Bloody Defiance

by Laura Hysell

  “I haven’t had a chance to explain,” Jared said softly as he moved up behind me.

  Jed looked at Jared, a frown creasing his forehead. “Jared, we spoke about this. Mark’s out of commission right now, or it’d be him in here.”

  “I’m aware of that,” Jared snapped. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. No one ever snapped at the Alpha.

  I touched Jared’s arm, trying to calm him down before he said the wrong thing. “Jared, please, what’s going on?” I asked.

  Jared looked at me, then back at his Alpha. “I’m going to check on Mark,” Jed said pointedly, walking over to Mark’s cage.

  “Fuck,” Jared whispered, kicking at the corner of my cot.

  “Jared,” I said, exasperatedly.

  Jared tugged on my arm and led me back to the cot. We sat there once again in silence, as he struggled with whatever it was he needed to say. When he finally looked up, his eyes were red once more. My heart broke, seeing him in such a state. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around me, tugging me closer.

  “Izzy, I have something to tell you, and I honestly don’t know how you’re going to take it. Fuck, this is such a mess,” he whispered the last, more to himself. I touched his bare chest with my hand, feeling his pounding heartbeat.

  “Jared, whatever it is, I’m here for you, okay?” I said, looking up at him. If anything, he looked more anguished than before.

  He smiled weakly and traced a hand across my face. I knew it was coming this time, when he leaned close to me and brushed his lips against mine. What I didn’t expect was for him to stop so quickly, after just a chaste kiss. “I love you, you know that. And I’d do anything for you, but I can’t do anything to help you with this. As soon as the sun goes down, I’ll have to leave, and it’ll be up to you.”

  “What’ll be up to me?” I asked, but he shushed me with another soft kiss.

  “You’ve been asleep for a couple days, sweetheart,” he began. “You’ve had quite the fever.”

  I immediately felt my forehead, but of course I couldn’t feel a fever on myself. My hand moved down to the bandages on either side of my neck. “From this?” I asked.

  Jared nodded and looked down at the ground again suddenly. I opened my mouth to ask him more questions, but he looked up again and grabbed me, kissing me thoroughly this time. His tongue pushed its way into my mouth, and he kissed me with renewed passion. I felt light-headed, and had to push him back to take a deep breath.

  “Sorry,” he said, panting.

  “Jared, please, what’s going on? Am I dying or something? You’re acting so strange,” I added.

  “He bit you, Izzy,” he said softly. I frowned at him, shrugging my shoulders. What was he getting at? “A werewolf bit you. He pierced your skin in wolf form, and drew blood. Mark infected you.”

  “Infected me?” I repeated, trying to wrap my mind around what he was getting at. “You mean, with werewolf-ism?”

  Jared smiled at me and stroked my cheek. “Yes, sweetheart, with werewolf-ism. The bite of a werewolf is incurable. There’s no antidote. No fix.”

  I stared at him as his words sunk in. The cage around me suddenly made sense. “I’m going to turn into a werewolf?” I asked, my voice coming out in a squeak.

  “Uh, well, that’s, ah, fuck, yeah, but there’s more,” Jared said, and he looked behind me. I turned to see Jed walking up to the cage. “Please, Jed, I can’t,” he pleaded to his Alpha.

  I turned my attention to Jed as Jared wrapped his arms around me, clutching me to him. I thought Jared would be happy that I’d be a werewolf too. My mind was a swirl of thoughts, but then Jed spoke. “Izzy, do you remember when Jared was injured and we bit him to hopefully save him?” I nodded my head and he continued. “We warned you that the transformation can be dangerous, and not everyone makes it. He was badly injured, and that can make things even more dangerous.”

  “I remember,” I responded. “But, besides the bite, I’m not really injured.”

  “No, you’re not, and that is good. It means your body will stand a better chance of surviving the change. Everyone reacts differently to their first change, but women are a particular conundrum. Some people change the first night after being bitten, but others don’t change until their first full moon. The fever is the first sign the change is coming on. Usually, after the fever spikes and disappears, the change follows within a few hours,” he explained.

