Out of the Shadows (13 page)

“Preston was doing recon, I don’t know yet. Regardless, Dev,
it’s a four hour drive. Even if you left now…”

“What hotel?” Devon interrupted.

“If they’ve stopped for the night, we can still intercept
them.” Lark stood up. Sarah was the only family she had left.

Devon turned to her an irritated look on his face. “We?”

“I can’t just sit here and twiddle my thumbs. If you’re
going, so am I.” Fury enveloped Lark, she was tired of being underestimated.

“Nobody is going.” Gene stood up to his full height, his
hands resting on the desk, as he leaned forward.

“Excuse me?” Devon glared, his nostrils flared as he stepped
toward Gene.

Lark shrunk back in her seat, the testosterone radiating
from the two of them set her nerves on edge. They glared at each other, eyes
locked on the other, with jaws set firmly. The tension crackled between the two
of them. The hair on her arms rose and a chill rippled down her spine.

Gene stepped around the desk his eyes trained on Devon’s. “I
am the alpha of this pack now. You’re not going. Preston will head up the
rescue.”

“No.” Devon growled.

Lark swallowed as the silence stretched between the two of
them. An unspoken battle raged as her eyes flicked back and forth. She wondered
if they were going to come to blows, it really looked like they might.

All three of them jumped when Gene’s phone rang. Gene
growled and pulled it from his pocket.

“Preston,” he answered. He took a
step back and walked to the window, phone pressed to his ear.

Lark let out a relieved breath, releasing her death grip on
the desk she stared at Devon a moment longer before her eyes trailed off to
Gene. She couldn’t hear the conversation, and Gene was doing more listening
than talking.
What is going on?

Devon growled and she turned her attention back to him, his
fists balled at his sides, and eyes narrowed at Gene. Her head swiveled back to
Gene as he said goodbye and clicked his phone off.

“I’m going.” Devon started toward the door.

“Wait! What is going on?” Lark yelled in frustration, anger
coiled inside her as she rushed to stop him. One of them was going to explain
this.

“Preston is organizing a strike as soon as some of them
leave to get medical supplies and food.”

“These are Emmett’s most elite men. Tell him to wait till I
get there.” Devon walked to the door.

“No, the best chance we have is to take them by surprise,
and you know it.”

“Preston is a child! Who is he even with?” Devon snapped.

“He’s with his friends, Thomas, Andrew, and James. They can
handle this.”

“What about your brother?” Lark interrupted. “Would he
help?”

“Daniel?” Devon asked skeptically. “When did you see him?”

“Right before the attack. He stopped Vincent and I before we
got to the end of the driveway.”

“Even if he wanted to, he’d never betray Emmett. I’m going
to Clovis, Gene.” Devon opened the door.

“Damn it, Devon.” Gene stomped toward him. His nostrils
flared. Gene closed his eyes and sighed. “You can help escort them home, but,
I’m not calling Preston back. I can’t afford to be challenged right now, please
don’t put me in that position.”

Devon closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

“I’m going with you,” Lark declared. There was no way she
would sit here and wait.

“Lark, it’s dangerous,” Gene turned his attention to her,
his eyes softening.

Lark crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m going.”

“No, you’re not,” Devon snapped his hand grasped the open
door tightly.

“Take her, Dev, but, please don’t make this difficult for
me,” Gene said quietly, his eyes firm as they held Devon’s.

Devon’s jaw tightened and the wood frame creaked under his
grasp. “Fine. I’m leaving in five minutes. With or without you.” Devon threw
the door open the rest of the way slamming it against the wall. The bookshelf
rattled against the wall, sending books plummeting to the floor.

“Lark, I have something for you.” Gene closed the door and
walked back to his desk. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a box. “This
has never been used and is old. My father bought it when my mother was pregnant.
Wolves can’t shift while they’re pregnant. He wanted her to be safe, just in
case.”

Gene opened the box and pulled out a small gun.

“I want you to take this with you. I
know you know how to use it.”

