Rise to Live, page 4
part #7 of Rise of the Changelings Series
That was if he wasn’t dead already.
“Remus is close by,” Sasha told him. “I sent him to scout the town out and make sure there weren’t any stragglers left behind. I’ll call him.”
Rick nodded as he took a step back, thinking of Bryson and how he had helped Rick on countless occasions. The man had been indispensable in this war. Not only had he saved Dorian’s life, but the lives of so many others.
If he was dead, Rick vowed to make every single Breed Hunter involved pay. He was sick and tired of losing good men. That thought only made him think of the ones he had lost already. Miguel’s parents came to mind, making Rick’s heart twist in his chest.
If it was the last thing he did, Rick was going to make the president call an end to this damn madness.
Chapter Four
“Yeah, I know the place you’re talking about.” Remus hung up.
Goddamn. He was about to head out of town before getting the call from Sasha. Now he had to go rescue a werewolf changeling.
What did he know about rescuing someone? The last time he tried, he ended up in the main detention center. He sucked at it. But Sasha was his alpha, and he was going to do whatever he had to in order to get this Bryson guy out.
Remus knew he couldn’t look to his leap for help. Those people were lazy, self-centered cats. He hoped like shit Sasha cut them loose when he got back. They didn’t deserve someone as noble as the leopard alpha.
He glanced over at his best friend, Marco, and wondered if he would help. It was a fifty-fifty chance the guy would say no. Not because he was like the others in their leap, but because he was one big-ass chickenshit. “I got a mission to run. You in?”
“Food?” Marco asked as he hopped up from the couch. “I’m starving.”
Remus thought about it for a minute and nodded. “Yeah, sure, food.” It was the only way he was going to get the man to agree.
Well, that wasn’t true. They could get to Dexcom lab and Marco could run.
It took them about twenty-five minutes to get there, and Marco was fuming mad by the time Remus pulled in behind a copse of trees.
He was far enough away to where he could see, but not close enough to be seen.
“This is not McDonald’s!” Marco said heatedly. “What the hell did you bring me out here for?”
“We have someone who needs rescuing.” Remus opened the car door as quietly as he could and slipped out.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a buck twenty-five soaking wet.
What the hell am I going to rescue? A Big Mac?” Marco slammed the car door shut and Remus wanted to throttle the man.
“Will you stop making so much damn noise,” he said in a low hiss. “Why don’t you let the bad guys know we’re here?”
Marco’s eyes grew round as he began to shake his head back and forth. “B–Bad guys? No freaking way, man. I’ve managed to hide so far. I’m not going to be caught and tortured.”
“Don’t worry,” Remus said. “They’re not torturing anymore. They will just outright kill you.”
“Then if they kill, who are we rescuing? How do you know this isn’t a trap?”
“We don’t.” Remus began to walk toward the back entrance that faced the woods. When he saw Marco heading for the road, he hurried over and grabbed his friend, yanking him back. “Not so fast.”
Marco swatted at Remus’s hand. The small guy had no chance to escape. Remus had a tight hold on him. “I’m not going in there to die.” He struggled some more, but Remus wasn’t letting him go.
“Don’t get caught and you won’t die.” He pulled Marco along with him. “Just don’t make any loud noises and make sure you stay out of sight.”
Remus could feel his own heart beating. Again, what did he know about rescuing anyone? He was only twenty, not even legal enough to drink yet. But this was the second time an alpha asked him to go get someone out of trouble. Enrique had really lost his mind when he asked Remus to get Edward away from the werehyenas. That was how he had gotten caught.
He prayed history didn’t repeat itself. Only this time he wouldn’t be shipped to a center where he would be tortured. He was going to die. Maybe Marco had the right idea.
No, he had to do this. Sasha never asked much from him. Remus could give him this. Should he gain entrance through the back door or climb through a window? Remus wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know shit about breaking into a place, but I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to just hang around outside.” Marco pushed at Remus’s back. “Get moving.”
Deciding on the window, Remus tried it to see if the dang thing was open. To his surprise, it slid right up. Now that should have been a warning for Remus. It should have told him something wasn’t right, but he thought nothing of it as he climbed through, turned, and then helped Marco in.
Looking around the room, he saw they were in some sort of office. Maybe the man who worked in this office had wanted fresh air earlier and had forgotten to lock it. It was possible. He forgot to lock his front door all the time.
Spotting a door, Remus moved quietly toward it. He knew to listen for any movement on the other side. This was his first real breakin. He hadn’t even made it this close when he went to rescue Edward. The werehyenas had him pinned on the side of the building, handing him over to the police within the first ten minutes of his attempted rescue.
It made Remus feel a little more confident.
When he didn’t hear anything, Remus pulled the door slightly ajar, glancing through the crack.
“See anything?”
Remus quickly turned and hushed Marco. “Do you want them to hear us?” The man had spoken in a normal tone, nothing quiet or whispered. The guy sucked at breaking into places. Then again, Remus wasn’t a pro. But he knew enough not to be loud. Maybe he could find some duct tape and strap a piece over Marco’s mouth.
Maybe bringing him along wasn’t such a good idea.
