Choices: Alpha City, Book 3 (15 page)

“I want to know how you know that. If you know that, then you can get her out,” Titan spit out.

“Titan.” Rose put her hand on her brother, trying to calm him down.

Kayden walked forward and stood in front of her little brother. She knew what was coming. She had seen it before in her old pride. People were tortured for saying something wrong to an elder or the Alpha. That was under Kayden’s father, but Kayden Lynn wasn’t like his father. She trusted Kayden and knew he would do the right thing. Titan had disrespected Me-Len, and that wasn’t tolerated. He knew better.

“Titan, listen, son,” Kayden said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear him. “Do you remember what I told you when you got here to Alpha City? That night Thorn brought you to my house. Do you remember what I told you, son?” Very rarely had she ever heard Kayden sound so official but dangerous. She knew Titan was just upset, but he needed to learn to respect others in the pack. Me-Len was a witch and considered an elder, someone everyone looked to for answers. He should’ve known better, and now he would have to learn the hard way.

“I remember you saying that you would protect us with your life, and that meant Carina. Now… ”

“We have a lot of things going on, Titan, and you’re not privy to all that information. The fewer people who know what she is doing to help us the better, but I would put my faith in what Me-Len says. I don’t question how she knows it, all I know is that she is working to get your sister back.” Kayden kneeled down in front of Titan and stared him in the eyes. She knew that Titan was an Alpha too, but he had a lot to learn. At least he had the sense to lower his eyes. “Remember this, son: Carina is our family too, and we are doing everything we can to get her back. It won’t be easy, but you need to trust us.” Rose watched as Titan bowed his head in shame to his Alpha. This was why she wanted her family here in Alpha City. Kayden could have hurt him or disrespected him in front of everyone, but he wasn’t that kind of Alpha. He truly loved his pride and he loved her brother. He spoke to Titan as the man of his house, instead of a kid acting out in anger.

“I’m sorry, Alpha.” Titan spoke with his head still bowed to his Alpha.

“I think it’s Me-Len you need to be apologizing to, son,” Kayden addressed him.

She watched as Titan walked over to Me-Len. “I’m sorry ma’am. I meant no disrespect.” Everyone smiled when Me-Len reached out and hugged Titan to her.

“None taken. I understand why you’re angry. You should be, but I promise that I will get her back,” Me-Len said.

The garage door opened and Nolan, his Beta, pulled in with Brody behind him. Kayden pulled out his phone when it started ringing. “Hello. Okay, we’re headed into the conference room now.” He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. “That was Phillip; he sent the video footage from the school to my e-mail. Let’s go in the conference room to view it.”

Kayden brought up the footage and they watched as a black SUV pulled up to the school. It looked just like the ones the guards were using to pick Carina up. Two guards got out and opened the back door. Rose had to grab hold of the chair and sit down as someone who looked just like her got out of the vehicle. “That is Claudia Blackwood,” Me-Len announced.

“How do you know?” Ryder asked.

“Look at how she’s treating the guards.” Everyone watched the look of disgust that came over her face when the guard forgot her purse. “I know you don’t make them carry your purse, Rose.”

“Of course not. And I wouldn’t be caught dead in those clothes.” The woman was wearing a long bohemian skirt, for goodness sake. It wasn’t her style at all. “Why didn’t anyone recognize that? I’ve never dressed in anything like that.”

“Some people just don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff,” Brody answered. “To be honest, I would’ve thought it was ugly, but I sure wouldn’t have said anything to you about it. But Me-Len is right, it’s not you at all.” Rose wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t. Claudia Blackwood had her little sister. The woman was the mastermind behind this whole thing, and they still didn’t know how they were going to find out where the coven was hiding out.

“How did she make herself look like Rose?” Kayden asked.

“A masking spell. She can only hold it for a brief time, then it would start to fade away,” Me-Len answered.

“Why would my sister go with her? I know my sister well enough to know she would have known that it wasn’t Rose. I don’t get it,” Titan asked.

“I don’t know. It doesn’t look like she put a spell on her,” Me-Len answered as they continued to watch the footage from the office when Claudia walked into the room. “Look at Carina and how she’s studying her.” They watched as Carina narrowed her eyes at the woman, studying closely as she seemed to smile. She reached into her book bag.

“What is she doing?” Me-Len asked as she walked closer to the screen. Rose walked up and stood beside her. It appeared she got something out of her book bag and put it in her pocket. Claudia wasn’t paying attention to Carina. She was too busy talking to Mr. Johnson.

