Fate Bound (Fate Bound Trilogy Book 1)

by Madeline Freeman

  He didn’t answer my question. I have so many thoughts chasing themselves around my mind: Why am I here? Why isn’t he surprised to see me? Why is he so sure I’ll be better soon?

  Footfalls sound as Dinah leaves the room, followed almost immediately by the creak of floorboards as someone new enters.

  “Well, what do we have here?” asks a smooth male voice with the barest hint of a Southern drawl. “I didn’t realize we were expecting company.”

  He moves into my line of sight. His blond hair is almost unnaturally light and spiked in the kind of way that looks effortless. But it’s the amber shade of his eyes that captivate my attention even in my current state. He looks at me like I’m some kind of tasty morsel waiting to be devoured.

  “Back off, Xander,” Luke says, his tone breezy. “She’s not here for you.”

  He sniffs the air before wrinkling his nose, his brow knitting. “Just what is she here for, then? She seems—”

  “I’m not sure why you think she concerns you in any way,” Luke says, an edge to his voice now. “I don’t interrupt you when you’re entertaining guests, do I?”

  Before Xander can respond, Dinah reenters the room.

  “Thank you,” Luke murmurs. “Now, if the two of you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d clear out.” Something in his voice oozes authority, but not in the same way as Jack’s when he gives an alpha command. Still, it’s clear Luke’s words aren’t to be taken as a mere request. After a beat, Dinah and Xander leave the room, both heading up the open staircase behind me. When they’re gone, Luke presses a glass to my lips. “Drink this.”

  My stomach twists. “No,” I murmur.

  “Trust me.”

  I want to ask why I should, but before I can form the words, the scent of whatever is in the glass reaches my nostrils. The aroma is warm and heady and it makes me salivate. Whatever it is, I want it. I need it.

  Luke tips the liquid toward my mouth and I drink it down in deep gulps. It coats my throat, relieving the dryness that’s been building there. I drain the cup, each swallow dousing the flames that have been crackling through my veins.

  “You’ll need more soon, but that should be enough to get you through the worst of it,” Luke says.

  His words don’t make sense. What did I just drink? Why will I need more?

  I rub absently at the inside of my right wrist, my fingertips brushing the small white circles that mar the skin there. A memory flashes through my mind, so vivid it takes my breath away. At the bar, Luke bought me drinks. He invited me onto the dance floor. He told me he noticed me there before, and that I was always alone. I told him I didn’t know many people in town, that I moved here after graduating from high school, hoping for a fresh start. After more drinks and more dancing, he leaned down to kiss my neck. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t allow a stranger to do such a thing, but the alcohol in my system brought down my inhibitions, and I liked the way his lips felt on my skin. When he pulled back to look at me again, his eyes changed, going from blue to red in an instant.

  “Don’t scream,” he told me. “I won’t hurt you.” I obeyed—it was like I had no other choice. He bent toward my neck again, but this time, I felt stabs like needles in my neck. Later, after I told him about my premonition, he’d bent his head and bitten my wrist. I remember that initial pain being replaced immediately by a cold sensation, as if he’d injected me with some kind of numbing agent.

  “What did you do to me?” I ask now, unease spreading through my stomach.

  “Pretty sure I just saved your life,” he says, lifting his chin toward the glass I drank from. The residue left behind is red and my breath hitches. Is that what I think it is? Why did it make me feel so much better? “Like I said, you’ll burn through that pretty quickly. If you want, we can go into town and get you something more to eat.”

  I gulp. “Eat?” I get the feeling he doesn’t want to take me out for a burger.

  A smile curls his lips. “Come on, Ava. You didn’t strike me before as someone slow on the uptake. Don’t tell me you haven’t figured it out yet.”

  My mind gropes for an explanation, anything beyond the obvious. I’m a werewolf, aren’t I? Jack seems convinced. Jack turned me. But then what drew me here? Why am I only now starting to feel well again?

  “I was at the bar again last night,” Luke says, his finger displacing mine at the white scars on my wrist and tracing a line upward. “I was a little disappointed you weren’t there. But given your current state, I suppose I understand why. How’d it happen?”

