Dark Moon Rising (The Revenant Book 2) (6 page)

Fuck, it seemed so obvious now Thea was ashamed that she hadn’t considered the possibility of Rhys being Revenant before. She thought back to Rhys’ reaction when she’d asked him about his involvement with the pack. He hadn’t been surprised or even angry. He hadn’t tried to lie or justify his actions, not the way a guilty person would. If anything, he’d seemed anxious and more worried about her than himself.

The alpha had wanted her to suspect Rhys, to distrust him and condemn him, and she hadn’t disappointed. He’d warned them that someone was always watching. Then he’d orchestrated the perfect confrontation between her and Rhys in hopes he would reveal his secrets to salvage her trust. Alpha Chase had manipulated them both, and Thea felt little more than disgust that she had let him.

“You stayed,” Thea whispered, realization dawning. “You stayed to take down the pack.”

“The Revenant needed someone on the inside to feed them information about security, surveillance, and routines. Clearly, I was the most logical choice.”

Being captured and held prisoner in no way benefited the operation, which meant something had gone wrong. “Someone found out.”

Rhys nodded. “One of the enforcers followed me and reported it to the alpha. The next thing we knew, the place was swarming with werewolves. They didn’t just kill the humans, they slaughtered them. Six innocent people who hadn’t done anything wrong except dare to hope for a better life.”

“The other guards?” She wasn’t unfazed by the loss of life, but she couldn’t do anything to help those poor people now.

“Four had left the bunker to lead a group of humans to the next checkpoint. Four others were out on a supply run.” His breath stuttered, and he pulled one hand out of her grip to rub it over his face. “The pack took the rest of us after they killed the refugees.”

If felt insensitive to say aloud, but she was surprised the pack hadn’t killed him along with the humans. From what she’d learned about Alpha Chase, he wouldn’t have tolerated such a betrayal. “And you’ve been a prisoner here ever since?”

His laughter was dark, cold, and lacking all humor. “Yes, but this isn’t the worst of my punishment. That would be too merciful.”

She couldn’t imagine anything worse than being repeatedly hunted by Ravagers, but before she could ask him to elaborate, a shrill, terrified scream cut through the night and bounced off stones around her. Though four other women had been brought in with the prisoners, she’d know that scream anywhere.

“Abby.”

Thea’s leg had fallen asleep while they’d been talking, and pinpricks tingled through her calf as she hurried out of the alcove. More screams accompanied Abby’s, intermingled with shouts, growls, and a single, keening screech. The campfire came into view as she passed the waterfall, the scene before her complete bedlam.

The human male with the thick glasses sprawled across the sodden ground, his lenses cracked, and two bleeding punctures in his neck. One of the other males had climbed into one of the trees, shouting curses down at the Ravager who swiped at him from below. Zerrik engaged a female vampire, his movements quick and fluid as he twisted behind her, clenched her head, and jerked it to the side. She toppled to the ground, unmoving.

“The full moon isn’t until tomorrow,” she shouted over the chaos. “What the hell is going on?”

“Retaliation,” Rhys answered, catching a male vampire in the chin with a right hook.

Bending at the waist when a male Ravager lunged at her, Thea pushed up with her legs, sending the beast sailing over her back to land several feet away in a grouping of jagged rocks. “Kara?”

“Kara.” Rhys whipped toward her, his eyes flashing with menace. “Duck.”

She didn’t need to be told twice and crouched just as another female vampire leapt through the air toward her. Rhys caught the female by the throat, lifting her off her feet before slamming her back to the ground with a sickening crunch.

On her feet again, Thea raced through the enclosure, dodging Ravagers and hungry vampires as she searched for her friends.

“I’m good,” Zerrik called, winding his arms around a Ravager’s neck and twisting. “Find Abby.”

Leaping over one of the narrow streams that ran through the enclosure, Thea sprinted toward the retaining wall, following the sounds of feminine screams. Abby swayed on a frayed rope that hung from a long, thick tree limb, clinging to it for dear life as a beefy, male vampire with matted hair and crazed eyes jerked on her ankle.

