Secrets in the Fade (Secrets of the Sequoia Book 2) Page 17

  But he’d made that promise to Rachael. And whether her brother lived or died, he had to see it through to the end.

  Rustling caught his attention. Aaron glanced over to the end of the driveway, focusing on a shroud of bushes. After a moment the tell-tale cracking and howling echoed through the air, and he knew precisely who it was.

  Once the howling ceased more scuffling sounds ensued. Then, at last, Holden emerged from the bushes fully clothed. His face was red; his eyes dark and bloodshot.

  Aaron’s eyes narrowed. “How considerate of you to bring a change of clothes,” he said with deadly softness.

  His former charge stopped in the middle of the driveway. The lines on his face spoke of his internal war. Holden managed to say, through his teeth, “Before you kill me, just let me speak.”

  As though he would murder him before finishing his smoke. Aaron kept his posture lax, striding toward the garage without ever taking his eyes off his former charge.

  Evenly, Holden said, “If I apologize for attacking you, and promise not to do it again, will you let me back into the pack?”

  The request was both surprising and utterly not. Aaron lowered his gaze to the ground as though in thought. In truth his mind was already made up.

  “Not good enough,” he said.

  Agitation flowed from where Holden stood. “Then what is?”

  Before Aaron could answer, the front door to the house flew open. Rachael ran out onto the grass, her hoodie unzipped and exposing her tank top to the breeze. Her face was flushed and her eyes frenzied.

  “He’s not there,” she breathed. And then she froze, dread shaping her expression.

  Darkly, Holden said, “So you’re here.”

  As entertaining as this promised to be, Aaron was far more concerned about what she’d just said. He swept past her and into the house so search for the pup. But no matter where he went their voices followed as the two quickly delved into an argument.

  “Why would you even come here after last night?”

  “You’re overreacting! I was just worried about Jackie. You know that!”

  “But you could have called me. Why him? What else do I have to say to get through to you?”

  Cursing inwardly, Aaron hurried through the house. Damn the place for being so big. He should have known better, and instead of going for strictly practical he’d chosen to delve into luxury once more. But all the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the kitchen, studies, living room—they were all devoid of life. Even Nathan was nowhere to be seen.

  He stormed out the front of his house, where the fighting was rapidly reaching its peak. Holden had stepped closer to Rachael, and the blonde was standing her ground. Aaron could smell her fear.

  “I hate you like this, Holden! I don’t like all this—this jealousy and anger. I’ve been so distracted by you when I should be focusing on my brother. That’s not fair!”

  “That’s not fair? You don’t get fair with Aaron! I didn’t do any of this. I told you before, all of this is his fault. So how can you be mad at me, and how can you be nice to him?”

  “I’ve told you and told you,” she screamed. “I know that. But he still. Saved. Jackie!”

  Aaron decided he’d had enough. He stepped between the two, forcing Holden to move back. The startled teen stumbled for a moment and then righted himself and scowled at Aaron with more fury than he’d ever seen before. “You—”

  “Enough,” Aaron snapped. He grabbed Holden by his wrist, forcing his arm down and twisting until bones and tendon audibly creaked together. Behind him Rachael let out a cry. Holden struggled to remain standing, but it was clear he was in immense pain.

  Aaron didn’t care. “Know this,” he snarled. “If I find out you are involved, your death will not be quick.”

  Holden tried to protest, but Aaron twisted his arm further. The boy yelped.

  “Now,” said Aaron. “Where are Nathan and Jackson?”

  Bending his knees to alleviate the pain in his arm, Holden gasped, “I don’t know. Honestly. I haven’t seen them.”

  Aaron wanted to make a snide remark. Instead he released his hold and Holden stumbled back, nursing his bruised wrist.

  Agony strained Holden’s voice. “Why would I know where they are?”

  A sudden distant scream pierced the air. Aaron whirled toward the sound. There—deep in the woods. Back near the familiar sequoia. And with Jackson and Nathan both missing....

  His eyes flickered over to Rachael. She stared off in the same direction, her face completely white.

