Hour of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #1) (44 page)

his laptop.‖

Holy fuck. Wells had documentation. ―He‘s keeping all that information to himself? Why

not give it to the National Inquirer for some big bucks?‖

―His motivation is unclear at the moment. He‘s focused only on how the creatures are

created.‖

―He doesn‘t sound sane, sir,‖ she said lightly. If the information was still in one place, the

shifters could destroy it. Calum needed to hear—

―Did you know the young man—the one who turned into a mountain lion—was captured

nearby?‖

Fingers of ice closed around her spine. ―In Cold Creek?‖

―That‘s why Mr. Vidal is holed up not far away. I intend to pay him a visit later tonight to

discuss his recordings.‖ Wells looked her straight in the eyes. ―Do you want to tell me again why

you‘re here, Sergeant?‖

Don‟t do this, she wanted to say. ―Because my life is here. I fell in love, married, quit the service, you know how it goes.‖ She pushed to her feet. ―And speaking of new lives, I need to

get back to work.‖

―Gone over to the enemy?‖ he asked softly. ―Would you like a charge of treason added to all

your medals?‖

The slash was quick and brutal. ―I‘m no traitor, dammit!‖

―Then tell me about these animals. How many are there? How are they created?‖

Created? Did he think some evil scientist had made them? She wanted so badly to give him

the truth. She couldn‘t. ―I don‘t—‖

―You‘re lying, Morgan.‖ His voice had gone flat, his eyes icy—he‘d never looked at her like

that before. ―I‘d never have believed you would betray your country—or me. I loved—‖ He

broke off his sentence, breathed out harshly.

The pain surged all through her, hurting more with every pump of her heart. How could she

lose him like this? After her first assassination, he‘d showed up at her apartment. Ignored her

shaking hands, her teary eyes. Stayed up all night with her, drinking coffee. Just being there.

He‘d always been there. Guilt shriveled her spirit.

―Vicki,‖ he said softly. ―Have you seen these creatures?‖

A tried and true technique. Slam the subject over the head, induce guilt, be their friend

again. She searched for some answer to give him, and then simply shook her head. ―Sorry, sir. I

haven‘t seen any creatures.‖

All the life drained from his face, and his blade-like voice hacked bloody pieces from her

soul as he said, ―They‘re monsters, Sergeant. However they‘re created. You get me the

information I need so we can hunt them down, and there‘ll be a medal for you.‖ His voice

dropped to an almost inaudible whisper. ―Otherwise you‘ll have your discharge, Morgan. A

dishonorable one.‖

She stared at him, her jaw clenched. Dishes crashed behind her, the sound mimicking the

shattering of her heart. I‟m sorry, sir. Trying to find enough air to speak, she inhaled…and caught a scent. She turned.

Alec and Calum stood in the doorway.

* * *

―They‘re monsters, Sergeant. However they‘re created. You get me the information I need

so we can hunt them down, and there‘ll be a medal for you.‖ For the first time in his life, Alec

cursed a shifter‘s hearing as the blood in his veins turned to ice. His heart slowed, each thud

painful. His chest was squeezed too tightly to inhale.

Surely he‘d misunderstood what the man had said. Surely she‘d been misleading the human.

Alec looked at Vicki and his hope disintegrated. Guilt showed clearly in her shocked face, her

horrified eyes as she stared at him and Calum. Her color drained away.

―Vicki?‖ He couldn‘t feel his lips, but the word escaped anyway.

She‘d lied to them, to him. Lied and lied and lied.

Knowing his brother had frozen, Calum stepped in front of him. Victoria‘s face was white,

her eyes wide, the scent of her anger mingling with…guilt.

Guilt. What kind of traitor had they harbored in their midst? The man‘s words ― hunt them

down” hovered in the room like the vultures had hovered over his wife‘s body. Demon.

Monsters. “Hunt them down.”

Calum shook his head, trying to escape the images, as his fears and memories mingled into a

terrifying brew: Thorson holding his bloody shoulder, Angie with open staring eyes, Lenora…so

cold, all life fled, Alec torn apart like so much meat, Lachlan lifeless on a steel table, his Jamie…

Calum choked, drowning in horror.