“Abby, hold on!” Thea called, turning on a burst of speed.

She wasn’t fast enough. Another hard tug on her leg, and Abby crashed to the ground, screaming as the vampire converged on her. With a growl, he pinned her in the mud, striking quickly to embed his fangs into the side of her neck. Her small fists beat against his back, and her feet kicked against the ground, but she couldn’t budge him.

Fear twisted in Thea’s gut, and she tucked her arms close to her side, pushing her body to its limits. In her heart, though, she knew she wouldn’t make it in time. Even as she thought it, another human female rushed forward, armed with nothing more than a stick.

“Hey, bloodsucker!”

Distracted, the vampire lifted his head from Abby’s neck and snarled. With a swing worthy of the pros, the female cracked the broken branch across the vampire’s face, effectively knocking him off Abby and onto his back in a puddle of rain water. Without hesitation, the unknown woman fell on top of him, spearing him with the broken branch and jerking it upward to find his heart.

Scrambling off the vampire, she hurried over to Abby and patted her cheeks lightly. “Hey, are you okay? Can you say something?”

“Stop hitting me,” Abby moaned.

Thea slowed, approaching the newcomer with a healthy dose of caution. “That was impressive.”

Tossing her long, black hair out of her face, the female shoved to her feet and offered Thea a bloodied hand. “Kamara Yamashito.” She nodded sideways at Abby. “Friend of yours?”

Thea nodded. Not many humans could take on a vampire, let alone a starved, crazed vampire the size of a tank. “Where the hell did you learn to do that?”

“I was a detective before the world went to shit.”

“Huh.” Thea thought it over for a moment and snorted. “With who? Scully and Mulder?”              

Kamara smirked. “NYPD, actually. Narcotics.”

“Don’t mind me,” Abby interrupted. “I’ll just lay here and bleed.”

Arching an eyebrow, Kamara jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “The screaming stopped. You should go see if anyone else needs help. I’ve got Barbie.”

Thea couldn’t stop the laughter that burst from her lips. “I like you, Detective. I hope you don’t die.”

The female winked. “Likewise.”

Marching back toward the campfire, Thea winced at the number of bodies that littered the ground. She counted four humans, at least one shifter, and half a dozen Ravagers and vampires. The survivors huddled around the fire in their blankets as Cade and Zerrik moved among them, checking injuries and offering a measure of comfort. She applauded their efforts, but these civilians had every right to be afraid. Hell, she was scared. They’d just gotten a taste of the Gallows on a much smaller scale, and still so many had died. She couldn’t see how anyone would survive the full moon.

Standing near one of the large boulders, Rhys lifted his hand in the air when he spotted her. Thea waved back and started jogging. She’d made it only a couple of steps when a female Ravager crept out from behind the boulder, her dark hair wet and sticking to her face. Veins snaked across her ivory skin, and a flowery dress caked with mud hung off her shoulders, the fabric shredded in several places. No whites showed in her eyes, as if the pupils had bled out to the corners, and firelight reflected in the onyx as she prowled toward Rhys.

Before Thea could shout a warning, the Ravager pounced, landing on Rhys back with a terrible screech. She pulled his hair and clawed at his shoulders, but he only held her mouth away from his neck instead of actually fighting back. Thea had no such reservations.

With a running leap, she tackled them both to the ground, disengaging the Ravager and rolling with her through the wet grass. The female had a rusted collar around her neck, the lock so corroded it had begun to turn green. When she thrashed her head back and forth, Thea could see the red abrasions on her throat from the shackle, and while she felt sorry for the person the Ravager had been, the female before her had been reduced to nothing more than a mindless savage.

Pressing her knee into the Ravager’s back, Thea gripped a handful of her greasy hair, jerking her head up from the ground, and gripped her chin. Before she could end the monster, however, Rhys scrambled forward on his hands and knees, his eyes wide and slightly deranged.

“No! Thea, don’t!”

“Why the hell not?” she demanded, wrestling to keep the female under control.

