Bound to the Prime (Bound to the Pack, #3) (7 page)

“Hello?” She was watching the phone apprehensively but smelled hopeful.

“Jen?” Kris’s voice came through the device and I let out a sigh of relief that was echoed beside me. Kris was alright.

“Kris! You’re ok!” Jen’s excitement and relief were bubbling over, she was bouncing happily in her seat.

“Clearly you are too, last I heard you had been kidnapped.” Her voice was strong, healthy, but even over the phone I could hear the catch in her words at the mention of the kidnapping.

“Yeah, I’m safe now. We’re on our way to you.” Jen looked to me as she spoke and I nodded.

“Kris, listen.” The information would likely hurt her even more, but I had to tell her. “Troy is coming for you again, you need to get somewhere safe.” The silence hung in the air, stretching out to the point I felt sure it would break, before she responded.

“I see. He got away then.” The flat tone did little to hide the hint of excitement, she was my sister, I knew her too well.”

“Kris, please wait. He is incredibly dangerous. He uses hunters.” It still galled me to no end that he would stoop so low and Kris certainly felt the same, gasping as I said the words.

“He didn’t!?” Disbelief came through clearly, but all of us knew it was simply a reflex reaction to the idea. It was hard information to swallow when you learned that someone you had loved was a monster.

“He did, and it wasn’t the first time.” Jen spoke softly, remembering something painful. “We need to make sure he doesn’t do it again. Kris, wait for us, please. We’re on our way now.”

“Ok, you’re right. I’ll wait.” She was frustrated and the lie was obvious, even to Jen.

“Kris... Troy has managed to keep us all separated since this began.” Jen absently reached out to grab my hand again. “He’s very good at drawing one of us out and attacking them. Don’t give him the chance. Please.” I could hear Kris sighing halfway through Jen’s warning and the scent of Jen’s irritation was rising quickly.

“Right... you’re right,” Kris finally said, resigned. “Just promise you’ll be here soon and that I’m not getting left behind when you go after the bastard.”

“We just finished telling you not to go it alone, we won’t either.” I shot a glance at Jen as she spoke, I most definitely
would
be going after Troy myself once Jen and Kris were both safe.

Jen just glared at me and I knew she had been in my mind and knew what I was planning. I sighed and nodded, I led a pack now, officially, and needed to remember that. They were just as involved in this as I was.

“Ok, let’s meet up somewhere Troy doesn’t know about and won’t be able to guess.” Kristen paused a moment while we all mulled the question over, but in the end she was the one with the answer. “Jen, let’s meet where we used to go when we skipped class.”

Jen grinned and answered. “Perfect. We’ll see you there.”

“See you guys soon.” Kris’s call ended with her words and the map popped back onto the display.

“Still quite a few hours left till we get home.” Jen squinted at the phone for a moment. “I need a pick-me-up if I’m going to drive all night. Watch for signs for a gas station and I’ll pull off there.”

I nodded and began to watch out my side of the truck for anything that could work. Miles went by, the dotted lines to either side of us on the road blurring into an almost hypnotic rhythm as they sped past.

Wherever we were there were few signs and I felt myself getting drowsy, it was becoming harder and harder to stay awake. Needing to focus I reached inward and tapped into my energy reserves, becoming alert and refreshed.

With the sudden burst of sensory information I became acutely aware of my wounds and itched them absently. I was going to need to learn how to ignore distractions while my senses were boosted like this. After concentrating for a time the itching subsided, eventually vanishing entirely, and I began to focus again on our surroundings.

Jen yawned beside me, and then again.

“Holly hell, I’m exhausted.” She yawned a third time and stretched a bit in the seat, rolling her shoulders. “I was fine a minute ago, ugh. Wait, it feels like... Liam, what are you doing?” She glanced over to me quickly before watching the road.

“I’m not doing anything aside from looking for signs.”

“No, you’re definitely doing something. I can feel it.” She slowed the truck down as she spoke, steering it towards the side of the road as another series of yawns racked her body.