Burning with fury at this female he‘d thought he knew, who he‘d brought into his home,

trusted with his daughter. Loved. And all the time, she‘d been setting them up as prey for

Lachlan‘s killers.

―Calum—I—‖ the human female called Victoria held her hands out to him. She met his gaze

and flinched, taking a step back. ―I didn‘t. I didn‘t, Calum.‖

Hunt them down. A medal. The growl boiled up from inside him and as it escaped, so did his

control. Wildness filled his soul, pulling at him, trying to change him into the beast.

Alec‘s hand closed on his arm. ―Steady, brawd.‖

She looked at his brother. ―Alec? I never—I didn‘t tell him.‖

Alec raggedly asked, ―You‘re not a spy for the government?‖

The question struck her like a blow, and she took a step back.

The sound Alec made was that of a mortally wounded animal.

As Calum scented his brother‘s despair, the door in his mind burst open. The mountain

seemed to shake under his feet. Claws sprouted from his fingers.

―Dammit, get out of here before he kills you.‖ Alec‘s words were hoarse as he yanked

Calum against his chest.

Everything blurred. As Calum fought the trawsfur, he barely heard Alec‘s grief-threaded

whisper, ―And Herne help me, so will I.‖

―No,‖ Vic whispered. This couldn‘t be happening.

Calum‘s face had distorted with anger, his eyes black as the pits of hell. Snarling…like a

maddened animal. The tingle of shifting was strong in the air. He‘d kill her. As furious as he

was, he wouldn‘t be able to stop, and he‘d tear her to bits.

Alec struggled with his brother. His last look at her had held only anger—none of the love,

the tenderness.

When someone grabbed her arm and spun her around, Vic barely pulled her punch in time.

Angie‘s face was red and furious as she shoved Vic back a step. ―Get out of here. I‘d like to

kill you myself, but if Calum does, he‘ll never forgive himself.‖ When Vic couldn‘t move, Angie

slapped her, the cracking sound followed by fiery pain.

Vic shook her head. She hadn‘t tried to block the blow and didn‘t fight now as Angie pushed

her toward the back. And out. The door slammed behind her.

Blackness surrounded her as she stood in the alley, trying to breathe, staring at the building.

Her ears rang; her head swam with pain and guilt. Alec. Calum. God, no. She hugged herself.

What can I do?

Somewhere close, a car started up and moved slowly away. Without lights. Wells.

Breaking into a run, she headed for the police station.

―Easy, brawd, easy.‖ Alec held his brother tighter, impending trawsfur tingling against his

hands. ―Stay human, Calum. Hear me? This is no time to lose control.‖

His words finally penetrated, and Calum stilled, his head bowing. The magic faded away.

―There you go. That‘s good,‖ Alec soothed, not taking his gaze from the back door. The

need to chase after her, yell, hold her, understand burned inside him, but he couldn‘t.

He wouldn‘t.

A spy. It was so plain he couldn‘t believe they hadn‘t put together the clues. Her fighting

skills. That night she‘d followed Calum through the tunnels to spy on him —they‘d been

suspicious until she drew them off the scent with her tale about Lachlan.

Those big brown eyes had sucked them right in, and, by Herne, he still couldn‘t accept her

behavior was all a lie.

Calum straightened to stand alone, then ran his hands over his face as if to reacquaint

himself with human form. ―Thank you.‖

―You did it often enough for me.‖ But no one had ever had to help Calum regain control.

Damn her!

―This is...not good,‖ Calum said, hoarse from snarling. ―She knows everything about us.‖

The pain in his voice was as clear as that in his eyes.

And in Alec‘s heart. He felt as if something essential, like an arm or leg, had been ripped

away; he couldn‘t seem to find his balance. ―She fooled us completely. Agents will cover Cold

Creek and Elder Village like flies on carrion.‖

Calum‘s eyes narrowed. ―I wonder how much she told her boss. Did she share that she‟s a

shifter also?‖

―Well, damn, I bet not.‖ The thought that followed hit Alec like a blow to the gut. ―Brawd, if

she doesn‘t have us anymore, is—‖ he choked, managed to spit out the words, ―is she going to

go feral?‖

―It‘s...possible. Does that kind of person have friends?‖ Calum‘s dusky skin had turned gray.

―Whether she does or not is irrelevant. She is shifter and has betrayed our clan to the humans.

