Destroy Page 9

  I grabbed some pillows and put them behind me against the wall so I could lean back. How had this cat gotten inside? How long had he—I peered underneath—yup, he been hanging out here? He swiped at me with a paw when I touched his belly, but then he snuggled in deeper. When had he snuck in? Did he belong to someone?

  All these shifters here, and I realized I hadn’t once seen or heard of anyone with a pet. Did they have them? I’d never had one, but then our living situation was barely keeping Alex and me alive, let alone an animal. And of course, Mom hated pets. They’d mess up her perfect apartment. But I’d enjoyed animals when I’d worked with them in the pet store.

  Between the quiet hum of cat and the coziness of my little nest, I drifted off to sleep. I guess my journey from the cot had been too much for my weakened system.

  For once my dreams must have been peaceful because when I woke, I didn’t remember them. The moonlight had been replaced by pale sunlight. I stretched, and the cat grumbled at me.

  “Well sor-ry,” I murmured. “But some of us have to get up.” I pushed him off and tried to force my cramped limbs to work. Slowly, I climbed to my feet, achier and sorer than when I went to sleep. I was still shaky, but I was standing. After shoving the pile of blankets and pillows onto the nearest bed, I headed back toward my own.

  The cat meowed behind me.

  “Well, come on,” I said. “There’s bound to be food soon.”

  He followed me.

  Sitting down on the edge of my cot, I leaned forward and scratched between his ears. “I guess you know the meaning of that word, don’t you?”

  “What word is that?” the nurse asked as she carried a breakfast tray down the aisle.

  “Food,” I said.

  She set the tray down on my side table and peered at the cat. “And where did you come from?”

  He leaned into my feet, looking at her suspiciously.

  She dangled a piece of bacon in front of him and he swiped at it, dragging it to the floor. He pounced on it, eating happily, and the nurse laughed. “Now you’ll like me.”

  I chuckled.

  “What’s his name, honey?” the nurse asked.

  “Uh . . . I don’t know.” I frowned. The last thing I needed was a pet. Didn’t I already have enough people to look after? “Have you ever seen him around before?”

  She shook her head.

  “Do any of the students have pets?”

  The cat finished his bacon and hopped up on the bed. He padded his way up to me and leaned against my thigh.

  The nurse smiled. “I can think of one who does now.”

  “No, I can’t—”

  He meowed, kneading the blanket.

  “You’d better think of a name for him,” the nurse called over her shoulder as she left.

  I rubbed his head. “You are in trouble if I’m your best choice, Socks . . . er, Sock.”

  He complained.

  “Yeah, I agree, that name sucks. So what should I call you?” I continued petting him with one hand while I ate with the other. Was getting a pet like a sign from the universe that I was going to be around longer than I thought? I’d already survived more than I expected. Or was Jax—naw—just another companion to let down?

  A little while later, a ringtone echoed through the room, and I sat up with a start.

  Nox complained, standing and stomping around my stomach. I don’t know where I’d heard that name before, but it sounded right.

  Where was it? The phone sat on my bedside as if it had been there all along, but I didn’t remember seeing it. I picked it up gingerly, hoping it was Alex checking on me. I realized I hadn’t seen him since I’d woken up. I pressed my lips together. That was weird. He’d usually have been right by my bedside.

  I glared at the display. Chuck. Of course it was. I clicked accept and put it to my ear.

  “You are quite the failure, aren’t you, Sasha?” his gravelly voice said in my ear.

  I swallowed.

  “Well, answer me, you spirit-shifter bitch.”

  “I tried to do what you asked, but Larkin was too strong for me,” I said, not having to fake the fear in my voice. “I’m sorry.”

  He laughed harshly. “Of course she was. You don’t go up against an old witch like Larkin head-on.”

  I stroked Nox’s fur, trying to remain calm. “Do you have a better idea?”

  “What? You’re still interested in our deal?” he asked.

  I closed my eyes. I had to fight a bit or he wouldn’t believe me. “I’m not. I want you to go away and leave me and my brother alone.”

