A Council of Betrayal (22 page)

…

The cab dropped me off at a trailhead and I
shifted my backpack, wondering if only bringing water and food was
my smartest decision. But the last thing I needed was to get
noticed by the police for brandishing my silver collection.

The hike had me breathing hard as I crested
up the mountainside. The trail wasn’t more than an animal path and
it made me think of Logan. I sat down hard on a smooth rock,
betting I wasn’t the only one who had used it for a break.

The sky stretched out before me, the blue
dotted with fluffy clouds. I thought about Logan, alone and dealing
with his fragile little infant, and an idea formed.

Checking my phone, I found it had two bars.
Hopefully that would be enough.

I dialed Mal’s number.

“Olie?” she asked groggily.

“Hey Mal, I’m sorry to wake you, but I have a
proposition for you.” I woke Mallory up at a lot, poor thing. I
honestly did feel bad for her. She ran security at the Centennial
compound and occasionally helped out at Kitten. Our last
conversation had not ended well; she wanted to keep me on the good
side of the vampires, but too many others were working against
her.

She groaned, “I’m not into chicks.”

“Logan’s daughter was born early.”

“How early?”

“She’s only thirty weeks.” I refused to let
my voice crack.

“I’m listening, Olie. You have my
attention.”

“Do you remember our last conversation about
being on the wrong sides?” I was being intentionally vague in case
others were listening.

“I do.” Her voice had lost the tensing.

“I’m willing to take you to the side you
desire if you can help Logan.”

“Are you certain of this?” Mal asked, her
voice low.

“Yes, I guarantee it.”

“What hospital are they at?”

…

I gave Mal the details and texted Mark to let
him know what would be happening. Easing my eyes closed, I relaxed
the shields in my mind. Golden threads sprung into my vision and I
searched for Logan, finding his thread, thicker than the rest. I
followed it back, nudging it against his consciousness.

I tried to give him my confidence and hope
about the situation. He relaxed against my touch and his joy
overflowed into me.

She’s beautiful.

I smiled, letting my emotions wrap around
him, hoping he took comfort in it.

“Breathe deep, bitch,” a voice said. My eyes
snapped open. I was staring into the eyes of the college kid from
earlier today.

I slipped a dagger free, slicing out at his
forearm as he held the wet rag to my mouth. My slice wasn’t nearly
forceful enough, but it caused the kid to hiss, wincing in
pain.

I stood, lunging my body weight at him. I
toppled instantly, hitting my knees hard as the kid backed up.

“Careful Aaron, don’t let her get way!”
another voice called out. Aaron pressed the cloth back, covering my
mouth and nose. I attempted to get my limbs under me and kick his
human ass, but the incoming darkness had different ideas.

The fog surrounding my brain wasn’t as deep
as my captors thought, but it had effectively blocked my mate bond.
Awesome, so glad that I actually might need to be rescued and the
pack magic tracking system wasn’t available to me.

At least I wasn’t being thrown into a
sweat-inducing nightmare.

How the feeble humans got me down the
mountain and into the windowless van I didn’t know, but it was
clearly a struggle based on the bruise forming on my hip. I rolled
to my stomach, lifting my head up to take a quick glance at my
surroundings.

My hands and legs weren’t bound. Idiots. I
lunged for the driver, Aaron. My arm around his throat, I leaned
back, closing off his airway. Sputtering met my efforts while the
vehicle swerved.

“What the fuck is wrong with you two?” I
demanded, leaning back, applying more pressure.

“Tsss,” Aaron hissed.

I leaned back, my bicep flexing
uncomfortably.

Aaron batted at my arm, gurgling. The human
next to him was searching for something, bent down. I’d deal with
him in a minute. The van careened over a sidewalk and I was ready
for this fucker to die.

My normal rule of not killing humans was
voided when they tried to kill me first. Fair is fair.

The passenger pushed a black, hissing taser
into my neck. I seized up.

“Fucking bitch,” Aaron coughed. “Give her
more,” he hissed, rubbing his neck.

