Choices: Alpha City, Book 3 (14 page)

All he knew was that she was finally his.

M
aggie and Judd
walked into the meeting being held at the mines. The conversation died as soon as everyone got a good look at Judd for the first time since the mating. He had grown in size. It was a shock to both Maggie and him once they got out of bed.

“Holy shit, Judd. You’re huge,” Nolan said, astonished.

Judd had to smile. He was bigger by two inches, and stronger than he had ever imagined.

“Are you okay?” Ryder asked.

“I feel great, and I’m happy for the first time in a very long time,” Judd answered. He watched as Brody lowered his head. Maggie understood why he was reacting this way. Brody has always been the one who looked after all of them. But she could see the shame on his face. He needed to apologize to Maggie, so he waited.

“Maggie.” Brody stood up and walked towards her.

“It’s okay, Brody. I understand. You thought I killed him. I thought I had too, to be honest.”

“Please forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive you for. I’m proud for Judd and the rest of you that you all care enough for each other that you would lay down your life for each other. The vampires could learn a few things from you guys. But…” Maggie put her hand on Brody’s face. “There is nothing to forgive. So are we good?”

“Of course. I just lost control, but I should have known better,” Brody added.

“Let’s all hug it out then.” Nolan stood up and walked over to them with a smile on his face.

“I agree,” London said, getting up from her chair.

Maggie wanted to laugh when they all came over and had a group hug with Judd and her in the middle. “I feel so much better now,” Nolan commented. “I’m happy for you, brother, but you know I have a lot of questions to ask you about your transformation.”

The group groaned, knowing that Nolan was going to ask something inappropriate. He always did. “I’m afraid to say okay,” Judd answered as they sat down.

“Well it looks to me you grew about two or three inches taller, and your muscle mass is much greater, but… ” Nolan leaned in and whispered, “Did something else grow bigger?” Before Judd could answer, Me-Len hit him over the head with her notebook.

“What? It’s a legitimate question! You know you all want to know, too.”

Maggie snorted, then started giggling. The entire room busted out laughing as Nolan looked back at Ryder and the others. “Nolan,” Maggie leaned across her mate and whispered, “Everything grew bigger, and he sure knows how to make use of it, too.”

“I told you.” Nolan jumped up and held his hand out to Kayden and the other Alphas to pay up.

Maggie nudged her mate and winked at him. “I love you.”

“I love you back.”

“
J
udd
, we didn’t get to speak to Bo and Catt for long, but they seem to be good people. Do you know how many are in their clan?” Me-Len asked.

“He said around two hundred members, including the children. They told us about what the vampires do to those of their kind who mate with shifters. If it hadn’t been for Mick, they would be dead too. He wouldn’t go into a lot of detail, but he said that there are other clans like his. They stay out of the areas that the vampire covens occupy, and pretty much keep to themselves. Every time Mick finds a couple, he gets them to safety. That’s how Bo and Catt’s clan has grown so big.”

“Do you think they would help us?” Kayden asked.

“To be honest, I think now that we have mated they are ready to come out. I didn’t know this, but Bo and Cat own two hundred acres next to Alpha City, in Deaton County. They want to move the clan there in order to be near Alpha City. It’s still in the county and close enough to the city to enjoy what we have here. So to answer your question, I think they’re ready to come out and help us, especially if we stand up for them in return. The question I need to ask you guys is do you have a problem with standing up for a vampire-shifter hybrid population?”

“You already know the answer to that, brother,” Brody answered for all of them.

“I told Bo and Cat you would say that, but I needed to ask you all,” Judd said, kissing the side of his mate’s head.

“Maggie, do you feel the jaguar inside of you?” Zoey asked with a smile.

Maggie closed her eyes, then opened them again. This time instead of her normal green eyes, her eyes were emerald green with the slitted pupils of her jaguar staring back at them.

“I’ve seen a lot of things in my time, but that is so cool,” Me-Len answered.

“I was wondering what kind of abilities you have now?” Ryder asked. “Because you sure knocked Brody on his ass.” Everyone laughed except Brody.

“Hey.” Brody glanced back at Maggie. “I deserved it.”

“Well you see the difference in my size, but Bo said that we would be stronger than vampires and shifters. We still eat real food, but we would need some blood as well. However, now that we’re mated, we feed off each other, and it satisfies the thirst and the fuel we need. Being a shifter, I could always see great, but now I can see farther, and my senses are much better than before. I still have all of my shifter traits but now I have a vampire’s, too. That means I can use the mind control trick on you. But to be honest I really don’t know how yet; I want to talk to Bo and Cat about it. It’s only been one day. We’re just trying to take it minute by minute.”

