I screamed as pain shot through me, fast and undeniable.
“You are delightfully obtuse, girl. My master will love you,” Clay went on, keeping his thumb in the open wound.
“I won’t let you take me,” I whispered through tears, breathing erratically and hard. It grew tougher with each inhale to keep breathing. How badly I wanted to pass out, but I couldn’t. It was almost like I was being forced to stay here, to witness this, to be at Clay’s mercy. Mercy of which he had none. “I won’t…let you…” Even my words grew harder to speak—and they were already next to impossible to say, thanks to my torn esophagus.
“Let me?” Clay echoed, grinning. His teeth were pearly white, seeming to glow in the darkness of the living room. The moon’s light had gone away, sometime during Sarah’s transformation. His eyes flashed a glowing red as a maroon mist started to seep into the house beneath the front door. “Dear girl, you can’t stop me from doing anything. I am a death priest, and you, while somewhat unique, are a witch and a shifter. Both of which are more common than your human upbringing would lead you to believe.”
“How—” I could not get another word out, for the red mist had gotten to me, curled around my throat, choking.
Clay continued to smile, the hand not pressing into the wound reaching to my face, cupping a cheek, stroking me a bit too tenderly for my liking. Any touch by him was not wanted. “I know more about you than you think. Come to the clearing before nightfall tomorrow, and I will tell you everything. Fail to show, and I will have no choice but to remind you who has all the power here.” His eyes, still that deathly, luminescent red, grew brighter, his hand falling from my cheek.
The mist that had choked me curled upwards, flowing into my nose and mouth. I couldn’t even scream, couldn’t cry out. This was going to be my end. I was going to die here, I knew. There was nothing worse than not being able to lift a finger to stop it.
My eyes closed, and I released myself to oblivion.
I woke with a jerk, eyelids flying open to stare at the ceiling. The normal, non-mist-coated ceiling. I inhaled deeply, my throat feeling normal, and as I sat up, I glanced at my hand. Wound-free. And from the look of it, I was not covered in any blood.
And my mom?
Though I knew it had to have been a dream, a nightmare of epic proportions and horror movie material, I had to make sure my mom was all right, had to see if she was safe from Clay’s wrath. If I lost Sarah…I couldn’t even think it. It was so horrible, so awful. Sarah was all I had; at least all I had a week ago. Now, I might have the pack, but nothing and no one could replace my mom.
I whipped off the sheets and ran to the stairs, breathing hard, as if still trying to regain myself after that stupid, frightening nightmare sequence. As I passed the guys’ rooms, I heard them crack open their doors and ask me something along the lines of what’s wrong, but I didn’t, couldn’t stop to answer them. Not until I knew Sarah was okay.
I nearly tripped going down the stairs by taking them too fast, and as I rounded the corner into the living room and spotted my mom yawning and getting up, I didn’t hesitate before I threw my arms around her shoulders, hugging her close and hard. Water started to leak at the corners of my eyes, but I held the tears back; I would not cry because of a nightmare Clay induced.
I would not let him win.
Sarah was too tired at first, but within a minute, she hugged me back. “What is it, honey? What’s wrong?” She didn’t know Clay could enter dreams or what he’d done to me in them.
And how scarily real it had felt.
Clay wanted me to come to the clearing before nightfall tomorrow, and if I didn’t, he’d show me who had all the power, whatever the hell that meant. I knew I wasn’t strong enough to fight him yet, but I had no idea what he meant by his threat. If only the bad guys would learn to be more specific in their threats, the good guys could better prepare themselves.
Then again, it wasn’t like the bad guys wanted to make it any easier for those who dared to stand against them.
I waited until I was sure I’d be able to talk without bursting into tears—no one here needed an emotional Addie. “I’m fine. Sorry, I just…had a nightmare,” I muttered, pulling out of the hug.
A nightmare. The truth, but it sounded oh so lame coming out of my mouth. So freaking lame. And I felt even worse when I glanced to the stairwell, noting each of the three guys standing there, confused, tired, and curious. And, of course, concerned.