His shoulders rounded, and his expression turned tormented. “Because she’s my mother.”

That night, Thea slept fitfully, her dreams haunted by the dead.

Hearing Rhys’ plea for his mother’s life, she’d reluctantly incapacitated the female with a chokehold instead. Shortly after, enforcers arrived to remove her, along with the lifeless bodies that littered the enclosure.

Rhys hadn’t said a word since.

The remaining captives had gathered around the crackling fire, sleeping in turns in case of another attack. Rhys, however, sat the edge of their group, his back against the cracked trunk of a dead tree and his head bowed. Zerrik and Cade had both tried to engage him without success.

They’d all lost someone in the Purge or in the months that followed, but not the way Rhys had. Nothing anyone could say would ease his suffering, and Thea didn’t even know where to begin. He’d told her his captivity and participation in the Gallows hadn’t been the alpha’s only means of punishment. At the time, she hadn’t been able to think of anything worse, couldn’t have imagined what would be crueler.

Now, she knew…and wished she didn’t.

After finishing her watch, she’d snuck over to Rhys and settled down at his side. Silently, she’d taken his big, rough hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. When he was ready, he’d tell her about his mother, but until then, she wouldn’t push. With his hand still clasped in hers, she’d slept, falling into nightmares where her friends’ deaths played out before her eyes, each of them killed by Ravagers who looked like Rhys.

Thea awoke the next morning, cradled in her mate’s arms. The clouds had cleared during the night, giving way to sunshine and bright blue skies. The golden rays warmed her face, giving her courage to face the new day, and Rhys’ body curled around hers chased away the chill that lingered from her dreams.

“Good morning, angel.” He smiled down at her when she yawned. “Sleep well?”

“Not really.” Reaching up, she traced the dark circles that ringed his bloodshot eyes with her fingertips. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Not really.” His lips twitched. “The enforcers brought food. Just cold scraps from the Gathering, but it’s there if you’re hungry.”

Untangling herself from his arms, she rolled out of his lap and plopped down in the still-damn grass, stretching her arms over her head with a wide yawn. “Okay,” she said to acknowledge she’d heard him, but her stomach knotted at the thought of food. “What else did I miss?”

Rhys motioned vaguely ahead of him. “The enforcers brought more than just food this morning.”

Scrubbing both hands over her face, Thea blinked a few times, forcing her tired eyes to focus. “Damn, they didn’t waste any time, did they?”

She counted four new additions to their group. Two of the males looked human, and the third she guessed to be a vampire, judging by the pink hue to his skin and the way he shielded his eyes from the sun. The fourth, and the only female of the new group, Thea couldn’t read. The woman stood next to Zerrik, maybe three or four inches shy of the vampire’s six-two height. Lean and powerful, her muscles flexed with every movement, highlighted clearly through her simple, white tank top and cropped yoga capris the color of a tie-died rainbow.

Strawberry-blonde waves tumbled over her shoulders, the locks reaching down to her narrow waist. She swept her hands in big, animated gestures as she paced back and forth, but Thea couldn’t make out her words. Whoever she was, she’d certainly captured the attention of the males.

“Deidra O’Malley,” Rhys answered her unspoken question. “She was picked up outside of the city right after the last full moon and given the option to join the pack or take her chances in the Gallows.”

“Werewolf?” That wouldn’t have been her first guess.

Rhys nodded. “I’ve only heard bits of the conversation, but it sounds like enforcers broke into her quarters this morning and dragged her out of bed.”

“Does that mean she was let go, or that she turned in her resignation?”

“I don’t know yet.” Rhys brushed his mate’s hair back from her face, amused by the tousled mess of ebony locks. She looked adorable with her sleep-swollen lips and heavy-lidded eyes, but he doubted she’d appreciate him saying so. “I was kind of preoccupied.”

“Is that so?” Playfully, she tilted her face up for a kiss, smiling beautifully when he obliged with a chase brush of lips. “Now it’s a good morning.”