  I should push his hand away, but I can’t. He strokes the tender skin on the inside of my forearm. It doesn’t spark the way it does when Jack is near, but it still sends shivers of pleasure shooting through me. “How did what happen?”

  His lips quirk upward again. “Isn’t it obvious? How did you die?”

  “I didn’t,” I say quickly. I want to go on, to tell him I’m a werewolf now, but something stills my tongue.

  Luke’s fingers move to my face and he traces the line of my jaw and the shape of my lips. “Look, it might be hard for you to accept, and I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you died. Otherwise you couldn’t be what you are now.”

  Icy dread spreads through my body. “And what exactly is that?”

  He runs the pad of his thumb over my lower lip. “I think you know.”

  Before I can tell him I don’t, that I have no idea what’s going on or what brought me here, he presses his lips to mine. I should push him away. Part of me wants to—desperately. But another part, a stronger one, won’t let me. Luke wants to kiss me, and I should let him. In fact, I want this. It’s what I’ve wanted since I met him at the bar the other night. I let him kiss my neck then. What’s so different about kissing his lips now? After all, he just saved me. If he hadn’t given me the drink, I could be dead now. I owe him everything.

  My hand finds the back of his neck and my fingers weave through the strands of hair there. His fingers trace the lines of my body, tickling my waist. I wonder vaguely if Dinah and Xander are still around. What if one of them walks in on us?

  No—I don’t care if they do. Luke wants to kiss me here, and that’s fine with me. In fact, I want it too.

  One of his hands tangles in my hair while the other snakes around my back. He pulls my body flush against his as he deepens the kiss. Everything feels so good—so right.

  Except it’s not. Even as my hands trace the lines of his broad shoulders and skate down the plane of his taut back, I can’t shake the sense that something’s wrong.

  Luke’s fingers inch my shirt up, chasing any doubts from my mind. He wants this, so I want this.

  Something in the air changes. A scent tickles my nose. I should know what it is, why it’s so familiar. It’s like burning—like a fire. Campfire.

  Chapter Eight

  There’s a crash and a sound like splintering wood. Luke pulls away and my eyelids fly open just in time to see Jack, Skye, and three other wolves from the pack burst into the room. And I do mean wolves—aside from Jack and Skye, they’re not in human form.

  Jack’s eyes land on me, and his face twists with pain for a split second before he glares at Luke. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  If Luke is bothered by Jack’s sudden appearance, he doesn’t show it. He barely shifts his body away from mine, and his hand is still pressed against the exposed skin of my back. “To what do I owe this unannounced home visit? Were you just in the neighborhood? Because I have to tell you, your timing sucks.”

  “Let her go,” Jack growls.

  Luke rolls his eyes, but after a beat he complies. He releases his hold on me before standing and facing the wolves. “If you’re this desperate for something to do, maybe your pack shouldn’t have killed Matilda and Leon. At the very least, their misdeeds gave you something to do.” He crosses his muscled arms over his chest. “I haven’t broken our deal, Jack. And since you took care of the last problem, no one else here has, either. Sinc
e when do you not trust me?”

  Jack’s eyebrows hitch upward. “Is that a serious question?”

  I look from Jack to Luke and back again, attempting to figure out exactly what’s happening. These two apparently know each other, but how? And why would the pack be responsible for the deaths of two people who lived here? I’m still new to werewolf life, but the crowd at the enclave doesn’t strike me as particularly murderous. At least, that’s what I thought. Now I’m not so sure.

  Several sets of feet pound down the open staircase behind me. It’s Xander plus two other guys, Dinah, and another woman, all apparently in their twenties. They glare at Jack and his entourage, their eyes flashing red. My stomach clenches. When Jack’s irises change to gold, the shift is comforting—but this switch is disconcerting.

  Dinah’s lips curl into a snarl. “Is there a problem here, Luke?” Her eyes don’t leave Jack as she speaks.

  “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out,” Luke says, his head tilting to the side. “Care to enlighten us?”

