Skin Walkers: Angel Lost (3 page)

Chapter 5

Remy’s black Ford Raptor led a stream of Walker vehicles east away from StoneCrow.  His eyes were focused on the black ribbon of highway, extending for hundreds of miles in front of him, but his thoughts were on Harlow EnemyHunter, his newly found Angel.  What a hell of a time to be afflicted.  His inner beasts paced just beneath the surface, infuriated that they were driving away from Harlow, instead of back to her.  His skin itched to complete his claiming, and it wasn’t lost on him that there was a very high possibility that the Estate could be attacked again while he was on mission. He might lose his Angel before he ever got the chance to claim her. 

“Hey, big guy!  Easy!”

Remy’s eyes snapped to where James sat shotgun, noting that James’s eyes were fixed on the steering wheel.  Looking forward, Remy realized he held the wheel in such a death grip it was actually slightly bent.

“Thinking about the attack?”

Remy snorted.

“Or is it Harlow EnemyHunter that has you strangling that poor, defenseless steering wheel?”

Remy loosened his grip, rolling his shoulders in a show of relaxing.

“Harlow it is,” James muttered, slouching in his seat.  “How did Mason take it?”

Remy’s hands tightened again as he growled, “He thinks I walked away from her.”

That had James straightening in his seat.  “Did you?”

Remy’s jaw worked before he frowned, hard.  “Yeah, I did, but she came to me just before we left StoneCrow.”  The hint of a smile ghosted Remy’s lips as he got a far-off look.  “She’s mine now.  I’ll never let her go again.”

“So, you claimed her!”

Remy’s smile slipped.  “Not fully.  Not yet.  But I will.”  He looked over when James made a show of looking him up-and-down.  “What?” he growled.

“So, you’re still afflicted?”

Remy’s lips thinned into a grim line.  He knew James’s concerns.  An afflicted Walker was easily agitated and more irritable, his thoughts consumed with one thing and one thing only.

“Remy?  Are you telling me you came on mission still fucking afflicted, man?”

Heaving a great sigh, Remy nodded once.  “It couldn’t be helped.”

“Aww, fuck!” James threw his hands in the air, then turned to look over his shoulder to eyes the vehicle behind them through the window.  “I’m contacting RedKnife to see if I can ride with him.  Pull this fucking thing over.”

That had Remy grinning.  “Worried, little brother?”

“Fuck yes!” James stared at him incredulously.  “I don’t want to be trapped in this tin can with you all in a hormonal rage!”

Remy barked a laugh. “Hormonal rage?”

“Fuck yes!  And don’t act like that’s not what it is.  Your man juices are all whack-a-doo, we’re headed into battle, and you’re already revved up.  This could get bad!”  James turned to eye the vehicle behind them longingly. “Real bad.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense then,” Remy countered, “to be with the most volatile Walker when we do go into battle?”

“No!” James shook his head hard.  “
Fuck
no!  You’re gonna make bad decisions.  You’re gonna go blazing in.  You’re
gonna
get my ass killed.”  He rolled down the window, sticking his head out to yell.  “REDKNIFE PULL OVER!  ME AND SHANE ARE SWITCHING CARS!”

A genuine laugh escaped Remy.  He knew James was over exaggerating to take his mind off things.  When Remy glanced in his rearview mirror he laughed even harder when he saw RedKnife frown at James through the glass, then glance in confusion at Shane where he sat shotgun.  “Don’t mess with RedKnife,” Remy warned, throwing up a hand to wave off RedKnife’s questioning look.  “He’ll kill us both.”

James laughed.  “Naw.  He can’t kill me.  Cindy likes me.  She’d have his hide.”

“Are you kidding?  Cindy liking you will get you killed faster than anything else ever could.”

Glancing at the rearview mirror, James asked, “You think?”

“I fucking know,” Remy supplied.  “If Harlow had even an ounce of any type of affection for any unmated Walker…”  His words drifted off, the light banter fading as the conversation came back around to the source of James’s concern.

“Seriously man.” James cleared his throat.  “You gotta keep an eye on that.  You heard what happened to Bishop, and Conn nearly went mad when Aries was taken from him before he could claim her.”  He ducked his head, swallowing loudly as he remembered it was Remy who’d taken Aries from Conn.  He slid a glance to Remy, whose face had gone ashen.  “Look, I’m just saying, you won’t have long out there.”  He jerked his chin toward the highway. 

