A Shifter's Curse, Raven Steele [the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT] 📗

“Abydos?” I nearly choked on the word. What the hell? Did the city put out a memo? It seems everyone knew about it.

“I think you know something about it,” she said, staring at me pointedly.

“I don’t.”

She moved toward me slowly and silently, a shadow darkening the room. “I think, you’re messed up in something much bigger than you could ever imagine. It’s time I heard the truth.”

A horn blared outside. I exhaled. “Sorry, but I have to go.”

I rushed up the stairs, my heart pounding as I thought about the Abydos hiding in the cave. Was it safe there? I mentally slapped myself for being so surprised about Samira’s knowledge of the Abydos. Of course, an old vampire like her would know about the blood. It was a legend in some circles.

But I had to think long and hard about aligning myself with her. What would she do for the blood? Was this all a ploy so she could get her hands on it, just like Dominic? The powers the blood gave would work the same whether on a shifter or a vampire. Either way, it was dangerous.

I tore off my pants and quickly pulled on a pair of skinny jeans. I should’ve been more careful. The fact that Silas kept pointing out the smell on me made me wonder if he suspected something.

Rushing outside, I expected Silas to be pissed that I’d taken longer than three minutes, but he didn't say a word when I hopped into the passenger seat. This was the first time I’d seen him drive. Again, I got the feeling that something wasn’t right.

I glanced in the backseat, to make sure we were alone. We were. My pulse raced. This is my chance. I could kill him now and no one would know.

As if reading my thoughts, Silas picked up his phone and dialed someone. “She just got in. I'm bringing her back to Fire Ridge. We will be there in twenty minutes."

Any thoughts of killing him disappeared. Unless I could make it look like an accident.

While my mind worked through different scenarios, I asked, “So what's this about? Did I do something wrong again?”

He turned the steering wheel onto a main road and pressed on the accelerator. "I just have some questions for you. Nothing to worry about."

"Will the witch be there again? I don’t like witches."

"Interesting for someone who lives with a witch."

“Lynx is different."

“Is she now?” He laughed a sound that made the hair on my arms prickle. "You know who her mother is, right? Blood will always be stronger than friendship. You would be wise to remember that. In fact," he glanced at me sideways, "if you’re living with Lynx, there's a reason. Cassandra doesn't make a move without it being well thought out, including in her daughter's life. I'd watch your back."

I shifted my weight against the cold leather of the seat. "Don't you worry about me. You've got bigger problems."

"Now those are the first true words you've ever spoken to me."

“I’ve told you the truth from the beginning, yet you still refuse to believe me. If you can't get over it, I'll just find a different pack to join. I thought yours was the best, but I'm starting to believe otherwise."

"We are the best, and soon we will be the most powerful too. None will be able to stand against us, including the Sangre Nocturnas. Our power will stretch beyond Rouen all the way to Coast City."

"That's a grand vision," I scoffed. “Besides, I hear Coast City has some kind of super vampire who’s cleaning up the filth and will kill anyone who dares to stop him.”

He chuckled. "When we get what we want, we won’t be worried about some vampire with a hero complex. Coast City will be ours, just like Wildemoor and every other city between."

“What makes you so sure? Is it because of Scorpion’s Breath? That drug isn’t going to give you control, it’s just going to make people crazy.”

"Scorpion’s Breath is just a distraction. Once people become hooked, they won't even see what's coming before it's too late. No, we have something much better."

I wet my lips and swallowed, hoping beyond hope he wasn’t referring to the Abydos.

“Then what are you waiting for?” I baited. “Why not skip to the main event now?”

“Patience, my dear. One step at a time.” He patted my leg. “First we have to find it. Our secret weapon. It's hidden in our very city. Never have we been so close to ultimate power!”

I bit the inside of my cheek, words escaping me. Had Silas insisted I stay close to the pack all this time because they found me out? Maybe Samira told him something that made him connect the dots. But how could she know? Or maybe even Lynx. She was a witch after all, from a powerful family. Maybe this whole time I was just a pawn on a chess board in a game everyone else was playing but me.

I considered my options. I could kill him now, sneak back and take the blood. Leave the city.

Except that left Dominic. And Samira, if she really had sold me out. Maybe she knew I had it from the beginning and that’s why she wanted to live with us. I was grateful now that I’d kept the blood outside of the house. When she said that she wanted the blood, I’d assumed that she wanted to keep it out of Dominic’s hands, but maybe they were working together.

I took a deep breath, stopping my thoughts from spiraling. I had to find out the truth first before I made assumptions. If Luke was right, then Samira could be trusted. For some reason, I had to know that first, before I killed Silas. I was just beginning to open myself up to others, beginning to trust them. She’d helped me, or so I thought. Was it right to trust her?

Besides, I had everything in place. First Silas, then the biggest monster of them all—Dominic. I was so close, I could taste his blood on the back of my throat. I just needed a little more time.

Time I could take. If they really believed I had the blood, they would’ve already tortured the location out of me. For now, I was safe.

It was well into the night when we reached Fire Ridge. Most of the pack had already left, which gave me another clue that Silas had plans for me. But I didn’t mind, as long as we were alone. I could handle him if he tried anything stupid again.

After I exited the SUV, Silas motioned for me to follow him. “We’re going another way. Follow me.”

He headed away from the mansion toward the forest beyond, typing into his phone with one hand. Probably telling Dominic we had arrived. I stopped briefly and stared at the front door to the house, wondering if I should tell at least Ryder I was here.

"I said, follow me,” Silas snapped as he put away his phone, looking back at me like a master angry at his pup. He was breathing quickly, much the same way he had when we were driving to the restaurant earlier. Whatever he had planned, he was getting excited about it. And that meant that I was going to hate it.

I followed slowly behind him, a growing sickness twisting my gut. The mansion was growing further and further away. I inhaled a slow breath. That could be good for me. No reason to panic just yet.

We approached the woods, but Silas kept walking, taking us deeper into the black. My wolf vision took over, noting that all the animals were scurrying away from us.

“Where are we going?"

His only answer was the sound of leaves crunching beneath his footfalls. He stopped by a thick, gnarled tree and bent down, brushing aside a pile of dead leaves to reveal a circular iron door.

"What is this, Silas?"

He lifted it, unveiling a circular staircase leading down. The darkness within was all encompassing and screamed sociopath lair. Plus—tight space. "This is weird. I'm out of here."

“But don't you want to join Ryder?"

I stopped mid-step and turned back around. "Ryder? Why would he be down there?"

“When he found out we wanted to ask you some questions, he said he wanted to be there. He’s a loyal friend.”

The way he said loyal made pin pricks explode all up and down my spine. Had they questioned Ryder and found out about our connection? Had Silas already tortured Ryder down in that hole? Surely I would’ve sensed it if he had.

But I had to know, and I didn’t want to do it alone.

“Why don’t we have Luke or Gerald join us? The more the merrier for a Q and A session, right?”

“They’re busy, but there are cameras down there. Pack members are watching.” There was a muddy gleam in his eye, one I hadn’t seen before. He was lying. “Now get down there. You’re wasting my time.”

Everything about this situation felt jacked up. Why would he question Ryder all the way out here? In an underground bunker? There was only one comforting thing about that dark hole. I glanced back at the mansion. It was secluded and being underground, probably soundproof. I could kill Silas. Blame