BirthControl (15 page)

Within ten minutes, twenty wolves filled the front yard of Josh Bennett’s front yard. “Do you want to talk with any of them privately?” Silas asked Rone.

“No. It’d be best if they didn’t know about me and Rese. I don’t want anyone looking for mom and connecting dots.”

“Okay.” Silas tapped the window and Hank opened the door. When Silas stood he looked over the assembled group, meeting their wolves, making sure everyone was who they appeared to be. Each wolf bowed with barely suppressed excitement when he greeted their wolf. There were interracial and same sex couples scattered through the group. It appeared the Bennett pack accepted any and all, as long as they were full-blooded wolves. Silas suspected that attitude made up the bulk of his nation.

When he finished his assessment, he admitted there was nothing special about this group of full-bloods. There would be no light bulb moments of clarity today regarding Tyrone and Tyrese’ talents or abilities.

He nodded toward the man he’d identified as the pack leader.

“Sir.” The man returned his nod. “Ronald Bennett,” the leader said as he stepped forward two steps and bowed from the waist. “It is an honor to meet you. Please, may I offer you and your men refreshments?”

Silas sensed the wolf’s genuine desire to serve and relaxed a bit. “Yes, that would be nice.” With deliberation, Silas walked toward Joshua’s porch. He sensed the gasp behind him, but continued up the steps. The pack leader was left with no other option other than to follow.

There was a moment of hesitation, and then Josh opened his front door, allowing Silas entry. Silas glanced over his shoulder at Tyrone.

“I’m not going in.”

Silas nodded, entered the home and took a seat. He watched Josh fidget before instructing a woman, who must’ve been his mate, to bring refreshments. The pack master’s clenched jaw and reddening face probably had more to do with Tyrone’s grandfather being more hospitable than anything.

Just as Silas received a bottle of cold water from Josh, he heard a young voice through the screen door and knew through his link that she spoke to Tyrone.

“You smell funny, like pack but different.”

Tyrone tapped her on the nose, but remained quiet.

Silas turned to the pack leader. “I have some questions about one of your former pack members…”

Chapter Eleven

Tyrese watched his mom return the small handgun to its case. “I’m done, Rese. I’ve locked it up and I’mma put it in my room.” She glanced in his direction where he stood in front of the windows overlooking the rear courtyards.

“Okay. You did good by the way.”

“I should. I’ve been practicing for five days straight. Finally got my muscles to cooperate. I’m not as sore in my arms.” Her voice carried from her bedroom where he suspected she was trying to find a place to store her weapon.

“I’m gonna take a shower and then a nap. Season the chops for dinner for me. Let’em marinade a bit. I’ll cook when I get up,” she called from her room.

“Okay.” He looked out the window again and stopped. “What the hell?” He snapped out his phone and called Silas.

“Jacque and the security guards from the front gate are standing across the yard with a woman.”

“What? Who’s on the front gate?” Silas asked. Even from this distance, Tyrese sensed his building anger.

“I don’t know. Mom and I just came back from the shooting range. I looked out my window and that’s when I saw them outside near your wing.”

“Where’s Jasmine?”

“She’s in her room taking a nap.”

“Hold on.” There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while. “Damn, it’s Arianna.”

Tyrese peered through the blinds, trying to see the woman better. “I see it now. But how’d she get here? Why’d they let her in?” His mind raced with possibilities. The last thing he remembered, the older woman wanted Silas. Had she come here for him?

“Jacque is trapped. I could barely get through to him. Seems we underestimated her ability to use her gifts.”

“I don’t understand. What gifts?” Regardless of her intent, Rese initiated security measures for his mom. He moved to the panel and locked down all the entries into this wing. Doors and windows were also secured.

Silas swore so long and vividly that Rese stopped in his tracks. This was bad. “Remember when your mom went into heat and the wolves went crazy?”

Tyrese groaned. He’d never forget seeing his mom in that condition. Or hearing Silas taking care of her problem. “Yeah.”

“Imagine being able to target that…that heat to get what you wanted. It seems Arianna has been at this long enough to use her pheromones as a weapon. That’s how she got to the guards and Jacque. Don’t go anywhere near her. I’ve sent an alert to Alpha Theron. He’s on his way to get her. Hopefully she won’t do much damage.”

Tyrese looked out the window again. “She’s got the Alpha trainees…” he counted, “at least three of them out there now. They’re all just standing there. How’s she controlling their wolves?”

“That’s what I want to know. If this get’s out…that human women can control full-bloods like this, I don’t have to tell you what that means.”

An arctic chill skittered down Tyrese’ back. It’d be an immediate death sentence. Wolves hated being controlled like that. He swallowed hard and gazed out the window again. “Yeah. War. Bloodshed. When will you return?”

“I’ve got a few more humans and breeds to interview tomorrow or the next day. They are in remote locations and getting to them has been a challenge. Theron and Jayden will be arriving in the next few hours to hold things together until I get back.” He paused. “How’s Jasmine?”

“Who? Annie Oakley? Turns out she’s a natural with a handgun. We’ve practiced every day since you’ve been gone and she’s feeling more at ease holding and firing it. She hits her targets ninety-nine percent of the time.”

Silas laughed. “That’s good. I’ll call her later. I talked to Doctor Grimes. He allowed Cameron to go for a run yesterday. Have you seen him?”

“No. I’m on lockdown with mom. I only saw Jacque through the window. Cameron’s not in that crowd though.” Tyrese looked again, the number of male wolves had swelled.