  I nodded, and Jared clutched me tighter from behind. “So, my fever broke? And you think I’m going to change tonight.”

  Jed nodded and said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I think. It can take a few days before you’ll return to human form, and as soon as you do, the danger will be past.”

  “The danger?”

  “As I said, women are a particular conundrum. Women do survive the change, but it is rare. For every man bitten, 8 out of 10 survive. With women, those odds are closer to 1 out of 1000 surviving. You’re in good health, so that’s good,” he added.

  “You’re saying I might die,” I said softly, and Jared’s arms tightened around me further, crushing me to him. I felt numb as I processed this information.

  Jed nodded and leaned against the cage bars, as though exhausted. “Izzy, there’s more,” he said, and I closed my eyes. Did I really want to hear more? “If you survive, you won’t be the same. Conundrum, again.”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” I said immediately, cutting him off. “After I make it through this, you can give me the rest of the bad news.”

  “Are you sure?” Jed asked.

  I nodded immediately. “I think worrying about surviving the next few days is enough for now, don’t you think? Unless it’s something I need to know right now, I’d rather not hear it.”

  Jed smiled at me and nodded his head. “Fair enough. Okay, as to surviving, I have my own theory regarding that.”

  “Shoot.”

  “I’ve noticed that those with the strongest family ties, like family members already in the Pack, have the highest survival rate. In fact, they even seem to be the most capable werewolves,” he added.

  “Well, I don’t have any family. Unless you’re telling me Justin turned into a werewolf while I was gone,” I stopped, my eyes widening. “He didn’t, did he?”

  “No, no, your brother is just fine, and completely human. You do, however, have two werewolf ties. Two very strong ties,” he added.

  I swallowed hard as Jared tightened his grip around me again. Then I looked past Jed to the cage on the other side of the barn, where Mark had stopped pacing and was staring at me with golden eyes. Jed followed my gaze, looking back at Mark.

  “Mark is not exactly himself yet,” Jed said, answering my unspoken question. “Your brother managed to concoct an antidote, but he’s the first person we’ve tested it on. It seems to be working, but he still seems to disappear at times, as though his mind is elsewhere. Justin has been giving him this antidote in small doses, but he’s confident Mark will be vampire-free in no time.”

  “That’s good,” I said softly.

  “When Lucas became a werewolf, Logan had been one for a good year. As Lucas began his transformation, he wasn’t doing well. We thought he was going to die, then Logan climbed into his cage with him. He immediately improved. We’ve noticed this with others as well,” he added.

  “What are you trying to tell me?” I asked. I had been given too much information in too short a time. My brain felt fuzzy, as though I was on overload. “Just say it.”

  “When you begin your transformation, I think it’ll help if Jared is in here with you,” he said.

  “If you think it’ll help,” I replied, shrugging.

  “I’m not sure,” Jed responded. “You see, our wolves are part of us, but they are separate too. They have their own ideas at times. Sometimes they know our minds better than we do ourselves.”

  “Now I’m completely confused.”

  “Mark’s not himself, but he could still join you in here as wel
l. He might be able to help ground you. He’s known you longer than anyone, and I know you two are very, ahem, close,” he said quietly. Jared shifted behind me at his words, his arms dropping from around my shoulders. “I don’t want a problem in here though, with you in the middle. You should pick one or the other, but they both shouldn’t be here with you.”

  Leave it to Jed to be blunt, and put me completely on the spot. I could feel Mark’s eyes on me, and I knew he was aware and listening. Jared was right behind me, his body a reassuring warmth pressed against my skin. What the hell was I supposed to do?

  “I’ll leave you alone to talk, and think,” Jed said as he and the other wolf who had been in the barn both left.

  I turned and sat back on the cot. “How long do we have?” I asked Jared after a minute of silence.

  Jared sat down beside me. “A couple hours,” he muttered.

  “And you have a key to the cages?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, I might die,” I said softly.

