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  It was crazy, but it was somehow easier to tell him, a complete stranger, the truth that I'd been unable to fully admit to anyone else I knew. Alec wasn't just an ex that I had fond feelings for, he was the one person who I'd risk everything to save even if he never wanted to see me again. "Yes, I love Alec. Now tell me what is going to happen so I can save him."

  He looked worried again. "What makes you think Alec needs saving? It's Dom...Jasmin and Isaac who are hurt."

  "I don't know. It's just a feeling, I guess."

  He muttered something else that sounded like 'more meddling' and then looked up and fixed me with a gaze that pinned me to my chair.

  "I don't have any more time. All I can tell you is that your love for Alec is vitally important right now. You need to hold onto that love. Wrap yourself in it. Wrap him in it. Don't tell Alec this, but it's the only chance he has against Agony."

  We were at the gate. The GPS flashed a string of numbers at me, and when I looked back at the man, he'd already slipped out the passenger door and was walking away from the van.

  Chapter 19

  Alec Graves

  Graves Estate

  Sanctuary, Utah

  I was tempted to ignore my phone. It had woken me out of the first night of restful sleep I'd had since Kristin's latest dream warning.

  "This is Alec."

  "Alec, it's Adri."

  A wave of emotion washed through me that was even stronger than I'd expected it to be. All of these weeks and months that I'd been waiting, hoping she'd change her mind, and now she'd actually called.

  "I'm sorry, Alec. I wouldn't have called, but Jasmin and Isaac are hurt. We're taxiing down the runway right now, but I don't think they can make it all the way to Sanctuary."

  Of course. She'd only called because her friends were hurt. The hope I'd felt just seconds before crashed, leaving nothing but duty, duty to my friends and my family. I rolled out of bed and pulled my pants on with one hand while the other hand held the phone. I was walking down the hall, shoes in hand, almost before the echo of her voice had died away.

  "What happened?"

  "I'm not completely sure. They got Ben—he's here in the plane with me—but Isaac got shot in the process. We were down in the park and then something attacked us. I think it was a werewolf; it was huge and it almost killed Jasmin and Isaac."

  "Jasmin and Isaac wouldn't have been a match for a werewolf. Are you sure it wasn't another hybrid?"

  "No, but they weren't a match for it. It knocked Jasmin unconscious and was about to kill Isaac when an old man with a sword showed up and drove it off. Then he got us all in a van and driving towards the airport. I've got syringes I'm supposed to administer every half hour, but he didn't say if I was supposed to start now or wait half an hour before the first dose."

  "Give it to them now. The risk of an overdose from whatever it is isn't as severe as the risk that Isaac will regain consciousness and kill everyone on the plane."

  I waited while she administered the sedative, my mind spinning the entire time. An hour and a half wasn't very much flight time. I needed a friendly pack with dominants who were strong enough to contain Isaac if he lost control of his beast. There was only one option. I burst into Donovan's office and felt my mouth drop when I saw Rachel standing under her own power for the first time in over a month.

  Rachel gave me a sad smile, but I couldn't have said why she was sad. She looked healthier than she had in weeks.

  "Hi, Alec. Donovan has just ordered the plane prepped for takeoff. It will be ready to go by the time we get to the airport. I've called Dom already. She's waiting for us in the garage."

  I shook my head. "I don't know how you knew Adri was going to call me, but you're not coming with me, Rachel."

  "I just knew, Alec. Call it a feeling."

  Adri was back. "What's going on Alec?"

  "I'm not sure, but Rachel has taken the liberty of getting the flight crew started. She's going to turn around now and go back to bed."

  That last bit was said for the benefit of Rachel, but she just gave me another of those sad smiles and pointed to my phone. I didn't understand what she was trying to say until Adri cleared her throat.

  "Actually, I think you should let her come, Alec. I can't explain why, but she needs to be there. Dominic, too."

  My beast growled with suspicion. "What aren't you telling me, Adri?"

