Scions: Insurrection (1 of 3 free samples)
COPYRIGHT
Scions: Insurrection by Patrice Michelle. Copyright 2008 by Patrice Michelle.
All Rights Reserved. Sharing not permitted.
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SCIONS: INSURRECTION
Patrice Michelle
To my family, thank you for always believing in me!
AUTHOR'S NOTE
http://www.dailylit.com/books/scions-insurrection/authornote
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
http://www.dailylit.com/books/scions-insurrection/acknowledgments
PROLOGUE
I’m being hunted.
Nearly imperceptible vibrations rumbled underneath Landon’s bare feet as he lifted the ax.
Cool fall wind whipped through the forest, drying the sweat that coated his naked chest and soaked the top of his jeans.
He scrunched his toes in the damp underbrush, feeling, sensing the pulse of the predator. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck and along his arms stood on end as his senses went into overdrive. Without turning, he sniffed the current in the air and waited for his sense of smell to catch up with his supercharged hearing and heightened tactile abilities. Filtering out the strong scent of oak, pine, decomposing leaves and earth surrounding him, he homed in on new scents and listened for movement.
Behind him. Six o’clock. Coming in fast. Landon pinpointed his hunter’s stealthy approach.
His biceps flexed and he swung the sharp tool. The ax split the wood with ease, and twin pieces fell onto the stack of wood piled around the stump. With unhurried movements, he replaced the splintered wood with another log and lifted the ax once more.
The predator was closer. Seventy feet away and closing. Fifty feet. Close enough that he caught a whiff of its sweat.
Landon’s lips curved in a predatory smile. He brought the ax around in a sharp arc at the same time he twisted his spine.
“Holy shit!” Caine drew himself up short, less than a yard behind Landon. Frozen in place, he stared wide-eyed at the pointed triangular blade that now hovered a quarter inch from his throat. “You almost took off my head!”
Landon lowered the ax to the ground. “When are you going to learn you can’t sneak up on me?”
Caine’s white teeth flashed. “The wind was in my favor.”
“You know I don’t depend on my nose,” Landon growled, annoyed with the younger were. His sense of smell might not be as acute as those in his Lupreda wolf pack, but Landon’s other senses had adapted, taking over where his nose left off. “Why are you here, anyway?” he asked as he lifted the ax.
“All three zerkers have disappeared.”
Landon slammed down the ax, splitting not just the single log but the tree stump underneath it.
Leaving the ax buried in the split stump, he curled his hands into fists and faced Caine. “Why tell me this? I’m no longer a member of the pack.”
Caine’s hazel gaze locked with Landon’s. “The Omega asked me to seek your help.”
Landon’s chest constricted as fury and resentment swept through him. Each year the Omega board ruled that his substandard sense of smell disqualified him from the annual Alpha challenge—which was more than a test of physical endurance, it was proof of a were’s leadership ability and combat strategy—yet they didn’t have a problem coming to him for help. He ground his teeth and gritted out, “Nathan is their chosen Alpha. Let him find his lost werewolf zerkers.”
“Nathan doesn’t know.”
Landon scowled at Caine. “As leader of the pack, Nathan should’ve been informed.”
Caine crossed his arms over his chest. “You know damned well why he wasn’t. Nathan would go to war with the vampires. The Sanguinas are the only ones strong enough to overcome a zerker.”
“The vampires don’t know zerkers exist!” Landon hissed. “How do you know the three weres didn’t leave on their own? It’s not like they were welcomed in the wolf pack.” Landon might not be caught between shape-shifted forms like the zerkers, but he definitely understood what it felt like to be ostracized.
Caine’s gaze narrowed. “Something happened to them. Blood was everywhere. Werewolf blood.”
What a helluva mess. Landon ran a hand through his hair as his mind raced through the ramifications of the news Caine had just dumped on him. “What does the Omega want from me?”
Caine’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “They know you have a tenuous truce with the Sanguinas’ new leader, Jachin Black. They want you to talk to him and find out if the vampires had anything to do with our zerkers’ disappearance.”
And how the hell was he going to do that without revealing the zerkers’ existence to the Sanguinas? Landon set his jaw and gazed into the woods around him.
“The Omega are trying to avoid a war, Landon. Wouldn’t you do this for your pack?”
He glared at Caine, giving him a low, threatening growl. The bastard knew better. Landon would do anything for the Lupreda. The pack’s well-being had always been his top priority.
“They sent you on purpose.” Landon jerked the ax from the stump. Gripping the wood handle tighter, he stalked away, heading toward his cabin.
“Probably true.” Caine’s low laughter caught up to Landon as the younger were fell into step beside him. “They know you have a soft spot for me.”
Landon slanted his gaze at Caine. “I would think you’d have a vested interest in the pack’s concern over the zerkers’ disappearance. If you don’t, you should.”
“That was way below the belt.”
Landon paused and glanced over his shoulder at the pain underscoring Caine’s tone. The younger were had halted. His fists were curled by his side, his eyes slitted and his lip lifted in a snarl.
Gripping the bullet slug that hung from a silver chain around his neck, Landon rubbed his finger across the partially crumpled metal. “Yes, it was, but you need to be reminded how closely you ride the line. Past mistakes linger with you.”
Caine’s angry expression melted away as he approached him. Clapping his hand on Landon’s bare shoulder, his lips straightened to a firm line. “Yeah, I know.”
Their gazes locked—a lifetime of support reflected between them.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Landon finally broke the silence.
Caine smiled and punched Landon’s arm. “I’ve already insisted they reinstate you.”
“Nathan will love that—the Omega undermining him.” Landon snorted.
Caine followed him up to the cabin’s wooden porch. “Nathan’s an idiot.”
“On that we definitely agree,” Landon said with a grin.
“Nathan will never forgive you for kicking his ass in front of a captive audience of weres and vampires.”
Landon shrugged. “I did what needed to be done to protect our pack from an all-out war with the vampires. Jachin will make a fair leader for the Sanguinas.”
“I think it’s rich Nathan can’t oust you completely since your property butts the edge of Lupreda land.” Caine’s eyes lit with feral intensity. “By the way, fair warning, ever since you so thoroughly trounced him three months ago, he openly spouts-off about how much he hates your guts and if he runs across your traitorous ass, he’ll rip your heart out.”
Landon welcomed the primal need for a rematch that rose up inside him. He gave the younger were a calm, deadly smile. “Tell Nathan I said, ‘Bring it on.’”
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