Lark swallowed and nodded. She hoped she didn’t have to.

“Just try not to use it on Devon,” Gene smiled, but it
didn’t reach his eyes. She could see the emotion swirling below the surface. He
was probably fighting to keep it together.

Lark smiled, tears pricked her eyes as she met Gene’s brown
eyes, the same hue as his fathers. “Are you okay?”

Gene faltered for a moment, tears shining in his eyes. Lark
maneuvered around the desk and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She
knew the words didn’t help, in fact she hated when people said that to her when
her parents died. There wasn’t any right thing to say though.

Gene rested his forehead on her shoulder for a long moment
before he pulled away. “Thanks, Lark. Be careful.”

“I will.”

Emmett walked into the kitchen
exhausted and starved. His body was tense and achy. He had been up since four
this morning and he was feeling it. The morning had been eventful, but
everything was starting to fall into place. By midday tomorrow, he would have
Emily back and the Gulf packs would be appeased.

He’d even secured an extra present for the leader. Granted,
the young woman was not a wolf, but that didn’t always matter to them. If they
were lucky she might even produce them a child or two. When he’d first learned
of Lark and Sarah Davies, the mission was to kill them. He wanted to send a
message to Rick Harris about crossing him. However, women were women, and they
did have their uses.

Regardless, the gift would secure his wife a few extra weeks
with Emily. A little mother-daughter time before she was sent away. Hopefully,
it would ease the growing tension between him and Claire.

“What happened?” Claire asked from her perch at the table. Her
eyes fixed on some object out the window.

“Emily will soon be here,” he said squeezing her shoulder
gently, tears stained her face. A pang of guilt shuddered through him, but he
pushed it away. He was doing the right thing - what was best for the pack.

“Devon and Vincent?”

Emmett sighed. “They remain at the Harris ranch. They’re
alive.”

Though they wouldn’t be for long if
he had his way. He should strike again while they were weak, but bringing Emily
home was his first priority. Once she was home, he would send out another team
and this time they would finish off the remainder of the Harris pack. Vincent
and Devon included.

“Rick and his boys?” Claire asked her voice hollow, eyes
still transfixed on some unknown thing outside.

“His boys are fine. I told you, Claire, anyone who gets in
the way would suffer the consequences.”

Claire laughed bitterly. “Don’t I know it.”

Emmett squeezed her shoulder a little tighter, but not quite
to the point of pain. “Come now, Claire, there is no reason to bring up the
past now.”

“I agreed to this marriage and stayed in it to protect my
son. You’ve gone back on your word. It’s bad enough you took my husband from me.
Now you intend to take my children, one who is your own son. You swore you
wouldn’t hurt Devon,” Claire said through gritted teeth.

Emmett yanked Claire up, setting her on her feet. “
Your
son defied me, and led
our
son astray.”

“Thank god for it! At least he isn’t afraid to do the right
thing.” Claire wrenched her arm free. “That is more than I can say for every
man remaining in this pack.”

“Enough, Claire,” Emmett snapped his voice a low throaty
snarl.

“No,” she yelled. “I have sat by too long and watched you
destroy my family. Don’t you think I saw how you treated Devon all those years?
But I bided my time, held my tongue, because you gave me your word. You
wouldn’t kill him if I behaved. I won’t do it any longer. What you intend to do
with our daughter is disgusting. The way you’ve treated Devon and now Vincent-”

Emmett snapped, his hand flew up and smacked her across the
face. He relished in the sting as Claire stumbled and fell into a chair at the
table. Her widened hazel eyes glared up at him through strands of her
grey-brown hair. An ugly red mark marred her face from where he’d hit her. He
blinked away the concern and let the rage in.

