Sookie stepped cautiously. Her ear pricked at some noise. Heavy breathing. Close. Behind her. She turned around suddenly ready to swing her pipe.
“Find what you’re looking for?” asked a gruff voice.
It was Max the Frankenwolf.
Sookie relaxed. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
“I did no such thing. I’ve been following you since you decided to disobey the Alpha’s order.”
“Does Ethan know?”
Max gave her a “duh” kind of look. “Why else would I be following you?”
“Huh.” Sookie snorted. “He doesn’t miss a trick, does he?”
Max was waited on something. “Well?”
“I need to find my brother first. He was locked in one of these cells. Where are all the prisoners in here?”
“Who knows?” Max shrugged casually. “Dead or still loose somewhere. You need to go up to the Alpha right now. Posthaste, if you will.”
“Fuck that. I need to find my brother first.”
Max growled unhappily. “Listen, the way I see it, it’s either you come peacefully or I’ll drag you kicking and screaming. I don’t care either way. You have three seconds to decide. What will it be?”
Sookie deflated. There was no way she could kick this man’s ass. “The peaceful one. Not the kicking and screaming.”
Max flashed rows of too-sharp of teeth. “Wise choice.”
They returned with Max herded her like unruly cattle that itched to bolt if he didn’t guard her carefully enough to join the Alpha’s entourage. They climbed up three levels to the ground area. The Alpha and his merry-shit-kicking men were in a computer lab where Cain kept servers, hardware, so that the operation in the Factory ran smoothly.
Loud screaming greeted her as soon as she stepped onto the threshold of the Data Center. She slipped in between Ethan’s men to see what was going on. What she saw surprised her.
Cain.
Sprawling on the floor was a miserable-looking lifeform that seemed to have been put through the wringer. Twice. Cain who usually dressed like he was about to strut his stuff on the catwalk, brimming with confidence and arrogance, now had been reduced into a simpering pathetic creature.
The creature before them was nothing that resembled the man called Cain. Silver bullets made Swiss cheese out of him, molten silvered liquid mercury oozing from the wounds. He trembled from the bullet shock, but his eyes were the epitome of hatred.
Sookie pushed a little closer to get a better view. There was no doubt about it. This pathetic creature was Caine.
They glared at each other. Cain reacted first. “That bitch!” With lightning fast reflexes, Cain snatched her throat and used her as a human shield against his enemies.
An inhuman growl reverberated through the ceiling. Sookie would recognize that growl anywhere. It was Ethan. But the owner of that growl wasn’t looking like Ethan. He was neither wolf nor man, with long snout and slouching arms passed his hips. He snarled at Cain, warning him.
Sookie couldn’t help to wag her tongue. “Hey, Cain, I thought silver bullets couldn’t do you harm since you’re a pureblood direwolf. What’s up with that?”
“Silence! A mongrel like you isn’t allowed to—”
“Cain isn’t a pureblood like he claimed to be,” said a voice. Sookie turned to Max the Frankenwolf. “We just found out that he was sired
out of wedlock. Damian Hunter dallied with a kitchen maid and resulted in him. To cover up the scandal, his father installed him as a true heir of the Hunter House.”
Sookie couldn’t help but laugh. For weeks Cain had belittled her and her brother as sub human creatures because they didn’t have impressive lineage like he did. How did he like it now that the table was turned?
“Shut your mouth, cunt! Shut your mouth or I’ll—”
“No!” Sookie screamed from the top of her lungs. When she realized she still holding the pipe in her hand, she jabbed the end of it into Cain’s broken ribs. Cain howled in pain. Sookie used the opportunity to yank herself free from his grip. Sookie whacked the pipe on him again. This time, it rendered Cain down to his knees. “You shut the fuck up! I’ve had enough! You don’t have power over me anymore.