Lucien gritted his teeth as Mike brought the knife down across his chest in a slow, agonizing cut. The white hot pain bore down on him like he was being burned alive.
Catty screamed.
Lucien gritted his teeth and slammed his eyes closed.
No matter what, he wouldn’t make a sound.
***
They’d made their way inside the Triple X without any trouble, but when they’d tried to gain entrance to the back rooms, security had stopped them. Barrett, Jayden and Damon and quickly knocked them out while the other Guardians looked for the room.
“I heard a female scream.” Zane looked over at Barrett.
“Son of a bitch.” Barrett rounded on Zane and pressed his hand in the middle of his chest. “Zane I want you to stay back and guard the entrance.”
“Why me?”
“Because I fucking said so. Are we clear?” Barrett growled. The last thing he needed was Zane seeing his sister tortured.
“Yeah, sure.” Zane scowled but stayed at the bottom of the stairwell while the rest of them rushed into the tunnel.
Barrett handed Zane his .45. “Take this.” He looked at Damon, Jayden and Jaxon. “the rest of you shift. I want to get in that room and find Lucien and the rest of the Guardians.”
Barrett didn’t want for a confirmation from his men before he began shifting into wolf. The familiar pain and pleasure of his bones lengthening and cartilage shifting shot through his entire body. He could smell Lucien and he could smell blood.
Lifting his head back he growled, shaking the tunnel with his voice. He looked over his shoulder at his men, all in wolf form, except for Zane.
He nodded once and took off down the tunnel.
The tunnel shook around him as his skin was being cut. Lucien trembled as he held in his screams.
He kept his eyes squeezed tight, refusing to look at Catty’s face. He couldn’t see her like that.
At least Barrett knew where to come look for his body. If Barrett got here in time, there would be a chance to save Catty. His death would be the only casualty of this mission.
That’s all he wanted. That’s all he asked for.
As he sucked in a breath to take the next cut into his skin, a monstrous howl echoed in the tunnel, stinging his ears and rattling his brain. Using all the energy he had left he lifted his head expecting to see the devil himself ascending into this horrific hell.
What he didn’t expect was the enormous wolf that was his Pack Master.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Barrett burst in the room with his Guardians right behind him. He spotted Mitchell hanging on the wall barely alive. He searched for and found Lucien being flayed alive.
He rushed for Lucien’s captor and slammed him to the ground. He knocked the knife out of his hand and the blade tinged along the concrete floor.
Barrett saw a flash of fear in the male’s eyes before he lunged for his throat. Bone and cartilage cracked under his teeth as he bit down. He pulled back, ripping the male’s throat out of his neck. Blood spurted as the man’s eyes grew wide with panic and fear. He opened his mouth but Barrett slammed his paw over it.
Barrett wanted blood and vengeance for what was done to his Pack and he was damn well going to get it today.
A female scream had him looking over his shoulder.
Catty Steele.
He spat out the man’s bloodied throat as he watched Damon and Jayden head for the two men who were restraining Catty.
Her fingers found the silver necklace and she tugged it off. She stabbed one of her captures in the eye. He cried out and dropped to his knees as Damon and Jayden descended on them in wolf form. She looked scared as hell but otherwise was unharmed.
Jaxon was already by Lucien, paws on his chest and licking his face to make sure he was alive.
Barrett shifted back into human and looked at Catty.
She met his gaze, unflinching.
“You’re Catty, right?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You’ve got about ten seconds before your brother comes running in here. So get it together and assure him you’re okay.” He looked at Lucien. “I need to take care of Lucien.”
Catty beat him first and ran over to Lucien. She brushed his bloodied hair away from his forehead. “Lucien, please open your eyes. Please don’t be dead.”
Barrett reached for the chains that bound Lucien’s hands. “He’s not dead. Not yet.” He pulled the chains apart and Lucien slumped to one side. “Move back. I’ve got to get him down.”
“Jaxon, shift back,” Barrett ordered over his shoulder. He knew he shouldn’t be walking around in front of Zane’s sister buck ass naked but he had bigger concerns than worrying about offending her.
Jaxon shifted back and wrapped his arms around Lucien’s waist to take his weight while Barrett cut his other wrist loose.