When Remy responded, his tone was clipped.  “I don’t plan on this taking long.”

“But if the intel is bad, if they’re not where they’re supposed to be...”

“They’ll be there.”  Remy’s eyes narrowed on the highway.  “This came straight from Monroe, and after the blow he’s just taken, he isn’t dishing out bad information.  Don’t ask me how he knows, or why he knows, but the Dominant knows.  We’re gonna find Nyree and Rohm, and we’re gonna bring ‘em home.”

“What of the others? Any word on Recker?”

“He’s safe.” Remy answered.  “Back at StoneCrow.”

“What about the two human females, Sofia and Thea?”

“Marko’s got Thea. Apparently, she took a hit, and they were chased from the Estate.  We’ve got Walkers on their way to bring them in.  We believe Sofia may be with Ash, and his daughter, Harper.”

“Really?” James sounded surprised.

“What?”

“Sofia being with Ash,” James answered.

“Why the shock?  Word is, the vet tech has been spending a great deal of time with little Harper.  It’d make sense that Ash would protect them both when battle came.”

“Yeah.” James’s brows hiked.  “But Ash?  He’s mean as hell.”

Remy shook his head. “He’s
protective
as hell.  There isn’t anything the Walker wouldn’t do for his daughter, and if she’s formed an attachment to Sofia, then Ash would get them both to safety.  Funny.” He snorted.  “I never understood the Walker male’s predilection for overprotection until now.”  His eyes narrowed on the road in front of him.  “Part of me came on this mission to find Rohm and Nyree, but another part, a bigger part, came to get my hands on the Megalya.  They took Harlow, and God knows what they intended to do once they had her.  When I find them, they’re gonna know they should have left her the hell alone.”

James nodded.  “They’re fucking doomed!  Worse thing you can do is mess with a Walker’s Angel, and after what happened to Harlow, and worse, Eden!  I think Monroe was satisfied letting the Megalya exist on the Walker periphery, but not anymore.”

Remy looked at James.  “Any word on the Domina?”

“RedKnife contacted Jenny before we left.  Rumor has it the Domina doesn’t remember Monroe.”  He glanced at Remy.  “Can you imagine what that’s doing to him?  It’s like they’ve taken his Angel, but worse.  He still sees her, and she has no fucking clue who or what he is.”

“Then maybe we bring him back one still alive,” Remy grinned devilishly. 

“We’d be doing them a favor to kill them all on sight.”

“I’m not much into favors where the Megalya are concerned.”

Chapter 6

Monroe sat in Jenny’s office, his head in his hands.  It’d been days, and his Eden still hadn’t come around.  Each day he visited under the guise of being a doctor, and each day she grew more and more insistent that someone contact her ‘boyfriend’, Finn.

“We need to do this slowly and carefully, Monroe.  Any part of this,” Jenny waved her hand around the room, “existence could be a major setback.  For now, I highly recommend you come up with a story explaining your wealth, and this place, because trying to tell a human female who just lost her memory, and therefore her entire life, that shape shifters not only exist, but that she is their queen…”  Jenny blew out a pent up breath.  “This could be bad.  Not to mention the children.  She can’t see them now, she just can’t.  It’d be bad for her, and it’d be bad for them, which means you’re going to need to explain to your children why their mother is suddenly absent from their lives.  I suggest the truth with Micah.  He’s old enough, and he’s too smart for you to try to keep this from him.”  She heaved a great sigh. “And aside from all that, we’ve got another problem.”

“What?”

“You can’t move her to Apex with the rest of the Angels and children.”

“Why?  You’re afraid one of the women will let information slip?”

“Well yeah, there’s that too, but my biggest concern is that Walker children don’t learn to control their shifts until they’re much older.  Her mind is fragile right now, and if she saw one of the children shift involuntarily, it could be catastrophic.”

“FUUUUCK!”
Monroe bellowed, as he ripped a hand through his hair, leaning back in his chair and kicking his legs out in front of him. 