Rhys had been silent and brooding during the night, his thoughts drifting into dark places, but that hadn’t stopped Thea from trying to offer him comfort. She’d done so without being intrusive or demanding, offering compassion without expecting anything in return.

Sweet hell, he barely knew her, but he was already halfway in love with her.

When she’d fallen asleep against him, he’d carefully and gently gathered her into his arms, holding her protectively to his chest as he watched over her throughout the night. She hadn’t slept well, mumbling in her sleep about monsters. Once, she’d said his name, and her eyebrows had drawn together as she’d rolled her head against his shoulder. He didn’t know what it meant, and even in the light of morning, he was too much of a coward to ask.

Besides, he had no right to ask anything of her when he still wasn’t ready to talk about his mother and the story behind her transformation. Soon, he’d have to explain to Thea why he’d asked her to put her life in danger. He’d have to tell her how most of the scars on his body were from the woman who’d given him life, and why he hadn’t been able to bring himself to end his mother’s misery during any of the past six Gallows.

Logically, he knew he’d never get her back. Once a wolf turned feral, gave into that part of themselves that brought forth the Ravager, nothing could recall their sanity. The goddess above knew he’d tried. Every full moon, he’d find his mother in the Gallows, subdue her, and try to talk her back to reason. He’d tell her stories of his childhood, memories he had of her and his father. For hours, he’d split his time between fighting off attacks and trying to garner some kind of response from his mother.

It never worked. She never showed any signs that she recognized him or remembered anything from her former life. Every time, it broke his heart, and he’d finally had to admit to himself that she was lost to him forever.

“Hey.” Caressing his cheeks with her fingertips, Thea arched up for another kiss. “You look a million miles away.”

He wouldn’t lie to her. “Just thinking.”

“About your mother?” She nodded, seemingly taking his silence as confirmation. “I’m sorry, Rhys. I hope one day you’ll tell me about her, about what happened.”

Anyone else would have demanded answers, and Thea had every right to do the same. The fact that she didn’t only made her more special to him. “Do you have any idea how amazing you are?”

Her lips parted, likely to say something sarcastic that would have made him laugh, but he didn’t give her the chance. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he slanted their mouths together, delving his tongue between her lips to taste her. His heart pounded and his blood roared, drowning out everything except the sound of her sweet, needy moan. She kissed him back, not just with her mouth but with her whole body, leaning into him, rubbing against his chest, her fingers gripping his shoulders to pull him closer.

When she sighed his name, he nearly lost his damn mind.

Several feet away, someone cleared their throat, dragging him out of his lusty haze and reminding him they weren’t alone. Reluctantly, he withdrew, but he still held her close, his fingers gripping her jaw as he rubbed their cheeks together, covering his mate in his scent. He couldn’t claim her, not yet, but everyone would know she belonged to him.

“I guess we should join the others,” she said when minutes had passed and he hadn’t moved.

“You need to eat.”

Leaning away from him, she returned her attention to the rest of the group, worry lines creasing her forehead as her eyebrows knitted together. “I will, but I want to find out more about this werewolf first. Do you trust her?”

Deidra had only been with the pack for a couple of weeks, and Rhys hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to interrogate her. “I don’t know her.”

“Fair enough. She’s certainly colorful.” She scoffed when Zerrik laughed at something the she-wolf had said. “The rest of the guys seem to like her.”

“It’s the accent. Females aren’t the only ones susceptible to the charm.” Thea spoke with just a hint of a Philly accent, and he found it cute as hell.

Deciding to investigate for herself, Thea rose to her feet, dusted the dirt and loose grass from her backside, and sauntered over to the rest of the group. She found Kamara sitting on a smooth rock with a flat top, a peculiar expression on her face.

“Something up?”

“Not exactly.” Kamara nodded toward the werewolf, and her chocolate brown eyes clouded with wariness. “What do you think of the new girl?”

“Don’t know yet. That’s why I’m here.” She waited for Kamara to join her before approaching the rest of the group. “Guys,” she called, motioning toward the female at her side, “this is Kamara, but you can call her Mulan.”

