Page 15 of Beautiful Madness

And despite my missing alpha,the awfulness of my past—which I had yet to truly process—and my date laterthat night with a pair of vampire fangs, I smiled all the way to Shadowfield. Icould face anything with the familiar weight of the demon blade warming my bodyand easing my mind.

Chapter Eight

Eli had ordered the gate armlowered, and four guards stood behind it, barring our entrance. I wasn’tsurprised even a little bit. I pulled my car to the side and got out, gesturingat Zach and Remy to do the same. Joe climbed out of the passenger side andwhile glowering at the guards, he came to stand beside me.

“We’ve been ordered to admit noone,” one of the guards called, and I caught a hint of pleading in his tone.

I gave him a nod. “I understandyou’re in an awkward position, Terry, so I’m not going to give you a hardtime.”

“I appreciate that,” the bigwolf said, his wide shoulders relaxing.

“We’re not going in?” Remyasked, raising his brow.

“Of course we’re going in,” Itold him. “But we don’t have to go in this way. Follow me.” I sprinted a fewyards down the street, then veered to the side, jumped a ditch, and with thefour guards watching, unsure, we strode across the small field and into thewoods. Sixty seconds later we were walking through the streets of Shadowfield.

“Someone trashes my car,” Remysaid, “I’m kicking some hairy wolf ass.”

“See what you can find,” I toldhim, “and if anyone confronts you, tell them to come see me. Let’s meet at thecars in forty-five minutes. Try not to get yourself killed.”

“If anyone dies,” he said, “I canpromise you it won’t be me.” The boogeyman was suddenly peeking from his eyes,and I was abruptly frozen like a deer with a car speeding toward it. Finally,he turned and loped away, freeing me from that eerie, deadly stare. There wereall sorts of slithering nightmares in Remy Simon’s eyes, and just as thesupernaturals would recognize my badge, they—we—would recognize what wasinside Remy.

Remy Simon was no stranger tononhumans, and it didn’t matter that I was a freak of nature who could likelymagic him into oblivion. He was a human hunter, and wolves came out of the wombfearing human hunters. Especially good ones.

I shook it off and put my mindback on the business at hand. Being distracted in a pack of hostile wolvescould get me hurt. Or worse, it could get Joe hurt.

Zach, never much of a talker, gaveme a nod and then jogged away. He’d know who to talk to and who to avoid, and Idid not doubt that when we met up later, he’d have gathered up some goodinformation.

He had worry written all overhis face. Zach and Jared had grown close, and Zach would be concerned with thealpha’s disappearance. I knew the feeling, but I was doing my best not to thinkof what might be happening to Jared. I tried to smother my fears—I was good atshoving things away to take out and look at later—but I wasn’t that good.

Terror sat like a cold fist inthe pit of my stomach, and my heart felt as though it were being torn topieces. Yeah, I was afraid. I was afraid but I’d pretend otherwise until Jaredwas back in my arms and the world was right again.

“Where to first, boss?” Joeasked, machete in hand.

“Let’s go to Jared’s house.I’ll talk to Nell. If she knows anything at all, she’ll tell me.” We didn’t getfar before six of Jared’s warriors stepped into our path. Four more came upbehind us and in seconds, we were surrounded.

“Wyatt,” I said to the leadwarrior. “I’m not in the mood. You don’t want to fuck with me today.”

“No,” he said, somewhattiredly, “I really don’t, Kait, but things have changed in the last few fuckinghours, and I have to do what I’m told by the man my alpha chose as his fuckingsecond.”

“Why aren’t you out looking forhim?” I asked. I felt bad for him—he didn’t want to challenge me, but he’d doas he was ordered, and people would get hurt. Fucking Eli.

“We searched all night,” hetold me, rubbing his face. “There wasn’t a trace of him. No tracks, no scent,nothing. No one had seen him leave. No one saw anything. He’s just…” He sighed.“He’s just gone.” He shook his head and tapped his chest. “We can’tfeelhim, Kait.”

“We’re not supposed to tell heranything,” one of the wolves reminded Wyatt.

“I’m your best chance ofgetting your alpha back,” I snapped. “I understand pack rules, but Jaredwillbe coming back. And when he does, do you really want to be on the wrongside of this?”

“He won’t blame us for doingwhat his beta commanded,” another of them said.

I smiled, and I knew that smilewas icy as fuck. “He will absolutely blame you if you start a fight with me,and you know it. Go ahead and get in my way, wolf, but don’t expect me to helpyou when he comes back and rips your head off.”

They muttered amongstthemselves, but there wasn’t a warrior there who didn’t know what it would meanif he touched me.

“You’re our alpha’s woman,”Wyatt said finally, “and if you tell us to stand down, we will. But we needanother reason, Kait. We need something Eli will understand, or he’s going tomake an example of me.”

I nodded. “Then I’ll give it toyou. First, though, I need to know—do any of you have any ideas, beliefs,facts, any information at all? I don’t care how small it is. I don’t care ifit’s a feeling. When was the last time you saw Jared?”

“I saw him at lunch two daysago,” Wyatt told me. “He looked like something was on his mind, but he nevertold me what was worrying him.”