Darkness Unleashed (20 page)

“
Anything else?” Devlin prompted.

Squinting my eyes as if that would help me concentrate, I shook my head. “They quickly restrained him with silver cuffs because it burned his skin. He fought against them, trying to break free, but that’s when someone from the front handed back a syringe. Once they injected him with the drug, Mason couldn’t resist anymore. Whatever it was, it was potent. He didn’t stand a chance against it.”

“
Hmmm,” Daniel murmured, rubbing his hand over his mouth. “It could be anything, but I’m guessing Wolfsbane or a similar concoction. There’s a bunch of different drugs out there that can disable a strong wolf, but none that could take an Alpha down that quickly. Plus you, via your connection.”

I’d heard of Wolfsbane before, it was a vile potion that scrambled the mind of whomever took it, pumping toxins straight into their blood stream until they lost control of their body. There was no doubt in my mind they did this to keep him from shifting—an effective way to neutralize Mason and his wolf.

“
Again, has anyone assumed responsibility for this? Helena? Her Master?” His name tasted vile in my mouth after everything I’d already endured because of the stranger.

“
No one’s called, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. My hope is they’ll keep him local, making it easier to track him,” Devlin replied.

“
I’ve tried connecting with Mason through the Pack link, but so far, there’s been nothing,” Daniel added, perplexed.

Mate and Pack bonds were as similar as they were different. Each member was granted a special connection with their Alpha, a link where Mason could lend his strength to them; that joined them through obedience. While there were times when communicating mind-to-mind was warranted, it wasn’t like the constant link I enjoyed with Mason as his wife. Where an Alpha was the one to forge the shimmery cord that tied his Pack to him, ours went both ways. At any time, I could reach out and see his thoughts and emotions—and vice versa.

The fact that Daniel wasn’t able to contact Mason through theirs didn’t scare me as I thought it would. It could simply mean Mason had been rendered unconscious before reaching out. Daniel could figuratively knock at his Alpha’s mind, but Mason would have to answer.

What terrified me was the silence on the other side of mine.

“
I can’t, either,” I whispered, not liking the way my instincts flared in agitation. “He may still be under the drug’s influence. Until he comes to, what else are we doing?” I needed to know something was being done to find him.

A knock at the door interrupted us, and without waiting for an answer, Wade stormed in. “I came as soon as I could. What can I do?” It was good to see him, relief coursing through me. Although it hadn’t been officially declared, Wade was the Pack’s own enforcer, someone who stepped forward in times of crisis when the Alpha’s life was in danger. He’d been filling the position for the past few years, but because everything had been relatively peaceful, Mason hadn’t performed the ceremony to make it legitimate.

Wade hadn’t pushed for his installment, naturally doing what was needed. Where he wasn’t as close to Mason as Daniel was, there was an undeniable bond of friendship between them. They’d been through a lot together and he was someone my mate trusted implicitly.

If Mason was in trouble, Wade would be in the forefront, searching until he was found. Between him and Daniel, the offenders would be apprehended and held until justice was served.

“
We’re still gathering intel,” Daniel explained, approaching his Pack brother and embracing him. Hands pounded backs before he stood aside, allowing Wade to come closer toward me.

“
Hey, girl. How you holding up?” For all the ferocity I knew he contained, Wade’s features softened as he rested his hand briefly on my forearm.

“
Meh.” I shrugged, somehow managing to keep a straight face. “You know how it goes as an Alpha’s mate.” My attempt at lightening the mood did nothing to keep my true feelings hidden. Grabbing his hand, I squeezed it tightly. “I’m glad you’re here.” Looking about at the small group surrounding me, complete conviction filled my words. “We’ll get him back. And then there’ll be hell to pay.” I didn’t bother holding back the snarl that escaped me.

Vlad spoke up, having been quiet for most of the conversation. “I think it’ll help if we can get a map of the surrounding area. See what kind of territory we’re dealing with.”

“
That’s a good idea.” Daniel nodded, pointing at the young vampire. “We have a bunch of different ones that cover at least a few hundred miles radius.” With something new to focus on, he rushed over to Mason’s desk and opened one of the drawers. “He liked to keep them handy, just in case we ever needed them.”

