Moon Burned (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 4) Read online

  My lips twisted into a frown. I hated high maintenance women.

  A few minutes passed as we continued waiting in the SUV. A light inside the shop flashed, and I suddenly knew this place was more than a dress shop.

  The vampire shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space we’d been idling in. My insides quivered as we pulled around to the back of the building. A big, burly vampire stood at the back door of the boutique. His arms were folded across his solid chest as he watched us pull up. He had to be another of Regina’s goons. He was even scarier than the one driving us.

  Was this Regina’s store? Could it be a front for her werewolf smuggling, drug-making business?

  Alec’s palm grew sweaty against mine, but I didn’t let go of him. I had no clue what was about to happen and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to save us from whatever awaited us beyond this point, but I was going to try. I squeezed his hand in mine, hoping to let him know.

  “Here we are,” the vampire said as he shifted into park again. He cut the engine of the SUV and twisted around in his seat to stare at us. “Welcome to Sassy Classy, or in your case, hell.”

  I could feel his eyes on me. His words had been meant to get a rise out of me. I gave him nothing. I did, however, add him beneath Regina’s name on my list of those I wanted to kill while taking this place down.

  The vampire’s grin grew. “You want to kill me, don’t you, little wolf?”

  My gaze never wavered from his. I didn’t speak, but then again I didn’t need to. He could see the answer in my eyes.

  Two vampires stepped through the back door of the shop. My attention fixed on them as they started toward the SUV. There was now one vampire for each of us and one watching on the sidelines.

  Awesome.

  Any chance of escape before being dragged inside was out of the question. All I could do was hope they kept us together. While I didn’t care much about David being in the same room, being with Alec was my best-case scenario. That way when I did find the right moment to escape, I could take him with me and not waste time searching for him.

  “Get the guys. She’s mine,” the vampire with the scar said as he slipped out of the driver’s seat and rounded the SUV.

  Alec tensed. He released a deep breath and then glanced at me. “We’re going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.”

  It wasn’t clear if his words were meant for himself or me.

  “I know,” I said. “I’m going to make sure of it.”

  The side doors and the trunk of the SUV opened at once. I stared straight ahead, refusing to react to the vampire boss being so close to me.

  “Time to go, sweetheart,” he said in a singsong voice. He reached for me, but I swatted his hand away and slipped out of the vehicle on my own. I didn’t want him touching me.

  “Fine.” He held up his hands. “I’ll lead the way then.”

  I followed him to the back entrance of the shop. The bulky vampire I’d noticed when we first pulled behind the building took in every inch of me with his dark eyes as he held open the door. Even though I was wearing Alec’s gray T-shirt that fell an inch or two above my knees, I still felt naked under his intense gaze. I kept my chin high as I stepped past him but wished I had more clothes on.

  Stepping through the back door led us into a narrow hallway. Four doors waited on either side, each of them open except for one. I gazed inside each as we passed, soaking in my surroundings as best I could. I had to pay attention. It was the only way to remember how to get back to this exit.

  One of the rooms was a bathroom, another an office decorated in shades of black and pink, and the open door was a room filled with boxes.

  Clothes or drugs?

  The vampire I followed stopped in front of the closed door. My heart thundered against my ribs, and I knew he could hear it. I could do nothing to stop its erratic beating.

  “Ready, little wolf?” he asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, sounding braver than I felt. My knees wobbled as my adrenaline spiked.

  What waited behind that door?

  “Get your hands off me,” Alec growled from somewhere behind me.

  I glanced back at him. He was bucking against the vampire who’d escorted him from the vehicle. I flashed him a look that I hoped came across as simmer the hell down. He needed to chill out. If he didn’t, I was positive the guy walking him in would beat the crap out of him.

  Being crammed in a narrow hallway with vampires on either side of you was not the time to resist much of anything.

  The soft click of a door opening captured my attention.

  The door in front of the vampire with the scar opened, revealing another storage room. What? There had to be something else here. Was some sort of magic at play? A cloaking spell? I’d heard once that was a thing, but I’d never seen one in action.

  When the vampire I was following stepped into the room, I followed, knowing it was what he wanted. My gaze drifted through the tiny room. Racks of clothes decorated one wall while boxes had been stacked along another. Nothing else was in the room, except for a vibrantly colored rug on the floor.

  “Not what you expected?” the vampire asked with a chuckle.

  “Not at all. What is this place?” The words flew from my mouth without much thought.

  The vampire motioned for the one escorting Alec to enter the room. He obeyed and bent over to roll up the rug on the floor. A door in the floor was revealed.

  We were going under the building. I’d been right about the boutique being a front.

  “Your final resting place.” The vampire with the scar chuckled. The vampire holding the rug laughed, and I threw up my middle finger while flashing them both a snarky grin.

  Two birds in one night; this guy held my record.

  “Even in the face of her own death, she’s still got spunk,” the vampire with the scar said as he stepped toward the now open trapdoor. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you would’ve made a damn good vampire, sweetheart.”