“Does Carina have a cell phone?” Ryder asked.

“No,” Rose answered.

“Then what could it be?” Me-Len asked.

They watched as Carina put her book bag on, then walked over to Claudia and held her hand. The look on Claudia’s face was different. At first she just stared down at their entwined hands, then she turned around and walked with her out the door. When they got to the door, Claudia hesitated, then pushed Carina into the car.

“That bitch is dead!” Kayden yelled toward the screen.

“Me-Len, do you think your contact inside the coven could help us out? We can’t leave her there,” Ryder asked.

“I don’t have a way to contact them; they have to contact me. It’s too dangerous,” Me-Len answered.

“We can’t leave her in there by herself,” Rose begged, fresh tears shinning in her eyes.

“We’re not, Rose. Listen, let us work on this.” Kayden looked over at Rose and Titan.

“Please don’t leave us out?” Titan answered. “We want to be involved in getting our sister back.”

Hesitantly, Kayden glanced over at them and nodded. “Go get something to eat, Rose. Let us talk.”

S
age watched
as Claudia commanded the little girl to open the book. She made sure she was hidden using the Cloak of Edengraf. She still had to be careful that Claudia or Jamal didn’t feel her presence. She made sure to keep her breathing very shallow. She didn’t want them to get suspicious and go looking around the room. The cloak made her invisible, but Jamal was a dragon, and like most shifters, could scent your presence.

Claudia walked around the little girl, whom she had tied to a chair. “If you open the book, I will let you go home. Just tell the book to open.” Sage could tell that Claudia was going to kill the little girl even if she did open the book. She watched as the little girl’s eyes rolled back and commented, “The Elves are coming for you. Thoth is coming for you.”

Sage’s eye’s widened. Who was this little girl? She could see the magic surrounding her, protecting her from the darkness that continued to strike her walls. Claudia was pulling out every spell she knew to make the girl speak the words, but this one was strong.

Claudia leaned right up to the little girl’s ear. “You think the Elves are coming for you? To help you, Carina? Nobody knows where you are.”

Her name was Carina. Shit, shit. Carina was part of the Order. She was part of the Stone. Claudia would never let her go. She needed all the parts of the Stone—for what, Sage didn’t know, but she’d heard that much.

Jamal just sat in the corner watching, with his legs propped up. She knew that if Carina didn’t give her what she wanted, he’d start hurting her. Claudia repeated another spell that would make any other supernatural give her what she wanted. But Carina was different; she was stronger. She continued to sit silently, watching Claudia get angrier and angrier.

“Enough.” Jamal got up and proceeded to walk around her. He smiled once he stood in front of her. “Carina, such a pretty little girl. Do you know what I did to my prisoners when they didn’t give me what I wanted? I can make my tail small and narrow like a whip, and flick it with just a twist. You have such pretty skin, too pretty to feel the damage of it. Tell us what we want, and I will personally take you home.” Carina just smiled. “They say you’re a very smart witch. I was hoping you would refuse. So hoping.”

Sage watched as a tail formed behind him. It wasn’t a large tail, but just like he said, it was shaped like a whip.

Jamal was just as cruel as Claudia; he was going to beat Carina and love doing it. It happened so fast—Jamal flicked his tail hitting the side of her face, making a red gash. Blood poured out as Carina screamed out in pain. Jamal laughed as the little girl broke down crying.

Sage’s body shook in rage as Jamal and Claudia enjoyed the little girl’s pain. Sage had to get her out of here, or they would continue to punish her until she gave in and opened the book. Now that she knew that Claudia had the
Book of Thoth
, she’d need to remove Carina so nobody would ever get her again. She knew enough about that book to know that if it were opened, the world would be doomed. It wasn’t meant for their kind. It was meant for Thoth and no other.

Claudia reached around and untied Carina’s arms, then placed the book in her lap. “Open the book now, or feel his pain!” Claudia shouted. Sage could tell that Claudia was getting frustrated with Carina. They both wanted to hurt her. Claudia walked around to the side and whispered something to Jamal.

Sage watched as Carina’s fingers reached into her pocket. She couldn’t see what she had, but her hands rubbed all over the book.

Claudia and Jamal walked back around in front of her. “Once I beat you until you can’t stand it, I’m going to start to burn you. Do you want me to do that?” Jamal said smiling.

Claudia screamed again, “Open it!”

Carina just smiled in defiance and shook her head.