  "The old man who saved us, he said you needed the people who loved you there when you stood up to Agony."

  It was a moment I'd been anticipating for more than two days, but it was still harder than I'd expected to hear the location of my death confirmed. I took a couple of deep breaths and nodded to myself. It was only right that those who loved me should be present to see me finally atone for all of my mistakes over the last couple of months.

  "Okay. Rachel can come. Get to the garage, sis. Donovan and I need to talk for a second once I'm done with Adri."

  Rachel nodded, but just before she turned around the corner, she looked back at me with a look of disappointment. "Donovan loves you too, Alec."

  I looked over at the man who had raised me and registered for the first time just how tired and old he looked. Somewhere along the line, while I'd been sulking like a thwarted teenager, he'd started showing some of the signs of whatever had been eating away at Rachel and the others.

  "Would you like to come with us, Donovan?"

  He knew about Kristin's dream. There was no way he should have been able to find out, but I was sure that he somehow knew. I got a short, choppy nod and a half bow. "Indeed, Master Alec. I would give anything in my power to avert it. Nothing short of a direct command from you will keep me from being there by your side."

  I clasped Donovan's forearm with my free hand, nodded and then gently pushed him towards the door. All of the friction we'd been experiencing over the last few weeks was nothing compared to the bond we had. It was sad that it required things to get this bad before I saw that.

  "Please get the rest of the pack up. Addison stays here with Mother, but anyone else who wants to come is welcome. It's not mandatory though."

  Adri hadn't said anything while our little drama had played out in Donovan's office, but I hadn't forgotten her.

  "Adri, where are you headed?"

  "Chicago. I hope that's okay."

  "It's perfect. I'm starting to feel like someone has attached strings to us all though. Nothing to do but dance to the music until it stops. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure someone is waiting for you when you land. His name is Shawn Bishop. If he's there, he'll get you somewhere safe until I can get there with the rest of the pack. If he's not there, then I'll try and have someone else waiting. Hopefully with more drugs and some medical experience."

  "Okay, I guess I'll see you in a couple of hours then?"

  "Yes. We shouldn't be much more than an hour behind you."

  I hung up and almost ran over Kristin, who'd been standing in the hall.

  "I just had the same dream again, Alec. It cut off sooner, but I think I know where it takes place now."

  I managed a smile. Kristin went to such efforts to present a hard exterior to the world, but that was all undermined by just how hard she tried to keep everyone around her safe.

  "Thanks, Kristin. It takes place in Chicago, I already know. I'm about to get on a plane, but I expect Agony will show up just a little while after I arrive."

  "Why would you be headed to Chicago right now? You'll die!"

  "I suspect you're right, but the price of not going to Chicago is too high. Go find Ash and tell him that I release him from his promise. The two of you are free to disappear into the woodwork again."

  I dialed Shawn's number before I was even out of sight of Kristin.

  "Hey, Shawn. It's Alec."

  "Hey, Alec. What's up?"

  I took a deep breath and then just launched into it.

  "I've had a couple of people in New York for the last little while. They both got hurt and a
re flying back west, but I need somewhere to put them until I can join up with them and make sure Isaac doesn't lose control of his beast."

  "You're thinking we could take them in?"

  "Yeah. The people with them have enough sedatives to keep them under control for about an hour and a half, but it will take me longer than that to even get to you."

  Shawn was quiet for several seconds. I covered a quarter of the length of the house by the time he responded.

  "You don't ever ask for any small favors, Alec. You know how the Coun'hij will react to all of this. If they find out you've been screwing around back East, they are going to come after you. If they find out we helped you break the rules then they'll come after us too."

  I stopped walking for a second so I could concentrate.

  "Before you answer, you need to know that the odds are very good that Agony is going to show up within the next three or four hours. I'm telling you that because I want you to take care of my people, and then when Agony shows up, you're going to throw me under the bus. He won't come after you and your dad because he's going to be positively giddy that he's finally got me dead to rights."