  Jared was silent for several moments, but he nodded his head. “Jed’s plan is a good one, Iz. You need someone to keep you grounded. To help you remember yourself. To help you remember what it is to be human. You were that person for me. I didn’t have anyone, but I remembered you. I remembered your face when Sarah was torturing me, and how you had kept me sane then. When I was going through my transformation, that’s what I held on to. You became my family, and so much more.”

  “Jared,” I began, turning toward him.

  “I know you love Mark,” he stated, cutting me off. “I knew it when I spoke to you on the phone. I knew it when I told you I loved you. I knew it even when you told me you loved me.”

  Tears welled in my eyes. If I was going to die, this was not the last conversation I wanted to have. “Jared, I do love you,” I whispered between tears.

  “But,” he said, finishing my unspoken words.

  “I can’t do this right now. Jared, I don’t even know what I want. I don’t know what I’m feeling. Damn it, I might die and… and…” I stopped, unable to continue through the stream of tears.

  Jared took my face in his hands and kissed me, pulling me against his body. His tongue explored my mouth in the most thorough kiss I had had in a long time. Our kisses were salty, mixed with my tears. Jared pulled me against his body, his hands tracing every inch of me as though he were trying to memorize this moment. At last, he let me go and pulled me to my feet. He walked to the cage door and pushed it open easily.

  I stopped, staring at him with my mouth hanging open. “The cage was unlocked the whole time?” I asked

  He looked back at me sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. Then he turned and continued pulling me behind him, until we stood before Mark’s cage. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but Jared seemed sure of himself as he unlocked the cage door and pulled me inside. He came with me, closing the door and locking both of us inside.

  The knife suddenly throbbed on my leg, and I looked around worriedly. But the throbbing wasn’t a warning of vampires, it was something else. I stepped toward Mark, reaching my hand out until I touched the fur on his back. He turned his massive head up toward mine, and I saw the intelligence behind the eyes. I smiled. Mark was back.

  Izzy, Mark said softly in my mind.

  “Mark,” I said, kneeling down to throw my arms around his massive wolf form. “I’m so scared. Stay with me, please.”

  Love, he said simply.

  Tears ran down my face as I pulled myself closer to the werewolf. I looked up at Jared, but he had already moved outside the cage. He closed the door and turned the lock, leaving me alone with the great werewolf. “Jared?”

  “This is where you belong, sweetheart. I’ll stay close though, just in case you need me. Remember, I’m always here for you,” he said, backing slowly away from the cage.

  A thousand emotions raced through me as I watched Jared walk away. Mark nudged me with his head, gently pushing me toward the mat lying on the floor of his cage. I crawled across the floor and settled down on the mat. Mark followed, plopping down beside me and nudging the blankets aside with his nose. I moved the blankets out of the way, and Mark scooted his wolf body next to mine.

  I closed my eyes, relaxing with my fingers curled in Mark’s fur. In a few hours, I would start the transformation into a werewolf. I tried not to think about the consequences. Strange magic, Aidan said, interrupting my thoughts.

  Where have you been? I asked, my eyes still closed as I cuddled against Mark.

  I’ve been here, just watching and listening. You were out for quite a while. This fever they spoke of was intense. And this werewolf magic is… interesting.

  You can feel it already?

  I felt it shortly after you were bitten. It works fast.

  Do you think I’ll survive? I asked, not sure if Aidan would have a clue, but it was worth a shot to ask. I was scared, terrified actually.

  He was silent for so long I thought he had left, then his voice came back and he sounded very sure of himself, as usual. The magic surrounding you is as strong as it is in the other werewolves. I don’t see why you wouldn’t survive.

  You sure?

  As sure as I can be of a magic I don’t truly understand. Our realm is vampires, remember, not werewolves. But I will help you as much as I can.

  Can you help?

  We are one, Izzy. You, me, and the knife. Magic binds us together, similar to how the werewolf magic binds the Pack together. And we have grown strong. Stronger than ever.

  Strong enough to survive shifting my body from a human into a wolf?

  Strong enough even to stave off death.

