by Laura Hysell
“How did I get here?” I asked, sliding away from him. I didn’t remember anything. The last thing I remembered was the excruciating pain, then nothing.
“I brought you here. You can’t escape me, Isabella. I will always find you,” he said.
I scooted further away, but he reached out and grabbed my ankle, pulling me across the bed towards him. I screeched in surprise and clawed at the sheets, trying to find something to hold on to. His hands were on my back, pushing me into the bed as he laid his body atop mine. I struggled for breath as his weight crushed me, and all I could see were the red sheets tangled in my fingers.
He moved his body, holding my legs with his as I lay half off the bed. His hands pushed on my back and grabbed my hair, pulling it back. I felt his breath on the back of my neck as he leaned his mouth closer. “I am going to give you a choice now, Isabella. Come back to me willingly, or fight,” he whispered.
“That’s not a choice,” I replied through gritted teeth.
“Sure it is,” he said, his voice dripping sincerity. “This is what happens when you come willingly.” His hand moved across my back, tracing down my spine, then back up again. He leaned across me, pushing his weight into my legs as he reached his hands around my stomach and pulled me upward until we were both standing with just my legs pressed against the bed. One arm wrapped around my upper body, while his right hand trailed across my stomach and down my inner thigh. He stopped there, his hand resting close to tender skin.
He kissed me gently on my neck as his left hand began to move, until his fingers tickled the nipples of my breast. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sensations. His right hand moved next, pressing between my legs ever so gently. His fingers flicked out in rapid succession, and my breathing sped up in reaction.
“This is what it is like to come to me willingly, Isabella. Do you enjoy this?” he asked, his fingers moving faster and faster. I stood rigidly, trying to ignore the feeling. I couldn’t move or fight, “I can be kind, Isabella. We have enjoyed months of this, and you can’t deny it. I can feel the way your body reacts to me. You want me as much as I want you.”
“Leave me alone,” I answered through gritted teeth, holding my body rigidly still.
His fingers stopped moving, and he stood still, holding my body upright. His left hand crushed my breast suddenly, drawing a gasp of pain from my mouth. His right hand moved to my thigh, where he grasped me tightly. Suddenly, I was flying through the air toward the ceiling. I screamed just before I hit the ceiling and fell back down to the bed. Then Henri was there, on top of me once more. His mouth was at my throat in an instant, and I felt his sharp teeth break the skin.
I screamed and pushed at him, but he crushed me to the bed, biting at my neck ferociously. As suddenly as he had started, he stopped, and looked down at me with blood covering his mouth. “You cannot fight me!” he screamed, blood flying from his mouth and across my face. I tried to scoot away, and for a minute I thought he was letting me. Then his hands clamped down on my legs, his fingers pressing into my skin. The attack came suddenly, and I screamed as he bit down on my thigh.
He tore at my leg sharply, then sat back, looking at me. I clutched at my thigh where blood poured out of the raw wound. This wasn’t a bite. He had torn into my flesh with his razor sharp teeth. To top it off, I wasn’t healing like I had before, and I was pretty sure he had just sliced my artery. Each beat of my heart pumped more and more blood out. This was the price I was going to pay for not taking the vampire blood. Instead of drinking my blood, he was just going to let me bleed to death. Henri leaned over me and ran his finger through the blood before bringing it to his lips. He licked his fingers as he stood back and removed his pants. I stared at him in confusion as he climbed atop me, rubbing his body across the blood that was quickly pouring from my leg.
“I love the feel of blood on my skin,” he began, rolling his body across mine, coating himself in my blood. He reached his hand down to my thigh and wiped at the blood before smearing it across my skin. The blood cooled quickly on my skin, and I shivered. “Make your decision, Isabella. Come back to me willingly.”
“I’m dying,” I said softly, staring down at my blood coated body.
“You don’t have to,” Henri replied. His mouth moved to my breast, and he began licking the drying blood off my skin. He pushed his body on top of mine, and I felt him hard and ready, pressing against my stomach. His face was inches from mine, and covered in my blood. “Drink my blood, and you will heal.”
