Star-Crossed Mates (8 page)

Of course, the last thing Klaus intended was to flee. He prepared his gun, and the moment the first guards appeared, shot them down.

They advanced through the structure with bullets flying all around them. It was an ugly fight, not the traditional path spirit wolves usually took. They didn’t have time for melee, and not just because of the urgency to retrieve the prisoners.

Both ferals and spirit wolves fell victim to the rain of metal projectiles. Even so, they managed to push the defending soldiers
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back. Wolfram’s aid proved to be invaluable, as on several occasions he succeeded in shielding his men from the attacks or helped boost their healing abilities. It only served to disillusion the ferals further.

But all that changed when Joseph appeared. Klaus had not met the man, but he knew him on sight, regardless. He looked very much like Dietrich, or rather, Dietrich looked like him. Power emanated from him, invisible threads of darkness reaching out to them. But Klaus didn’t fear him. No matter what happened and who stood in the way, he’d get to his mates.

Having obviously expected the feral’s arrival, Wolfram attacked.

Klaus could do nothing in this dispute. The ferals’ ferocity increased, and Klaus focused his entire determination and abilities on eliminating them.

At last, he managed to clear the path enough to pass. As he ran forward, he turned to look at his friend.

In his Magistrate spirit wolf form, Wolfram battled Joseph relentlessly. The feral had also shifted into a huge black wolf. They seemed to be evenly matched, at least for now. This was the moment Klaus had been waiting for all his life. Soon, Joseph would somehow overpower Wolfram, probably through some trickery. It would be up to Klaus to help his leader.

Wolfram’s voice sounded in his head, clear and strong
. “I’ll
distract him. You go ahead and find Ross and Clay.”

It was a choice between love and duty, a choice Klaus had made many times in the past. This time, however, Klaus could no longer ignore the pull of his mates. Klaus would have liked to stay and help his leader, but his priorities lay with Ross and Clay now. Behind him, Dietrich nodded wordlessly. Klaus’s mate was a true warrior, and Klaus could trust him to lead their men through this battle.

Decision made, Klaus dodged his way through the fighters, both spirit wolves and ferals. He moved quickly, following his own instincts this time. They led him to the topmost level of the building.

On occasion, more guards would come his way, but Klaus managed to
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deal with them. Still, their appearance caused a delay that irked Klaus beyond belief.

He shifted into his wolf form, deciding he’d be faster this way.

This made it impossible for him to carry his equipment further, but there were more guns in this building than in every war zone on the planet. He could find another weapon with ease.

With his senses open and his spirit soaring, he rushed through the building and up the stairs. The staircase was defended by even more guards. They seemed tense, the fingers on the triggers of the guns twitching nervously. One bullet, one wrong step, and they would bring about their own destruction.

Speculating his advantage, Klaus attacked. He lunged at the feral closest to him and landed on the man’s back. With his mind completely focused, he tore into the feral’s jugular then shifted back in his two-legged form. Before the man’s colleagues could break out of their shock, Klaus grabbed his victim’s weapon and unleashed a rain of bullets over the guards.

Some managed to take cover, while others received severe injuries from Klaus’s surprise attack. Even so, Klaus was not surprised in the least when the guards retaliated with gunshots of their own. He used his victim’s body as a shield and managed to escape the deadly bullets. At the same time, he took advantage of their distraction to move forward.

In a few swift tactical maneuvers, Klaus managed to position himself straight in the middle of the group. A few more well-positioned gunshots attracted their attention. Then Klaus moved aside, just in time to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Essentially, the feral guards ended up shooting themselves.

A few terrible moments later, the staircase at last lay free of obstacle. Not all of the ferals had died, and Klaus held no interest in killing them. In general, he despised killing, just like most of his brethren did. But now, he did not have time for such sensibilities.

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Abandoning the injured and dead, Klaus shifted once again and took off on the stairs. The few guards he encountered further up didn’t present any particular problem.

At last, he reached the last level. At the very end of the corridor, he spotted his destination, a room with a few more guards around it.

Klaus didn’t know if they felt him or not, but one of them appeared in the hallway, shouting, “Back off, if you don’t want them to die.”

