A Guardians Passion (29 page)

His hand steady at the small of her back, he nodded, but the sour look on his features didn’t change at all. “But about this hunting thing…”

“Yes?”

“You will not. The fiend that dared to harm you will be mine. I need no help getting back on his scent. You do not need to fight, not this time, not now.”

Freya was too busy counting her blessings and being grateful that, for the first time, she had been able to bring Fenris out of his Luna state rather than relying solely upon Rayne’s abilities. She refused to even consider the argument that she knew was soon to come, so instead she chose to focus on the positive. Her Fen was back. “You are so sexy when you butch up.” She grinned.

He was not amused. “That’s nothing. I mean to find the unfortunate soul that harmed you and end him.”

Freya urged Fenris to the ground and climbed onto his lap. Over his shoulder, she could see Gaea and Geraldine coming toward them slowly. Freya couldn’t help wishing that they had given her just a little more time alone with her worried male. Fenris’s failure to lighten up was punching through her own veneer of relief.

Eyes on the approaching matriarchs, she muttered absently, “I’m all right. You’re here, and we can hit those fuckers back for what they did. I am fine.”

Fenris reached up and grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Then stop lying to me, Freya. Put on that guise for everyone else, but don’t do that before me. Please,” he begged.

Freya gaped, the significance of her victory muted by the truth of his words.

She was not okay.

Chapter Seventeen

Rayne surfaced from his rest. Having been submerged in the deepest levels of unconsciousness, he had to fight his way to awareness. The depths of his mind were a calming pool, and being surrounded by the softest of fur, he wouldn’t have been so inclined to wake if it had not been for the soft pecks upon his face and chest. His war with his eyelids raged as he raised a hand to touch the one providing the kisses, and his fingers found themselves woven within thick, soft tendrils of hair.

He inhaled lightly and caught familiar smells: Freya, Fenris, and the alluring scent of submission, like a crisp ocean breeze, wafting from what could only be one person. He managed to open his eyes a measure and discovered a thousand-watt smile before Ezra dipped his head to lick Rayne’s collarbone again.

“Nice, ball licker. Very nice.” Rayne sighed, stretching against his bed of furs. He arched his back and lengthened out limbs that were still very much at rest before it dawned on him why and how he had been having such a peaceful sleep. He grabbed a heft of Ezra’s locks and pulled the omega’s attention from his chest. “How long have I been out?”

“Nearly six hours. You drained the beast, and it took all the strength you had left, I think.”

Slowly, Rayne recaptured the events that had preceded his blackout. He recalled the giant asprega attacking Fenris. He remembered draining as much of the creature’s strength as he could, the fatigue of pulling the vigor from a being that could regenerate at will. He could see Freya’s face, so full of concern and worry. And then there was darkness.

Curiosity sat him up in a panic. He inhaled deeper, and through the strength of Ezra’s overpowering pheromones, he caught the familiar scents of his mates. He turned his head to observe his surroundings and was pleased to see Freya on the bed beside him, propped up on a stack of pillows against the headboard. Fenris was snoring softly upon Freya’s lap, his bulk covering her thighs. All of them were on the same bed—Ezra on the right, and his mates on his left.

His movement caused Freya to stir. She opened her eyes and yawned before grinning at him.

He felt Ezra at his back, lips ghosting over his shoulder blade. Reaching back, he grabbed a hold of Ezra’s locks and tugged. “Enough,” he said.

“Don’t pull his head off,” Freya tutted. “He does like you, you know?”

“Yeah, sure. And I’ll
like
him well enough once things get back to normal,” Rayne added, unable to tamp down his jealousy at seeing Fenris sprawled so easily across his alpha. Fenris invariably warranted Freya’s direct attention, but still. Rayne couldn’t control his emotions, wanting the prime real estate of her brown thighs, the cradle of her lap.

He released his hold on Ezra’s hair and gestured to Fenris. “I see you pulled rank on the big guy. Are you okay?”

“I’m working on it,” Freya said, reaching over to caress Rayne’s cheek. “And how about you, baby?”

Rayne leaned into the warmth of her touch. “I’ve been better,” he replied as the bed shifted. Ezra had leaned over to a bedside stand to retrieve a bottle of water. Rayne readily accepted the drink when it was handed to him. “Did Fenris kill that thing?”

