Finally, I realize no one is speaking, and the silence has become tense.

  “I agreed to this call because I thought you might actually have an offer for me,” Kari says. “It seems I was wrong.”

  “You agreed to this call because you want what I want,” Jadick says.

  He doesn’t look anxious about her threat to hang up. If anything, his eyes glitter with exhilaration. He’s enjoying this.

  Ugh.

  “And what is it you think I want, brother?”

  “Power. And to eliminate any threat against it.” Jadick speaks like the answer is obvious. And Kari doesn’t disagree. In fact, the hunger in her eyes is unmistakable. It makes me feel even more stupid that I couldn’t see it before.

  “If you know that much, then you also know the only thing that threatens my power is you.” Her eyes are flinty now, proof of her hatred. It guts me to see her wear such a hard expression. To know she’s really this monster underneath it all.

  “Of course,” he says smoothly. “Unfortunately for you, I have tradition and law on my side.” Her eyes narrow as he goes on, “I am the alpha heir. You’re Daddy’s little princess who was overly spoiled for too long and has grown into a full-size brat.”

  She bats her lashes, disgust and amusement twisting her features. “What are you going to do about it, big brother, punish me?”

  Jadick’s expression tightens. “I’m going to give you exactly what you deserve.”

  “Is that so?” Kari’s amusement vanishes, and I flinch at the violence in her tone when she says, “I’ve already eliminated one brother. I won’t hesitate to do it again.”

  “Thiago was weak,” Jadick says dismissively. “And stupid. I’m neither.”

  “Prove it. You know where I am. There’s no need for these silly video calls. Just come and get me. If you can.”

  “Oh, I plan to. But first, I’m going to take everything else from you until you’re alone and defenseless. Until I possess everything that matters to you.” His eyes flick to mine then back to the screen. “That’s when I’ll come for you, dear sister. I hope the anticipation kills you.”

  “Oh, this is adorable,” she croons. “You think I care about Mac?”

  He shrugs. “You left her alive when you could have easily killed her. Why bother unless you have affection for your friend buried somewhere down deep in that dead heart?”

  “I left Mac alive because I knew she’d run to you,” Kari snaps. “And distract you with demands for a rescue. Which I sincerely hope you fall for because I’d love nothing more than to kill every Jade, one at a time, as you attempt to sneak them in through the back door of the alpha house.” Her eyes gleam, and I realize she’s telling the truth. This is exactly what she hoped for. We’re playing right into it. I’m that predictable.

  “You also shot her,” my mother says, and Kari smirks.

  “What’s your point?” Kari asks.

  “Well, you either wanted her alive or not. Which is it?” my mother demands.

  Kari rolls her eyes as if this whole line of questioning is so obvious that she’s bored. “The only one of you even remotely capable and competent enough to stop me is Mac,” Kari says. “Or she would have been. Before the venom sang through her blood and knocked her on her ass. Now, I have no worthy enemy to worry about.”

  My mother glares at her. “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far, you little bitch. Who do you think Mac learned everything from?”

  “Please. Vicki, you know as well as I do; you’ve already made whatever deal you can with my brother. And now, he owns you. And trust me when I tell you, he’s not going to let you kill me. No, the egotistical bastard is probably thinking he’ll save that honor for himself. If only he were strong enough. But alas, he has no mate to reject, and without that process, he’s just another over-inflated toxic male asshole whose daddy told him he could be somebody.”

  No one else says a word.

  One glance at Jadick’s face and I can see she’s struck a nerve.

  Then I remember Tripp mentioning Jadick’s mate. Lacey. She died in a boating accident senior year of high school. Before Jadick could claim her. The way Kari talks, he never planned to. And judging by the death stare he’s giving his sister, she isn’t wrong.

  “Rejecting a mate isn’t the only way the magic bestows strength to our pack,” Jadick says.