I’d never been tased and it wasn’t an
experience I cared to repeat. My muscles locked up, my head rolling
back while asshole number two shoved another gag over my mouth. I
tried landing a kick on him, but the shaking reduced it to a
harmless shutter before I was forced back into the darkness.

…

I was chained. The weight against my wrist
and ankles was familiar, along with the smell of unkempt cells.

Could I go back to the basement chains? At
least they smelled better.

“She’s pretty. They’ll pay good money for
her.”

In another cell, chains shifted, and sobbing
began. I inhaled, scenting human, only human.

Motherfuckers. I had been kidnapped by
humans? The executioners were killed by humans?

Fuck, this was embarrassing.

“Don’t touch her, the boss wants first crack
at her.”

Wonderful. I’d like first crack at the boss
also.

I kept still on the floor until I heard the
door close again. My eyes flicked open, rapidly adjusting to the
low light. The door cracked again and I closed my eyes, not to
appear still knocked out, but to save my night vision by not
blinding myself on a sliver of the sun.

Chains directly in front of me rattled.

“No,” a soft voice chanted. My eyes focused
through the gloom on the speaker, a dark haired beauty. Even the
dirty smudges and dried blood couldn’t hide her high cheekbones and
full lips.

She backpedaled in her cage, trying to wrap
her stained and torn short sun dress closer around her.

I sat up, seeing her attacker’s legs and
torso blocking out her frail form.

“Come on, pretty, Daddy wants a ride.”

“No James, please,” she whispered.

My chains rattled and he looked back at me as
he unlocked her cell door.

“Oh good, you’re up. The boss will be having
his fun with you after that little stunt in the car,” James
taunted.

“You should run,” I warned him, my voice
deadly low.

He stopped unbuttoning his pants, his belt
flapping open. “What you gonna do about it?”

He kicked the cage and I didn’t back up or
flinch. That unnerved him.

“Stupid bitch, you ain’t the first copper
we’ve taken out.”

My lips turned up in a small grin. “I’m no
cop.”

He huffed, “Yeah right, how else you explain
the gear your carrying?”

“This isn’t the first cage I’ve been thrown
in.”

He kicked the cage again. “Shut up, you’re
ruining my wood.”

“I’m going to skin you alive, James,” I
taunted in a singsong voice. “I’m going to make you eat your own
wood first, though.”

His eyes widened when I licked my lips. I do
crazy real fucking well.

“Shut up, I’m not going to tell you
again.”

I rattled my cage and James jumped.

“What is wrong with you?” James hissed.

“So much, James, so very much.”

I palmed my hidden silver, which I had
brilliantly forgotten about during my kidnapping, and was ready to
launch the pointy end at James’s little bits, when the door slammed
open again.

“God dammit, James, what the fuck have I told
you about sampling the merchandise?” boomed a deep voice.

I turned in my cell, seeing the dirty pile of
rags next to me also lift her head, watching the large man. He
stood in the doorway, blocking out the light, before moving into
the space and shutting the door with the same force he’d used
opening it.

“Shit, Nolan, I didn’t think you were back.”
James scuffed his boot against the ground, not looking at his
boss.

The woman next to me hissed. “Silence!” Nolan
bellowed. The woman hissed again, her body sliding around the cage,
her shoulder banging against the enclosure.

I took another look at her and my radar went
off. She wasn’t fully human. I was doubting demigod, but she had a
dash of the Supernatural running through her veins.

“I said silence,” Nolan repeated more
quietly, stalking toward her.

Her beating increased.

Nolan sighed and I turned my attention back
to him, inhaling deeply. I scented mint and sweat. I scented
human.

A low growl rumbled up my throat. Logan would
have been proud.

Nolan’s attention shifted. “What do we have
here?”

He squatted down in front of me and I flicked
my eyes over his strong jaw, dimpled cheeks and thick black
eyebrows. He’d be attractive, you know, if one could overlook the
whole sex trafficking.

“You know who I am,” I said softly,
smiling.

Nolan’s gaze traveled leisurely over my
chest, trailing over my hips and back up to analyze my face.

“You, my dear girl, will fetch quite a
price.”

I laughed, tilting my head back before
wrapping my hands around the iron bars. “Guess who I am,” I
whispered.