It took Freya a long time to answer, and even then she didn’t reply until Rayne fixed her with a questioning glance.

“Birathan got away,” she replied, somewhat reluctant.

Rayne had been in the middle of sipping his water and almost choked. He couldn’t believe what he heard. There was no way. He had gone in deep, to the creature’s cells, removing every spark within the engine. “That’s impossible. It shouldn’t have been able to teleport.”

“Birathan had help.”

“It had a name?” Rayne questioned the vacant tone of Freya’s voice more than what the fiend might have been called. Observing Freya with greater clarity, he noted her gripping Fenris’s shoulder tighter. Rayne felt a weight filling his chest. What had she been through?

“Yeah. It
has
a name,” she muttered.

Rayne didn’t detect accusation, but her disappointment radiated clearly, and it cut him deeply. “Freya, we will get him. We will hunt him down.”

Her eyes caught his with a fiery promise. “Oh, you can best believe his ass is past overdue.”

There was a hint of Freya’s former bravado in her voice. She looked furious. Her nostrils flared with her anger and her eyes were narrowed, but Rayne knew the signs of uncertainty and fear. He didn’t want to imagine that Freya had been abused or even what that would entail—guilt keeping him silent. He and Fen should have never left her side.

Ezra got up from the bed, inquiring as to whether Rayne was hungry. He offered to bring food, liquor, whatever Rayne wanted.

Meat, carbohydrates in massive amounts, and more water were what he required. He was ravenous actually, and if revenge was to be had, then he would need all of his strength. Sending Ezra on his way, Rayne took down half of his water bottle. It was then that he decided to take in his surroundings fully.

It could have been a hotel room except for the stone walls until he noticed that the drapery and specifically the furniture were far too somber and lavish looking to be welcoming for travelers. Their bed was extremely extravagant: a four-poster of dark cherrywood, draped with furs. All the furniture—the dressers, the wardrobe, and the vanity—seemed too ornate to be used by tourists, littered with personal items he didn’t recognize. Across the room, beneath a portrait of hunting dogs and frightfully pale aristocrats, was a crackling fire. If they were in a hotel, then it was a damned lush one. “Where are we?” he wondered aloud.

“We haven’t gone anywhere. We’re still in the mansion. It belongs to us now.”

Curious, Rayne could only dare to hope that they had managed another victory. “Were the others here?”

Freya shook her head, staring forward absently. “No. The females and cubs were auctioned.” She sighed as Fenris stirred to wakefulness beneath her hold. She moved her hand from his shoulder as he lifted himself to sit beside her.

“It was fast,” she continued. “The asprega transported them right after the auctions were completed. Helena…she was to be the last one. Cole has managed to salvage only one of the hard drives. He’s trying to track down user IP addresses, any information he can to see if we can nail the participants of the auction, with the help of that vampire they brought with them. Vaegar is putting together strike teams, getting them ready for quick deployment at the first sound leads.

“Di’Amanda was the leader of this shit-fucking-storm, the one who’ll be responsible for the genocide to come. This was one of her properties. Others are being searched at the moment. We will get every last one of them back. No matter how long it takes.” The edge had returned to her voice, the venom he knew she could muster. However, her mood wasn’t nearly enough to convince Rayne that everything was okay.

One look into Fenris’s eyes, and Rayne was certain that something was severely out of order. Fenris was the picture of self-torture, his dark blue eyes shimmering with worry. He slid his arm around Freya’s shoulders and hugged her to him.

That she curved back into the bulk of his frame so easily after wanting her space for so long alerted Rayne all the more.

Freya beckoned to him to join her. She opened her arms to allow Rayne to sidle up to her and to rest against her warmth. Near enough to feel as well as hear the stammering of her heart, he knew one thing was certain: Freya had been wounded far more than physically. Resting his head upon her breast, he said nothing.

Freya seemed to need the close contact. Rayne didn’t doubt that she was anxious about being teleported away. Reveling in her scent, Rayne took solace in her encompassing embrace, even though he knew that it was
she
who needed the consolation.

After a while, Ezra returned carrying a large platter overflowing with food. He walked over to the bed and set the offering down upon the mattress.

Rayne noticed grilled lamb, onions, and potatoes on a bed of greens and recognized the dish as being one of Gaea’s. The actual platter that the food rested on was nearly twenty inches across. Meat pies framed the outside of the tray. It was more than enough to feed all four of them.

