Page 4 of Broken Kingdom

I race through the small stand of trees beside the lake in time to see Hammer and a taller, thinner man running toward the museum building on the other side. Behind him, Hammer drags President Benoit, her hands tied in front of her. I pause for a second, lifting my weapon, but I can’t be sure I won’t hit Juliet’s mom, and they’re already circling around the side of the structure.

I push harder, sprinting across the grass with my pulse pounding in my ears. It’s so loud that for a moment, I think the whomp whomp sound filling the air is coming from inside of me.

Then I see the blades of the helicopter rising from behind the museum and grind to a halt with a savage curse.

I lift my gun, weighing the risks of firing at the chopper, but it’s already turned and started out toward the sea.

I catch a glimpse of my stepfather in the passenger’s seat and then nothing but the tail of the helicopter as it zooms away into the golden sunrise. I curse again, wishing more than I’ve ever wished for anything that I had Juliet’s powers. I’d really love to transform into a flame-throwing bird and chase them down, but I’m land bound and the best thing I can do now is keep anyone else from escaping.

I run back toward the quad to join the fighting to find the last of Hammer’s men on their bellies in front of the faculty building, their hands held behind them as Maxim’s team moves smoothly and efficiently down the line, cuffing them and checking for hidden weapons.

But there are only thirty or so captives. The rest of the force Hammer brought to take Lost Moon are dead on the grass. The entire quad is littered with bodies, many of them familiar to me. I recognize men I trained with as a kid, women I respected for their skill in hand-to-hand combat, and kids not much older than Trevor lying in pools of their own blood.

I wonder how many of them wanted to fight and how many were forced here to please their Alpha?

I don’t know. I may never know. All I can do is return home and try to make up for all this senseless bloodshed. And if my pack is filled with people who truly believe Variants are second-class shifters who should be sold into slavery…

Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Juliet and I will cross it—together.

She’s still alive. I know it. I can feel it. Our connection is stronger than ever, and I intend to use that to my advantage to get her back.

Thoughts already spinning with a plan, I start back across the lawn to Maxim Thorn, ready to ask the Wolf King of New York for one final favor.

Three

Juliet

We arrive at the Montreal docks mid-morning and my would-be husband wrenches my wrists behind my back before leading me down the gang plank.

As we make our way onto solid land, I see tourists not far away. Families spread blankets on the grass of a riverside park, while a few teenaged boys ride bikes on the street. I dare to hope one of them will notice the way Jean-Paul holds my arms pinned behind my back as he pushes me forward and call the police.

But Jean-Paul nips that in the bud with a whispered, “We’re glamoured, chère. Magicked into invisibility. Don’t fret about the human observers. Thanks to my witchy friend, they won’t see a thing.”

“Friend is stretching it, Jean-Paul,” a silky female voice I haven’t heard before murmurs from not far behind me. “Don’t you think?”

I didn’t notice any women on the boat—only Jean-Paul’s beefy bodyguards and a few male sailors in charge of steering the ship through the narrow river locks.

Whoever this is must have been in the hold the entire time.

Jean-Paul laughs. “Well, friend. Traitor. Lover. Slave. The lines blur after a few decades, don’t they, darling?” To me, he adds, “Daphne once had the chance to be my bride, but she chose to betray me instead. This was a most unfortunate mistake. I advise you to learn from her fate and be a loyal mate, sweet Juliet.” He chuckles as his hand molds to the curve of my ass. “Except in the bedroom, of course. There, I encourage you to be as wicked as you’d like.”

Swallowing the acid rising in my throat, I say flatly, “Does that extend to ripping off your dick and stuffing it down your throat?”

Daphne laughs, the sound as velvety and smooth as her voice. “You’ve just kidnapped your death, Jean-Paul. This one is more than you bargained for. I would pity you if I weren’t also quite keen to see you separated from your dick.”

Jean-Paul chuckles too, as if this is all just normal, friendly conversation. “You know I adore strong women, Daphne. Juliet should feel free to speak her mind and make as many jokes as she wishes. I won’t have it said that the King of Montreal doesn’t have a sense of humor. As long as she knows when to shut her mouth and spread her legs…” He squeezes my ass again, hard enough to make me flinch this time. “Well, we’ll get along just fine.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Daphne says. “He can’t get it up most nights. Too much blow. And even when he is hard, it’s not much bigger than a baby gherkin. You won’t feel a thing.”

Jean-Paul’s laugh is strained this time. “Careful with your falsehoods, little witch, or you’ll end up in my playroom. And we both know you’re terrible at having fun.”

“May I be dismissed to ride with the sailors in the SUV then, master?” Daphne asks, her sarcasm almost concealing the fear in the words, but not quite. Whatever this “playroom” is, I clearly don’t want to end up there. “If you have no further need of me?”

“Go,” he says as we come to a stop by a shiny black limo. He pulls a dark cloth bag over my head, making the world go fuzzy. “But be at dinner tonight and be prepared to impress. The Alpha of Quebec City is coming to discuss the terms of her city’s transfer to my control. I’ll be counting on you to step in and deliver the appropriate attitude adjustment if she asks for more than a loser like her deserves.”

Daphne murmurs something I can’t make out, followed by the soft click of her heels on pavement as she walks away. A moment later, Jean-Paul’s hand is on the top of my head pushing me down. “Bend over, princess. Sorry about the hood. Just want to make sure you won’t have an easy time finding your way out of my territory should you be foolish enough to run. I’ll remove it when we get to the restaurant, and we can discuss wedding plans over brunch.”

---