Nolan wasn’t fazed by my unique brand of
crazy, oh but he should have been.

“I don’t actually care.” He stood. “Open the
cage,” he commanded James.

James fumbled with the keys, taking them from
his previous rape victim’s lock and inserting one into mine.

My gaze never left Nolan’s, the
self-confident motherfucker was smiling.

I was going to carve that smile off his
fucking face.

The door swung open. Nolan reached down,
fisting the front of my shirt and yanking me out, knocking my head
against the top of the cage. The chains strained as James worked at
releasing them.

Freeing my appendages, Nolan leaned down and
kissed me hard, biting through the delicate flesh of my bottom
lip.

I palmed my hidden silver and stabbed him
between the legs. He went down with a wonderful, satisfying
scream.

I rounded on James, his gaze flicking between
his boss writhing in pain and me. I took out a throwing knife and
let it fly. He reached down to cover his wood and the blade pierced
both his hands.

I enjoyed his screaming as well.

“Alright ladies, how many more are there? I
know of Aaron, but who else?”

The hissing woman next to me regained her
composure first. “Three including Aaron, they are rounding up more
girls and I expect them back soon.”

I groaned, pulling the keys out of my
cell.

James freed his hands, holding the bleeding
appendages to his chest, rocking back and forth.

I turned on him, picking up the discarded
blade.

“Stop, stop, stop, what is wrong with you?”
he chanted, crying.

I leaned close to him. “How many times did
she beg you to stop?” I demanded. Seeing the truth in his eyes, I
slammed my blade between his legs, severing his wood. His eyes
rolled back into his head, blood flowing freely from the wound. He
passed out.

“I wish I had more time with you,” I told him
before I rounded on Nolan, still screaming.

With my booted foot I stomped on his face,
cartilage snapping, teeth crumbling. I didn’t stop until he was
unrecognizable.

“Feel better?” the hissing girl asked.

“Mildly,” I admitted.

“Are you going to leave us in here until they
come back?”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Nila,” she answered.

“Okay, Nila, I’ll free you since I’m betting
you would like to take a crack at the other three.” She nodded
eagerly, wrapping her hands around the cage.

The other women started to cry out, begging
to be released. I sighed, turning to face them.

“Shut up!” Nila yelled. I tried various keys,
finally finding the one that freed her from her cell.

She held out her hands to me and I worked
quickly at releasing her from the chains.

“Do you have any more knives?” she asked.

I pulled out two additional silver blades,
handing them over to her. She held them, her shoulders
relaxing.

“Do we hide the bodies?” she asked.

I looked over the mutilated corpses, chewing
on my bottom lip, debating.

“Yeah, let’s move them. We need to trap them
in here.”

We lugged the bodies to the back and I was
surprised at how easily she completed the task.

“What are you?” I asked.

Her eyes flicked to me, alarmed.

“I’m Olivia, Head Executioner for the
Council.”

Nila’s eyes narrowed in recognition. “The
Council? Why are you here? You work for the Eastern Council, don’t
you?”

“I do. Garrick sent two Executioners here who
didn’t return and he hired me to find out why.”

Nila nodded slowly. “I’ve been here for a
week, but no one like you has been here.”

I chewed on my lip, thoughtfully. “Well that
doesn’t make any fucking sense,” I huffed, taking a hiding place
behind the cages.

“Hey, you didn’t answer my question,” I
added. “What are you?”

“A quarter dragon,” she answered, letting her
eyes grow into red pinpricks of light.

“Nice,” I said, impressed, as she went around
to the rear of the cages to hide.

“Hey, you don’t happen to know a being with
human feet and claws for hands that can breathe fire?”

Nila turned to me, coming out from her hiding
place, shocked. “That’s my father.”

“Oh, well he paid me a visit. Actually,
talking to him would have been nice. I prefer to come in to kill
the bad guys under my own power.”

Nila was opening her mouth to say more when
the door rattled. We both ducked into our hiding places. The voices
were complaining about how heavy the body was that they were
lugging in.

I tightened my grip around the handle of my
blade, waiting. I needed to block the exit, so I had to wait until
they were all inside.