by May Dawson
I wanted to be with her, but the best way I could take care of was to leave. That damned chain was still coiled around her neck. Her throat was white, but her skin looked pink and irritated along the metal outline. My hands knotted into fists.
People mistook me for an idiot, far too often, because I was an upbeat guy. I’d already walked through hell, and I’d decided not to let it turn me into one of the demons. I’d fought to find the good in life and to focus on that instead of sliding into cynicism. It was easy to be jaded. Lazy. Kai didn’t like it when I said that, but I was determined to shake my sullen brother out of his habits.
But when someone hurt one of mine…well. The demon was there, I guessed, deep inside. Because I wanted more than anything to hurt Eli.
Piper’s eyes fluttered open. I knelt next to the couch. “Sorry,” I said softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s all right. I’d be tossing and turning anyway.” Her voice came out husky with sleep, sexy and adorable. “It’s nice having someone here when I wake up.”
I felt a twinge of guilt for leaving her. Great, there was no winning; apparently, I was going to feel guilty whether I left or stayed.
“Kai’s going to watch over you for a while,” I said. “I’m going looking for Eli.”
She scrambled up onto her elbows. “Josh.”
“Yeah?” I wanted to call her something—that yeah sounded so harsh without a nickname to soften it—but I wasn’t sure she’d like it. And what was she, anyway? A baby? A sweetheart?
She wasn’t supposed to be any of those things to me, and the thought made me feel trapped and furious, all over again, just like that collar around her neck did.
A frown dimpled the space between her clear blue eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Finally, I gave into the desire to touch her, smoothing her hair back from her hot forehead with my palm. Her lashes fluttered, as if my touch was pleasant to her, and something stirred in me. Not just lust, or protectiveness. It was something deeper, and unfamiliar, and addictive.
“Be careful,” she said. “You shouldn’t go…it’s dangerous.”
“It’s not,” I assured her. “I’m the most dangerous thing out there tonight. Witches are squishy.” I made a squeezing motion with one fist.
Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “That’s the most wolfish thing I’ve heard you say.”
“I am what I am,” I said.
She chewed on her lower lip, her eyes troubled. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and make her feel better, but she clearly had something she needed to say, so I waited. Finally, she admitted, “I don’t know how to deal with this,” she touched the necklace, then yanked her fingers away as if it burned, “on my own. But I feel so selfish. I don’t want you to get hurt for my sake.”
I shook my head. I’d risk my safety for her in a heartbeat. “Don’t worry, I won’t be the one to get hurt.”
Her eyes were warm blue pools, like deep ocean water, that I could get lost in. “Eli’s dangerous. More dangerous than I thought, and I already thought he was a pretty bad guy…”
“He’s a witch,” I interrupted. I raised my shirt, showing her the tattoos on my pecs. “Yes, he’s dangerous. But I’m warded to block his magic.”
She leaned forward, her eyes intent, and lifted her fingertips as if to touch my ink. My abs contracted, my body practically vibrating with desire, but her fingertips hovered an inch away from my pecs and then fell. “But…then how…”
“The power of wards was something Callum discovered after most of our family was murdered.” A bitter note crept into my voice, and I shook my head, clearing it away. Packs lived in isolation, avoiding other packs. It was dangerous. If the packs shared information, if they weren’t stupid, my parents might still be alive.
“Let me do what I’m going to do,” I went on, more softly. “You and I might not be fated to love each other, Piper. But I can tell you, I’ll always be your friend. I’ll always have your back.”
She glanced away, her eyes suddenly liquid blue. “Let me help, somehow…”
“You can help by staying here and recovering while I chase down that cowardly witch,” I said firmly. And then, a bit more tentatively, I added, “And a kiss for good luck wouldn’t hurt.”
Her eyes met mine and widened. Her face shifted, as if I’d just chased away the sadness—for the moment, anyway—and she closed the distance between us, pressing her lips against mine.
Whenever she was close to me, my heart raced, my blood heated, and some primitive inner part of my growled mine. I couldn’t help wrapping my arms around her hard, kissing her back as fiercely as I felt. She grinned against my lips, and then the smile fell away. Whatever she’d found funny was lost as we traded kisses. Her hands caressed my abs, pressing against my waist.
She grabbed my belt, pulling me toward her as she fell back into the pillows. Her fingers against my jeans, against my thigh, made me harden. I braced myself with an arm on the couch, holding my weight away from her. As her lips sought mine, I broke away, pressing kisses to her neck, tracing my way down to her throat. She moaned, a ragged, eager sound. Her bare foot traced up my calf, as if she was about to pin my legs to hers.
“Well?” Callum said from the doorway, his voice harsh and impatient.
I pulled away from her in a hurry. “Knocking, Callum. It’s a thing. And you say we went feral.”
“Feral’s not about human manners, boy. It’s about loyalty to the pack.”
“I’m loyal,” I promised, but my gaze was still on Piper’s. Those gorgeous, liquid-blue eyes stared back into mine, then crinkled at the corners, as if she heard my promise to her.
I leaned forward, kissing her one more time. Her lips were soft and sweet.
“I’ll be back to break that enchantment before you know it,” I told her, standing from the couch.
