Trinity Bound (36 page)

He held his fist to his heart, and she knew he desperately believed that. But what if they were wrong? The inkling of doubt spread through her and threatened to choke her.

“I trust you, baby. This just sucks.”
What an inadequate word
.

Reed let out a hollow laugh. “Yeah, it does. No matter what, you and Josh are my mates. Mate marking be dammed.”

She sank into his arms as dread filled her belly. What if it didn’t work? What if all the powers of her Healing and the Pack couldn’t save Josh?

The car lurched to a stop, and Jasper cut off the engine. “We’re about a mile outside the Centrals’ wards. I don’t want to risk going any farther.”

Hannah closed her eyes and felt her bond to Josh. Sadness swept over her. A small part of her had hoped he hadn’t gone to the Centrals, that he’d be just fine and in a cabin somewhere, waiting for them. But no. She felt their fragile bond going into the dark abyss of the Centrals’ den.

“I wish there was a way I could tell you to say here with my brothers and be safe,” Reed whispered and kissed her temple.

“We’re a team. Always.”

****

Josh tugged at his chains, and blood trickled down from the cuts created by the rivets from the handcuffs digging into his wrists. His muscles ached in their awkward position, but his legs barely had enough strength to lift himself off the floor so all his weight didn’t pull on his arms and shoulders.

Where did the master go?

Shudders wracked his body, and his arm flared in pain. The bite mark had scabbed and scarred, though it now only ached for hours at a time with pain-free minutes in between. At least that was something.

Red light glowed in the darkness. According to his master, his transformation was almost complete, the rim around his irises almost completely red.

Good.

The metal door creaked open, and the daughter of the Alpha, Ellie, walked in. She held what must be his lunch in her hands but didn’t look at him. Bruises covered her face, and her right eye was swollen shut. She walked with a limp, her left leg trailing behind her slightly, but she held her chin high.

“I have your lunch, Josh,” she whispered.

He grunted. She wasn’t the master. Why would he speak to her?

She shook her head. “Fine, don’t say thank you.”

He grunted again, and she put the tray on the floor before rigging the chains behind him so he could reach for his food but not reach for her. He grabbed his tray as soon as his chains loosened and shoved the roll and meat into his mouth. He barely chewed before he swallowed, then he slurped up the oatmeal in two gulps.

Ellie let out a disgusted snort but sighed. “Look at you. Look at what they’ve made you. An animal. Is this what you wanted to be? What you trained for?”

His vision reddened, and he swung his fist, connecting with Ellie’s chest. She flew across the room with a whimper and crashed into the wall. A flash of pain and regret passed over him. What the hell was he doing?

“I…” He tried to talk, but nothing would come out.

She held up her hand and struggled to get up. He shoved the tray out of the way and tried to help her. Why was he trying to help her? She was just a girl. But when he tried to move forward, his chains held him back, just like the animal she compared him to.

“Don’t bother.” She whispered. “I shouldn’t have antagonized you.” She sighed and shook her head then winced. “I thought I saw something that clearly wasn’t there.”

What? He wasn’t anything. Just the master’s tool. Why would he be anything else? Maybe he should just kill…

A scent of honey and bitter apples mixed with sandalwood came to mind.

Home.

His body shuddered, and a fog cleared from his mind. Shit. Where was he? What did he do? Where were they? Hannah? Josh? Oh God, he’d hit her. How did he do that?

His thoughts jumbled together and his body convulsed as he took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Ellie,” he whispered.

Her eyes widened, and she gave him a small smile.

“Fight it, Josh. I know it’s not you who does these things. Fight it. Come back to them. We’ll find them.”

She took a step toward him, and the scents of home faded away.

“Find who?”

****

Reed took Hannah’s hand and stepped lightly into the forest, on alert for any sign of the Centrals or their dark witch friends. An eerie silence enveloped him. But for their breathing, he couldn’t hear a thing. Not even a bird or animal.

Not good.

Oily magic bore down on him, suffocating in its choke hold, as they continued toward the wards. Leaves brushed by his face and he flicked them away. His pulse beat in his ears, but he ignored the fast pace.

“We’re getting there, Reed. We’ll find him. We must. And we’ll keep Hannah safe. Keep the faith.”

Easy for his wolf to say. Reed shook his head. No, it wasn’t. His wolf was hurting just as badly as he was. His wolf didn’t have the mate mark and didn’t feel the deep bond he so desperately desired. Reed had deprived his wolf half of that. More regrets piled on, adding to the ever-increasing pile of doubt and disgrace.

Reed growled. He needed to get out of his pity party. He could wallow later. Now he needed the strength to find his mate and keep his other mate safe. He was a fucking werewolf, dammit. A strong one at that. He could do this. Needed to do this.