Clearing everything off the top except for the desktop monitor, Daniel spread the largest map over the surface, placing a few items to keep it secure. It was the one that showed the entire Mystic Wolves Pack property, one of the more expansive territories controlled by one, single Alpha.

As everyone began gathering around, offering suggestions, my connection with Mason fell into place. “Wait, I can feel him!” I exclaimed, excited to finally have some kind of response from him. Raising my hand up to prevent any questions, the room fell into silence as I focused.

Everything was still foggy, the link tentative and fragile. It wasn’t as strong as it usually was, but it was better than nothing.

“
Careful, Darcy,” Daniel murmured, reminding me not to push too hard in case the link disconnected, again. Nodding that I heard him, I closed my eyes to focus just on my bond with Mason.

He was disoriented, groaning from the way the drugs made him feel. Testing his body to see whether he had the strength to fight his attackers. Disappointment rang through the link once he realized silver chains and leather straps tightly restrained him.

“
He’s trapped,” I whispered softly. “He doesn’t think he’s strong enough to break them. The drugs have seriously weakened him.”

It was everything I could do to hold on to our connection. One wrong move and it would slip away. “He’s looking around the best he can. He’s in a dungeon-like room. Concrete walls. There’s a small window that’s letting light in. He can’t smell anything familiar and he’s alone.”

“
Is he local? Does he think he’s close by?” Devlin gently prodded.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I just know he doesn’t recognize where he is.”

“
He has to be local,” Daniel added, quietly. “Look at the timeframe. Between taking him, transporting him, and then securing him at the location, there wasn’t enough time to get far away.” Staring down at the map, he began tracing a line over the surface. “I’m thinking he’s at least within an hour . . . maybe an hour and a half away.”

“
He may be even closer than that. My gut still says Helena is involved. It’s too much of a coincidence. She’ll have hired help, locally, while she worked with Amber. She wouldn’t have time to look elsewhere and the closer to here, the better control she’d have over everything. Yes, time has passed since Darcy last made contact with him, but that could be more from Mason being unconscious than travel.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to answer I agreed with him. My instinct told me the same—that the betraying witch was behind this and that my mate wasn’t far away. Unfortunately, until we knew more, there was no proof other than my intuition to back it up. I didn’t get a chance, though, as I felt Mason stir, again.

“
He’s trying to find out who’s holding him,” I disclosed, patiently waiting to see what happened. “No one’s answering, so he’s attempting to draw them out.” The suspense was killing me.

“
If we can know who’s behind this, it’ll give us a place to start,” Devlin added, right before I shushed him.

“
Someone’s coming.” Praying I could hold on to our connection, Mason’s next thought at seeing Helena’s face confirmed our suspicions. “We were right. It’s Helena. She’s behind it.” My words came out quickly as Mason’s mind scrambled to absorb the new information. “She’s not acting alone, though.” I gasped when I recognized who it was.

“
What, Darcy? You need to tell us.”

Opening my eyes, I looked straight at Daniel, answering him. “Ross is there.” Mason hadn’t been too quick to realize who the young man was, but I’d remembered him from different Pack events.

“
Ross?” Devlin asked, not understanding why it surprised me.

“
He’s one of Michael’s,” Wade answered, seconds before Daniel replied the same thing.

Ross Green was one of their Pack’s youngest members, and had been upset when Mason hadn’t married his Alpha’s daughter, Amber. Michael Bracken was the leader of the Silver Canyon Wolves and had pushed for the betrothal of his spoiled daughter. However, after the death of Mason’s parents, when he became the rightful Alpha over the Mystic Wolves, Mason had declared the engagement null and void. At Amber’s trial before the Council, Michael hadn’t even come to her defense, boldly disowning her, effectively cutting all ties that linked him with the fiasco.

The fact that Ross was somehow involved was startling because all animosity between the two packs had been resolved.

“
Damn,” Daniel cursed. “He’s going to want to know this.” Reaching for his phone, Daniel stepped away to call the Alpha and see whether he could fill us in on the wolf’s motives.

