The Great Wolf: A Legacy of Kilkenny Novel Book Three (The Legacy of Kilkenny Saga) (11 page)

“Would you make the same decision if it were Brianna?”
Oakley asks as if he read my mind.

“You have to have faith in Pru and yes, I would make the
same decision.  He’s making the deal with our human, not our wolf.”

Oakley scratches his head and pounds his fist into the stall
door one more time.  “Whatever saves her, but she better be told I wasn’t on
board with this at all.”

“Trust me, everyone will know you’re not on board.”

****************

We step out of the bathroom and are met with quizzical looks
from Shaynie and Bryon.

Arien is still seated right where we left him.

“I have a condition of my own,” I blurt out.

“Do you now?”  Arien leans forward, giving me his undivided
attention.

“If she goes on a date with you and says she wants to
continue with her plans to be married next summer, you release her of the
obligation.”  I catch the surprised look on Oakley’s face as I wait for Arien’s
answer.

“Fair enough, but there’s no way she’ll agree to marry the
mutt when she can have a pureblood like me.”

“We have a deal?”  I ask, placing my hand on Oakley’s to
keep him in place.

“We have a deal, Abel.  I want to be clear about
something…If you go back on your word, I’ll kill your mate and your parents.  I
don’t believe in broken promises.”  He watches us for our reaction.  “Get
together six of your best people and we’ll need air transportation.”

“We have a military Blackhawk helicopter to use.  It’s
fueled and ready to go.  Where are we going?”

“They are holding them in an industrial park on the
outskirts of Belfast.  I’ll give the pilot the information.”

“Is she okay?”  Oakley asks under his breath.

“She’s suffering, and for that alone, people will die,”
Arien states matter-of-factly.

****************

15 minutes later

Marc is still fuming about a vampire being with us on the
flight.  As much as I agree with him, it isn’t the most ideal situation, I know
Arien has a fondness for Pru.  No one has realized how torn I am between
Brianna and Pru’s safety.  Pru’s words keep running through my head about how
she’s my person.  Wouldn’t I know it without a doubt if she were? 

I catch myself rubbing my arm where the antidote was shot
into my bicep.  Marc received it too.  I have two syringes with me for Brianna
and Pru.  I’ve opened my mind to listen to everyone’s thoughts and made sure no
one is privy to mine.  They’d be as confused as I am if they could hear what
I’m thinking. 

A stupid Olympic game meant for endurance and intelligence
has proven to be my Achilles heel. 

After checking out the window, Arien was cleared to tell us
what he knows. 

“Before anyone states the obvious, I’m perfectly aware I’m a
vampire.  Why should you trust me; you may ask yourself.  Poppycock!  I’m more
trustworthy than many of the half-breed mutts your werewolf community is
littered with.” His British accent is stronger than I remember it to be when we
were in Paris.  “Pru’s abductors are from Siya, a little town in Egypt.  It’s
close to Libya where a huge amount of rogue supernaturals live.  Their leader
is a man by the name of Tao.”  He takes a long drink from his environmentally
friendly cup.  By the smell of it and the hint of red on his lips, he’s
drinking blood.  Nice.  “Ironically, he’s a werelion.”

Of course he’s a werelion, why wouldn’t he be the king of
the jungle?  Does Egypt even have a jungle?

“I’ve read stories about him.  I didn’t realize he was still
living.  When he murdered a coven of witches in Syria he went underground. 
That must have been twenty years ago.  If he has other supernaturals in his
inner circle, they must be as ruthless as him,” Parker says.

“Yes, he’s unrelenting and that means his followers are as
cunning.  Our job will be to outsmart them.  Years ago, he was known to be
ritualistic with his killings.  One of the things he’s known to do before
killing, is to pray for twelve hours straight.  He uses the Book of the Dead
for his practices.   It’s said, he doesn’t get up for anything or anyone.  With
that being said, he will have guards to protect him. He’ll have guards watching
the victims too.”  Arien pauses momentarily.  “I have someone meeting us at the
landing strip who was once one of the people in his inner-circle.  She will be
able to give us the low-down on his techniques and how to penetrate his
barriers.  Be warned, she too is a therianthrope.   She’s a werecat.”

“Are you saying she’s a werelion too?” Parker asks.

