Wild Hunts (26 page)

“So have you, and you seem as restless as me.”

Kasa sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. She slinked her arm around his waist, drew one knee under her and stretched one over his lap, then closed her eyes. Nothing sounded so strong and powerful, so certain, as the thud of Micah’s heart.

“My concern is bringing all these additional packs into the melee and causing the rebels to panic. If that happens, the chances of bringing Jordan home safely become bleak. What I would like to do is breach their hideaway alone, but keep you, Slade, and a few of my brother’s men within range of contact. This way, I can keep you up to date with where I am, what I see, and whether or not I’ve found Jordan. You can send the information to the other packs to keep them apprised of the situation at all times. Only when it’s necessary would you have to call them in. This will keep fatalities at a minimum, and perhaps make this a quick operation. Once we’re back on our turf, we can take them as they come.” She traced the tape holding his bandage in place. “I know the risk being my pelt, and I know that many of us will have to be spread out to make this work and keep communication lines in optimum working order, but I truly feel it’s the best approach. They want me. Let them have me because it won’t be for long.”

“A lot can go wrong with that plan.”

“And a lot can go wrong if we blitz them on their territory.”

“They’ll know you aren’t going alone.”

Kasa tipped her head enough to catch his eyes. “I can make them think I’m there alone.”

She lowered her head again, not wanting Micah to sense the uncertainty swirling inside her. Her plan had holes, a lot of them. Her ideas were borderline foolish, carrying too much risk. Once the rebels had her, they could kill her on the spot. With her plan, she was betting blindly on their delight to torture and maim over cut-and-dry murder. Dark Moon’s hatred of her, being a white, infused deep into their being. It was parallel to their very life force, something they thrived on. She couldn’t imagine not being subjected to torture of some kind prior to death.

“If I’m lucky, I’ll get inside without being detected. If I’m not, well, you’ll be close by enough that I can fill you in on the details while I’m detained,” Kasa finally said. “Until I have Jordan in my sight, and see that he’s still alive, we can’t put him in any more danger.”

“We’ll discuss this with Slade when he returns. I still don’t like it, even if I see your logic.” Micah’s hand cupped her chin and tipped her face up. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “Rest, sweetheart. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

* * * *

Kasa paced the living room, her fingers knotted tightly under her chin. She couldn’t believe Slade and Micah refused to let her go along on the hunt. After a long, intense discussion and dissection of her plan, they both decided against it. Another low blow was having three massive, brawny weres standing guard outside her cabin. Her intelligent mates had covered their grounds, or so they thought. Never underestimate a caged white with a will to accomplish anything she set her mind to.

Finding her brother was her goal. Nothing would stand in her way.

The sky had darkened to a deep navy blue. Tonight, stars twinkled and a moon in the last waxing stages before its full beauty hung low on the horizon. Large, succulent, it cast a silvery glow over sparkling white snow and turned icicles into diamond spectrums.

It was a perfect night for a hunt. For a victory.

Kasa grabbed a few beers from her fridge and popped open the tops. She dug through her cabinet until she found the sleeping pills Jordan insisted she take shortly after her traumatic experience with Tom. Nightmares had plagued her for a time afterward, and the only relief she found had been the nights she followed Jordan’s instructions.

Now, they would come in handy. Hopefully, she wouldn’t cause any of the wolves to overdose.

With efficiency to rival a top chef, she ground the pills into a powder and evenly dispersed a double dose into each beer bottle. The drinks bubbled slightly, cresting at the lip of the bottles, but soon settled back. She used a skewer to stir the contents together then headed to the front door.

Two men turned to her, expressions hard. Slade and Micah definitely did a job on these guys.

She held out two bottles. “Figured you can use a drink, having to play babysitter to a grown woman.” The men took the bottles, and their expressions softened. “Did they leave you my feeding schedule as well? What I can and cannot eat? How about my nap time?”

“Boy, they sure have their hands full with you,” one said with a chuckle before he took a deep swig of his beer. “That one guy wasn’t kidding.”

“Yeah, sure they love it, too.”

“Those two need a woman to keep them in line. They’ve been walking the ledge of feral and tame for a long time now.” He winked. “Maybe you can bring them back to humanity.”

“Trying, but their tactic of locking a woman in a tower with no escape is pretty medieval, if you ask me.” Kasa looked around the man who started the conversation—she dubbed him Talking Wolf—when she heard footsteps crunching down the high snow. There he was, guard number three. She held the last bottle out for him. “Here ya go. On the house.”

“Great. Could use it,” Number Three said. He jogged the rest of the way and took the bottle. After a drink that sucked down half the beer’s contents, he let out a loud “ahhh.” “Was pulled out of my chair before I had dinner last night. Been parched and hungry since.” He nudged the talking guard. “That drive-thru was nauseating. Can’t believe we were forced to eat that shit.”

“It was something.”

Kasa pulled open the front door all the way. “Come in. I’ve got plenty of food. I’ll cook you up some rib eyes. I plan on making Slade and Micah hunt for their meals tonight.”

“Awesome!” Number Three didn’t hesitate to enter her cabin. Talking Wolf followed close behind. Silent Wolf eyed her, his expression still hard. He hovered in the doorway, blocking her escape, had escape that very moment been her plan. She glanced past him, shuddered for effect, and offered him a smile. The open night pulled at her spirit, tempting her to dash out and be gone. One look at the three wolves in her presence served as a stark reminder she might not get far.

