Chapter 17 - Mark

Lorelei’s face blanched, her mouth parting in shock as her eyes widened. She glanced at me, as if trying to determine if Will was telling the truth. I gave a short nod.

I was the one who had opened the door. At first, I didn’t know who she was. It wasn’t like I had actually seen her before. I’d assumed she was a shifter or someone from nearby who needed to talk to Jameson for some reason. But I’d vaguely recognized the scent. It had tugged at my memory, though I wasn’t sure where I’d smelled it before.

“Can I help you?” I asked. Behind me, I could sense some of the other Silver Wolves coming behind me.

She raised an eyebrow. “I hear you’ve been looking for me,” she purred.

I frowned, blinking. “I don’t know who you are. I’m sorry.”

She pouted. “Really? I would have thought you’d know what I looked like, considering you broke into my den a handful of weeks ago.”

My entire body stiffened. Behind me, I heard a shocked mutter from one of the onlookers.

“Inara.” It was all I could get out.

“I knew we’d get there eventually,” she said smoothly. “I have to say, it took me a while to track you down. I’m impressed. Now, are you going to let me in so I can have a chat with Jameson, or are we going to have a problem?”

Declan moved away from Lorelei and the open book on the desk to stand in front of me. “Where is she?” Declan asked.

“Luke and Nolan took her into Jameson’s office,” I said. “Oliver’s going to find Jameson.”

“She came on her own?” Declan asked.

“That’s all she needs, and she knows it,” Lorelei said. She’d managed to keep her voice even, but I could see the panic in her eyes and the way her hands trembled slightly.

“Did she say what she wanted?” Declan asked.

I shook my head. “She said she wanted to speak to Jameson.”

“It could be a trick,” Declan considered. “Some way of getting to Lorelei.”

“Which is why I’m not letting Inara get anywhere near her,” I promised. “We’ll go see what she wants and then arrest the bitch.”

Declan nodded, moving toward the door. “Let’s see what she wants before she burns the place down.”

I glanced over at Lorelei. Part of me yearned to stay with her. My wolf snarled, unwilling to let Lorelei and our cub out of sight when he knew a predator was lurking nearby. But I needed to see what Inara wanted. The closer an eye I could keep on her, the less she could do to Lorelei.

I rounded on Will, staring down the other shifter as he regarded me.

“You protect her,” I ordered, snarling. “Don’t let her out of this room.”

Will glanced over at Declan.

“He’s right,” Declan told him. “Stay here with Lorelei.”

Will nodded, taking several steps closer to Lorelei, every inch of him coiled and ready to strike if necessary.

Declan nodded in satisfaction, then turned to me. “Let’s get going,” he said.

Jameson came running up just as we reached his office, his eyes darting between Declan and me. “Do you know what she wants?” he asked.

“No idea,” I said.

Jameson exhaled hard, but his tension remained. “Let’s go find out, then,” he said, and opened the office door.

Inara sat lounging in one of the chairs, her legs crossed as she regarded Luke and Nolan. She looked equal parts amused and bored. I’d heard stories about Inara, but they paled in comparison to seeing her in the flesh. She was superhumanly beautiful: perfect lips, large eyes, long, shapely legs. It was hard to imagine someone like her being so deadly and evil. In fact, I struggled to keep reminding myself of that.

“Hello, Inara,” Jameson said.

Inara raised her head to look at him. Her eyes raked slowly up and down his body, drinking him in as a coy smirk spread across her lips, her body language making it perfectly clear what was running through her mind. I was half-surprised Jameson didn’t blush.

“You must be Jameson,” Inara purred, her eyes fluttering at the alpha. “Your reputation proceeds you.”

“So does yours,” Jameson replied, his face a mask of stone. “Why are you here?”

Inara gave a wide, sinister smile. “To talk, of course. But it seems like one of the interested parties is missing. Tell me, where is dear Lorelei?”

“Nowhere you can get to her,” I growled.

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes flicking up and down as she assessed me. “My, my,” she said. “Aren’t you the protective one? Has she caught your eye, then? I can’t blame you. She really is a pretty thing.”

“And you’re not getting your hands on her again,” Jameson said. “And you can’t have actually thought we would just hand her over if you marched in here. Tell me why we shouldn’t tear you to shreds?”

“Because I’m shielded, and it would be a waste of your valuable time and mine.” Inara sounded bored. “I’m here to speak to Lorelei. But I figured if I said that, you wouldn’t let me in.”