“I see now why they want all vampire-shifter hybrids dead. You’re by far more superior, and that scares them,” Ryder commented.

“We may have a backlash from this. I don’t know how bad it will be, but they will find out about us, and when they do we need to figure out what they plan to do about it,” Judd commented. “I want you all to understand what you’re going to be faced with once they find out that we have truly been mated.”

“I think we need to meet with Bo and Cat to see where they stand on helping us, especially if the vampires decide to call on Judd and Maggie. Me-Len, do you think you can put some spells on their house just in case the vampires send anyone?” Ryder asked.

“They will send in assassins and never take responsibility for it. That’s how they do it, and have for years. Nobody ever knows what happened to the couple and nobody cares enough to ask. That’s how they’ve been getting away with it, with nobody the wiser,” Maggie explained.

“Man, that’s cruel,” Zoey said.

“Not all vampires believe that—like Mick, but he has to be careful or he’ll wake up one day and find that he’s been taken out by the majority. There are others who are like Mick, but until we put it out there in their face where they have to acknowledge us, nothing will change. Like most people who are bigots, sometimes it has to be shoved down their throats.”

“I like the way you think, Maggie,” London said, approving.

“Thanks, London. But like I said it will be a battle for all of us and I don’t want any of you to get hurt because of me.”

“Maggie, that’s what living in Alpha City is all about. You’re part of our family. When they screw with you, they fuck with us. So get that out of your head. If they come, they better come with a lot, because they don’t want me putting any spells on their sorry, bigoted asses.” London pounded her hand on the table. Maggie could feel the magic as London expressed her outrage for the vampires. She watched as the necklace around London’s neck sparked. The Tree of Life was part of the Stone, and from everything she’d read and heard, it was the most powerful piece of magic in supernatural history.

Ryder put his hand around his mate. “As always, so elegantly put. But my mate is correct. We protect our own.”

“So now what?”

Ryder stood up. “Well now we follow through with the plan. We put you in places to monitor our members. We take out the ones that are bad and find out where Claudia is hiding. Then we take her and the dragon out. We’ll also meet with Bo and Cat and get them close by, in case we need to call on them. This needs to be subtle so nobody catches on. When it’s time, we’ll bring Bo’s clan out and make a show of force.”

“
T
ell
me what you have found, Sage,” Claudia Blackwood demanded. They could tell that she was unhappy about something, and if she didn’t like what they had to say, she’d try to kill them.

“Without knowing what you’re trying to open, it was difficult to find the right spell. We made a list of all the possible spells we could find,” Sage answered, watching Claudia.

“I’ve looked at the list, and none of them will work. I gave you enough time to find me the one I need.” They could feel her anger as she paced in front of her desk. “You didn’t find me anything that I could use. Nothing.”

“We looked in every book, and didn’t find anything except the spells that we gave you, Claudia. That’s it,” Sage said.

“Hmm.”

“That was it, Claudia. We even checked the books that we knew had been destroyed, even the
Book of Thoth
. So there are no other spells,” Jessica Wingate answered.

“What did it say about the
Book of Thoth
?” Claudia asked.

Sage watched Claudia very carefully and saw that spark in her eyes at the mention of the
Book of Thoth
. She tried to hide it, but Sage had spotted it. Why was she interested in a book that had been destroyed by the Vampire Council?

“Why would you want to know about a book that has been destroyed?” Sage asked.

“Answer me!” Claudia yelled. Her magic was so dark that it was hard to breathe in the room when she got angry. However, there wasn’t many times that Claudia wasn’t angry.

“Only an innocent could open the book. Someone who has a pure heart,” Jessica quoted. She loved the history about the legendary
Book of Thoth
. If that was what would appease this crazy bitch, they would tell her. She couldn’t use it anyway, because the book didn’t exist.

“You are dismissed.” Claudia got up, walked over to her desk, and sat down. When Jessica and Sage didn’t move, she peered up at them. “I said
leave
.”

Jessica glanced over at Sage and got up. They didn’t understand why she was dismissing them. Something was up. They needed information, but right now they couldn’t go to get it or she’d be onto them. The next supply run wasn’t for another week. They would need to lay low and stay out of Claudia’s way, or she’d take her anger out on them.

Once Sage and her mother got back to their room, they went into the bathroom and turned on the shower and sink faucet.

Sage whispered, “Something is up, Mother. When we told her about the
Book of Thoth
, she dismissed us. The Vampire Council burned that book. What is she up to?”

