Chapter 49

It hadn't taken long to release the other three girls even if Jennifer had been reluctant to go at first. Thalia hadn't been under any illusion that the blonde's obsession with Dante had lessened in any way but it still surprised her when Jennifer had refused to believe anyone that leaving was better for them and for their children. In the end Laila had simply grabbed her arm and dragged her out of her room, threatening to tie her to the lap of the dead doctor.

"I am so glad we can stop carting a body around.'' Laila sighed as the five women headed downstairs to find a way out of their gilded prison.

Thalia hummed her response, only half listening. She was still unnerved that there was no one around guarding the place and she found herself listening intently for any small sound to suggest that they weren’t the only ones in the strange residence. The last thing they needed was for them to be caught so close to freedom. Thalia didn’t want to think of what Dante would do to them if he got ahold of them again. Thalia wasn't willing to find out and she wasn't going to let anyone get in her way and that included the demon. What did surprise her was that Dante hadn’t inflicted more of his magic on the place compared to the manor. Perhaps whatever trickery Dante used only worked when he was in the premises but if that was the case, then why did the doors only open for certain people?

"Ow!"

Thalia's head whipped around at the same time as Miriam's, Jennifer's and Laila's to look at Priyanka with concern. Thalia's eyes were immediately looking for any wounds but found nothing obvious to explain the willowy girl’s sudden outburst. Priyanka grimaced, rubbing her round belly while shifting uncomfortably.

"Priyanka, are you okay?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah." The dark haired girl replied, letting out a heavy breath. "Just a bit of cramp I think."

"Okay well hopefully Svetlana has found a car." Thalia replied, leading the way towards the garage.

The commotion from inside the garage caught Thalia's attention before she even saw anything. Pausing near the door between the garage and the kitchen that had been left open, she spotted Svetlana trying to dodge the grasp of two men. Based on their uniform, Thalia knew they were Dante's men and her blood ran cold. They were so close and now they run into guards? Surprisingly, Svetlana was proving pretty nimble for a pregnant woman but Thalia could see she was tiring while the guards hadn’t even broken a sweat. It wouldn’t be long before they overpowered the feisty Russian ex-con and then their hopes of escaping would be scuppered. There was no guarantee that the alarm hadn’t been raised yet either. For all they knew, Dante and his men could be on their way back right now!

“Stay here.” Thalia told the other girls quietly, her eyes flashing yellow as she called on Maeve. “And you might want to look away.”

Slipping through the door, Thalia let her wolf take control, the scrubs were in tatters before Maeve’s giant grey paws hit the ground, a loud growl rumbling in her chest making the whole space tremble. The guards’ attention was on her immediately, a mixture of shock, primal fear and confusion washing over their faces as their jaws dropped open. Maeve bared her teeth at them, a warning growl leaving her as she took a step forward.

“No! You can’t hurt her!” One guard snapped at the other when he raised his gun to take aim. “If we do then the boss will kill us.”

“Then what do we do?”

“You could try running.” Svetlana piped up, giving a shrug.

There was a small second when realisation hit the two men and they looked at each other as if to silently ask each other why they didn’t think of that. But the moment came to a violent end when Maeve decidedly had enough and launched herself at the first man. Screams mixed with the savage snarls and growls coming from the pregnant she-wolf. Her giant maw caught one man around the head, shaking him violently as his limbs flailed like a rag down and he screamed in fear and pain. The red and grey wolf jerked her head suddenly, sending the poor man slamming into the back of a car and to the ground in a bloody mess.

“Wow!” Svetlana cheered, her eyes wide in amazement. “You’re one vicious bitch! Quick! Go mawl the other one!”

Maeve growled, yellow eyes searching for the other male. She could smell his fear like an unpleasant vinegary tang in the air. Had he been able to escape? It would matter much if he had but Maeve was disappointed. How long had it been since she had last hunted? The she-wolf was frustrated from being locked up for so long, not to mention she had been pulled away from her mate.

The thought of Kade and Legion had Maeve throwing her massive head back, a howl ripping through the garage and into the night. The sound was mournful and angry. Her emotions amplified the call, threatening to blow the windows out of the vehicles. It served to spook the other guard out of hiding. The she-wolf’s sharp eyes caught the movement of the man darting between cars no doubt heading for the doors. The way he moved triggered the predator in Maeve, her body stilling as she watched the man creep about like a scared rabbit. Then she was off, moving silently but quickly. She was like a blur to the other girls who tried desperately to keep their eyes on the wolf.

“I think she found him!” Svetlana yelled to the other girls over the screams and snarls echoing from somewhere in a dark corner of the garage.

