Punished Read online

  Finally, the call he’d been anticipating, dreading, came through. His shiny new phone glittered, the name Sophia gleaming. His twin, the only woman on this Earth who could make him come this close to committing murder, who knew all the right buttons to set him off. He’d rather die for her than put her in danger, and he knew she felt the same way for him. He’d seen for himself when he’d received his sentencing. The way she’d acted could have earned herself an extended trip to New Orleans. But the pack leaders had been lenient. “She’s a female, after all,” they’d said.

  Sebastian knew Sophia had never been more furious.

  As she would be now, if he didn’t pick up his damned phone. Please say no. He clicked the green bar.

  “I’m coming, of course,” Sophia said in greeting.

  Sebastian felt as if a two-ton rock had been placed on his chest. “You don’t have to,” he said as calmly as he could. “No one could blame you if you don’t want to do this. You’ll be placing yourself in an extremely unpredictable, dangerous situation.”

  Sophia scoffed, as he’d known she would. His sister was the epitome of strength. Never in her life had she cowered before anything, even when she should have. But she’d never, ever lost a fight. Her will to live was even stronger than the fiery spark of unruliness within her.

  Sebastian had known she would be thrown to the botos as soon as the idea was presented. She was, quite simply, the only woman for the job. Many, if not most, werewolf women were babied, raised to remain fragile and meek. Sophia had something else the other women didn’t—she understood what it was for a man to force himself upon an unwilling partner. Her attacker hadn’t been successful, but it was a night that had changed both his and his sister’s lives forever. He’d held her as she cried, helped her bandage the wounds the man had given her. If she could prevent such actions toward other women, he knew she would without hesitation.

  He was so proud of her, so terrified for her.

  “Bastian, I won’t be there long—our pack thinks I’m so weak and helpless, they’ll get there within an hour of hearing I’ve been kidnapped.” The last part was murmured bitterly, resentment coating her voice.

  “It only takes a second for you to be seriously hurt,” Sebastian reminded her. “Think on that.”

  Sophia took a deep breath, most likely telling herself to be patient with him. “It would be wrong for me to sit on my happy ass when I can do something to help these poor humans. You know that,” she snapped. “Besides, I’ve never lost a fight.”

  “I know,” Sebastian answered. She brought it up most times she spoke with him. She was right on both points, and at the moment he hated it.

  “I’ll be at the firehouse on the day after the last night of the full moon. I’m going to pretend I’m a human—I don’t need them knowing I can light them up like matches.”

  Sophia’s element was fire, just as Sebastian’s had been before it was taken away from him. As always, the reminder of his loss stung like a slap to the face.

  “I’m sorry, brother,” Sophia said softly. Brother was an endearment she only used when she’d decided he deserved to be acknowledged as such.

  “It’s all right, Soph,” Sebastian said. “Make me a promise?”

  “Anything,” she answered instantly.

  “Find out what you can about the creatures who will take you. You may find something we don’t know—I’ve told you everything we have. If for any reason you decide to back out, don’t hesitate to. We’ll ask no questions of it.”

  Sophia paused for a moment. “I promise,” she said. “I love you, Sebastian.”

  “Love you too, sis.”

  “See you Saturday.”

  Sophia clicked off, and Sebastian gripped the phone so hard the screen cracked. He wanted to kill that entire organization, human guards and Jeremiah included. He would flip open his favorite Zippo and spread the fire into a sword, cutting through all of the evil until there was none left.

  But there were rules he had to obey. It would be impossible for him to ever gain his freedom if he followed his base instincts like an animal.

  Someone rapped on the door. Sebastian cursed, opened it to find Harry. The young mortal was angry, as evidenced by the fire engine red hair he’d tied in a loop at the base of his neck. “Why haven’t you picked up the phone?” he barked, his hair changing to the color of blood.

  “I’ve been busy with other matters.”

  Harry stormed past to point at the brewhouse beneath them. “Everything that has gone through our brew kettles today, and I mean everything, has been poisoned. Our taste testers are all sick, leaving me as guinea pig for the rest of the day. Who has beef with you, man?”

