Vindicator

Chapter 40

Christina was abiding by Karma's instructions on a technicality; while Karma had told her not to interrogate Russell, nothing had been said about Faith. For this reason, she was sitting back and watching as her wolf controlled her body, and followed the Queen into the dungeons.

The path above where she and Faith had walked through themselves had been well-lit, and lined with offices for the various guards and their superiors. After entering that dark, musty staircase though, the modern feeling faded. A damp, earthy must lingered in the air, making Faith feel perpetually soggy. Contrasting the moisture in the air were the crackling flames of the torches that lined the walls for warmth and light. Prisoners didn't require modern niceties, after all.

Due to this, the two were glad to have stumbled across Aless. They didn't realize that the Queen had just come from Russell's cell. Nor did they realize that from speaking to him, she had been able to learn that Krista's name was actually Christina, and Kayla's was Karma. She also learned that Theo was Karma's twin brother, which was currently what the Queen was thinking about.

After learning this secret, Aless felt as though she was one step closer to solving a puzzle. Her mother's intuition was telling her that Theo was not meant for her son; however, she had no idea how to prove this.

After reaching their destination, Aless came to a stop in front of Russell's cell and turned to face Faith. The she-wolf's eyes glowed green in the flicker of the torchlight, reminding the Queen of the beautiful eyes of the Spectre. She smiled at Faith, and motioned towards the cell. "You'll find your former mate in here" she said, speaking loud enough to draw Russell's attention as well.

In an instant, Russell was at the cell door, breathlessly calling to his former mate. "Christina!"

"Not quite" Faith sneered.

"Oh. Hello, Faith" he said, a bit more reserved; but, he still gave her an adoring smile. "I'm so glad you came to see me! And so soon" he added, glancing at the Queen quickly.

Aless had stepped back to let the two speak, and pretended not to notice Russell looking her way. Faith paid no mind to the statement, and skipped the pleasantries.

"Theo's been taken and is being hurt. We need to find him now." She stated bluntly.

The Queen could be heard gasping, but she still didn't interfere. Russell was frowning at Faith. "Who took him?"

"I don't know. They supposedly texted you a demand of some sort, so where is your phone?" Faith demanded.

Russell's face went blank. "Someone's texting me? I don't remember the last time I had my phone..." he admitted sheepishly.

Faith snarled at him, reaching through the silver bars lightning-fast to grab the man's collar. She pulled him forward before he could react, slamming his face into the silver bars. He let out a shriek of surprise and pain, trying to pull away from the burning silver; however, now that it had made contact with his skin, the silver was sapping his strength. He didn't have the leverage or the strength to pull out of Faith's grip in the position he was in, so he had to reach up and grab the bars with his bare hands to push his face away.

Faith didn't give up easily, and the two struggled to overpower one another for a brief moment. During the struggle, Faith growled "I don't believe you, you piece of shit. Where is my son?! Tell me!"

"I am telling the truth! I was naked when you brought me here, remember?! It must be back at the pack house!" He yelped back, the smell of his facial skin and hands burning against the silver beginning to clog the air.

Faith stared at him with her piercing eyes a moment longer, then released his shirt. Russell stumbled backwards and landed heavily on his butt, holding his hands up in the air to avoid touching anything. He sat up and stared at the bright red welts imprinted into his palms, unable to see the matching welts on his face. It hadn't been lost on him how lucky he was to have avoided the silver touching his eyes.

"Thank you, your majesty" he heard Faith say, and looked up to see his former mate bowing her head with her back to his cell.

"Wait!" He called out.

Faith paused, but didn't turn around. That was good enough for him, though. "They want me for something, you should bring me with you. Maybe I can help, and I can help you find the phone!"

Faith scoffed, but he pressed on. "Our son needs us, let me help you!"

This had Faith turning around, eyes blazing in a rage. "OUR son?! You want to call him OUR son after what you did to him?! You pathetic piece of shit, you don't deserve any tie to my children!" She spat.

Hunter and Russell were both struck speechless for a moment. Their mate had always been so docile, both human and wolf. They knew she was protective of their pups, what mother wasn't? But this was a side of her that they had not been able to see much of.

Hunter growled, but in delight. He approved of the new-found feistiness of his mate, and didn't fully disagree with her words aimed towards Russell. He didn't appreciate that he was linked into this, though, and began pushing forward to try to speak to Faith.

Russell, on the other hand, didn't appreciate the disrespect that Faith was showing him. He growled at her, but was then distracted by Hunter trying to take control. A brief struggle between man and wolf occurred before Hunter was able to dominate. Due to the fact that they were still rogue, though, his eyes remained red even when in control.

"Faith" he purred out her name.

Her green eyes narrowed at him. "That applies doubly to you" she said, recognizing the shift in her former mate.

Hunter growled, displeased this time. "Don't disrespect your mate" he chided.

She laughed, throwing her head back to emphasize the hilarity of his statement. Once she finished laughing and calmed down, she looked at him with a wicked grin. "I can't disrespect a mate I don't have. Good bye, Hunter" she said, turning on her heel to leave.

"Let me help you! I was lost without you! I made mistakes...Let me make up for them" he said, a hint of pleading in his voice.

Faith stopped, considering his statement. She looked over at the Queen, who was waiting to escort Faith from the dungeons. "What do you think, your majesty? I cannot be impartial when it comes to him." She admitted.

The Queen raised her brows, then looked over to Russell. No matter her feelings towards Theo, her son would be distressed if he was in danger. She felt the fastest way to get Russell's phone would also be for him to retrieve it...And if the texts were in code or demanding something specifically of him, it would be helpful to have him there. She just wasn't sure they could trust him not to turn on them.

"Where is the Spectre? I would feel better trusting him if she was to accompany him" the Queen admitted.

Faith nodded in agreement. "Wise point. I will contact her to meet us...I suppose that means you think he should join me?"

"I think it is the most efficient option" Aless acknowledged.

"Very well" Faith sighed. "Let's go save my son."