Claimed (Blood Ties Book 6)

King is here? I looked around, my knees locked but still trembling. The echo of gunshots rang in my ears. Still, I tried to understand what Helene was saying…because this was important.

Ryth trembled, her own knees giving way in a rush. Tobias was there, lunging to grab her before Nick and Caleb swept in. All three moved around her as Tobias lifted her in his arms.

“Maybe we should take this inside,” Jack Castlemaine urged.

London shot him a possessive glare, then slowly nodded. “You’re right.”

Ryth and her brothers headed back inside. She turned her head, searching for me before our gazes collided, then they disappeared once more.

“I’ll call the cleaners.” Guild shoved the driver’s door closed and reached for his phone, leaving the four of us alone.

Colt turned his blood-smeared face away.

“Baby.” I stumbled forward.

Until he stopped me with a shake of his head. “No. Don’t.”

I scowled, looking down to the puddle of blood I stood in. It was all around me, splattering the sides of the four-wheel drive, reflecting in the moonlight.

“Don’t?” I grabbed his arm. He tried to pull away, but I held on and wouldn’t let him. “Hey!” My voice was croaky. “Look at me.”

He shook his head, swiping the back of his hand across his face, catching the drops of blood that fell from his chin.

“I said. Look. At. Me.”

Compulsion, and the beast forced his gaze to mine. Those deep blue eyes were filled with revulsion and horror.

“You saved me,” I whispered, stroking his cheek. “The beast saved me. You think this is your worst? Well, I’m here to tell you, it isn’t. Not by a long shot. This is evolution, pure and simple.” I lowered my gaze to what remained of the bastard who’d tried to abduct me. Memories of Macoy Daniels came rushing back. “I love you, Colt, and I love that darker part of you. I thank the beast every day for protecting you and bringing you back to me. You aren’t different to me. You’re just as perfect as you were before.”

He held my stare, then gave a small shake of his head. “I can’t control him.”

I can, the words whispered through my mind. “Then we’ll figure it out together.”

He lowered his gaze to my belly. “What if he hurts you, or the babies?”

Carven gave a grunt and stepped closer. “Take a look around you, you big brute. You just ripped two men in half trying to protect her.” He gave his brother a slap on the back. “So, I’m pretty damn sure, Wildcat’s safe. It’s everyone else who has a damn heartbeat I’m worried about, including myself and London.”

Colt looked horrified. “I’d never hurt you.”

“I know you wouldn’t, buddy.” He gripped his brother’s massive shoulders. “I know.”

A car door slammed behind us. I jerked my gaze over my shoulder to find Guild heading toward us carrying London’s jacket in his hand.

My teeth chattered as a tremor tore through me. Guild handed London his jacket and he instantly strode forward to wrap it around my shoulders.

“Let’s get you inside, pet.”

I nodded, jerking a glare his way. “Don’t think my near death has made me forget you took Helene’s side in our argument.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he murmured, those dark eyes twinkling with amusement. “I expect you’ll take it out on me as soon as we get home.” He leaned down to whisper against my ear. “In fact, I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Heat moved in, stealing away the bitter cold. I couldn’t stay mad at him.

Not when he looked at me like that.

Goddamn him.

There was a twitch in the corner of his mouth before he murmured. “Let’s get you inside.”

Guild hung back, watching our backs as we headed inside the warehouse. London’s strong arms wrapped around me as we stepped through the door. Jack and Helene turned around, watching us as we entered.

“How about you finally show us your hand?” London growled at Helene. “You’ve been lying and evading our questions from the very beginning. If you want to have a relationship of any kind with your sisters, then don’t you think you need to start with the truth?”

The truth.

That’s all we wanted.

Our one hope to escape this nightmare once and for all.

“Well?” London snapped.

She didn’t flinch, never even looked away, just held London’s stare.

Caleb stepped forward. “We’re waiting,” he urged.

All of us were, our gazes locked on her.

“Who the hell is King?” London forced through clenched teeth.

Helene barely flinched. But she wasn’t the one who answered.

“I am,” Jack Castlemaine spoke. “I’m Weylen King.”

The entire room froze…until London gave a sharp inhale of breath. “You?” He took a step forward. “You’re King?”

Jack nodded, casting a careful glance my way. “Vivienne.” He turned his head. “Ryth.”

“No!” Ryth let go of Tobias and stumbled forward. “You’re not him! You’re not the man who…the man who—”

Started this.

She couldn’t even say the words. But we all knew.

All the terror. All the blood. London had told me the Order was created by two men…and two men alone. One we were desperately hunting…and the other. The other we’d just found out was our father.

“TELL ME!” Ryth screamed.

Jack just shook his head.

The betrayal in Ryth’s voice was sickening.

“Why?” I hissed, the words blistering in the back of my throat. “At least tell us that? Why did you do this?”

“I—” he started, then stopped, glancing at Helene. “I’d already had Helene when I met your mother, Ryth,” he said carefully. “By the time I found out what was happening and tried to stop it, it was already too late. They had my DNA…and they were already using it.”