  I’m so stupid. It was only a matter of time before Jeremiah told the botos about Full Moon Brewery. Hell, it wasn’t as if they were subtle. There was a Cael’s Pale Ale, for Pete’s sake, something that brought endless amusement to Sebastian, and an equal amount of ire to Cael.

  With the botos’ mind control capabilities, they could have coerced any members of his staff to poison the beer, and none of his employees would be at fault. No humans could be allowed in the brewery until all of the botos were dead. They will die, one way or another.

  Sebastian explained the situation to Harry. He trusted the witch; it had been Harry’s idea to place a Smart Sober spell on each brew, ensuring no humans accidentally drove or did something else equally stupid while drunk. Sebastian’s justification had been self-serving; he didn’t want to be accused of killing humans. Harry, apparently, just liked humans and beer. Either way, Harry had become a vital part of Full Moon.

  “We’re going to be grossly understaffed.” Harry frowned. His hair turned a light shade of orange, indicating he was nervous. He didn’t like change. Sebastian had noted his hair turned that color every time he added or took away a particular brew, or changed a recipe.

  “I’ll pay you double if you help me straighten this out,” Sebastian said. They had distributers to satisfy, and he wasn’t about to let those botos cost him a dime.

  It was either throw himself into work or obsess over what state he would find his sister in on Sunday. One, he could control. The other, he would have to trust Sophia’s grit and luck, and their Canadian pack. They had betrayed him—would they betray Sophia? Would the botos end her perfect fighting record?

  Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Who was poisoned?”

  Harry rattled off a half dozen names, and Sebastian shook his head. He had work to do. He had beer to make, and a clan of unemployed werewolves to fund. They needed the money, because Sebastian was going to finally buy that fancy flamethrower he’d been lusting over.

  * * * *

  After Leila left for Tulane with Alex, Mary fetched her purse from the room she’d started to consider both hers and Raphael’s. She needed to work a few things out with Leila, but before her morning classes was not that time. Resolving to speak to her sister later, she put her mind to the task at hand: shopping.

  Mary didn’t make it out the front door.

  “Where are you going?” Cael folded his arms across his chest. The man may as well have come from thin air, he’d moved so silently.

  “I want to go buy a few things,” Mary said, disconcerted as always by his harsh disposition. He looked ready to kill. “Why, do you need anything?”

  Cael shook his head, turned, and lifted a phone to his ear. “Hey, I need you to come over here.” He paused. “Just hurry,” he snapped before hanging up.

  Unease wrapped around Mary. Who had he called? “I’ll…see you,” she said awkwardly. She sprinted for the door, but Cael made it before her. He casually stretched his arms out, blocking her in.

  “I called Aiyanna.” He actually smiled. “I want her to go to the stores with you.”

  “Why?” It was daylight outside, and Mary hardly planned to go near the seedy parts of the city. She’d never felt unsafe at the mall before.

  “Humor me this one time?” Cael asked. />
  The door swung back behind him, revealing a grinning Aiyanna. “He knows how much I like shopping.” She reached around to squeeze him in tight hug.

  For a split second, an expression of pure bliss crossed Cael’s face. It quickly turned to disgust. He pushed Aiyanna away. She ignored him, linking her arms with Mary. “Bye, love,” she called over her shoulder. Cael released an exasperated sigh. Aiyanna pulled Mary out the door.

  Aiyanna and Cael have a strange relationship. Well, glass houses. You’re falling for a man who’s leaving soon. At least Cael and Aiyanna had time on their sides, even if Cael didn’t seem to want it.

  She steered Mary to a white, two-passenger convertible. “So where are we going?”

  “The drugstore. I need to get some stronger shampoo.” Mary lifted up her barely-brown hair. “And some makeup.”

  Aiyanna nodded. “Where else?”

  Mary rattled off the name of a fairly inexpensive clothing store. If she bought a single pair of nice jeans and a cute top, it would be a successful trip.

  Ten minutes later, Aiyanna pulled up to one of the most exclusive hair salons in the city. Embarrassment flooded Mary; she couldn’t afford to walk into such a place, much less have anything done.

  “I think a Rite Aid would be better—”

  “Just shut up and come with me.”

