Splintered (11 page)

I'd spent weeks in the Graves manor and still
didn't know all of it. We were quickly led to a sub wing I hadn't
ever explored, and down three flights of stairs.

The room waiting at the bottom had been carved
directly out of the rock the house had been built on. The lighting
was provided by a series of candles and torches. The flickering
illumination concealed almost as much as it revealed.

Alec took my hand as Abaddon moved
around us to stand next to Oblivion. We were another few steps into
the room before Alec's hand tightened around mine.

It took a second for my mind to
process what I was seeing. Isaac and James were in the front of the
group, both sporting a large collection of gashes. I had a split
second to wonder how hard you had to hit a shape shifter to make
them bruise like that and then my gaze moved on to the other
members of the pack.

Jess and Dom had both shifted forms and their
normally lustrous coats were heavily stained with blood. Further
back, Jack, Alison and Sam had also shifted forms to reduce their
vulnerability to attack. None of them had escaped without wounds
either.

Andrew and Addison, Jess's father and James's
mother looked less the worse for wear than anyone else, but were
both trembling with fear. Everyone was scared, but the older pair
looked as though they'd already seen this course of events play out
and knew the ending was going to be ugly.

Standing almost to the very back of the group
was Donovan. The old shape shifter was still in his human form,
still unbowed, but the right side of his face was a mass of bruises
and blood. The sight drew a gasp from me, but it was nothing on
what I felt when I saw Alec's mother lying motionless behind
Donovan.

I half started forward, but Alec's grip stopped
me from completing the motion. Jasmin was suddenly at my side,
between Rachel and me, her voice low. "She's still breathing. She
probably freaked out when Agony arrived and had to be
tranqed."

Alec pulled us forward until we stood in front
of our friends, between them and a slender man who was distinctive
in his lack of tattoos or piercings.

"I protest the treatment of my people,
Agony."

"It's no less than you deserve for your
disgraceful hospitality, young Graves."

"Had you informed us of your coming as
tradition requires then you would have found a much different
reception awaiting you."

Agony scanned through the pack, starting with
Alec and seemingly ending with me. "Oh, but we did attempt to
inform you. I had my man call that device you're so fond of. Each
time he got a message that your phone was out of service. Once upon
a time we would have relied on couriers to provide the necessary
niceties, but with you younger leaders we've found modern means to
be best."

"Far be it for me to dispute with
the Coun'hij or abandon practices which have served our people well
for so many years. Please let your fellows know that in the future
I'm happy to receive notice via runner. Your man Abaddon, for
instance, knows the way here now."

Abaddon moved forward as though to
respond to the jab, but Agony stopped him with a gesture. "While
that may indeed help avoid future misunderstandings, the fact
remains that offense was given. You know our rights?"

Alec went utterly still for the barest instant.
"You can demand punishment for those lesser members of the pack
which created the offense. Those pack members may in turn demand
trial by combat if they feel the punishment is
unwarranted."

"Ah, yes. You're quite the scholar of tradition
and law, much like your father was before you. It availed him
little, much as I suspect it will prove a slight shield for
you."

"Tradition and law is all we have as a people
to separate us from the animals, all that allows us to constrain
our beasts. Even the Coun'hij is bound by the strictures that bind
the rest of us."

Agony's dismissive expression didn't fill me
with reassurance. If he didn't hold with the laws Alec seemed to be
relying on, then what hope did we have?

"I select your Donovan as the worst
transgressor. His actions would have been bad enough from any of
your people, but coming from one so lowly they were doubly
insulting. I had thought I'd taught your mentor better on the
occasion of my last visit. It appears the lesson needs to be
refreshed."

A barely-perceptible stir of movement ran
through the figures behind me as Agony's target was named.
Donovan's graceful limp slowly brought him even with me as he moved
towards the open space between Alec and Agony.

Despite Alec's order to keep my mouth shut I
was halfway to protesting the situation, but Alec tapped my hand
and then reached out and stopped Donovan.

"It's your right to demand his
punishment, but he stands under my protection. As such, it is
equally my right to stand in his place and demand trial by combat.
Who will you name to oppose me?"

There was a growl from the cluster of figures
behind Agony. For a moment I thought it would pass unremarked, but
Agony's sadistic smile argued otherwise.

"I believe there is one among my party who has waited a long
time for this opportunity. I trust, young Graves, that you remember
Vincent?"

Chapter 15

When Vincent stepped out of the cluster of
Agony's men I thought for a moment my heart was going to
explode.

It was suddenly like our defeating
Brandon's pack had never happened. If anything, Vincent was scarier
than I remembered. His eyes were the same dead, psychopathic orbs
that'd all but screamed he was through pretending that anyone
else's pain mattered in the slightest. He was bigger now though and
he moved with an economy of motion that was eerily similar to
Alec's movements.

Jasmin's thoughts must have run
along the same track as mine. "Look who's back with a graduate
degree in sociopathy and all the tricks you'd expect from two weeks
of almost constant combat."

Some of my spiking alarm must have made it
through to my face, or possibly she just heard my pulse
stutter.

"Don't worry. Alec was always able to wipe up
the floor with Vincent. Vincent's bigger, but Alec's put on muscle
since they last clinched too. Besides, all Alec really needs to do
is pop the cork on that little black hole he carries around in his
pocket and everyone here will collapse."

Somehow with everything that'd happened since
the fight with Brandon I'd forgotten about Alec's power. Maybe it
was just that we'd spent so much time needing him to manifest an
ability. It was hard to believe it'd really happened, that Alec
finally had the ability to keep the pack safe.

