Isolating the link, Jared hurtled bullet-like through the trees, his paws barely touching the ground as he read the demon’s intentions. Rage exploded behind his eyes, and a red haze settled over him. He could see every sick and disgusting thing it intended, everything it would do to Tanya while it waited for the wolves to arrive. It wanted a fight, and it was going to use her as the means to get the battle it craved.
Somehow, Jared made it to Tanya’s in what seemed like minutes. Panting and half-crazed with worry, he bounded across the street ready to leap through her front door when Aidan leaped onto his back stopping him.
The two wolves rolled on the street, snarling and snapping at each other. Jared in a haze of fury screamed at his brother.
“What the hell are you doing? It’s got my mate!”
“I know that, Jared, but you storming the house is exactly what it expects. Stealth, brother, or have you forgotten? It hasn’t hurt Tanya yet. You would have known.”
“Aidan, let me go!” Jared growled menacingly.
“Jared, use your head! Or better yet, you stupid mutt, use your nose! Do you smell anything unusual coming from her? Fear? Panic?”
Jared paused. He looked at his brother warily, but he sniffed the air. Nothing. In fact, the scent coming from Tanya tasted like relief.
Momentarily confused, the silver wolf froze as the situation became clear. “Aidan, the bastard’s shifted form to look like me. Son-of-a-bitch! Tanya thinks it’s me!”
The other wolf froze as well, but Jared saw his brother’s mind working. “It’s taunting us, little brother, but that actually bought us some time. I’d bet my life it thinks you took off after it alone, looking to avenge your mate.
“Here’s what we’ll do. We need to surprise it. It’s expecting you, so let’s give it YOU. In human form. That way, Tanya will see through the ruse and get out, while you face off with the demon. In the meantime, the rest of us will take strategic places around the perimeter.”
Jared smiled a wolfy smile. “And when the cocky bastard relaxes into thinking it’ll be a cake walk, we strike!
Chapter Thirteen
Jared phased into human form inside the back door. He walked determinedly into the kitchen as Tanya turned around with a plate of food in hand. The demon sat at the table. Except for the triumphant sneer on its face, it could have been Jared’s identical twin.
The plate clattered to the floor, splattering food over the tile. Tanya’s mouth fell open. Her eyes grew wide as she looked between the two men, her mind racing in confusion.
Her eyes flew to the man sitting at her table. Slowly, she backed away from him, closer to the one standing naked by the back door.
“Jared?” she questioned, but snapped her mouth shut at the steel in his eyes.
“Leave now, Tanya,” he ordered, forcing himself to keep his eyes focused on the demon. He knew if he turned, even for a moment’s reassurance, the demon would gain the advantage and strike.
“Yes, my girl, I think you should listen to your wolf,” the false Jared mocked, its timbre and cadence deceptively smooth.
With a sinister smile, it focused its attention on her. It studied her, staring intently with eyes that were now a burning red instead of Jared’s blue.
Licking its lips, it taunted the wolf. “You might want to opt for a tender goodbye, sweetheart, as I don’t expect you’ll be seeing him again. Don’t fret, though. I’ll be paying you a visit. Soon.” It practically crowed in delight watching Tanya shudder.
Jared snarled. “Leave, NOW!” His whole body trembled, barely controlling his fury.
Tanya turned and ran from the house, grabbing her car keys off the counter as she flew out the back door. The screen slammed shut in desperate finality as the demon’s laughter echoed at her heels.
Running through the yard, she sensed the other wolves. She uttered a silent prayer they all came out of this alive. Sour bile rose in her throat at the thought of how close she’d been to an actual demon. Why didn’t it kill her when it had the chance?
Hands shaking, she dropped the car keys. Slamming her palms on the driver’s side window, it suddenly dawned on her why the demon let her live. She was bait, and Jared and his brothers, prey. They had walked into a trap.
She turned on her heel, and then ran for the house. She’d be damned if she was the reason they all died. She had to help them. Besides, it threatened to come back for her anyway.
A large reddish wolf shot out of the bushes, blocking her way. It paced in front of her, growling low in its throat. She knew it wasn’t Aidan, but other than that, she had no clue otherwise.
