Chapter 42

Kade grunted as he hit the ground once more, bones, muscle and skin throbbing in protest at the force of his ungraceful landing. Kade had only just healed from being nearly crushed to death inside a mobile home but now it felt like he was going to be one giant walking bruise by the time Lucien and his men were done with him.

"Explain to me how is this helping?" Kade snarled as he forced himself to his feet. He glared at the fallen-angel who didn't even look like he had broken a sweat and the four men with him didn't look much worse.

"Dante and his men are smart and skilled." Lucien replied calmly. "My brother won't make it easy for any of us."

"I'm well aware of that but this feels more like fun for you." Kade retorted.

Lucien just shrugged and smirked. "Go again."

The next round didn't go any better, nor did the three rounds after that. Kade was fast and strong but these creatures were faster and stronger. They seemed to know what the others were thinking and worked seamlessly together to bring Kade down time and time again.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going for another round!" Kade growled, grey eyes turning black as his wolf threatened to take control.

"We will keep going until you finally realise that you're approaching this all wrong." Lucien replied calmly. "Have you forgotten everything you were taught as a soldier?"

Kade frowned at the question. There were things one learned that could be unlearned and things that once learnt, were impossible to forget. The tricks of survival drilled into soldiers in training was one such thing. It was second nature, something Kade relied on even now to get him through life. He had always been good at tracking but the military made him better at it in every way. The same could be said for pretty much everything else he knew. The only thing it had failed to do was tame the darkness inside of him.

Lucien had said he was approaching this all wrong though. Kade knew numbers weren’t an issue for him. He’d taken on more attackers in worse situations and yet it was almost as if these creatures were reading his mind or reading each other's minds…

“Go again.” Lucien announced.

This time Kade knew he was going to lose but he intended to. Just as if a light had been turned on in his mind, a theory had come to him that he needed to test. This time when he moved to attack, he watched the reaction for not only the one he went after but those around him and sure enough, he saw what he was looking for. It was subtle, barely noticeable to a werewolf but still the slight twitch of facial muscles was enough to tell Kade what he needed to know. He forced himself to hold on a little longer than all his attempts to test his theory but by the time he hit the ground again, Kade was certain he knew how his opponents were getting the upper hand and how their system worked.

They were talking to each other but not through words or psychic links. They were using their body language. Subtle flexes in muscles around the eyes or jaw and the occasional twitch of a certain finger by a certain member of the group was all these men needed to formulate a plan while attacking and defending at the same time. It made sense that they wouldn’t rely on something like mind-reading or a mind-link. No doubt other angels or demons could intercept or perhaps they simply weren’t capable of it. Kade didn’t know but he was going to find out if he was right.

“Again.” Lucien spoke up once Kade peeled himself off of the floor.

This time Kade changed tactics. He lunged at the first opponent, knowing full well that they would dodge but also knew that the blonde man to the right of the first opponent would attack Kade from behind. At the last second, Kade dodged to the right, using both opponent's momentum against them. The one that had intended to roundhouse kick him in the back of the head now ended up slamming his foot into the jaw of the other man. The air filled with the ugly sound of bones meeting bones. The force of the kick did enough to break the first opponent's jaw and knock him clean out but also shatter blondie’s foot. Kade sent the man to the floor with two punches to the stomach before turning to block the arm of one of the new attackers. He spotted the small jerk of the attacker’s head no doubt to tell the last man what he intended to do but Kade was one step ahead of them both. Grabbing the man’s outstretched arm, he twisted it sharply, feeling the pop of the shoulder dislocating. He kicked out, catching the man in the gut and sending him flying into a tree just before the last one lunged at him in a flurry of fists. This one was certainly more of a challenge but this was Kade’s first time actually taking him on. He got his own hits in easily enough before he knocked the man to the ground with a snarl.

“Well it’s about time.” Lucien sighed. “I was starting to think you’d never get it.”

“Could you have not just told me?” Kade growled.

“And where’s the fun in that?” Lucien chuckled. "Come. It's time for a break and I would like to show you something."

"Um, what about these guys?" Kade motioned to the four men.

"They will heal and be ready for our next training session." Lucien shrugged leading the way back towards the manor.

The summer had certainly arrived which added one more complication to Kade's already very complicated life. The Hellhound's were about to crown their new Luna and, as beta, Kade needed to be there. He couldn't ask his friends to delay the ceremony and he couldn't not go. He had hoped to have Thalia by his side but that was proving less and less likely as every minute passed and he was still no closer to finding his mate. He was grateful (to a degree) to be getting help from Lucien but he seemed to lack any urgency.

At least that is what he thought.

For once Lucien didn't lead the way to the parlour but instead to another set of doors. The room behind them reminded Kade of the war room back home but was certainly more refined. A large boardroom table took up much of the space but the wall opposite the windows was covered in photos and documents. Even the wooden table had various documents and evidence littered all over it.

"My sources have managed to track Dante down to Prague of all places." Lucien finally spoke as he stood at the head of the table. "Everything you see here is evidence I have collected to try and bring a stop to my brother's plans but it isn't enough."

"If you brother is in Prague, why are we still here?"

"Because there is more at stake than that." Lucien replied. "I suspect Dante is in Prague to attend a black market auction. If my sources are right then he intends to sell the girls once they have given birth. This is where he will do it."

"The human trafficking ring…" Kade frowned looking at the documents scattered over the table. "You think those responsible will be there?"

"For the most part, yes." The fallen-angel leaned over the table to grab a small pile of papers. "However there is one party that won't be there that I think you would be interested in."

At first glance the documents seemed to be no more than generic papers for a company set up in Greece; however, soon the papers began to reveal communication between an unknown sender and one Alpha Castor Georgiou.

*As agreed. You will get 1.75 million euros for the girls but our boss is willing to increase it to four million if you include your daughter….*

"What the fuck?" Kade barked, his eyes going wide. "Thalia's own father sold her?"

"I can't be certain without speaking with the man but yes, it appears so." Lucien replied, picking up a collection of photos. "These are some of the other girls Dante has. We know there are more but the longer they are in the black market, the harder it is to find anything on them."

Silver eyes scanned the photos. Some were clear as day while others were grainy or were taken in poor light. It was obvious the girls were from all over the world, all of them stolen away from their families. Kade only made it a third of the way through the pile when one particular photo caught his attention.

He had never met her in person but her brother had shown Kade every photo he had of his sister. Her face was seated into his mind beside the pleading eyes of her brother. How long had it been since he had thought about the siblings? How long had it been since he last spoke with Karim?

"Kade?" Lucien raised an eyebrow curiously.

"I know this girl." Kade finally spoke. "This is Laila…"