The man looked completely serious. Even if Joseph might have ordered to keep Ross and Clay alive, ferals were unstable at best.

Under the circumstances, Klaus couldn’t trust them not to harm his mates. He was stuck.

A wave of power flowed through him, and Klaus felt it indirectly, through the not-yet-completed bond with Ross. The ferals faltered, seeming confused, as if they lost the trail of their own thoughts.

Klaus understood that somehow, Ross managed to help him. But he sensed Ross’s exhaustion and pain, and he knew his mate would not be able to keep using his power for much longer.

In a flash, he shot forward, his heart trembling with the doubt and fear that the ferals might attack his mates, but his mind focused on the ultimate goal. The guards went down under his fangs and claws, just in time, too, because Klaus sensed Ross’s power drain and dissipate, releasing its hold over the ferals.

But Ross had given Klaus the invaluable opportunity to get close, and he dispatched his opponents with relative ease. At last, he entered the room, and the sight that met his eyes made his blood boil with fury and his heart hurt.

Ross lay tied to the bed with silver manacles, his body straining to get loose. Sweat dewed his forehead, turning his red hair almost black. All the while, Clay struggled against silver chains, desperately trying to reach Ross.

“Klaus.” Clay looked at him, his eyes swirling with relief, pain, and anxiety. “You came.”

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Klaus shifted to his human form. He was torn between rushing to Clay and helping Ross. In the end, he chose Clay, surmising that together, they’d be able to free Ross easier and faster.

Fighting with the chains might have been an exercise in futility for most spirit wolves, but not so with Klaus. His strong hold on his spirit gave him the ability break the manacles and release his mate.

Clay shot to his feet. Klaus reached out to help his mate, but Clay shook his head. “Ross. He needs us.”

Klaus didn’t argue. He just pushed Clay away and rushed to Ross’s side. Just like he had with Clay, he broke the chains and opened the manacles. The silver burned his hands, but he ignored it.

He was just too happy to see his mates to care.

On impulse, he hugged Ross to his chest. He didn’t expect his embrace to be welcome, but Ross relaxed against him. “Thank God. I just knew you would not leave us.”

Klaus lifted his young mate in his arms. Ross and Clay’s trust humbled him, but this time, he would not let them down.

Ross’s body trembled in his hold, and Klaus knew the other man hovered at the limit between reason and insanity. The hold of the virus was very strong now in Ross. Did he dare claim Ross now? The double bite would heal his mate, but something held Klaus back.

Before Klaus could figure out what to do, Ross’s eyes widened.

“K–Klaus,” he stammered, “behind you.”

Klaus placed Ross back on the bed and turned to meet Joseph head on. The feral sneered at him from the doorway. “How sweet,”

Joseph said. “But I’m afraid I can’t let you take my pet. You people already stole my heir.” He grimaced. “Still can’t believe that stupid boy mated the Magistrate. “

Klaus just stared at the man in disbelief, while Joseph continued to rant. “At any rate, Ross’s abilities work marvelously as my plan B.

He belongs to me, and he knows it.”

The puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place. Joseph fancied himself a ruler over all ferals and intended to use his son—Dietrich—

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to further his power, probably guessing Dietrich would eventually turn feral. Ross had been chosen as an alternative solution—the plan B. But Wolfram had reached Dietrich before the other man could lose control over his beast, therefore leaving only Ross as a tool to be used by Joseph.

“Ross doesn’t belong to you,” Klaus shot back. “He’s a person, not a possession.”

Joseph laughed. “I disagree.” He shrugged and stepped inside the room. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll have to eliminate you now.”

Klaus gritted his teeth in anger and fear. Had the man defeated Wolfram so easily? No, it couldn’t be. Klaus would have known it if Wolfram died. Their Magistrate represented the pillar of their entire nation. All of them would feel his demise, if or when the time came.

Shaking himself, Klaus focused on his present threat. “Clay, take Ross and get out of here. I’ll keep him busy.”

Joseph arched a brow at him. “And what makes you think you can do that?”

He didn’t even wait for a reply. In a flash, the feral shifted into his wolf form, the same black beast Klaus saw earlier fighting Wolfram.

It was huge, its fangs as sharp as daggers and its energies attacking Klaus’s even from the distance.