Jenny watched silently as his mind worked.  She knew his dilemma.  The attack meant he was needed elsewhere, but Monroe would never leave his Domina in this state.  Worse, he needed to get his children to Apex for their safety. But how could he explain to them, in a way that made any sense, why he and Eden wouldn’t be accompanying them?  She wasn’t even sure he would send his children without accompanying them.  What did he do?  Follow his children, or stay with his queen?

Monroe’s head jerked to the side and he growled at the Sentry near the door.  Now that King was aiding Tyce with running the Estate, Bodi was assigned as Monroe’s personal guard. “Get me Micah.”

Jenny nodded.  Bringing Micah in now would help greatly. 
He
could escort and protect the children where Monroe could not. He could also soften the blow of their mother’s absence for God knew how long.

Leaning back in his chair, Monroe folded one leg beneath him rested his fingers against his lips as he sat in quiet contemplation.

He looked haggard, defeated, and Jenny hated seeing it. He was their leader, and he needed to be strong.  “Maybe, you should put someone else in charge,” Jenny suggested.  “
Temporarily
,” she amended, when Monroe passed her a dark look.

“Step down while we’re under attack?” he scoffed.

“They’ll understand,” Jenny implored.  “They’ll know that you need to be with Eden.”

“Tyce is already here,” he snarled.  “And how can I be with her?  She doesn’t even fucking know me!”

The door opened, and Monroe’s gaze jerked to Micah as he entered.  The young man was growing into a fine Walker, and Monroe couldn’t help but feel pride surge.

Micah’s clear gaze locked on his.  “Monroe?”

“We have a problem.”  Monroe motioned with his head for Jenny and Bodi to leave them.  Once alone with Micah, he stood and motioned toward the chair.  “Have a seat.”

Micah did, his eyes tracking Monroe as he paced the room. 

“As you know, Eden was injured in the initial attack.”  He stopped pacing to stare at his adopted son.  “It’s more complicated than we thought.  She’s lost her memory, and Jenny isn’t sure when or if it’ll ever come back.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

Monroe crossed to kneel in front of Micah, placing a hand on his knee.  “She has no memory of who she is to us, or of who we are to her.”

Alarm filled Micah’s voice. “She doesn’t remember us?”  He shot to his feet.  “Maybe it’s just you.  Maybe, if she sees us, me and the other kids…”

Shaking his head sadly, Monroe stood.  “No, son, it doesn’t work like that.”

“But…but…”

“Look at me,” he commanded, and Micah complied.  “This doesn’t change anything for us.  Not for you or me, and certainly not for the kids.  We still love her like she’s ours.  She
is
still ours, and we’re never going to give up on her.”  He squeezed Micah’s shoulder.  “And we’ll wait for her, right?  We’ll wait for as long as it takes.”

Micah nodded, but his eyes had a far-off look, like he wasn’t even hearing what was said, too dazed to take it all in.

“She
is
going to come back to us.”  He didn’t know if it was the truth or not, but somehow just saying it made it feel right.

Micah blinked hard, coming out of his daze to stare at Monroe.  “She is.  She wouldn’t leave us.  Not ever.”

Monroe gave him a sad smile. “No.  She wouldn’t.  Not ever.”  He released Micah. “But now, you’ve got a mission.  Something mom needs right now.  Something to help the family.”

Micah straightened to attention, lifting his chin.  “I’ll do it.  Whatever she needs.”

This time’s Monroe’s smile was filled with pride.  “Good, son.  That’s good.”

A few hours later, Monroe sent his children to Apex with Micah and a team of his best mercenaries. As Monroe watched the helicopter leave with his children, he and Eden’s youngest nestled in the arms of Micah, he felt another piece of his heart tear free. 

Chapter 7

Monroe stalked to his office, his mind not on the Estate, StoneCrow’s missing, the Megalya, or even the war at his front door.  Emergency protocols and damage control didn’t occupy his thoughts.  No, his thoughts were with his Angel. 

Eden was his life, and the thought of her not recognizing him, or their children, gutted him like nothing else had the power to.  She was the very air he breathed, and without her, his existence was pointless.  His thoughts flashed to their children, and he knew his Eden would cut him to the core if he even considered using her as an excuse to be anything but the doting father he’d always been to their six children, both adopted and natural. 

Stepping into his office, he was met with a crowd of Walker Sentries huddled over his desk.

