Chapter 49

(**Irina’s POV**)

The stairs leading down are dark and narrow, but with my wolf's senses I can see in the dark. I reach blindly behind me for Sebastion’s hand. He takes my hand in his much bigger one and squeezes it gently before interlacing our fingers together. With a shaky breath, I descend into the unknown depths before me. I count each step that will bring me closer to my daughter.

One, two, three, four, and then on the tenth step there is a small landing and a left turn that leads deep into darkness. I stop counting after another thirty steps as I reach a door. The door is steel with a palm plate and retinal scanner on the wall next to it. Vicktor has her locked behind a secure door.

Why am I surprised at this? Why did I just think I could come down here, open a door, and find my daughter waiting for me on the other side? Anger fuels me as I spin around and march back up the stairs. My father, Pavel, and Beckett are waiting for us in the study. When my family sees me coming up the stairs alone, they rush towards me.

I ignore them and stomp over to Issac’s unconscious body. He has been tied up and gagged during my trip down stairs. This works just fine for me. He doesn’t need to be awake to get me into the room my daughter is in. Before I bend to pick him up, a thought occurs to me. Would Vicktor have more than one person who can get in the door?

If not, would it even be Issac?

“Where is Westley?” I ask my father.

“We dumped him and the others in the kitchen on the floor. Why?”

“I need him to open the door. Sebastion, can you take Issac down the stairs for me.”

He did as I asked without question and soon, I was back down in the little room outside the door where my daughter is. Issac is in a crumpled heap at Sebastion’s feet as he holds Westley up for me. I place his palm on the plate and hold my breath. A beep, then a flash of green light signals that it was accepted. Then I open his eyelid to scan his retina. A beep, a flash of green, then a mechanical click follows.

I drop his body to the floor as I let out the breath I was holding. It was a fifty-fifty gamble on who to try first. I picked Westley because he goes everywhere Vicktor does. Issac is just another lackey. My gamble paid off.

Sebastion takes my hand and brushes a light kiss over my knuckles. The simple action gave me the courage I needed to grab the door handle, turn it, then push the door open. A rustling sound greets me, followed by a soft little voice calling out to Vicktor.

“Viky, look, I solved the puzzle.”

Tears blur my vision as I look at my little girl. She is wearing a simple blue dress as she sits a small table with a chessboard on it. She is looking down at the board in deep concentration. Yet the slight tremble of her fingers lets me know she is afraid of him. That makes my blood boil, but I suppress it before I step into the room.

“It isn’t Vicktor, Zasha.”

At the sound of my voice, she lifts her head to look at me. Her ice-blue eyes are guarded, but I can see the excitement she is trying hard to hide. I rush across the room and pull her into my arms. Her familiar baby scent fills my senses, making me cry harder as I hold her.

“Mommy, how are you here? Did he let you visit because I was a good girl?”

Her tiny voice has me pulling back to look down at her. “No, baby, he didn’t.”

Knowing that we are racing against the clock, I scoop her up in my arms and rush back to the door. Her screams for her doll make me turn around and grab it. When I get back upstairs to the study, only Sebastion is waiting for me. He gives me a nod, then motions for me to go out the door. I don’t hesitate for a second. I am out the door, down the hallway, then out of the house as before I know it.

Sebastion follows me and leads me to where we climbed the fence earlier. I don’t want to let her go to climb the fence. As I am debating on how to get over with her still in my arms, he walks over and kicks a portion of the fence. I squeeze through and he follows behind. We then rush into the trees where my father and brother wait for us.

“We have all the guards, Westley, and Issac, in the van. We are ready to get the hell out of here.” Pavel states as he stares at Zasha in my arms.

“Where are the vampires?” I ask of our allies.

“We are here. What do you want us to do with the house?” Ghost asks me as he steps out of the darkness.

“Put everything back the way it was. Lock the room downstairs. Make it look like we were never here. I want it to look like his men just left.”

“He will know it was you, won’t he?”

“Yes, but if we can make it look like no one was ever here other than his men, then maybe it will take him longer to get to that conclusion.”

Ghost gives me a nod then steps back into the darkness.

“Mommy, you will make Vicktor mad at us.”

I hug her to me tighter, then turn to Sebastion. “Take us away from here.”

He nods, then leads us through the woods to the car he stashed on a street a few miles away. Only once we are in the car do I breathe easier. The fear is still there, and I know it will only get worse once we are back in Redwood. I just stole the one thing Vicktor Treadstone treasure the most. He will come for her.

What he doesn’t know yet is that I am not alone anymore.

Looking over at Sebastion’s face as he drives us home, I know he will keep his word at all costs. He will do anything he can to protect us. We are his family. That thought gives me more fear than anything Vicktor will through at us. My mate just put his life on the line to save my daughter. Not just his life, but the lives of everyone in his pack.

Arianna is right. Every life that is in danger now is all my fault. Their deaths and all the blood to come will be on my hands.

I should have followed Vicktor’s orders from the beginning. I should have never let the knowledge that Sebastion is my mate change my course of action. Yes, my daughter would still be in that room and I would still be his puppet. But the lives that would be saved if I had done that would be worth it. Now all hell is going to break loose and I am the one to blame for it.

