The Keeping (56 page)

Ryne bit his lip
in concern. The stress of finding out about Lucy and of having a
gun pointed at her was starting to show. Could it trigger a
transformation as her inner wolf fought to rise up to meet the
present danger? It was also getting later; he could feel the pull
of the full moon himself and knew Melody would soon be helpless in
the face of its power. Not willing to wait any longer, Ryne glanced
outside, noticing the lengthening shadows cast by the surrounding
trees. A grim smile graced his face. The encroaching nightfall was
providing him with some cover. Seeing the others were focused on
Melody, he silently slipped out of his hiding place, to the
relative safety of a nearby bush.

Melody flicked a
glance in his direction before concentrating on her adversaries
again. However, it was enough for their eyes to meet; the brief
look was sufficient. He knew she was ready for whatever course of
action he took. Shifting into his wolf form, Ryne crouched, muscles
tense and ready to strike.

Greyson seemed to
be ignoring Aldrich. He looked beseechingly at Melody. “Ms. Greene.
Please. I promise I won’t tell anyone about you. I...I know about
the Keeping; how you protect your secrecy by eliminating those who
have stumbled upon your existence. If you feel you need to take my
life, so be it, but first hear me out. I need information about
your people, not for myself or monetary gain, but for my ward,
Cassandra. She’s one of you, though she doesn’t know it yet.”

Aldrich had a
stunned look on his face as he stared at Greyson. “Your ward? What
ward? Who—?”

At that moment,
Ryne leaped out and tackled Aldrich. Greyson shouted. The lawyer’s
gun went off and a scream echoed through the night.

*****

Bryan stared at
his cards, supposedly concentrating on his poker strategy. In
reality, he didn’t even see the cards before him; it was the image
of the clock that floated in front of his eyes. It was well past
the scheduled check-in time but Ryne hadn’t called. The phone was
working, there were no text messages, no e-mails. Where the hell
was their Alpha?

Kane was wondering
the same thing. Just half an hour ago he’d had a blistering
conversation with the other pack’s Alpha and was glad he wouldn’t
be in Ryne’s shoes when the two finally talked. It was
understandable that Kane was on edge; having a vial of liquid death
in front of you while you waited for the call to drink it, would be
enough to sour anyone’s mood.

Ryne would call.
Soon. Bryan kept the positive thought foremost in his mind, despite
the weight in his stomach that increased with each minute that
past. What could be keeping him? Surely, Mel wouldn’t have turned
on him. Not Mel...

“Are you in or
out?” Marco’s voice brought him out of his reverie. That morning,
he’d invited Marco and his family to check out Stump River,
thinking it would help to fill the time. Olivia and Tessa hadn’t
come; the baby was fussing and Tessa was too nervous. Marco,
however, had welcomed a chance to see his new home and, having had
the grand tour, was now keeping them company as they awaited Ryne’s
call.

“Er...out.” Bryan
folded his cards and threw them down on the table.

Marco reached out
and flipped them over. It was a full house. “Is this is how you
play poker in Canada...?”

“Sorry.” Bryan ran
his hands through his hair, then roughly pushed his chair back. “I
can’t concentrate. I keep waiting for the damned phone to
ring.”

“As do we all.”
Slowly Marco gathered the cards and began stacking the chips. “Have
patience. He will call.”

“But what if he
doesn’t?” Daniel looked up from the computer game he was playing.
His face reflected his worry.

Bryan studied his
friend, noting the anxiety in his voice, how his muscles were
tensed. Daniel was as worried as he was but... Damn! He was Beta,
and while Ryne was gone, he needed to take responsibility for the
safety and well-being of the pack. That included putting on a brave
face, even when he didn’t really feel it. Lifting his chin, he
straightened and spoke in a firm, confident voice. “Marco is right.
I’m was just being a nervous old woman. Of course, Ryne is fine.
He’s gotten through worse scrapes than this. By now he’s talked to
Mel, found out there was nothing to worry about after all and
they’re reconnecting, if you know what I mean.” He ended the
comment by wiggling his eyebrows and giving a knowing look.

“Reconnecting?”
Marco frowned over the word, then grinned. “Ah! Ryne y Mel estan
haciendo el amor.”