  “Of course you do,” he growled. “But that’s not going to happen, is it?”

  “No,” I said softly.

  “So you’re going to do exactly what I tell you,” he said. “And this time, that bitch is going to die.”

  I nodded but then realized he couldn’t see me. “What do you want me to do, asshole?”

  “You’re going to set her on fire again, but this time she won’t be awake for it. I’m going to leave something out for you in the woods, and you’re going to slip it into her tea.”

  “She’s not going to let me near her again,” I protested.

  “That’s why you’re going to recruit one of your mates”—his voice soured at the word—

  “to do it for you.”

  I shook my head. I wouldn’t put them in danger. Except I already had. I’d told them what was going on, and they were going to want to help no matter what. “No, they can’t be involved.”

  “Fucking spirt shifter, you’ve already ruined their lives by mating them.” He laughed, cold and hard.

  I took a breath. “I said I won’t involve them in this.”

  “Yeah, I thought you might say that,” he said darkly.

  My heart stopped at his tone. What the fuck had he done now?

  “Don’t you want to ask me what I’ve done?” He snickered.

  I blinked. I didn’t want to know. I really didn’t. “What?”

  “Say hello to your sister, you little twerp,” Chuck said gruffly. There was a scramble on the other end of the line, and then Alex’s voice said, “Sasha, don’t do it.”

  I froze, my hands clutching the phone. Fury rose in me so fast I couldn’t even see straight. Nox leaped from the bed just in time, because the sheets burst into flame. “What have you done to him, asshole?” I didn’t even recognize my own voice, it was so dark and angry.

  “Nothing yet, my dear,” he said. “What happens next is up to you.” He hung up.

  The phone went silent. Tears ran down my face. Fire burned merrily around me, consuming the pillows and sheets and blanket. He had Alex. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

  Overhead, the sprinklers came on. The door slammed open, and Poseidon came running toward me, swearing.

  16

  Lucan

  I rushed down to the infirmary as soon as I heard. Why the hell had Sasha set herself on fire? Was she going mad?

  I skidded into the room and stared at the burned bed where she’d been sleeping. The metal frame and a pile of mattress springs were all that remained. She really had demolished it.

  Damn, my mate was powerful. My wolf preened inside, but I shook myself. This wasn’t good. To do this much damage, she really must have lost control.

  My eyes ran over the rest of the room. I found her sitting in a metal chair by the far window. Sasha was wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair hanging wet and straight. In her lap, a black cat sat. I hurried over. “Sasha, are you okay?”

  She didn’t look at me. Her hand kept stroking the top of the cat’s head and gazed into the garden outside.

  “Sasha,” I whispered, dropping down in front of her and reaching for her hands. The cat swiped at me. I growled at it and it leaned into Sasha’s belly. “What’s going on?”

  Drew came up to us, a frown creasing his forehead. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The gray-haired nurse came over and put a cup of
water with a straw in Sasha’s hands. She looked back and forth between us. “She’s been like this since the fire. She sat in the middle of those flames staring at nothing.”

  “What happened?”

  “We don’t know.” The nurse shook her head. “The spirit madness, I guess.”

  “No,” Drew said. “She’s in shock.”

  I looked back and forth between him and Sasha. Spirit madness made sense to me. I’d never seen anyone like this.

  Drew put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in close, whispering in her ear. I stayed squatting in front of her gripping her hands. Sasha didn’t move. She seemed transfixed by the view through the window.

  “We need to get her outside,” Drew said.

  I didn’t know what to think, but at least Drew was taking action. I picked the cat up by the scruff of its neck. It hissed at me the whole time, but when I went to drop it, Drew shook his head.

  “Bring it,” he said, gathering Sasha into his arms.

  “Fuck, really?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  I followed him up the aisle between the cots, holding the hissing cat out to the side so it wouldn’t get me with its claws.

  Poseidon stepped in front of us. “Where are you going?”

  “Get out of the way,” I growled.