I stared at him as he bit his own wrist and held it above my face. If I didn’t drink, I would die. How much time did I have left? And if I didn’t drink, was there still enough vampire blood left in my system to turn me into one of the undead myself? I was surprised how coherent I still was, considering the large amount of blood that was pouring from my body. Still, I contemplated death, or life. Henri switched tactics suddenly, and he spread my legs apart with his own. He shifted, angling himself toward me.
“No!” I screamed in defiance, pushing him away with both hands. He flew backwards off me to crash into the wall. I sat up in surprise and looked down at my body. I was no longer naked and bleeding, but dressed in jeans and a black shirt. My knife was strapped to my thigh once more. I grabbed the hilt of the knife and blinked.
I was back in the truck, with Mark’s arms wrapped around me. The knife was clutched in my hand, pulsing with warmth. I shifted, and Mark relaxed his arms around me so I could move, but he didn’t let go. “Am I bleeding?” I asked, my voice cracking.
“Izzy?” Raoul asked, turning in his seat. Killian was once again driving, and Raoul sat in the front passenger seat. “Oh, Izzy, thank God you’re back.”
I shifted again, trying to push Mark back, but he kept his arms wrapped tightly around me. “You’re not bleeding,” Mark whispered in my ear. He laid a gentle kiss on my cheek and squeezed me once before letting his arms fall.
The cold hit me as soon as he moved, and I shivered. First things first, I ran my hands across my body, making sure there were no wounds. I sighed in relief and scooted back next to Mark, pulling his arms around me. Sleep sounded so good, but there was no way I could let myself doze. I gripped the knife tightly, and called out to Aidan.
Aidan, are you there?
Of course I am. Glad to see you back.
What happened?
The vampire happened. I told you it was dangerous. When you tried to help Mark, the vampire caught you. He pulled you into his dream world. You’ve been there for hours. I tried to reach you, as did the werewolf and the humans with you, but you were completely under the vampire’s spell.
I thought I was stronger. I thought he couldn’t touch me anymore, I said, feeling angry at myself. Shouldn’t I be strong enough to withstand him now?
Your ties have not truly severed from the vampire. There is still enough of his blood in you to keep that connection there, however tenuous. It will take time to truly rid yourself of the vampire, if you ever can. He was trying to strengthen his hold on you though, so he could control you once more. If he had gotten you to drink his blood, he might have done just that. What caused you to wake up?
He tried to… I stopped, closing my eyes.
“He tried to force himself on you,” Mark growled in my ear, finishing my unspoken thought. I turned until I could look him in the eye. “I saw it happen, but I couldn’t stop it.”
“You saw it?” I asked.
Mark’s arms tightened around me protectively and he nodded his head. “I couldn’t protect you again. Oh, Izzy, I’m so sorry,” he whispered into my ear. “He still has control over me. I can feel it. I’m not safe to be around you.”
“We’re getting help,” I replied immediately, grasping his hands. Then I thought of Jared. We were rushing to meet him, but I didn’t know if he was even going to be there. “Where are we?” I asked, raising my voice.
Raoul had been staring back at me, a look of worry on his face. He blinked and looked over at Killian in t
he driver’s seat. “We’re about three or four hours from Cultus Lake,” Killian said.
I sat up in surprise and leaned forward, taking in the lightening landscape. Sure enough, the sun was rising. We had made it through the night, mostly intact. My stomach rumbled, and I realized it had been a long time since I’d eaten. I searched around in the truck for the bag of food we had taken. The bag was filled with canned food mostly, but there was a small bundle of bread squished in the bottom.
I shared the bread with Mark until I couldn’t eat any more, then I handed the remainder to him. He devoured it in three quick bites and we settled back against the seat together. Exhaustion pulled at me, but I was afraid to fall asleep. I clutched the knife, unwilling to let go for fear that Henri would attack me again. Mark clutched me in a similar fashion. He had been quiet, but his eyes were gold ringed still and I felt sure he was still himself. Mark the bodyguard wouldn’t have sat with his arms around me.