Daniel visibly
relaxed and gave a brief chuckle. “If that means they’re having sex
then, yeah.”

“Our Alpha is—how
you say—a ladies’ man?”

“Something like
that.” Bryan smiled realizing that Marco was trying to lighten the
mood as well. He sat down again and tried to keep the conversation
going. “So, what was your old Alpha like?”

Marco snorted. “He
is a bastard and not fit to rule.”

Bryan leaned back,
propping his feet on the table and folding his arms behind his
head. “A real nice guy, then.”

For a moment Marco
looked confused but then seemed to grasp the sarcasm of the
statement. “Yes. A real nice guy. He allows no discussion or
debate; pack meetings are never held unless he is issuing orders
and anyone who disagrees, ‘disappears’ without a trace.”

“He kills them?”
Daniel set down his computer game and leaned forward, obviously
intrigued by the tale.

“There are no
bodies, but everyone knows.” Marco narrowed his eyes, his voice
sounding bitter.

“And no one tries
to stop him?” Bryan found it hard to believe that in this day and
age, a pack would put up with such treatment.

“Many have tried
and have died in the attempt. Most of my pack have learned through
experience to endure the misery and live in hope for the day he
finally grows old and weak. A few, such as myself, have dared to
leave, but it is dangerous.”

Daniel frowned and
seemed to study Marco intently. “You left for Tessa, right?”

“Yes. For her and
for my son. It is no way to live. I wanted better for them.”

Bryan frowned.
“I’m surprised he’s that powerful, at such a young age.”

“Who said he is
young?” Marco queried. “Pablo turned forty-five this year. He’s
been Alpha for almost eighteen years now.”

“Forty-five? And
he was after Tessa? No wonder you wanted to leave.” Daniel shook
his head looking disgusted. “Why doesn’t he have a mate
already?”

“He’s had three,
but they were all ‘accident prone.’ I was not willing to risk Tessa
having a similar ‘accident’.” Marco clenched his fist and a muscle
in his jaw throbbed.

Bryan got up and
clapped a hand on Marco’s shoulder in a gesture of support. “I’d
have left too, man.” He wandered to the window and stared outside.
“You’ll find things are really different here. Ryne is a great
Alpha and he’s real easy to get along with.”

“And even if you
mess up, he doesn’t stay angry for long.” Daniel chimed in.

Marco nodded. “I
look forward to getting to know him better when he gets back.”

Right, Bryan
thought as he surreptitiously checked the time and then looked at
the phone, willing it to ring. When he gets back...

****

Cassie ran as fast
as she could towards her uncle’s house. Her heart was pounding so
loudly that she couldn’t hear anything but its thump. Frantically,
she kept looking behind her while trying not to stumble over the
exposed tree roots that criss-crossed the ground.

She’d been hiding
behind the trees, eavesdropping on the confrontation that seemed to
be taking place between her uncle, Mr. Aldrich and a young woman
named Ms. Greene. The conversation hadn’t made much sense, but
she’d listened intently when her uncle began claiming she was like
the woman, the one they said was a werewolf. It had seemed
ridiculous and she even questioned her own hearing until she saw a
man crawl out of the culvert and turn into a wolf! The wolf had
attacked Mr. Aldrich and as the lawyer fell to the ground, his gun
went off.

It had seemed like
a scene from a horror movie. The wolf snarling; its teeth gleaming.
A surprised cry coming from her uncle and then... Oh God! The flash
of light and noise as the gun discharged. Her uncle falling... The
image of a bullet hole, like a third eye in his forehead, bits of
blood spattered on his face as he dropped to the ground. Her knees
grew weak at the memory and she paused for a moment, clutching a
tree for support while trying to gather her strength and force her
panicked mind into some form of order.

She hadn’t known
what to do. Naturally, she’d screamed. Who wouldn’t? And then, as
she’d stood transfixed by the unfolding events, the wolf had
actually looked up at her! Its eyes seemed strangely intelligent as
if it were noting what she looked like and planning her fate. That
one fact had leaped out at her, even though the look had been
momentary. In that instant she recalled her uncle saying werewolves
killed those who discovered their secrets. Mr. Aldrich had found
out, and the wolf was attacking him. And she’d just watched the man
change into a wolf, so now she knew the secret, too. Of course,
she’d be next in line!

