A Place to Call Home (Hollow Crest Wolf Pack Book 3) Read online

  Those bastards had flushed us into a trap. They had probably sent a few of their guys to chase us in the direction of the ambush they had set up. Luck was on their side since the breeze was flowing in the direction they needed. Why did it seem like the entire universe was aligned to spite us?

  The lamia may have thought one dart was enough to knock me out because I was so much smaller than the other members of my pack, but it was just enough to make me helpless. My limbs felt heavy, and my brain fuzzy, but I could still hear as Blaine shouted orders for his men to gather us up and carry us to the vehicles.

  We were thrown in the back of the truck, our bodies all piled up together in one large pile. I tried my best to just budge one of my paws, hoping my metabolism would be able to fight the drug that had paralyzed me, but it was no use.

  The drug started to make my brain hazy, and I was soon confused about where I was or what was happening. The vibrations and bumps of the truck provided a rhythm that was almost hypnotic. I laid there in a daze until the door opened, and I blinked in surprise.

  “Hey!” one of the lamia called to the others. “This one’s still awake.”

  “Not for long,” Blaine muttered as he drew out a syringe and stuck it into my back leg.

  My muffled yelp was a pitiful sound, but I didn’t have long to worry about it. Unconsciousness was quick to swallow me up.

  Chapter 28

  Lori

  My head felt like it was stuffed with lead as I tried to lift it up. My mouth was dry and had a horrible taste to it while my entire body ached. I groaned and tried to sit up, but I could only manage a twitch of my fingers.

  “Lori!” Kannon’s voice called. “Thank god. I was so worried when we couldn’t wake you.”

  I grunted, but that was the only response I could manage. I frantically tried to move when I realized that I was completely naked in the cold air, but the only difference was that my breath started coming faster. I was panting with exertion, but my body wasn’t obeying my commands to get up.

  “Lori,” Grayson called to me softly. “Don’t panic - just give it a little time to let the drug get out of your system.”

  “We’re each in a different cage,” Kannon said apologetically. “Otherwise, I’d be right there to help you.”

  I tried to take deep breaths and stay calm. My brain was in a fog, but I tried to remember the events that led us here. We had failed to escape and were caught. My stomach dropped as I fully realized the deadly situation that left us in.

  Corey and Wyatt also chimed in with encouragement as they explained that we had been in here for at least a day. I’d been asleep about eight hours longer than the rest of them, and Dr. Green had been livid when he’d found out I’d received such a hefty dose of the sedative. That didn’t make me feel any better, because he had been mostly concerned about his ‘valuable asset’ being damaged.

  Finally, I was able to move my wrist. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was so dry. By the time I was able to sit up, I was unbelievably grateful to be able to wrap a thin blanket around my form.

  “How did they switch us back?” I asked in a hoarse voice. I had passed out in my wolf form; they shouldn’t have been able to change me back to my human form while I was unconscious. Only a pack master or another alpha wolf could do that. Grayson was the most powerful among us, but he was young and didn’t have the magic required.

  “The witches,” Corey spat out. “They were in here earlier, doing spells.”

  “Preparing for Dr. Green’s procedure,” Kannon said worriedly. “He wants to go through with it as soon as you’ve recovered.”

  I laid back down and huddled in the blanket as much as I could. “He said he doesn’t need my cooperation, but that it would make it more likely that I would survive.”

  “He told us the same,” Wyatt admitted. “That your only chance of living through this was if we put everything we had into assisting your transformation.”

  I closed my eyes. “I don’t want to die,” I whispered.

  “I have no intention of letting you die, my dear.”

  Dr. Green’s voice floated over a loudspeaker hidden in the room.

  “Of course, he’s watching us like a creeper,” I mumbled.

  I pushed aside all my emotions, unwilling to let him see me break down. I was going to be strong - strong enough that he wouldn’t be able to break me.

  “Why are you doing this?” I seethed. “If your procedure was successful on your own kind, why do you even care about me? Just keep working on the other lamia.”

  Dr. Green gave a sad sigh. “Of course, I care about you, Lori. You’re about to become my greatest success.”

  “I’m about to become your biggest nightmare,” I warned him. My attitude was real, but my threat was empty. We were here locked in cages and at his mercy. What could I possibly do to him? I lowered my chin, but my eyes burned. I’d get back at him somehow. I had no idea when or how, but I’d do it. He’d live to regret this.

  “What are you really doing?” Wyatt asked. “No one believes you’re helping us.”

  “We might be more likely to cooperate with you if we know the truth,” Grayson added. “If you need our help, lying to us isn’t going to gain our trust.”

  I snorted. “Trust? That’ll never happen.”

  “You have a point,” Dr. Green admitted as he ignored my words. “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you the whole story. Long ago, there was a battle for this world between the lamia and the fae.”

  “Fae?” Corey said in derision. “There’s no such thing.”

  Dr. Green chuckled. “You’ve clearly not been in contact with your own kind recently, have you?”

  “He’s telling the truth,” Kannon said softly. “I saw some things when I hacked into the council’s archives.”

  There was silence as each of us considered his words. What had been happening out in the real world while we had been hiding away here in Hollow Crest?

