Hidden Realms Read online

  "I didn't know them that well, they mostly ignored me, but I didn't think they'd kill me."

  I felt another surge of elation wash through me as I carefully returned her hug. It was hard to know how much of the truth she was ready for, but it was only fair that she know who and what she'd really been dealing with.

  "Maybe they weren't going to kill you. I can't say for sure, but they've both killed people before. I couldn't take the chance that they weren't just playing around. I had to stop them."

  Her delicate fingers reached up and traced the periphery of Donovan's handiwork on my shoulder. The gauze rustled quietly as she sought for the right words.

  "They could've killed you?"

  "I came out okay all things considered."

  Her face had long since dropped the emotionless mask she used most of the time. Her expression momentarily took on an unsatisfied cast at the same time her scent peaked slightly. Part of me spared a thought to wonder what had caused her disquiet, but the rest of me was overcome by the sudden realization that for the first time since I'd first seen her at school she smelled whole and healthy.

  Her studied response distracted me before I could finish the thought.

  "Well, I'm glad things turned out the way they did. Otherwise we'd both be dead."

  Dead. I felt myself tense up as I contemplated our coming destruction. I'd just killed two people, but somehow that didn't bother me as much as the fate I knew awaited everyone that mattered to me.

  "I suppose I'd better clean this up or Donovan is going to be very unhappy with me."

  Adri looked around at the shattered pottery and shook her head slightly in amazement.

  "Who's Don…" She stumbled slightly as some realization struck her. "I've been here before. In my dream. Then I drew it, which I didn't understand because I only ever draw real places, and this was imaginary. Only it wasn't, but there wasn't any way for me to know…"

  She turned back towards me with astonishment written all over her face, only to look confused when I didn't comment.

  "Isn't that odd? Doesn't that make you want to know what's going on?"

  I wanted to tell her the truth about this too, but there was just too much that it wasn't safe for her to know. The Coun'hij was lax about many things, but they were absolutely rabid about ensuring our kind remained a secret from the world at large. It wasn't just the humans who could become a danger to us. The humans had numbers and effectively unlimited resources at their disposal, but there were other, darker things that we'd managed to hide from nearly since the dawn of time.

  I opened my mouth to tell her something, but she cut me off.

  "Don't lie to me."

  "I'm not sure what to tell you. There's so much you don't know, and most of it I can't tell you. More importantly, you're better off not knowing."

  Despite my having just told her I couldn't tell her all of the things she'd just asked about, she seemed to be waiting for me to go on.

  "Hold on there. You can't just leave me in the dark about all of this. I'm in up to my neck; you have to at least let me know what I've fallen into."

  "I'm sorry, I know this has to be hard, but you don't belong in this world. You admitted yourself that you don't know anything about us. It was a mistake for me to let you get involved."

  It was surprising just how hard the next piece was to get out.

  "I'm going to remedy that right now. We'll get you home, and then your mom is going to get an offer that's too good to pass up. With any luck you'll both be out of town within a couple days. I think I can arrange it so neither of you will be back for a year or two. That should be more than enough time for this all to resolve itself one way or another."

  Adri's pulse shot up like a heart-attack victim. "Wait. No. You can't do that."

  I was already headed out of the grotto, but the sound pulled me back around in time to see her collapse. I just managed to catch her before she hit the ground. I picked her up and waited anxiously for her eyes to flutter back open.

  "Are you okay?"

  I tried to set her back down as I spoke, but she grabbed onto me with surprising strength for someone so delicate.

  "Don't leave me. Please don't make me go."

  The tears seemed to tear at things that were still raw, things that hadn't had a chance to fully come to term with the idea that she didn't hate me. I wanted to give in, to promise her anything, but duty compelled me to do what was right for her, even if she didn't know it yet.

  "Adri, you don't understand. This is the only way to keep you safe. I can't protect you here. I can't even protect my own family."

  "No, you don't understand. This whole time I thought I was in love with Brandon, I didn't even know him. You did so much for us and didn't even hate me when I was so rude. I've been so stupid, please don't send me away."

  She was building up to another attack, and I didn't have the heart to put her through that again, not so close to the last one. I placed a finger on her lips to silence her and then said the last thing I should have been saying.

  "Very well. I should send you away for your own protection, but I'm too selfish to do what's best for you. Maybe later I'll be able to do what's right, but not right now, not so soon."

  Chapter 21

  Rachel was waiting for us, happiness and concern warring with each other on her expression. I knew what was bothering her as soon as I got close enough to feel the energy surging out from the rest of the pack. I gently put Adri down as I prepared for the coming battle.

  I vaguely heard the girls apologize to each other, but couldn't focus on anything other than keeping my beast from tearing free into my hybrid form and going for blood. A tiny fraction of me wondered at how much stronger my protective instinct had gotten when both Rachel and Adri were involved, but there wasn't time to explore the change.

  I pulled the door open, only to have Rachel place a hand on my arm to stop me.

  "The rest of the pack is back. Jasmin already told them what happened. It doesn't look good."