A half hour should be all it takes.
The thought soothed some of her anxious nerves while Silent Wolf shutting the door behind him shook others. Freedom was within reach and her patience wreaked havoc with her. How close were the packs to the hideaway? Had they even begun to hunt or were they still going over plans and strategies?

She had to thank Micah for not withholding a key piece of information earlier, of which she recalled as she led Silent Wolf into the kitchen.
“She said I’d know how to find her. Never covered her scent trail, the foolish bitch. Between the dead wolf’s directions and her scent, we should easily find this lake.”

There weren’t many lakes in the vicinity. She remembered coming to the shore of one sizable lake the night she first encountered Micah and Slade and barely breached a tunnel before the rebel sniffed her out and the chase was on. Her instinct whispered to her that evening, just as it did now. She had been so close to the hideaway, within reach of ending all this. Tonight, though, she’d get past the guards, get inside the mountain, and release her brother.

She trembled with excitement and anxiety. It was long overdue for these Dark Moon dogs to pay for all the suffering of their captives.

“Have a drink with us.” Talking Wolf’s voice yanked her back to the present. Her gaze first landed on Silent Wolf, whose eyes had narrowed suspiciously on her. She made quick work to paste a smile to her face and turn her full attention to the friendlier wolves. Talking Wolf patted the seat beside him. “If you have some chips and dip, that’ll work. We’ve only had the opportunity of meeting Jacy’s mate, short as it was. We’d love to get to know a white.”

“The only difference between me and the rest of the female were population is the color of my coat and the level of danger that likes to tail me, no pun intended,” Kasa said. Talking Wolf and Number Three laughed. Silent Wolf remained exactly what his given nickname implied—silent and brooding. He was trying to pick her brain. With her guard up and her wolf on high alert, he wasn’t breaking through her barriers. “And the fact that I have two mates instead of one.”

Number Three whistled low. “Lucky lady. The spirits should appoint two females to some of us other male wolves. Give us a year and we’ll populate these packs no problem!”

The bellowing laughter erupted again. Kasa laughed along with them, empty-heartedly, and grabbed two bags of chips from the cupboard. She picked out three more beers on her way to the table and sat down. Talking Wolf eagerly opened the chips while Number Three cracked open the beers. He smirked when he handed one to Silent Wolf.

“Loosen up, will you? The lady ain’t goin’ nowhere. How can anyone resist our company?” He clinked the new bottle to the bottom of Silent Wolf’s half-empty one and slammed it on the table. Foam erupted over the lip and poured down the sides, pooling around the base. The usual men laughed. Kasa smiled on the outside while groaning inwardly. These two were definitely lacking in departments beyond muscle. Perhaps they were hyenas in disguise. Sure played the role.

She checked the clock on her oven and sighed. Twenty more minutes and she should be free.

Otherwise, she’d be suffering this indignity while her mates led a charge toward war.

* * * *

Slade tipped his nose to the sky and sniffed the air. With so many wolves around them, he had to concentrate on the scent Micah found. Good thing the sister decided to remain in human form, allowing her essence to linger above the snow. Over a foot of the white stuff layered the forest ground, hampering their hunt with uneven terrain. More energy was exerted on tracking rather than where it would be needed most: in the impending battle certainly close at hand.

The
midnight
black wolf approaching him melted and transformed into a tall, muscular man with long black hair. He trudged through the snow, his tan skin a stark contrast to the virgin white. Slade followed his actions, transforming from wolf to man, and nodded over his shoulder.

“Seems to head that way,” Slade offered. Coal’s dark eyes narrowed past him, nostrils flared.

“Sure smells that way to me. Any word from the scouts?”

“Nothing yet. Micah believes we’re still a mile or so out.”

Coal’s gaze focused on Micah, who had proceeded ahead without them. He was nothing more than a fleeting shadow against the wintry forest landscaping.

“He can’t blame himself for this,” Coal said, his voice lowering. “It’s not his fault your mate’s brother was taken.”

“He blames himself for much that he shouldn’t. That’s Micah.”

And that’s me, too.
Slade sighed. Now wasn’t the time to analyze his brother’s guilt-ridden conscience, or his for that matter. Anyone who knew Micah knew he hid a soft heart beneath his impenetrable steel front. The fortress around his spirit, however, acted as an inescapable reinforced boxing ring for guilt. He continually beat himself up over anything that happened if he played even the smallest role in it.

Kasa was the light in their darkest days. She would save them both.

“Heard about Reiny. My condolences for your loss. Jacy tried to contact you after the news spread, but your pack said you both took off without a word.”

“Didn’t have much choice. We didn’t want them putting their lives on the line. Many have mates, pups.”

Coal looked over his shoulder. The first line of wolves came into view, specks of color and shadows weaving between trees. Their eyes glinted, beads of flashing lights. Slade groaned.

“They’re too close. They’re supposed to stay back at least five hundred yards.”

“That’s not the first line, Slade. That’s your pack,” Coal said. The corner of his mouth twitched then tugged upward. Slade snorted.

“They have no reason to be here after we abandoned them.”