Malakai took off running, but he hadn’t gone more than twenty steps when his beast stopped him.
Head back to the house. Now.
Kai’s shifter had never led him astray in all the years they’d been together, so he trusted it then. Malakai didn’t see anything until he rounded the corner of the garage. An Unholy was placing an explosive on the side of the building farthest from the house. Kai charged the monster, slashing his sword through the air, cutting the male’s arm off. The Unholy screamed, but Kai cut the sound off with an arc parallel to the ground. Malakai loathed killing another being. It went against his nature, but this male had been sent to destroy his home. Kai ripped the bomb off the wall and threw it into the woods. He then searched the downed body for the detonator but didn’t find one.
There’s too many of them.
Kai turned, and his beast was right. “Dominic! A little help here!” Malakai ran at the Unholy closest to him, making quick work of taking him down. One by one, he removed the bombs from the house, sending them all in the same direction. When he caught sight of Dominic on the far side of the house, he told the pirate, “I haven’t found the detonator.”
“Probably someone waiting in the woods.” Dom whistled, and his crew was there in seconds. “Find the detonator. It’s either on one of the bastards we’ve taken down, or—
BOOM!
Kai, Dominic, and his crew were thrown from the blast, tossing them into trees and brush at the edge of the woods. The impact was closer than it should’ve been. Several males groaned and tried to stand while others remained unmoving. Kai moaned, his body aching and his face burning. Slowly, he pushed to his knees, searching the area for the cause of the explosion. What he saw made him want to throw up. Those Unholy he and Dominic had taken down were now in scattered pieces. Not only that, but everywhere one of the Unholy had been, the house had been hit as well. It was only a house. Kai was alive, and Josie was safe, but still… Kai didn’t feel as bad about killing the bastards now.
Dominic crawled next to him. “What the fuck, mate?”
“I got rid of the explosives, so I don’t understand.” Kai stood unsteadily and slowly made his way to the closest blast point. The charge had been set at ground level. Kai reached out with his senses, searching for anyone else on the property. He didn’t sense movement, so he crept toward the woods in the direction he’d tossed the bombs. He didn’t have to go far to see the destruction. Trees were unearthed, and the ground was singed. Kai’s beast shook inside, trying to break free.
Nothing you can do now. I need to warn the others.
He walked back to where Dominic was checking over his crew. They were all Gargoyles, so they would heal themselves, but it didn’t ease Kai’s conscience. He pulled out his phone and called Frey.
“Malakai?”
“My house…” Kai cleared his throat. “We’re all okay, but you need to warn the others. The Unholy are putting explosives at the base of the structure as well as higher up. Either one of their males got away, or someone detonated the charges remotely. I’m going to search those downed away from the house to see if I can find a device. I’ll call you back.” Kai disconnected. There was no time for platitudes. He walked back over to Dominic and his team, who had all come around. “We need to search for the detonator. If we can’t find one, that means someone is doing it remotely, and the others need to be aware.”
“Spread out. Search every inch of the property,” Dominic commanded. His males did as instructed. Dominic stared at Kai, but Kai shook his head and headed off to help search. There was no time for him to think about the house. He needed to warn his Clan if he could.
Hunter and Carter had just finished carrying in the last few pieces of electronics when Remy ran into the conference room where Lachlan was getting the computers hooked up. Lachlan had tried talking to his mate during the ride to the Pen, but Hector wasn’t interested, other than reminding Lachlan his name was not Hector but Hunter.
“Frey called. Several houses were hit at the same time. So far, no one has found a detonator. He and Julian believe it’s being done remotely. Can you figure out if that’s the case?”
“I’m not an explosives expert, but I would imagine whoever is doing this is using drones. Call Frey and tell him I’m getting the equipment set up now. I’ll do everything I can from this end, but tell him to have the others watch and listen for drones hovering in the area.”
Lachlan instructed Hunter and his twin how to help him set the equipment up. If Drago was using drones, Lachlan should be able to find the frequency and shut them down. He worked quickly to get back online. He knew there was technology which had been created while he had been sitting in his cell, but he was confident he could figure it out.
Remy returned a few minutes later with a telephone, plugging the landline into the wall. Hunter and Carter stood quietly while Lachlan worked, but he explained every move he made. Months of having nothing to do other than think had given Lachlan time to figure out what he wanted. Being separated from Hunter should have weakened his beast, but like Lachlan, it was a stubborn bastard. This was his one and last opportunity to prove to Hunter they should be together. His mate had yet to say anything personal. When Hunter spoke, it was only to ask directions