  “We’re taking her outside,” Drew stated. His whole posture was rigid and determined.

  “I can’t let you,” Poseidon said. “She’s dangerous.”

  “And we’re her mates,” I said. “She won’t hurt us.”

  “She’s not in her right mind,” Poseidon said. “It’s the spirit sickness.”

  “You don’t know that,” Drew insisted.

  I trusted Drew, even if I didn’t trust Sasha in her current state. Besides, we could handle whatever she threw at us. “We’re taking her outside. Move.”

  Poseidon opened his mouth to argue but instead, he threw up his hands. “Well, it’s your lives, but no farther than the garden.”

  I swung the pissed off kitty at him as we walked by, and he scowled.

  Drew lead me through the lobby to the garden doors. I hadn’t even realized they were there, but then I’d never had a reason to spend much time in the infirmary. The most had been when my pack mates were hurt, and then I’d just checked in or sat by their bedsides until they were sick of me.

  The garden was a circular enclosure between the two wings of the infirmary, the far end opening onto the yard. Small stones lined the edge of the path, and vine-covered arches marked intervals along it. To either side, flower beds lay fallow for the season. A few hardy wildflowers poked up where they hadn’t any business being. Thornbriar was once a monastery. Perhaps this was a prayer garden. Did monks have such things?

  Drew carried Sasha into one of the alcoves and lay her on the cold ground. He shoved the loose pebbles out of the way so that there was just bare dirt. She still stared forward, although now her vision must have been full of leafy vines that had started to brown.

  I dropped down on the bench and let the cat go. I half expected him to take off, but instead, he went to Sasha’s face and started licking her cheek. “What are you doing?” I asked Drew.

  He kneeled next to her. “You know how my dad used to test my powers?”

  “By dropping you out windows?”

  Drew nodded. “I sometimes got like this afterward. Mother said it was shock.”

  “Shock can make you comatose?”

  “Yes.”

  “And laying on the bare ground helps?” I asked.

  “The earth has all the elements in it. It is earth, air, fire, water, and spirit all in one. It will rebalance her.” He inspected Sasha. “I hope.”

  “Well, it’s a damn sight more than those jerks were doing.” I could see the guards through the window, still pacing the long aisle of the infirmary.

  Drew smiled at me, a grateful look in his eyes.

  “I told you I’d help,” I said, “and I meant it.”

  “Thanks,” he said, holding his hand out to the cat. The damn thing sniffed it and nuzzled up to it. “I wonder where he came from.”

  “There’s always been some of the buggers hanging out in the walls, chasing the mice,” I muttered.

  An amused smile spread across Drew’s face. “Not much for cats, are you?”

  “Wolves and cats don’t mix.” I raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised your bird tolerates him.”

  Drew chuckled. “My bird knows he’d get the best of it in any battle.”

  I laughed.

  “He’s taken a shine to Sasha though,” Drew said, laying his hand on her chest. “She’s so still. I have to remind myself she’s breathing.”

  “How long does this folk remedy of yours take?” I asked.

  “As long as it takes,” he said.

  We both looked up at the crunch of stones under feet.

  Poseidon ducked into the alcove and held out Sasha’s phone. “Either of you know her passcode?”

  We shook our heads.

  He frowned at how we’d laid Sasha out on the ground. “What are you guys doing out here?”

  “None of your business,” I muttered. “And give me the phone. We can try to figure out the passcode.”

  He shrugged. “If you want. It would help if we knew what we were dealing with. Any clue as to why she went comatose would be helpful.”

  Drew took it from him. “I have a few things I can try.”

  “We’ll let you know if we come up with anything.”

  Poseidon nodded and walked away.

  I frowned after him. It was a bad sign that the guards were this clueless about everything. They were willing to trust us to figure it out. They had no idea what might have caused Sasha to do this. Not that we did either, but they just blamed it on the spirit madness. We all knew so little about spirit shifters.

  Drew turned the phone over in his hands. The edges of the metal were blackened, but the screen still turned on when he pushed the button.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked.