He closed his eyes and lightly pulled at the thread that remained of their bond to Josh and followed its path to the barrier. When they finally reached it, they paused. Unlike the wards set at the Redwood den, the Centrals’ didn’t have the sense of peace surrounding it. That oily magic oozed through it and hazed its presence, shielding it completely from view. If it weren’t for the bond, they wouldn’t have been able to find it.

Hannah lifted to her toes and kissed his jaw. “Are you ready?”

“Ready to get him and get out. I love you, baby.”

“Love you.”

They closed their eyes and took a step through the barrier. Thousands of tiny pinpricks assaulted his skin. He fought the urge to scratch and howl, and he pulled Hannah closer to him until they found the edge. Immediately the sensation stopped and they gasped for fresh air. Reed looked around then pulled her toward a grouping of bushes and knelt behind them. He kissed the top of her head then shook his to clear it.

Though he wanted to stop and let Hannah take a break just to make sure she was all right, they couldn’t. They were on Central ground now. For all he knew, the Centrals knew they were there. But they needed to find Josh. Now.

He looked down at his curly-haired mate and smiled. She absentmindedly waved her fingers in the air, the earth around them moving in small cascading waves, mimicking her movements.

“Nervous?” he asked.

She jolted, her fingers stopped moving, and the earth fell quietly to the ground. “Yes, but I’m also making sure my powers are still charged after that sticky ward.”

Reed’s mind wandered to the time when Josh and he had charged her magic on the kitchen table, her body writhing under him as she panted with need.

“I can always charge them for you.” He grinned.

“Really, Reed?” she growled. “You’re thinking about sex now?”

“I’m always thinking about sex. I’m a man.” His smile fell, and he stood up straight. “But you’re right. Let’s get Josh out of here. Then we can have sex. That sounds like a plan.”

She shook her head, her curls bouncing around her face. “Goddess. I don’t understand the male species.” She squared her shoulders and looked into his eyes, holding his hands “Let’s go mark him and then you can mark me. Deal?”

God. The bravado in her voice broke his heart. He pulled her close and brushed his hand through her hair. “I love you, Hannah. This will work out. It has to.”

She pulled back and bit her lip. “Sometimes I think you put a little too much in fate’s hands.”

He leaned down and kissed her softly, letting her honey and bitter apple taste dance on his tongue. “Fate brought me to you, didn’t it?”

“And Josh.”

“And Josh.” The wind shifted, and he froze. “There. I think I can scent him. Dear Lord. It’s him, but he smells different. I don’t know how to explain it. But we need to find him. Be careful, baby.”

Hannah nodded, hope flaring in her eyes. “I’m cloaking us somewhat. It’s not the type of magic I’m strong in, but I’m trying. I don’t know if the demon can see through it though.”

He kissed her again, letting her know he had faith in her. “Then we’ll see, shall we?”

****

Hannah followed Reed as he entered the stone building. It was a different one than the one where they’d met. Had it only been a few weeks ago that her life changed and she met her mates? Now their roles were reversed. Instead of Josh saving them, they had to save Josh. She only hoped she had the strength.

The earth pulsated around her, but it felt different here than it felt outside the wards. It was as if the earth was a prisoner as well, begging to be free of the chains the Centrals had placed on it. She needed to find her mate, but then she’d find a way to release the earth as well. It might not have been her initial duty, but her blood called for it. She needed it.

She looked around at the drab stone walls and sighed. She couldn’t really feel where Josh was. He was here, but that was all she knew. Darn. If only she had a werewolf’s nose. She couldn’t scent anyone’s trail, couldn’t tell if anyone was around unless they walked on the soil. She only smelled the evil that possessed the pores of the compound.

Reed pulled her close, his heated skin warming her coolness. He tilted his head to the right then put a finger against his mouth.

Her heart sped up. They were getting close. Reed held her hand, and they crept down the hall, her body breaking out in goose bumps as they neared a metal door. Reed squeezed her hand, and the bond between them flared.

Josh was in there. Their mate.

Could she stand what she was about to see?

Did she have a choice?

Reed pushed against the door, and it creaked open, the sound echoing in the hall. Crap. Who’d heard that? Would they be coming for them? She didn’t see any surveillance equipment like the one she was held in, but they could never be sure.

What she saw when she looked in the room made her blood freeze.

A bruised and bloodied woman ran from Josh as he growled and fought against chains. His muscles bulged, and his veins almost popped as he screamed in rage. He pulled at his bindings, and the metal broke.

The other woman stayed in the room, her wide eyes never leaving Josh.

Her shattered mate growled and bent to charge, and she did the first thing that came to mind. She threw herself in front of him, her palms raised and her gaze on his.

The rim around his irises were blood red, pulsating with a need that scared her. Tattoos of spiraled lines trailed up his arms and down his sides. His body lay thick with sweat, and his chest heaved with heavy breaths.