Page 72 of Fire Bound

At the mention of a newspaper, the clipping that Whisper had found comes to mind and so does the heading I’d read. “You got your revenge though, didn’t you? You tracked them down and ripped them apart in your wolf form.”

His gruesome mouth pulls in an evil smile. “That I did.”

“But you couldn’t leave it at that, could you? You needed more.”

Sterling leans against the wall by the door, his arms crossing in front of him. “My mate used to say, why settle for sterling silver when you could have gold.”Ah, and the question of the hour is finally answered.Sterling is a sentimental name. Odd, considering I didn’t think he was capable of being sentimental. “I wasn’t going to settle for just killing the humans responsible for my mate’s death. I won’t be satisfied until every human knows they belong on the bottom of the food chain. They will know when they see what I’ve created that we are the true gods.” He stands up straighter as if what he’s saying is lifting his twisted ego. “It took a lot of trial and error, but I took the science my mate had started to develop, and I changed it. Nicolai had been funding our research on wolf shifter embryos, but when he learned of my plans, he was more than willing to invest in that as well. There was a small price I had to pay him in exchange for his financial assistance of course.”

“Genevieve.”

I knew William wasn’t the one pulling the strings. He’s not a planner or a mastermind like his dad. He just does what his father says.

“Yes, she was strong and would have been a perfect match for him to breed with. When William introduced her to Nicolai, he took an immediate liking, but of course, as you know, that all fell apart when Gen met that other man.” Sterling doesn’t even attempt to hide the contempt from his voice.

“That man she met was her mate.Archerwas her mate. Nicolai was never going to be that. Even if you’d let him force a mating bond on her.”

“Forcing,” he scoffs. “Believing we had the luxury of waiting for our true mates was what got us into this mess to begin with. Wolves waited and waited for their fated mates to come along, but they never did, and our birth rates dropped because of it. Of course, that’s something we no longer have to worry about now thatPruitt” —he spits her name out like its poison on his tongue— “has broken the curse. In one way, she went and made all my hard work obsolete now that species aren’t confined to mating within themselves. Now hybrids will be something that is natural. Something I was upset about for some time, but then I reminded myself of what I’m creating. I’m creating perfection and if nature has proven anything, it’s that it’s rarely perfect. Everything has a flaw. A weakness. Each day that passes, I’m figuring out how to make those flaws disappear. Only the strongest traits from each species are selected and used. One day soon everything I create will be as perfect as Isabeau and Jax. Those are the ones I’ll unleash on the humans.” Sterling grins wickedly at me. “But first I need to eliminate your pack. With yourirritantsconstantly sticking your noses in places it doesn’t belong, and killing my benefactors, you are interfering in my search for perfection and when I finally find it, you will stand in my way of executing my plan just as you are standing in my way now. I have worked too hard to get to where I am. I have sacrificed the lives of many in the name of science. I’ve even lost my own life a time or two to achieve my goal. It’s not an easy road and it’s not one that everyone has the stomach to handle, but it is my road and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you or your pack destroy it.”

This isn’t new information. We knew he’d come seeking revenge for all the things we’ve done to ruin his business, I just thought I’d be there to help fight, not held hostage by him.

Feigning indifference, I tilt my head and flick my gaze over him. “That was quite the speech, John. I feel like now is when we’d cue the dramatic change in music and lighting, You know, so it’ll fit the mood,” I mumble to myself, imagining I’m in a movie scene right now as the evil mastermind divulges his whole backstory. Why do they always do that? Don’t they have a confidant they can tell? Surely, Sterling has a friend—Nope, wait, all his friends are dead.Well, Kaius is still alive, but according to him, he’s no longer team Sterling.

“Do people actually enjoy your sarcasm?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I’m a very likable person, John. So, if you don’t like me, I suggest you look inward at yourself and reflect a little, because it’s definitely a you problem.”

“It should be no surprise that you are my son’s mate. He’s got a mouth on him too,” he grumbles.

Smiling slyly, I wink at him. “That he does, and I’m a big, big fan of what he can do with it, so if we could wrap this up in a timely manner so I can get back to him and that tongue, that’d be great.”

“You’re crass.”

“You’re ugly,” I shoot back immediately. “This is fun, shall we keep going? I’ll go first this time.” I lean as far forward as my chained wrists will allow. “You’re a sadistic fuck who is going to pay for what you’ve done. Jax is going to burn you alive, and I will dance in the ashes he leaves your body in. I’ll do goddamn snow angels in them.” I sneer at him as my wolf, despite being affected by the silver, surges to the surface.

I see it coming, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it. The back of Sterling’s hand whips across my already bruised face as he growls violently at me.

Letting the pain fuel me instead of stop me, I calmly spit the mouthful of blood at him before grinning wildly at him. “How does it feel to know that your most perfect creation is going to be the one that kills you?”

Sterling’s gloved hands grip my chin as he yanks my face harshly up so I can look at his mangled faced as he says, “The second Jax turned on me and my plans, his perfection ceased to matter. He became nothing but a problem for me. I have no use for him now. I warned him what would happen if that ever happened. And after everything he’s done, I could never let him live. He needs to be punished for his acts against hisfather.”

“You’re right, I’m more than that. I’m his creator. I gave him life and gave him his power.” Sterling swipes his gloved thumb over my lip that is now bleeding again. With that evil gleam on his face, he brings the blood-covered finger to his ruined mouth and licks it away. I feel my face pull in disgust as I watch. “I know just how strong he is, and I know that getting rid of him is my first priority if I’m going to get rid of the rest of you.” He runs his hand fondly down the side of my face. “And that is why I worked so hard to get you here. You have been his weakness since the first day he met you. I’ve kept tabs over the months, I knew what you meant to him before he did.”

I snarl and bare my teeth at him as I jerk my head away from his disturbing touch.

“That bond you share that you think makes you so strong?” he starts, the corner of his mouth on his good side rising. “It will be the reason Jax dies tonight. You will be the reason I come out victorious like I always have.”

With one last look at me, he leaves the room. Before the door closes behind him, he tells me, “Thank you for your sacrifice, Remington.”

The waiting and not knowing is the worst part of all of this.

For hours, we’ve been standing in the forest, half a mile away from where Sterling’s army of people are literally waiting outside the gates. Just like us, they’ve had plenty of time to make a move, but they stand unmoving right outside the fence. While we wait for them to make a move, it’s like they’re waiting for something else.

Or someone else.

Sterling isn’t here and neither is Remi. I would be able to sense them if they were in that horde of people. Sterling’s scent isn’t one I’ll ever forget; If he shows his face, I’ll be able to pick it out of the crowd of his people.

Not knowing where he is or where my mate is makes me feel like I might combust and take everyone within a mile out with me. When I almost lost all control an hour ago and plans of tearing the town apart in search of Remi infiltrated my mind, Isabeau had grabbed me by the collar of my shirt before dragging me away like I was a child in trouble. She’d ordered I pull my shit together and remember that Sterling plays smart, but I was going to have to play smarter.

So instead of ribbing this town into tiny pieces, I’ve stayed put and waited for Sterling to show his hand.

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