Page 62 of Secrets and Ruin

“They’re not here,” I said, swallowing. Not technically a lie, depending on the definition ofhere. Here being the old building. My finger twitched. I wanted to give the signal, knowing both of them would be panicking when they realized I didn’t intend on giving it quickly.

“You didn’t,” Rainer chuckled. “You are here to fight me to let them get back to the estate. Insane. You can’t win, Jacky.”

“I know. I have to try. They’re the future.”

Rainer’s expression went hard.

“There is no future,” he growled softly.

“Maybe not for you or me or Niko, but they will have it. I can’t believe you beat Dirk. You were happy for him and Landon once. You made your jokes, but—”

“I was never happy for Dirk,” Rainer snapped, fury in his eyes. There was no lie in the scent, but that didn’t make any sense. It couldn’t make sense.

“Yes, you were,” I said softly. “Do you remember the last thing we talked about?”

“I don’t care,” he snarled, but I caught the confusion in his scent. The only thing I could think was he didn’t remember. He had no idea what conversation I was referring to.

“Can I speak to Fenris?” I finally asked.

“No,” Rainer said, teeth bared, but I saw a twitch of his lips. “No!”

“He was real, wasn’t he?”

“You don’t know—”

“I knew King Brion as two men. Fae magic is weird about identity, Rainer. You created a second one, and it became its own identity, didn’t it? Without your ability to use fae magic—”

He moved fast, a hand grabbing my throat. With a simple tug, he pulled me off the ground and slammed me into the wall like a ragdoll before I could do anything. My feet dangled helplessly under me as I fought.

“He was never real!” Rainer screamed in my face.

“He’s working against you, isn’t he? That’s why you don’t have your contract,” I struggled to say, clawing at his hand.

He whacked me against the wall again.

I never gave the signal. The first shot went out and pierced Rainer’s neck. He let me go to throw a hand over the wound as the next three rounds hit him in the chest and back. All four shots hit before my feet touched the ground. He wasn’t stupid, though. He tackled me into the building, realizing I was the enemy he could kill, then he would hunt for the guys.

“You stupid fucking bitch!” he roared, slamming me three times into the ground with my shirt, stronger than Fenris had ever been. I snarled and tried to claw for his eyes, a vulnerable spot. No more shots rang out as he attempted to beat me to death into the dirt floor of the old building.

It was like being a child, knowing there was no way I could overpower Rainer.

When another shot was fired, it was close. My ears rang as it went off, and Rainer roared in pain, jumping off me to turn around. My vision was blurry as I tried to see who it was. Rainer jumped for the other attacker, who had to be Landon or Dirk. He missed, and the body came back between us, still unloading whatever he was using into the wolf.

I had to get up, I knew that, but I was exhausted. I was so fucking tired, and now everything hurt. Why didn’t it seem like the bullets were doing enough? Why wasn’t he dropping?

“Jacky!” someone said, pulling me off the ground. “Damn you. You always show up where no one expects you.” I was barely conscious, big spots dancing in my blurry vision, unable to see who was speaking.

“Dirk! Take her! You, follow. I’ll hold him off and catch up!”

26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

HEATH

Heath’s foot was tapping anxiously as he watched the healers care for his sleeping packmates. He hadn’t heard from Landon and Jacky in days, not since they landed in Germany. He knew that probably meant they were busy and focused on the problem at hand, but that didn’t mean he liked the lack of contact. It only meant he could rationalize it, which helped him keep his growing anxiety from giving him a temper.

“Dad, it’s five in the morning. What are you doing awake?” Carey asked as she walked into the kitchen.

---