“Are you sure this is what we need to do?” she asked. “There isn’t another way? Something safer?”
“Nah,” I told her. “There’s not a lot of something safe in the world of witches and wolves.”
“We’ll get that curse broken and help you and Maddie set up somewhere far away from here, if that’s what you want,” Callum said firmly. “Somewhere you’ll never have to think about witches or wolves ever again.”
A rueful smile twisted her pretty lips. “I have a funny feeling I’ll keep thinking about wolves.”
Something stabbed in my chest at the thought. Jesus, was she going to miss me as much as I’d miss her?
There was no way this was right.
I’d fight fate too, if it came down to it. There was no way some pack lore was stronger than my own instincts. They’d kept me alive so far.
But for now, I had to protect her.
Callum grunted in response to her words. Then he jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s go. We’re burning night.”
I pulled a face behind his back—and the smile she gave me in response warmed my chest—then followed.
By the time we were crossing the backyard, we were stripping. I stopped under the moonlight at the edge of the trees to roll my clothes into a ball with my shoes inside. Usually, if I knew I’d have to shift back, I only carried my jeans—the more shit I had to carry in my jaws, the harder it was to move and the rougher it was on my wardrobe—but tonight, I might just have to stroll into the party and drag Eli Kingston out by his hair. That was worth sinking my teeth into flannel.
“Ready?” Callum asked as I tied the last knot.
I dropped the bundle into the grass in answer. “Let’s do this.”
The change never came easy. I heard my voice groan, and then change into an animal sound, the desperate sound of a wolf in pain. As my muscles shifted, they became charged with energy and restlessness.
The big white head of the alpha wolf shoved into my side, checking in on me, and I made a soft sound in response. Still fully human, and yet wolf at the same time. Callum’s eyes glittered as he checked me over, making
sure I was okay, then he turned and ran into the woods. I was glad to run, to let my powerful muscles loose and feel alive as I raced through the forest.
We reached the edge of the lake and ran through the soft mud of the bank as a cool rain began to fall. Then the lights of the lake house were in front of us, visible through the lattice of branches at the edge of the lake. I dropped my bundle and began the change.
A few minutes later, I cursed as I rubbed my sore shoulders. The lingering ache in my joints was the worst part of the change.
“You going to put on your pants?” Callum asked drily. He was already dressed, and he crossed barefoot to the edge of the lake. He dipped his hand slowly into the black water, careful not to make a sound as he glanced toward the house, to slap the water into his face. He shook his head as he stood. But that was the only sign he showed of having a tough time with the change.
“I haven’t had as much practice as you, sorry.” I’d started the transformation a few years before, when I still lived with my adoptive parents. I’d been convinced that the wolves and witches that haunted my dreams were nothing but childhood nightmares. Then I found myself waking up naked and terrified in the forest, a few shreds of my clothes still clinging around my wrists and legs, with the taste of blood in my mouth and a blinding headache.
Eli Kingston was going to think he’d gotten blackout drunk in the morning, but he had no idea what a transformation hangover was like.
“Putting on pants?”
“You know what I mean.” I pulled on my shirt and shoved my feet into my shoes, then moved next to him in the brush. “You see the loser?”
He nodded, his nostrils flaring. I followed his gaze to the house. A bunch of loudmouth guys congregated on the deck overlooking the water, smoking cigars and chatting. Eli seemed to be among them. A couple stumbled out of the house and into their car, which was parked at the front of the house. “I think it’s clearing out. Not a lot of people anymore, and the music’s turned down.”
“Maybe he’ll leave soon and we can get him on the way.”
“I thought you wanted to go in there and kick his ass,” Callum said.
“I do.” He didn’t need to rub my nose in the fact I was following his goddamn plan, whether I liked it or not.
The silence stretched between us as we watched the house. It lasted long enough for me to wonder if he meant it that way, or if I was just reading the worst in him.
It would help if Callum ever just talked. He mostly gave orders. Who knew what the hell went on in his head?
“I thought the alpha and the beta usually had a mutual respect,” I said. Was it just because I was younger than he was?
He didn’t look away from the house, but his eyebrows arched. “I do respect you, Josh.”
Sure.
“Do I trust you where your heart’s involved?” he went on. “Well. Let’s not get carried away.”
Oh, there was the usual barb.
“It’s not my heart,” I said. “It’s my instinct. Shouldn’t a wolf follow his instincts?”
“That girl means well,” he said. “But she’s poison to our pack.”
I shook my head. “And yet. You want to help her?”
“Because she does mean well, and she’s an innocent, I want to help her by moving her far from here,” he said bluntly. “I don’t know why you fixed on her, but we mate for life, and you already have a mate. And I’m done discussing it.”
That was the longest speech I’d heard Callum give in a long time, and I wasn’t going to make things better by testing him now.
My lips tightened, holding back anything else I might say.
“I promised your father I’d look after you,” Callum said. “And I’ve fucked it all up, but I’m not going to stop trying.”
His face in profile was expressionless, but I didn’t think he felt nothing when he said it.
“Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on Eli?” he said gruffly.
My gaze snapped back to the deck. “He doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere in a hurry.”
