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 Riley, Rhoan said softly behind me.
I kissed Quinn quickly one more time, then spun around and looked back at Evin.  Quinn will tell you when it s
safe to approach the compound.
He nodded.  I ll see you then.
I glanced at Lyndal, who was looking decidedly nervous, then caught Rhoan s hand and walked away without
looking back. When we crossed the invisible line that marked the beginnings of pack land, something within me
stirred an eagerness, a hunger that, until now, had remained in the background.
The wolf within me wanted this.
Wanted it bad.
We let go of each other and broke into a run. We didn t run at top speed, simply because we actually wanted to
be spotted. Blake needed to know we were coming and give the all clear before Quinn, Evin, and Lyndal got
to the scouts and put them out of action.
The sensation of being watched soon began to grow, until my whole neck itched with it. The tension emanating
from Rhoan suggested he felt it, too.
I kept running, but my gaze swept the barren landscape, looking for watchers that Evin mightn t have known
about. After all, Blake would more than likely have introduced stricter security measures once his plot against
me had started. He was smart enough to realize the Directorate would retaliate the minute they found any
connection.
It s just a shame he wasn t intelligent enough to keep his anger and need for revenge to himself, rather than
actually acting upon it.
We started up the long slope that was the final division between us and the place we d grown up. My stomach
was still in knots, and my heart was beating nine to the dozen. We reached the top and, as one, slowed.
Below us lay the valley of our childhood. In many respects, it looked more like a large ranch with lots of
outbuildings than a city like Dunedan. The old, wood-shingled buildings blended in with the red of the
surrounding countryside and contrasted sharply against the bright pockets of green the football oval, the
cemetery, and the few acres surrounding the dam that had always been the swimming hole for every kid who
grew up here.
There were people out and about but, as yet, it didn t appear that we d been noticed. My gaze went almost with
a will of its own to the ramshackle but beautiful old house that sat one behind and slightly to the side of the
main gathering house. That s where we d grown up. It had been our grandfather s place, but never really our
home, as much as our mom had tried to make it seem otherwise. Our grandfather had tolerated us, he d fed us,
and he d educated us, but he d never really loved us. We were half-breeds and, in his eyes, a tarnish on the
Jenson name.
Maybe that was why he d turned a blind eye to so much of what Blake and his family had done to us over the
years. He d always stopped it from going too far, but I think that had been more for Mom s sake than from any
real need to protect us.
Mom.
For the first time since all this had begun, I actually began to think about her. Neither of us had seen her for well
over ten years. We didn t communicate, didn t share birthdays or Christmas or Easter.
And yet I knew she d loved us.
How was she going to react when she saw us? When she realized what we were going to do?
How the hell were we going to react when we saw her?
I shivered and rubbed my arms. Rhoan hugged me fiercely. Then, without saying a word, he wrapped his
fingers around mine and started off down the hill.
We were spotted about halfway down. Initially it was nothing more than people briefly pausing for a look, then
getting on with whatever they were doing, but word of who we were must have gotten around fairly quickly. By
the time we d hit the valley bottom, we d drawn quite a crowd.
But it was a silent one, and that was weird.
Rhoan released my fingers as we neared the first of the outbuildings, but he kept close, our arms brushing each
other as we walked. The tension that had been riding him earlier had gone, and he walked with the loose-limbed
ease of a predator who knows his prey cannot get away.
I wished I could imitate him, but it simply wasn t possible.
Scents swirled around us, rich with familiarity and memories. I closed my mind to them, concentrating on the
silent figures watching us, wondering what they were thinking but not daring to find out. Their expressions
were closed, unreadable, and for one uneasy moment, I wondered if we d misjudged the pack. Wondered if
we d bitten off more than we could chew.
We continued up a slight incline, heading toward the main gathering hall. Blake could have been anywhere, but
the hall was the seat of power for the pack. It s where business was handled, where justice was meted out, and
where major events were celebrated.
If he knew we were coming and he surely did by now then this is where he d be.
Of course, our confrontation would not happen in the hall itself, but rather in the arena behind it. It was here
where the blood disputes were handled and where the challengers to leadership were heard and decided.
Blake had killed my grandfather and taken over the leadership there, and now it was where he would meet his
own death.
Behind us, the crowd continued to grow, sweeping in behind us and effectively cutting off our exit. The scent of
wolf and home and anticipation swirled around me, filling my lungs and twisting my stomach. I flexed my
fingers, but it didn t do much to help me relax.
Then two figures appeared out of the building above us. Both were males, broad of shoulders and strong of
build. Both wore contemptuous expressions.
Blake and his brother Tyson.
I glanced at my watch. It was after six. Jack s half of the operation had already swung into action. If Blake had
any suspicion that his empire was crumbling around his ears, he wouldn t be standing there so calmly.
We stopped when there were still ten feet or so between us, with Rhoan slightly behind me. This was my gig,
my revenge. He was here as my second and my backup, though in truth he was a better fighter than me. And
he d need to be to take out Tyson, who was almost half his width again.
 You trespass, wolf, Blake said, his voice booming out across the windswept silence.
 And you, Blake Jenson, stand accused of fraud, kidnap, and murder. I took a piece of paper out of my pocket
and threw it at his feet.  You may read the charges if you wish.
He didn t bother looking at the paper, just left it fluttering at his feet.  So you re here to arrest me? His
expression was mocking. Contemptuous.  You and I both know that pack land rights give you no such power.
 Pack land rights give the police no power, I corrected.  But we re not police. And we re not here to arrest
you.
 Then what are you here for?
 To carry out the sentence.
A murmur went through the crowd, rising and falling like a tide. Neither Blake nor Tyson seemed concerned.
 As I said, pack law gives me protection. Kill me, and my family will see to it that you, the Directorate, and
everyone in your family pays for it legally and monetarily.
I smiled thinly, my expression no doubt as contemptuous as his.  Right now, both your family and Tyson s
every son, daughter, brother, and sister are being rounded up by Directorate personnel. Their fate very much
depends on just how deeply they ve been involved in your schemes. Personally, I wouldn t care if they wiped
out every last trace of your DNA from this earth.
That wiped the smiles off their faces. Blake clenched his fists and took a step forward.  You wouldn t dare. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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