  Mary grabbed Aiyanna’s arm and pulled back until she stopped. “I can’t pay for this,” she managed.

  Aiyanna put both her hands on Mary’s shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “Think of me as your panther godmother,” she said. Her golden eyes softened. “I know your prince charming is going to turn into a pumpkin soon, and I know what it’s like to want something that’s impossible. I think it’s holding on and laughing in the face of tragic odds, that’s what creates hope. Let me help you.”

  She was right—hold on was exactly what Mary would do, for as long as she possibly could. She’d just gotten her first taste of Raphael, and she knew a matter of days wouldn’t be enough. Maybe Aiyanna knows something I don’t. “What do you know about werewolf packs? Do they normally prevent freed weres from dating humans?”

  Aiyanna just looked at Mary, her eyes narrowing slightly. “That’s between Raphael and you,” she said. “I’m not touching that conversation.”

  A handsome man in a deep V-neck and sunglasses stood at the entrance of the salon, his arms crossed over his chest. He lifted a sculpted eyebrow at them.

  “Nik’s getting impatient.” Aiyanna rolled her eyes. “Trust me, he’s too good for us to piss him off.”

  For the rest of the day, Mary lived the life she’d seen, but had never been able to touch. Aiyanna gave a gold credit card to Nik, who in turn left Mary’s hair silky, shiny and its trademark Newman blonde. He dabbed a bit of makeup on her face before she bought it, too. Mary almost cried when he turned her chair around to face the mirror.

  The emotions didn’t come from feeling pretty. For the first time in years, she felt like herself. She didn’t say anything to Aiyanna, who had tears in her eyes as well, but Mary thought she understood.

  Mary liked who she’d been before her life had changed, but she didn’t want to be that person, either. Too much had happened, too much changed her. Maybe there was room for both versions of herself: the sorority girl who loved to paint and flirt, and the cautious mother hen.

  After today, she could add another identity to her list: sexy. In college, one drunken sexual mishap made her steer clear of future mistakes. She’d flirted and dated, but never tried to be overtly sexual. As she stood, blushing, next to a laughing Aiyanna in a lingerie store that sold everything from leather bustiers and whips to thongs made entirely from feathers, she decided she could be overtly sexual. She was twenty-five. It was about time she had a black lace bra and panty set.

  It turned into black, red and white sets to go under an inordinate amount of clothes Mary bought at a few stores Aiyanna picked out. Sitting in front of a bakery, cups of gelato in hand, Mary felt more comfortable in her skin than ever. She couldn’t wait to show Leila, who constantly called her drab. Most of all she wanted Raphael to see her, to hunger for her the way she hungered for him. Maybe this time, he wouldn’t be able to pull away.

  A short, stocky man stood across Magazine Street, watching her. Mary openly stared back at him until he turned his gaze elsewhere, ambling off toward the river. “Who was that?” Aiyanna asked. She was watching the man curiously.

  “I have no idea.” Mary shrugged. “Maybe he thought I’m someone he knows.”

  “Hmmm,” Aiyanna said. She pointed at Mary with her spoon. “There’s a guy you should watch out for, but if you tell any of the dogs I’ll deny saying a word.”

  Mary nodded. “I won’t mention it.”

  Aiyanna glanced around, as if afraid she’d be overheard. “His name is Jeremiah; he’s basically their warden and jury, all in one. He has dark curly hair down to his shoulders and cold eyes. That’s all I’ll say about him.” She clapped her hands together. “Now, for our last stop.”

  Mary didn’t think she could possibly buy anything more—there literally wasn’t anything left to buy, or any room left in Aiyanna’s trunk.

  Aiyanna and Mary pulled up to a veterinary clinic with a beautiful mural of tropical animals covering an entire side of the building. The man from Magazine Street walked by, puzzling Mary, but she was more concerned with their reasoning for visiting a vet.

  Aiyanna held up a hand to silence Mary’s questions. She walked inside, Mary following warily through a few sets of doors, hesitating at a sign that read VETERINARY PERSONNEL ONLY. Aiyanna had already passed through. Mary did the same, finding the shapeshifter facing an older Native American man she assumed was the vet.