“I don’t know, but as soon as we can we need to talk to Me-Len. Let them know she’s asking questions about opening spells and the
Book of Thoth
.” Jessica stopped talking and walked out of the bathroom.

Sage saw the look in her eyes. It would take an innocent to open the book, someone who was pure of heart. As far as she knew, there wasn’t anyone like that. And if there was, she wouldn’t be able to find them.

“
I
’m going
to pick up Carina at school, then go to the grocery store!” Rose shouted out.

“You know you’re supposed to take guards with you Rose!” Russ, her little brother, yelled back. Both of her little brothers, Russ and Marcus, went to a different school, and Titan picked them up every day. They usually went to elder training after school, but it had been canceled for today. Carina wasn’t old enough yet, but next year she would be going too.

“They’re late. When they get here tell them where I’ve gone.” Rose knew Carina would worry if she was late picking her up. There were guards at the school, but the council wanted guards for Carina at all times. Today—for some reason—they were very late; she couldn’t wait for them any longer.

As she drove to the school she thought about Knox and how much he looked like his brother Thorn. Yes, they were identical twins, but she could see the difference. She liked the way he looked at her, but it reminded her of Thorn and how he used to smile at her when she caught him staring. He was so funny and tried to make light of everything. She really loved that about him. Even when she didn’t know if she was going to make it, Thorn was always there with a new joke and smile. It wasn’t the only thing she liked about the man, though. He sure could kiss too.

But when she looked at Knox, all she saw was anger and determination. She guessed he had to be that way in the military, witnessing all the evil things he had encountered. All she wanted to do was put a smile on his face or make him laugh. How someone like her was going to do that, she had no idea.

Carina definitely liked him. He was the only one who could make her smile. She even caught him smiling at her sister one day, but as soon as he saw her watching his expression became closed off again. To be honest, she felt like the man didn’t like her much, and she couldn’t figure out why. She tried talking to him on several occasions but he found an excuse to leave.

When Zoey asked about what Carina thought of him, she couldn’t hide it and told her what she thought. Zoey’s explanation surprised her. She said that it seemed to her that Knox liked her and was very attracted to her, but he knew how his brother felt about her and didn’t want to step on his territory. Zoey also said that he watched her all the time. He was very mindful of where she was at in the room, and followed her every move.

Rose burst out laughing and told Zoey she had an active imagination. Zoey told her she was wrong, but the man would run away from her like she was a zombie trying to eat him. And yes, she would like to eat him, just not in the zombie type of way. She laughed at her own thoughts as she pulled into the school.

She had to bring her ID; this was a shifter school, and the staff knew that Carina was to be protected at all times. Every day Rose provided them with her ID, and Carina would acknowledge that Rose was her sister—that was the only way she got to take Carina home. She hated that they had to live this way, but if it kept her sister safe then she’d do it forever.

She walked in the door to the front office. Carina would be in one of the back offices with some of the guards. “Did Carina forget something?” Becky, the secretary, asked.

“Huh? No, I’m here to get Carina,” Rose said.

Becky stared at her, then stood up. “You picked her up early. It was around two p.m. today.”

“No I didn’t. Stop playing games. This isn’t funny, Becky.”

“Oh God, Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson!” Becky ran toward the back of the room. Principal Johnson, came running out of the back room, along with the guards.

“What is it, Becky?”

“Rose is here to get Carina. She said she didn’t pick her sister up at two today, but I know she did. I’m the one who checked her ID.”

“Where is my sister?” Rose was panicking now. “Phillip, where is she?” Phillip was a guard with Kayden’s pride. He picked up his phone and called someone without answering her.

“I didn’t pick her up. I didn’t. It wasn’t me.” Rose looked around the office. “Who else was here?” Rose demanded.

“I didn’t recognize the other men with you…” Becky’s voice trailed off. “The guards were busy. We had a water line break and we had to move a classroom to another room. They were making sure everything was okay.”

“Oh my God! They took her. It wasn’t me, Becky. Call someone.”

Rose fell to the floor, panting for air. Carina was gone. They’d taken her. Someone had taken her. “She must be so scared.”

“Rose, we need you to get a grip right now. I’ve called Kayden and he’s alerting the others. He’ll be here in a few minutes. I need for you to sit down in the chair and let’s think this through. Can you do that for me?” Phillip asked, helping her up and pulling the chair over to her. “Tell me where you were all day, starting with this morning.”

“I…I went to work about seven-thirty this morning. I had a lot of paperwork to do. The girls have a big project due soon, and I’m the one getting the paperwork up for the client.” Rose twisted her fingers together and whispered. “She’s got to be scared.”