  The red-eyed crew on the stairs descends a few more steps and the wolves surrounding Jack and Skye growl their displeasure.

  “Are you honestly going to stand there and pretend you don’t know?” Jack’s eyes glitter gold and I can tell it’s taking considerable effort for him to keep from shifting into his wolf form. When Luke doesn’t respond, Jack lifts an arm to point at me. “What’s she doing here?”

  Confusion spreads across Luke’s face as he glances at me. “She just showed up here. What’s your interest in her?”

  “That’s my business,” Jack growls. “Let her go.”

  Luke holds his hands up innocently. “I swear, she’s here of her own volition. Why don’t you ask her what she wants?”

  Jack takes a few steps closer, still leaving a considerable distance between him and Luke. He holds his hand out. “Ava, come with me.”

  I push my hands into the leather cushion below me, ready to stand, to take Jack’s hand and leave with him. But one glance at Luke makes me question my decision. Do I really want to leave with Jack? What right does he have to barge in here and demand I go with him? Luke is right: I came here on my own. Maybe I want to stay.

  Skye takes a step closer. “Ava?” When I don’t respond, she turns her eyes on Luke. “What have you done to her?”

  Luke snorts. “Not a damn thing, she-wolf. So why don’t you untwist your panties and take your furry friends back to your wilderness home?”

  Skye and Jack exchange glances and a muscle in Jack’s jaw jumps.

  “Why is this girl so special to you?” Luke holds his hand to me and without thinking, I take it. “What’s it to you if she wants to stay here?”

  Jack takes another step forward. “We’re leaving with her. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand her over.”

  Luke lifts his chin, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “You should know better than anyone I don’t respond well to threats.”

  “And you should know I don’t make them idly.” Jack’s eyes don’t leave the other man’s face. “She’s coming with us. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Usually, I prefer being straightforward, but as you pointed out, things have been pretty quiet for me since we got rid of those scum-sucking leeches you let into your brood. If I’m honest, I wouldn’t mind doing things the hard way—just this once.”

  Luke steps toward Jack until there’s barely a foot between them. “Why are you so interested in this girl? What are you afraid I’m going to do to her?”

  Jack’s glare is icy. “I think we both know the answer to that.”

  The confidence in Luke’s expression wavers for a split second, but it’s long enough for Jack to make a move. He lunges forward and grabs my wrist, pulling me to my feet before I can think or react.

  In a flash, the room is in motion. Dinah lunges for the wolf nearest her—a hulking black figure I recognize despite the fact I’ve never seen him in this form. His name is Duncan; we chatted a little when Lillie was taking me to the gym to practice this morning. The two tumble to the ground in a swirl of teeth and claws. The other wolves run at the men and women on the stairs. Jack attempts to pull me toward the door, but Luke grabs my arm, managing to yank me out of Jack’s grip before shoving me to the wall behind him. While Jack and Luke begin throwing punches at each other, Skye runs toward me, calling my name.

  I should go with her. I should take her hand and run away from here, away from Luke and whatever craziness is happening in this house. Why can’t I do it? Why is this simple act so hard for me to go through with?

  Jack and Luke are locked in battle. I keep expecting Jack to shift into a wolf, but he stays human. The thing that surprises me most is the speed with which Luke moves. He’s a match in every way for Jack. But how is that possible? How can a human move so quickly?

  I know the answer; I just don’t want to accept it. I can’t accept it. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve known what Luke is ever since he gave me the glass to drink from.

  Why is it so hard? I took the news of the existence of werewolves in stride. Why am I having so much trouble accepting what this new evidence is pointing to?

  Because I don’t want it.

  The realization washes over me. I don’t want any part of whatever it is Luke and his friends are or what they do here. Whatever impulse drew me here is not one I want to indulge.

  The invisible force that kept me from moving dissipates and I reach for Skye’s hand. “I’ve got her!” she yells, pulling me toward the front door.

