Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

D eep within her it swirled. It had thought she was such a prize, since she was stronger and faster than humans, and able to shift between two creatures. But she was difficult—willful, stubborn, inherently noble, and honorable. Those around her were proving to be the same. No sense in leaving this host for another. Unless perhaps one more suitable presented itself—less difficult, more easily bent to its will.

Instead of trying to force her to feed its insatiable hunger, it would try to push her away from those that wanted to help her. If she were on her own, would she be more malleable to its power? Could it force her to find it another?

Until then, it would feed sparingly on her life force.

C hantal consulted the runes again. The tarot had revealed nothing. She'd taken the sacred stones into the swamp, poling to the middle of the wilderness on her flatboat. The malevolence that had been here the last time seem to have dissipated. After casting black salt in a protective circle around her altar, she tossed the runes onto the middle of the sacred stone. They showed the same thing—the Darkness was no longer within her sphere of influence.

She poled back to the edge of the swamp where her granddaughter Robyn waited for her.

"Well?" she asked.

Chantal nodded. "The Darkness has gone."

"So, Travis and Skylar did defeat it."

Chantal shook her head. "I'm afraid not, chere . It is no longer here, but the Darkness has not been defeated. It has fled New Orleans. I believe it feared the Pack of New Orleans and the descendants of those who had contained it before. It has lain dormant for centuries but managed to break free. And now the havoc it caused allowed it to feed and regain its strength. It will rise again."

J ed eased himself from the bed, careful not to disturb Kat. Whatever fire within her that had caused her skin to heat and her pulse to race seemed to have been calmed for the moment.

"It seems the crisis is over," said Grace as she walked in with a tray.

Jed acknowledged her gentle presence with a smile. His aunt was a celebrated chef, and she knew the foods that would tempt him. Today she had gone all out, preparing stuffed manicotti with a crab bearnaise sauce and pineapple upside down cake.

"I wish I agreed with you and the doctor," said Jed. "I know he says her bloodwork checked out and she has no fever, but I can feel something is very wrong. She's been agitated and scared while she sleeps. I've been able to soothe her, but whatever it is that overwhelmed her at the club is still present."

Grace set the food on the small table next to the bed. "The link is very strong between you two. Your uncle said when Kinzie was in danger, he was acutely aware of it and used the bond between them to find her, even before he'd claimed her."

"I know my father described it as feeling compelled to go to her. He knew without his strength to lean on, she would have died. He never left her side. My mother said that even though she didn't know what was happening to her, she could feel his presence and drew strength and comfort from it. It's the reason I'm so adamant about not leaving Kat."

"Have you changed your mind about letting her parents know?" she asked softly.

"No. I know they could be here in a day, but I also can't shake the feeling that it's the wrong thing to do. When I left for the SEALs, my father told me to never doubt my gut—that his had saved him more than once. I listened back then and he was right, it saved me more times than I care to count. Right now my gut tells me to leave her parents in peace."

"But if she dies…"

"I will not let that happen," he growled, provoking a smile from his aunt.

"So much like your father—convinced you know what is best for her and not giving a damn what anybody thinks. If you're wrong, they won't thank you for keeping them from her."

"Therein lies part of the problem. If they know, we may well find ourselves embroiled in a fight with the DeMedici. I have told them I mean to claim her, but it hasn't happened, and she didn't have a chance to ask my father for his protection. Technically, she's still a DeMedici. Marco is bound to take that into account."

"Don't you worry about Marco. Or Luca, for that matter," said Linc, striding into the room. "She is Sonoma Pack now; we will defend what is ours. If the DeMedici want to go to war, let them bring the fight to us."

"Linc, that's not helpful," said Grace.

"I beg to disagree, Aunt Grace. It's good to know my pack has my back."

"Not only is she Sonoma Pack, but she is also a Steele. It may not be formal yet, but no one who has watched you care for her could deny she is your fated mate."

Grace went to her own fated mate's side and wrapped her arms around him. "And no one can separate the Steele wolves from their fated mates. I should know."

"Yes, you should," rumbled Linc, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Turning to Jed, he said, "Your mother is insistent that if the doctor says she's stable, we are to take her to the vineyard. She has a point, in that we have much better medical facilities."

"I assume you've already talked to the doctor," Jed said, knowing the answer.

Linc nodded. "He said she's stable and notwithstanding what you're feeling, he can find nothing wrong."

"But he also can't explain why she's in this languid, almost comatose state."

"No, he can't. Something else to consider is that if the DeMedici get wind of this and decide to make a fight of it, we're better prepared to defend her and you at Luna de Lobo."

"The doctor is certain transporting her won't hurt her?"

"As certain as he can be about anything. But he's willing to ride with you just in case."

Jed turned to look at his mate and then at his watch. "She seems to rest easier as the sun starts to go down. We'll take the chopper. Tell the doctor we're leaving at six. Aunt Grace, could I impose on you…"

"It's no imposition. I'll get her things packed and fly with you. Your uncle can drive up and join us."

