The Wolf Within (Purgatory #1)(13)

When his fingers began to smoke, he lifted that hand away.

She couldn’t stay back any longer. Holly took a step toward him.

But Duncan shook his head. “Don’t.”

The one, clipped word felt like a slap in the face.

Then Duncan moved in a lightning-fast lunge. His hand shot through the side of the cage, sliding right between the bars. His fingers wrapped around Saul’s neck, and he jerked the guy forward. Saul’s head slammed into the bars. Smoke rose.

“She wants to know…” Duncan said, voice so rough and deep, “what the hell is happening here. Why did those wolves attack?”

Saul couldn’t speak, mostly because Duncan seemed to be choking him. Saul’s face had turned a dark shade of purple.

“Uh, you need to ease that grip,” Pate muttered as he came closer to Duncan. “You know the dead can’t talk.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Sometimes they can.

Holly fisted her hands and refused to reach out again to Duncan. He’d already shot her down once in front of Pate and the others.

Duncan’s grip on the werewolf eased. Saul sucked in a deep breath. Another.

Then he started talking. “They can…smell you.”

A faint furrow appeared between Duncan’s brows.

“Alpha scent,” Holly whispered, understanding.

Pate gave a barely perceptible nod.

“When you changed, they knew…” Saul’s breath wheezed out. He still wasn’t free of Duncan’s grip, but at least he was getting oxygen now. “But a human doesn’t just get to be…top dog…you have to…fight for it…”

“I don’t want to be the damn top dog,” Duncan snapped, “I don’t want—”

“Not about what you want. About what the…beast inside wants.” Saul’s gaze darted to Holly. “He’s gonna…take what he wants.”

The words seemed like a threat.

Saul’s gaze returned to Duncan. “You’ll have to fight…prove your worth. Then you can lead the pack.”

“Screw that.” Duncan released him and moved back a few feet. “I’m not interested in the pack. I don’t want—”

“Then you’re dead.” Saul straightened his shoulders, seemed to gather his strength. “You fight and win, you lead…or you die.” Saul tilted his head as he studied Duncan. “This town can’t take two alphas.”

“Who’s the other alpha?” Holly demanded. They were still learning about werewolf dynamics, but if the dead werewolves had been sent to attack Duncan, then it sure stood to reason that the other alpha had been the one to send them out on the hunt.

But Saul just smirked at her. “Don’t worry, you’ll be finding out, sweets, soon enough.”

Yes, those words were definitely a threat.

“And you’ll be getting sliced open,” Duncan said as he lifted his claws. “Soon damn enough if you don’t tell me where the other alpha is.”

“I can help you,” Saul said as he paled. He held up his hands, palms out. The gesture probably would have looked more innocent if he hadn’t been sporting two inch long claws on his fingertips.

“Yeah, you can,” Duncan agreed. The sweats hung low on his hips. “Tell me where to find the alpha. Tell me who the bastard is.”

Saul licked his lips. “Get me out of here. Give me my freedom. Then we’ll talk.”

Pate laughed, drawing Saul’s attention. “Are you kidding me? You carved up humans! Six of them. I’m pretty sure you even ate one of the poor bastards. You aren’t getting out of here. You’re going to Purgatory, and you’re not getting out.”

Purgatory.

The name of the only prison for paranormals that existed. Until recently, the only way to stop a paranormal had been to kill him. Or her. But now…even though most humans didn’t even know about the existence of the paranormal creatures, Uncle Sam wanted them treated more humanely.

So Purgatory had been created. Modeled after Alcatraz, the prison was supposed to be inescapable. Located on a tiny island off the coast of Washington, the walls had been made out of a special metal formulated by the government. An unbreakable metal with silver components.

Inside, all of the cells were secured with silver bars. The guards used weapons that contained either wooden bullets—when they were in the vampire wards—or silver bullets—when they were guarding the werewolves.

Purgatory had been in operation for over a year, and, so far, the prison seemed to be doing its job—keeping the most dangerous of the paranormals locked up and away from humans.

The only prison of its kind in the world. Purgatory would succeed or…it would fail, horribly.

Personally, the idea of having all of the most dangerous paranormals in one small place…um, yeah, that idea terrified Holly. But no one had listened to her when she went before the small committee in D.C. and told them it was a very bad idea.

She was just the MD who’d been brought into the Seattle Para Unit because of her connection to Pate. The suits wanted her reports, not her take on Armageddon.

“You aren’t getting out,” Duncan said to Saul, shaking his head.

Saul’s jaw hardened. “You think you’re so different from me?”