“You were right,” Jameson said.

“Which was why I decided to chat with you first.” Her features darkened, that supernatural beauty turning deadly. “Besides, I wanted to lay eyes on the man who stole her away from me in the first place.”

Jameson didn’t blink, didn’t show a hint of fear. “Well, you’ve done that. And now you can leave.”

“I told you I want to talk to Lorelei. You can stay in the room if you want. Then you can hear everything I have to say. But I’m not saying anything until she’s here.”

“You’re not getting anywhere near her,” I growled.

She examined her nails, not the least bit concerned. “I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if the little witch is here,” she said. “So why don’t you go collect her and bring her here instead of hiding her? Otherwise, I’ll be off and you can forget about the deal.”

“What deal?” Declan asked.

Inara smirked. “Wouldn’t you all like to know? Go fetch Lorelei, and we’ll talk about it. Otherwise, we’ll leave, and you can find out for yourself in a few hours.”

The simple way she spoke made my blood run cold. She didn’t seem the least bit concerned one way or the other. It was like she thought she was doing us a favor by being here at all.

Which made me wonder what ace she had up her sleeve. She wouldn’t be here unless it furthered whatever plan she had. Looking over at Jameson, I could tell he was thinking the same thing.

“Go get her,” Jameson told me. He turned back to Inara. “So much as think of uttering a spell or trying to lay a hand on her, and you’ll be dead in seconds.”

“So strong and serious,” Inara said flirtatiously. “I can see why she has so much faith in you.”

The statement made me pause. What was that supposed to mean? How was Inara supposed to know what Lorelei thought about Jameson in the first place?

Alarm flickered across Jameson’s face as well, but barely. He glanced over at me. “Go get her,” he repeated.

I exhaled, wanting to argue but knowing it was pointless. I turned on my heels and marched out, heading toward the office. My mind spun, trying to figure out what it might be that Inara was after and coming up blank every time. I gritted my teeth. I didn’t like being on the back foot like this.

I knocked on the door, and Will cracked it open. I could see his fingers had already lengthened to claws, ready to strike out at any threat. When he saw it was me, he opened the door wider.

“Is she gone?” he asked. Behind him in the room, Lorelei looked on anxiously.

I shook my head, looking past him to Lorelei. “She wants to talk to you,” I said. “She won’t explain what she wants unless you’re there.”

Alarm flickered across her face. “Me? Why?”

“She won’t say,” I explained.

Lorelei went quiet, but I could see the tension in her shoulders.

“It’s all right,” I promised. “I’ll be right there with you.”

She hesitated, biting her lip. Then, she straightened, nodding. “Let’s go,” she said.

The walk back to Jameson’s office felt like an eternity. Anxiety wafted off Lorelei in waves. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but I didn’t want to give Inara any more information than she already had. So I stood next to Lorelei, hoping that would be enough reassurance for her.

Even though I could tell Lorelei was frightened, she held her head high, her features set in determination. She didn’t even pause as she pushed open the door to Jameson’s office.

Inara turned when we walked back in. “Lorelei,” she purred. “I hear congratulations are in order. A witch-shifter child? How… unusual. I’ll be curious to see how that develops.”

Lorelei stiffened, shock shooting across her features. I tried to keep my own mask up, but I could feel it slipping at the comment. How the hell did she know?

“But who is the lucky man? Which of you is Mark?” Her eyes flicked to me, and her lips curled upward. “It’s you, isn’t it? Suddenly, things make so much more sense.”

“How do you know all this?” Lorelei asked.

Inara tutted as if she were a disappointed teacher. “You, more than anyone else here, should know I have ways to figure these things.”

“That’s not an answer,” Lorelei retorted.

“You’re right. It isn’t.” Inara gave a dramatic sigh. Her eyes swept across the group, her smile growing wider as she made sure she had everyone’s attention. My skin crawled as I watched her, wondering what bomb she was about to drop on us.

“If you must know, I learned after having a very informative chat with a lovely woman… what was her name?” She tapped her chin with one long nail in mock contemplation as her eyes glittered with malice. “Oh, that’s right. Georgia.”

Silence. All heads whipped toward Jameson, whose entire body had gone as rigid as a board. I could sense the rage and panic radiating off him. Suddenly, I realized that the “she” Inara had mentioned admiring Jameson hadn’t been Lorelei at all.

It had been Georgia, Jameson’s mate.

“What did you say?” he growled.

