Page 41 of Frost and Fate
Darren felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He sensed the discomfort of the men and women around him. As much as he wanted to cover the poor girl up and take her inside, those weren’t his orders. He spun toward Lance and the others.
“Our priority is the outer perimeter. We will separate into two teams. The first team will be led by me, the other by our Beta.” The rest of the security team nodded in unison. “We split up, each taking a side of the complex until we meet up again in the back.” Darren looked down at the lifeless creature at his feet. “Search, rescue, and recovery is being led by Lucas and Aaron. They have Lucas’s team as well as Aaron’s newest recruits. They will be responsible for retrieving the bodies.” A lump formed in his throat as he spoke the next words. “As difficult as it may be, we need to focus only on the task at hand. No one will be safe if we can’t confirm the perimeter is secure. That being said, if you find any survivors, step in immediately.”
The team answered with a resounding, “Yes, sir.” They divided, and began the tedious task of combing every inch of the outer walls. Darren kept his focus on the complex but could not ignore the ever-increasing number of bodies he had to walk past, and over. The recovery teams were making quick work of the victims. Darren caught a glimpse of Lucas among the group of rescuers. His tall frame was covered in blood. A trail of deep crimson was smeared across one cheek where he’d obviously used the back of his hand to wipe it away. Lucas’s green eyes glowed and Darren could sense the anger and rage of his wolf within. Darren’s own wolf responded to the injustices around him and he worked to calm it.
Wolves were naturally protective. Surrounded by death and crippling sadness, the wolves were feeling helpless and restless. Darren’s wolf begged to sink its teeth into the people responsible.
Don’t worry, Darren reassured it.You’ll get your chance.
By the time Darren’s team reconvened with Lance, they had painstakingly checked every inch of the outer building. They both agreed there didn’t appear to have been a perimeter breach. It looked like Matlena’s wards had held. The girls had been seemingly scattered at random around the property. They made their way back to the front, continuing to thoroughly recheck the area.
Lance broke the silence. “Do you think they were trying to send a message? Or just trying to get our attention?”
“I don’t know,” Darren admitted. “I think there’s more to this than we are able to see.”
The Beta pulled his brows together, his toffee eyes full of concern. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
There was the sound of shattering glass as the two teams reached the front of the complex. Darren had just enough time to see a frozen body catapulted out the front glass wall. His eyes locked with Nova’s icy blues from within the lobby. Her hands were raised high and ice flowed from her fingers. She looked at him, opened her mouth to speak, and then the world exploded around him.
* * *
Even with Laurie’s gifts, Nova felt antsy waiting in the penthouse. She wanted to do something, wanted to help. Leah had made it clear from the start that there was no leaving the apartment. Leah had been given direct orders from the Alpha—orders she was not going to disobey. Laurie and Nova passed the time talking about their lives. They shared stories about their past and abilities.
“Have you always been this way?” Nova asked.
Laurie thought for a moment. “I think so. I actually did it before I realized what was happening. One day when I was twelve, I walked past two men having a fight in the park. When one of the two drew a gun, I instinctively calmed him. I actually pushed a little too hard and he ended up crying in the fetal position, begging for forgiveness. A natural witch happened to be near and had watched the entire event unfold. She approached me and took me under her wing. I learned how to control it and how to use it to help others instead of harming them.”
Nova frowned in confusion. “How is this a gift that could harm people?”
Laurie’s gaze went to the floor. “I choose to use these to manipulate emotions for the better.” Nova still didn’t understand. “I can manipulate all emotions. I can fill you with rage, anger, terror. I can send you into the deepest despair and depression of your life. Of course, I don’t want to do any of these things. I choose to spread feelings of peace, joy, and love.”
Nova was in awe. “I had no idea you could do all that. I thought your gifts just involved calming people down.”
Laurie chuckled. “Let’s hope that’s all I ever need to use them for.” She smiled and Nova felt the utmost respect for the seemingly angelic blonde.
“How did you meet Lance? I’ve been curious considering you’re so…different.” Nova blushed, realizing that may have come across the wrong way. Laurie responded with another of her lighthearted laughs.
“It would certainly seem that way, but there’s more to Lance than most have gotten the chance to see. Our story is complicated to say the least.” Before Laurie could continue, Nova doubled over. She felt as if an icy hand had reached in and wrapped itself around her stomach.
Gasping, she choked out, “Something’s wrong.” She looked to Leah. “We have to go down there.”
“No. Gideon said—”
“Leah, if we don’t go down there now they may all die!”
Leah looked uncertain. “How do you know?”
Nova persisted. “I can feel it. My magic knows. Something is very, very wrong.” When Leah didn’t respond, Nova lifted her hands in the air. Small shards of ice developed between her fingers. “You can try to stop me again.” She spoke to Leah, her tone deathly cold. “But I am getting down there.”
Leah gritted her teeth, but finally relented. “Fine, let’s go. But if something happens to you down there, Gideon and Darren will both have my hide.”
Nova let out the breath she had been holding. “Thank you.”
The three women moved quickly out of the apartment and headed downstairs. The lump in Nova’s stomach did not subside. If anything her uncertainty grew. The sight that greeted them in the lobby was more horrific than Nova could have imagined. There were girls strewn all about the lobby. Search and rescue dropped off another body as Nova approached. Matlena and Brona worked quickly, moving from corpse to corpse. They placed hands on the bodies and chanted incantations Nova could not understand. Aria stood near the entrance, her body tense and coiled. The surprise was evident in Aria’s blue eyes when she saw the trio approaching.
“What are you doing down here? Gideon said—”
“Something’s wrong,” she interrupted the lycan woman.
