by Bella Night
“Drink, a yo li,” her mother crooned.
Etti smiled. Her mother hadn’t called her that in ages. It meant child in Cherokee, and it warmed Etti’s heart to hear kindness in her mother’s voice. Etti sipped the liquid and let it soothe her. She leaned her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes again.
“Sleep, a yo li. I’ll be right by your side.”
Etti awoke to the sounds of the hounds baying downstairs. Then she swore she heard Wes’s voice. She must have been hallucinating. Why would Wes be at her parents’ house? At . . . what time was it? It was dark outside. It had to be late. Or was it early? She couldn’t remember. Her mind was so hazy. She had the distinct feeling she was forgetting something. She tried to sit up but her mother was there.
“Drink, Etu.” Her mother put the mug to Etti’s lips and she drank again.
The warm liquid filled Etti with a pleasant feeling and made her instantly drowsy. Her mind went numb and sleep began to pull her back under. But then she heard Wes’s voice again. It was clear as day this time. She heard footsteps thundering up the old farmhouse stairs, then her father’s voice. He was arguing with Wes.
Etti struggled to sit up again. “Wes?” she murmured.
“You’re not well, Etu. I’ll go talk to Wes and tell him to come back tomorrow.” Etti’s mother pushed her back against the pillows and handed Etti the mug again. “Drink.” Then she rose from the chair next to the bed and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Etti heard voices in the hall. Wes’s boomed over her parents’.
“Why not . . . But I want to see her . . . No, this can’t wait until tomorrow . . . I don’t care. I’m not leaving . . . Fine, I’ll just wait here then . . . Do you have anything to eat? I’m starving.”
Then the voices and footsteps trailed away, down the steps, most likely to the kitchen to feed Wes’s never-ending appetite. Etti smiled, remembering the hundreds of times her mother had scolded Wes when they were children, saying he’d eat them out of house and home.
Etti was just drifting off into her few pleasant childhood memories when a blast of cold air startled her awake. She stared in disbelief at the beautiful man standing in her bedroom. Her white lace curtains fluttered around him like angel wings and all of her memories came flooding back.
She gasped. “Grey?”
He held his finger to his lips and moved silently toward her, away from the window he’d soundlessly climbed through.
“We’ve gotta go, babe,” he whispered as he scooped her up. “Put your arms around my neck and don’t make a sound.”
Etti nodded. There was fear in his tone, but her heart instantly told her to trust him. She didn’t ask any questions. She just let him carry her to the window, noting the hardness of his muscles through the thin material of her cotton nightgown. He put her down for a moment to climb through the window and then he took her hand and guided her safely through.
He picked her up again, carrying her swiftly to the edge of the roof. Her heart began to pound, thinking he was going to jump. But he set her down again and scampered onto an old extension ladder. She recognized it from the barn. It hadn’t been used in years. She tried to protest but he was already on the ladder urging her to follow.
“Quickly!” He climbed down a few rungs and waited for Etti to follow.
She swallowed hard and climbed onto the ladder. It bowed under their weight and Grey grabbed the sides, sliding all the way to the ground. Etti gasped. There was no way she could do that. She may dress like Lara Croft but she had none of the skills to back it up. She scurried down the ladder as quickly as she could and took Grey’s hands. He led her around the back of the house and then they sprinted toward the road.
Etti’s bare feet barked in pain as she ran alongside Grey, but she didn’t stop. Running forced blood to roar through her veins, lifting the hazy veil of sleep that had been dulling her senses. She felt urgent terror radiating from Grey like a fog and it was enough to keep Etti moving through the pain biting at her bare feet.
They’d cleared the last fence on her property and were coming to the dirt road when Etti saw Wes’s white pickup truck parked on the shoulder. Grey was dragging her straight toward it. Her feet were bleeding and she couldn’t catch her breath but Grey didn’t stop. He flung open the door and shoved Etti into the truck, following quickly behind. He turned the key and the engine caught. She noticed he didn’t turn on the headlights until they’d gone about a mile or so. Thankfully, the moon was bright and there was never any traffic on the secluded road.
Grey seemed to relax a little when they turned onto a paved road and blended in with the traffic. He still hadn’t said a word to her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
“Grey . . . what’s going on?”
He was silent for so long Etti thought maybe he hadn’t heard her. But then he reached over and pulled her closer so he could keep his arm over her shoulder while he drove. “I have to ask you something important. But I need a few minutes.” He shuddered and took a deep breath. “I just need a few more minutes with you . . . with just us . . . if that’s alright?”
A tight lump was forming in Etti’s throat. Something was terribly wrong. Despair was growing in her like a weed. But she trusted Grey with her life. She loved him. And if he said he needed a minute, she could give him that.
Etti nodded and snuggled in closer to Grey, praying she’d be strong enough to give him whatever he was going to ask of her.
36
Greyson
Grey spotted the silver sedan in the busy restaurant parking lot. It was parked in the back, just as Wes had promised. Grey let out a sigh of relief barely believing they’d made it this far into the frenzied plan he and Wes had hatched.
