Page 23 of Into the Dawn (The Devil’s Claw #3)

23

BEN

F or a moment, everybody freezes, nobody quite believing what they've just witnessed. Chuck lies lifeless in the middle of what they expected to be an entertaining barbecue. The acrid smell of death mingles with woodsmoke and fear, creating a nauseating cocktail that makes even the strongest shifters step back.

The world goes silent, save for the crackle of the fire and the faint hum of music drifting in the background right before all hell breaks loose. Shouting, snarling, and someone sobbing.

My mate sags against me as people surge forward. As the scent of her shock and exhaustion hits me, my beast responds instinctively to her distress.

"Easy, Nessie. You're safe now. Rest for a second." I ease her to the ground, standing guard over her while she gets her bearings back. I don't know if she's in any state to shift right now, but I need to be able to fight. I touch her shoulder and look down, willing her beast to come through and take charge when her human side is struggling. We'll deal with the emotional fall out later when she's safe. "Shh. I'm going to get us out of here. Just stay with me a little while longer."

Her eyes are glazed with a distant expression as she stares to the side, unblinking, watching the puddle of blood creep closer to her along the hard dirt, the metallic scent growing stronger as it spreads.

"Don't look," I say, my voice sharp. "Don't look, Nessie."

She scurries to the side, away from the rapidly spreading crimson pool, then lifts her head to look around. Her gaze drifts to the glowing eyes that now surround us in a wide, menacing arc.

The clan's beasts are close to the surface, drawn out by the violence and death. At the centre of it all, just a few feet away, stands her father.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that," Rusty says, a wicked gleam in his eye, confident with his clan gathering behind him.

This is an alpha in his element, and he's enjoying every second of the chaos. The primal instincts, the drama, the violence, it's what he lives for. His scent carries notes of excitement rather than anger or fear, like almost everyone else around him.

But it's not Rusty that concerns me the most. It's Jed. That little shit is nowhere to be found, and that's a problem. He's liable to sneak in from the shadows and land a dirty blow against either me or Rusty, maybe both.

Rusty wants a fight, and I'm happy to give it to him, but Jed just wants to win. And the air carries no trace of his scent, so he must be downwind, hiding like the coward that he is. Waiting for his chance.

"Nessie," I whisper, "I need you to keep watch for Jed. He's gonna try something."

She nods, but I'm not sure my words have really sunk in. I just have to hope her beast is on high alert and paying attention.

I let my animal fully take over, my body shifting, bones cracking and reforming, then I stand in front of her and block her from those who wish to hurt us. The transformation is smooth despite the lingering effects of the drugs.

My beast rises to the challenge, determined to protect Vanessa, even if it’s the last thing we do. I'll be damned if Rusty or anyone else here lays a finger on her, ever again. They don't deserve to breathe the same air as my mate. And once we get out of here, she's never coming back.

Rusty chuckles as he circles me with slow and deliberate steps, assessing my balance and movement.

"Even if you beat me, son, there's a dozen other animals here ready to take my place. You gonna fight them all? Kill them all, over her ?"

My beast nods. That's exactly what we plan to do. The certainty of it flows through our shared consciousness, we will always protect what's ours.

Rusty pulls a sheathed blade from his belt and tosses it to the ground, catching the firelight as it falls. There will be no cheating and no weapons. The rest of the clan edges closer, tightening the circle around us. With the smoke still swirling around, and the heat radiating from the fire behind us, it's starting to feel claustrophobic.

"This is my mountain," Rusty shouts, thumping his chest. "You don't come in here and kill my clan without consequences."

He jerks a finger toward John, who’s slumped off to the side, clutching the nasty wound Jed left him with. Blood is seeping between John's fingers at an alarming rate. The human scent of it is different from shifter blood, sweeter, more fragile, and not stopping. He needs to be seen by a doctor, and fast. I grit my teeth and plead with my beast to wait. He wants to leap at Rusty, to rip his throat out, and then deal with whatever comes next.

But I need to think, not just react.

That's what John would tell me if he were capable of anything more than a pained groan right now. I’m trying to figure out what he’d tell me to do when I hear his voice, weak but defiant. It lifts my spirits right when I need it because things are pretty bleak right about now.

"Just shut up and get on with it already," he directs at Rusty, dragging himself back to lean against a slice of tree trunk that's doubling as a table. Even injured, his courage doesn't waiver.

Rusty laughs, appreciating the feistiness of the one man in this place who should be the most scared.