King’s head snapped up.  “Crow! How is the Domina?”

All eyes turned to Monroe. He knew King and the other Walkers had been too busy with finding the missing, tending the wounded, and defending the Estate to have heard.  “The head injury was severe.  There’s been a complication.”

King’s eyes rounded as he asked, cautiously, “A complication?”

Monroe pinned King with hard eyes.  “Memory loss.  My Angel does not remember me.  She does not remember our children.  Right now, the Domina isn’t even aware of the existence of Walkers.”

Murmurs rose among the Sentries as they eyed one another.  King sidled from behind the desk, but Monroe held up a hand.  Monroe pointed at his chair and clipped out, “Keep it.  I’m only here for a file.”  He pointed to his computer, commanding, “I want all the intel we have on Finn fucking Emmit.”

King’s eyebrows hiked.  “Crow?”

“Yeah,” Monroe growled.  “
That
Finn Emmit!”

King dropped into Monroe’s chair and began typing.  “Sending it to your phone.”  He looked up.  “Is he a part of our problem?”

Monroe’s jaw clenched.  “No.  He’s
my
problem right now.  Eden’s lost years, and her mind is currently locked in the past.  She believes she’s still in a relationship with Finn.  Jenny thinks it’ll help to bring him in.”

King’s mouth fell open, and several of the Walkers in the room actually stepped back.

“Yeah.” Monroe slowly rolled his neck, barely containing the rage surging through him, his incisors elongating of their own volition.  His beasts paced just beneath the surface, and when he finally lowered his head and opened his eyes, they’d gone full matte-black with the need to shift, to vent his frustration and agony with teeth and claws.

“Crow, if you need me to…”

Monroe raised a hand.  “No.  She’s my Angel, I’ll see to her needs.”

“Maybe you should take her to Apex, Crow.  This place isn’t…”

“This place is all she knows,” Monroe snarled.  “I’m not fucking leaving.  This is our
home
. This is where she became mine, where she brought our children for safety.  If there’s any hope of triggering her memory, then it’s going to happen here, which means this is where we’ll stay.”

King nodded, but offered, “If you need me for anything…”

Monroe cut him off again.  “I appreciate it, but I need you here.” He pointed to the floor.  “She’s my first concern. You help Tyce, give him what he needs.”  He eyed the room.  “Where is he anyway?”

“Touring the Estate, taking stock.”

Monroe nodded.  “I expect you and Tyce to handle things for now.  Contact me only in the event of a pending catastrophe.”

King stood to his full height as Monroe exited the office. As Monroe left, his phone vibrated once in the pocket of his suit coat, and he knew his life was about to become exponentially more difficult.
Finn-fucking-tastic!

***

Six hours later, Monroe was pacing the foyer of StoneCrow manor.  He’d checked on Eden, but there was no improvement.  In fact, things had gotten worse.  His Angel was more confused and scared than ever.  She’d begun crying for a familiar face, for Finn, and had become nearly inconsolable.  He’d had to listen to her cry from the hallway as she begged Jenny to find her boyfriend, Finn, and get him to come retrieve her.  Now, Monroe paced in front of the doors, waiting.  Against every fiber of his being he’d decided to give Eden what she needed.  He’d contacted Finn, and the man had agreed to come.  Fucker had even sounded hopeful.  The memory had Monroe tightening his fists, and they tightened even further, his knuckles creaking from the strain, when a blacked-out SUV pulled up and a team of Walkers exited, escorting Tyce Steele toward the manor.

Tyce.
  The man was a dominant Walker just like Monroe.  Two dominants could never share space, so Tyce had his own domain, Apex, located in Northern Montana.  Apex wasn’t like StoneCrow, it housed mainly Walker mercenaries and Spec Op teams.  Several Walkers called the place home, and were afforded a more lax existence.  The absence of numerous Walker children and mates meant there wasn’t much to protect at Apex, save for Commander Conn Drago’s Angel, Aries, and their daughter, Wynter.  It afforded them the luxury to come and go as they pleased.  No guarded walls surrounded Apex, no extensive security measures were in place to ensure only Walkers made their way onto the property.  Monroe thought Tyce an absolute idiot for not taking better care with his facility and his Walkers.