Kamara arched a brow at her. “I’m Japanese.”

“Yes?” Considering her last name, Thea had assumed as much.

“Mulan was from China, Han Dynasty.”

“I’m aware. She was badass.” Thea didn’t understand the problem. She could just as easily have compared Kamara to Joan of Arc. Nationality had nothing to do with it.

Kamara laughed. “Whatever.” She shook hands with Zerrik, then Cade. “Call me Mulan, and I’ll rip your dick out through your navel.” Her smile brightened pleasantly. “Got it?”

Zerrik nodded, but Cade mirrored her wide grin. “I like you.”

Backing away a couple of steps, Kamara tucked her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants. “That seems to be going around.”

They went around from there, introducing themselves to the humans, shifters, and vampires gathered by the smoking remains of the campfire. Thea couldn’t be sure, but she didn’t take any of them for Revenant, though she felt Kamara and Duncan—a human male with mocha skin, a shorn head, and muscles the size of mountains—would make good additions.

Duncan Atmos had also been a police officer before the Purge, assigned to the Boston Police Special Operations Unit. As former SWAT, Cade immediately took an interest, and the two digressed into a series of stories mostly designed to one-up the other. Thea left them to their conversation and finally turned to the female who had captured her interest since she’d first awoken.

“Thea Mendez,” she said, but she didn’t offer the werewolf her hand. “Rhys says you were an enforcer with the pack until this morning.”

“Aye, too right he is.” Her Irish accent wasn’t as thick as some Thea had heard, but it wouldn’t necessarily be considered a lilt, either. “Waltzed right into my quarters and tossed me out of bed and onto my bloody arse. I fought back, and got a needle in my neck for my troubles.” Pausing, she sucked in a deep breath and shoved her hand toward Thea. “Warden Deidra O’Malley.”

So, she’d been Coalition before joining the pack, assigned to the protection of one of the royal families. It made sense. Hesitantly, Thea took the female’s hand, gave it a brief shake, then pulled away. “You’ve only been here for a month.” It wasn’t a question, and she wouldn’t insult either of them by pretending it was. “How did you end up in St. Louis?”

“I was sent here to find Sergeant Rhys Lockwood and report back to my captain,” Deidra answered bluntly. Piling her hair high on her crown, she tilted her head and tapped a small Revenant tattoo just behind her left ear. “Zerrik already filled me in, and it’s an honor to meet you, Corporal. I’ve heard good things about Trinity Grove.”

Thea released the breath she’d been holding since Deidra had announced herself as a Warden. Many of the Revenant guards were Coalition soldiers as well, herself included. It gave them access to otherwise restricted areas and information, making it easier to move refugees without being discovered.

“Yeah, well, I’m not sure how much of it is left.” Captain Deke Collins and the others would be halfway to Kansas City by now, unaware of what was happening in St. Louis. Thea hoped they made it. “Where were you coming from?”

“Valley Falls, Kansas.”

Shifter territory. “Which family?”

“The Dresdens, lion shifters.” A smirk lifted one side of her mouth. “They’re not what you think. Cameron Dresden is my captain.”

Thea gaped. “A royal family is part of the Revenant?”

Deidra nodded, seemingly pleased she’d elicited such a response.

“Will they send others?” Thea hated to admit a situation existed she couldn’t fight her way out of, but that was exactly where she found herself. If help didn’t come and soon, many of them likely wouldn’t see the next sunrise.

“Doubtful, love.” The smile slipped from her mouth. “I checked in last night. Captain Dresden won’t be expecting to hear back from me until next week.”

“How did you contact them?” Zerrik demanded before Thea could respond.

Having a form of communication between state lines had been little more than a pipe dream since the Coalition had taken over, but it could be the advantage they needed.

“There’s a guy in Valley Falls who used to work for some big communications company before the Purge.” Deidra shook her head and waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t ask me the details, because I don’t understand a word of it. I just know he hacked a bunch of mobile phones, put them on a different frequency, something like that. All I know is they work.”