Chapter 21: 21: Death Blow

Rowan

As my heart sank to my stomach, it also thundered in my ears when I heard the distinct sound of Cormac Quinn’s disgusting voice. My first instinct was to protect Fiona. My luna, my fated mate, reverberated through my mind, rising above the deafening thump of my heart. At that moment, I understood just how important she was to me. I would protect her with my life against the enemy standing before us. In a moment that would determine my future, I vowed to claim Fiona if we survived. To hell with consequences or pushback from my pack, I’d meet it head-on like a man—an alpha.

Whatever the outcome, we would face it together as a team. While standing in front of Fiona, I felt her fear and rage through our special bond. A bond Fiona didn’t yet comprehend, but I knew she sensed something… she had to. “We need to get out of here.” My words were no more than a whisper, and I prayed she wasn’t too distraught to notice.

While she remained behind me, I felt her cheek touching my arm as she continued her tirade. “My whole fucking life has been a lie! You were supposed to be my father…”

“I am your father, and I didn’t lie to you. I just omitted the truth. Now you, on the other hand, are the liar. I’m very disappointed, Fiona.” Cormac tsked and shook his head. “You were supposed to be in New York.”

“Don’t you dare deflect and turn this on me!” Fiona’s voice had cracked, and I knew she was crying. “You told me my mother died giving birth to me! All this time, I’ve blamed myself!”

“Well, she’s dead to me.” He shrugged, appearing bored.

I allowed Fiona to continue, but I could tell her words were hitting their mark, and Cormac seemed agitated.

“You lied! And… why didn’t you tell me my mother was a fairy!” Fiona spat.

“She still is a fairy,” Cormac announced.

“So, she’s alive. My mother has been alive this entire damn time…” Fiona stumbled and grabbed my arm to right herself.

Cormac nodded.

“And you… you took my wings?” Fiona stated in a choked voice as she moved from behind me, squaring off with her father. “I—” She took a step, and I followed close on her heels. “I’m the daughter of a fairy… and you… you experimented on me. Did you experiment with her, too? I already know what you’ve done to Kat, you sick bastard.” Fiona was pacing in front of Cormac, and I stood on guard, watching his every move. I knew she needed this off of her chest.

Cormac remained silent, and my disgust for him grew. The man looked so smug with a patronizing expression aimed at his daughter. The egotistical bastard cared for no one but himself. He would risk the lives of those he was supposed to love in the name of science or some sick obsession.

“Why don’t we all sit down, Fiona? You’re not being rational,” he said, ignoring her question. “That way, the five of us can communicate. Besides, it seems your new friends may be interested in this conversation.” The bastard wagged his brows and winked at me. My inner werewolf was on high alert, and the air was heavy with tension.

Rian sided up to me, and I felt his presence… he was ready to fight, and so was I. Yet Quinn seemed serene, unaware of the danger ready to befall him.

“Stop deflecting and answer me,” Fiona shouted, piercing him in the eyes with pure malice. “We found a folder full of information and photos of my mother… And you removed my wings and Kat’s!” Fiona huffed and crossed her arms under her chest.

Cormac shook his head and laughed. The sound grated, and I was ready to put my fist through his face. “Answer her, Quinn,” I demanded and charged toward him.

“All right, yes. Amerlina is your mother and a fairy.”

“Which makes me…”

“A hybrid. So what?” He lifted one shoulder. “But I didn’t lie about being your father and Amerlina, your mother.”

The possibility of Quinn forcing a fairy to conceive a child with him made me feel sick.

“Why did you remove our wings?” Fiona asked, disbelief laced her words.

“It was for the best,” Quinn said, his tone condescending, like Fiona was a small child instead of an intelligent adult.

“I asked why, and I want the honest answer!” Fiona barked. “Why did you do it? What was in it for you? We all know you’re a greedy, self-centered bastard, so don’t patronize me.”

“Because I’m a bloody scientist, and I wanted answers.” Cormac raked a hand over his balding head. “And it was the perfect way to get them.”

“We have to get the hell out of here,” Rian whispered behind me, echoing my earlier thoughts.

While I felt his anxiety and knew Quinn could be a threat, I realized this was important for Fiona. She needed answers to move on and deal with the trauma, but survival must come first.

“What did you do with my mother? Did you take her wings, too?” Fiona asked as tears ran down her pale cheeks.

I grabbed Fiona's hand, pulling her toward me. Quinn raised his bushy brows at the prospect of me holding his daughter close. As I watched his jaw tense, I tried not to smile at the stupid bastard who should feel concerned over finding himself standing before two werewolves.

“Your mother is alive and well, but turned her back on us. Amerlina only cared about herself, and she damn sure didn’t care about you, kid. I’m the one who raised you and did right by you. To her, you were a responsibility, a burden… so she left. She didn’t want you.” He cocked his head to the side and, with narrowed eyes, announced, “Your mother didn’t love you, Fiona.”