He could feel Etti curiously glancing at him but he didn’t dare catch her eye. He was afraid he’d break down the moment he saw his reflection in her gorgeous eyes and be unable to go through with it—unable to offer her the choice he knew she deserved.
Grey eased the truck into the empty space next to the silver sedan. He opened the door, but left the truck running. He could see the bewilderment in Etti’s eyes as he slid out and offered her his hand. She took it and followed without a word. A man got out of the silver sedan and Etti gave a tiny gasp.
“Marc?” She gawked at her pale friend for a moment before realizing she was wearing a near see-through nightgown. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “What are you doing here?”
Marc gave a pained smile and Grey nodded his thanks. Marc got into the truck without a word and drove away. Grey hustled Etti into the backseat of the car Marc had appeared from and slid in next to her. The car was running and the interior was stiflingly warm compared to the crisp chill of the night air. Grey wrapped his arm around Etti and she flinched when she heard the voice of the driver.
“Are we good?”
“Yeah,” Grey replied and the car moved forward quickly, pulling out of the lot and merging with traffic.
“Cali?” Etti whispered.
“How you doing, hun?” the petite shifter replied from behind the wheel.
Grey could feel Etti’s tension growing as she tried to fit together the pieces of what was happening. He hated keeping her in the dark, but all of this was for her own protection—at least that’s what he told himself. He rubbed his hand reassuringly down Etti’s shoulder and glanced at her, shocked by how pale she was. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.
“I’m feeling confused,” she replied gruffly and then lowered her voice. “I know you said you needed some time, but Grey, I think I need to know what the hell is going on here.”
Grey’s heart clenched. “I know. And I promise I’m going to tell you everything. I just want to get you somewhere safe first.”
Just then Cali veered the car off the main road. Then she turned again, this time onto a short dirt road. They followed it up to a cute blue cottage, driving straight int
o the garage. They didn’t get out of the car until the garage door lowered completely behind them, bathing them in darkness. When Cali opened her door, the interior light of the car blazed to life, startling Etti.
“It’s okay,” Grey soothed. “We’re safe here.”
Etti’s eyes were wide. “What the hell is going on, Grey?”
“Come on, let’s talk inside.”
Cali had already walked into the cheery home, flicking on lights and stripping off her jacket. “Mi casa es su casa,” she called.
“Do you have everything we need?” Grey asked Cali.
Cali nodded curtly. “Yeah. Why don’t I give you two a minute to talk while I set up?”
Grey nodded and watched Cali walk out of the kitchen and into another room. When she was out of sight he pulled Etti to him in a fierce embrace, inhaling her scent. His wolf whined inside him, fighting against the choice he was about to offer his mate.
When he finally tore himself away, Etti spoke. “Grey? Please tell me what’s going on. Why are we at Cali’s house?”
He sighed deeply, but nodded. He led Etti into the adjoining room and sat down on the blue loveseat, pulling Etti down next to him. She curled her legs under her and crossed her arms. She was not pleased. He struggled out of his borrowed jacket and draped it around Etti’s shoulders.
“This is Wes’s,” she noted, examining the jacket.
Again, Grey nodded, not trusting his voice yet. His throat was tight with emotion.
“How did you get it?” she asked.
Grey let out a shaky breath and took Etti’s hands. “How much do you remember from tonight?”
She stared at him looking confused. “Everything.”
“Can you tell me what you remember?”
“Grey . . .”
“Please, Etti. It’s important. I need to know what you remember so I know what to explain to you.”
She looked skeptical, but began speaking. “I remember everything at the farm, my mother shooting you, my father’s crazy story, us in the barn.” She flushed at the memory and then her face clouded with sadness. “Then I got sick and you left.”
Grey’s heart crumbled. Did she think he left her because she was sick?
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to gross you out. I feel much better now.”
Shit! She thought she’d scared him away. “Babe, that’s not why I left.” Grey stroked her hair and pulled her closer so he could kiss her. “I would never leave you. I just had to go do something. I was trying to protect you.”
“Oh,” she said, quietly. “I . . . I was afraid that maybe my crazy family scared you off.”
“Never,” Grey said, fiercely. He crushed her to him and kissed her deeply. She melted into him with a sigh. When he was finally able to pull himself away he continued with his questions. “Can you tell me what you remember after I left?”
“I . . . I still didn’t feel well. I was laying in the blankets crying and suddenly my mother was there.”
Grey stiffened, biting his tongue to let Etti continue.
“She said she came out to bring more blankets and tea since it was going to be a cold night.”
That bitch! Ama drugged her! Grey knew something must’ve happened to Etti to make her condition so much worse. He never would have left her to go after Peter if she’d been so sick. But he never imagined her own mother had come out to poison her.
Grey gripped the arm of the sofa hard while he tried to steady his breathing. His wolf wanted revenge—wanted to rip Ama’s throat out for what she’d put Etti through. His instincts had been right to get Etti out of her parents’ house.
