The Mountain Ch. 10

Instead, she had run from him. Embarrassed, perhaps, at how she had not done so last night. Pushing aside conjecture as to what had led her astray, Warder focused on where he might find her. He thought he had scented her at the far corner of the square. The warriors he had stationed outside the church were already making a systematic search, fanning out from the square, but he desired to find her first. To reclaim her. He closed his eyes, hoping to feel her. Was he imagining a sense of disquiet outside of himself? Was he feeling Lucy or some alien emotion of his own, dredged up as the process of mating made him anew?

"Sir!" One of his soldiers, a Beta who had been assigned to guard the tents where the other Sylphen had slept.

"Take your questions to your command," said Warder shortly. "I have more pressing matters--"

The young woman looked sick to her stomach as she pressed ahead. "Sir. Rader sent me. They found one of your mate's guards near the tent camp. The one who was watching the square."

He had ordered the man found. He did not entirely blame him for letting Lucy out of his sight. It was difficult for his kind to understand that humans would actually disobey an Alpha.

"I will address the matter when Lucy is found."

"He's dead, Sir," the warrior said. "He was murdered."

Warder held back another roar, his body pulsing with anger. Her guard had been murdered. Lucy had been taken. Again, she was in danger.

"Lock down the church," said Warder. "No one leaves. We search the entire island. We must find her before the barrier falls."

"Wait!"

Warder would have ignored the command, but there was a desperation in the voice he recognized. He turned to find Sheera pushing past the gathered guard.

"Do not try my patience," he warned, motioning once for the other warriors to let her through.

"I think I know where she went." The woman's eyes were swollen, as if she had been crying. But her face was devoid of all emotion now except for a steely resolve. "I think she's in trouble."

"We are bonded," said Warder. "I can feel her and I will find her."

"Yes," said Sheera. "And you've been mated for about a millisecond. I know my friend and I know what would take her away from the negotiations. Let me show you or go your own way if your instincts tell you I'm wrong."

"You will not survive a second attempt to keep me from my mate."

"I know the mating cannot be undone," said Sheera. "I care that she survives it."

Warder went still. Every second was precious when his mate was in danger. But the girl was convincing. It was a lesser warrior who would ignore the counsel of another simply because they did not wish it to be true.

He nodded to Rader. His Beta had been listening, having arrived shortly after his messenger. He would arrange a search and cover any ground necessary. He would do what he could to calm the islanders. Warder would go with Sheera.

"Lead me astray, and I will kill you despite the pain it will cause Lucy."

Sheera nodded once. "Follow me."

#

They covered ground quickly. Sheera was keeping up with him better than a human would. It confirmed his suspicions. She was no human omega. Somehow, another Sylphen had made it to the island before Ysabel had closed them off from the outside.

Warder stopped short, grabbing hold of the neck of Sheera's jacket where she ran slightly ahead of him. She shrieked and twisted, the sudden stop knocking her off her feet. Warder counted on the disorientation to ensure an honest answer. "Who are they?"

"What are you doing?"

"The other Sylphen on this island. The ones you're taking me to. Who are they? And how many? I need to be prepared to defend my mate."

"How did you--"

"People who hide successfully for a time forget that they are not invisible. You have been careless. As have I. I should have interrogated you sooner."

He saw the woman consider her position. He did not know everything, but her options had narrowed. She wanted to save her friend. "My father. We were here long before you came. I was born here."

"Why would Lucy go with him?" Inside, he roared at the idea that his mate would seek out another Sylphen. But the face he showed Sheera was without emotion.

"If you kill him, Lucy won't forgive you. We have been friends our entire lives."

"Every second you keep me from my mate increases the likelihood that I will be disinclined to show him any mercy."

"You owe him," said Sheera. She twisted out of his grasp, tearing her jacket in the process. "He was the one who sent us to the mountain that day."

"Explain."

"He thought I would be taken. I was supposed to learn more about you. To determine if there could be a way off the island."

"Is he a threat to Lucy?"

"No!" said Sheera. "But he thinks you are."

"Perhaps you have misjudged him. Someone murdered Lucy's guard."

Sheera paled. "He wouldn't do that. I don't think he could."

Warder considered her expression. If nothing else, she believed that what she said was true. Smarter, more powerful creatures had misjudged danger simply because that danger had sired them.