Cormac’s brutal, cruel words were like a knife to Fiona’s heart. I felt her pain like a blow sucking the air from my lungs. My rage boiled beneath the surface, and I knew Fiona was sensing my anger through our bond. I wished to take away all her pain and fill her with love, humor, and joy, but I couldn’t mask or control my true emotions.

“You are far worse than they led me to believe. You are a fucking monster!” Fiona shouted.

“Yes, yes, yes. You’ve already said as much after our last conversation,” Cormac said, picking invisible lint off his suit jacket.

Then he glanced up, a coy grin lifting the corner of his mouth. “Now, onto bigger issues,” he announced with authority, his smile a distant memory.

“Sorry, but we are leaving now, Quinn.” I pushed Fiona behind me toward Rian for protection.

For the first time since showing up and foiling our plans, I saw a flicker of fear in the man’s eyes.

“Sorry, Alpha Wolf, but that will not happen.” His delirious grin reappeared. “The door remains sealed.”

“You will open it,” I said, pointing my finger at him. “Or I’ll force you to.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and I will give you a count of three, old man.”

Cormac chuckled. “You mangy mutts think violence solves all your problems. How about we come to a compromise…” He beetled his brows and glanced between me and Rian.

“What kind of compromise?” A wicked and perverse glint shone in his hollow eyes, causing fear to churn in my stomach.

“Well, it’s a simple solution. Three of you walk out of here free.” He strode into the room and veered past me toward Rian, who had an arm around each woman—Fiona and Kat.

“No!” I shouted. “We came as one, and we will leave as one.” I turned and watched him standing before Katrina. Dammit! I knew we should have left her at home! But regrets and should haves were pointless now.

“Oh, well… that’s too bad.” Cormac made another tsking sound while remaining in front of Katrina. He reached to touch Kat’s face, but Rian slapped his hand away. “I just thought we could make a fair exchange…” He rocked back on his heels and threw me an evil grin over his shoulder before returning to the sealed door.

Warning bells rang like sirens in my mind, and my inner wolf growled—a sure sign of danger. I felt tiny prickles along my spine as my beast tried to emerge. Hair started sprouting down my back, my irises were changing, and I sensed the claws ready to explode from my fingertips. It took everything in me to stop shifting. I needed to know what the bastard was talking about before I ripped him apart. “What do you mean… an exchange? I thought you gave back all of my pack members! That was the deal, Quinn.”

“So it was… So it was.” He nodded, smiling, and the urge to rip his head from his shoulders was strong. “I released all your mutts, Alpha O’Connell. But, you see… You have something precious to me. My Katrina.”

“What is your sick fascination with her, you scum bag?” I advanced and took pleasure, watching his eyes widen in fear.

“She’s a pure fairy.” Cormac shrugged, and a nervous giggle escaped his chest.

I folded my arms across my chest and laughed. “You could find a pure fairy anywhere. In fact, you had a child with a pure fairy, old man. I don’t know the specifics, but bet your arse I’ll find out everything about Fiona’s mum. See, I don’t buy your bullshit story.” I shook my head.

Cormac held out his palms. “Fine, fine. Katrina’s mother isn’t just a pure fairy…” He cleared his throat. “She’s a queen fairy. The queen fairy… Queen of Fairies, if you will.”

A collective sigh lent the air, but I knew growing surprised around Quinn could be a fatal mistake. I kept my narrowed eyes trained on the evil bastard. “You have been experimenting with the Queen of Fairies, daughter? Man, you have some enormous balls.”

Despite my burning curiosity, my primary goal was to secure Fiona and Kat’s exit unscathed. “Get to the point, Quinn. Who could you have that would make me want to leave Katrina behind?”

While he seemed nervous, Quinn threw me a sly grin. “Why, your sweet, innocent little sister, of course.” It felt like a death blow, knocking the wind out of me, as the bastard wagged his brows. “That Kyra is special. She’s such a smart young lass. I think we are going to be good friends.”

“You fucking prick! I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” Rian rushed past me, charging Cormac.

“No, Rian!” I shouted. While nothing would make me happier than to tear the man apart, I needed him alive to find Kyra. But Rian ignored my warning. And even though Cormac Quinn had some years on us, it would be foolish to underestimate him. He was a trained supernatural hunter with years of battle experience under his belt.

Before I could pull my brother away, I watched Cormac shove Rian, and a cloud of dust covered his body, filling the air. Rian screamed, falling to the floor, holding his hands over his eyes. As the dust settled around me, I coughed and fought the urge to close my burning eyes.

“Rowan, what’s happening?” Fiona yelled.

“Is Rian okay?” Kat screamed, too, but I kept my burning, blurry gaze on Cormac, who was now rummaging through the metal cabinet that Kat unlocked.

“It’s silver dust,” I choked out while wondering how I would ever get us out of this predicament alive.