“I won’t allow you to talk to me like that, Claire,” he
bellowed, hovering over her. She had never defied him like this before and she
wouldn’t again, he thought. He assumed the defiance had to do with protecting
her children. “I am the leader of this pack, and you will respect that. You
will obey me. I offered Devon a home here, took him in, he chose to go against
me. I even let him live after he challenged me for my position as alpha — I did
all this for you! I could’ve killed him. You promised you would contain him, to
keep him under wraps. You brought this on yourself; you chose not to heed my
warnings. I can no longer let him live, when he so blatantly disrespects my
authority. If I see him again, he will die.”

Emmett sneered at her a moment
longer, his eyes boring into hers waiting for her to look away. After an
eternity, she averted her eyes to the floor.

“You will not speak to me like this
again, Claire. This discussion ends now.” Emmett walked to the stove and pulled
the lid off the pot, setting it on the counter. He inhaled a sharp breath
letting the anger dissipate. “This looks good, what do you say we have some
lunch?”

***

Lark grimaced as her head thumped against the window, her
eyes blinking open. Realizing she’d fallen asleep she sat up straight, glancing
at the clock on the dashboard. Just a little after three they still had another
two or so hours in the car.

Lark twisted her neck while massaging the stiff flesh trying
to work out the kinks. The nap had been unrestful, leaving her sluggish. She
yawned, and forced her brain to focus.

“Have you heard from Preston?”

“Not yet, either their plan was a failure or they haven’t
been able to execute it yet.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just call the police?” She asked
as she attempted to stretch her legs.

“No, outsiders aren’t supposed to know about our existence. Could
you imagine what the government would do if they found out supernatural beings
existed? We have a code that all of us follow regardless of what pack you’re
from. You don’t expose yourself or others to humans.”

“What happens if someone does get arrested?” Lark asked
curiously.

Devon shrugged his hands shifted on the steering wheel.

“I don’t know of an instance where
it has happened. If someone ever were arrested it would be for a minuscule
crime. We handle things our own way, and take precautions to make sure we
aren’t captured.”

“Right, the way where you attack and kill each other.” Lark
couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice. She bit her lip and shifted her
gaze back out the window. She felt physically and emotionally drained. Worse,
Rick hadn’t even been properly mourned, because of all the craziness.

“We do have negotiations every once in a while. Men like
Emmett, you don’t compromise with. He wants his way and will get it one way or
another.”

Lark turned to look at him, the anger in his voice evident. His
jaw was set, eyes focused on the open road.

“That must have been hard growing up like that.”

“Is this the part where I tell you I had a horrible
childhood, and was raised by a man who hated me, and a mother who turned a
blind eye to everything he did?”

“Is that what happened?” Lark whispered. Her heart ached for
him, that explained so much, but she was certain there was more to it than that.

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters.” She wondered how he could possibly
think it didn’t. Devon baffled her.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Lark wanted to come back with a retort, he had been the one
to bring it up, but thought better of it.

“What did Gene mean when he asked
you not to make things difficult for him?”

Devon shifted in his seat with a sigh. “He’s the alpha now. It
passes from father to son, usually the eldest, unless the son is too young to
lead the pack. Sometimes if another member of the pack doesn’t think the new
alpha can lead, they challenge them. I…” he paused and looked out his window.

“I challenged his authority in there. I shouldn’t have done
that. It could cause him problems if someone else thinks he bowed to me, instead
of enforcing his will.”

“Is that what that whole staring thing was about, because
that was…intense.”

“Uh, yeah.” Devon sat up straighter.

“So what, you just stare at each other until, what
exactly?”

Devon licked his lips, eyes focused on the road. “Alpha’s
can exact their will onto their subordinates. Looking away indicates that
you’re essentially bowing to their authority. Only a true alpha has the power
to make others submit without intimidation or violence first.”

“You didn’t look away.”

“No.”

“Does that mean you’re an alpha?”

“I have alpha blood.”

“What does that mean?”

“Lark,” Devon sighed.

Heat crept across her face, she’d pushed too far.

“I’m sorry, I was just curious, and
wanted to get to know you more. We’re in the car, and everything is falling
apart. I’ll stop rambling now.”