"I thought you were dead, old man. Once I take care of this pup, you're next. I should have just killed you the first day Jed dragged you in here."

"You probably should have." John's lips twist into a faint, smug smile. I don't understand it, not until I see a blur of movement out of the corner of my eye.

Vanessa.

She's on her feet, knife in hand, taking advantage of the distraction that John’s created. Rusty's knife.

Before anyone can shout a warning, she charges her father with his own weapon that she’s plucked from the dusty ground. Her movement is pure predator, fast and sure, her beast lending her added strength, even in human form.

Rusty realizes what’s going on and turns at the last second, catching her by the throat with one hand, but not before she plunges the blade into his gut.

She twists it, her face expressionless, even as he chokes and staggers back. His hands clutch at the hilt protruding from his stomach, his legs buckling. The scent of his blood fills the air as he collapses close to Chuck.

"You were going to let him…" her trembling voice trails off, and my heart aches at her pain. The betrayal in her tone cuts deeper than any knife. “I’m your daughter!”

His fingers claw weakly at the dirt beneath him as he struggles to sit up but fails.

Vanessa steps closer, standing over him. She watches, silent and unflinching, as the light leaves his eyes. I can't blame her. After everything he's allowed to happen here tonight, on top of a lifetime of abuse, it's enough to break anyone.

The clan watches in stunned silence as their alpha bleeds out, his life ended by the black sheep of the clan, the one they all thought was weak and pathetic.

"Nessie," I murmur, shifting back, afraid my beast might scare her if he approaches suddenly.

She turns to me, her eyes softening.

"Go," she says, her voice hoarse. "Get John and go."

She tosses a set of keys in my direction, the metal jingling in the silence as I catch them mid air. "Red Ford, parked behind Mom's house. Take it and go."

I stare at her, incredulous. "What the fuck are you talking about? I'm not leaving you here."

She shakes her head, determined. "I need to find Jed. This ends now, or he’ll come after us again. But John needs help. You have to go."

"Then you take him." I snap. "I'll find Jed and deal with him."

She smiles, a sad, weary smile. "I did all this to get John back for you . Not to put you in danger. Ben, please do this for me."

I step closer, cupping her face in my hands. I need her to see me, to hear me.

Our beasts connect, reinforcing the bond between us.

"You are mine , Vanessa. I'm not leaving here without you. I will carry you both down this fucking mountain if that's what it takes."

From the ground, John mutters, weak but determined, "We don't leave anyone behind. You're one of us, Vanessa. Always have been, really. We stick together, or we don't go at all."

Tears well in her eyes. She shakes her head, frustrated. "Damn it, Ben. Damn you. What the hell are we going to do?"

The beasts around us are restless. Some of the stronger ones are eyeing me, weighing their chances. None of them look too devastated that Rusty's dead. Seems the power vacuum is already affecting them when their instincts push them to consider making a move.

But before anyone can act, a disgusting laugh rings out, and Jed steps into view, blocking the path to the car.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you snatch those keys, Vanessa? Nothing happens here that I don't see."

I tense, ready to bolt for the woods while calculating our chances, until the door to Vanessa's childhood home creaks open. The sound cuts through the tension like a knife as her mother steps out with a gun in her hands, her eyes blazing.

Years of submission visibly fall away as she stands tall, finally taking action.

"Let them pass," she commands, her voice cold.

"Or what?" Jed sneers, but he’s not quite as cocky when her aim shifts slightly, and she fires at the ground near his feet, making him flinch. The gunshot echoes across the compound, and every shifter stops moving, waiting to see what their matriarch will do next.

"Try me." She growls. "Let them go. You listened to me once. You better start again."

Jed snarls but steps aside, albeit reluctantly, his beast recognizing when he’s beaten. For now, anyway.

We make it to the car, but as I help Vanessa and John inside, I hear Jed's hissed threat.

"I'll kill you for this. I'll find you and fucking kill you."

Before I can even react, headlights blaze through the compound. Trucks screech to a halt, spraying gravel around us, when familiar faces: Jack, Henry, Evan, and others from town, all pile out, shifting as they go.

The cavalry has arrived.

Jed rushes his mother, grabbing for the gun, but she's clearly skilled with it when she clips him in the shoulder, sending him sprawling in the dirt where Henry quickly cuffs him then leaves him there, ranting and raving.

Relief floods me. We're not alone anymore. This ends now.

The clan's reign of terror over this mountain is finally coming to an end, and a new day is dawning.

I pull Vanessa closer, breathing in her scent, knowing that whatever comes next, we'll face it together.