“Oh, honey, it’s all right. We all have them sometimes,” Sarah spoke, smoothing out my hair. My bedhead. It was—I noticed—midnight, and I already had a severe case of bedhead and a nightmare involving Clay.
Great.
It also meant that today was the day Clay wanted me to go to the clearing, to meet with him and be taken God knew where.
No secondary locations for me, thanks.
Sarah then asked the token parental question, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, it’s okay,” I said, my arms dropping to my sides. My breathing was back to normal, and I would go back to sleep, somehow. “I’m sorry I woke you all up,” I apologized to everyone in the room.
I avoided looking at anyone as I hurried up the stairs. Now that I didn’t feel freaked out, I just felt embarrassed. It was a feeling I often had here, and a feeling I knew I would have again.
Acting like a childish fool in front of my future mates? On my list of things to do since I was ten.
I headed into the bathroom, turning on the faucet and watching the water come out clear. That dream totally ruined showers for me, at least for a while. My skin grew goosebumps, and I pretended not to hear the guys’ footsteps following me.
Maze stood at the doorway of the bathroom, asking quietly, “You sure you’re okay?”
I gave him a smile and a nod, watching him go back to bed, scratching the backside of his head. Landon paused to only meet my eyes. The wolf said nothing, and neither did I. The third one, Dylan, looked a little weird without his glasses. I expected him to file away like Landon, but the other twin came in the bathroom with me, pausing only to yawn before he spoke.
“I might be blind without my glasses, but my ears work, if you want me to listen.”
Before I knew what I was doing, I hugged him. Pressed my face to his neck and breathed him in like the wolf I sort-of was. Dylan radiated a kind, soft comfort, and I was kind of glad he couldn’t see, because I may or may not have been tearing up as I remembered the nightmare and Clay’s ominous words.
Dylan was slow to wrap his arms around me, returning the hug without a word. He moved his head, pressing his lips to my forehead, giving me the gentlest kiss I imagined a wolf could give. “Everything will be okay, Addie. Whatever happens, we’ll face it together,” he murmured after the kiss, his lips brushing against my skin with every word.
If I could erase the worry, the fright that had settled deep within me, I would, and then I would let this moment continue forever. Feeling his arms around me, strong and comforting, made me nearly forget all of my worries.
Nearly, but not quite. It would take a strong kind of spell, or one of the glowing sticks from Men in Black, to make me totally forget about Clay and his warning. Clay would make good on his threat, I knew, but I also knew I couldn’t go waltzing into the clearing and expect to beat him. Not yet. It was too soon. Way too soon. I’d been naive enough to believe I’d have more time to learn, to practice.
“Thank you,” I whispered, pulling myself from him, quickly turning my face away. “Night, Dylan.” Though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel the lazy, tired smile he gave me. His dimples were not as deep as Maze’s, even though they were twins. With his blonde hair messed-up, his eyes drowsy, and the blonde stubble on his face—he was a devastating kind of cute.
“Goodnight,” he whispered, smiling as he left the bathroom and headed to his room, padding quietly. They all walked in synch with their wolves, near soundless. I knew I could only hear them because I was now connected
to my inner wolf. Before? They were like ghosts, popping in and out of rooms. Ghosts, or the Flash.
Once I was alone again, I met my eyes in the mirror. Their green hue looked exhausted, tired. The sink faucet was still on, water pouring from its tap. I reached my hands under it, bringing a handful of water to my face and splashing my skin.
It was cold water, and it jarred me awake, but I didn’t care. It would be a long while before I would be able to calm my heart and go back to sleep. I had to tell someone about it, and I debated whether or not they’d believe me. When magic was involved, who was to say what was possible and what wasn’t?
It was more than clear Clay was a strong warlock, a powerful death priest. What was he capable of? What more could he do? Surely, the destruction he promised would be worse than the murder cabin and the rows of handmade crosses.
Twenty-four wolves, dead. One enslaved, and another about to join their number. If I hadn’t found Landon, found the cabin, that number would’ve been twenty-five. What else could he do, short of annihilating the whole pack? Did he have that much power at his disposal? The mere thought sent a shiver down my spine, dread creeping up on me like an unwelcomed, old friend.