Once the truck came to a stop she rested her head against the steering wheel and shut her eyes, slumping slightly as exhaustion overcame her. She looked as if all of her alertness and energy were draining away from her.

Draining.

Quickly I stopped focusing on staying alert and let my tiredness overtake me again. Almost immediately she shook her head and sat back up, rubbing her eyes. My inner well of energy was Jen.

“Maybe I just needed to shut my eyes for a minute.” She stretched out again as she spoke, over exaggerating her movement in an attempt to reach every muscle group. “I’m feeling a bit better now.”

“No, it was me.” Her eyes found me as I spoke and I remembered the other two times I had drawn upon my inner reserve of energy. She watched me questioningly.

The first time was the flight down the mountain, Jen holding on to me as I carried her. The second was just the other night as Ian and I ran down the Appalachian Trail. After both occurrences she had passed out and been ravenously hungry when she finally awoke.

“I can feel you within me as some kind of energy reserve that I can draw from.” I looked to her, wondering what long term harm I may have caused her unwittingly. “I only just realized what it actually was. I won’t use it again, are you alright?”

“Fine, I guess.” She shrugged before beginning to drive up the highway again. “A little more tired than I was, but not by much. A bit hungrier too actually.”

“I apologize, I had no idea.” I watched her to be sure she was actually fine and sensed her concentration surge briefly.

“Figures,” she chuckled, the spike of focus fading. “Looks like it only works one way. Totally unfair.”

“It looks like you’ll just have to stay alert the old fashioned way.” I smiled as she blew a raspberry at me.

“Coffee it is.”

“S
o, where
did
you and my sister go when you skipped class?” Liam asked the question for the umpteenth time.

I smiled despite my slight annoyance, we were only a few minutes away and I still hadn’t told him. I had been mysterious at first about it just for fun, but now I was holding back out of sheer stubbornness. We had come this far without him knowing, he could wait till we got there.

A few empty energy drinks rattled around on the floorboards as I drove around a particularly sharp turn. They had helped keep me awake but, unfortunately, Liam had wanted to have one as well to help with his own tiredness.

He had never had anything like it.

Sitting beside me wide eyed he looked at everything at once, but seemed to see nothing. He was twitchy and jittery, fidgeting in his seat and playing with the radio absently. He was also very talkative.

“I can’t picture you or my sister skipping class.” He spoke offhandedly, his fingers dancing across the radio buttons as he read every single sign we passed out loud, just under his breath.

“Mental note, never let you have an energy drink again.” I shook my head as his own whipped around to look at me. It might have been my imagination but it seemed like his eyes had trouble focusing.

“Why? What do you mean?” His fidgeting continued as he spoke without him even noticing it. “I feel fine. It has no effect on me. I don’t even feel it.” I just gave him what was quickly becoming my go to look: a flat stare. “I feel fine.”

“I might believe you if you weren’t babbling and repeating yourself.” It looked as if he were about to reply but he stopped himself and seemed to be mulling it over. “It also would help your case if you could stop moving around so much.”

With obvious effort he was able to get himself under control, though it looked like he might burst from the concentration. It would have been adorable if I hadn’t been dealing with it for hours already.

A few turns later and I was pulling into a parking lot. A cursory search as I drove slowly between row after row of parked cars rewarded me with my goal. Kristen’s car sat a little away from the others in her row.

She exited her car smiling broadly as I pulled up beside her and parked. Liam practically flew out of the truck to rush over and give her a hug.

“Are you well sister” He stepped back, holding her at arms reach to give her a quick once over. She must have passed because he smiled and swatted her shoulder playfully. “You look well.”

I joined the siblings and waited for Liam to give Kris enough space for me to give her a hug as well. She really
did
look good, not as if she had suffered near fatal wounds a few short days ago. The rapidity with which shifters healed was almost frightening.

We all stood for a moment, appreciating each others presence. It was the first time we were all together again since the celebration for Liam being recognized as an alpha. It seemed like a lifetime ago, not just a few days.

Liam’s focus began to wane and he slowly looked around, attempting to take everything in all at once. “Where are we? There are a lot of vehicles here. Is this a place to purchase them? They seem to be worn in, not many appear new.”