“I know you’ve been told to keep me away, but I can’t stand by and let Jared be killed, or any one of you for that matter!”
The wolf whined, chuffing and pawing the ground. It took a couple of steps forward, pushing Tanya back toward the car with its muzzle.
“Please, I can’t have your lives on my head,” she begged. “You know what it wants. Even I feel it! There has to be another way!”
The wolf suddenly jerked its big head around as the others took off toward the house. Their howling was devastating, like a mixture of anger and grief. Tanya rushed after them, her heart in her throat as adrenaline flooded her body.
“Jared!” she screamed, visions of him lying dead like Jesse passing before her eyes.
She vaulted over the large red wolf still trying to block her way and ran onto the back porch. As quietly as possible she eased her way through the screen door. Once inside, she tip-toed over to the large broom closet just inside the door. She opened the louvered door and grabbed her father’s shotgun and some extra cartridges, silently thanking God her father thought it cute to teach his daughter how to shoot.
With the gun pressed tightly to her chest, she tried to peer around the edge of the door into the kitchen. Seeing it was deserted, she let out the breath she’d been holding.
The kitchen was destroyed. Water sprayed in different directions from the broken sink, and the cabinets hung precariously from twisted brackets. Dishes and glassware were in shards on the floor. The table lay in a splintered mess at the center of it all, and there was blood and fur smeared on everything.
Tanya swallowed, trying not to think about the blood as she sidestepped her way around the chaos. She went into the hall, working her way around to the living room. Holding her breath again, she cocked the rifle and spun around the corner, ready to shoot.
“Hello, love, want to join the fun?” The demon laughed, its red eyes mocking her as it took a step forward.
Tanya pulled the trigger. The gun exploded and the demon flew backward, crashing into her grandmother’s sideboard. It shook its head, laughing as the hole in its chest healed. She cocked the shotgun again, firing over and over, hitting it point blank in the chest until she was out of ammunition.
“Where’s Jared?” she screamed as the demon picked debris from its clothes. “Tell me!”
“I’m afraid he’s over there, sweets.” The demon pursed its lips, feigning regret. “Tsk, tsk. I must admit, I’m a little disappointed. I expected much more of a fight from the poor lad. Then again, I suppose it’s wasn’t a total waste of my time. I can always console myself with you.”
Tanya turned the rifle over, and held it like a bat, as she inched to where Jared lay. Never taking her eyes off the demon, she squatted, putting one hand on his chest.
He was still in wolf form. He was covered in blood, but he was still warm. Jared was alive, if just barely. Sensing Tanya’s presence his body jerked and he whined, trying to pick up his head.
She turned to him, not caring anymore about the demon. “Jared, don’t,” she whispered, her voice filled with tears.
Jared struggled to lift himself off the floor, but didn’t have the strength. Tanya ran her hand over his fur, trying to comfort him. He was dying.
“I’m here, Jared.” She leaned in close, her tears mingling with the blood on his silver coat. “I’m here, love.”
“Wh
at sentiment. Very Romeo and Juliet, if I do say so myself,” the demon scoffed. taking a step toward them.
“Don’t come any closer. Jared’s brothers will rip you to shreds!”
“Ahh. The other mongrels.” It leaned against a ruined chair, cleaning its fingernails with a splinter of wood. “They’re still outside, and likely to remain so. You see, some of my kind are rather clever, and have all manner of tricks the mutts don’t realize. The dog pack is under the illusion the house is quiet, and nothing has transpired. It’s actually quite an ingenious little deception, sort of like a film loop playing over and over again in their minds.”
“Why?” she asked, not caring what happened. “Why Jared? Why not fight all of them, instead? Isn’t that why you led them here?”
It tilted its head for a moment, considering. “At first, yes, but when I saw the two of you together in the wolf’s mind, I decided this would be much more entertaining.”
Tanya’s despair ebbed. In its place was a churning fury that bubbled to the surface ready to explode. Her body vibrated with rage and resentment. Pain and loss filled her with hate and misery, suffusing her heat.