“Can you reach the other wolves?” I asked after we had ridden in silence for some time.
“I can try,” Mark said slowly.
“Look for Jared. He’s supposed to meet us soon, but I think something happened,” I whispered, unable to say any more. My heart fluttered at the thought.
Mark closed his eyes, and his breathing grew slow. To anyone else, it would look like he was settling down to sleep, but I could see the tension in his jaw. His fingers flexed on my arms where he still clutched me. He growled, deep in his chest, the sound reverberating across my body as he pulled me tighter. I sat still, barely daring to breathe and disturb him.
After almost an hour, he finally opened his eyes and looked at me. His eyes were bright gold, and seemed to glow. “Jared is at Cultus Lake, waiting for us. We are to go around to the south side of the lake. He lost the phone, so we can’t call him. We need to hurry though,” he added, turning toward Killian in the driver’s seat. “Someone is injured.”
“Who?” I asked immediately. “Who is injured?”
“Vanessa.”
Chapter 19
Killian pushed the truck down the road at top speed, taking the curves like a pro. We thankfully never saw a police car. I didn’t know Canadian laws, but I was certain it wouldn’t have gone well for us. Speeding in a stolen car with no identification in a foreign country was a sure way to land in jail.
As soon as Cultus Lake came into sight, Killian dropped the speed down to normal ranges. We drove around the lake, past the water park and toward the southern edge. Since Jared no longer had a cell phone, the only way to reach him was through Mark. We found a parking lot toward the far end of the lake, and pulled into the furthest spot. The lake was large, but it was early enough that there weren’t very many people around.
As soon as we parked, I took Mark’s hand and led him out of the truck. His eyes were still golden, and he had remained himself for the past several hours, although he was quieter than usual. I felt hopeful that he was returning, but my recent experience with Henri told me to be cautiously optimistic. How cocky I had been after my mental attack on Henri, thinking myself powerful. He had shown me how completely naïve I truly was.
Killian and Raoul followed us as we walked toward the tree line beside the lake. Even though the sun was out, I was worried about vampires. I had seen too much by now to think that a little bit of sunshine would stop a determined vamp. After we’d walked a few steps, I stopped Mark.
“Can you reach Jared?” I asked.
Mark looked at me with his golden eyes. He was quiet, watching me for several minutes before he took a deep breath and nodded his head. “Yes, I think so.”
He closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths. His hand was still clutching mine when the tingling began. At first, I thought it was the knife, but then I realized the sensation was coming from Mark himself. It felt as though I was standing next to pure electricity, and the hair on my arms stood on end. I tried to pull my hand away, but Mark clutched me tighter. The sensation wasn’t painful, but the longer I held Mark’s hand, the more I could feel the tingling running across my body.
The sensation grew, and it felt as though my whole body was thrumming. Mark’s grip on my hand loosened, and I pulled my hand away. I rubbed my arms, still feeling the strange electric feeling crawling across my skin. Mark opened his eyes and looked beyond me. I turned and felt my heart stutter as I watched the wolves move toward us.
I knew immediately who the first wolf was, and I ran towards him. The wolf groaned when I wrapped my arms around him, and I felt the wetness of blood in his fur. I tried to inspect him for wounds, but Jared shook me off. The other wolves moved forward, steadying a silver wolf in the middle. Vanessa was magnificent, even injured. Blood coated one side of her body, and she limped visibly, but she was still easily the most regal animal I had laid eyes on.
There were five wolves in all, but I didn’t know who the others were. All of them appeared to be sporting injuries, but none as deep as Vanessa’s. We needed to get her help, and fast. I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to change into human form, or if that was a good idea. I remembered Mark’s injuries, but we’d had a doctor for him.
“Let’s get in the truck and get out of here. There should be room for everyone,” I said, nodding back toward the jeep.
Jared sat back and looked at the others, silently communicating. After a few quiet moments, he turned his wolf head back toward me and I suddenly felt a shiver run up my spine. Jared’s fur shifted on his body as he began to change from wolf to human. His transformation looked painful, but it took only a matter of minutes.