  "That's still a big favor."

  "I know it is, Shawn, but you can either agree, and then live up to your word, or I'll hunt you down and kill you. It may be the last thing I ever do, but I will avenge my people if anything happens that you could have prevented."

  Shawn sounded tired all of a sudden. "Okay, Alec. I'll meet your plane on the tarmac and then I'll keep Isaac under control and get him some medical attention until you can come and claim him."

  "Thanks, Shawn. I'll see you in a few hours."

  Tasha wasn't in the Lilac Room. I followed her scent trail back through the house, and it led me back to my bedroom and into my studio. She was looking at the portrait of her that I'd been working on. The work had captured me with a force I hadn't expected. It meant I'd spent my last couple of days painting again. It was nearly done, even the background.

  She stepped to the side and I took in the last painting I would ever work on. The viewpoint was exactly as I remembered it. I'd painted her up on the top of the mountain at the far end of the estate. She was sitting down on the edge of the drop-off and seemed to be looking off into the distance.

  "This isn't me, Alec."

  "Of course it is, Tasha. You were the one who sat for me when I painted it."

  "No, it's not. The outside is me, but everything else isn't me. It's someone else, someone more compliant and weak than I'd ever want to be."

  "I don't see someone weak when I look at that painting, Tasha. That doesn't really matter though. I've come to tell you that I'm flying to Chicago."

  "To fight Agony. I know already. You do realize that you're throwing everything away, don't you? You'd be better off disavowing Jasmin and Isaac and then accepting my proposal."

  I shook my head. I needed to be in the air already, but Tasha deserved an answer.

  "I can't disavow Isaac and Jasmin. Agony will kill them and never look back. We've been through too much together for me to do something like that to them. Please tell your mother that I'm sorry things didn't work out differently."

  "You've decided against me, but you've never even bothered to tell me why."

  I took a deep breath and then pointed at the picture. "It has a little bit to do with that. You see weakness; I see a strength that is on the inside rather than on the outside, a strength that sacrifices self rather than sacrificing others. That's what has always bothered me about the thought of marrying you, Tasha. There may be times when it's okay to sacrifice people, but that seems to be your default response to everything. If I marry you, then I'll be giving the darker, more practical parts of me the lead, and I'm not sure I'd like where that would end up taking me."

  "Death? You think death is preferable to marrying me?"

  "No, Tasha. It doesn't always have to be about avoiding one thing. Sometimes, it's about what you're choosing rather than what you're trying to avoid. The truth is that this was all decided before you even arrived here. It's just taken me a long time to realize it. You can have the picture, but I understand if you don't want it. You should probably take your people and leave though. It would be best to limit any connection with me. I expect Agony will be looking for a reason to make some hay out of what he's about to do to me."

  Tasha stormed out of the room without another word. A part of me wanted to sit in my studio and give the moment the significance it deserved but there simply wasn't time.

  The group waiting for me in the garage was bigger than I'd had any right to expect after the hell we'd all been through since Agony's last visit. Rachel and Dom were there. Donovan, too, of course. I hadn't expected Ash, but he gave me a wry smile that told me Kristin had delivered my message. She had ahold of Ash's arm, and while she didn't look happy, it was obvious that she wasn't going to let him go anywhere without her.

  James was there. He gave me a nod that seemed to say he might not have come if Dom hadn't been so determined to come, but that she wasn't the only reason he was present.

  Jess had already loaded Andrew and his wheelchair into her Escalade. I knew Andrew's primary concern was Isaac, but I suspected Jess was more concerned about Isaac than she was ready to admit, even to herself.

  It was a tiny group to be throwing into the limitless maw of the Coun'hij, but if I played my part correctly then maybe Agony would only require one sacrifice today.