But Klaus didn’t allow Joseph to intimidate him. He turned into his animal as well. At the same time, they lunged toward each other, their bodies colliding in midair.

Joseph might have thought himself capable to defeat all other spirit wolves except Wolfram, and perhaps he could. But Klaus wasn’t exactly new at this, either. He’d spent many centuries at Wolfram’s side, and his job didn’t amount to just bureaucracy. He’d been Wolfram’s aide in everything from handling paperwork to leading troops in battle. His opponent might be stronger than him this time, but Klaus trusted his own strength, and he knew he could delay Joseph for enough time to allow Ross and Clay to escape.

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They rolled around on the floor, snapping savagely at each other.

A distant part of him registered Clay obeying his instructions and heading toward the exit with Ross. It was not easy, but Klaus managed to keep Joseph busy. Their spirits dueled just like their body did, but none of them managed to gain an upper hand. The heavy fur got in the way of their fangs, while both their minds held heavy barriers, making it difficult for the other to attack it. Klaus decided to find a weak spot and aimed for the sensitive skin of Joseph’s belly.

With his hind legs, he scratched at the area, making Joseph recoil in pain. He intended to pursue this advantage, but, to his surprise, Joseph backed down.

Klaus realized what Joseph intended a second too late. Clay and Ross were inches away from safety, but it wasn’t good enough.

Joseph lunged at them, his heavy body falling right on top of Clay.

The young spirit wolf didn’t get the chance to dodge, but he did manage to put Ross down at the last moment.

Ross rolled away from them in a somewhat unconscious motion.

At this point, Ross seemed to operate on instinct alone. The immediate danger lay both in Ross’s mind and in Joseph.

The feral shifted to human form and grabbed Clay in what must’ve been an unbreakable grip. “Back off, or he dies.”

Klaus froze. Yet again, he did not know what to do. He sensed Ross try to attack Joseph, but the spiritual force was easily repelled by Joseph. “Nice try, pet,” Joseph said, “but you can’t beat me. You never could.” The feral turned his attention to Klaus. “Now, if you would be so kind, change forms.”

Klaus obeyed. “What do you expect to gain with this?” he asked.

Joseph grinned at him. “You’ll see. Walk toward me, slowly.”

Klaus narrowed his eyes at the feral, trying to judge how he could break Joseph’s hold on Clay. Joseph must have noticed his plan.

“Don’t even think about it. I won’t have any qualms in breaking his neck.”

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As if to prove his point, Joseph squeezed Clay harder. Clay clutched at Joseph’s arm, trying to free himself, to take in enough oxygen. His erratic motions only made it more difficult for Klaus to focus.

“Okay,” he said. “I get it. Just don’t hurt him.”

Ever so slowly, he made his way toward Joseph. With every step, he understood that there was no way out. In the feral’s eyes, he saw his own death. Strangely, he did not hesitate. Instead, he understood at last.

His dreams had never been about Wolfram’s death, or Clay’s.

They’d suggested his own demise, only his subconscious refused to accept it. Still, the nightmares prepared him for this, in a veiled way, readied him for the moment when he would have to defeat their greatest foe. Klaus was, indeed, ready. He did not want to die, of course, but he’d do it for his mates. Joseph would always hunt Ross for as long as he lived, just like he’d always try to defeat the spirit wolves. Nothing could change that, and while Wolfram was powerful, only the full strength of an unleashed soul could eliminate Joseph’s abilities.

So, Klaus continued onward, his gaze focusing on Clay. His mate looked very pale, those gorgeous gray eyes terrified. Klaus tried to convey reassurance, to wordlessly tell Clay everything would be all right. He’d have wanted to say the same thing to Ross. But it would have been a lie, and Klaus refused to lie to Clay again.

Even if he’d accepted his fate, he still felt a shock of surprise and panic when Joseph suddenly pushed Clay aside. The feral moved so fast Klaus almost didn’t see him. The next thing he knew, Joseph’s fist penetrated his rib cage, bursting through flesh and bone. Pain shot through him, but he didn’t even have enough time to process it. In one single motion, Joseph pulled out Klaus’s heart and tossed it on the floor.