“
Knowing it’s Helena, I’ll call the office and have Asher hand out assignments to everyone. Mason’s close by and there won’t be many places that have basements like you described. They’ll begin searching.” With something more concrete to work with, Devlin retreated toward the curtained window, rapidly talking to his Enforcer comrade on the other side of the line.

“
We’ll find him,” Vlad encouraged, taking a seat beside me, smiling hopefully.

“
I have no doubt,” I replied, confidence filling my voice. There was no time for doubts. Every second spent on the useless emotion was a second wasted.

“
While everyone is on the phone, I should check around and see if anyone else knows anything. Put out my own feelers.” I nodded at Wade, signaling it was okay for him to step away, as well. I didn’t need to be coddled. What I needed was Mason back home, safe.

“
Can I get you anything?” Vlad asked, tentatively. “Maybe some more water? Blood?”

“
I’m fine.” I began to say, but then the room tilted, again, and my body toppled sideways. My mind clouded and the connection I’d so carefully cradled between Mason and I floated away.

“
Devlin!” Vlad exclaimed, his voice seeming so far away.

They were drugging Mason. Helena was injecting her poison into his veins as she cruelly taunted him. I screamed for him to hold on, not realizing I’d actually done it, aloud.

“
She’s reacting to whatever’s happening to Mason,” Daniel shouted, his phone dropping to the floor as he rushed forward. “Catch her before she falls, Vlad!”

My eyelids grew heavier, making it impossible to keep them open as my tongue felt too big for my mouth. “I’m . . . sorry,” I uttered, fighting against the effects.

Everything grew quiet as Mason’s awareness splintered, taking me with him.

****

I bolted upward with a start. “How long was I out?” Inwardly I prayed it wasn’t for very long.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Devlin squinted slightly as he mentally calculated. “I’d say ten . . . fifteen minutes. Not as long as earlier.”

Sitting up, I blushed at finding my head had been in Vlad’s lap. “She drugged him. She has him strapped down like an animal and she still pumped her filth into him.” The very thought of it angered me.

“
If you’re awake, there’s a good chance he is. Try and see if you can reestablish your connection with him. I have Enforcers already visiting some of the places we keep on file. So far, no one’s spotted anything unusual.”

“
What about Michael?” Now that I had my bearings and my head was clearer, it was all about business. The last thing I remembered was Daniel on the phone with the Silver Canyon Alpha. That was before I passed out.

“
He didn’t answer. Which tells me he either didn’t hear it or he’s screening his calls. The last one makes me nervous,” Daniel admitted.

It made me worried, too, because it wasn’t normal for Alphas to ignore calls from other Packs, especially leaders of those Packs. Daniel would’ve called the emergency number that was a direct line to Michael, so his not answering sent up all kinds of red flags. With Ross involved, there was a strong possibility he was acting on behalf of his Alpha.

“
How is his relationship with Mason?” Devlin asked. He was back to standing over the map, a Sharpie in his hand, as he leaned over and marked out a location.

“
As far as I know, fine.” Daniel shrugged. “Granted, he hasn’t spoken to Michael since the last fiasco with Amber over her claiming asylum, but after the way he disowned her at her trial, I don’t think he’d care.”

Something about the whole thing didn’t feel right. “We’re missing something. Something important.”

“
I agree,” Devlin stated. Addressing Daniel, Devlin pointed at the stack of maps he’d pulled out from the draw. “Any of these show the Silver Canyon territory?”

Nodding, Daniel pulled on the bottom map, flipped it open, before handing it to Devlin. “This is it. Mason thought it was wise to have it on hand when we were going through the drama with Amber. He didn’t know whether her accusations against her father were real or whether Michael was trying to claim the Mystic Wolves territories for himself, again. He didn’t want to be caught unprepared.”

Placing it on top of the one already unfolded, Devlin smoothed out the creases, and motioned for Daniel to come look. “This is just a hunch, but I’ve learned to trust them. Something tells me that Mason’s somewhere here. My Enforcers will continue to search the other locations, but it won’t hurt to send them to some of these properties, as well. Is there anywhere you’d think Helena could be holding Mason? Anywhere that has a basement dungeon like Darcy described?”