"You know," said his uncle with a sly grin, "on second thought, you might want to think twice about bringing your mate to Luna de Lobo. There's an awful lot of bad influences up there."

Grace rolled her eyes and shooed him from the room. "Don't worry about the DeMedici. Your uncle is right, anyone who tries to take someone from our stronghold will find out just how deadly the Steele brothers can be."

Once they had Kat snuggled in a warm chenille robe they'd found in her bags, Jed swept her into his arms and took her up to the helipad. She started to struggle, and Jed soothed her. When her eyes fluttered open, he kissed her.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart. I'm going to get the chopper prepped for flight. We'll be home in about half an hour."

T his was not good. There was no reason to suspect that the others at this vineyard would be any more malleable than its current host. There was no benefit in going there. It had to separate her from her protectors and find a weaker being to become its host. Someone who would do its bidding more easily.

It wondered if a new host would know of the wolves? If it could find a host that knew, one that was already their adversary, it could be beneficial—fear and hatred were what it liked to feed on the best. Did the host and those like him fear the wolves? More importantly, might the new host and others like him want them dead?

K at was in the same stupor she had been in for days, but now at least she was outside. There was a sea breeze in the air, and it seemed to revive her. Her eyes opened, sharply focusing on Jed's retreating back in the dim light. Grace Steele stood next to her with her arm wrapped around her shoulders. All Kat's senses were honed and functioning at maximum capacity. She heard a door open and close behind her and the blades of the chopper as they started to turn.

Her wolf rushed forward, overtaking her human side, and she shifted in what seemed like the blink of an eye. She shoved Grace away, knocking her to the ground before galloping toward the edge of the roof. She remembered there was a lower-level roof and balcony just below them, as well as a building adjacent to the hotel and across the narrow alley.

The sounds of shouting and footsteps erupted behind her. She pushed herself for speed and leaped into the air, over the roof railing, and down onto the balcony, where she absorbed the shock of the impact by rolling several times. Then she regained her footing and galloped toward the edge, aiming for the fire escape on the building across the alley.

She could hear them coming, pursuing her, trying to stop her, but the falling darkness would be her friend. Once more she pushed off with her back legs—up and over the railing, hooking her front paws over the side of the fire escape ladder. She hauled herself onto the platform, shifting back into human form to make the steps more easily navigable.

Kat could hear her name being shouted in the distance and knew somewhere deep inside she should heed the call. Instead, she pushed on until she dropped down into the alley, where she shifted back to her wolf self and galloped off into the night.

The smell of the sea called to her, and she knew there were numerous parks as well as the Presidio which would offer her places to hide and different types of prey. Her wolf was demanding blood, and lots of it. She no longer felt safe around humans. The memory of the dream where she had ripped the throat out of the fleeing man was fresh, raw, tantalizing.

Using the shadows and the ever-increasing obscurity of dusk as it transformed into blackness, she made her way to the edge of the Presidio. The hunger was forcing her wolf to hunt, to kill, to feed, but still Kat tried to shove the craving down and maintain control. She galloped for the ferry that could take her to Alcatraz. At least there she would be alone, and only have to fight whatever it was that was demanding she surrender her humanity and give in to its needs.

Waiting while the ferry was readied at the dock for its next trip, she hid behind a row of large trash bins and looked for a way onto the boat. Her compulsion to get to the island was as strong as it was confusing. There seemed to be no way to get there, but Kat felt the pull. Once again using the darkening sky and the fog as it rolled in as cover, she made her way back to the deserted beach and looked across the water to the island. It looked to be a mile, maybe a little more. She was a strong swimmer in both human and wolf form, so she padded into the water. Quickly she realized that the cold and the strong currents could easily mean her death.

She left the water, loping once again to the ferry terminal and watched as a young couple made their way from their parked car to the boat. Before the car could lock itself automatically, she shifted and managed to open the back door and slip inside. Once inside, she rifled through their things, finding sweatpants, a sweater, and flip flops. Further searching resulted in several twenty-dollar bills and a scrunchy. She pulled her hair up and back into a high ponytail and eased her way out of the car.

Ensuring that no one saw her, she bought a last-minute ticket to the ferry and walked aboard, opting to remain outside where she wouldn't be tempted to attack someone.

Kat inhaled the cool night breeze. She was so distracted that she didn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps. "Miss, would you like to join the tour? Alcatraz can be frightening and a little bit dangerous by yourself in the dark," said a young man. He wore one of the vests that designated him as a tour guide.

Smiling, she shook her head. "That won't be necessary. The Rock and I are old friends. Thank you though."

Once they docked at the island across the bay, she left the ferry as quickly as she could and headed away from the crowd. She would find a place to bury her clothes and remaining money, and then hide as a wolf among the wraiths of those who had never escaped the prison.