  “Regardless of what you might choose to think,” Dr. Green said in a mocking tone. “The fae slaughtered our women and children, thinking it would break our spirit and allow them to destroy our army.” Dr. Green’s voice turned ominous. “They were wrong.”

  I swallowed nervously as Dr. Green’s insanity peeked through the careful persona that he usually wore. It sounded like he was becoming a little unhinged.

  “We managed to defeat their army, but our own leaders betrayed us,” Dr. Green said in disgust. “Instead of allowing us to avenge the deaths of our loved ones, they permitted the fae to retreat to their world with an agreement that they wouldn’t return.”

  “I can see where this is heading,” Grayson called out.

  Dr. Green laughed. “I really don’t think you can. You’d be correct if you’d already guessed that they’ve returned after all these years, but I don’t think you’ve realized the horrible truth. Some of the fae stayed behind and mingled their blood with that of the humans, creating a whole new breed. Justice will be served when the destruction of the fae comes from their very own descendants.”

  I shivered and hugged my blanket tighter around me. It was clear that Dr. Green had dropped all pretenses. This was bad.

  “What does any of this have to do with us?” Corey shouted in frustration.

  “I’ll let Kannon tell you what he knows and see if you can figure out the rest from there,” Dr. Green said mockingly. “You’ll need something to keep you occupied while you wait.”

  It sounded like Dr. Green wanted us to stay focused on something other than escaping. Giving us part of his story had been the equivalent of tossing a dog a bone to keep it busy. Hate burned through me at how we were being treated. We’d been complacent while the lamia had kept their prejudice under a polite veneer - it had always been there lurking under the surface.

  I kept my eyes closed. I felt so weak that I didn’t have the strength to use the pack bond to talk to the others, even though they were so close to me. The silence around me clued me in to the
fact that they were all discussing Dr. Green’s words without me. I was alone with only my own bitter thoughts to stew in.

  “Lori,” Grayson called. “Are you alright?” I could hear the concern in his voice, and I tried to pull myself together.

  “Fine,” I called out in a voice that sounded weaker than I’d intended it to.

  “There’s no point in trying to hide our discussion,” Wyatt said heatedly. “We might as well speak out loud.”

  No one mentioned that it was really for my benefit that they were changing the means of communication. I was relieved that I could now be a part of the conversation but embarrassed that once again, I was the weak link.

  Kannon cleared his throat. “Lori, the documentation of the last council meeting showed that they’d been hiding the secret of our origin. We, meaning the wolves, are descendants of some of the fae who mixed with humans.”

  I took a deep breath. “That’s insane.” My voice shook as I denied his revelation. Fae weren’t real. We were wolves.

  “It’s actually not impossible,” Kannon said apologetically. “Over the years, human blood has been bred out of most packs, except wolves who sometimes mate with humans.”

  “Like how my grandmother was human,” I said with a sigh.

  “None of this really matters,” Corey pointed out. “Who cares about shit that happened centuries ago. Why is this psycho trying to experiment on Lori?”

  “If I were going to create an army to defeat the fae,” Grayson said slowly. “I’d want warriors who were stronger than those of my enemy.”

  “And?” Corey asked impatiently.

  “I don’t think he wants to turn Lori into a full wolf,” Kannon said regretfully. “I think he wants to turn the human part of her into a lamia – make her into some kind of a super warrior.”

  I almost choked on my laughter. “Me? A super warrior?”

  “He may have been trying to instill his lamia with the abilities of a shifter,” Grayson pointed out. “He’s been taking blood and magic from us regularly.”

  “And he admitted to experimenting on his own kind,” Wyatt added.

  Dr. Green had been a little vague about describing the results of those experiments. Dread filled me as I thought about what kind of a monster he wanted to turn me into. What would I be at the end of his experiments? Would I even want to live if he were successful?

  “Why is he so determined to do this to me?” I asked in despair. “How will changing me into part lamia be helpful to him? If he wants to build an army, then shouldn’t he be trying to make his own people stronger?”

  “Not if he wants a disposable army,” Wyatt said softly. “He wants mutants he can throw into the meat grinder of war so he and the others of his kind can have their happy ending.”

  “We won’t let him do it,” Grayson said with determination. “We’ll get you out of here.”

  I laughed bitterly. “That went well last time,” I pointed out. “And we weren’t even locked in cages then.”

  Tears filled my eyes, and I curled up into a tight ball. I felt numb with despair at how hopeless the situation seemed. There was no way for us to escape, and there’d be no rescue coming. This was it. This was how I was going to die.

  “You can’t give up,” Wyatt scolded me. “We need you.”

  “You’re not allowed to die,” Corey added. “I just got used to having you around.”

  I smiled through my tears. “Dying wasn’t part of my plans, so I’ll see what I can do.”

  “You’re a fighter,” Grayson encouraged me. “No matter what happens, you’re going to kick some ass.”

  I wiped my face with a corner of the blanket. “There might be a few people I’d like the opportunity to sink my teeth into.”

  Kannon chuckled. “We’ll take them down as a pack.”