"Do not keep anything else from me," he commanded. "You are not in hiding anymore. Therefore, I am your Alpha."

He saw the desire to argue rise in her, the fury with which she pushed it away. The threat of rebellion from the woman wasn't over, but she truly cared for his mate. He would spare her and her father if he could. He would kill them both if he must.

"We're close," said Sheera. "It's the house at the top of this hill."

Warder felt for Lucy, but was met with only the faint sense of her he had started with. The certainty that she was alive. Then, like a shot in the dark, a clear emotion seared down their bond. Pain. Fear. As clear as if she were standing next to him with everything she was feeling written on her face. With another earth shattering roar, he took off in the direction from which his mate called to him in her distress. But even frightened and injured, Lucy did not allow him a clear picture.

"What is it?" Sheera ran after him.

"You said your father was not dangerous," Warder bit out, not slowing his pace.

"He isn't," said Sheera, her face pale where it was not reddened by their run. "Something must be wrong."

#

Lucy cradled her injured wrist against her chest. Her breath was coming fast from pain and fear, but she tried not to let it show on her face. Grace was watching her like a cat playing with a small animal. Looking for where to hurt her next to keep the game going.

"Who or what is on the mainland?" asked Lucy through clenched teeth, hoping to encourage Grace to give her something useful.

Grace cocked her head and looked at Lucy. "Warder confides nothing in you," she said, her voice dripping with mock pity. "I thought you were more bonded. I wonder if he will even feel your pain or if this is a futile exercise."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mate should be able to sense your pain," said Grace. "But if he hasn't trusted you with any of the truth of his past, perhaps there is not enough between you to bring him running."

Lucy didn't rise to the bait. The idea that Warder wouldn't come for her--that he didn't truly care for her. It was what she claimed to want. It was her nightmare. Was it really true that a mated pair couldn't survive one another's death? It seemed impossible that anything could hurt Warder. Just the other night on the beach, he had taken her painted in the blood of another warrior.

"Perhaps a more powerful stimulus is called for," said Grace. She looked around the shop and her eyes alighted on a nearby workbench. She approached it and lifted a heavy wrench, rusted with age and streaked with some kind of oil. She walked back to Lucy. "Hold out your hands." She spoke as if she was asking her to serve tea.

"No," said Lucy.

"Fine," said Grace. "The knee will do just as well." She grabbed for Lucy's leg, twisting it hard when Lucy tried to kick her away, and brought the wrench down with force on her kneecap.

Lucy knew that she screamed, but she couldn't hear herself. The pain drowned out everything, even her own voice. She curled up as far as she could manage while her wrists were tied, as if making herself smaller would reduce the impact of the attack. The motion caused her to overbalance and she slipped from the chair onto the floor, jarring her knee further. She hissed, biting back a sob.

"I would imagine he felt that," said Grace. "We shall see." Ioanni cowered a few yards away, fiddling with some machine to avoid Grace's gaze. Miles had been ordered to keep a look out towards the road. Lucy realized that despite Grace's feigned uncertainty, she expected Warder to appear. Expected to be able to control him through her.

Lucy felt tears dripping down her cheeks. She managed to touch her bound hands carefully to her knee, but even the mild touch was like a stab. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall behind her.

Warder.

She wanted to call his name. Not because she needed him to help. But because he could. She didn't want to need him. Didn't want to be rescued and soothed by the person who had caused her to be vulnerable in yet another new and frightening way.

Warder.

When he came, Miles tried to beat him through the door, shouting for Grace. Grace stepped calmly forward, putting herself between Lucy and her mate. Warder met Mile's charge with a fist and Miles crumpled to the ground without a sound.

#

As Miles' fell to the floor at Warder's feet, Grace let out a little laugh. "You're angry," she said. "But you've already done me a favor. That boy was becoming tiresome. These humans are surprisingly difficult to manage."

"Grace."

"Yours, however. She's such a small, emotional little creature. I find her delightfully easy to manipulate."

"What do you want?"

Grace nudged Lucy's injured knee with her foot and Lucy whimpered. "I want all kinds of things," said Grace. "But most of all, I want you to be taking orders from me when the barrier falls and the outside world comes to visit our little sanctuary."