A loud buzzing vibrated in air. Louder than the night in her living room. Her skin prickled, feverish. Heat rising until her flesh burned with white heat. Her chest constricted, choking her from the inside out. Tighter and heavier. Vibrations escalated to near deafening, and the bulbs in the recessed lighting popped and sizzled.
With a cry of anguish, Tanya flung her arms wide. An onslaught poured from her body, emotion driving through her in a torrent of pain.
The windows exploded inward, spraying the room in thousands of razor shards of glass and shattered wood. The floorboards shook and buckled, and the walls cracked.
The demon crouched with its arm over its head, its goat-slit eyes disbelieving. Tanya stood with her chest heaving in the dust. With her arms outstretched, she turned her hate-filled gaze to the demon and saw fear reflected in its red eyes.
It backed away from her, whispering two words before it vanished. “Blood Witch!”
***
Aidan raced into the house ahead of the pack. Whatever illusion the demon cast shattered the moment it vanished from sight. Freed from the demon’s thrall, Aidan phased into human form, tearing through the house.
“Where’s Jared?” he demanded, seeing Tanya on the floor in the living room.
“He’s here, Aidan. Beside the couch with me. It’s pretty bad,” her voice broke.
Aidan’s eyes were half crazed with anger and worry. He knelt at Jared’s side, putting his head to his brother’s chest. With a sharp breath he sat up, calling to the others standing in the rubble. “He’s still alive!”
Turning his brother’s head so he could see the wolf’s eyes, he spoke softly, but carefully. “Jared, we’re going to move you. It’s going to hurt like hell, little brother, but we’ve got to get you to the healers. Are you ready?”
Jared whined and tried to lift his head toward Tanya.
There was a snap and a whiff of ozone, and suddenly Kyle stood next to Aidan. He put his hand on the alpha’s shoulder. “Aidan, he doesn’t think he’s going to make it and wants to phase back so he can speak with Tanya.”
Turning his gaze back to the wounded wolf, Aidan’s face was grim. “Jared, if you phase, it could kill you. Your body could heal in ways that would make it impossible for you to live a normal life. I won’t allow it.” Aidan looked at Tanya. “Will you please tell this stubborn idiot it’s for his own good?”
Tanya nodded, tears running down her face. “Jared, listen to Aidan. I’ll go wherever they’re taking you. I’ll stay right by your side. You didn’t leave me when I needed you, and I won’t leave you now.” She turned to glare at Aidan. “No matter who doesn’t approve.”
Jared whined but let his body relax enough for his brothers to move him. They put him in the back seat of Tanya’s car, and for the first time since her dad gave her the hand-me-down vehicle, she was grateful it was the size of a boat.
***
Dressed in borrowed clothes, Aidan, Kyle and Evan piled into the car’s wide front seat. Tanya settled in the back with the wolf’s head in her lap. It wasn’t a long drive, but she cringed, feeling Jared’s body tremble with every bump and divot along the back roads.
“Can’t you drive any smoother, Aidan, or don’t you people believe in filling potholes!” she snapped.
“I’m trying my best, but this car wasn’t exactly made for off-roading,” he shot back, trying to maneuver the big car over the dirt road leading to their home.
A sprawling ranch surrounded by acres of deep forest came into view. From the car they could see the rest of the hunting party waiting impatiently for them on the front porch. They had followed Aidan’s orders, running ahead in wolf form to prepare for Jared.
As they came up the drive, an older woman rushed out of the house, her face anxious. Running past the others, she barely gave Aidan a chance to shut down the ignition.
“Where is he? Where’s your brother?”
Aidan slid from the driver’s seat, wrapping his powerful arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Back seat, Mom. With Tanya,” he replied.
His mother shot him a curious look, but Aidan stayed silent. Whistling for the others to help, he opened the rear door, leaving it to the hunters to slide the large silver wolf out of the back seat on a borrowed tarpaulin.
“Easy now. Easy with him. That’s it. Bring him right into the house. They’re waiting for him.” The older woman’s gaze never wavered. The sheer force of her will guiding each of their steps.