  “Too bad she’s a filthy werewolf,” one of the other vampires said. I didn’t glance around to see if it was the one holding the rug or the one dragging David along; he wasn’t worth my time.

  Instead I stood at the trapdoor, struggling to determine what material it was made of. I needed to know I’d be able to lift it on my own when it came time to bust out of this place. I was positive the members of my pack wouldn’t be in good enough health to help me with it.

  Metal. It was made of metal. I wasn’t sure if it was aluminum, steel, or something else, but that would determine the weight.

  There had to be another way out of this place from below. I’d have to somehow find it.

  I gazed into the hole. Inside was a set of concrete steps. It was the only thing I could see from where I stood. However, noises from below made their way up to me. People. Lots of people.

  What the hell did Regina have going on down there? A freaking city of her own?

  “After you, little wolf. Step into the rabbit hole,” the vampire with the scar insisted.

  12

  Flashes of how I’d gotten here flickered through my mind like a movie as I started down the stairs. A sense of lightheadedness shifted through me.

  Once I reached the base of the stairs, I was submerged in a whole new setting. The boutique shop seemed miles away. The vampire’s words before I started down the stairs looped through my head: Step into the rabbit hole…

  That was exactly what it felt like I’d done.

  A long, concrete tunnel dimly lit by sconces that resembled burning torches was before me. I wasn’t sure how long it was, but I could see the resemblance to a rabbit hole.

  Was that what they really called it?

  Once we reached the end I noticed doors lining what was a continuation of the tunnel wall. On the other side was an open area. A workplace maybe? The space felt lopsided and awkward.

  Humans were everywhere dressed i
n long, white lab coats. Not one of them looked at Alec or me. At first I thought it was because they had been trained not to. That they were somehow tolerant of what happened here. Once I focused on a man only two feet away from me, I realized something was wrong with the people down here. They each walked around with a dazed expression and glassy eyes.

  Were they drugged?

  Or had they been compelled?

  Either way they were too calm to be as close to vampires as they were. Too calm to be down here doing whatever hellacious things Regina asked of them.

  Why were there so many humans? Where were all the vampires? Since coming down the stairs, I had only seen one. Did Regina not have as many goons as I’d thought, or were they all occupied with taking the blood of my pack?

  Maybe they were all high.

  I continued following the vampire with the scar while taking in my surroundings as best I could. Another exit was what I needed to focus on now. So far, I didn’t see one.

  We came to a stop in front of a steel door with a tiny window cut out on top. My heart dropped to my stomach. This had to be my cage. I wasn’t ready to be tossed in a room. I hadn’t found an alternate exit yet. I hadn’t scoped the place out well enough.

  “After you,” the vampire said as a motioned for me to step inside once he’d opened the door.

  I squared my shoulders and stepped past him into the tiny room. The walls were bright white, and there was nothing inside. No cot. No bucket to use as a toilet. Not even a scrap of blanket I could use as a skirt.

  “I’ve already told you once to get your hands off me,” Alec spat as he jerked himself free from his vampire escort’s grasp. “I know where I need to go. I’m not stupid. I don’t need you pushing me around.”

  “Just get in there,” the vampire muttered.

  David was tossed into the room next and the door was closed. I expected the vampire with the scar to say something to me as he closed the door since he seemed so hell-bent on teasing me, but he didn’t.

  “What now?” Alec asked. His pupils were big. I knew it was due to the amount of adrenaline pumping through his system.

  “I’m not sure,” I said as I stepped to the back wall. My legs gave out beneath me, and I slid onto the cold concrete floor. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

  “Don’t give up,” Alec said. He paced back and forth. “We have to figure out a way to get out of here. Alive.”

  “It’s going to be hard, considering the only exit I saw was the way we came in,” I said. “The plus side is there didn’t seem to be too many vampires. I only spotted one on the way down here. Everyone seems to be human.”

  “How can you tell who’s human and who’s a vampire?”

  “I just can.” I shrugged.

  David groaned as he forced himself into a sitting position. He leaned against the wall closest to him for support. “Chill out, Alec.”

  “Chill out?” Alec shouted. “Don’t tell me to chill out. I’m not five. This situation is freaking crazy!”

  “Well, you’re going to have to do something because your frantic behavior isn’t making the situation any better,” David insisted. He ran a hand along the side of his neck, his fingers probing the area where the vampire had bitten him. “The only way we’re going to make it out of this alive is if we remain calm.”

  Alec released a long breath and forced himself to sit along the opposite wall from his uncle. “You’re right.”

  My mind raced with ideas of how I was going to get Alec and me out of here. I even struggled with the idea of rescuing David as well. Maybe karma would come back to bite me in the ass for the thought, but it had crossed my mind that he might be a good sacrifice or serve as a distraction if need be.

  “Okay, I’m calm,” Alec said, breaking the silence the three of us had been sitting in. “We need to figure out how we’re getting out of here. Let’s craft a plan of action.”