  “Chuck called her,” he said.

  I frowned. “How do you know?”

  “He’s the only person that could have pissed Sasha off enough for her to set the world on fire.” Drew clicked some buttons on the phone. He stared down at the brightly lit screen. “Fuck.”

  “What is it?” I asked, reaching for it.

  Drew turned it toward me, and I stared at the photo of a gagged and bound Alex. Fury tore through me, and I jumped to my feet, fists balling. Suddenly Sasha’s reaction made perfect sense. Chuck had stolen the most precious person in her life. Wolf howled.

  17

  Sasha

  I stood in a house with wide windows that opened to a beautiful view. White drapes blew in the cool breeze. I walked toward the window, wanting to see what was beyond. Snow-covered mountains surrounded me. The sky was a brilliant blue, not a cloud in sight. I wrapped my arms around myself, wishing I’d brought a sweater.

  I turned back to the empty room. There was a large bed that looked like it might fit four or more, dressers, mirrors, and a small desk. I crossed to the desk and purused the papers. Some were handwritten notes and lists, like someone had gotten up in the middle of their work and walked away.

  A cashmere shawl lay over the back of the chair. I picked it up and wrapped it around my shoulders. It smelled faintly of lavender. I rubbed my fingers in the smooth knit, feasting on its pale blue color. I was so cold. Was I dead? I couldn’t be, could I? I’d picked up the shawl. I sat down and picked up the pen. Despite the fancy surroundings, it was a plain old ballpoint like I’d used in school. I scratched my name on a piece of paper. It looked real enough.

  “Sasha?” A voice asked near my ear.

  I spun around. There was no one there. The room was empty. Why was I here? What had I been doing? I’d been in the infirmary. Had something happened to my bed? My memories were slippery, sliding around in my mind.

  Biting my lip, I wrote out, H-E-L-P in b
ig letters across the paper. I wasn’t sure why I needed help, but there must have been something. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in this weird place. Taking the shawl, I walked to the porch and looked out over the mountains. Waiting to wake up, I guessed. Although I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

  This place seemed quiet and safe. Maybe I wanted to stay here forever, even if it meant I was dead. The cold wind blew through me and I shivered, burrowing deeper into the shawl. I closed my eyes.

  “Sasha,” Drew pleaded.

  I didn’t want to open my eyes. I didn’t want to leave the peaceful mountains.

  “Come back to us,” Lucan demanded.

  Always bloody demanding. Why did everyone want so much from me? Couldn’t I just live in peace? I swallowed. Someone needed me. Alex. My brother needed me. I exhaled, opening my eyes to an arch of vines turning brown and two guys watching me worriedly.

  I frowned. Was I on the ground? My voice came out hoarse and disused when I asked, “Why am I in the dirt?”

  Lucan chuckled. “It was Drew’s idea.”

  “The earth is a natural balance. It helps when one is in shock.” Drew helped me to sit up, dusting the dirt off the infirmary-issued robe.

  “Is that what I was in?” I asked, rolling over and pushing to my feet.

  “Slow down,” Drew cautioned, catching my arm.

  I shook him off. “I’m fine. In fact, I’m better than fine.” I felt better than I had in days—refreshed, rejuvenated. My little trip to dreamland had done something for me that all the rest and fluids in the world couldn’t.

  Nox meowed.

  I grinned and lifted him into my arms. He snuggled against my chest. “I didn’t hurt you, did I, little fellow?” My memories were drifting back to me in pieces. I blinked and looked between my men. “I burned a bed.”

  They nodded.

  “Alex is in trouble.”

  They nodded again.

  My eyes narrowed. “You two aren’t fighting.”

  Lucan chuckled and smacked Drew on the back. “Yeah, we decided to make up. Our feud had gone on too long.”

  Drew shrugged. “We needed to be here for you.”

  Tears welled in my eyes, and I held them back. What was wrong with me? We had things to do. I grabbed their arms. “We need to rescue Alex.”