“You heard me,” replied Inara. “She’s a lovely woman, by the way. I can see why you like her so much. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting your daughter, but I’m sure I can change that.”

“What have you done?” Jameson snarled. His fingers curled into fists as he stalked toward the witch.

“I’d be careful,” Inara warned, not batting an eye. “You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her. Or any of the others.”

Jameson stopped dead in his tracks, and I knew it wasn’t because of the threat. Everyone else had honed in on that final word.

Others.

“What did you do?” Luke demanded.

Inara shrugged. “I got myself some leveraging power,” she said. “My coven took several of the women from town. I forget all their names, but I can promise you that if you called home right now, I don’t think any of your mates would pick up.”

The resounding silence was deafening. Every Silver Wolf in the room glowered at Inara, rage and hatred and disbelief radiating off them. Even Declan and his crew looked stunned. How the hell had she managed something like that?

I glanced over at Lorelei. She looked sick. She glanced at me, then away, clearly shell-shocked.

“You’ve got to have a death wish, bitch,” Rand growled at Inara.

“On the contrary,” she said arrogantly. “I have a very strong sense of self-preservation. Hence the leverage. If anything happens to me or my men, then you’ll never see them again.”

“What is it you want?” Jameson asked.

“Her, of course.” Inara turned to Lorelei. “She comes with me, and all your mates and the other ladies of your little pack come home safe and sound.”

“No deal,” I snarled.

“It’s not your deal to make, wolf,” Inara snapped. She walked over to Lorelei, reaching out and drawing one finger down her cheek. “What do you say, Lorelei?”

“Don’t touch me,” Lorelei said, but the words came out hollow, weakened by the shock of Inara’s announcement.

Inara tutted, her hand falling to her side like a disappointed school teacher. “Now, really, think about it. You’re willing to risk all those women? And for what? Yourself? That’s a little selfish of you, don’t you think? I know you’re a bit of a loner, but that’s just extreme.”

“She’s pregnant,” I snarled. “Do you think she’s going to hand her baby over to you to die? Do you think we’re going to let you?”

“Again, that’s not your decision to make,” Inara said. She gave Lorelei another warm smile. “And if the baby is really the point of concern here, I can promise all of you that no harm will come to it. That type of hybrid is such a rarity. I wouldn’t dream of letting anything happen to it.”

“So, what?” I asked. “Lorelei and the baby become your prisoners, she opens The Trove for you, and you let the women go? What happens to Lorelei after?”

“I’ll make sure she’s more than comfortable,” Lorelei said. “She’s going to need her strength, after all.”

Fear radiated off Lorelei, and I could sense the turmoil in her body. She glanced around the room, eyes lingering on Jameson, Rand, and the other Silver Wolves in the room whose mates had been taken. I knew Lorelei well enough to know the type of guilt that must be torturing her.

This time, when Inara patted Lorelei’s shoulder, Lorelei didn’t move a muscle. “I know this is a lot, and you probably need time to think about it. Don’t worry. I’m happy to be more than accommodating on that front. You have twelve hours.”

“Twelve?” Declan stared at the witch. “You can’t be serious. We need more time than that to make a decision.”

“You need more time to come up with a way to stop me, more like,” Inara retorted dryly. “No, you get twelve hours. If Lorelei doesn’t come to the agreed-upon meeting spot by then, the women die.”

“We’re not going to just hand her over,” I growled. “You’ll just kill her when you don’t have any use for her.”

Inara rolled her eyes. “I think I’ve made it perfectly clear that your dear Lorelei will be safe for some time to come. As long as she cooperates, she’ll have nothing to worry about.”

“How can we trust your word?” Jameson asked.

“You wouldn’t even if I pinky-swore.” She yawned as if bored. “So you’re just going to have to take it on good faith.”

“We could just hold you here until you tell us,” Rand threatened.

Inara giggled. “You try that, because that will definitely go well for all your mates.” She pushed herself from her chair, humming slightly as she sauntered toward the door. “Twelve hours,” she repeated. Her eyes locked on Lorelei, and she gave that sickening smile again. “I have a funny feeling I’ll be seeing you soon, dear.”

Before anyone could respond, Inara held out her hand. The air rippled in front of her, then came a ripping sound as a portal emerged. On the other side, I could see an indistinct forest, and the scents of wood and earth wafted through. Inara wiggled her fingers before stepping through. The instant she crossed the threshold, the portal vanished, taking the smells with it.

