Read BirthDate (La Patron, the Alpha's Alpha) Online
Authors: Sydney Addae
Tags: #paranormal romance, #paranormal wolf romanance, #interracial shifter romance, #la patron series, #silas knight, #interracial family shifter romance, #wolf shifter romance
BirthDate (La Patron, the Alpha's Alpha) (13 page)
Asia’s eyes flew open as a sharp, slow grinding pain wracked her body from head to foot. How long she’d been trapped below the mound of rubble she had no idea, but the liquid fire coursing through her frame squelched her former thoughts of death. Unfortunately, she was painfully still among the living. Shudders ripped through her repeatedly. Silent screams echoed in her head as unspeakable shards of pain pierced her mind, causing her to run into the dark for solace.
Drifting in and out of sleep, Asia heard voices. Nearby scraping sounds woke her. How long had she been out?
“The last transmission they received was somewhere down here and then it whisked out. They want us to dig her out to be sure she’s dead,” a male voice said.
Asia tried to focus as parts of a conversation filtered through to her. She tried to swallow and couldn’t. The mind-bending pain had tapered off to a dull throb which she could handle. Help was near and she needed assistance. As more of the conversation filtered down, she realized they were not the help she needed in her weakened condition.
“I thought that meant death. When we no longer transmit that’s how they know we’re dead, right?” A different voice, female spoke this time.
How many were up there? Asia wondered, listening carefully.
“That’s what we’ve always been told, but they want proof she’s actually dead, and for five mill and the chance to be free to live a life, I’ll dig her ass out and put it on a platter,” the male said and then made a rude sound, like a snort.
“Yeah, good point. There’s not much room around here to move stuff around, we’re going to have to stack the concrete over there and just move the steel to the side.”
“There’s more dirt here than anything. She can’t breathe if she’s in there anyway.”
“Freedom and five million says prove it,” the female said laughing. Asia tried to place the voice and could not identify it.
“Tyrese?”
“Sir?”
she called La Patron through their link. Nothing. No static. No sounds. No response.
“Mistress I am so sorry I failed you…
” she sighed as thoughts of her last conversation with Jasmine filtered through her mind.
“Mistress?”
she asked, afraid she had entered the land of delusions. They had never spoken through a link before that she recalled. She held her breath waiting for confirmation that she had indeed spoken to the one person who might grieve her passing.
“Oh Mistress,”
she cried, overwhelmed to hear her voice. “
My links are broken. I called out to La Patron and everyone else. No one answered. Thank you for speaking to me.”
“Yes. I thought I had died, but the Goddess has other plans it seems.”
“I am very happy she does.”
The genuine gratitude in the Mistress’ voice brought water to her eyes. “
Thank you, I needed to hear that.”
Inside, her entire being warmed as if she were reborn in this moment. Pack. That word had never meant much to her before, but when you slide into death and walk out on the other side it takes on a new meaning.
Shame welled up over her previous plans to run away. She confessed. “
I am… was…angry at La Patron for promising me freedom and then snatching it away. I asked myself how is he any different than the others. I planned to grab a box from here with the only clues of my previous life and leave. My return to the compound would have been delayed.”
After a short silence, Jasmine spoke.
“What did you plan to do once you had the box?”
“Sounds like a good plan to me. You said was, what happened and how did Silas snatch away your freedom?”
The scraping sound continued above, but sounded distant. More importantly she needed Mistress to see her clearly, to know her true motives. This time she would prove her gratitude in more than empty words, she would be open and above board.
“You bonded me to you and you have saved me repeatedly. In my desire to be free I failed to see the gift I was given. In what is truly my darkest moment you are the light, the link to life. Earlier I welcomed death with open arms. It was better than being buried alive.”
“No. No, stop talking like that.
”
Asia chuckled, feeling curiously lighter as the truth rose from the murky depths of despair.
“It seems I have mechanisms that defy the odds.”
It never occurred to Asia that the bonding was accidental. Her shame intensified.
“The last time we talked.”
“You grabbed my arm tight and made me promise to return. You said I could die, but not cease to live
,” she said slowly as the words clicked into place. She had died. Had her vow caused her body to regenerate?
Asia shook her head wondering over what all of this meant.
“Your fingerprints became a tattoo on my arm. The vow I made to you became my focus, trumping plans I had been making for years and I hated that. I wanted to be free, but…”
“No
.” She smiled as the reality of what happened flowed through her.
“You are the only person I can communicate with.”
“Yes, but I’m sure we can fix that.”
“You don’t understand. I’m doing a bad job explaining. One second let me think.”
“Do you have time? I mean you’ve been under there for a while.”
“Yes…yes I have. I heard two voices earlier. I think they’re bounty hunters trying to dig me out.”
“What? Why didn’t you… hold on. I need to tell Silas. I am going to be pissed if they pull you out and start some bullshit after everything you’ve been through.”
Asia smiled at Jasmine’s rant…she tasted her Mistress’ name on her tongue. It felt right to call her that in her private thoughts. Something major happened and she needed to understand a semblance of what it was so she could explain.
One thing she knew with certainty was that she died, which must have broken all of her links minus the one that she made a vow to live. The bounty hunters said something about a transmission winking out which signified death.
Euphoria bubbled from within her. Somehow death had destroyed her former employer’s final link to her. Idly she wondered what it was, the metal they used in her arm and legs? Possibly. She wiggled both her toes and fingers, happy to feel the dirt beneath them.
“Okay, Tyrese is looking for two people digging, when he clears the way, we’ll figure out a way for you to direct him where you are.”
“Okay.”
“Continue
,” Jasmine said.
Asia thought hard over what she was about to say, it sounded weird, and given her career or body chemistry that was saying a lot.
“I died which cancelled everything, including the last link they had to me.”
Asia laughed. It hurt. Her mouth could only move a few inches, but the genuine joy in Jasmine’s voice over her good fortune made the discomfort worth it.
“Yes. I am. They are digging me out to prove I am dead, from what I gather that is not the norm. I am supposed to be dead.” She paused. “But I’m not.”
Maybe it was more than her vow to Jasmine. Had they done more experiments on her during that last surgery? She had no idea.
“Yes. They will never stop looking for me until they have my body
.” A life on the run, looking over her shoulder loomed big on the horizon.
“I don’t mean to sound spooky, but you’ve been buried underground for five hours with no water or air. You should be dead or close to it. Not alert and rethinking your life. Whatever they did to you is cutting edge and worth billions. It’s no wonder they want your body so they can replicate or even jump start you again
.”
“You are probably right. Although, I have no real idea what happened, it is a mystery to me and something I never want to repeat. Good news is they cannot locate me like before. All ties to their money maker has been broken by a flaw in their design. I can move freely, see, hear and think without them in my mind. It was a glorious death, Mistress,
” she said with feeling.
Asia stiffened as she heard sounds of footsteps. “
Someone is here.”
“Okay,
” Jasmine said.
“Are you new?” the female voice asked.
“I’m the one who’s going to stop you from digging.” Asia closed her eyes at the certainty in Tyrese’s voice. He had never been diplomatic and in this instance she was glad.