I stood back warily as he finished changing. Now, in human form, I could see the large gash down his shoulder. The blood had already stopped, and I watched as the cut began to heal. He sat up and looked at me, his eyes the yellow of the wolf. Suddenly he moved, grabbing me and pulling me down to the ground with him, his arms clutching me tightly.
I let him hold me as I listened to the pounding of his heart. We sat that way for several minutes before his grip loosened enough that I could look back at him. His face was covered with facial hair, and his usually short-cropped hair was past his ears, making him look wild. He grinned at me, the yellow around his eyes slowly receding, as he reached a hand up to push my hair out of my face. Then his mouth was on mine, kissing me as he pulled my body closer.
Completely caught off guard, I didn’t know what to do as his lips moved mine, urging me to kiss him back. I opened my mouth, allowing his tongue entry, and he kissed me harder. A thousand emotions ran through me as his tongue played in my mouth and his hands pulled me tightly against his naked body.
Jared was the first to break the kiss off, breathing heavily. “We have an audience,” he breathed softly. “And I’m naked.”
I laughed and leaned back to get up, but he pulled me back toward him. “Naked, Izzy,” he murmured again. “And you are the only thing stopping everyone from seeing just how happy I am to see you.”
Killian came up beside us and dropped a pair of shorts on Jared’s chest. “And here I thought werewolves weren’t shy,” he laughed.
He snatched the shorts and grinned. “Well, I don’t want to make any of you boys question your manhood.”
My face grew warm with immediate embarrassment and I scrambled off Jared. He took his time putting the shorts on, and I felt myself blush more even as I tried not to watch him dress. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Jared naked, but the last time he had been undergoing the burning torture of Sarah. I tried not to look, but was still happy to see that her torture hadn’t permanently damaged him. He looked perfect. I looked down at the ground, trying to compose myself as I caught him looking at me. I felt like I was somewhere between laughter, excitement, and embarrassment. Someone stepped up beside me, and I knew it was Mark without looking. My heart fluttered, and I reached over and took his hand.
He squeezed my hand in response, and I looked up at him. His eyes were the yellow of the wolf, and they were staring directly at Jared. I couldn’t rea
d the expression on his face, but I was slightly surprised he wasn’t attacking Jared. He had been sleeping when Jared had told me he loved me over the phone, and I had responded. What if he hadn’t been sleeping? Had he heard the exchange? My heart ached, and I felt myself torn. Now was not the time to deal with this.
Jared walked toward me, and I looked up into his face, watching for his reaction. “Well, this has been entertaining, sweetheart. But if you all don’t mind, I have an injured werewolf I’d like to get back to Jed,” he said.
Raoul looked at the wolves nervously and said, “Is there a plan?”
“Jump in the jeep. We have a short drive,” Jared said as he walked purposefully toward the truck. Everyone turned and followed him. Raoul moved ahead, quickly opening the door and scooting away from the werewolves. Jared bent down and picked the injured Vanessa up, settling her carefully onto the back seat of the jeep while the other wolves ran off into the trees. The rest of us squeezed into the truck and followed Jared’s directions down the road.
After a short drive, Jared led us off the main road at what looked like a driveway. We didn’t go far before he had us turn the truck off road, bouncing along between trees and over rocks. The jeep handled well, but we didn’t make it far before the trees grew too thick to maneuver. To top it off, the bouncing didn’t seem to be helping Vanessa at all. She made whimpering noises in the back seat, and I felt helpless. Jared held her close on his lap, shushing her and trying to keep her from being jolted too much.
Mark sat in the back seat, with me sandwiched between him and Jared, but he didn’t move or speak. I wasn’t sure what was going on with him, but I hoped that the yellow ring around his eyes indicated he was still himself and not being controlled by vampires. I felt eyes on me, and caught Jared staring at me with a worried expression on his face. He looked pointedly at Mark, then back at me. I shrugged in response, not able to express in words what was happening. Not that I knew.