Even now my lion is charged up, burning the alcohol out of my system, demanding I go back and claim what's rightfully mine. Except I don't deserve Denali. I don't deserve a family, much less a mate.
"Steady," Laurie murmurs, slipping behind me.
"'S good. I'm fine."
"Your eyes are red. Like, glowing. I've never seen this before."
"Lion," I rasp through cracked lips. "Wants out."
"Get him some water. And steak. Raw," Parker orders and turns back to me. "Fuck, Nash. What'd you do? Where's Denali?"
"Left her. Can't be with her. Can't be her mate."
"What about Nolan?"
I shake my head. "I'm too fucked up to raise a kid."
"You don't know that's true," Parker contradicts softly. He leans on the bar next to me. "So you're just going to stay away?"
I shrug. My lion won't let me. He'll fight to go back and drive me mad. I should chain myself up now.
"Should've stayed in the cell," I shiver, suddenly chilled. "Should've left me there to rot."
"Hang on, boss," Parker murmurs. "We'll figure a way out of this." He goes behind the bar and hands me a two-liter bottle of water. I drink the whole thing, but when Declan and Laurie return and set a plate of steaks near me, I shake my head.
"You gotta stay strong. At least long enough for us to figure out how what to do when your lion takes over."
"Call Sam. His mate will know what to do." She worked at Data-X, she can cook up something deadly. Barring that, Sam can rig explosives and blow me to bits.
"All right. We'll make a plan." Parker pushes the plate close, and the smell of meat convinces me faster than anyone could. By the time I demolish the plate, I feel a little better. Maybe I can get Layne to dose me with something to make me forget. A few wolf packs use vampires to wipe the minds of anyone who threatens the pack. Supposedly it doesn't work on shifters, but maybe it'll be enough to forget how close I came to paradise.
Just the thought has me reaching for the bottle again.
Denali. A cracking sound and I open my hand to let the broken glass fall. Absently I pick a few shards out of my palm before my skin heals over them.
Parker takes a deep breath. "Boss-"
My phone rings and he falls silent as I reach for it. I stare at the name on the screen. I shouldn't answer. Leaving her gutted me. Talking to her now will ensure I never breathe again.
Except I'm so humbled she's even willing to dial my number after what I did to her and Nolan, my thumb swipes across the screen.
"Nash?" The terror in Denali's voice jerks me to my feet.
"Denali."
Her sobs fill the line, breaking my heart.
"What-"
"They took him. Nolan. They came and took him."
Red fills my vision and I fight it. Not now!
"Who?" Parker and the rest huddle around me.
"Men in black. White van. I was in the back and didn't-" She's crying too hard to speak.
"Hang on, Denali, we're on our way," Parker says. His voice is muffled, as if coming to my ears through glass. My vision narrows, and I stay very still, trying to keep control.
"Give me the phone," Laurie says, and pries it from my nerveless fingers. "Denali? Can you hear me? Do you think you're safe there? Is there somewhere you can go?" His murmur follows me as I stride to the Camaro. Parker and Declan reach there before me. We're squealing away before the doors close, before I even have time to breathe.
"Who could've done this? Who do you think it is?" Parker asks.
"Call Sam." Declan's hands white knuckle the steering wheel. The Camaro accelerates into a turn. "He can find out."
"Denali's unhurt," Laurie says. "I have her meeting us." He leans forward to give directions to Declan.
"Don't worry, Nash," Parker says. "I'm calling back up."
I barely hear him over the roaring in my ears. Rage fills me like nothing I've felt before, lava driven through my veins with the force of a hurricane. A second later, Laurie presses my phone into my hand. "Alpha, they want to hear from you."
"Nash?" Sam's voice comes over the line. "I've got Layne here, and Jackson and Kylie. What's going on? Is it Denali?"
The lava turns to ice.
"My son," I growl. "They took my son!"
Nash
"I JUST WENT in to snag my phone-it was ringing. They grabbed him while I was inside and by the time I got out it was too late." Other than a raspy voice and tear-swollen eyes, Denali appears calm and composed as she relates the story for the umpteenth time. We're huddled in one of Sam's safehouses. He and his mate Layne flew up as soon as they heard the news, and more of their pack and friends are on standby, waiting for orders. Parker and Declan keep checking their phones and leaving to make more calls.
"Any idea who these guys were?" Sam asks.
"I know who." My lion's been trying to tell me for days now. That's why the flashbacks intensified. "There was another with Smyth. A business partner with a Spanish accent." If I close my eyes I can hear the rich cultured tones rolling over me. I can see the polished black dress shoes and tip of the cane.
"Santiago," Sam says grimly. "We got everyone last time, except that son-of-a-bitch."
"Who's Santiago?" Denali asks.
"He was the money," Sam announces. "Smyth had the vision. Santiago bankrolled the project."
"We had the genes," I add. "A decorated soldier and a strong lioness." I rub my face and dare a glance at Denali. Right now, she's trying to stay strong.
"Santiago won't hurt him," Sam says. "He's obsessed with creating clean shifter lines. He thinks Nolan is the start of that."
"There's a bit 'o good news," Declan murmurs.