Rachel was back with her mom, but the rest of
the pack was milling around Alec, creating a rising tide of shape
shifter energy. The growing tingle should have been reassuring, but
the answering roar of power from the seven figures on the other
side of the cavern dwarfed the output of our pack.

As Alec turned towards Vincent I
grabbed Jasmin's arm. "Is it to the death?"

"Not necessarily. In theory they fight until
Agony deems that the insult has been satisfied or until one of them
is defeated."

"In theory?"

"Accidents happen."

Alec handed me his cell phone and
then began unbuttoning his shirt. A moment later he was down to his
ha'bit and facing Vincent who'd shifted to his hulking hybrid form
while Alec was still preparing.

Vincent sent out a pulse of crackling energy
which Alec answered with greater power of his own and then they
dashed towards each other.

As always they moved too fast for me to follow
every motion. Alec shifted to his hybrid form in the blink of an
eye and then they were fully engaged. I saw a flicker of movement
and then Alec backed away, blood on his claws.

I was able to garner some clues to
the fight by watching Abaddon out of the corner of my eye. Every
time he frowned my heart rose, every time he smiled I felt a little
part of me wilt. It seemed like the two combatants were mostly
probing.

The whirling storm of fangs and claws sped up
and then suddenly the fight went to the ground. I didn't need the
collective gasp from my pack to realize Alec was on the bottom.
From everything I'd heard or experienced, I expected Vincent to be
ripping away at Alec's body while trying to reposition for a
killing hold. Instead they were locked in a kind of stalemate
holding onto each other's wrists while Alec's legs had wrapped
around Vincent's waist.

Arms that were more than capable of
lifting up the front end of a luxury car strained against each
other and then slowly they started moving away from Alec, towards
Vincent. The first of Alec's claws sank into Vincent's throat and
then suddenly Vincent sprang away in an explosion of
movement.

I expected them to fall back and regroup but it
appeared Alec had managed to keep a hold of Vincent's left wrist.
Both hybrids blurred again as they jockeyed for position and then
Alec was behind Vincent.

Just to the right of me, Jasmin leaned forward
eagerly and I knew Alec had set himself up for the kill. Vincent
violently tried to shake Alec off, slamming backwards into a wall
and then spinning around, flailing with his claws in an effort to
pry Alec free.

Moving so slowly even I could see
it, Alec crept up Vincent's back, his hands anchored in Vincent's
chest. A split second before Alec's mouth would have latched onto
the back of Vincent's neck, Agony moved forward and backhanded Alec
into a wall.

"Enough. The offense has been cleansed by
battle."

For a second I thought Alec would turn on
Agony. Based on the sudden tensing all around me, the rest of the
pack had the same worry.

Alec's shape trembled in rage as the man fought
with the beast, and then suddenly the hybrid melted away. I didn't
see Isaac and James move, it was like they just appeared at Alec's
side, ready to support him if needed.

Alec looked over to our pack as
though verifying everyone was still okay, and then turned back to
Agony.

"The debt is washed clean. Quarters have been
prepared for you and your men. I expect you remember where they
are?"

At a nod from Agony Alec continued.
"All further discussions can take place between you, me and our
most dominant members."

"Trying to protect the weaker members of your
pack again, Alec?"

"Nowhere does tradition require the entire pack
to assemble each and every time we talk. It is my right and I stand
by it."

Agony's smile left me feeling cold and dirty.
"See to it, Oblivion. Somebody pick up Vincent. I'll see you again
after my men have had a chance to settle in, Alec."

**

After Agony's people had left the
cavern Alec had hustled everyone back upstairs. "We don't have a
ton of time. James, Isaac, settle your parents back in their rooms.
Dom, Jess, Alison, Sam, Jack go with them in case they run into
trouble. Donovan, if you could please see to my mother? Jas, Rach,
can you please help them?"

The boys had already disappeared, girlfriends
and submissives in tow. Jasmin grabbed Alec's arm as he turned
away.

"Where are you going?"

"Adri needs to get back home."

Donovan had stopped now too. "Master Alec,
Agony won't like that."

"I'm aware of the risks. Adri can't afford to
alienate her mom right now though. She's got things she needs to
do."

Jasmin opened her mouth to argue, but Donovan
turned and started walking away, Alec's mom in his arms.

"I don't know what you mad scientists have
cooked up, but we're in too deep to do anything but trust
you."

A minute and a half later, Alec and I were in
his Porsche. He normally drove fairly sedately when I was in the
car with him, but he hit nearly triple digits on the lane before he
had to break for the main road.

"Please listen carefully, we don't have much
time, and we're still in quite a bit of danger."

Alec down shifted around a corner and cranked
his car back up to one-twenty. "We've been worried this would
happen for quite a while, but our bringing down Brandon's pack was
always pretty much guaranteed to force their hand. I need you to go
to Mallory. She needs to be updated on what's going on."

"Wouldn't it be safer for you to do
it?"

"No, Agony's men will have us under virtual
house arrest. There's too many of us for them to follow
everyone."

"I don't even know how to find her."

"Take the road past my house then the first
right. Just keep driving until you see the shed. There's an
overhang about fifty yards further along. If you get to where the
road gets bad you've gone too far."

"What about a vehicle?"

"You'll either have to borrow your mom's or
find a way into town and borrow Jasmin's. The key is taped to the
bottom of the passenger seat. The combination to unlock it is
one-one-two-three-five."