Sword of Mercy (28 page)

Hawke’s brow rose at the two words.

“They are the top of the line.” He frowned.
“That is what we were taught.”

“How many were in your class?”

“Three started. I alone finished.”

“Are there more classes behind
yours?”

“Yes. Why are you in chains?” He looked at
Hawke with a perplexed look. “Why is Master Lancaster standing over
you while you are chained?”

“That was my training with the Liege,
different from what I saw you went through.” Hawke heard a vehicle
approach and turned aside to see Angus pull to a stop.

“Angus is here, are we about ready to
start
?” he asked Asia.

“Yes, she just took his blood and secured
it in an ice pouch. How does it feel being linked to your
son
?”

Hawke should have known she would sense the
connection. “
Gordon treated him more of a son than I have. He
has had a decent life so far. Is Gordon caged?”

“Yes. You can bring Damian inside.
I’m not sure the cage will hold him if he morphs, it wouldn’t hold
me.”

“Okay.”

Angus and Byte approached. “So this is your
seed? I see the resemblance. It’s time, let’s do this.”

Hawke loosened his grip slightly and they
walked toward the building housing the basement. “Byte and I will
take him in. You go ahead and prepare,” Angus said, moving into
position to contain the young pup.

Hawke looked down at Byte and then at Damian.
“If you try and run or move too fast the TerraByte will catch you,
he took down a bluebird, I doubt he’ll have a hard time with you.”
He removed his hand and walked inside.

“Don’t move,” Angus said to Damian when he
turned to follow. Byte growled.

Hawke looked over his shoulder at Damian, who
stared at him. “
Don’t kill him, please.”

“It’s not my decision,
” Hawke said as
he walked inside and met Asia at the bottom of the stairs, took her
hand and walked over to Maheegan. The woman offered him a small
smile, removed the needle and while murmuring what sounded like a
chant took a few vials of his blood. When done, she stored the
vials in what appeared to be a cooler, removed another and locked
the chest. Radoff removed the box and took it somewhere. Seemed
like a lot of extra work, but as long as the contract was broken,
Asia didn’t care. She wondered what they would do next.

Radoff stood on the dais and Maheegan stood
next to him holding the two vials.

“We will begin,” Radoff said as he looked down
at a page of paper on the podium. Hawke watched as Radoff’s beta
brought a bowl of water for him to cleanse his hands and then dried
them.

“What’s that?”
Hawke asked
Asia.

“Hmm? What?”

“I thought I heard something
.” He
listened hard. “
Never mind
.”

“Angus isn’t coming
?” Asia
asked.

“La Patron has him doing something right
now, he’ll be down when he is done
.”

A few minutes into the ceremony Hawke’s eyes
watered and his vision dimmed as Radoff continued reading the
paper. He cleared his throat and wiped his nose. “
You okay
?”
he asked Asia who leaned into him.

“No. Tired
.” He caught her as she fell
forward.

“Asia?
” He called through their link
even though his mind seemed fuzzy and his vision blurred. He went
to his knees, holding her and looked over his shoulder. Everyone
lay on the ground as if sleeping. Struggling to remain awake, he
glanced at the dais, Maheegan and Radoff had fallen to the ground,
the blood spilled and ran across the wood hitting the
floor.

In his mind he called out to Angus but wasn’t
sure if his call was heard before he fell forward and hit the
floor. In the distance he heard footsteps and tried to open his
eyes but couldn’t. He recognized the voice.

“I told you he could do it, see the blood
hasn’t been used,” Granari said in a low tone. “Everyone overlooks
him because of his size, but he slew Goliath as promised. That one
is not Angus, I told you that.” She paused. “We kept our end of the
deal.”

“Yes, you have. Chemical engineer, indeed,
potent stuff, no sound or smell. Verrick, give her the case and
then bring Gordon and these two. I’m curious to discover just who
is his mate,” Boris Lancaster said.

“Angus, its Lancaster and Granari
.”
Hawke delivered the message and passed out.

Chapter 28

“So you’re Hawke’s pup?” Angus asked as he
walked around Damian, whose gaze flicked between him and
Byte.

Angus wasn’t surprised Damian didn’t respond,
he doubted he would have either. Byte was the only reason the pup
didn’t take off behind Hawke to rescue Gordon. Damian vibrated with
indecision.

“Have you arrived?”
Silas
asked.

“Yes, I’m outside with Hawke’s pup
while he prepares for the ceremony. Shouldn’t be that much
longer.”

“The pup? Let me take a look at
him
.”

Angus moved to stand in front of Damian and
sensed when Silas entered. “
Something’s wrong with his
beast.”

“What do you mean?”
Angus moved closer
to the pup, looking for signs of his wolf.

Damian straightened and braced his
legs.

Byte grumbled his displeasure at the movement
and stood as if daring the pup to move again.

“Not sure, but it’s weak, not like
the Detective’s but he was much older. Wonder if he’s ever
shifted?”

“Want me to ask?”

“No. Hold steady, I’m going to
pull his wolf.”

One second Damian stood in front of Angus the
next a lone black wolf lay wild-eyed panting on the
ground.

“Based on his response, I’d say this is his
first shift
.”

Like a skittish colt, Damian tried to stand
without success on his first two attempts. And then he stood,
wobbling for a few seconds.

“Take him for a walk or run in the
woods
,” Silas said.

