Dawn woke up and instantly realized that she was outside and the floor was dirt beneath her. She opened her eyes a crack and saw that the stone walls were still all around her but there was no ceiling and the blue, cloud filled sky was above her head.

Her legs were hurting bad and she looked down at them to see the deep cuts across the back of her calves. They were still bleeding and the blood and dirt had caked together down her legs and on her feet.

“You must have really made him angry.” Dawn turned her head quickly to see Brie sitting in the corner watching her. Brie inched forward and laid her hands on Dawn’s legs. “You’ll be able to walk in your human form, though it will be painful, but your wolf will be lame for at least a day or two.”

Dawn took a deep breath as panic filled her and then she calmed instantly when she caught the scent of she and Grange’s child still safe in her womb.

“Brie, are you okay?” Dawn asked, turning her focus to something other than herself and her child. Those dark thoughts were enough to drive her crazy and right now she didn’t need to be crazy. Brie nodded and pushed her limp red curls behind her ears.

“Yes. They had me in a cell. It was cold and damp and there was a dwarf in the cell next to mine that kept watching me and touching himself…” Brie shivered. “But no one has harmed me. They moved me to this room to get some fresh air and I was surprised when a few moments later they brought you here as well.”

“Who brought me?” Dawn asked as she kept a hand over her stomach, protecting her baby and wondering how they were both alive and well.

“One of the sub demon guards. He said something about Beechum going to see the doctor. You are very brave to have fought back at him that way. I wish I was that brave.” Brie said with shame. Dawn shook her head.

“I’m not brave.” she countered. “But he wanted to kill my baby and I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Beechum is evil… Faugrimm always kept him away from me.” Brie replied with a shiver as she ran her hands up and down her bare arms. She was dressed in the same white shift dress as Dawn. Dawn realized that someone must have given her the dress and dressed her since she would have been nude after shifting.

“Brie, we have to get out of here.” Dawn stated. She pushed herself to her feet, biting her lip to keep from crying out as her calves filled with fiery pain. She held onto the wall for support as Brie whimpered and slid Dawn’s arm over her shoulders to support her.

“We cannot escape, Dawn. It’s useless to think we can.”

“But we can! You did it once and so did Farrah.”

“That was when the Master wasn’t expecting anything. He is guarding us heavily now.” Dawn looked around.

“Maybe if you give me a boost to the top of this wall, then I can pull you up and we can jump down….”

“I applaud your ingenuity, my dear, but really any hope of escape is futile.” Dawn growled in the back of her throat when she heard, and smelled. Faugrimm. He pushed open the door and stepped into the tiny room.

Dawn saw the fear light up Brie’s face and anger burned in her gut. What Brie must have endured from this insane, ugly elf was enough to make both the alpha and the woman in Dawn mad as hell.

When Faugrimm stepped toward Brie, Dawn stepped between them and growled low in her throat as she tried desperately to ignore the pain her legs and keep from weaving. She was learning that in the world of supernaturals, any show of weakness was a death sentence. Faugrimm chuckled.

“Yes, Beechum said you are a hell cat, or perhaps I should say, one mean puppy?”

“How is his arm?” Dawn asked venomously.

“Broken. It will take days to heal properly. You are very tough, I will give you that. However that is only under a stone roof. Here, with the sky above my head feeding my power, I am a God.”

Dawn was about to fire off a smart retort when Faugrimm’s eyes rolled back in his head and he raised his hands. She wondered what was wrong with him until the wind began to pick up, swirling her loose hair around her face and catching the bottom hem of the white shift dress, whipping it around her thighs.

Dark thunderheads gathered above her head and a fat droplet of rain plopped onto her nose and ran down. Dawn stared at Faugrimm with shock and he laughed deeply as the rain began to pour down, plastering her hair to her face and rendering her thin white dress see through.

“Yes. Out here in the open is my element, my dear. Inside I have no greater strength than you but out here? Out here the weather, the wind, the rain, the hot, the cold, it is all under my control.”