  I bundled up a portion of the blanket so I could use it as a makeshift pillow. “You know,” I mused. “Dr. Green thinks this is going to make me stronger, but that’ll just give me a better chance to take him down.”

  The other guys kept encouraging me, and I tried to hold onto my fragile sense of bravado. Dr. Green had told me in the past that I was more likely to survive this if I cooperated, and I was going to take his advice to heart. I’d keep my eyes open for any opportunity to get out of there, but if I had to go through this fucked up procedure, then I’d come out fighting. Dr. Green wouldn’t know what hit him.

  Chapter 29

  Lori

  "Merry Christmas," Blaine said as he walked by our cages.

  "I don't see presents," I said sarcastically.

  "Sorry, babe," he said with a smirk. "I left my Santa suit upstairs."

  I rolled my eyes. I’d been hoping to see Pierce, but only Blaine and some of the lamia I wasn't familiar with had come to bring us food and water. Grayson said that the lamia coming in weren't ones that he had trained with, so we weren't sure if Pierce had gotten in trouble for helping us. I hoped not, because we would need his help to get out of here. Again.

  For the longest time, I had believed that Pierce was going to be the source of our demise. I hadn't expected him to be the only person willing to help us. I still wasn't convinced that he was a good person, but I couldn't deny that he had some redeeming qualities. The most confusing part of Pierce was not being able to tell which version of him was the real one.

  "No protein shake for you today, Lori," Blaine told me as he leaned against the bars of my cage. "Today is your special day."

  I snarled at him, but the smile on his face told me that I hadn't been able to completely mask my fear. I had been worrying about this moment for so long, and now it was finally here.

  I tried to hang onto my anger and push away my fear. I wanted to be fierce and defiant for as long as I could. I pressed my hands against my thighs so the shaking wouldn't be noticeable.

  Grayson slammed his hand against the bars of his own prison cell. "When?"

  Blaine sauntered over to face Grayson. "In a couple of hours. The witches are prepping now."

  The disdain in Blaine's voice was evident. Pierce had the same attitude towards the witches, so I knew there was tension there. How could I use that to my advantage? I would need to somehow drive that wedge further.

  "Where're all your buddies?" Corey asked sarcastically. "If you're planning on dragging us to our own slaughter, then you're going to need some help."

  I held my breath. I only cared about the location of one lamia right now – Pierce. Was he still planning on helping us get out? Had he been caught and labeled a traitor? Would we get another chance?

  Blaine chuckled. "Patience, my pets. You'll soon have more attention than you could ever want. We have some important visitors scheduled to come to see the results of this procedure. Dr. Green will finally get his good reputation back and the support of our whole race once they see what he's made possible."

  I swallowed nervously. More lamia were coming? That sounded like it was going to make a potential escape even more difficult.

  "He'll get his reputation back?" Wyatt mused. "I can't imagine why the others of his kind aren't fond of him. He seems like such a great guy."

  Blaine sneered. "Laugh while you can. I guarantee you'll be all out of jokes in a couple of hours."

  The door slammed shut behind Blaine, and I exhaled. A couple of hours was cutting it close.

  "Lori," Kannon called out. "You're quiet – are you okay?"

  I cleared my throat. "What do you think our chances are of a miraculous escape before we're dragged into whatever Dr. Green has planned?"

  Silence echoed so loudly that it was painful. "That good, huh?" I croaked out.

  "Lori…" Wyatt's voice trailed off, but he didn't need to say anything else. I could hear everything in the tone of his voice. He didn't think anyone was coming.

  "Don't give up hope," Grayson urged me. "But let's talk about what we should do if we’re forced to go through with this."

  I heard the guys arguing all around me as they shouted
out ideas for how we would best survive this, but all of that faded into the background for me. I'd survived so much, this couldn't be my end. There were a lot of reasons I wanted to survive this, but I kept the strongest at the forefront. I wanted revenge. If my stubbornness wasn’t enough to get me through this, then maybe my anger and hate would be.

  Chapter 30

  Lori

  My spine arched back as a scream ripped out of me. My blood was on fire, my muscles cramped, and my bones felt like they were breaking. Magic swirled around me and pulsed through my body as I writhed in agony. The witches had already drained my pack mates, and they had collapsed to the floor as I screamed.

  I hadn’t fought as the lamia had dragged me in here and strapped me down. I knew this was my fate and that there wouldn’t be any escape for me. But as my pack mates had fallen one by one, rage had consumed me. My breaking point had come when I heard Grayson’s whispered words ‘I’m sorry.’ I saw the frustration and regret in his eyes before he had fallen unconscious from the witches draining him.

  I was now alone with my pain.

  Chanting filled my ears, but I couldn’t make out the words through my pain and confusion. My limbs were strapped down to a table, and blood was transfusing into me through a network of tubing. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could make out the dark forms of the witches who were performing the ritual, but my vision was too blurry to see their faces.

  I struggled against my restraints, but I was too weak, and they were too secure for me to break through. Pressure filled my chest and it felt like my heart were being squeezed by a giant fist. A wave of stabbing pain flowed over my body and my vision faded until all I could see was red. Different shades of red collided with the darkness in a kaleidoscope that would have been beautiful if I didn’t wish for death to put an end to the pain.