I could not let Clay win this.
Chapter Twelve – Addie
Sleep was not my friend that night. When I finally decided to roll my tired self out of bed, I wished I had some concealer to hide the bags beneath my eyes. At least then I would give off the impression of being awake.
I went straight to practicing with Sarah. This time I tried my best not to send anything flying; there were a lot of holes in the drywall thanks to me, and one book stuck so deeply in a two by four that neither me nor Sarah could get it out. We’d enlisted the guys’ help, and even with their strength, the book would not budge. It was now officially part of the structural integrity of the house, apparently.
If I couldn’t get levitation right, how the hell was I supposed to stand against Clay and last more than a minute? Less than that, probably, if he took out his soul-sucking face again, like in my dreams.
That was something I did not need to see in real life.
Time passed in a blur, and I made a bit of progress, but nowhere near the amount of progress I wanted, hoped to make. It was a foolish, impossible hope, wanting to learn all I could and to be able to face Clay on somewhat equal terms. I wasn’t sure how old the death priest was, but he was definitely older than me, and no doubt he’d been practicing his death magic for nearly his entire life.
Yeah, he was a bit ahead of me on that, wasn’t he?
It was after one successful levitation—this time a pillow, because we’d learned our lesson after using books—that I suddenly grew restless. I did not want to spend all day practicing. I had to get out, off the floor of the living room and stretch my legs. I had to think. I needed time, and time was something that ran short, unfortunately.
I had until tonight to figure out what the heck I was going to do.
After telling my mom I needed a little break, Sarah made the comment she wasn’t going to be around forever. And she didn’t mean she was going to die—Sarah meant she was going to go home, because unlike me, she’d chosen another life, not the pack. She wouldn’t change her mind just because I wanted to stay in Crystal Lake.
As Sarah wandered to the kitchen to make some lunch, I said, “You know, you can go, if you want. I think I got the hang of it.” At least if Sarah was out of here, it was one less thing I would have to worry about when it came to Clay and his machinations.
Sarah gave me a withering look. “Don’t be stupid, Addie. I’ll stay for another few days. You are improving, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say you’ve got it down pat.”
Well, that was that. There was no arguing with her when Sarah had already made up her mind. I only nodded along, turning to head out of the house. It was a new day, the guys were off doing God knew what, and I had to learn to calm my nerves down.
If I had any sort of luck, my absentee, high warlock of a father would swoop in and save the day at the last minute.
But I wasn’t lucky. If recent events had anything to show, it was that I was caught in a rather bad bout of unfortunateness as of the moment. Learning everything in my life was a lie, learning everything my mom had kept from me—it was something that still kind of bugged me, even though I knew it shouldn’t. It wasn’t something I could forget and forgive at the drop of a hat.
I drew myself through the side streets of Crystal Lake, eventually finding myself standing before Forest’s house. I wasn’t sure whether or not Forest was actually in his home, but then again, it wasn’t Forest whom I came to visit. I needed to put some distance between me and the alpha, anyway. Things were getting way too complicated between us, and it was a complication I did not need to add to my list of problems.
I went inside the house—the no knocking thing would take some getting used to, because even when I’d gone to visit friends’ houses, I’d always knocked. It was just a human thing, apparently. Here, everyone was welcomed anywhere at all times.
No wonder so many of them were kidnapped by Clay. The shifters made it easy for him. Plus, Clay did have some help. Jack’s help, though it was forced with a controlling spell.
As I shut the yellow front door behind me, I spotted an unfamiliar wolf guarding the door to the basement in the hallway. Landon stood in the kitchen, making himself toast. Just like the no-knock thing, everyone ate everyone else’s food. They’d learn soon enough I did not share my food. It was one thing that would not change.
“If you’re looking for Forest,” Landon started, turning away from the toaster, balancing a butter knife on his pointer finger, “he’s out by the lake with the others, getting things ready for tonight.” There was a lingering malice beneath his words; the wolf had been furious when he’d walked into his living room and saw the books sticking out of the walls and ceiling. He refused to use their kitchen because of the lone book I managed to break through one of the cabinets.