Angus shifted, looked at Damian and walked in
the opposite direction from the building. Damian followed, slowly
at first and then at a trot. Pleased with the pup’s progress, he
picked up speed. Soon they were running in the woods at the base of
the mountain which belonged to Alpha Radoff.

Byte took up the rear behind Damian but
stopped every once in a while to explore. They came to a stream.
Angus stepped into the cool water and lapped a drink. He watched
Damian take small steps looking at his image before he drank. When
he finished Damian took off running in the wrong direction which
would take him off pack lands.

Angus chased and slammed into him before he
got too far. Damian rolled on the ground and tried to rise. Angus
stood over him snarling and baring his teeth. The pup didn’t move.
When Angus felt he had made his point, he turned and ran back into
the wooded area.

Once again Damian followed, they ran through
the entire forest until Angus sensed Damian had connected with his
wolf. Angus stalked a deer and along with Byte brought it down.
Damian was hesitant at first, but after minutes of watching Byte
rip into the meat and Angus eating his fill, he took a few nibbles.
Pretty soon they were all sated and sat beneath a shade
tree.

“Angus, its Lancaster and Granari,
”
Hawke said in a weird voice interrupting the impromptu training
session.

“What?
” Nothing. Hawke didn’t
respond.

“Silas I got a weird message from
Hawke –”

“I cannot reach him or Maheegan. Jasmine
cannot contact Asia and is concerned. Go check things out,”
Silas said.

“On it
.” Angus jumped up and ran toward
Radoff’s, Damian and Byte were fast behind him. They made good time
in wolf form. He slowed as they broke through the trees. Granari,
Niall, and a few other scents he wasn’t familiar with had been
there.

Angus morphed into his human form and strode
to the building where the ceremony took place. Someone locked the
outer door. He morphed to his hybrid and kicked until it crashed
open. Angus ran inside, pushed the locked door leading down to the
basement aside and peeked in. From his vantage point everyone lay
on the ground as if they were at a large sleep-over. Steady
heartbeats and even breathing filled the room. Inhaling, he picked
up Asia, Hawke, Granari and Niall’s scents. Verrick, that bastard,
he’d been there as well.

He took the stairs two at a time searching for
Hawke and Asia. Chacal lay on the floor in the corner, Maheegan and
Radoff were on the dais, blood stained the floor, but Hawke and
Asia were missing.

“Don’t see them
.
Everyone’s asleep,
I don’t smell or taste anything in the air. Whatever they used,
it’s new.
” He started down the corridor searching for Niall or
Granira’s bodies but came up empty. That sucked. “
Niall and
Granari were here. Gordon’s gone
.” The woman had been too
accommodating, he should have guessed she was up to something. But
why? Why challenge him and Silas like this? Was it her or her
Alpha? Why involve Niall? She had to know Hawke wouldn’t allow
anyone to mess with his mate. He looked down the long corridor and
sent Byte ahead to check for surprises.

“Damian’s with you?”

“Yeah
.” He looked over his shoulder at
the pup who remained in wolf form. “
Might need to help him
shift.
”

“No, let him become accustomed to this form
and track Gordon
.
Find them, Angus
.”

“Will do.”
He looked at Damian, who
walked slightly behind him. “Someone took Hawke, his mate and
Gordon. Do you know who? Are any of the scents
familiar?”

Damian’s body shook as he ran back toward the
cell and then caught up with Angus who followed Byte. Damian ran
ahead, stopped at the corner of another tunnel and watched
Angus.

“They went that way? Okay.” Angus ran to catch
up as both Byte and Damian took off. After many twists and turns
Damian stood in front of what appeared to be a solid wall making
noises.

Byte growled and watched the wall as if
expecting someone or something to walk through at any moment. Angus
slid his palms and fingers along the seams of the walls searching
for a control mechanism. A click, a whirring sound and then the
panel slid aside revealing a stairwell. Byte took off, followed by
Damian and then Angus. They emerged on the outskirts of a small
town and remained in the tree line to get an idea where they
were.

Angus snapped his fingers. “
Byte stay by my
side
.” The animal turned, walked to him and sat on his haunches
watching Angus. “A blue dog and a wolf,” he murmured wondering how
to get where they needed to be without being shot or
attacked.

He pulled them back into the woods and stooped
low. “We need to find Gordon and Hawke but we cannot allow the
people to see us.” He looked at Damian and then Byte. “We cannot be
seen by people, not these people anyway. Chances are whoever took
Hawke had a car or truck waiting out here.”

Angus looked around wondering if he could rent
a car. If Damian were in human form they could run without raising
an alarm. There wasn’t much he could do about Byte, his new pet
would always draw attention.

“Stay here. I am going to find transportation
and then we’ll find them.” He waited until the pup lay down with
his head on his front paws. Angus stood. “
Stay here, watch.
Protect the wolf. I will be back
,” he told Byte and headed out
the woods.

After securing a small vehicle he returned to
pick up Byte and Damian. “
Silas I need Damian to give
directions, I had to rent a car.
”

Damian lifted his head as Angus approached,
the next moment he stood in human form with a look of wonder on his
face. His mouth opened and closed. He looked at his body and then
at Angus. “That… that was unbelievable. Comfortable. Different.” He
frowned. “My thoughts were linear, uncomplicated,
simple.”