“Monroe.”  The blond Dominant’s greeting was surprisingly void of his typical mockery.  As well it should be, Monroe was in no mood.

“Tyce,” Monroe ground out, his skin itching with agitation.  A fellow Dominant was on his territory, and not only that, he was being asked to temporarily take the helm while Monroe dealt with his injured Angel. An Angel whose ex-lover was mere moments from arriving, in order to pretend he was
still
in a relationship with her. 

Monroe couldn’t help his clipped tone when he spoke.  “I appreciate you and your teams coming to lend a hand.”

Tyce nodded, “It’s the least we could do.”  He looked over his shoulder.  “We’ve just surveyed the grounds.”  He turned back to Monroe. “Damage is extensive.”

Monroe’s lips thinned into a grim line.

“Bragg is working with Mateo and three teams on securing the fence and gates around the perimeter,” Tyce offered.  “Shane and Conn are getting your females and children moved to Apex.  Most are already there.”  He looked over his shoulder at York and Baymac, motioning for the two Walkers to go inside.  When the two Dominants were alone, Tyce grinned.  “Funny though, Bellis StCroix is missing.  Any idea where my assassin might be?”

Monroe’s jaw ticked.  “Funny thing about assassins for hire.  They tend to go where the money is.”

Tyce snorted, furrowing a hand through his hair.  “I’ve gotta go deal with this Fatal fuck!  Thanks for that, by the way.”  Sandy-blond brows speared down.  “I told you not to welcome them here.”

“They aided us in defending the Estate.”

“Still.” Tyce huffed out a breath.  “He’s quite difficult.  Not sure the aid is worth the misery.”

“It was,” Monroe answered simply, pulling his eyes from Tyce to scowl at the approaching truck.  One man, and he didn’t recognize the vehicle.  Had to be Finn.  Beside him, Tyce looked toward the vehicle, inhaled, then turned sharply to look at Monroe.  He didn’t pull his eyes from him as the truck eased to a halt behind Tyce’s vehicle.

A man climbed out, striding determinedly toward them.  Stopping a few feet away, he looked between them.  “Monroe StoneCrow?”

Tyce finally pulled his curious gaze from Monroe to stare at the male who had StoneCrow’s Dominant on a razor’s edge.  Tyce tilted his head toward Monroe, and the man thrust his hand out. “Finn Emmit.  I’m here for Eden.  I’ve come to take her home.”

Too much!  Everything had just been too. Damn.
Much
. Finn’s declaration was the final straw.  Monroe moved so quickly that both Tyce and Finn flinched.  One second Finn was attempting to shake Monroe’s hand, and the next Monroe held him off the ground, his nose pressed to Finn’s as he snarled, “You are
not
here for Eden!  You are here to fucking help,
if
you can.  And
this
…”  Monroe shook him hard, once.  “Is her home.  Understood?”

To his credit, or utter foolishness, Finn’s eyes narrowed to thin slits.  “Got it. Now get your fucking hands off me.”

Tyce stepped forward, lifting a hand to grab Monroe’s forearm.  “Crow.  Put the man down.  He’s here to help.”  Tyce looked from Monroe to Finn.  “Isn’t that right, Mr. Emmit?”

“Yeah,” Finn muttered, still glaring at Monroe.  “I’m here to help.”

“MONROE!”  Jenny snapped from somewhere behind Monroe, and he slowly lowered Finn back to his feet.

“Finn, thank you for coming.”  Jenny waved him to her.  “This way, please.”

Tyce watched Monroe as the Dominant’s gaze tracked Finn entering the manor.  Tyce snorted and shook his head.  “I’ve warned you for years that Angels would be our downfall.”

Monroe’s angry gaze cut to his.  “You all avoid Angels because you fear them.  Fear what they’d mean to you.”

Tyce’s eyes hardened.  “Wrong.  We avoid Angels because they are a weakness.  A weakness we are
smart enough
to avoid.”

For long moments Monroe stood silently, staring at Tyce before he finally spoke.  “Thank you for filling in here.  Remind me when this is all finished that I’ve got a gift for you.”

“Keep it.”

“No,” the corner of Monroe’s mouth tweaked, as if he was enjoying a private joke.  “You’re going to want this gift.  Trust me.”  Then he turned, hurrying to follow after Jenny and Finn.