Page 56 of Deadly Ties

Ferrier is already shaking his head. “I don’t want more territory or power. My vote is we abolish the Head Alpha position altogether.”

Another alpha makes a rude sound. “You’ve come here, without your pack and unarmed, just to tell us you won’t fight? How the fuck do you expect to walk out of here alive?”

There are rumbles of agreement, and more than a few sneering looks. But Ferrier just stands taller. “I came here to free my daughter and make you aware of Roan Bisha’s plans. That should be enough to convince you, if only because you know he’ll do exactly the same to you. But don’t mistake me. I will walk out of here, and so will my daughter. The question is, how many of you will do the same?”

The crowd starts to move now, alphas pushing to their feet as shouts volley across the room. The air is so thick with simmering tension it burns my throat, but the upside is Ferrier isn’t complete alone out there anymore. Some of the alphas know he’s talking sense, if only because they’re worried about their own lands and omegas. They’re all still spineless cowards in my book, but at least they’re starting to question Bisha’s motives.

Until everything starts to happen at once. Darius Raptis and his brother move first, fists slamming into the togs as they wrestle for their guns. Bisha whistles at the togs closest to my dad, and they all leap towards him. Clearly he’s not prepared to take Ferrier on himself, and I see the contempt now in the faces of other alphas. But scuffles are breaking out across the room, and everyone is either joining the fight or pushing to escape it. I expect Crouch to run, but he keeps coming, like he plans to drag me off in the chaos. I try to push myself to my feet, but Bisha’s command is still holding me down and I give a frustrated cry. Gritting my teeth, I fumble for the key in my hand, but it’s so slippery from blood and sweat, I can’t get a grip. And then, to my horror, it slips through my fingers and bounces off the stage.

Fuck! Crouch is only seconds away from me now, and the rest of the room is a massive, heaving brawl. Bisha and some of his togs are retreating towards his private elevator, and I catch a glimpse of Ferrier fighting off a couple of guys while also trying to shield Kelly’s mom from a flying chair. It’s just me and Crouch on the stage, and I brace myself as his hand comes down on my shoulder, his fingers digging in hard. I growl at him, ready to bite as soon as he’s close enough, but then I catch Ferrier’s gaze. It’s so bright it almost hurts to look at him, but then it slides past me… behind me… and his smile is all wolf.

I twist, trying to see what he’s looking at. But all I see is a dark blur and then…

The lights go out.

Every light. From the chandelier overhead, to the spotlight burning on my face, and the hundreds of downlights across the room.

Bullets pepper the air, tearing through the darkness, and then chaos becomes blind panic.

We all have shifter sight, but it needs some light to pull on and without any windows, this place is darker than a tomb. So our beasts take over, and screams quickly turn into howls. Punches become snapping jaws, the crunch of bones and tearing tendons filling the air. A howl lodges in my throat, my skin rippling as my wolf fights Bisha’s command. Maybe it’s the distance now he’s fled, but I feel it finally rip away, savage triumph surging through me. But before I can spring to my feet, a whisper sounds from the dark. “Get your fucking hands off my omega.”

I twist to face whatever the hell this is now, but Crouch’s fingers are ripped from my shoulder, knocking me off-balance. I roll sideways and pop up into a crouch, watching two shapes struggle in the darkness until one makes a high, squealing sound. Something cracks, followed by a wet, meaty thud hitting the floor. I blink, just as a thin torch beam flicks on and I’m staring up at Link, dressed head to toe in tactical black. His eyes are unreadable as he says, “Time to move, little wolf.”

“I can’t,” I growl, shaking my cuffs at him. “You think I’d be on my knees waiting for that asshole to grab me if I could just waltz out of here?”

“You meanthatasshole?” He flicks the light and I see white bones and lots of blood, but it’s gone before I can dwell on the details. “I don’t have the key, so you’ll just have to wait.” I grimace, but he’s right. Getting out of here is the priority. “We’re gonna head straight for the service elevator behind the bar. You good to run?”

He means right back across the room, through all those snarling wolves and wild bullets. “What about the others? Ferrier’s here with Kelly’s mom, and I think the guys are in the cage…”

“All under control,” he interrupts me, his voice tight with impatience. “Just focus on your own feet and not losing me in the dark.”

Even now, his assholeness makes me clench my teeth. Not that I don’t appreciate his help, but I can’t stop myself from snapping, “I thought you didn’t go into the field. Who’s looking after logistics?”

He narrows his eyes at me. “Rory. Which means anything the fuck might happen, so keep up.”

I don’t have much choice, so I let him take my hand and curl my fingers through the back of his belt. It throws my balance, since I’m still cuffed, but he moves carefully forward, his torch a sliver of light in the darkness. Of course, as soon as we’re off the stage, it gives me glimpses of the visuals to go along with all those sickening sounds. Most of the alphas are gone, either to escape the carnage or to hunt down whoever they were fighting when the lights went out. But some are still tearing into each other, while others are in the process of dying very messy deaths. Link finishes them off, his gun popping in the dark, while I try not to slip in the puddles of blood and gore and broken glass.

And then we’re moving through the room with the cage in the center, and his torch flicks over the ring. Blood is everywhere and I can’t stop myself from crying out. “They were in that? Are they still alive?”

“I can feel Kelly,” he tells me, his hand curling over his heart. “Can’t you?”

I take a shuddering breath, reaching for my bond, but it’s full of a twisting kind of fury that batters at me like a hurricane. “Jesus! I don’t know,” I whisper. “Is that his heat? He feels so angry…”

Link just grunts, pulling me around broken chairs and softer lumps that make my toes curl in protest. “I don’t think that’s Kelly you’re channeling.”

As soon as his words register, I jerk to a halt, tugging on his belt. “What does that mean?” I suddenly remember what Rory said about Link going to help Arben. “You’ve seen Arben? Is that him I can feel? What’s wrong with him? Is he okay?” Link just shakes his head, trying to pull me on, but I plant my feet. “Tell me the fucking truth, Lincoln!”

“I don’t know what that is,” he grinds out, sounding like he’s on his last nerve. “I got him out of the cage they’d locked him in, but he was beat up. Feral. I don’t even know if he recognized me. I tried to get him to leave through the nearest exit, but he knocked me the fuck off my feet and took off.” He grips my chin, pulling me so close I can see the silver in his eyes. “But if anyone can fight their way out of this place, it’s Doctor Fucking Death, okay?”

I pull free of his grip, my hands curling in frustration. I want out of these cuffs, out of my skin, and out of this nightmare of a Tower. My wolf has had enough, and I’m not far behind. “That’s bullshit, Link! There are hundreds of Dark River shifters in this building. Arben needs our help.”

Link growls at me, but then taps his headset. “Rory, any update on Marku?”

Rory’s voice comes back, full of awe even through the tiny speaker. “He’s on the move. I’m only tracking him by the bodies, but he’s headed your way. Fuck, Link, he’s really on a rampage. I don’t think you should be standing in his path when he gets there.”

“We’re not. We’re moving.” Link cocks a brow at me. “You want to walk, or are you going over my shoulder?”

I instantly try the bond again, but I can’t even reach Rory through the hurricane in my head. “We can move, but we keep on the lookout for Arben. If he needs us, we’re going to help. Deal?”

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