“She’s more than just a lion.  She’s able to change into any
type of cat she wants.  She can be a panther or lion, even a domestic cat. 
Don’t mistake her kindness as a weakness; she’s a killer without a conscience.   The
only reason she’s agreed to help us is she wants Tao dead.”  Arien sits back
and crosses his arms.  I’d like to slap him.

“What’s her name?”  Marc asks, his voice dripping with
bitterness.  His Irish accent is toned down, probably because he’s sober and
scared.  I’ve been listening to his inner thoughts and he’s petrified of losing
his sister.  He’s accepted me as the Great Wolf and believes, Brianna, will go
with me back to America.  He’s been trying to figure out how to ask if he can
go with us too, he wants to serve me as a guard.  It would be a win win for his
pack.  We both know his father would be fine with them being part of my inner
circle.

“She goes by, Ard,” Arien answers.

“Odd name for a girl don’t you think?”  Marc asks.

“It’s short for leopard.  She’s mostly known for turning
into a leopard, hence the name.”

I sit back and close my eyes; it is that moment when I hear
Brianna.  Her thoughts are clear, she’s praying for me to be okay and to find
them.  She’s in the same room with Pru, who’s unconscious with her head hanging
down.  My wolf tenses, he’s angry and ready to punish her captors.  I try to
see through her eyes, to get a better visual of their surroundings. 

“
Brianna?”
I say.  I know she’s been given the
medicine to block the pack, but I’m testing to figure out if she can hear me.

“Abel?  Oh my god, Abe you’re alive!  They told me you
were dead.  Are you looking for us?”
 Her words are fast.

“We’re on our way to rescue you and Pru.  Is she alive? 
Are you okay?  What have they done to you?”

“They know she’s a shaman so they asked her about you and
your future.  They injected her with something, she was screaming ‘no’ over and
over.  It was horrible.  She told him something, and they started talking in
another language.”

“What did she tell them?”

“That….well, that you and I are…. You are my mate.”
Brianna stammers out.

My wolf practically jumps through my skin.  I know the lump
in my throat and the swirling in my brain are telling me she’s right.  She is
my mate.  She’s the one.  Brianna is the one I’d die for.  I’d choose her over
Pru.  My rescue mission is for Brianna.  Who have I been kidding?  My wolf
never reacted to Chrissy this way, he never felt empty once she was gone.  No,
my wolf has claimed Brianna as his.  I hesitate before I answer her, I let the
realization reverberate through my body.

The helicopter begins its descent to the landing pad. 

“I think it’s why I can hear you.  We’re on our way, can
you tell us anything about the people who have you?”

“They’re not using names, just numbers.  Most are men,
but two are women.  They’ve hurt Pru, she’s not doing well.  I think her ribs,
arm, and leg are broken.  A video of tortures they’ve done to other prisoners
is playing on a loop.  Over and over we watch as different supernaturals are
beaten.”

“Are you on a torture rack too?”

“No, they have my hands zip-tied to a pole.  They gave
both of us some type of shot to keep us from shifting, I don’t know what it was
though.  About ten minutes ago two of the people got into an argument and I
think one of them shot and killed the other.  They make it obvious they don’t
care who they kill or torture, just as long as they are hurting someone.”

“Trust me Brianna, we’ll get to you.  Let me know if
anything changes.  I’ll see you soon,”
I close my eyes and try to imagine
the scene she has painted for me. 

“What’s wrong?” Parker’s voice penetrates my thoughts.

I was quiet for a moment before answering.  “Why?” 

“Your glowing eyes are a little creepy,” Shaynie blurts out.

“Spit it out wolf,” Arien says. 

“I just heard from Brianna, Pru’s in bad shape.”

“What about Brianna?  Is she hurt?”  Marc demands.

I shake my head ‘no’ and lean forward with my elbows on my
knees.  “She’s zip-tied to a pole.  It’s Pru who’s hurt.  She thinks Pru’s
ribs, arm, and her leg is broken.  Thankfully, she’s still unconscious.” 

“They’re all dead,” Parker growls.

“No doubt,” Arien responds.

****************

We land in the middle of what looks like a sheep farm
pasture.  Sheep are circled around us like a crazed sheep fan club awaiting
their favorite werewolves.  One hundred feet away is another black hawk with
five men dressed in Army fatigues.  I’m not sure how we scored another
helicopter filled with US Army Green Berets, but I’m not going to complain. 
Dolly once told me that the US Military is filled with supernaturals,
especially werewolves.  They leave their packs to protect our secrets.  With
them on the inside, we find out about threats before they happen. 

