Chapter 29

Nicholas

I could tell that all three of us felt it when her collar bone broke, and then again when they knocked her out. The rage roaring through my mind was almost as loud as the roar that erupted from me as I felt her pass out.

I was in the middle of a death match with two heavily built vampires, and could see that Cheney and Brian where in the same shape. My rage took over and in a moment of blind fury, I reached out and crushed the windpipe of one of my assailants.

I could see to my right that Cheney was dispatching with his combatants as well, “Cheney, can you get to her?” I shouted over the chaos whirling around me.

“I’m trying! Damn it, they just keep coming!” He roared back at me, throwing panicked glances over his shoulder in Beryl’s direction.

“Brian??” I couldn’t see him, but could sense him behind me somewhere. “I’m covered up! They’re fucking everywhere! Where is the rest of the guard?” He yelled back to me.

All of a sudden I was tackled from behind and sprawled face first on the marble floors. I growled and let me wolf take over. I could feel my brothers doing the same.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of milky white skin and bouncing yellow curls, and knew they were getting away with her, but there was nothing I could do. Damn it, where was the rest of our guard?

An instant later, the guard we had been missing appeared from the back of our property, and the fight was disbanded with ease. Our twenty something wolves had come to over take the eight vampires that were left inside the mansion.

As the calamity died down, I searched for Beryl frantically, knowing deep down that she was gone. Cheney and Brian appeared at my side, and we looked at each other, each knowing what had to be done.

“We’ll send a group get her back.” We turned and saw our father, surrounded by his personal guard. He must have just arrived home to see the end of the turmoil.

His face was a mask of controlled rage, ready to be unleashed on someone. The vampires tied at our feet would know soon how the king of alphas had gotten his brutal reputation.

“Take them to the dungeon. We’ll find out where they took her.” The guards around us moved into action immediately. Our father approached us.

“Will you lead the group to get your mate back?” He looked into each of our faces. Each of us nodded back, even without having to discuss it.

We would rescue her, no matter what it took. I could feel that they felt the same way I did. Regardless of if I understood my feelings for Beryl, I’d be damned before I would let those treacherous vampire bastards get away with this.

Beryl:

I became aware of my surroundings before I could open my eyes. I could feel damp earth beneath me, and there was a chill in the room. It smelled like rotten food, and a bit of death.

My head was killing me, and I took a few moments to gather my strength before I tried to look around me. The moment I opened my eyes, I closed them again instantly as a pain shot through me.

Easy, take it easy. We’ve got a concussion. Wynter whispered in my mind, close to the surface. I had noticed that we had become closer and closer to each other over the past month.

Use the other senses to get our bearings. We’re alone right now, so take the time. I took a deep breath, focusing on the smells and the atmosphere around me.

I was in a basement, or at least below ground, which seemed odd. Wouldn’t vampires want to get to higher ground? I let the thought pass, and focused again on listening.

I could hear voices, but they weren’t close. It didn’t sound like they were even in the same house that I was in. If I was even in a house. Where could I be? I listened again.

I could hear crickets chirping and frogs croaking nearby. A distant baying of sheep, and more farm animal noises came to my attention. Was I on a farm somewhere? Why would vampires bring me here?

I tried to open my eyes again, and this time the pain was less intense. I looked around me. There was a low table in the corner, and a single chair. There was a shelf with what looked like empty jars and a few tools on it.

I tried to stand, and had to catch myself as I stumbled over to the shelf. Slow down, take it easy. Wynter was saying in my mind. Nausea washed over me, and I threw up.

It took me another minute to get myself together, and then I made it over to the shelf. There was a screwdriver on the shelf, but nothing else that looked useful. I grabbed the screwdriver and slowly made my way across the room to the door.

As I approached the door, determined to pry it open with the tool, I heard voices coming closer.

“We have her, what does he want us to do with her now? We can’t leave her here. They’ll sniff her out in no time, whether they’re mated or not.”

A lower voice responded to the first, and I wasn’t able to hear, but I could tell they were entering a room above me. I strained to hear more.

“We’ll move her as soon as we hear back from him. They won’t have her scent yet, they have to try and get information from those they captured, and that will prove harder than they think.”

I smirked to myself, thinking they were wrong. If Armand or the triplets wanted to know something, there wasn’t anything that could stand in the way of them getting it.

As the thought went through my mind, another wave of nausea washed over me. I was able to hold back my vomit, but I was having trouble standing.

Sit. We’re going to black out again soon if we don’t sit. We can’t afford to fall and damage anything else. We have to trust that they’re coming for us. They’ll save us.

Wynter was right. There was nothing I could really do in this condition. I was barley able to stand. I made my way over to the chair and collapsed into it, tucking my hand with the screwdriver into my pocket, just in case.

The last thought that went through my mind before I blacked out again was, “Come for me. Come to me.” And I pictured the fierceness of the triplets in my mind like a premonition, and then there was darkness again.