The Wolf Within (Purgatory 1)

Immediately wasn’t fast enough. The wolves close to them attacked. Holly screamed as the humans went down, fighting desperately.

And the man that they’d been transporting, the man on the gurney that lay so still, he was dropped to floor in the middle of the attack.

Duncan. So bloody, so—

Duncan leapt off the floor. He sliced into the two werewolf flunkies, sending them flying away from the humans before they could go in for the kill.

The humans were bloody, unconscious, but still breathing.

Duncan rushed toward the other werewolf. Then, just a step away from him, Duncan froze.

Holly’s heart was thundering in her chest. Duncan’s eyes had widened as horror washed over his face.

“Well, well…” The werewolf was smug. Shocked, but smug. “Knew I’d find you again someday, son.”

“You…” Duncan’s voice was hoarse.

“Ian,” the werewolf said. “Name’s Ian, and I’ve been looking for you a very long time.”

She was just standing there. Screw that. Holly ran toward Connor. The breath hissed from between her teeth when she saw the damage that had been done to him. He needed to transform in order to heal from those injuries, but he’d lost so much blood that she feared he was too weak for the shift.

“He’s already dead,” Ian said, without looking at her. “Boy was always useless. Always f**king crying.” He crept toward Duncan. “For you. He thought you’d come and save him.”

“Y-you killed my family.” Duncan sounded lost, almost like a child.

Holly started trying to apply pressure to Connor’s wounds. If she could stop the blood flow…

Connor’s eyes opened. His hand flew out and wrapped around her wrist.

“I am your family!” Ian roared this. “That bitch of a useless mother tried to take you from me. I found you, and I made sure she never betrayed me again!”

“Her blood…” Duncan’s voice was a whisper. “I was in her blood. It ran under the closet door.”

Ian swore. “I knew I smelled you in that house, but the cops were coming. I had to hurry, and then they hid you.”

Connor stared up at Holly. There was so much rage, no, hate, in his stare.

Then Connor’s gaze cut to Ian and Duncan.

“And here you are…at the perfect moment.” Ian’s voice rose. “You can help me. We can take over this prison, bust out, just like I planned, and then we’ll make the humans all f**king sorry.”

“How’d you plan it?” Duncan asked, and his voice held no emotion.

Connor was nearly breaking her wrist. Been there, done that once already. She’d prefer not to have the bones snap again.

“I got connections…thought gettin’ tossed in here was the end for me. I didn’t realize it was just the beginning.”

“No.” Duncan shook his head. “It is the end. For you.” His shoulders pushed back. There was so much blood on him, but he didn’t seem to be weak in any way. “I remember you.”

“Do you?” Ian’s claws were at his sides.

“I remember hearing my mother scream. She was begging for you to stop.”

Ian laughed. She hated his laugh.

“I remember the sound of my brother’s voice, asking me to help him.”

Ian was still laughing.

“I was too afraid to move then. Too afraid to speak. My mother had told me to stay quiet. No matter what happened…stay quiet.”

Connor was lifting Holly’s hand toward his mouth. His claws sliced her skin, but she bit her lip, refusing to cry out. She knew what he wanted.

What Duncan wanted.

She was trying to help them both.

“I’m not going to be quiet any longer.” Duncan smiled at Ian, and the sight was chilling.

Her blood dripped into Connor’s mouth.

“The first time I saw Connor, I knew he looked familiar. But it was your face that I was really starting to remember.” Then Duncan jumped forward. His claws wrapped around Ian’s throat. “You took my life away.”

Ian didn’t look scared. Didn’t act scared either. He drove his claws into Duncan’s throat.

Holly screamed and jerked away from Connor.

But Duncan didn’t so much as flinch from the attack. “I’m not some little whelp that you can kick around any longer.” His fangs were lengthening. “I’m the alpha now, and you’re just the killer that needs to be stopped.”

A low hiss filled the air then. And Ian’s chilling laughter sounded once more. “You think I’m alone in this?”

The gas drifting from the vents was just like the backup security system that Pate had installed at the containment center in Seattle. Was this where he’d gotten the idea? Or had he taken steps to have his system also installed here?

She covered her mouth, but the gas didn’t seem to be doing anything to her. It wasn’t even stinging her throat.

Connor was motionless on the gurney.

“The gas is the first wave. Only it’s not taking out the paranormals. It’s gonna knock out all the humans. Then it won’t matter who has the controls to the f**king collars. It won’t matter who has the silver bullets. The guards who aren’t already paid off will fall, because the others—the ones working with me—they’ll be the ones in gas masks running for the doors.”

Holly’s gaze flew around the room. There were no controls to the collars in there. There were more surgical instruments though, against that back wall. She could rush over there and get more silver to help Duncan.

“Who set this up?” Duncan gritted.

But Ian wasn’t looking at him any longer. Ian’s bright blue gaze had come to rest on Holly. “What did you make him?”

She wouldn’t, couldn’t, speak.

“I tried to get a vampire to convert me once, but the bitch wouldn’t do it.”

Good for her.

“So I cut off her head.”

Not so good.

“If you cut off her head, Connor, I’ll take you back.”

What?

Then she felt the hand on her shoulder. Connor, not so still anymore. Standing right behind her. She could feel the press of his claws on her skin.

“Kill her,” Ian ordered, “and you can walk out of here with me. All will be forgiven. We can start fresh.” His gaze darted to Duncan. “My two sons. We’ll f**king rule this new world.”

“The new world?” Duncan repeated. “You mean the world where you start attacking the humans.”