“There are ten male wolves frozen in front of Arianna now.”

“Damn. What is she up too?”

Tyrese snorted. “She’s here for you, Sir. If I remember correctly, she wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack. But she was focused on you. She’s the type of woman who wants the top dog, and that’s you, La Patron.”

“Don’t be cute. You’re sounding like Rone.” He sighed. “I have to trust that you, Theron, Jayden, and the wolves they’re bringing can handle this situation until I get there. I know you’ve locked everything down and I warded the tunnels so only you and your mom can enter a special section. Use it as a last resort because once you go in, the only way out is to wait for me to release you and life has too many uncertainties.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“When the Alphas get there, I’ll inform them that you’re on lockdown and will contact them if you need anything. No one has a reason to enter your wing. Only open the steel gates for an emergency. I don’t trust this power Arianna’s using. By now she knows I’m not there and yet she hasn’t shut it down.”

“That’s true.” Tyrese hadn’t thought of that. “Can she make Jacque tell her everything about you? Could that be what she’s doing, gathering intel?” The idea sent a curl of unease through him. Jacque was a powerhouse of information and if she tapped into his mental database, it’d be catastrophic.

“I don’t know. He’s not responding to me anymore. Jayden’s ETA is twenty minutes. It’d take me at least four or five hours from where I am now.” Silas cursed again. “I need that bitch shut down.”

Jayden would kill Arianna on sight, that wasn’t good. “Don’t you need to know what she’s doing and how she’s able to hold this many wolves at bay? What if she’s able to turn the ten wolves outside against Theron and his wolves? She’s a threat, but you still need to understand how, right?”

“We need knowledge, but she’s too dangerous. If I was there—”

“Could you withstand her pull? There are ten strong wolves down there immobilized. Remember how hard it was when mom…when mom was in heat. La Patron, it’s best for our nation that you’re not here right now being held hostage.”

The silence on the phone lasted for a few heartbeats. Tyrese was afraid he’d overstepped his boundaries but knew he’d spoken truthfully.

“I’ll make sure the Alphas and their wolves wear masks when I inform them of this latest development. She’s going to die.” He sounded tired, resigned. “If I have to kill her from the inside out, she will die for this. I pray the other human females do not own this ability. No man, wolf or human, appreciates being forcibly controlled by his desire for a woman. The level of anger I sensed in Jacque does not bode well for her. If she loses control of those wolves for a second, they will rip her apart. The best thing that can happen for her is if Jayden or Theron gets to her first.”

“My mom is not like that,” Tyrese said, recognizing the inherent threat in Silas’ words.

“I know. You know. But that’s not what my Alphas are going to see in a few minutes. By breeding with a human, they are going to wonder if she used a similar type of control with me. Remember, Jayden was there. He sensed your mother’s heat and it scared him.”

Tyrese closed his eyes as his throat tightened. “That’s not how it happened. You could have let another wolf sate her. But you wanted her for yourself. Your wolf wanted her.”

“I know. And it still amazes me how much my wolf wants her now. Nothing is going to happen to your mom. I swear. I just want you to understand that Arianna has now made things a thousand times worse. I will have to inform the Alphas of this ability. And even though I have a decree of “no harm” for the human females, many will die.”

Tyrese gazed out the window again. “I think one of the Alphas is here. A man wearing a mask has Arianna pinned to the ground and is placing cuffs on her.”

“Where’s Jacque?”

Tyrese looked around. “I don’t see him or any of the trainees. The man in the mask is leading her off. Where will he take her?”

“I told them to take her away and make sure she can never return.”

Tyrese nodded. “Funny, looking outside now, you’d never know the gauntlet for war had just been thrown down. There’s nothing out of place, nothing to even suggest ten men had been held in stasis by their balls a few minutes ago.” He moved away from the window intending to season the chops for dinner.

“Tyrese.” The sharp command from Silas came through the phone and their mental connection.

Stopping mid-stride, Tyrese answered. “Yes, Sir?”

“Theron and Jayden haven’t arrived yet.”

Tyrese shook his head to clear it. “What? I just saw a man in a mask…” He ran back to the window. The courtyard was empty.

“It wasn’t my Alphas. Damn, damn, dammit! That bitch. Talk about underestimating someone, how the hell…”

Tyrese was beginning to understand. “She had someone put on a mask and take her away. How’d she know the Alphas were coming?”

“Jacque could’ve been tapped into me. I didn’t bother shutting down our link in case he could break free of her. Damn it,” Silas snarled.

“Can you talk with Jacque now, or did she take all the men with her?”

“I…hold on.”

Tyrese ran to the panels and switched to auxiliary power so no one on the outside could tamper with it. The appliances beeped and then returned to their low grade hum. From the bedroom, he heard his mom’s cell ring and ran to get it before it woke her.

“Hello,” he whispered.

“Jasmine?” Jacque said.

“Um hmm,” Tyrese answered.

“I’ve got those samples you ordered. I came by your place but the entrance is locked. Could you open it and let me in so I can give these to you?”

Rage erupted and flowed through every vein in Tyrese’s body. “Motherfucker, you’d better snap out of whatever control she has over you before I forget you’ve been the Patron’s go to guy for the past hundred years. Wake the fuck up and remember you serve the Goddess. Did you hear me, Jacque? You serve the Goddess. You belong to the Goddess.” He disconnected the call, hoping his reminding Jacque of a conversation they’d had a month ago helped the man find himself. Otherwise, he’d kill him without blinking if he tried to gain entry.