“I know, Rose, but we’re going to get her back. Come on, let’s continue. Where else did you go today?”

“I didn’t leave all day; Donnie went out to get us lunch. I left work around one-thirty and went home to meet the guards and come pick Carina up, but the guards never showed up. I just thought they were late, so I left without them. Then I drove to the school.” Tears fell down Rose’s face. She knew she was falling apart. This was her baby sister. Her heart was about to burst. “Where is my sister, Phillip?”

“I don’t know, Rose.”

“What happened?” Kayden ran in with Knox and Zoey.

“I came to pick Carina up and they said I checked her out early. It wasn’t me, Kayden. It wasn’t me. They have my sister. We’re wasting time. We need to be looking for her.”

“She was at work all day, Kayden. It wasn’t Rose. She didn’t leave the office until one-thirty,” Zoey stated.

“I’m not saying she did, baby, but we have to get all the information so we can figure out who it was.” Kayden tried to calm Rose down, but she wasn’t having any of it. They were wasting time trying to prove it wasn’t her.

“Rose, where did you go after work?” Kayden asked.

“Home to meet the guards, but they never showed up. I told the boys that I would be back. Carina gets upset if I’m late. She starts to get nervous, so I didn’t want to be late. I told the boys to tell the guards that I would meet them at the school. Nobody has shown up.”

Kayden looked over at Phillip. “Find out where the guards are at.”

“I tried already, Alpha, and I can’t get an answer. I’ll keep trying.”

Brody walked into the school. “We have a problem. The guards that were on the way to meet Rose were rammed by a truck. Both of them are okay, but their cell phones got crushed. If they hadn’t been shifters, they would be dead. Their vehicle flipped over and rolled into the ravine. They just got picked up on the side of the road. Jack called me immediately.”

“They have her, Kayden, they have my sister.” Rose fell down to the ground. Her head was in her hands as she sobbed. Knox reached down, picked her up, and carried her over to a chair. He rocked her until she started to calm down. She couldn’t believe it. Her baby was gone. She’d be so scared.

“Rose, listen to me. We will get her back,” Kayden promised. “Phillip, stay here and get the video footage of who came in the school. Maybe we can ID the guards or get an ID on the vehicle they used.”

“Already downloading, Alpha. You’ll have it on your phone in a few minutes,” Phillip said.

“We’re taking Rose home and meeting with the others,” Kayden said. Knox picked up Rose and walked with her in his arms out the door. She felt safe and secure in his arms, and almost thought it was Thorn who was carrying her.

“What if they hurt her?” Rose whispered as the vehicle pulled off.

“Don’t let yourself think like that,” Knox answered. He pulled her closer to his chest. All she wanted to do was curl up in his arms and drift off to sleep, but she couldn’t. Her baby sister was out there, alone and scared. God only knew what they were doing to her.

Kayden pulled up in the underground mines. Her brother Titan was pacing back and forth in front of the door. She reluctantly moved out of Knox’s arms. Her brother ran up to her as she got out.

“Where is she?” Titan demanded. She could see the fear on her brother’s face. They both knew how scared Carina would be.

“They took her from the school,” Rose admitted. She watched as anger came over her brother’s face. He looked toward Kayden.

“You said she’d be safe. Now she’s gone.” Titan’s body started to shake.

“Titan, the person who picked her up from the school looked just like me. Everyone at the school, including the principal, thought it was me. She even had guards, but they didn’t recognize them. There was a water main break, and the guards were getting kids away from the water and into another classroom. If Phillip had been there he would’ve known it wasn’t me, but he was helping.”

“The water main breaking was a way to get the guards over to another point while she walked in and took her, but what I don’t understand was why Carina would have left with her?” Knox asked.

Rose shook her head. “I don’t think Carina would have. She’d know if it was me or not,” Rose answered.

“Then why would she go with her willingly?” Titan asked.

The garage door opened and Ryder drove in with London and Me-Len. Immediately, London ran up to Rose and hugged her. “We’ll get her back. They haven’t hurt her yet.”

“How do you know?” Me-Len glanced over at her granddaughter, and she knew they were keeping something from her.

“Rose, there are some things I can’t tell you right now, but be assured that she hasn’t. I can’t share with you some information, but I wanted you to know that. I promise when I find something out I will tell you,” Me-Len answered.

Rose nodded, but her brother wasn’t satisfied. He wanted answers. He didn’t know Me-Len that well, and he didn’t trust easily.