"I will not play puppet while you torture my mate." Warder looked so menacing that Lucy would have shied away from him if she could. Grace only laughed again. "Ioanni?"

Sheera's father reached for the workbench and retrieved a small pistol. His hands shaking, he pointed it at Lucy's head.

"I will be doing you a favor," said Grace. "You're dangerously infatuated with her."

"She is mine," said Warder. "I saw her power and I took her. I would not think you would begrudge me such a choice."

"I am powerful," said Grace. "You were foolish to look elsewhere."

Warder smiled like he was sharing a secret. "You chose power, yet you blame me for doing the same."

"She is not enough for you!" Grace whirled on Lucy. Lucy tried to scramble away from her, crying at the pain when she jostled her knee. Ioanni readjusted the gun to follow her.

If Warder glanced in her direction at all, Lucy did not see it. All of his attention was focused on Grace. As if she did not exist. "What is your plan, Grace? If it is well founded, I will support you. You need not threaten my mate to ensure my cooperation."

"My plan is to meet whoever comes as Alpha of this island," said Grace. "You will not defer to me unless I hold something over you. I am unafraid to take my power however I must. It is something you ought to appreciate about me."

Warder walked towards her. "I think there is something else you want. To know that I desire you more than a human."

"Do not try to pacify me," said Grace.

"Do not pretend I have scorned you," said Warder. "I took a mate to secure more power. If I would take you for my own pleasure, would you deny me?"

"You're toying with me."

"Come closer and I will."

Grace snapped her fingers in Ioanni's direction. He looked up reluctantly and she gestured at Lucy. "You will kill her at my word," she said. "Remember what you owe me."

Iaonni nodded, tears in his eyes. He went and stood over Lucy.

Confident that her hostage was contained, Grace sauntered towards Warder. He caught her when she was an arm's length away, dragged her forcefully towards him. Lucy winced, thinking that he would break her neck as easily as he had dropped Miles. Instead, he swept her into a punishing kiss. One hand circled her neck, the other hiked up her dress, cupping her ass possessively, forcing a gasp from her lips.

"Warder."

"These theatrics are beneath you. Tell me what you want."

"You," Grace gasped, her body writhing against him. "At my side and my command when they arrive."

The small assembly was so focused on the confrontation between the two Alphas, the sound of footsteps running up the gravel path did not register. Sheera's presence went unremarked until she screamed.

"Dad!"

Sheera's voice visibly startled Grace. She snarled and moved towards her, but Warder held up a hand.

"Do not interfere, girl," he said. Sheera barely spared him a glance, but she stopped where she was at the entrance to the workshop, shooting Miles' still form only the slightest glance. Lucy wanted to call out to her, but she couldn't seem to force words past the pain radiating from her knee. She felt frozen.

"Dad, don't do this," said Sheera.

"I have to," said Ioanni. "They are coming." As if to prove his words, Ioanni knelt next to Lucy, steadying the gun against her temple.

"Do not interfere and you will not be hurt," he said. "Please, daughter."

"Answer me before anyone else makes their way here," said Grace, sliding her hands up Warder's chest. "It won't be long before Rader comes sniffing after you like a loyal dog. Accept me as Alpha or die with your mate."

"You are not the strategist I am, Grace. But there is a beauty in the brute force you can apply when cornered. I should be the one to meet whoever comes as Alpha. You will be my second instead of Rader. He will easily step aside. He is as loyal as you say."

"I will not play second in command. Not again."

"There are qualities of leadership you do not possess," said Warder. "For instance, you have always underestimated bonds that lie outside of the physical. You have abandoned your own daughter. Scorned your mate."

"I am willing to do what must be done to be powerful!" said Grace. "You have a dangerous tendency towards the sentimental." Grace lifted a hand to his face. "Follow me and you can avoid such weakness." Warder leaned into her and Grace melted towards him, their bodies forming a private, intense world as the rest of the assembly were relegated to the edges.

"Perhaps we agree," said Warder. "As Alpha, you would do what must be done. I, however, would be swayed by the bonds of family. Of honor."

"Weakness," said Grace. "Yes."