  “Sorry,” said Aaron softly. “Looks like this is judgment day.”

  Ignoring Rachael’s devastated shout, he turned and hurtled into the forest.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Terror shuddered its way through every nerve in Rachael’s body. One moment Aaron was there and the next he disappeared into the bramble. In that moment she couldn’t get her legs to work. Instead she screamed, “No, please!”

  But he was gone.

  And she had to follow.

  Determination flooded movement back into her. Rachael started to take off, but a hand grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back. She stumbled into Holden, who released her almost immediately.

  Infuriated, she whirled and shouted, “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Just wait,” insisted Holden. Heat bubbled within her, and for a moment she thought she was about to lose it. But then she noticed his hand was deep within his pocket. Grimly, he grabbed her hand, turned her palm upward, and placed something in it.

  Rachael shoved her rage aside, taking a second to look at what he’d given her. It was as small as the last knuckle of her pinkie; white, smooth, and tapered to a fatal point.

  She looked up at him, bewildered. “A tooth?”

  Guilt retraced new lines on his face. Holden took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said, “A wolf’s. A little one. Smaller than Nathan.”

  Rachael stared, uncomprehending.

  Holden shoved both hands into his pockets, lowering his gaze as the tips of his ears reddened. In a barely audible voice he said, “It wasn’t Jackson. That’s proof.”

  Relief blinded her. Stinging tears welled in her eyes, and Rachael clenched them shut.

  But then a thought occurred to her. She blinked away the tears, looking at her friend. “Where did you find this?”

  Holden turned his head, his words hesitant. “The woods...”

  Her heart sank. “When?” He didn’t answer, seemingly more interested in the ground. “Holden, when?”

  His lips pressed tight until the flesh around them whitened. And then Rachael understood. The woods. When she’d found Nathan’s tooth. That very same night.

  “Oh my god,” she whispered. Her fingers closed around the tiny nub of truth in her palm, and she began to shake. “You...”

  Holden’s back stiffened. “I know. I screwed up. I just...” His voice trailed off.

  Frustration welled deep within Rachael. But rather than try to figure out his reasons, she turned away. Tersely, she said, “I don’t have time for this.”

  He didn’t reply.

  Disappointment weighed her down, but Rachael forced herself to start running anyway. She saw the direction Aaron had taken off in, and she had to catch up before he caught Jackie first.

  It was rough going, and she was up against a creature that ran in the woods on all fours for sport, food, and survival. But she pressed forward even when her lungs burned with each breath. Lines of fire in her chest threatened to cut off her oxygen, but she kept running. Closer, closer, closer to the sequoia.

  A dim part of her wondered if Holden was coming after her.

  One long, low howl gave her a burst of energy. Rachael tumbled off the beaten path toward the sound. Female voices shouting finalized her direction and she at last stumbled upon the scene.

  “Aaron,” she gasped. “It wasn’t Jackie.”

  He stood rigid, his back to her. “I know, Ms. Adair,” he said tersely.

&nb
sp; “What?” Panting, Rachael doubled over to draw in air easier. But before she could catch her breath, she noticed the scene before her and froze.

  To her right, Jackson had Nathan pinned beneath him. The child was putting up an incredible fight, but Jackson used his massive frame against him to keep Nathan down. Behind them was a horrified Coleen, her back against the massive sequoia tree and her scarred leg notably protected by her other one.

  And in front of them Vera was pinned to the forest floor, her strawberry blonde hair smattered with red and spread-eagled over sticks and leaves. She was gasping in terror—with good reason, what with a snarling wolf atop her.

  The wolf was small, with an enormous bushy tail and sleek fur the color of raw umber. Its eyes were small and close together, and when it growled saliva escaped from where a tooth should have been. Rachael opened her hand, staring breathlessly at what just moments ago had been all the evidence she needed.

  She started to go forward, but Aaron held out an arm to stop her. “Do not move,” he murmured. “She is agitated.”

  Of course she is! But even as Rachael caught Vera’s horrified gaze, she realized he wasn’t talking about her friend.