My weakness is to blame. The desire to have my child back in my arms. The need to break free from my master’s control. This pull of the mate bond that gave me the hope that everything would be alright in the end. I should have done what I was fucking told to do instead of giving in to the idea of freedom.

I can feel Sebastion’s anger surge through the mate bond so I close the link tight. He just heard all my thoughts and felt everything I have since we got in the car. I look away from him to stare out the window. My hands stroking Zasha’s hair as I feel her falling asleep in my arms. I know he will have plenty to see when we are alone again, but I have some things to say too.

I can’t stay in Redwood after tonight.

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

Hearing all those dark thoughts from Irina as I drove us home make me angry. Who I am angrier with at this point is hard to tell. Treadstone for making this entire situation happen. My sister for voicing her fear. Irina for giving in to the dark thoughts after what we accomplished tonight. Or myself for not seeing what is coming.

Irina is going to try to do what she thinks is right for all those people she thinks she put in danger. How is she going to do that? I already know the answer. She is going to leave Redwood and go somewhere to hide. That will only delay the inevitable. Treadstone wants more than just Zasha. He wants me and Arianna too.

He will come for us all.

I speed home as fast as I dare. The last thing I want it to be stopped by the police right now. So, I remain cautious as I drive. Glancing in the rearview mirror occasionally to make sure Alexei is still behind us in the van. I know I am taking a risk by bringing all Treadstone’s me back to Redwood, but if there is any information that we can get out of them, I have to try.

Tomorrow night we will raid his office to find the hidden elevator that Eric told Irina about in his letter. Once we have all his captives free and on Monroe’s ship, I know we will be on the clock until Treadstone is aware of what has happened. What more can he throw at us?

Eric is dead, Issac will in a cage soon, and once we free his collection here, he will have nothing left in Portland. With luck, they will destroy his location in France when Rayne’s allies breach it and free the other half of his collection. I know he will be more dangerous after all of that happens.

He will be angry, and that anger will fuel his retaliation. With all the money he has at his disposal, I do not doubt that he will hire human mercenaries to come for us. I will need to do all I can to prepare for that. Flint will have ideas for that.

Looking down at my hands as I grip the steering wheel makes me grimace. My white-knuckled grip had dented the wheel and my fingers have sunken into it slightly. I feel the pain in my fingers from holding it so tightly for so long, but I do not loosen my grip.

When we finally reach the gates to Redwood, I look over at Irina. Her eyes look to mine briefly before she looks away. I can already feel that gulf between us cracking wide open again. I knew it wouldn’t stay closed after we completed the mate bond. There will always be something that keeps it open.

His name is Vicktor Treadstone.

Looking at the little girl in Irina’s arms, my heart hurts. I don’t even know her, but I love her already. I know I won’t be getting the chance to know her anytime soon if her mother has anything to say about it. What do I do? Do I let them both go without a fight or do I make a stand here and now?

**Make a fucking stand you pussy!** Aries yells at me.

The gates open before I can respond to him. I drive through and head straight to the mansion. Once I park the car, she is out of it and running towards the house. I follow her inside and up to her room after I close the passenger door that she left wide open. I hesitate for a moment before I enter her room.

Irina is curled up on the bed with her body wrapped around Zasha’s. Her voice is soft as she mummers soothing words over and over. Sadness clogs my throat as I enter the room and close the door behind me. Without thinking about to further, I walk to the bed and climb in behind her. I bring my arms around them both as I try to soothe her.

I wake up sometime later to the sound of the door opening. Looking up to see who it is, I find Jace standing in the doorway. His eyes are looking at the little girl in the bed with us. In his hand is a stuffed wolf, but it isn’t the one he has slept with his entire life. This one is white with a pink bow in its head. He walks up to the bed after I give him a nod and places the stuffed animal on the bed by Zasha’s head.

I get out of bed slowly so I don’t wake them up and walk to my son. Scooping him up in my arm, I carry him out of the room and close the door behind me before I head to his room.

“No, daddy, I want to sleep out here in the hallway. I want to protect them.” His little voice quivers and my heart breaks a little more when I see what he is pointing at.

On the floor outside Irina’s bedroom door is a pillow, a blanket, and his stuffed wolf. My son has prepared to stand guard over his new family. That makes me proud of him and solidifies my resolve to keep them all safe. I will make my stand right here with Jace. I go to my room to grab a pillow and the comforter off the bed.

Laying down in front of the door, I bring him with me and let him lay on my chest. After he is settled, I cover us both up and close my eyes. My dear mate, your guard is here to keep you safe. We will remain vigilant through the night so you can sleep.

“Daddy, will we be a family tomorrow?” Jace asks me in his sleepy voice.

“Yes, we will. You, me, Irina, and Zasha.”

“That nasty lady won’t come and take her away like she did me?”

Oh, my sweet boy. Gia’s ghost is still haunting him. “No, the wicked lady is gone, Jace. She can never hurt you or anyone else again.”

“Good, because if she tries to hurt my new mommy and sister, I want you to hurt her back.”

Telling him I killed his mommy is not something he needs to know right now. All I tell him is that I will hurt anyone who tries to hurt them. He nods his little head, then settles down.

I will kill Vicktor Treadstone if he comes for my family and my pack. He will get a surprise when he finds us ready for him. There will be blood, but if I have my way, it will all be his.