Silence filled the office after she left, everyone too stunned to speak. Lorelei collapsed in a chair, staring at the floor in bewilderment. Her hands shook.

“It’s all my fault,” she whispered.

“No. It isn’t.” I moved to crouch in front of her, taking her chin in hand and tilting it upward so she was looking at me. “None of this is your fault.”

Jameson was already on the phone. “Elle? Have you heard from your mother?” he demanded. There was a pause, then he swore loudly. “Okay, get home as quickly as possible.” Another pause. “I don’t care. Get back here now.” He hung up.

All around, other Silver Wolves had their phones to their ears.

“Anyone answering?” Jameson asked, his voice uncharacteristically strained.

Each shifter shook their head, all with expressions of shock or rage or a mixture of the two. Klyte and Sam muttered in one corner. Sam, normally fairly mild-mannered, looked as though he was ready to murder the next person that said a single wrong word. Over in another area, Rand and Tannen were in a similar huddle. Considering their mates were sisters, I wasn’t surprised. That said, I had known these guys for years, and I don’t think I had ever seen any of them this furious before.

“She took all our mates,” Oliver snarled. “How the hell did she manage that?”

“I don’t care how she managed it. We’re going to find a way to get them back,” Rand snarled, cracking his knuckles. “That bitch doesn’t know who the hell she’s messing with.”

“She knows exactly who she’s messing with,” Declan retorted. “No shifter in their right mind would let anything happen to their mate. It’s why she’s only giving us twelve hours—not enough time for us to do anything. It’s either Inara or the girls. No other options.”

Everyone looked at Lorelei. For a second, I thought they were considering handing her over. I snarled, glaring at each of them in turn as I stood in front of Lorelei.

“Easy,” Jameson ordered. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Mark. We aren’t deciding anything right now.” He came to crouch in front of Lorelei, who still looked shell-shocked. “Do you have any idea where she might have taken them?” he asked. “Would she take them back to the den?”

She shook her head. “Not a chance. It’s too obvious, and she knows it’s been compromised. Besides, she can portal them to who knows where. If she did, there’s no way you can track their scent, and she would have them somewhere far enough away you couldn’t get there in time.”

“Can you create a portal to the same place?” Rand inquired.

She shook her head. “Can’t make a portal without knowing where you’re going.”

“There’s got to be something we can do,” Jackson said.

“The only thing is to listen to her demands and hand myself over,” Lorelei muttered.

“Like hell,” I snarled. “We’re not letting that happen.”

“You doing that would play right into her hands,” Declan agreed.

Jameson exhaled, anxiety and rage rippling off him. “We’re not going to do what she says,” he said. “We’ll have to find some other way of getting the girls back.” I could hear the resignation in his voice.

Off to the side, Rand didn’t look as though he agreed. He met my gaze, and I let out a low warning growl.

“She’s right, though,” Lorelei said. “This is up to me. I’m not risking their lives to save my own.”

“You’re not thinking straight,” I said. “You’re still in shock.”

She shot me a look. “Don’t tell me I’m in shock.”

“Just take a breath,” I muttered.

She glared but did as I said. I squeezed her shoulder before taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.

“I’m going to take her home,” I said.

We walked home in silence, Lorelei staring at the ground in disbelief. I wanted to wrap my arm around her, to pull her in close, but I didn’t know how she would react.

When we stepped inside the house, I triple-checked the locks, wishing I’d had the sense to properly ward my house. When I turned to look at Lorelei, I could see her panic and exhaustion. She stood hunched, her arm wrapped around her stomach. I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“It’s my fault,” she murmured. “I have to turn myself in.”

I shook my head. “I’m not letting you do that. Neither are any of the others.”

Her brow furrowed as she glanced up at me. “But—”

“Take a nap,” I interrupted. “You’ll feel better and think clearer afterwards.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Then take a shower.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but before she could, I steered her toward the master bedroom with the bath attached. She gave me an exhausted look, but nodded, walking inside and closing the door.

As the shower ran, I started pacing, trying to figure out some solution to the problem. None of the ideas that came to mind were particularly good ones. I growled, running my fingers through my hair. There had to be something. But the only option that seemed to guarantee getting the girls back was the one where Lorelei handed herself over, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I walked over to a drawer, rummaging through it. Just as my hands closed on something, the shower cut off. I straightened, turning to look at the closed door as I slipped the thing into my back pocket. A minute later, the door opened, and Lorelei, her hair damp and stringy, came out.