Dawn took a deep breath, preparing to tell this pompous ass elf just what she thought when a scent reached her nose. Several scents. Her pack. Grange. They were close. Did Faugrimm not smell that? Then again, maybe elves didn’t have a good sense of smell like wolves.

“Enough small talk.” Faugrimm stated and just as quickly as it had begun the wind, rain and clouds all disappeared. “You have been sold, my dear, but he wants you childless. I must give the man what he wants.” Faugrimm pulled his sword and Dawn growled low in her throat.

She was faintly aware of Brie gasping behind her and knew the other wolf had just smelled the same thing that she had smelled. Dawn took a step away from Faugrimm and glanced over at Brie, who still seemed too afraid to do much other than stand there.

Dawn was now irritated with the other wolf. She growled and snapped at her and Brie’s eyes widened. Dawn was the alpha and she demanded to be obeyed. Brie was going to fight. She was going to help. She was going to do something other than stand in the corner and shake.

Faugrimm lunged forward and Dawn jumped out of the way, though her injured legs gave out below her and she fell onto the ground, which was now muddy thanks to the rain that Faugrimm had made come down.

Dawn rolled onto her back just in time to see Faugrimm leaping toward her with his sword but he was knocked sideways by a white blur of fur and teeth. Dawn realized with shock that the white ball was Brie and that the other wolf had shifted and was protecting her.

“Why, my little Puppet!” Faugrimm exclaimed with surprised happiness. “I never knew you had so much spirit.”

Dawn knew that while Brie had Faugrimm’s attention, she could get through the door and inside where Faugrimm’s powers would be diminished. She may even be able to find a way out of the stronghold and get to Grange. But she couldn’t leave Brie. She had to protect her. Had to help her.

Dawn jumped onto Faugrimm’s back, shifting as she sunk her teeth into his shoulder. Faugrimm let out a cry and flailed his arms wildly, his sword nearly catching Brie across the face before she jumped back, her white coat quickly becoming covered in mud.

Faugrimm reached an arm back and grabbed Brie by the back of her neck, tossing her forward and Dawn’s back legs, crumpled when she landed, the pain so intense it had her shifting back.

She covered her stomach and slipped in the mud as Faugrimm started toward her. Grange’s face flashed through her mind as Faugrimm swatted Brie out of his way again and closed in on Dawn. While Nickolai had taught Dawn how to fight like a soldier, Grange had taught Dawn how to fight a little more on the dirty side.

As Faugrimm stood over her, a grim smile revealing his pointed teeth, Dawn took a deep breath and gathered her strength.

Faugrimm raised his sword and Dawn heard Brie growl as he began to lower it quickly toward Dawn’s belly. Dawn knew that now was the time. She swung her leg up with all her might and caught him between the legs.

Grange had told her that no matter what type of immortal she was facing, a quick kick to his groin would send him crashing down. She was happy to see that Grange had been right. Faugrimm’s face went pale and his eyes nearly bulged from his head as his sword clattered to the ground and he fell to his knees.

Dawn jumped up and grabbed his sword out of the mud. The sword was nearly as tall as she was and it was all she could do to wield it as she raised it above her and prepared to bring it down on Faugrimm’s head, before a strong gust of wind blew and sent her stumbling backward.

The sword fell from her hands and then Brie was grabbing her hand between her teeth and trying to yank her inside. Dawn knew the other wolf was right. They needed to get inside where Faugrimm wouldn’t be so strong. They needed to find their pack.

Dawn followed Brie as quickly as she could with her legs and Faugrimm yelled with rage as they ran quickly down the stone hall, Brie’s claws echoing off the walls around them.

***

“The best way to enter is through the back courtyard. You will avoid the guards he has posted at the front. The door off the back courtyard will take you into the dungeons which lead up to the main floor. Faugrimm has many castle cards, sub demons mostly. They are well paid to defend him though he abuses them greatly.” Farrah said as everyone looked up at the stone walls.