  “Rachael?” squeaked Vera.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Rachael numbly.

  Against the tree, Coleen let out a small whimper. “We were looking for you.”

  Stunned, Rachael turned to the girl who had once tormented her. Coleen, the same girl who had taunted her about her mother dying, had come looking for her? With Vera, who last Rachael knew was so furious she didn’t want to speak to her?

  Coleen must have registered her surprise, because she said weakly, “She snuck out of school. I made her let me come with.”

  “But—why?”

  “Rachael,” wailed Vera.

  The wolf atop her growled a warning, shoving a small paw into the hollow of Vera’s throat. A new shot of adrenaline shot through Rachael as her friend gagged and struggled to breathe.

  “Easy,” breathed Aaron as he slowly lowered his arm. His palms faced the little wolf to show her he was not an enemy. “I know you are scared. There is no need to hurt the young lady.”

  Rachael clutched the tooth close to her chest, trying to steady her breathing. She couldn’t do anything, she knew. She had to have faith in Aaron.

  He was the alpha, after all.

  Aaron crouched to the ground, keeping eye contact with the wolf. It followed him with brown eyes speckled with gold. The more Rachael watched, the more she could see the tension wound tight in the wolf was almost entirely made out of fear.

  From the ground, Nathan screamed. “No! Aaron, don’t hurt her! She’s my friend!”

  “Quiet,” Aaron said. Though his tone was soft, the warning was unmistakable.

  “Aaron, please don’t kill her!”

  The boy’s hysterics only made the wolf more anxious. A high-pitched whine emitted from its muzzle, followed by a growl as it snapped its teeth at Vera. Rachael’s head swam with dizzying dread.

  A slight rustle behind Rachael made her turn. There was Holden, looking upon the fantastic spectacle with wide, confused eyes. He glanced at Rachael, and she immediately looked back to her friend pinned to the ground. No, she told herself. Holden didn’t need her attention now. He’d taken plenty of that already.

  Softly, she said, “Hey. Um... little wolf?” The wolf turned to her, its ears flattening. Rachael drew in a soft breath before she slowly extended one hand. She knelt to the ground, never breaking eye contact with the wolf as she uncurled her fingers to show the tooth.

  It worked. The wolf’s ears perked a little. Its teeth were still bared, but the low growl ceased. Rachael dared to relax a little.

  “I found your tooth,” she said shakily. “Can... can I give this to you, and you can give me my friend back?”

  The wolf lowered its muzzle toward Vera. Rachael nodded quickly. On her back Vera’s breath grew quick and shallow, as though she were bordering on a panic attack.

  “Please,” begged Rachael. “She’s my best friend. She’s human, just like you used to be—like you still are.” From the corner of her eye she noticed Aaron watching her. She tried to shrug it off before he broke her concentration. “Her name is Vera.”

  The wolf pulled its lips down over its teeth until only the points showed. Giddiness coursed through Rachael. She could taste how close they were to calming the wolf down.

  And for that moment, everyone was quiet. Rachael counted her own rapid heartbeats, the sound so loud it nearly drowned out all of nature around her. Then, gently, she placed the tooth on the ground.

  She must have drawn back too quickly, because something startled the wolf. It tensed, its eyes darting around wildly, before it plunged down and clamped its strong, terrible jaw around Vera’s arm.

  Vera screamed. Rachael and Coleen cried out as well, and Nathan was shouting again. Jackson yelled something to Aaron, and then their alpha pounced. He grabbed the wolf, shoving his fingers into the tender points of its jaw. Immediately the wolf yelped and released Vera, blood spattering as its head violently twisted. Holden dove past Rachael, grabbing Vera and pulling her away from the chaos.

  Aaron yelled one-word orders to the wolf. While the little creature struggled fearlessly, even in human form Aaron could overpower it. Once he had the upper hand he grabbed the wolf by its scruff and shoved it to the pine-covered floor. His voice boomed. “THAT. IS. ENOUGH.”