  I laughed, sure Aidan was making a joke, but he was gone. Mark nudged me with his nose, and I pulled myself closer to the wolf. Closing my eyes, I let myself relax against the werewolf. I didn’t sleep, but I rested, imagining a different life. A life where an English teacher and P.E. teacher met, dated, and got married. A life with no werewolves and vampires. A life where my brother was happy, and where death didn’t follow me everywhere I went.

  That life didn’t exist though, and imagining it wouldn’t change a thing. Tears trickled down my face as the sun set and the moon began to climb in the sky. I felt a shiver run down my spine, and with it, an unimaginable pain. I screamed, sitting upright as the pain coalesced down my body. Mark stood before me, his wolf face inches from mine as I writhed in pain.

  Jared was there, at the edge of the cage, speaking to me. I couldn’t make out his words over the sound of my own shrill cries. Others were there, but their words were drowned out as well. The sound of my bones snapping and changing echoed in my ears, like fingernails on a chalkboard. I arched my back, writhing as the pain became unbearable.

  There was a ripping sound, as clothes tore from my elongating body. Hands became paws, and my mouth stretched and pulled. The bones in my face broke and re-arranged themselves, until I had a wolf’s snout. My scream became a howl of pure pain, echoing through the rafters of the barn. As suddenly as it had begun, the pain vanished, leaving me panting on the cold floor.

  Sounds came rushing to me, a thousand at once. The thudding was the loudest. I closed my eyes, concentrating on that single thumping sound. It was loud and steady, and another accompanied it nearby. Something moved close to me, and I felt the fur ruffle on my back. The same thing nudged me again, and something wet tickled my nose.

  I opened my eyes slowly, taking in the sights. The wolf stood over me, gently nudging me with his wet nose. The thudding noise was coming from the great beast before me. I stood on unsteady feet, pulling myself close to the wolf, listening to the sound. It was his heartbeat. I closed my eyes, listening as my own heart echoed the sound, thumping in rhythm with his.

  The wolf moved closer, circling me with his own body and pressing me backward. I stumbled, falling back against something cold. He stopped herding me and gently pushed something with his nose. I followed the movement, watching as he nudged something on the floor again. He wa
nted me to lie down.

  I wasn’t sure how I knew what he wanted, but I did as he indicated, lying down on the soft thing. Bed. Blankets. I plopped down, pushing myself into the soft blankets and rolling onto my back. The great wolf stood over me and bent his muzzle down over my neck, gently nipping at the soft skin there. I growled, but I didn’t mean it as I arched my neck back, allowing him access. He leaned his head forward and nipped at my neck again, growling low in his throat.

  I rolled over, and the large wolf followed me, resting his body in close beside mine. My head rested on my paws as I stared back at the other wolf. I knew him. My brain struggled to make sense of things, but I knew I was safe here. I knew I was loved.

  Mark, I whispered, the name carrying across my mind in a whisper.

  The wolf looked down at me, his head cocked to one side as though he were listening to something in the distance. Izzy? His voice carried to me, echoing in my mind.

  I knew him now. He was Mark, and I was Izzy. I stretched casually before pouncing on him. We rolled across the floor, nipping at each other gently. I growled, tugging on his ear with my teeth. He turned, pushing me off him as we rolled across the floor again. I backed up against the bars of the cage, looking briefly at the men watching us. Their faces were familiar to me. Jared. Jed. I stared at Jed, feeling the power of his green-eyed stare. Alpha.

  Isabella, he said softly.

  Izzy, I corrected.

  Mark moved toward me and sniffed along my neck. I turned my head toward his and nipped at him. He stopped and looked at me, his eyes soft and golden. If I could have smiled, I would have. He nudged me again, nuzzling against the soft fur of my neck. Home, I said softly, and Mark echoed my words.

  Home.

  Thus concludes Bloody Defiance, book 3 in the Isabella Howerton Series.

  Watch for Book 4, Bloody Endings, the conclusion of Izzy’s journey. The stakes are higher. The vampires are deadlier.

  Blood.

  Change the world.

  Destroy the world.