“She’s here,” Arien announces.

“Yes I am,” a girl no more than 18 says.  Her raven black
hair is slicked back into a ponytail.  She has so much black make-up around her
eyes it looks like she should hang out with Edward Scissorhands.  But it’s her
eye color that gives her the cat-like look.  They are richly golden with a slit
pupil.  How she hangs around humans and them not notice those haunting eyes is
beyond me.

“Ard, these are the wolves.  Wolves, this is Ard.  Don’t
piss her off, and you’ll not get your ass kicked by a 110 lb cat.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Abel.”

“Pleasure,” she replies and does a semi-curtsy.

 “What can you tell us about these guys?”  I watch her as
she twitches like a squirrel as she talks.

Ard cocks her head to the side and studies my face before
answering.  “These
guys
are evil doers who don’t care about your friends
or their own friends.  I’m sure the only reason they’re still alive is someone
has information that Tao wants.  Tao always wants something.  He’s been
obsessive about you since the performance in Paris when you stopped the
vampires.  No offense Arien-doll, but it had to be done.  Tao wants you, Abel,
and he wants your power.  Someone, I don’t remember who, but someone told him
that he could obtain your powers since he’s a werelion.  I have no idea if
that’s true or not, but he thinks it is, and that’s all that matters.  Everyone
else here is collateral damage.  Someone close to the Phelan Pack has sold out
to him though.  I don’t care about any of it, I’m here for the money and
hopefully to get a chance to kill Tao.  The Council frowns on it when we kill
one another.   God, I want a burger, I haven’t eaten all day.”  Ard gives me a
toothy smile, the kind that lets me see her canines glistening with spit.

“I’ll get you however many burgers you want after we get
finished.  What exactly can you help us do?”  I look at my watch, time is
ticking away fast. 

She looks up at me as though I just called her mama a name. 
“What can I help you with?  First off, I don’t
need
to be here.  I know
how his operation runs, you’re lucky to have me.”    Her pupils narrow as she
fusses at me.  “If you want to live, follow me.”

“Of course, I’m sorry.”  My hands go up in front of me. “You
and Marc are with me. Parker and Shaynie, I want you to get Pru and get her out
of there.  The rest of you are to find the captures and take them into
custody.  Avoid killing anyone, but if there’s a threat to anyone, do what is
needed.  Once we get the girls out, Mark and Shaynie will go with them back to
Kilkenny.  The rest of us will take care of the terrorist group.”  I slide on a
pair of black Kevlar tactical gloves that came with my Kevlar vest and helmet. 
Everyone is wearing them except Arien.  I guess being immortal means you don’t
need to be careful.

It takes us almost ten minutes to cross the field and sneak
up on the warehouse.  This is almost too easy.  Why doesn’t he have any charms
to keep us out?  Instead, it’s as though they have a big sign welcoming us in. 

“Brianna….we’re here.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.  Be careful.”

“I need to know what part of the building you’re in,
could you make some noise?”

“Okay.”

I open my mind up to communicate with everyone.

Before we have a chance to go in, one of the army guys
catches up to me.  He has a Red Cross band around his arm.  He’s a doctor.

“Sir, I’m Dr. Dawson, I’m here to help your injured person. 
I’m from the Dawson pack in North Carolina.”  Dr. Dawson is one of the rugged
cowboy types, he’s about my size and twice my age.

“Good, we’re going to need you.”

“Everyone - Brianna should be making noise to let us know
where she’s at inside the building.  Don’t assume we’re alone.  Things are
unusually quiet.  Fight smart and trust your instincts.  You’re a werewolf,
don’t let a little lion get in your head.” 
I turn to Dr. Dawson and Ard,
“are you ready?”

Both of them nod their head.  Ard points up to a
surveillance camera on the corner of the building.  We all scamper across the
empty parking lot and put our backs against the building.   Arien’s swift
movement from the wall to a guard by the door is almost invisible.  The
blood-filled sippy cup on the plane must have enhanced his vampy ways.  It
isn’t clear what he’s done, but the guard has collapsed to the ground.  I can
hear his heartbeat so he isn’t dead.  Arien waves us over and we cross over to
him, two by two.