“Hey,” I said, walking over to her. My hand went to her shoulder. “How are you doing?”

“Still shaky,” she muttered. She took a deep breath. “But the shower helped clear my head a bit.”

“Good.” I pulled her into a hug.

She leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder, but she didn’t wrap her arms around me. They hung loosely by her side.

“It’s all right,” I said. “We’re going to figure something out to save everyone, and we’ll stop Inara. Until then, you’ll be safe here. I know a few wards, so—”

“I’m going to do it,” she said, bringing my train of thought to a screeching halt.

“What?” I took a step away from her, my hands gripping her shoulders. I stared at her, trying to tell myself she was joking. My mind ran with panic and disbelief. There was no way I was hearing her correctly, was there? “You can’t be serious.”

Her green eyes blazed as she looked at me. “I’m not going to let those girls die because of me,” she said. “Inara isn’t bluffing. We both know it. And if this fails, she’ll carry out her threat and then try a different, even worse tactic. Rinse and repeat until I finally cave. At least this way, I’m not responsible for their deaths.”

“You have no guarantee she’ll let them go,” I argued. “And even if she does, if she gets her hand on that diadem, there’s no telling how many more people will die. You won’t be saving anyone.”

“You don’t know that,” she retorted. “And if I do this, maybe it will buy everyone else enough time to come up with a way to stop her.”

“She’ll kill you.”

“She needs me.”

I wanted to shake some sense into her. “Only for now. Eventually, she won’t anymore. And then she’ll discard you. You’ll get you and the baby killed.”

She gave a bitter laugh. “Are you kidding? She’ll never kill me while I’m pregnant. You heard her. This baby is too interesting to her.”

“So she’ll kidnap you instead and steal our child?” I shook my head. “You can’t expect me to go along with any of this, Lorelei.”

“I can, because it’s the only option we have,” she snapped. She ran her fingers through her hair. “She’ll at least keep me alive until after the baby is born. That’s months away. It’ll give you plenty of time to come up with a way to stop Lorelei. And maybe I can do something from the inside.”

“Lorelei. You don’t have to do any of this,” I said, practically begging her. “You know that. Jameson and the others don’t expect you to, either.”

“That’s not why I’m doing this. I’ve lived my life content to be a loner,” she said, drawing herself straight, jutting out her chin at a stubborn angle. “I’ve found a place I like enough to fight for. I’m going to do that.”

“This is suicide,” I growled, coming to stand in front of her. “I’m not going to allow you to do this.”

“It’s not your choice to make,” she said.

“I don’t care. Lorelei, you know how dangerous this is.”

“I do.” She took a deep breath, and I could see guilt and fear etched across her entire face. “But I can’t sit by and do nothing. It’s my fault they got kidnapped in the first place. If you hadn’t come after me, everyone here would be safe. I’m not going to be responsible for their deaths, too.” She took a deep breath, raising her eyes. “I’m handing myself over. She’ll keep me captive, but at least everyone else will be safe.”

“Please reconsider. For me or the baby, if not for yourself.”

She hesitated at that, something like guilt briefly washing over her. But then she shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t be that selfish. I have to do this, Mark.”

I closed my eyes. “And that’s your final answer on the subject?”

“It is.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry, Mark. But I have to do this.”

I sighed. “I understand. You need to do what you think is best.” I reached out, taking her hand gently in mine, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb. “And so do I.”

My grip on her tightened. In one smooth motion, I snapped the iron handcuff around her wrist, the one I had stashed in my back pocket before she came in, in case she did precisely this.

Realization dawned on her face a second too late for her to do anything. Before she could react, I did the same to the other wrist, binding her hands in front of her.

“Mark, no,” she said. She tried to take a step back, but I grabbed the links holding the cuffs together and held her in place even as she tried to jerk them from my grip with more and more ferocity. “Don’t do this. You know I’m right.”

“I don’t care,” I said.

Anger replaced the shock in her eyes, and she glared at me. “You fucking asshole,” she spat. “I thought the controlling shit was over. Just let me do what I need to.”

I ignored her protests, dragging her by the handcuffs toward the basement door as she spat curses at me. She dug her heels in, fighting me every step of the way until I stopped and threw her over my shoulder. When I hauled her down the steps and reached the basement door, I lifted her up and pushed her gently but firmly into the room.

“Don’t do this,” she said. “If you do this, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll let you back out when all of this is over. I promise.”

I closed the door and locked it, walking back up the stairs as her yells of protest echoed behind me.