She will have to be killed.‖

Calum‘s stomach turned over at the thought of sentencing Victoria to death, and he leaned

against the wall for a moment. He hurt like an animal with one leg caught in a trap. But the only

way to escape the steel teeth was to gnaw off his leg—to kill his love for her. He closed his eyes.

How had he not seen what she was?

―Cosantir?‖

Calum opened his eyes to a room edged with red and black. ―Angie. Is Vic—the female

gone?‖

―Out the back door right after her boss.‖ Angie‘s mouth tightened. ―What do you require?‖

Calum‘s gaze met his brother‘s, but the cahir tilted his head, deferring control. Calum

inhaled slowly, trying to force his mind to function. ―Those with children—this is an excellent

time to visit relatives in other states. Remind them to watch for anyone following, to change cars

when possible, to avoid using any ID or credit cards. You all know the drill.‖

―We do, Cosantir. And the rest?‖

―Stay alert. If there‘s an influx of strangers, if you feel anything is dangerous, escape to the

mountains.‖

Alec added, ―I‘ll send the Murphy brothers to the Village to warn them and help evacuate if

needed. They can take Jamie with them.‖

―Good.‖ Calum took a step, and then glanced at Angie. ―Alec and I have a murderer to visit.

If we don‘t return—‖

She held up one hand. ―Don‘t go begging for bad luck. We‘ll guard your cub. You be

careful and come back to us.‖

* * *

Vic had stolen the patrol car from behind the station. She gave a bitter laugh, knowing how

furious Alec would be. Wiping tears from her cheeks, she concentrated on the red tail lights of

Wells‘ vehicle. The dispersing crowds from the movie shoot had slowed the spymaster‘s car

enough that she‘d caught up to him on the country road.

Her smile was bitter. No one tailed Wells successfully…except perhaps a shifter with a cat‘s

night vision who could drive without lights.

Would he continue with his plan and go to Vidal‘s?

Everything in her wanted to simply turn around and leave, run away from the mountains

where she‘d been happy, the town where she‘d actually found friends.

Where she‟d given her heart away. A fucking sappy expression. Only, God, it was true. She

pressed a hand to her chest and could feel the emptiness inside. All that remained was pain.

Dammit, Calum. His face kept wavering into her vision, reminding how his smile would

appear in his eyes before flickering across his lips. His deep rough voice would sound in her

ears…and then turn into the choking snarls of a wounded animal. In the diner, his pupils had

gone black with her betrayal. What had she done to him?

Guilt cut through her, ripping her up inside. Before she lifemated them, she should have told

them about her past. They were so paranoid—and with good reason. But if she‘d explained,

maybe they‘d have believed her now.

She scowled, anger fizzling along her skin. But fucking-A, after all this time with them,

shouldn‘t they figure she wasn‘t out to get them?

Then again, the evidence had been damning. Fucking animal hearing. They‘d caught Wells‘

offer of a medal…and obviously hadn‘t heard the threat that came after it.

And she‘d just stood there in shock, looking as God-damned guilty as she‘d felt.

Her jaw firmed. Her life here was destroyed, and it was her own fault. She‘d taken too long

to learn to trust. She couldn‘t blame Calum and Alec— much— she‘d been the one doing all the

lying. And Wells had made her look so fucking guilty.

Damn him anyway. She swallowed against the painful knot in her throat. He‘d looked as

if…as if he really cared for her. She‘d never looked very hard at the careful roles they‘d played

over so many years, but the way he‘d turned on her, so terribly angry, showed he‘d felt betrayed.

Yes, she‘d wounded him…but his return fire had been far more destructive. Fatal, maybe.

Fatal? With the thought, horror blindsided her hard enough that her car skidded on the road.

She fought for control. An oncoming car flashed past as she steadied, hands squeezing the

steering wheel. She‘d lost her lifemates, Jamie, her friends. Am I going to go feral now?

What if she turned into some monster Alec would have to kill? She remembered the

agonized look in his eyes after he‘d executed his friend, Renshaw.

He was so loving and big-hearted. And the way he looked tonight, filled with such pain and

anger and betrayal—she‘d done that to him.

―Oh, Alec,‖ she whispered, ―I‘m so, so sorry.‖ Of all the people she could have hurt, why