Pushing off from
the tree, she ran to the house as fast as possible. She entered
through the front door; all thoughts of stealth forgotten. Time was
of the essence now. She had to get away. Quickly she entered her
uncle’s office and yanked open the drawer where she knew he always
kept some spare money. She grabbed a handful of bills before
rushing upstairs. In her room she threw open drawers and closets,
grabbed a gym bag and began randomly throwing clothing into it. In
the bathroom, she swept the contents of the vanity in on top of her
clothes, grabbed her purse, and thundered down the stairs.

Franklin must have
heard her for he appeared in the front foyer, looking concerned.
“Miss Cassie! What’s wrong?”

“Franklin, Uncle
is—” Her voice caught on a sob and she was unable to get the word
out. Even as Franklin stepped towards her, she was reaching for a
set of keys from the hall table. “I’m sorry. I can’t stay. He saw
me.”

“Who miss? Who saw
you? And where is Mr. Greyson?” Franklin peered behind her as if
trying to find his employer. When the man in question didn’t
appear, he walked towards Cassandra, his arms held out in front of
him. “Why don’t you just calm down and let me help you?”

Cassie shook her
head and backed away, tears streaming down her face. The man had
been her confidant for years, but this was too dangerous. She
couldn’t tell him, couldn’t endanger him. “Franklin, I’m sorry!”
She spun around and ran out the front door to the converted
carriage house where the cars were kept.

Behind her, she
could hear Franklin calling her name, but she didn’t stop to
answer. Yanking open the door to the garage, she pressed the remote
control that opened the large external doors, then hurried to her
car. Throwing her bag in first, she slid into the seat and started
the engine. Impatiently, she waited for the garage doors to open,
her fingers flexing nervously on the steering wheel. Come on, come
on, she muttered under her breath. Her peripheral vision caught
sight of Franklin hurrying towards her. Damn! Silently she asked
for forgiveness, then slammed her foot onto the accelerator, the
roof of her car scraping against the partially opened doorway as it
shot forward. Without a backward glance, she sped away.

*****

Ryne saw the young
girl and quickly took note of her appearance before swinging his
attention back to the man beneath him. Aldrich was struggling for
breath, his throat partially ripped open, blood spilling onto the
ground. Ready to finish the deed, a cry from Melody had Ryne once
again looking away from his victim.

Melody was curled
into a fetal position, her body shaking uncontrollably, her face
contorted in pain. Swiftly Ryne changed forms and rushed to her
side, gasping slightly from the effort of changing forms in such
quick succession. Pulling her into his arms, he murmured words of
encouragement.

“Fight it, Melody.
Don’t give in. Think about being human. About driving your car,
using your computer, drinking that damned coffee you love so much.”
He rocked her back and forth praying she could maintain her form.
Looking around, he realized sunset was just minutes away. The time
of the full moon was almost upon them! Nadia’s words rang through
his mind. ‘In the end she’ll either live or die, depending on how
much her body can handle.’

How much could she
handle? Ryne knew the pull of the moon only too well. The need
clawing inside you, fighting to get out; wild thoughts invading
your mind as the wolf became dominant, fighting to take over the
human side. It was an irresistible feeling that had the person
reaching and striving for release. It took inner strength and
discipline to resist the ancient instincts.

Yet Melody wasn’t
ready; only part of her body had undergone the genetic changes
needed. Could anyone live when their bone structure shifted to that
of a wolf, while all their internal organs were still human? Brain
signals would be speeding up her human heart to that of an animal,
but how would it react to the strain? Ryne clutched her closer,
knowing he wouldn’t be able to bear it if she died. Melody was
exasperating and smart mouthed, quirky and headstrong, but he loved
every inch of her. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head,
squeezing tightly. She had to make it!

Knowing he had to
get her someplace dark, away from the moon’s effects, he picked her
up and eyed the pipe they’d crawled through, but quickly dismissed
the idea. It was too small for him to carry Melody and she was in
no fit state to crawl. He glanced around for a solution, then saw
Aldrich’s key chain on the ground; the little flashlight was
cutting a small beam across the ground.