  Chapter 20

  Adriana Paige

  Chicago Executive Airport

  Wheeling, IL

  The flight from New York had been nerve-racking for me. The pilot was a solid, no-nonsense guy in his early forties who'd pulled out all the stops to get us to Chicago as fast as he could, but I still worried the entire time that something would go wrong.

  I injected both Jasmin and Isaac every half hour religiously and spent the rest of my time wishing I had the knowledge and equipment to do more than just sit there while Jasmin and Isaac slowly bled to death.

  Ben never stirred, which just made things worse. I couldn't go up and bother the pilot just because I needed somebody to hold my hand and tell me everything would be okay, so I was left with nothing but the company of my own thoughts.

  I was up and out of my seat as soon as we touched down. I checked both sides of the plane, but I couldn't see any sign of the welcoming party Alec had promised us, until we finally pulled into an airplane hangar that was set off a little distance from the rest of the buildings.

  My knees nearly collapsed when I saw Shawn leaning against the side of a large, black SUV. He waved a couple of tough-looking guys forward as soon as the plane came to a stop. They were inside the plane a few seconds later, and I followed them as they carried Isaac out.

  Shawn nodded to me as I walked down the stairs. "I should have known that you'd be mixed up in all of this."

  "Me? You talk like I'm some kind of magnet for trouble."

  "You are. Every time I see you things get worse than they were before."

  I looked at him oddly. There was something about his tone that I didn't understand. "What happened after the last time I saw you?"

  Shawn sprang forward and put a hand over my mouth as he hustled me back up inside the plane. He motioned the pilot out and then pulled the door closed and flipped on one of the ubiquitous white noise generators.

  "You promised not to say anything about seeing Vicki and me. I don't care what kind of hell you can bring down on me. If you tell any of the people out there that you saw me in New York, I will kill you."

  I should have been terrified. A part of me was, but the rest of me was calmly analyzing his words, trying to fit them together in a way that made sense.

  "What exactly is your power, Shawn?"

  "I've never developed a power, Adri."

  He was lying. There was no way for me to know it, but somehow I knew he was lying.

  "I think you just lied to me. You have a power, and it has something to do with
knowing how much of a threat Alec is."

  "You're delusional."

  "No, I'm not. There is no reason in the world to think Alec could execute on any kind of threat to you. He's got a tiny little pack that is a baby step away from disintegrating. You, on the other hand, are the 'heir apparent' for the largest pack in North America. I know he's dangerous, but you shouldn't. Not like you seem to."

  Shawn grabbed me by the throat as a wave of power hit me, but the calm portion of my mind choked out one final point.

  "I'm not going to tell anyone as long as you come clean. You're the only liar here, Shawn."

  He released me and then put one hand up on the side of his head. "I don't know how Alec puts up with you. You're like fifty tons of loose brick suspended from a crane. A stiff wind could bury anything around you in a heartbeat."

  "Alec doesn't really tolerate me these days. Now 'fess up. You can always kill me, but that would just make Alec deliver on his threats."

  "I do have a power, but my dad and I have kept it a secret for years. I can sense the...potential around people. When someone makes a promise or delivers a threat, I can tell whether or not they mean it. More importantly, I can tell whether or not they can deliver on it. I sensed it when you threatened Vicki and me back in New York, and I sensed it a couple of hours ago when Alec told me he'd kill me if I let any harm befall any of you. He didn't used to act this erratically. Needless to say, my dad is pissed."

  I rubbed my throat and then nodded. "I won't say anything. What's next?"

  "We go back out there and watch while my people get blood transfusions going for Jasmin and Isaac. Then we just wait for Alec to arrive or for the bricks to come crashing down. No telling which will happen first."

  I checked on Isaac and Jasmin, but Shawn was right. They'd each been hooked up to an IV and strapped into cages. I protested their treatment, but I couldn't deny that they were moving around too much now that the drugs were wearing off for anything else to keep the IVs in. Apparently the cages were standard issue for dealing with severely injured shape shifters.