  His words, the way he says them, make me wonder what he’s really planning. Like he knows something we don’t. Kari doesn’t seem to notice. Her hatred of her brother is so complete that she can’t see past it now. I can’t blame her. Years of bullying and torture at his hands have made her single-sighted. All I can hope is that will distract her long enough for us to find a way past her defenses.

  “You’re right,” Kari says. “Not without a changing of the guard. The Clemons dynasty has been nothing but a bunch of narcissistic bullies passing the baton of oppression and torture for decades. That stops with me.”

  “You know nothing about ruling a pack. Nothing about how to make people follow you,” Jadick tells her.

  “Sure I do. Demand respect, and kill anyone who doesn’t give it. You taught me that, big brother.”

  Jadick’s hands fist on the table. He stares up at the screen like he wants to launch himself straight through it. “You’ll find it easier said than done. Especially with the army coming for your head. Your actions have started a war, and we will take no prisoners in our quest to right the balance you’ve destroyed with your little power play. The pack has you to thank for their slaughter. Anyone who stands in our way will be cut down. And the trail of blood will lead me straight to your doorstep, where it ends with you.”

  She comes out of her chair, leaning toward the screen in a snarl. “I am the alpha of the Black Moon pack, you piece of shit. I won’t listen to threats. And I won’t allow a rebellion to rise, not while I’m in charge. You will regret ever standing against me.”

  “The only rebellion here is yours.”

  Jadick’s tone is unmoved.

  Kari, however, is coming undone. I can see the moment her temper snaps. When she speaks again, her voice has softened, but it’s that fake sweetness that unnerves me more than anything.

  “Speaking of rebellion, how are things going in paradise without your right-hand man?”

  My breath catches. I’ve been waiting for her to mention Levi, but now that she’s this angry, I’d almost hoped she’d forget him entirely. There’s no telling what she’ll do to him when she can’t get to Jadick.

  “Bring him in,” she snaps to someone on the other side of the camera.

  I hear a moment of shuffling and then a grunt. A second later, the camera pans over and settles on a figure strapped to a chair.

  Levi.

  I barely recognize him through the cuts and bruises marring his skin. His eyes are swollen so badly that they’re barely open. Blood drips from the side of his head and down his temple. He’s gagged and bound at the wrist and ankles.

  There’s a desperate sort of cry, and it takes a minute for me to realize I’m the one who uttered it.

  “Levi’s been a bit tight-lipped about the details regarding your new location,” Kari says. “But we’re breaking down all his defenses bit by bit.”

  She stands beside him, visible from the waist down. My chest tightens as I watch her grab his jaw and yank his face up toward her.

  “Isn’t that right?” she coos at him.

  Then she pulls her arm back and punches him directly in the mouth.

  He grunts, his face driven backward with the momentum of her fist. Blood leaks from his newly busted lip, soaking the gag and dripping down his chin.

  “Don’t fucking touch him,” I scream, jumping out of my chair before I realize I’ve moved at all.

  Jadick’s hand closes over my wrist. Gregario looms behind me, hands on my shoulders with a firm grip.

  “Sit,” my mother hisses from my other side.

  When I don’t obey, she grabs the back of my pants and yanks my ass back into the chair. Gregario helps by shoving my shoulders downward. My body gives in way too easily though. Stupid fucking venom.

  Onscreen, Kari drags her chair over so she can sit beside Levi. “He’s not saying much just yet,” she says, “But we’ll get him talking eventually.”

  “He doesn’t know where we are,” Jadick says.

  Kari shrugs. “I guess we’ll know for sure eventually.”

  Now I do look at Jadick, my expression pleading.

  He leans back in his chair, considering. “You’re willing to trade for him, I assume.”

  “Of course. You’re welcome to take his place anytime, brother.”

  But she’s not looking at Jadick now. She’s staring right at me.

  I bite my lip to keep from screaming as Jadick continues to sit silently.

  He’s not going to agree to her demands, clearly, so what was the point of this call?

  “Take me.” I push to my feet, desperation hammering out a rapid beat in my chest. “Let Levi go, and take me instead. I’ll be your prisoner.”