  As I follow, I watch the melee going on around us. Duncan is biting Dinah’s neck. She screams and pounds at the wolf’s back. Luke is momentarily distracted as I rush through the house, and Jack takes advantage of that fact by positioning himself behind Luke and snapping his neck in the blink of an eye.

  A scream escapes my lips as Jack yells, “Let’s get out of here!”

  Skye leads me to the passenger seat of the SUV I drove here. As soon as she has me safely buckled inside, she closes the door and shifts into wolf form before running toward the nearest trees. The other wolves head off in that direction as well. Jack runs to the driver’s side door and settles behind the wheel. I can’t look at him. I can’t accept what I just saw him do. Is this what he means when he says he’ll protect me? Is this really something I can live with?

  I know very little about Luke, about the kind of person he was, but no matter what, it can’t excuse what I just witnessed. He didn’t deserve to be murdered.

  Jack doesn’t speak until we’re several miles down the road. “Are you okay?” His tone is gentle, but with a hard undercurrent, like he’s daring me to question him.

  No matter the consequences, I can’t forget what I saw. I can’t put it behind me and move on. “You just killed him.”

  “No, I didn’t,” he says firmly.

  I turn to him and stare incredulously. What kind of fool does he take me for? “I’ve seen enough action movies to know what it looks like when someone snaps someone else’s neck.”

  He swerves the car and breaks hard on the side of the road, throwing me forward against my seatbelt. His gunmetal-blue eyes bore into me. “I don’t think you understand what was going on. I’m not sure I do entirely either. But let me assure you, Luke’s not dead. Yes, I snapped his neck.” His mouth twitches. “I’m not going to lie—it’s not even the first time. But he’ll live.”

  “How could he live through something like that?” But even as I ask the question, part of me knows the answer.

  Jack runs a hand through his dark hair, tousling the waves, making him look more like he did the night he saved me. “Why did you go there? You told me you were going to lie down, but then I sensed you leaving our territory. Why did you go to Luke?”

  I try to recall my thought process, but it eludes me like a dream. “I don’t know. I just knew I needed help. I found that house completely on instinct.”

  He presses his lips together and his eyebrows scr
unch. “What happened when you were there?”

  I flush, remembering the way Luke was kissing me when Jack walked in. Why was I letting him do that? I didn’t want to kiss him. The idea that Jack had to see that twists my stomach. “He didn’t hurt me,” I say quickly, afraid of making Jack feel he needs to retaliate more than he already has. “I’m okay. I don’t know what came over me…”

  He shakes his head as if trying to dispel something unpleasant. “We’ll figure it out later. For now, I just want to get you home.”

  I nod. “I’d like that.”

  We don’t speak again for the rest of the drive back to the enclave. By the time we pull up in front of my house, I’m feeling weak again—shaky, the way I was when I left the gym. I try several times to undo the clasp on the seatbelt before Jack comes around to take care of it for me.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I murmur as Jack helps me from the car.

  “I’m not sure either,” he says, trying to help me to my feet. When it’s clear my legs are too unsteady to support me, he scoops me up in his arms and carries me effortlessly toward the door. “But whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  His words fill me with warmth. I believe him.

  He carries me all the way to my room in the back of the house. There are two bedrooms, and I felt bad taking the larger one with a better view, but Lillie wouldn’t hear of me taking the smaller one. She even filled a vase with flowers for my dresser and lent me a few items to make the room feel more lived-in—including a hairbrush, a small mirror, and an unmatched sock because, she insisted, every room needed at least one random sock to prove someone really lived in it.

  “Hopefully after some rest you’ll feel better. While you’re asleep, I’m going to contact a friend of mine. She might know how to help.” He lays me in the middle of the king-size mattress and sits down beside me. He takes my hand in his and squeezes it. I try to return pressure, but my muscles don’t want to obey.

  I find Jack’s eyes. “I’m afraid,” I whisper. I feel like I’m fading—the way I did when I was bleeding out in the bar parking lot. Jack said he’d never seen anyone as far gone as I was complete the transition. Maybe it wasn’t as successful as he’d hoped. Maybe the change hasn’t fully transformed me and nature is going to take its course.