  “Hey, Ofi,” Aiyanna said casually, despite the doctor’s nametag reading NEKA PREJEAN, DVM. “I need three dozen tranquilizers loaded into at least six or seven guns.”

  The man inclined his head and turned to rifle through the sterile-looking cabinets behind him. Mary gaped. Did he normally hand out tranquilizers like candy, or was Aiyanna a special client? Mary suspected it was the latter, and wondered what else her friend had come to the vet for over the years. Which brought her next question. Why does she need thirty-six tranquilizers?

  When she asked Aiyanna, she responded without missing a beat. “Thirty are for Cael, just to screw with him. The others are just in case his buddies start to notice what I’m doing and try to intervene.”

  The vet chuckled.

  Mary blinked. “Try again,” she said.

  When Dr. Prejean brought them the guns, Aiyanna surprised Mary by giving them to her. “You need to hide these in the house.” Instead of using the card, she handed a wad of bills to the doctor. “Make sure no one but you knows where they are.”

  “Why?”

  They left the clinic, Aiyanna twisting her mouth as if debating what to tell her. “I’m willing to bet my beautiful car,” she said slowly, tapping the hood, “that humans will attack the firehouse in the next few days. When they do, take out these guns and give them to the werewolves. I’m not there quite as often as you are, which is why you’re taking care of this.”

  Why would humans attack the firehouse, and why would the men need tranquilizer guns to defend themselves?

  “Werewolves can’t kill humans?” Mary asked.

  Aiyanna rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Werewolves can kill whoever they want.” There was a hint of anger in her voice. “Exiled werewolves can’t kill humans. Something about restraint and punishment, blah blah.”

  Mary imagined Raphael didn’t mind that rule. What reason would they have to kill humans, anyway? Even without all their powers, human men were no match for the men of their small pack. They shouldn’t have to kill.

  But if the werewolves were vastly outnumbered, or the men were armed…they would be at a major disadvantage, one that could cost them their lives. They needed those tranquilizer guns. Which brought Mary back to her first question.
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  “Why would humans attack them?”

  Aiyanna gave Mary a hard look. “What do you think your old boss is?”

  Since waking up in Raphael’s bed, Mary had tried her best not to think about Richard. His image in her mind brought humiliation and insecurities with it, but she shoved them away. It’s over. There’s no reason to focus on that. Richard couldn’t be human; he had razor-sharp teeth when he wished, and his eyes turned an oily black. He’d thought he could control her. Was he the reason the firehouse would be attacked?

  “Not human.” A hard knot settled in Mary’s stomach. “Tell me what he is, and why he wants to hurt our men.”

  As Aiyanna spoke, Mary’s dread increased. I’ve endangered all of us. The tranquilizers would have to be enough to protect herself and the werewolves, but they weren’t enough for Leila or Molly. Neither of them could be anywhere near the firehouse for a while. There was no reason to place them in the line of fire.

  Mind control. Mary shuddered. Botos were capable of so much evil, it was unimaginable. Those humans probably didn’t want to hurt anyone. Regret whipped at Mary, sending her stinging reminders of every chance she could have taken to leave her old job sooner, every time it had been obvious, so obvious that there was nothing remotely good about Richard.

  She’d royally miscalculated, but she could help fix things now. The first thing she had to do was have a discussion with both Wish and Leila. She wasn’t a child, but she was Mary’s charge until she finished college. Her parents would have wanted it so. Leila would leave with Molly and Wish until the firehouse was safe.

  Mary would stay and help the werewolves. When it came down to it, they couldn’t kill, but there was nothing to stop Mary. If she had to kill a boto or a controlled human in order to save Raphael, she would do it without hesitation.

  Nothing could hurt that man, not so close to his hard-won freedom. She’d make sure of it.

  * * * *

  It had been a fruitless day.

  Raphael, Alex and Heath watched the mansion on the lake for hours. They saw no glimpses of botos or Jeremiah: every single being that crossed the manicured lawn was human. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter, just as they had before. Raphael assumed they’d been told to forfeit their lives if need be in order to protect the botos. It chilled him.