  Kari shakes her head, pity clouding her gaze. “Wow, Mac. You’ve always had an inflated sense of self-importance, but this is bad even for you.”

  “I’m offering myself to you,” I plead. “I know things. You could torture them out of me and—”

  “You’re not who I want.” Her smile slips, her lip curling as she looks from me to Jadick.

  Still, he says nothing.

  “Kari, please,” I choke on the words, begging, but I can’t even bring myself to care.

  She rolls her eyes. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Mac. Let it go.”

  I turn to Jadick. “Do something.”

  He looks at Kari, and I realize, not once has he spared Levi a glance. I want to scream at him. To blame him for it all. But his words from earlier ring in my ears.

  He’s there because of you.

  He’s right.

  He’s right, and I have no bargaining power to stop it.

  All I have is Jadick, and he’s not interested in saving Levi. Not when it means sacrificing himself. He’s a Clemons. They all are. Tripp was right all along.

  “We won’t stand for this,” Jadick says. “You’ve broken pack law, Kari. Too many to name at this point. Your sentence is death. And your executioner will be me.”

  As threatening as it sounds, he’s offered mere words in the face of action—horrible, torturous action—and everyone here knows it.

  Kari smiles. “Well. As fun as this has turned out to be,” she says, “you’re wasting my time. You wanted proof of life, you got it. But you won’t get him back with a pulse unless you take his place. And even that offer has an expiration date.”

  “Take the offer,” I plead with Jadick, uncaring who hears me at this point.

  Jadick leans forward, ignoring me. “Enjoy your time as alpha, sister, however fleeting it may be. I’ll be the last thing you see before you die. You can count on that.”

  He nods at Grey, who ends the call before Kari can respond.

  I watch the screen darken, my heart sliding into my stomach.

  Every time I close my eyes, I see Levi bruised and broken.

  Because of me.

  “Come on,” my mom says quietly. She nudges me to my feet. “Let’s get some air.”

  I let her lead me from the room, but I don’t bother to tell her it’s impossible. Levi is my air, always has been, and I’m slowly suffocating without him.

  CHAPTER 4

  My mom is awkward in the presence of my tears, and by the time we reach my room again, I can tell she’s itching to get away.

  “Just take some time,” she says in a soft voice that doesn’t sound like her at all. “You’ll feel better when you’ve had some rest.”

  I look at her incredulously. “Levi is being tortured while we all sit here on our asses. I don’t think rest will make me feel better.”

  “I only meant we need to keep our heads,” she says, and it feels as if she’s scolding me for crying. Like I’m the one in the wrong.

  I grit my teeth, doing my best to not lose it completely. “Is that so?” I snap. “Because you’re pretty cool-headed right now, and yet you insist on sitting on your hands.”

  “Mac, I’m not the bad guy here.”

  “No, you’re just sucking up to him.”

  Her eyes narrow. “You’re upset about Levi. That doesn’t mean you have to take your feelings out on me.”

  “You don’t know anything about my feelings.”

  Or any feelings at all.

  “I’ll come back when you’ve had a chance to calm down.”

  She lingers long enough to find me a box of tissues and a bottle of water, and then she’s gone. In her absence, I immediately feel less stabby, though not much. I blow my nose and take a deep breath, and when that’s done, I’ve made up my mind.

  Kari was wrong.

  I’m not the one with an inflated sense of self-importance. That would be our new self-appointed leader. But Jadick isn’t alpha, and that means he’s not the final word.

  If he won’t get Levi back, I will.

  It’s not going to be easy getting past Kari’s security, but I’ll figure it out. I have to.

  Besides, I’ve fought alone my whole life. Why stop now?

  I ease my door open, bracing myself for a run-in with Grey. But there’s no one guarding my room. Instead of exiting through the store, I turn a hard right and creep farther down this short hall of former offices. There are three other doors besides mine. I shove open the first and find a storage room with wall-to-wall metal shelving. The shelves are stacked with boxes, but I don’t bother with them. Closing the door again, I move on to the next.