Warder spoke the rest of it so intimately, it was almost like a seduction. "You have made yourself clear," he said. "Now, it seems the true choice lies elsewhere. Remain loyal and accept you as our ruthless Alpha or kill you now in favor of an Alpha for whom the bonds of family are more than an inconvenience." Warder slid his arms around Grace, pushing her away from his neck and trapping her prone at his side.

"Ioanni. What will you decide? Do it quickly, because I will not be able to hold her for long without bloodshed."

"You think my man will be loyal to you with one little speech?" asked Grace. She laughed, but her voice was a shade too shrill. "Kill her!"

Startled, Ioanni looked from Warder to Grace. Then, to Sheera, standing behind them. When he raised the gun this time his hand was steady.

#

Miles woke up. Perhaps it was the shot, still ringing in the small space. To Lucy's surprise, he screamed at the sight of Grace's body, scrambling across the floor and throwing himself on top of her.

Ignoring his theatrics, Warder stepped away without a second glance, heading straight to Lucy. He removed the gun from Ioanni's hands. "Get out of my sight." Ioanni saw the logic in removing himself quickly from the Alpha's presence. He disappeared into the crowd as Rader arrived with a small contingent of warriors.

Warder barked some commands in the Sylphen language even as he reached for Lucy. She tried to push him away when he lifted her off the ground, but he easily overpowered her. "I know you are upset," he said. "You must remain calm and let me take you to safety."

Upset. That didn't quite describe what she felt. Except for the haze of pain, she felt as if she were made of nothing but white hot anger. Anger at Grace. At Warder. At Ioanni's betrayal and even at his choice to rescue her. To see sense after causing so much pain. He was dangerous and so were the rest of his kind. Unstoppable monsters who treated humans as little more than pawns.

And Grace was dead. She was angry about that, too. Despairing at all the hate the woman had nurtured and what it had wrought. Her death wasn't payment enough.

Lucy heard Sheera's voice and tried to move her head towards her. Her friend was trying to reach her and one of Warder's people was holding her back.

Had Sheera known what her father was? What she must be, too? Had she been a victim of Ioanni and Grace's sick plan or a willing accomplice? Head twisting at the possibilities, Lucy closed her eyes. Warder reached a hand out to soothe her, cautious of jostling her and inflaming her injuries. Lucy startled at the intentional touch, tried once more, without success, to hold herself away from him.

"It is my fault you came to harm," said Warder, accepting her flinch with a grimace. "But you are safe now. Every healer on this island will be at your disposal."

She wanted to tell him that wasn't why she was upset. Wasn't why she couldn't stand to welcome his touch. But everything hurt too much.

Over her head, something crackled and hissed. A sound that was strange and familiar at once.

Static.

"Oh my god," said Sheera. "The antenna worked?"

No. Lucy wanted to tell her. It was all a trick. But you knew that, didn't you?

"What is that?"

Lucy opened her eyes and saw that it was Rader who was speaking. Warder's second in command who Grace had scorned. She knew the man's face but had never conversed with him. Warder hadn't allowed it.

"A radio signal," said Warder. "Stop it."

"I can shut it down," said Sheera. "Let me go!"

"They'll get through eventually," Rader said. "Ysabel must be failing."

"Every second counts considering what we are facing," said Warder. "Cut the transmission." He nodded to the warrior holding Sheera, who released her.

She rushed forward and started fiddling with the dials on the radio. Even as she managed to subdue the static noise, more and more of the devices scattered around the shop blared to life. Ionni had collected nearly every radio in town. It had seemed like a hopeless obsession. An eccentricity.

Now, they all sputtered and crackled as Sheera rushed to stop them. Bringing whatever was coming that much closer.

"Take my mate to safety," Warder growled, speaking to Rader.

The radio crackled again, and the strange language -- the Sylphen language -- sounded over the air.

Warder roared as if in response. The lethal quiet that had ruled him as he faced Grace, as he orchestrated her murder, fled and his features twisted in rage.

Suddenly, the creature holding Lucy was not even as strangely familiar as her mate had become. He was emanating a dangerous power, a readiness and ruthlessness that made Lucy afraid even as it spoke to something deep within her. Something she thought hadn't been there before.

She startled as Rader took her gently from Warder's arms, wincing with her as she bit her lip to keep from crying out. Neither of them wanted to draw Warder's attention now. Lucy reached for his hand, grasped it as firmly as she could.