Ryth burst out in tears, which only triggered her brothers, causing them to surround her.

“That doesn’t make sense,” London snapped, his eyes wide with fear. “You and Hale. I just don’t see it. You’re not even in his circles. You’re not like him.”

He meant Jack wasn’t a sick, depraved motherfucker and he wasn’t. One look into his eyes and you saw that. Jack Castlemaine, or Weylyn King, or whoever the hell this man was, wasn’t even in the same world as Hale.

“He doesn’t just hate you,” London snarled. “He wants to tear your world apart…” He glanced at me. “We need to know why?” He swung back to Jack. “At least give us that.”

But Jack scowled, stared at the concrete floor, and in a careful voice he said. “I took something he wanted. That’s all I can say. That’s all I will say.” He lifted his head and met my stare. “For now, until I have the opportunity to explain this privately to my daughters.”

Me.

He wanted to explain it to me.

London flinched, straightening his spine.

He didn’t like that idea at all.

I shook my head, glancing at Carven. But he just stared at Helene.

“That’s how you got out of The Order.” Caleb gripped Ryth protectively, shooting a glare at Helene. “The explosion…that was you?”

She gave a slow nod. “Yes.”

“Jesus.” He dragged his fingers through his hair.

“We need to find him, Hale and the others,” Jack urged. “We need to find them all before it’s too late.”

“What the fuck do you think we’ve been doing?” London glanced toward Colt. “Some of us have had reason to hunt the bastard down.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Ryth whispered, her voice thick. “Why couldn’t you tell me the truth?”

Jack took a step forward, his voice etched with pain. “Because I couldn’t trust your mother. That’s the truth. That day when I left you…the last time, before our house burned to the ground, I was getting you out.” He turned to look at me. “Helene had made plans for the four of us to just disappear.”

“Disappear?” I whispered.

“Yes.” He met my stare. “You, Ryth, Helene, and me. I would’ve taken you away and explained it all. But somehow, Ryth’s mother found out. The next second, I was being arrested and thrown into jail.”

“My mother?” I started. “Who is she?”

There was a tortured flicker in his eyes. “I never knew her. Hale had my DNA and had impregnated a number of women. They didn’t survive…only you.” He inhaled hard, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I lost control of the information, only finding you years later. Well, after you were…” he glanced at London. “Monitored.”

There was a look of pride in London’s stare and the tight twitch of his lips said it all.

I beat you.

Everything with these men had to be a goddamn pissing contest until that gleam faded away. “Now Hale is out there, planning his new attack,” London warned.

“I know,” Jack answered, turning to Helene. “That’s why we’re here.”

She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a set of folded photos, handing them over to her father. Our father. The words filled me as he unfolded the images. “These were taken at six a.m. yesterday morning.”

My pulse thundered as we all surged forward as one. My gaze was fixed on those images in Helene’s hand. They were dark…really dark. A man stepped out of an open car door, heading to another. But he’d turned his head at the last moment and that’s when the camera took the snapshot…of Haelstrom Hale.

It was him.

It was really him.

Alive.

“I fucking knew it.” London forced the words through clenched teeth. “I knew that bastard wasn’t dead.”

“Not only is he not dead, but he’s setting up a new Order, and he has the power and the money to do it,” Jack added. “He will come for us, no doubt about it. He’ll come and there won’t be a damn thing I can do to stop him. Not this time.”

“Where is he?” London’s voice was dangerous. He glanced at Carven, who just met his stare with a nod. “Give me a goddamn location and he’s dead.”

“I can’t,” Jack answered, folding the images once more. “The moment he stepped into that car, he disappeared and I haven’t been able to find him since.”

Rage flickered in London’s eyes.

“I can’t find him in that network,” Jack repeated carefully. “But Helene can.”

I jerked my gaze to her. She was so calm, so…unemotional. “How?” I asked her, my mind spinning.

“Simple,” she answered. “Plan B. The Teacher. The Priest…and The Principal.”

Riven Cruz? I swallowed the panic that rose. No…no fucking way. Not him. Not when he likes to…not when he likes to break you.

Helene was going to use herself as bait.

“No,” I hissed. “You don’t understand. Those men…they’re monsters.” That ache in my chest grew thorns as I stared at the woman who looked so much like me. I couldn’t care about her, right? I couldn’t care about one more person who could be taken from me.

I just didn’t have the strength left.

Family…London’s words rose. Is everything. “They’re monsters,” I repeated in a whisper, remembering all the things they’d done to me and the others.

Helene held my panicked stare, then moved, slowly crossing the space to stop in front of me. Her brown eyes met mine. It was like looking into a mirror.

She lifted her hand and caressed my cheek. “Yes, they’re monsters,” she whispered back. “But if there’s one thing you should know about me, little sister, it’s that I’m very good at monster hunting. Especially for those I love.”