  It was a confirmation of what I'd already known was coming, and I felt a growing distance settle on me as my power surged out in challenge. I turned towards Adri and offered her the best comfort I was able with my beast riding me.

  "I realize it's unreasonable to ask you to trust me right now, but I'm going to need you to do so. Can you remain quiet for the next few minutes?"

  The words she responded with were unimportant, I could smell her agreement, feel acquiescence in her heartbeat. Rachel shook her head at me, but my heightened senses knew she was agreeing with me whatever her body language might be indicating. I stalked inside the house and went directly to the East Drawing Room. I heard the girls follow behind me, but my attention was on Jasmin.

  The rest of the pack was clustered around her, James and Jess on either side, with Isaac and Dom further back. I only just managed to focus on Jasmin's words. I had to. If there was a chance to head this off without bloodshed, then it was my duty to find it.

  "She goes back to Brandon tonight. It's a long shot, but it's better than nothing. She brought it on herself so there isn't any reason to cry over what might happen."

  "Unacceptable. She wasn't properly his. There was no bond of Ja'tell, and consequently we have no obligation to return her to him."

  My voice already sounded like the transformation to hybrid had begun. It was enough to give Jasmin pause, but not Jess.

  "Alec, we have to do this. None of us are stupid; we know what's going to happen. You killed two members of his pack."

  "Still unacceptable. You've all aired your opinions; you can retire to your beds now."

  James looked up. He was shaking so badly it was obvious he was even further gone along the process of losing control than I was. Dom tried to calm him down, but he shook her off with a roughness that was uncharacteristic directed at her. His voice came out as a near growl.

  "You selfish jerk. You've been mooning over her for weeks. You've got her now, but at what cost? This
isn't open to discussion. We're taking her back to Brandon and asking for leniency."

  The girls had shifted slightly, angling for a better view probably, but I reached back and gently moved them so they were directly behind me. The last thing we needed right now was to give anyone an actual visual target.

  I was trembling now too. It was becoming harder and harder to talk when so much effort was being consumed in not going for James' throat.

  "There's only one way you're going to touch her, James. Are you really ready to take that step?"

  James replied with a wordless but unequivocal pulse of power. Jess and Jasmin joined in with their own metaphysical wind as they too began shaking. A growl brought my attention back to James, and when he looked up at me the brown of his human eyes had been replaced by the hot yellow of a predator that'd owned the planet since before the last ice age. Mine were already the ice blue of a royal hybrid, and as my control slipped ever so slightly my hands transformed to hybrid claws.

  They were moving forward now. If I'd been inclined to back down now was the time to do it, before they edged into pouncing range, but the thought never gained any traction in my mind. Two of the most important people in my world were behind me, and I would kill for them even if it meant laying down my own life.

  Adri's pulse was hammering away behind me, but Rachel's oddly maintained a near-resting rhythm. She murmured something nearly inaudible but strangely comforting to Adri and then shifted slightly behind me.

  "Jasmin, please don't do this. I'm not going to move. She doesn't mean anything to you. What about me?"

  Jasmin stopped her stalk as Rachel's words hit her. Jasmin and I had been best friends for nearly my entire life, but she shared a bond with Rachel I didn't really understand. That relationship did what even the threat of death couldn't.

  With an effort no human could ever appreciate, Jasmin brought herself back under control. As soon as she stopped trembling she turned and left the room, moving at something more than normal speed in an effort to leave before temptation overcame her again.

  The odds against me had just noticeably improved, but James and Jess were still stalking, moving forward in imperceptible increments in an effort to reach attack range.

  Dom had shown her bravery on more occasions than I could count, but I was still surprised when she carefully moved forward and placed a hand on James' arm. She leaned in and whispered into his ear. It was too quiet even for my ears to pick up at this range, but it cut the anger that had been fueling him into something tamer, something that could be reasoned with by the portion of him not completely consumed by his mother's fears and goals.

  His expression said he wasn't done, that at some point he'd demand an accounting of me, but he left the room trailed by Dom and then there was only Jess. It was complete foolishness for her to continue unsupported, but Jess had suffered at Brandon and Vincent's hands more than anyone else in the pack. She wasn't entirely sane anymore where they were concerned.

  Desperate to stop her without being forced to hurt her, I found new levels of energy inside me and threw them at her with all the force I could muster. Faced with such an inarguable demonstration of just how out of her depth she was, not even Jess could continue. She spun away and left the room.

  Isaac met my gaze for several seconds. The look conveyed gratitude for not hurting Jess, combined with a request to be released to follow her. I nodded, and he left, no doubt hoping to catch her and calm her down before she made it back to her father.

  Adri's breathing changed alarmingly, and I spun around as Rachel squeaked. I only just managed to get my hands back to normal before I caught her.

  "There isn't anything to worry about now. Go ahead and catch your breath."

  It seemed odd to be talking of something so mundane after everything that'd just happened. Even among the perennially violent moonborn it wasn't every day that half the pack nearly attempted a coup.

  Adri understandably had questions, but my full attention wasn't on her immediate needs. Donovan and Mallory had spent nearly two decades molding my mind into something that didn't lock up in an emergency. They'd succeeded and I was already looking ahead to what was going to happen next.