“Is the courtyard guarded?” Nickolai asked and Farrah nodded.

“Yes. There is always a half demon in the guard tower.” she replied, though he will be hard pressed to see us in the dark if we keep to the shadows….”

“Is there a way into the courtyard without climbing the wall?” Grange asked and Farrah nodded.

“There is a gap in the hedges. Puppet, I mean Brie, told me that’s how she got out.”

“Trig.” Grange said and Trig stepped forward.

“Yes?” he asked, still feeling ashamed for his show of cowardice a short time ago. It wasn’t that Trig did not want to fight to save Dawn and Brie because he had vowed when joining this pack to fight to death to protect Dawn, but Trig was worried that he wouldn’t be good enough….

It had been different in the woods with Farrah and the miners. That had been his mate in danger and he hadn’t had time to think about what could happen. He’d had plenty of time to think about this and he did not want to let his alpha down.

“Get to the guard tower, you can climb that wall there, the rocks seems to be cracked enough for foot and hand holds, and kill that guard. When he is dead, hoot like an owl.”

Trig nodded, and then without a word he turned and sprinted toward the wall where the guard was stationed. The wall was fairly easy to climb. Trig wished the guard was a sub demon instead of a half demon. Sub demons were barely more than animated corpses and as easy to kill as mortals. Half demons were a bit stronger, but thankfully, because of their mortal blood, they did not have full demon scent or eyesight. The guard should be easy to sneak up on.

Trig made it to the top of the wall and peered over, and sure enough he saw the guard in a small tower on the wall. A ladder led up to where the guard was standing with a bow and arrow. Trig frowned.

An entire fortress full of dangerous, captive immortals and the only guard at the back courtyard was defending the exit with a bow and arrow? A weapon that wouldn’t kill any immortal other than a sub demon. Faugrimm was either very stupid or overly confident in his own magical defenses and did not feel the need for many physical ones.

Trig slipped silently up the ladder and as he got to his feet behind the half demon, he saw the demon’s nostril’s flare and the guard turned quickly. Trig smiled, cocked his head to the side and waved before quickly, grabbing the half demon and twisting his neck in one fluid motion.

With that single kill, his confidence rose and his wolf’s bloodlust was awakened. He gathered up the bow and put the quiver of arrows over his own shoulder and then let out a hoot.

He saw Grange, Farrah, Nickolai and Brendon slipping through the hedges and into the courtyard. He grinned and jumped down, landing on his feet beside them.

“Where’d you get that?” Brendon asked, pointing at the bow with interest. Trig pointed to the tower.

“He said he didn’t need it anymore.” Trig pulled off the quiver and held it and the bow out to Brendon. “I ain’t no good with a bow.” Trig said with a shrug and Brendon grinned and took it.

“I am.”

“You’re a trained assassin. You’re good with any weapon.” Trig countered.

“Alright, Farrah, we’ll follow you.” Grange growled and Farrah nodded before leading them toward the heavy door in the stone wall.

The rusty hinges squeaked as they slipped inside. Grange scented the air and caught Dawn’s scent but it was faint. The strongest smell was that of urine, blood, pain and fear. They stepped into a hallway and Nickolai’s gasp was audible.

“Oh my God.” Grange whispered as he took in the sight of the malnourished and beaten immortal creatures all locked behind bars in cages not much bigger than they were. The smell of feces and urine was nauseating and the sight of these immortals, the dirt and blood covering their bare bodies, the bones jutting from their skin and the haunted looks in their nearly lifeless eyes made Grange wish there was something he could do to help them all. The only help he could offer them was to kill Faugrimm and he planned on doing that very very soon.

“Brie has shifted. She and Dawn have been fighting. I can smell blood….” Nickolai said with dread. “Dawn’s blood.” he added and Grange roared with rage.

He began to run, following his mate's scent and praying, hoping against hope, that she would be okay.