“All right,” Callum said. “Go get him.”
“You sure?”
“Don’t give away that you know anything about the spell,” Callum said. “Just find an excuse to kick his ass. Do your best to chase him toward the woods—I’ll take care of it if you get him close.”
I nodded.
One corner of Callum’s mouth curled up, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “You should see the look on your face. Like it’s Christmas.”
“You don’t need to buy me a present this year,” I said, pushing my sleeves up my forearms.
There was just something magic about kicking the ass of the man who hurt your girl.
Even if no one else thought she could ever be yours.
I skirted the edge of the woods so I could emerge, unseen, into the driveway and the tire-pitted front yard. After crossing the porch, I accidentally slammed open the door to the lake house. Maybe I had a little too much enthusiasm right now.
The living room was empty now, the lights turned down low, although there were beer bottles and red cups everywhere. Looking through to the end of the house, I could see the patio doors standing open to the deck. The air stunk of human sweat and lust, and sour beer and sickly-sweet punch. My nostrils flared.
“Who’s there?” someone called from the deck. “You bring Jenny back?”
There was scattered laughter from the seven guys still on the deck. I’d counted before I came in.
“Not Jenny,” I called back. The door in front of me was half open, so I pushed it the rest of the way open and stepped out onto the deck.
Eli’s eyes narrowed. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Oh, I’m so glad to be here.”
He almost tripped as he headed toward me, his movement jerky—the combination of rage and drunk was not his friend—and jabbed his finger in my chest. “You think you’re such hot shit. But you’re not—”
I wasn’t getting into a verbal sparring match with him. I smiled back at him, glancing at the rest of the guys. They were standing back for now, watching this situation escalate, puffing on their cigars and leaning against the railing. For right now, I was the entertainment.
I grabbed Eli’s throat and shoved him across the deck. Someone swore and someone dove out of my way, and by the time anyone even though about coming after me, Eli clawed at my shoulders as his back slammed into the deck railing.
Now there was someone at my back, but I was already ducking low, so they hit the railing above me, just before I grabbed Eli around the legs and launched myself up.
He flipped over the railing and screamed just before he plummeted…all six feet to the gravel.
I elbowed the guy who’d come after me out of my way and vaulted the railing after him, landing lightly on my feet.
Eli struck me as a guy who liked a fight, but maybe I’d misjudged him. He was groaning as he got to his feet, and he glowered at me. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What did you do to Piper?” I asked. “She was scared of you.”
“Is this really what this is about?” He rubbed his shoulder. “You came storming in here because that little whore cried to you?”
“You should really try to throw a punch. I’m going to feel guilty about this otherwise.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Eli promised me. “No matter what happens tonight. You’d better watch your back.”
“Are you going to throw that punch?” I looked up at the guys crowding the railing, currently not helping their friend, and raised my hands in an exaggerated gesture of frustration. “Guess your buddy’s a coward. Who didn’t see that coming?”
He finally launched himself at me, trying to tackle me around the waist. I twisted to one side, catching his ankle with mine, and knocked him down. I glanced toward the woods as he fell, knowing Callum was out there. I hadn’t expected it to be difficult to get Eli to fight me. What the hell was wrong with this kid?
He
threw himself into my legs, and I came down on top of him, punching him across the face. I hit him a second time, then shoved him away from me, and he rolled across the grass.
He sprang to his feet and sprinted toward the front of the house, where the cars were parked. I slammed into his side, knocking him off balance, and shoved him toward the woods. There was a hollering on the deck—his friends had finally decided to help him—and I glanced behind me to see the coast clear for a second as his friends piled through the house.
“Now,” I called as I shoved Eli into the shadows.
Eli turned his head to look back at me, rage and helplessness in his eyes, just before Callum clapped the wet towel in his hand over Eli’s mouth and nose. I blinked hard as my own eyes began to sting from the chemical scent. Eli struggled, making a desperate sound, before he lurched to the ground.
“Those assholes are going to help us out and they don’t even know it,” Callum said. He threw Eli over his shoulders easily, and the two of us ran through the woods, ducking under branches and twisting through the brush. Even in human form, it wasn’t hard to outrun them—our vision was sharper in the night and we were faster than any true human.
It bought us the time for Callum to dump Eli between two fallen oak trees. He unzipped his backpack and quickly rolled up the sleeve of Eli’s fleece, tapping the crook of his elbow to fatten the vein. Then he slid a needle in quickly, filling a syringe with blood.
As soon as he had tucked the syringes carefully into a hard shell case, he slid another needle, loaded with yellow fluid, into that same vein. “There. He won’t remember the last hour.”
That was a pity. “I hope someone tells him what a coward he was.”
“Something to look forward to at school on Monday,” Callum said, shaking his head as he zipped his backpack up. “Sometimes I forget what a boy you still are. All right, those fools don’t seem as close on our heels as I expected. We’ll have to drag him back.”
I sighed, but grabbed Eli’s wrist, carefully pulling his sleeve back down to hide the trickle of blood. Then I put my shoulder into his stomach and lifted him up. His weight settled heavily on my shoulders and neck, and holding him so close to me made me bristle with irritation.