Miriam and Laila looked horrified, both glad that they couldn’t see what their friend was up to. Jennifer had let out a scream and ducked behind the door to avoid watching the scene and now sat cursing in French. Suddenly the sounds died and a charged silence settled in the bunker-styled building. Laila and Miriam looked around in fear, wondering if Maeve would suddenly burst out of somewhere and attack them. Svetlana was even silent but she was practically vibrating with excitement like someone watching a thriller movie. The silhouette of someone moving in the shadows had them all freezing. There was a brief moment when Laila thought that the guard had somehow overpowered the giant wolf and was now coming to finish them off.

Then out of nowhere, a set of keys landed in front of Svetlana on the cold concrete floor.

“We should get going.” Thalia spoke up as she walked out of the shadows, panting, covered in blood and very naked.

“Oh man! Look at you!” Svetlana went off, picking up the keys. “Such a badass! You certainly had no issues killing those guys, did you?”

“They’re not dead.” Thalia sighed.

“oh they're dead. Look at that guy!” The Russian pointed at the guard Maeve had flung into a car. “He’s very dead. You nearly bit his head off. You were huge as well. Are all werewolves that big? Oh what’s the biggest thing you have killed? Was it a bear? Can you kill bears? My uncle killed a bear but he used a gun because he’s human and —”

“Guys!” Miriam rushed over, flaming red hair flowing behind her in a mess. “Come quick! It’s Priyanka!”

“Shit.” Thalia hissed, following Miriam back to the kitchen. “Priyanka!”

“Over here!” Laila replied in turn, her head popping up from around a kitchen island.

The small woman was on the floor, back leant against a cupboard door. Her rest was rising and falling in a quick almost panicked rhythm and her face was drawn in pain. It was dark in the kitchen so none of the other girls could see clearly but Thalia not only could see Priyanka’s distress but also smell that something was wrong. It only took a look to see what the problem was, the dark patch on Priyanka’s leggings giving it all away.

“Oh goddess.” Thalia breathed, her blood running cold. “Priyanka’s waters’ broke.”

—

Chaos rained down around Kade. He had known the knife wouldn’t hit Dante, he wasn’t so naive as to think it would but it had served its purpose as the very thing it was; the first shot in a battle.

Dante’s people seemed to pour out of the shadows like thousands of spiders, all charging towards the small group. They certainly weren’t anywhere nearly as skilled as Lucien’s men but that wasn’t the point. They were there to tire out Kade and the others and distract them. Chairs and tables were overturned as bodies flew this way and that. The drone-like creatures summoned by Dante swung their fists blindly, looking to hit the enemy anywhere before they were cut down by Lucien’s men. The coppery scent of blood had filled the air in moments.

“Don’t let him get away!” Lucien’s voice cut across the fray in between taking out several of the human-looking attackers.

That seemed easier said than done. While Dante hadn’t made his escape but instead stood watching over the sea of violence between himself and Kade, he was far from reach and enjoying every moment of the battle in front of him. A smirk was plastered on his face and his blue eyes had grown dark with sick amusement. He made no attempt to help his followers but instead let them sacrifice themselves for him.

Kade let out a growl, eyes flashing to black. A murderous surge ripped through him and three himself into the air, lunging across the wall of fighting bodies. His nails lengthened to claws and teeth sharpened as he honed in on the demon and went after him with murderous intent. The demon saw him coming though and before Kade could even dig his claws in, an invisible force hit him like a freight train, sending him crashing into a wall. The pain exploded through Kade and he felt the dagger digging into his back.

"It's disappointing you didn't die the first time." Dante's voice boomed. "This time I'm going to make sure you go to hell where you belong."

"Funny, I'm here to do the same thing to you." Kade grunted.

The laugh that left the demon lacked humor. There was a darkness in it that sucked the light and air in and smothered the room. It was enough to have Legion stirring within Kade, snarling at the threat. He saw the rest of the melee flinch, eyes darting about like a spooked pack of dogs. Before them two apex predators faced off, their aggression and dominance making the air crackle.

"You took my mate, demon." Kade growled, his lips lifting into something between a smile and a snarl. "And now, you're going to pay."

Fuck Lucien's plan to summon Dante back to hell. So long he was alive then no one would be safe. No, Kade wasn't letting this fucker go. Grabbing the dragger from its holding place, he smirked at Dante. The hilt was hot in his hand. It was intriguing. The heat wasn't scolding but rather invigorating like a warming balm. It was like the dagger adapted itself to his hand, the blade itself glowing with a purifying light that forced the insidious dark back into the recesses of the room.

Dante sneered, his eyes bleeding red as his true appearance began to reveal itself. Perfect tanned skin blackened and blistered as his form grew as if he was stretching out of a cramped space. An hunched figure unfurled like a deadly flower, revealing a human-like creature that was twice the size of the pretty boy facade Dante with muscles bulging under the pitch black blistering skin. Red eyes glowed wickedly against an almost featureless face while long sharp claws flexed.

A terrifying silence filled the space like a gas leak waiting for a spark. For a moment, all Kade could hear was his heartbeat thundering in his ears and then there was an explosion of sound as Dante lunged for him, dagger like talons aim right for his heart.