  David shushed him and pointed to the ceiling. There was a speaker in the center. While I wasn’t positive it was there so they could hear us, I didn’t want to take any chances.

  Alec pulled out his cell and typed something out on it. He scooted closer to me before handing it to me. The first thing I did was check for cell service, thinking I might be able to reach Eli or Tate. There was none. Disappointment shifted through me. I glanced at what Alec wanted me to see next. He’d opened up the notepad app on this phone and tapped out a message. It was a clever way to communicate. One I wasn’t sure I would’ve thought of in my current frame of mind.

  We have to figure something out before they come back.

  I tapped out a response.

  I know. Give me time to think.

  I passed it back to Alec. After he read it, he shook his head and typed out a response, then handed it back to me.

  We don’t have any more time for you to think. We’re just going to have to act.

  I shook my head. This was not one of those situations where you acted on impulse. It was one you waited for the precise moment to act because you were only going to get one chance.

  I didn’t get to respond to what Alec had typed because David inched himself closer to me and took the phone. He read what we’d been saying. His thumbs flew across the screen for the longest time. Tiny flickers of relief built in my stomach because I thought it meant that he had a plan. He wouldn’t be typing so much unless he’d thought of something worth sharing.

  Maybe bringing David along once we busted out of this room was a good idea after all. He might be good for more than a sacrifice or a distraction.

  Alec was his motivation to be more. Even though it was apparent they didn’t see eye to eye on things, it was clear David loved Alec. They were family. And I was sure there was no way in hell David would leave without Alec.

  Maybe that was my silver lining.

  If David could handle Alec without me having to worry about him, I might be able to get my pack out safely and torch the place after killing Regina and her vampire goon with the scar as I’d planned.

  When David was finished typing, he passed the cell to Alec. I read what David had said over his shoulder.

  When they come back, I’m going to rush them. Alec, you need to run. Take a right out of this door, go all the way down the hall, and up the stairs to the trapdoor. Then take a left out of that room and head straight to the exit. Don’t stop running once you make it outside. Keep going until you’re satisfied there’s enough distance between you and this place. Then call home and have someone come pick you up.

  It wasn’t the best plan, but it might work. At least it would be enough of a distraction for me to figure out where my pack was being held. It might even give me enough time to get them out.

  Shit. I should’ve thought to look through the little windows of the doors we’d passed on our walk to this one. I bet that’s where my pack members were.

  Alec shook his head. From the look on his face and the way he chewed his bottom lip, I knew he wasn’t happy with his uncle’s plan. He flashed me the cell before he passed it to his uncle.

  No. I’m not leaving her.

  Alec shoved the phone in his uncle’s face. David read the message and gave me a look that I knew well. He wanted me to help talk some sense into his nephew. He knew I didn’t want Alec to get hurt, that I didn’t want him to be a part of this any more than he did. It was the one thing we had in common.

  I reached for the phone. David passed it to me and I typed out a new message.

  I’m not leaving until I get my pack out safely. You need to just go.

  I flashed the screen to Alec. He shook his head and jerked the phone from my fingers as anger flamed behind his chocolate eyes.

  I want to help. I’m not leaving without you. If you’re not leaving without them, then I guess we all leave together or we don’t leave at all.

  I sighed and pursed my lips together. Of course he was going to be difficult. Alec was stubborn in the same way I was. We did whatever we could to pr
otect those we cared for.

  He still cared for me.

  David took the phone from Alec and read what we’d said to each other. He released a long sigh similar to the one I had and tapped out a new message. He flashed the screen to us when he was finished.

  They more than likely will be dead. You do realize this, right?

  I narrowed my eyes on him, hating how right he probably was and jerked the phone from his hand.

  It doesn’t matter. I have to know what happened to them.

  I passed the phone back.

  David shook his head as irritation clouded his features and tapped out a new message. He held the phone up when he was finished.

  I don’t understand. After all this time, you can’t possibly think any of them will be alive. Not after what they were doing to them.

  I grabbed the phone from him. My fingers slipped across the keyboard as I typed out the most honest answer I could muster.

  I have to hope.

  David’s eyes grew dark. He took the cell from me and typed out a response. Anger burst through me when I read his reply.

  Sometimes hope it isn’t enough.

  I reined in the desire to sucker punch him and jerked the cell from him instead. My fingers pressed harder against the screen than necessary as I wrote a reply.

  And sometimes hope is all you have. My mom is in there. She’s been missing since I was twelve. I have to know if she’s alive. I’m not leaving without knowing. I’m not leaving without getting any member of my pack who is alive out. End of story.

  Alec placed an arm over my shoulder and pulled me against him. It was in an effort to comfort me, I knew this, but all it did was piss me off. I didn’t want to be touched. I didn’t want sympathy. All I wanted was to get the hell out of here and find my pack. My mom.

  David took the cell from me and tapped out a response.

  Okay. What’s your plan then?

  I didn’t have one. The only thing I knew for certain was I needed to get out of this room and go where the action was—where Regina was.