  Brandon wouldn't move against us directly, not until after he'd felt out his contact on the Coun'hij. The real danger was the indirect actions he might take. He was as vindictive as they come, and the easiest person for him to cause problems for was Adri.

  I shook my head to clear it and then met Adri's eyes.

  "This isn't the time; we need to get you back home to your mom. It would be most unfortunate if she were to arrive and find you gone."

  "No. She's not going to be home until Sunday. There isn't any reason to go back there yet."

  "You mean she wasn't planning on coming back until Sunday. Once Brandon gets involved in things, they tend not to go as expected."

  Rachel reappeared just in time to bolster my case.

  "He's right, Adriana. You need to be home in case your mom returns sooner than expected. Things are going to get plenty weird enough over the next couple of weeks. You don't want to start out with your mom already mad at you."

  She nodded, but I could taste her fear. She thought I was going to send her back by herself.

  "Don't worry; I'm not going to send you back alone. We'll make sure nothing happens to you."

  The timing wasn't optimal considering that I'd just pissed Jasmin off, but there wasn't any choice. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Isaac's number, automatically lapsing back into the hushed whisper the pack used over the phone.

  "Isaac, I'm sorry to pull you away from Jess, but I need you and your toys. We're going to need to set up a call forwarding station. I know, but it's necessary. Assume that they've got a standard landline and grab one of the backup cell phones."

  Jasmin almost let it ring through to her voice mail.

  "What do you want?"

  "I need your help. We're going to provide security for Adri's house until I can get her mom out of the country."

  "And who's going to supply overwatch for Donovan and the others while you take the pack out to babysit?"

  "This isn't open to discussion, Jas. I'll see you in the garage in five."

  Dom answered on the second ring.

  "Yes, Alec?"

  "Dom, I'm sorry. I know it isn't the best time to ask this of you, but I need you to come play wheels for twenty minutes."

  I heard her sigh in unhappiness, but with Dom it was never a sign of defiance. She would do whatever the pack required of her; she just wasn't looking forward to the fight with James and his mother later.

  "Si, Alec. I'll be there as soon as I'm able."

  Either Dom was becoming more assertive, or she had James even more tightly wrapped around her finger than I'd realized. She was standing outside her Toyota waiting for us when Adri and I finally made it out to the garage.

  Chapter 22

  Dom drove with a shadow of James' normal aggressiveness behind the wheel, managing to get us to Adri's almost a minute quicker than I'd expected. As we came around the last corner to Adri's house Dom dropped down to thirty miles per hour and Jasmin, Isaac and I piled out of the car.

  It was a tricky maneuver, but we'd practiced it several times over the last few years. Donovan and Mallory disagreed in a few areas regarding what had made my father an effective leader, but they were completely united on one thing. My father's unyielding resolve to game out every possible scenario he could think of with his most trusted warriors had saved them on more than one occasion.

  I'd attempted to follow in his footsteps, and high-speed dismounts and entrances into vehicles seemed like something we might need at some point. Besides once you got over the bruises and road rash of your first few tries it was extremely fun.

  As Dom turned down Adri's gravel lane the other three of us fanned out around the car. We stayed close enough to support each other, but tried to ensure we were scattered enough to pick up any scent traces
if Brandon's people were hiding from us.

  Adri exited the car after a few quiet words with Dom, and then looked up at her house. I joined her at the porch only to see her jump as she realized I was there.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

  "It's okay. Where were you?"

  Watching you; wishing there was some way I could spend more than just the next few hours with you. Wishing I didn't have to send you away with your mother. I settled for a half truth.

  "Scouting. We had to make sure Brandon's pack wasn't waiting for us."

  "How can you be sure? They could be hidden anywhere."

  She'd apparently shared my dreams and some of my enhanced senses, but hadn't really grasped the implications for those of us who really possessed them.

  "No, if they were hanging around outside we'd be able to smell them."

  "So not only are you faster and stronger than normal people, you've also got noses like real wolves?"

  "Of a sort. That's not really important though. Let's get you inside."

  She nodded and started towards her door. I was once again struck by the sheer bravery wrapped inside that fragile, human package. I moved up to her side and placed my hand on the doorknob before she could open it.

  "May I have permission to enter and make sure it's safe inside?"

  "I thought you said you'd be able to smell them if they were here."

  "If they were outside, yes. Under normal circumstances we'd be able to determine whether or not they'd been here in the last few days, but the rainstorm last night was strong enough to wash away all of that."

  She marshaled her courage and then nodded. I slipped inside and quickly went through the entire house. There wasn't any real need. The rain storm wouldn't have impacted the scent trail indoors. Still, I followed Adri's rich scent upstairs, stuck my head inside her room and breathed it in.

  This was a piece of normality, a part of her life I'd never share. Sure that nobody had intruded on their home since Brandon had picked her up for the party, I headed back downstairs. If I somehow survived what was coming, maybe I should buy this house. It smacked of insanity, but if I wasn't going to be allowed to have her, it would at least allow me to be surrounded by her scent.