Tanya climbed out of the car, not really sure what to do. Not wanting to get in the way, she moved next to Aidan. The awkward silence between them was deafening, so Tanya elbowed him in the ribs.
“Ow! Uhm, Mom. This is Tanya Richards. She’s the one who saved Jared’s life.”
The older woman whirled around, even as Tanya’s eyes flew to meet Aidan’s.
The alpha nodded. “It’s true, Tanya. Whether you realize it or not. While the others got Jared into the car, I phased back to wolf to run the perimeter of the house. Regardless of how much pain he was in, Jared knew I needed to see what happened inside the house. I got the complete picture from him. In high def. You’ve got some impressive skills, girl. No wonder Jared couldn’t sense you in the woods the night we took down that lesser.”
Tanya looked at Aidan like he lost his mind. “Skills?” she wondered. What the hell did that mean?
The older woman threw her arms around Tanya’s neck. “Thank you, sweetheart! I don’t know how you managed it, but then again, I don’t care. You are forever welcome here, and this family owes you quite a debt.”
Tanya didn’t know how to respond, so she looked at Aidan, instead.
“Mom, Jared made us promise Tanya would stay with him throughout the healing. I know he’s going to be anxious enough without wondering what we did with her.”
His mother nodded, her eyes misting. “Of course,” she answered, her voice breaking a little. “This way.”
Tanya followed them into the house. Aidan turned left past a wide entry hall, pushing open two double doors at the other end of the foyer.
The room was large with wide-planked wood floors and a low-beamed ceiling. A large fire was stoked in a broad, brick fireplace, though it was the end of June.
The room was strewn with candles and herbs, and incense burned at both ends. Tanya caught the familiar scents of sage and white cedar, but couldn’t place the others. Four old women surrounded Jared. One at his head, one at his tail and two on either flank. They smeared a pungent ointment all through his fur and sprinkled what looked to be more herbs, on top.
Aidan came to stand by Tanya’s side. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a small squeeze. “It’s going to be fine, Tanya, our healers are very skilled. The four women represent the four directions. East, South, West, and North. They are going to pull energy from the elements to try and heal J
ared enough so he can safely phase. If they can get him to that point, then the rest of his injuries will heal as he transforms, but it’s a tricky business,” he whispered.
“It reminds me of my mother’s family,” she whispered back. “I don’t know if Jared told you, but they’re Wiccan. They were into this same kind of energy-manifestation magic, and such. What’s the salve they rubbed into Jared’s fur? Is it an antibiotic or anesthetic?”
“It’s a ritual ointment, but it does dull the pain and is mildly narcotic,” he chuckled. “Jared won’t feel a thing when they reset his bones.”
Tanya shot him a dirty look. “Not funny, Aidan.”
“You don’t sound like you put much trust in this energy manifestation, as you put it. Why? Your family never trained you?”
“No. My mom never wanted me to learn.”
Tanya was about to ask him what the demon meant when he called her a Blood Witch, but then thought better of it. If he didn’t mention it, then maybe Jared didn’t tell him. Jared probably had his reasons, but now wasn’t the time to find out.
The ritual went on, and the room grew hot and stuffy with incense and body heat. Jared howled in pain as his limbs were reset and healed. He lay panting, but endured each consecutive wave until it was done.
What looked to be the oldest of the women turned toward Jared’s mother and nodded. In a flood of tears she went to him and wrapped her thin arms around his large neck and cried.
“You’re all right, thank God. You’re going to be fine.”
As the women gathered their things to leave, they glanced at Tanya. For a moment she felt as if they knew something she didn’t. With a nod to her, they left without a word.
Aidan and a few of the others helped Jared onto all fours, steadying him as he took a few steps. He swiveled his head around and whined.
“I think he’s looking for you, honey,” his mother said, urging Tanya forward.
“I’m here, Jared. I’m right here,” Tanya reassured, running her fingers along his fur. The women had cleaned him, and his fur was soft and shiny. He rumbled at the back of his throat, and some of the hunters laughed.
The Wolf's Secret Witch: Howl's Romance (The Sentinel Brotherhood Book 1) Page 11