Remus pulled the door further open, glancing up and down the hallway. He didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t come around the corner at any moment. It was late enough to where the place should have very few people inside, but he knew it wouldn’t be deserted.
His palms were so sweaty that Remus had to rub them on the front of his pants. His heart was racing as well. The hallway was a nondescript place with white walls and a few pieces of strange art hanging here and there. There were just a few brush strokes on each picture, as if the artist forgot to finish the painting. He would never understand it. What was wrong with dogs playing poker at a table?
Modern art always confused him.
Along the corridor there were quite a few doors. Remus wasn’t sure what to do. Should he check each one? Shouldn’t there be a sign that pointed him toward the torturing room?
That would have been nice, but he was stuck searching for it. He had no clue where they would be keeping the werewolf. Tilting his head back, Remus inhaled deeply, hoping he could use scent to locate the medic.
He was moving his hands with rapid and obvious nervousness, opening each door and peeking inside. This hallway seemed to contain nothing but offices. Remus was going to have to move into another hallway. It was an idea he really didn’t like. He was really hoping to find Bryson and get the hell out of there within the first ten minutes of his breakin. He turned when Marco tapped him on the shoulder. His best friend pointed to his eyes and then made some weird gesture with his hands.
Remus was clueless.
And Marco looked like an idiot.
“What?” he mouthed. Whatever Marco was trying to tell him was lost on Remus. The man made no sense to him. If Remus had to guess at what Marco was trying to tell him, he would think there was a drunken rat swaying down the hallway and missing a leg. But he knew that wasn’t right.
“Go left,” Marco mouthed.
Why in the hell hadn’t he just waved toward the left? The man was nutty as hell, but what did that say about him if Marco was his best friend? It didn’t matter to Remus. He’d known Marco since they were cubs. He liked hanging out with the guy. Marco kept him entertained. The man was always in trouble, usually from his own doing.
Turning left at the end of the hallway, Remus saw only one door.
It was at the end and there was a large pane of glass in the middle.
Beyond that he could see lab equipment. He really doubted anyone would torture Bryson in there. Too much expensive equipment had to be in that room.
So he looked right.
There was one door on this end as well. But the door looked solid, like it could hold something dangerous inside. It was made of steel and the hinges were heavy. Now that was more like the room the werewolf would be held in.
Tilting his head toward his right, Remus grabbed Marco’s arm and pulled him toward the metal door. He came to a stop when he stood in front of it. How was he supposed to peek inside? For all he knew, he was walking into a room full of humans.
He tried to press his ear to it, but there wasn’t any sound. That could just mean the door was too thick to hear inside. But it could also mean no one was in there. God, he hated this shit. Remus was a bundle of nerves. His leopard was trying to make him turn around and run, but Remus had told Sasha he would do this.
When he was being held captive at the detention center, he had prayed for someone to rescue him. Could he leave someone to torture, knowing they were probably praying to be rescued?
No, he couldn’t.
Taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves, Remus tried the handle. The door was unlocked. Okay, this was a little too easy. There should have been guards. Someone should have caught them in the hallway. Something should have happened by now.
But everything was silent.
Remus expected the hinges to squeak considering how heavy the door was, but it swung open with effortless ease, no sound at all. He could feel Marco’s fingers curling into the back of his shirt, pulling on it slightly. Yeah, he was a nervous wreck as well. He’d give anything to be able to rescue Bryson and get out of here before anyone was the wiser.
Intel was his specialty, not this covert shit. Remus was damn good at getting information he needed, or even what others needed. That was why he had a job—or had a job—as a newspaper reporter. Since the war, he was too afraid to go into work. What if they tested his blood? But since getting shipped to the detention center, he was now in the data bank. His employer had to know by now.
Which really sucked because Remus loved his job.
Sending up a prayer, Remus slipped inside the room, Marco right behind him. He quickly closed the door behind them. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the dark. There wasn’t a light on anywhere, not even a lamp. Being changeling, he had no problem seeing in the dark, he just had to allow his cat eyes to take over.
He spotted a man on the floor in the middle of the room. He looked dead, but Remus could scent that he was still alive…barely.
There was also the distinct scent of wolf. This had to be Bryson. He wasn’t sure because all he could smell was blood. The body was so badly beaten that the guy didn’t even resemble a guy. He looked like a clump of putty, still being reshaped.
Marco gave a low growl behind him. Remus knew the wereleopard was reacting to the overpowering aroma of blood, and he was fighting it as well, but they had to get Bryson out of here, not eat him.
Taking a cautious step forward, Remus held his breath, hoping the tactic worked as he neared the bloody mess.
As he grew closer, a light was snapped on, flooding the room with brightness to the point his eyes began to hurt. Remus threw his arm over his eyes, protecting them until they readjusted to the sudden blinding illumination.
“So glad you could join us,” a voice said to his right. “But I was expecting Enrique Marcelo.”
Shit. This was a trap! He should have known by the ease in which he had gained entrance. Marco let out a yowl behind him and then the fingers that had been curled into his shirt were ripped free.