  “Oh, my god,” gasped Coleen from the tree. She sank to the ground, staring around her in utter disbelief. Rachael knew the feeling. That sense of surrealism, when the entire world seemed turned upside down, where fear fed into curiosity which fed into more fear.

  Knees weak, she picked herself up and looked for Holden. He had Vera off to the side and was inspecting her, his expression grim. As Rachael drew closer she could see why.

  The bite on her arm was the last, but not the most extensive on Vera’s injuries. Her back was utterly torn up with claws and teeth marks. Blood trickled down her limbs from gaping wounds. She looked pallid in Holden’s arms.

  “Oh no, Vera,” whispered Rachael.

  A shadow passed over Holden’s expression. He stood, helping Rachael’s friend to her feet. “Hey,” he said softly, brushing hair from Vera’s face. “Just so you know... I’m sorry about the other day.”

  Both Rachael and Vera looked at him in bewilderment.

  “Huh?” was all Vera could utter. Holden smoothed her hair with his hands and brought his palms down to cradle her head.

  Then in one violent motion he snapped her neck.

  Chapter Twenty

  Somebody was screaming. Coleen, apparently. Not Rachael. She couldn’t. She just stared as Vera collapsed into Holden’s arms, her body sagging and her head lolling at an unnatural angle. For a moment Rachael thought she was witnessing Roxi’s execution all over again.

  Tentatively she took a step forward. “Vera?” she asked meekly.

  Holden didn’t look at her. He knelt to the ground, gingerly laying Vera’s body to the floor. How odd, thought Rachael dreamily, that Vera didn’t even seem to notice all the pine needles in her hair. But then, she supposed the blood hid it well.

  And there was so much blood.

  While she remained fixated in her spot a blur of red shot past her. Coleen threw herself at Holden, screaming and flailing at him. He easily blocked her blows, grabbing her by her arms and forcing them down while she spit curses in his face.

  “Why did you do that? She was fine! Why did you kill Vera?” shrieked Coleen between sobs.

  “Holden?” whispered Rachael.

  He refused to look at her, pushing Coleen away. Rachael’s classmate sobbed and collapsed beside Vera’s prone form. Her long fingers kept stroking Vera’s dirtied hair. Tearful apologies for past wrongdoings tumbled from her lips as her mascara ran down her face with abandon.

  Holden slowly approached Rachael, his breathing heavy and uneven. Rachael instinctively took a step
back. His expression was clearly pained, but he didn’t press closer.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He looked past her, his eyes hardening as they fell upon Aaron. His alpha stared back, wrapping his arms protectively around a small, naked girl covered only by the jacket he had just been wearing.

  “No more,” said Holden roughly. “You don’t need more lycans.”

  Aaron’s eyes narrowed.

  Her hand shaking, Rachael grabbed hold of her friend’s sleeve. The eyes that gazed back at her were unfamiliar, so frigid and hateful. These, she realized, were Holden’s wounds coming to the surface.

  “You killed Vera,” she choked out.

  Holden didn’t even blink. “I had to.”

  “I don’t understand...”

  When he shoved her hand away, his touch was unnaturally warm. “She was infected,” said Holden shortly. “Even if she survived, she’s not lycan material. She wouldn’t have lasted. Trust me. I’d know.”

  The problem was, Rachael couldn’t trust him at all. Not anymore. Maybe never again.

  She shrank away from him, keeping a nervous eye on him as she rounded around to Coleen. The girl immediately latched on to her, her tears and makeup staining Rachael’s hoodie as she pulled her in closer. For whatever reason, Rachael couldn’t summon the urge to cry herself. She knew she needed to, but it seemed such a distant concept. Instead she hugged Coleen close, rubbing the hysterical girl’s back as soothingly as she could. Not that she expected it to help, really.

  Just feet away, Jackson had finally let Nathan up. The boy scrambled to his brother’s side, anxiously checking over the little girl in his arms. He spoke to the girl rapidly in a foreign language, and she responded even more rapidly. Her hands moved wildly as she spoke. Small eyes were wide open, wider than could have been normal.