  Inside the second room, a counter along one wall holds a microwave and mini-fridge. A scarred white table sits alone in the center. I shut that door and move on to the third, heart pounding. Once upon a time, the adrenaline of a mission calmed me rather than left me breathless. Now, it’s all I can do to keep my breathing even and steps silent.

  This is about more than hunting a mark.

  This is my life I’m fighting for now.

  Maybe that’s what makes me so desperate to succeed.

  The third door is locked. I double back to my bedroom and rifle through the bag my mother brought me. There, in the small pocket, is a lock-picking kit I’d almost forgotten about. With tools in hand, the locked door gives way almost too easily. Within seconds, it opens to the outside, and my knees nearly buckle in relief. Sliding the tools back into my pocket, I step out.

  Night air washes over me, humidity clinging even in the slight breeze. For a moment, I’m numb with shock that I actually found an exit.

  My heart thuds. Half-expecting someone to grab me and yank me back, I glance right and left to get my bearings and get the hell out of here. I’m in an alley tucked between two larger wings of the mall. To the right, dumpsters and empty boxes litter the pavement.

  The only way out is to my left.

  I push away from the door, trying to break into a run that turns out to be more of a jogging hobble. Damn this venom and my weak-ass body.

  I grunt, fury driving me. Up ahead, I can see where the alley opens to a large, deserted parking lot. Street lamps dot the asphalt, and I’m already strategizing which way to go so I can keep out of the light.

  I’m so caught up in my own thoughts that I don’t see the figure leaping from the shadows until it’s too late. A body tackles me to the ground, and I go down on my hip hard enough to make me cry out.

  Thick fists swing down at me, and I swing right back.

  Every kick and punch I land hurts me almost as badly as it—hopefully—hurts my assailant. Maybe worse because nothing I do seems to deter them. A male grunt sounds from beneath a dark hood as my attacker swings a leg out and pins me between his thighs.

  Broad shoulders rise up in the darkness.

  A fist slams into my jaw.

  “That’s for Levi,” the male voice snarls.

  I see stars and not just because I’m on my back staring at the night sky.

  Before I can recover, strong hands grab both my wrists, pinning me. Groaning, I blink furiously, determined to get my bearings before—

  Something sharp slices through my skin, and I scream.

  My back arches against the sudden pain then releases. I go limp as my eyes catch on the hilt of a blade sticking out from my thigh. My attacker’s hand closes over it, and he yanks it free, dragging a string of curses from me along with it. The pain nearly paralyzes me. For a second, all I can do is grit my teeth against it.

  Venom.

  The fucker has tipped the blade in poison.

  Just what I needed.

  Struggling for strength, I watch as my attacker raises the blade again, this time with its tip aimed at my heart.

  Fuck that.

  I am not dying in a mall parking lot.

  I try to shift before remembering my wolf is still out of reach.

  Fine.

  We’ll do it the hard way.

  My human teeth catch his wrist as he brings the knife down again. I bite as hard as I can and am rewarded with a sharp yelp. The knife clatters to the pavement just out of reach. He tries to jerk away as his blood hits my tongue, but I don’t let up. A second later, his muscles go suddenly lax, and my powerful body twists out of his hold with ease. Disarmed and bleeding, my attacker stumbles away from me, scrambling to his feet.

  I let him.

  He’s not going to get far.

  I stalk slowly, toying with him. Also, my ability to move quickly is non-existent, but he doesn’t have to know that. My rage and frustration from the last twenty-four hours pours into this one moment.

  Even without my wolf, I’m the predator now.

  The man backs away, no longer sure of himself. Of his kill. His jerky movements cause his hood to fall back. I stop at the sight of him, startled to recognize him as one of the Jades. I don’t know his name, but I’ve seen him around, mostly hanging onto the fringes of the security teams, though I don’t think he’s one of them.

  Then again, how else did he know where to find me?