Remus let his arm down, spun, and saw two men holding his best friend. One held a gun to Marco’s head.
“Why didn’t Enrique come?” the voice to his right asked.
Turning, Remus saw a short human. He didn’t look like much. If there weren’t guns in the room, he knew he could beat this human with ease. His eyes flickered down to the man lying on the floor, seeing his blond hair a matted mess. Blood was thick and dried on the golden strands and his face was unrecognizable.
“Like my handiwork?” the man asked.
Remus shrugged. “Put your guns down and I’ll show you how it’s really done.”
There was a niggling in the back of his mind. He knew this man from somewhere. He had seen him before. Then, as if thinking it made it so, Remus remembered where.
The detention center.
The guy’s name was Jayson. He was the worst human in that godforsaken place. The human had taken pure enjoyment in torturing the changelings. From the gleam in the man’s evil eyes, he knew Jayson recognized him as well. This was not good. Remus was with a very sadistic piece of shit.
“Where is Enrique?” Jayson asked once more. “Why did he send you?”
Remus was not going to answer. He had learned from before that answering won him no favors. The guy was going to torture him anyway. The only thing about this situation that ate at him was the fact that he had brought Marco along. The leopard had managed to stay hidden all this time. Now it was Remus who had brought him here to face god only knew what.
“Bring his friend here,” Jayson said as he walked over to a table Remus had seen and wished he hadn’t. There were very sharp instruments lying in a row. He knew them for what they were. A means of brutalizing someone.
Marco screamed as the guards brought him forward, twisting and writhing in their grasp, trying his best to get free.
“You already know where he is!” Remus shouted, charging forward to help Marco. He came to a skidding halt when the gun was pointed toward him. His eyes flickered from the table to Marco, horror-riddled images filling his head.
“Yes, but the men I sent after him can’t be reached. The only conclusion I can draw from their silence is that they are dead.” Jayson grabbed something long and sharp from the table. The thing reminded Remus of a doctor’s surgical scalpel, only the end was hooked and was serrated.
As he stood there breathing in small pants, more men came into the room. Remus knew he wasn’t going to make it out of here alive.
His only regret was having Marco come along. He should have left his best friend where he was safest.
The leopard was trying to be brave. Remus could see it in his dark-brown eyes. But he scented utter horror coming from Marco.
The man was scared shitless, and who could blame him? “I’m sorry,” Remus mouthed when Jayson turned away. “So damn sorry.”
Marco gave him a wobbly smile, tears gathering in his eyes as he glanced from Remus to the thing in Jayson’s hand.
“Now,” Jayson said as he turned back around. “What are Enrique’s plans?”
“What makes you think he told me?” Remus asked, trying his best to stall for time until he could figure a way out of this.
“That’s too bad.” Jayson used the tool to carve a gouge in Marco’s handsome face. Blood instantly began to pour from the wound.
Remus roared in rage and leapt forward, but he was knocked back by the barrel of someone’s rifle. He slammed into the floor, skidding close to Bryson’s unconscious body.
“What are his plans?” Jayson asked again as he used the tool to carve another gouge on the other side of Marco’s face. The horrifying screams were going to haunt Remus for the rest of his life—if he survived. The sounds gutted him, making his heart feel as though it were withering away and dying inside of him.
He couldn’t do this. Remus could not lie here and listen to his best friend being ripped open. His leopard was going insane, clawing to get free, but Remus held him back.
One thing he learned about Jayson, the man loved when a changeling shifted. He took sadistic pleasure in maiming any beast that came forth. If Remus was wounded, how could he help Marco or Bryson? He had to think of something. Even if he told Jayson that Rick was heading to Washington, the human would still carve Marco apart.
Setting his terror at what Jayson would do to him aside, Remus shifted, feeling the bullet enter his leg as soon as he was full leopard.
But he didn’t let that stop him. He had a best friend to rescue and a werewolf to save.
Because after watching what Jayson was doing to his best friend, Remus came to a stunning truth that he had never faced until now.
He had always been in love with Marco, and Jayson was trying to kill the man Remus intended to mate.
Chapter Five
“They’ll be fine,” Pappy said from beside him as Willow and Deluca took the kids into the cabin.
“I just don’t like leaving them. What if someone finds out they’re here?”
“Clyde left a dozen bears to watch the place and Dad is staying as well,” his pappy answered.
He hated leaving them here. It wasn’t as safe as the house in New Orleans. But that house had nearly been leveled.
Since then, they had been staying at a house Brooke hadn’t even known his parents owned. It was a small cottage high up in the mountains, kind of like this one. The only reason they were here was because Isabelle and the babe were. Lillian and Howard Campbell had shown up the same time Brooke and his family had.
He stared at the cabin, thinking to himself that everyone important in Rick’s group was inside this one place. If found out and attacked, the entire group would suffer a loss he knew they wouldn’t recover from.
Hell, he wouldn’t recover from it either. Kell, Peanut, Trisha, and even Sammy, Samuel, Hunter, Boston, and EJ had come to mean so much to him. He hadn’t gotten a chance to know Christmas yet, but Brooke was pretty sure he would like the little werehyena.
