"Pruitt is behind this," Micah growled.
"With Zeke Tanner, more than likely," Marcus nodded. "Everybody," he said, addressing the crowd outside his home, "load up and follow us to the groves. Don't shoot unless you have a clear shot. Turn if necessary, but only if it's necessary. Don't endanger the children, whatever you do." There were nods throughout the gathered crowd. "Load up and let's go." Marcus jumped into the van Micah had already started.
Adele Evans watched, her heart beating triple time in her chest as she saw every werewolf from the Star Cove Pack drive away behind Marcus and Micah. Sharon, Jonas and Wynn O'Neill stood behind her on the Evans' front porch. Wynn wept softly. Lavonna and Cori Anderson joined them. Cori was pale and gripping her mother's hand tightly. "I wish Daddy was up," Cori couldn't hold the tears back any longer.
"Honey, I wish Aedan and Nathan were both awake," Adele gave Cori a hug.
"Why do they want Dori?" Wynn was frightened, Adele knew. "They got Jackson, isn't he the one they want?"
"Honey, we don't know why they took Dori and the others," Sharon held Wynn against her. "It doesn't make any sense at all."
"Marcie and Jason went, didn't they?" Cori looked up at her mother.
"Marcus wanted werewolves only," Lavonna sighed.
A car drove into the Evans' driveway. "What's going on?" Dawn and Randy Smith got out of the car. "We went to pick up a few things at the store," Dawn added, "and we saw everybody passing us on the other side."
"The kids have been kidnapped from Shirley Walker's groves," Lavonna broke down, then. "They took Dori." She dropped to her knees and sobbed.
"What?" Dawn sounded shocked. Randy looked stricken. Adele knelt next to Lavonna and put an arm around her friend. Cori knelt on the other side, weeping with her mother.
Trajan was wolf and snapping at two that tried to get past him. Ashe rushed downward and pulled Trajan inside his mist. The two attackers were shouting and hurling fireblasts at the spot where Trajan disappeared, setting the floor and walls of Winkler's beach house on fire. Get out! Ashe sent to anyone inside the house. Run toward the front, I'll pick you up. The desperation came through in his mindspeech as he rose straight through the roof. He could see that Marco, Trace, Gene and Gabe were all running away from the house. Ashe could have wept—Jimmy wasn't with them.
Flying downward when he saw the two assailants appear outside the front door, Ashe had the four werewolf guards gathered quickly before they could be hit with the power blasts the two attackers threw after them. Then, in a desperate effort, Ashe flew back inside the house, although he could feel the distress from those he held within his mist. Jimmy's body lay on the kitchen floor, a huge, charred hole in his chest. The house was in flames around him as Ashe rose through the roof a second time. He would have wept if he'd been corporeal; the werewolf cook was dead.
I'm taking you to the groves, Ashe sent to his passengers, and using the hopping ability he had, arrived there in less than a second.
The peach grove was crawling like an angry ant's nest when they arrived, and a few werewolves growled while others screamed when Ashe appeared and dropped his cargo in the dirt between rows of trees. Ashe was angry and wiping tears away at the same time. Winkler went straight to a tall, broad-shouldered woman who stalked angrily among werewolves in wolf and human shape.
"What the hell happened?" Winkler demanded.
"They came from nowhere," a wolf in human form explained. "Right out of thin air. Killed Brett and three others right off and then took those kids. Just disappeared, like that." He snapped his fingers. "There were seven werewolves and four others that looked human but didn't smell human."
"Did they smell a little like Ashe, here?" Winkler pulled Ashe toward the werewolf.
"Yeah. A little like that, all right." Ashe wanted to hit the werewolf for sniffing him.
"And we have no idea where they are now. There's no trail to follow," Shirley Walker was growling, too. Ashe had never heard a female werewolf growl quite like that. He knew immediately how Shirley Walker became Packmaster of the Corpus Christi Pack.
Winkler cursed and hauled out his cell. In seconds he had the Grand Master on the phone, explaining what had happened. Ashe felt impotent rage as he stalked away from the Dallas Packmaster. They'd taken Sali, Dori and the others. That was unforgivable. He'd hidden from the Elemaiya before. Was afraid of them. What was it his grandfather had said in the email? Make them fear you, grandchild, and beware the Diamond at the shining. Now, his backpack that contained the dictionary and the note were burning inside Winkler's beach house. If he found the ones who had done this, he was determined to do just as his grandfather instructed. They would fear him, all right.
Ashe heard every word as Winkler ordered guards to the local airport, bus station and rental car agencies. If there were werewolves passing through, they'd know by scent. Ashe didn't think it would be so simple. His head hurt from lack of sleep and worry. His cell phone rang. Ashe pulled it from his pocket.
"Ashe? Thank goodness. We heard Mr. Winkler's beach house was on fire." His mother was frightened, he could tell.
"Mom, they killed Jimmy," Ashe wiped away a tear.
"Honey, I'm so sorry. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Mom. We're at the groves right now, but the kidnappers just disappeared with Sali and the others. There's no scent for anybody to follow. We don't know where they are." Ashe knelt in the dust between rows of peach trees, wishing his parents were there with him.
"Honey, they came after you, too, didn't they?"
"Yeah, but they don't know what I can do."
"Marcus and the others will be there soon. Don't do anything foolish. I wish there were somebody to bring you home."
"Don't ask that right now. I think if there's any way to get them back, I'll have to help."
"He's right, Mrs. Evans," Winkler sighed, stopping beside Ashe. "I wish it were otherwise, but we may need his help. Thank goodness, they didn't set the garage on fire. Hancock will have a fit when he wakes."
"Mr. Winkler, we have to find those children. Quickly. Nathan will go crazy when he finds out they took his daughter."
"I understand that," Winkler said. "I'm just glad Wayne and Wynter flew back to Dallas yesterday." Ashe jerked his head around—he hadn't even asked after Winkler's twins. Winkler placed an arm around Ashe's shoulders, giving a comforting squeeze. "We'll keep your boy as safe as we can."