Kristen glanced at me, one eyebrow arched delicately, and I replied to the unspoken question. “He had his first energy drink.” Gesturing towards him I sighed theatrically. “It... energized him.”

“I can see that.” Kris laughed and stepped in front of him, bringing a hand up before his face and making exaggerated waving motions. “Hey, spaz! Calm down and focus.”

He stared down at Kris and nodded, then closed his eyes and seemed to relax somewhat. “I believe I should avoid those drinks. They work, perhaps, a bit too well.” He looked around one more time, actually taking in the scene instead of simply seeing it. “Where are we?”

“In the student parking lot, behind the high school.” Kris and I shared a grin, Liam watching us both, confused.

We had been such rebels. We only ‘skipped’ first period study, which we were
allowed
to miss. We had been so nervous that we’d miss the next period that we just sat in Kris’s car in the parking lot, talking about where we could have gone.

“So. What now?” I asked, shivering slightly in the cold air. The last vestiges of warmth from the truck having long since vanished.

“We need to go somewhere you two can get some rest.” Kris’s eyes were full of concern as she took in our appearances. I could only imagine what I looked like, I hadn’t slept very long or taken a shower in days. “After that, when you’re both ready, we’ll all sit down and actually come up with a plan.”

I nodded my assent, unable to speak as I succumbed to a series of yawns. Now that I was aware of it again, my exhaustion felt like a monster sitting heavily upon my shoulders.

“Wherever we go, it should be somewhere Troy is unfamiliar with. Or, better yet, somewhere he is fully unaware of.” Liam moved behind me as he spoke, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close.

His body heat chased away any cold I may have been feeling as I melted into him. The comfort and warmth made my tiredness spike however and my eyes closed on their own accord as I settled back into his embrace. Nestling against him felt like coming home.

“I know where we can go.” I spoke, then sighed as I opened my eyes. I could have fallen asleep within the protective circle of Liam’s arms. “Dad would love the company and Troy has no idea where he lives.”

“Perfect!” Kris smiled happily, she had always gotten on well with my father. Not that it was all that difficult, Dad could sit at a table with two arch enemies and have everyone laughing in minutes.

“Your... father?” Liam’s voice was a low rumble in my ear and against my back through his chest. He wasn’t able to keep an edge of concern out of his words and I chuckled at the absurdity of it.

He had faced down a gang of punks at a club, had stood defiantly before his leaders, and had ripped his way through a small army. All to protect me and all within little more than a week.

But he was afraid to meet Dad.

“It’ll be fine, my father will
love
you.”

“How can you be so sure?” His tone had, if anything, gotten even more nervous. Kris grinned at the two of us as Liam squirmed slightly behind me.

“It’s simple,” I twisted slowly in his arms as I spoke, then pressed my face into his chest and wrapped my arms around him. “He’ll love you because
I
love you.”

Liam took a deep, steadying breath and held me tighter. He was still uneasy, but now he wore determination like a heavy coat. He would face this like every other challenge he overcame, and he’d give it his all.

“Ahem...” Kris’s voice shattered the moment and I shot a glare over my shoulder at her. Like always it just rolled off of her. “As much as I’d love to stand here in the cold watching you two be sickeningly adorable, we should get moving.”

“Which car should we take?” I spoke from Liam’s chest, not ready to stop holding him anytime soon.

“I was thinking we might want to call a cab. Troy seems to be able to find us with a frightening ease and I wouldn’t really be surprised to learn he put bugs or trackers on all our cars at this point.” Her words hit a chord within me, it really did feel odd how easily he seemed to track us down.

“Trevor!” Liam barked the name out unexpectedly, causing me to jump slightly.

“Who?” Kris and I answered in unison. I leaned back to look up into his face and found him smiling.

“He is from the tribe and drives a car for a... car service? He gave me this.” Liam still struggled with some human terms, though he seemed to be adapting quickly. He lowered an arm and fished around in his pockets briefly before pulling out a business card. “He said if I needed another ride to call that number and ask for Trevor.”