Rayne didn’t want to move first, but when Freya freed him, she urged him to eat. She didn’t move from Fenris’s chest, but she demanded that Rayne take advantage of the hot feast. “We had snacks earlier. You need your strength, baby. Eat.”

Rayne scooted down on the bed, even though he hated to be away from the touch of his mates. His stomach was insistent. Despite being held up in a lavish room, he knew he would need full power for whatever it was that Fenris and Freya were intently closemouthed about. He started with one of the pies.

“There’s tea, soda, beer. They’ve also got bourbon and vodka,” Ezra informed him.

Freya groaned. “What I wouldn’t give for a handle of fucking whiskey.”

“Bring tea,” Fenris suggested, soothing his arms down her sides as she mumbled in protest.

Rayne had had enough. He waited until Ezra scurried off, a diligent and truly welcome addition, before addressing his moody loves. “Okay. So, who wants to talk first?”

Fenris looked to Freya, who had developed a fascination with the swell of her belly. Rayne was patient, but it swiftly became obvious that Freya was not going to take the lead.

“The asprega prime, Birathan, escaped,” Fenris started. “We need to hunt him down. Deal with him before he can retaliate. I don’t know exactly how injured he is. What I do know is that we need to ensure that he is put down.”

“Of course. I can be ready within the hour if need be.” Taking hold of a handful of greens and lamb, Rayne couldn’t have given a damn about neatness. His hunger needed to be sated, and he needed his strength. If they were going to take on possibly a flock of asprega, then he needed to get his ass into gear.

“We’re not rushing you,” Freya insisted. “We’ll leave when you’re ready.”

“We?”

Fenris nodded, his eyes cast downward. “Yes, us, as in you, me, and our six-month-pregnant alpha. She wants us to confront a flock of asprega and destroy a prime with her in tow.”

Rayne had been in the middle of swallowing when Fenris clarified the situation. Freya wouldn’t even look at him. He realized what was going on just then. Both of his alphas had gone mad. “No. No, no, no! Have both of you lost your minds?”

“Look, Rayne. We could do this now or later, but it has to be done, and you two are the only ones who can do it.”

“Yes,” Rayne balked. “Us two: Fenris and I. I mean, you did what you had to at the retreat and here, but Fen and I are here now, and we will finish it. I have means. I can assure you that you will be safe here. I just—”

“She
has
to come,” Fenris interrupted. Rayne could tell the big wolf didn’t agree either but was resolved. “I felt as you do, but she is upset. This Birathan disturbed her greatly, and she should have her revenge.”

Freya twisted in Fenris’s hold, throwing him a scathing look. “You don’t have to sound so…”

“So what?” Fenris sighed. “So underestimated? So fucking useless?”

“I didn’t say that,” she returned. “Look. I’ll stay out of your way. I just want to see the fucker put down before my own eyes. That’s not asking much. I’ll have weapons, but that would be a last resort. You can still defend my fucking honor.”

“This isn’t about honor. It’s about you being out of his sight, where you can’t be caught and used against us. That’s what it’s about.”

“Oh yeah, because he’ll key in on me,” Freya snarled back at Fenris. “I’ll take him if he comes at me. I did say that I will have weapons.”

Rayne watched the argument. Things were as bad as he suspected. Worse. As in need of nourishment as he was, he forgot about food. “What the fuck are you two really talking about?” he snarled. “Fen? Freya? Tell me, or I will find out. I have ways.” It was a threat.

Freya didn’t answer. Perhaps she didn’t believe him, but Fenris did. “She was violated,” he said. “Birathan touched her.”

Rayne shook his head, stunned and incensed by Fenris’s words. The thought of Freya being subjected to that beast overwhelmed him as Rayne suddenly realized why his alpha had been acting so strange. “V-violated?” Freya didn’t look at him, only shrugged as if the attack had been a small thing, nothing to make a fuss about.

Rayne disagreed, his own heart aching for all that she could not say or show. He reached out for her. “Freya?”

She snatched her hand and held tight, looking at Rayne with stony resolve. “It’s nothing. Fucker put his tongue in me. That was it. I’m fine,” she snapped. “And our cub is fine. That is the only thing I am concerned with. Okay?”