Chapter Nine
Kayos
Kyllian was livid.Quinn had been lied to by someone in their group.There was no other explanation for how the RC pack found her.After grilling the bikers, he wiped their minds of his Eagle taking them out.He then sent them on their merry way, far away from their home.That might have been a mistake, sending rogue wolves out to live among the humans, but at the moment, he wasn’t thinking straight.Between fighting with his Gryphon for control and reining in the desire to kill the four wolves, he had his hands full.Yes, he killed people for a living, but those who met his fangs and claws deserved it.He couldn’t justify taking four lives for following the orders of their Alpha to kidnap Quinn, even if she was his mate.They hadn’t marked one another, but they would.He knew it in his heart.
Instead of shifting back to his Eagle, Kyllian walked back to where he’d left the others fighting the dire wolf.When he arrived, only three wolves were waiting.
“What happened to the dire wolf?”
“It took off when it couldn’t handle all of us,” Mercy answered.
Kyllian strode to where his clothes had fallen when he shifted.He lifted the shirt, but it was in tatters.He had no shame in being naked, but somehow, he needed to get back to the rental still parked at the gas pump.
“Where’s Scott?”he asked when he realized which one of the wolves was missing.
“He went to move the cars so the clerk didn’t call the cops,” Jeremy said.
“Naked?”
Mercy bit her lip, looking at the ground.“No.He never shifted.”
Kyllian pulled on his Gryphon, letting his Lion’s mane and fangs come forth.“Which one of you betrayed Quinn?”
With wide eyes, all three wolves shivered at the sight of his Lion and the power in his voice, but it was Jeremy who answered.“It had to be Scott since the three of us were here fighting to help save Quinn.”
Kyllian reined the beast in, taking deep breaths.“I’d lay odds he isn’t waiting back at the store.Stay here.I’m going to have a look.”Kyllian shifted into his Eagle and took off.As he expected, one of the SUVs was gone.Luckily, the one he rented was still sitting where he left it.Thanking Zeus the lot was empty of other customers, Kyllian shifted back, keeping the car between him and the store.Opening the door, Kyllian leaned in and grabbed his phone.There were several missed calls, one of them Trenton.Kyllian closed his eyes and blew out a breath.He didn’t want to tell the male his daughter was missing.Instead of calling Quinn’s father, Kyllian dialed Devon.
“Hey, Uncle.Everything okay?”Devon answered.
“No.No, it’s not.”Kyllian relayed the events of the last half hour.“I’m going to kill that fucker Scott, but first, I’m going after my mate.”
“Tell me what to do,” Devon said.
“Call Bishop.He had news about Nikita, but I took off after Quinn before he could tell me what he found.You, Joker, and Storm follow up on whatever he tells you, and I’ll ask the wolves if they want to come with me or help you.Quinn’s my priority right now.I know where the pack is located, and I’m going to do a flyover, get the lay of the land.If I find she’s in mortal danger, I won’t wait for backup.If she isn’t, I’ll regroup.”
“Keep us posted, and we’ll do the same if we can get a bead on the girl.”
After disconnecting, Kyllian moved both cars to the side of the building.Kyllian dug in his duffel for clothes and pulled them on.He then went inside and wiped the clerk’s memory of anything he might have seen, including Kyllian’s shifting from Eagle to two legs.Before returning to the woods, Kyllian pulled clothes out of the other car and headed back toward the wolves.They were sitting where he left them.Kyllian tossed the clothes at their feet.“Get dressed.”He crossed over to where his boots were.Whenever he shifted, his boots were left intact since his shifter feet were smaller.Wings, however, were hell on shirts.
“I was right about Scott.He took off, so it’s safe to assume he was the one who told the dire wolves where she was.What I want to know is why.”
Brett bent over to tie his boots.Without looking at Kyllian, he said, “When Quinn first arrived at our pack, she and Scott became friends.Good friends.He wanted more and felt like she did as well, so when Quinn hooked up with Blake, Scott took it hard.”
“Hard enough he’d try to ruin her life?I mean, I get teenage angst, but that’s a little harsh.”Kyllian thought back to his one and only brokenhearted experience.He was sixteen at the time, and the girl he thought was his forever broke up with him to date an older guy.Kyllian had been crushed, but two weeks later, he found someone else who made his heart sing.His high school days were rife with young lust, but his first crush was just that, and he got over it.He couldn’t imagine holding onto a grudge for eighteen years.
“Scott had to watch Blake raise Nikita, the child Scott wanted for himself.”
“Then why did you let him come with you if there was a possibility he’d turn on Quinn?”
Mercy stomped her feet into her shoes.“He was the first to volunteer.We” — she gestured to Jeremy, then herself — “had no idea he had ulterior motives.”
“I hope you aren’t good friends with the male, because the next time I see him, I’m going to gut him.”
Brett lifted his chin.“I’ll hold him down for you.”
“What did Bishop have to say when you spoke to him?”Kyllian asked Jeremy.
“Said he saw Nikita not too far from here, but that’s as much as I got before I heard the commotion and came running to help.”