Jamal didn’t like her answer and flicked his tail again, slashing the other side of her face. Again, Carina cried out in pain. If it was possible, Sage was going to kill them both. She watched as Jamal attacked again and again, slashing across her arms, then legs, until finally Carina passed out.

Before he could do it again, Claudia yelled out, “Stop!” She walked over to Carina. Her head was slumped over. Claudia pulled her head back and found that she was unconscious. “Well she’s no use to us now. Guards!”

Sage waited until the door opened and walked through it. She slipped into her bedroom and woke her mother up. “Mother, come to the bathroom.” Jessica Wingate jumped up and went to the bathroom.

“Where have you been?” Jessica asked, worried.

“Mother, they have her. They have Carina, the little girl that Me-Len told us about. They are torturing her to open the book.”

Jessica looked at her daughter. “What book?”

“Oh God, Mother, she has the
Book of Thoth
.” Sage turned the water on higher not wanting anyone to hear them.

Jessica shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. That book was destroyed by the vampires. It’s written in their laws.”

“No Mother, they didn’t destroy it. They must have hidden it and made it look like they destroyed it, but I saw it. I saw the book, and now they’re torturing Carina until she opens it. We have to get her out of here. We have to help her, Mother. She’s passed out. I’ve got to get her out with the cloak, or they will keep torturing her until she opens that book or dies. Either way, she won’t survive.”

Jessica leaned over the sink and closed her eyes. “If you do this, they will know you’re a traitor.”

“I can’t leave her here. What if it was me?” Sage countered. “What if Jamal was whipping me?”

Jessica turned around and faced her. “Then go and get her out. I’ll get up in the morning to go and look for you and act like I can’t find you. She will think only you had something to do with it.”

“No Mother, you have to come with me. I can get her out, then you. I’ll put her in the car, then come back in with the cloak and get you. They’ll kill you if you stay.”

“Okay. Let me put some clothes on and I’ll wait here for you,” Jessica answered.

Sage looked in the mirror as she draped the cloak around her. She watched as her reflection disappeared. Whatever happened tonight, she had to get Carina out of here. It was time for them to leave this place of evil and death. That’s what Claudia did to her coven and planned to do to the world. She was dead inside and she wanted everyone to feel like she did.

She listened, and when she didn’t hear anyone in the hallway, Sage kissed her mother, quietly opened the door, and went to the place she called the dungeon room. This place was just like a castle on the inside. Claudia had it made so. There was a throne room where a king or queen would sit on an awful gold chair. Everything inside was made to look like the inside of a real-life castle. The woman was not only evil; she had some strange fetishes. Even the clothes they were made to wear looked like the clothes of the medieval days.

She could hear someone snoring as she got to the bottom of the stairs. Sage walked slowly, in case Claudia or her minions were lurking around. She hated her coven, too. They were just as crazy as their leader was.

She peeked around the corner and saw that the guard on duty was sleeping at his desk. “Sleep well, old fart.” Sage recited a sleeping spell and went in search of Carina. She needed to hurry, in case they started torturing her again.

Looking in the glass window, Sage’s heart broke as she saw Carina laying on the floor, balled up. Blood from her wounds had leaked out onto the floor, but thankfully they had stopped bleeding. Sage had to hurry. She used the key beside the door and unlocked it. The heavy wooden door creaked open. She rushed in and picked Carina up. The little girl never moved. Opening the cloak, she slipped Carina inside.

Sage closed the door and dashed up the stairs. That’s when she heard Claudia’s guards coming. She rushed into the kitchen and listened. Guards were standing everywhere. She remembered there was a back door in the kitchen and hurried out. She knew if she used her car, they would know. Instead, she was going to hotwire Claudia’s vehicle. She took great pride in knowing she was going to use Claudia’s car to escape. It was the evil bitch’s pride and joy.

She needed to hurry; her arms were growing tired. Carina was a small girl, but Sage wasn’t used to carrying her around. Then she had to get back into the house and get her mother out.

Bingo—she found Claudia’s car. She chanted a spell to unlock the car, then waited as the lock popped open. What she didn’t count on was that after putting Carina in the backseat she heard someone running toward her. She pulled the wires down and pulled out her knife, slicing them open.

As she went to put the wires together, a hand slapped against the window.

“What are you doing?” The guard went to reach for the door, but thankfully she had locked it. She was trying to hurry, but the guard pulled out his phone. Dammit, she was out of time. Sage put the two wires together and the car cranked up. She slammed her foot down on the gas pedal and drove down the long dirt road. Looking back in the rearview mirror, Sage could see guards running to their cars. She was in trouble and needed help. Tears fell from her eyes, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get her mother out with them. She’d go back another time, but first she needed to get Carina to safety.