Devon sat quietly for a long time
and she looked back out the window.
Great, now I’ve made it awkward.

Devon exhaled, tapping his palm against the steering wheel,
gripping and releasing the wheel as he flexed his hands.

“A true alpha comes from a specific
bloodline of alphas on the mothers and fathers side. The Harris’ are part of
that bloodline. You can tell who is a real alpha by the color of their coat. Black
fur indicates pure bloodlines. Other bloodlines were created by having
offspring with humans and then those children having their kids with other
wolves or humans too. Take Daniel for example, my mother is an alpha, but
Emmett isn’t, so his fur is reddish-brown like Vincent and Em’s, because only
one of his parents is an alpha. Whereas Gene and I come from what we call pure
blooded alpha blood lines – both our parents were alphas, his coat is black
like mine.”

“So you’re both alphas?” Lark asked entwining her fingers
together, he was talking to her and she didn’t want to upset him.

“Sort of, Rick guided Gene and taught him the politics and
ins and outs. Emmett chose Daniel to be his successor and has been training
him.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think he is completely on board with
whatever Emmett’s plan is. He stopped Vincent and warned him. They have orders
to kill both of you.” Lark shuddered realizing how close they’d come to
succeeding. If Devon and herself hadn’t of intervened, Vincent would be dead.

“He might not be, but Daniel won’t defy Emmett. He’s too
afraid. He’s seen what happens when people don’t do what Emmett wants.” Devon
reached over to the center console and turned down the radio.

“You did.” She glanced up at him and met his hazel eyes.

Devon gave her a wry smile. “I also have a kill order on my
head.”

Lark nodded and cautiously put her hand on top of his.

“Regardless, you stood up for what
you believed in and knew was right, knowing the consequences. That takes a lot
of courage.”

“Yeah, well, because of my actions, Rick is dead.”

Lark looked down at her lap. She grasped his hand in hers
tighter, causing him to look at her.

“Rick knew what he was getting into.
He might not have known Emily until a week or so ago, but I know him and he
would have taken anyone in under those circumstances. It was the right thing to
do and he knew it. Part of being a good leader is standing up for those that
can’t do it themselves.”

***

Devon stared at the open highway. Lark was nice - too nice. She
reminded him of Rick with the pep talk she’d given. He felt his stomach churn. Guilt
still consumed him. He’d heard what Lark had said, but didn’t entirely believe
it.

She had a way of getting him to open up. It unnerved him as
much as it intrigued him. It had been a long time since he’d really openly
talked to anyone. So long in fact, he couldn’t remember the last time it had
happened.

Lark was different then most everybody he’d ever met. She
was kind, but strong. Fierce, but loyal. It was easy to talk to her. Lark
listened but didn’t judge. She said what needed to be said without pushing it. Devon
admired that.

His cell phone rang disrupting the silence. Devon pulled it
from the center console and checked the caller ID.

“Preston,” he answered.

“They still haven’t left the hotel room yet. I don’t think
we can take all of them on,” Preston shouted into the phone.

Devon could hear the hysteria in the younger wolf’s voice.
They would be grossly outnumbered if some of them didn’t leave. He shifted his
eyes to the clock on the dash.

“We’re still about an hour or so
away. Just sit tight, don’t do anything rash.”

“What if they hurt her?” Preston questioned.

Lark’s head swiveled to look at Devon, she swallowed. The
thin shred of sanity she was holding onto was slipping away. Devon met her
worried gaze as he spoke to Preston.

“It’s a public place. Hotel walls are paper thin. They
aren’t going to do anything to draw attention to themselves. Do you know what
room they’re in?” Devon asked keeping his voice even and calm. If they intended
to hurt her, she would already be dead.

“Yes, room 208.”

“Good, just keep an eye out and let me know if anything
changes.” Devon hung up the phone and let out a long breath.

“Did you mean what you said?” Lark asked quietly.

Devon looked at her, worry creased her brow. “Yes, they
won’t do anything to cause a disturbance.”