“Grey!” Etti yelled. “You’re ripping the couch.”
He pulled his hand away from the arm of the small sofa. White tufts of stuffing puffed out of the claw marks he’d unintentionally left behind.
“What’s wrong?” Etti asked, touching his cheek.
“While I was gone did you see another wolf in the barn?”
“What? No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“No other wolf came into the barn?”
“Grey, no. You’re starting to freak me out.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, brushing her silky black hair away from her face. “What else do you remember after your mother brought you the tea?”
“I don’t know. I drank it and tried to go to sleep.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t remember me carrying you into the house?”
“What?” she whispered. “No . . . I . . . I only remember you showing up at my bedroom window.” The last few words drifted from her lips slowly as if she were just realizing the hazy gaps in her memory.
Grey took her hands again. “When I came back to the barn you were sick. Really sick. I couldn’t get you to wake up. Your eyes rolled back and you were burning with fever. I didn’t know what to do, so I ran to your parents’ house with you in my arms. Your father took you and carried you upstairs. I was so scared, babe. They wouldn’t let me see you and I was terrified that you weren’t going to make it. Finally your father came down to talk to me. We went on the porch and he told me that your mother gave you a cold bath to get your fever down and that you were resting in your bed. Then he said that she was giving you the tonic to stop you from shifting.”
“What? But if I don’t shift . . . I’ll die.”
“I know. And so did they. They didn’t care. They’d rather you die without becoming a monster first,” Grey growled.
“Well, that’s not their decision to make,” Etti said bitterly.
Grey smiled ruefully at his beautiful mate. He loved her so much it hurt. “I had a feeling you’d say that. Which brings me to why we’re here. I want the decision to be yours.”
“What decision?”
“Cali has brought two different serums from the clinic. One will detox the poison your mother has been feeding you to weaken your wolf. Once it’s out of your system, you’ll be free to shift and complete the claiming. The other is a highly concentrated formula that will finish what your mother started. It will kill your wolf and you’ll drift to sleep. She promised me you won’t feel a thing.”
Etti’s dark eyes watered. “No! I don’t want to drift to sleep. I don’t want to kill my wolf. I want to stay here with you.”
Grey’s heart thundered at her words. That’s what he wanted, too—more than anything in the world. But he resisted pulling Etti into his arms and telling her that. He needed to make her understand the dangers of a life with him. “Etti, you have to understand what that means. Even if you shift and complete the claiming you’ll always be in danger with me. I won’t go back to the hunt and that would mean a life of running, because Derik will never stop hunting us.”
“I don’t care, Grey! I don’t want to leave you and I don’t want to die!”
He stood abruptly. “Don’t you see that you might die either way?”
Etti shrunk back at the anger in Grey’s voice. “Do you not want me to choose you?”
“Etti, what I want isn’t important. This is about you. I’m telling you all of this so you understand your options fully and can make the choice you want. I don’t want to be like your parents. I won’t make decisions for you. I can’t be that selfish.”
“Well, I already know what I want. I want you, Grey.” She reached up and pulled him back to the couch, kissing him and winding her fingers through his thick hair.
He wanted to give in so badly, but he still had one more piece of information. He couldn’t feel satisfied with her decision unless he knew he’d told her everything. “Wait, Etti,” he pulled away from her. “There’s more. Tonight, when I left you in the barn, it was because Derik sent two of his pack to find us.”
“What?” The scent of fear rippled through her. She looked him over with new eyes, searching for injuries. “Did they hurt you?”
“No. I’m fine. I dealt with Peter. He�
��s dead, but he was only a distraction so Jaxon could sneak to the farm and spy on you. As we speak he’s probably reporting your condition to Derik. Etti, he’ll know you haven’t shifted and Derik will make good on his threats. He’ll come for you. And then he’ll kill us both.”
“Grey—”
“And then there’s your father,” Grey said, interrupting whatever Etti had been about to say. He just needed to get through this last part.
“What about him?”
“He knows about the hunt.”
“What? How?”
“He used to be a member. He recognized my tattoo and had one of his own.”
“But I thought no one gets out of the hunt alive?”
“I know. That’s what I was led to believe as well.”
“But if he found a way to survive the hunt . . .”
“Etti. I don’t want you to make your decision based on what ifs. I didn’t get to talk to him about how he managed to escape with his life or stay hidden this long. He only said that the price was steep and it’s why he and your mother live such a secluded life. Plus, I’m not sure if we can trust your parents after learning they were willing to let you die.”
Etti was silent, shock evident on her pretty face.
“Look,” Grey said running a thumb softly over her flushed cheek. “I’ve given you a lot of information. I don’t want you to make a snap decision. We don’t have a lot of time, but I’ll give you as much as I can to think about all of this.”
37
Etti
Etti’s mind was reeling. She couldn’t seem to form complete thoughts. The information Grey had given her lay scattered throughout her mind like shards of glass fracturing the life she thought she knew. Was anything what it seemed?