Shit! The fence was locked. Sage whispered a spell, but it didn’t work. If she didn’t get that fence open, she wasn’t getting out, and that would be the end for her and Carina.

Glancing up, she saw it and screamed, “Yes.” She punched the button and the fence started opening. Bullets crashed into the back window. Shit, shit, they were shooting at her now.

She was going to need some help, or she and Carina wouldn’t make it out. Digging into her pocket, she called Me-Len. She screamed into the phone, telling them what road she was on and what car she was in.

Me-Len told her they were on the way. She didn’t have time to talk and drive. She had to get Carina to safety. As she came around the curve, her vehicle was rammed from behind. She fishtailed on the roadway, but thankfully got control of it. Still, they were on both sides of her now and both cars had men hanging out the window with guns. She couldn’t speed up, so she slammed on her brakes, and the bullets slammed into each other’s cars. Then she sped up again. She couldn’t let them get ahead of her and block her. When one of Claudia’s guards got too close, she rammed into the side of his vehicle.

She couldn’t take much more of this. The vehicle couldn’t take much more, either, before the ramming broke off something important. With a worrying crunch of metal, they hit the side of her again. “Please Me-Len, hurry.”

It happened so quickly she almost missed it. Something flew over the vehicle. It sounded like a plane, but not as loud. She sped up again, getting ahead of them. When she looked in her rearview mirror one of the vehicles just blew up. She gasped as the other one exploded too. Her phone started ringing.

“Hello, Me-Len.”

“We’re coming, but the bears sent you some help. Have you seen them yet?”

“Yes. Well, I guess so. The two vehicles following me just…just blew up.”

“Good, now keep driving and I will meet you at the limits of Alpha City. How are Carina and Jessica?”

“Me-Len.” Sage caught herself before she broke down and cried. “I didn’t have enough time to get Mother out, Me-Len. I will have to go back and get her.”

“Just get here, Sage. We will get your mother.” Sage hung up the phone and continued on toward the city limits.

She kept glancing back at Carina. Glass had shattered all over her, but it still appeared that she hadn’t moved. She was still rolled up in a ball. Her cell phone rang again, and thinking it was Me-Len, she answered. “Me-Len, I think I’m close.”

“You’ll regret this, Sage Wingate. That girl belongs to me and you’ll turn around and bring her back.” Sage’s heart dropped as she listened to Claudia Blackwood’s voice.

“Your mother says hello, by the way.”

“If you hurt my mother, I’m going to ki—”

Claudia laughed. “You’re not in any place to give me orders, little witch. I will exchange your mother for the girl. Turn around now and we make the swap. Deal?”

Sage wiped the tears from her eyes. It didn’t matter if she turned Carina over to Claudia; she’d kill her mother and then her.

“Do we have a deal?” Claudia yelled.

“No.”

She heard her mother screaming as the phone hung up. She could see the city limits sign. A convoy of vehicles were waiting as if a parade was coming through. Slowly she pulled up. She wasn’t going to stop until she saw her grandmother.

Me-Len jumped out of a vehicle and waved toward her. She stopped the car and jumped out. At first she hesitated; predatory eyes were gazing on her. Shifters were standing all around and Sage didn’t know any of them. She had seen pictures of the Alphas, but had never been introduced. They all looked angry. Then she spotted her grandmother and ran over to her. Her legs gave out as she fell into Me-Len’s arms. “She’s killing her,” Sage sobbed into her shoulder.

“Who?” Me-Len pulled her back.

“Mother. Claudia called and said if I made a trade she’d exchange Carina for mother. I refused. I knew she would kill us both. I just left her.” Me-Len held her as Kayden pulled Carina out of the backseat.

“You did the right thing, Sage. Your mother knew the danger when she agreed to this, and she would have been very angry if you had turned back now.”

“What did they do to you, little one?” Kayden whispered. The growls and howling could be heard from all around as Carina’s tortured body came into the light.

“I couldn’t leave her there. They would have killed her. She didn’t open the book, Me-Len. She didn’t open the book for her,” Sage cried out.

Getting up, Sage turned around and watched as a woman leaned over Carina. She cut into her wrist, pouring her blood onto Carina’s wounds, and placed her hands on top. “That is Maggie, she’s a Healer.”