Out of everyone, he had the temper, and though I knew I should not like it, I kind of did. Landon was a kaleidoscope of emotions, a roller coaster of feelings. Would I ever know what it was like to ride him?
Okay, wait a second. That analogy got way out of hand, fast.
I quickly looked away from him, refusing to get swept up in those blasted blue eyes. “I’m not here for Forest.” I went past him in the kitchen, grabbing a bowl out of the sink and more meat from the fridge.
When Landon realized what I was going to do, he groaned. “Again? That asshole doesn’t deserve shit from you.” Without waiting for my reply, he poked his head in the hall and said, “Do not let her into that basement, Mike.”
Mike, the unfamiliar wolf standing guard, made an affirmative sound.
As I finished opening the beef package, my hands covered in the stuff as I moved it to a plate, I rolled my eyes. I’d be damned if I let anyone stop me from going in that basement, whether they were a wolf or not, and I wasn’t going to forget about Jack. Yes, he might’ve hurt Landon. Yes, he might’ve hurt the others too, but he had no choice. He had no control over himself. Clay did all of it. Clay was the one the pack should mistrust, not Jack. He shouldn’t be locked in that basement, kept like a prisoner…
Still, that said, I understood where the pack was coming from. Jack was obviously a lone wolf. If he had a pack, they probably would’ve come looking for him. Could a lone wolf ever truly fit in with a pack? Was Clay’s control fully severed? Landon had been alone when Forest found him, but he came from a pack before, even though it wasn’t exactly a good one.
Had Jack been alone his whole life? Did he ever have a pack? Would he want to fit in with the Crystal Lake pack, if he was given the choice? I hoped we would all be around to find out.
When I had a plate full of meat and a bowl filled with water, I marched right past Landon’s annoyed and exasperated stare and into the hall. If I would’ve had a free hand, I might’ve done the bird flip, given him the midd
le finger salute. I’d never flipped anyone off before, but Landon deserved it right now.
Trying to control me. Who did he think he was? This wasn’t the middle ages; I wasn’t property. I was my own person, and darn it, I would make my own decisions, even if they were bad ones. That way, if something went wrong, I would have no one to blame but myself.
I headed straight for Mike, who, honestly, looked more like a biker than a wolf. A large build, slightly on the chubby side, with a giant brown beard hanging past his chest and piercings in his ears. How did that work, exactly? Did the piercings stay when he shifted, or did he have to stop and take them each out before?
Now wasn’t the time to wonder about that.
He had his arms crossed, a leather jacket covering his torso and torn jeans above leather boots on his bottom half. He stood much taller than me, and his glare was squinted and unimpressed at my approach. To say he was an intimidating man would not be enough of a description. He looked like the kind of man I would never want to come across in an alleyway.
Still, I wasn’t going to let him and Landon intimidate me. I puffed up, acting taller than my nearly five-and-a-half-foot frame let me. I met Mike’s stare unapologetically, unblinking as I spoke in a bare, harsh whisper, “Move.”
Damn. I sounded tough. I wasn’t nearly as tough as I sounded, but Mike didn’t need to know that.
Mike’s eyes studied me, and for a while, neither of us moved, neither of us backed down. His lips curled down into a frown, and he broke eye contact to shoot a look at Landon, who’d poked his head out of the kitchen to watch.
“No one is supposed to visit the traitor,” Mike muttered.
“Really? Says who? The asshole of a wolf in the kitchen, or your alpha?” I had none of his excuse. “Or just you, hoping to get me to move along and forget about it? Well, sorry buddy, but I’m going down into that basement, whether I have to go through you or not. I’ve never fought a wolf before, but you should probably know I’ve been practicing my magic. Because, you know, I’m half wolf and half witch. I could levitate you right out of here. Is that what you want?” I cocked my head at Mike, waiting on an answer.
Crystal Lake Pack: The Complete Series: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance Page 27