get through the last barrier, a bright red notification flashes across my screen.
"Unauthorized access," the computer says. "Error. Intruder."
"What's going on?" Graham asks, rushing into the room, no doubt hearing the loud beeping.
"I'm locked out," I mutter and resist the urge to slam the keyboard. "The security is too tight. It's almost like they were playing me. I got in, but then they led me around in circles until I got thrown out of the system."
Graham chuckles softly. "I should've known they didn't update it."
I tilt my head to the side and look at him. "What are you talking about?"
"I designed their system," he explains, then gestures at the keyboard. "Let me. If they're as stupid as I think, they didn't bother changing the passwords."
Graham leans over me, his manly smell filling my nostrils. This time, I can't ignore his appeal. I try to glance downward, but the shadows around him are thick enough to hide his private parts. Such a shame.
"Here we go," he says, the edges of the screen turning green as we enter the system. He glances at me with a slight grin. "I can smell your arousal, you know?"
My cheeks flush and I clear my throat. "We have to hurry," I say, ignoring his remark. "The line seems to be disappearing."
It's true. While Graham was busy with breaking into the system, the radicals’ witches brought down Helia's barrier. Slowly but surely, the radicals are taking steps forward and closing down the distance between the wolves.
"Hold the line," Garren calls at his wolves. "Wait for my signal."
"Fuck, the speakers are disconnected," Graham groans. "We can't access them."
"Can we call someone inside the manor?" I suggest. "Someone who isn't out fighting?"
Graham snaps his fingers. "Grayden will be with Helia. She set up the area for the wounded."
"Call him," I urge Graham.
He nods, takes his phone out, and dials his brother's number. I return my attention back to the screen.
The footage suddenly turns black but then comes live again with a greenish hue. It looks like a night vision camera. Maybe that's what Garren was waiting for. The radicals are caught off guard by the sudden darkness. The wolves move with ease, cutting through them.
The first line of the radicals is down.
"Yes," I cheer.
It seems easy enough.
Until...
The footage flashes in green and white colors. The night vision turning on and off. The system's confused at the sudden brightness as the fireballs cut through the darkness.
Some of the wolves are hit. The whimpering groans hurt my ears.
More radicals join the fight.
The wolves are heavily outnumbered.
The radicals are strong. They have witches, wolves, and humans in their midst. Humans aren't against using guns. Someone even threw a grenade, blowing up everyone in its vicinity.
"It's a bloodbath," I mutter, covering my mouth with my hand.
"It's done," Graham says, getting off the phone. He leans over me and types in the code with renewed frenzy. "We're in!"
"What do we say?" I ask, glancing at him. My head's screaming the words, but I want him to take the reins. We could say something to turn the tide, but we have to make it count.
"We'll go right to the point," he says and grabs the microphone from the desk, bringing it to his lips. "This is Graham Grey speaking."
His voice carries through the compound. Both the radicals and the wolves pause their fighting, listening to the unexpected interruption.
"Radicals, your leader is dead," Graham announces. "I repeat, Jason White is dead. Stand down if you want to live."
A round of gasps echoes through the speakers, the battlefield turning into chaos. Instead of the radicals giving up, they charge the wolves with even more power and more anger.
"No," I whisper, squeezing the edge of the chair tightly.
"Jason is dead!" Tiana yells, raising her voice to be heard over the roar of the battle. "It's over! Save ourselves!"
She's still pretending she's one of them. If I look closely, her hands are clean as if she stayed away from the fight.
"Fuck this," one of the radicals calls back. "We're in it until the end."
"Are you sure about that?" Tiana asks and when the man nods, she jumps at him with wolfish speed and tears his head off his shoulders with brute force.
Her eyes are wild when she looks around, surrounded by the radicals and far away from the wolves she truly belongs with. "The war is over. This is over!"
The radicals turn on her as one, the truth of her betrayal becoming clear to everyone. Before the closest to her could attack her, the sounds of choppers engulf the area.
Strong reflectors light up the compound, blinding everyone in the yard when they pierce through the wolf-made darkness.
"This is the US Army. We have you surrounded. Stand down!"
As if on cue, the tanks come rolling with the wolves moving between them. The reinforcements have arrived and their numbers are far greater than the Radicals could have imagined. This battle is over.
True to their name, the radicals do the most radical thing—they continue fighting.
It's over in a matter of minutes.
The wolves join the fight in their animal forms, tearing the enemy apart. The Army uses their guns to shoot down the witches before they can finish their spells.
Garren and Alyssa fight side by side, running straight into the center of the battle. Gavin and Leia hunt down whoever tries to escape. The radical's cause ends today. We don't want anyone to raise an army again in a year or two.
Bodies of radicals fill the lawn. There are some who have kneeled and lifted their arms. The human soldiers are approaching those with special handcuffs, which must've been made with the inter-species collaboration.
The soldiers and the wolves are trying their best to separate the true enemies from the cowards. Once those who aren't dangerous are handcuffed and delivered to the humans, the wolves begin to shift back into their human forms.
"That's it," Graham says, turning the screen off. "It's over."
I look at him and nod. "Can we go home now?"
He chuckles softly and pulls me into a hug. "Yes, Cassie. We can go home now."