“Get out of here,” he snarled at them, putting as much force as he could into his next words as he could. “Go out there and help them with those Monsters. Or you’ll deal with me.”
The Ferals turned pale, but they bowed their heads and shakily said, “Y-yes sir!” as they scrambled out the door, tails between their legs.
Nick found the door leading down, and as soon as he stepped down into the halls, he was met with a fist in his chest. As he held the pain back as much as he could, he could feel the terror from behind the door suddenly disappear. His mind went blank as the fist came back and connected to his face. He didn’t care about the burning in his cheek, the only thing he cared about was the bond in his mind had gone calm.
Still there but calm.
As the fist came back for yet another strike he managed to catch it and noticed that this was not the claw of a Feral, nor one of a Berserker, the being before him was something more. Hair growing around his fists and his feet, face half covered in hair and fur and even a tail protruding from his hind end. It seemed like a half formed hybrid, but Nick thought that couldn’t be possible, but here it was standing in front of him, and it was now launching its foot at his head. Nick ducked and twisted his hand that held the fist of the creature, causing him to lose his balance and with a well placed glowing fist propelled the Wolf-Man down the hall into a metal door with an ominous thud.
His bond perked up a bit; Elizabeth was behind that door. He moved over to the door, then tried and failed to open it, so with nearly the last ounce of his energy, he placed his hand on the lock and forced as much heat though it as he could. When he felt the metal give way, he kicked the door with as much power as he could muster. He stood in the doorway ready for a fight.
But what he saw, he wasn’t prepared for.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jeremiah ordered Jake to take her out of the cage and tie her down to the only chair in the room. Even though she struggled and fought back, the male was stronger than he looked and she quickly found herself strapped to the heavy wooden chair. Jeremiah kept her still while she was tied down by keeping his sharp claws near enough to her neck that the slightest movement would puncture her skin. Elizabeth knew what was going to happen next, and it was not going to be good, but still she took control back from the wolf. She had to be in control in order to help the pack and Nick to find her. She didn’t know enough about the bond, but she had an idea that if her wolf was in complete control, finding her would be more difficult because the human half more easily telegraphed thoughts and emotion.
Jeremiah had already attempted to torture her from the cage, and she had a few nasty scratches from his claws that now dripped with blood, but most were already healing. He got angry because she had kept dodging his attacks, thus the order to have her moved which was her goal all along. Breaking out of a heavy steel cage was harder than tearing rope or wiggling out of chains from a chair.
“Now you’re really going to pay! That potion took years to perfect, and just as long to gather all the ingredients!” He swiped across her face as he spoke through gritted teeth. His clawed hands caused slowly weeping lines to form on the left side of her face from her ear to her mouth. She slowly straightened her head to glare at him again. She never took her eyes off of him as the assault continued, punctuated with swipes as his anger flared. “Years perfecting! Years of testing! And you just threw it all away! I personally acquired one of the ingredients myself, so I know how rare they are. This would have saved you from a life of being told what to do, a life of forced slavery!”
Her clothes were torn, exposed flesh of her stomach and chest no one other than Nick had seen in years. Her arms and legs were also cut up, but not so deep or badly enough that they wouldn’t heal quickly. The problem came from the pain, as her wolf was so close to surfacing she felt everything including the clawing and growling of her inner wolf wanting to come to her protection. She should just give in and let the wolf take over, take away the pain, but then how could she be sure that when Nick came for her that she wouldn’t hurt him? Somehow associate him with her pain, like when she was first brought to her den. ‘All males hurt’ her wolf had said. But she knew now that that was simply not true. Nick, aside from that first encounter during her attack, had never hurt her, and she knew he never would again.
“I am not a slave, and I never will be,” she stated. She felt tired and weak from pain, but her voice was sure. She could feel Nick, he was on the way. Seemed he was indeed following her trail even through her ingestion of the herb-laced cookie. She may be masked to the scent and sight of a werewolf, but her blood trail was enough to follow, as well as the mate bond. She just had to hang on until he found her, because he would find her. He would tear this place apart with his teeth and claws to find her.
“Oh, you think that, don’t you? Someone so weak and helpless as you, a mere Turned. Do you really think that Connor brat would truly listen to your opinion? Of course, because he loves you right? Do you even know about his past? I don’t mean what happened to his family, practically everyone knows about that, I mean afterwards. After he was forced to deal with that loss and pain and hurt. He went mad with grief, tore up London from what I heard, my kinda guy honestly.” Jeremiah laughed wickedly as Candice gawked at his words.
“You’re lying! He told me he wandered around for years before coming to America with the Bradys,” Elizabeth snapped, grunting at the punch to her face he gave her. She glanced over to Candice who looked away. Jeremiah lied, he lied about everything, but why did Candice look like she believed it?
“Oh, sorry, my hand slipped. But you think he told you the whole truth, don’t you? Forgive me for being the one to break it to you, but my Master filled me in on all the gory details. If we have time, I’m sure he will gladly tell you the story too.” Jeremiah was preparing for another assault when there was a loud howling from somewhere far above, much closer than last time, followed immediately by the sounds of fighting. “Jake, go up and help them. I’ll deal with this problem quickly. Secure the door on your way out.” Jake nodded and stormed out the door, swinging the heavy metal shut behind him. The sound of the heavy metal bolt locking into place echoed in the hollowed out stone room. There went her escape route.
“Are you ready to die, Jeremiah? My mate is up there, searching for me and killing your wolves, and he won’t stop until he finds me.” She sneered up at him as the sounds of fighting echoed into the room. She could smell the hint of fear in the sweat forming on his brow. He moved swiftly, faster than what should be possible for even a werewolf, grabbing her shoulder. His unnaturally long claws dug deeply into her skin, sliding along her collarbone and causing immense pain. She screamed in agony, from both her wolf trying to forcibly shift her body and from the pain in her shoulder.
“Am I ready to put an end to your mate, you mean? Because that answer is yes! He’s been a thorn in my side for a while now, so honorable and noble because he is the last of his line. No one knows what he’s done in the past, because if they did they wouldn’t venerate him so! As fun as this is, I think it’s about time to finish this, isn’t it? Master said he wanted you alive, and I’ll do that. But unharmed might be a bit difficult. Perhaps I am even saving my master the trouble of punishing you myself for what you have done. I think we’ve all had about enough of your mouth for today.”
His maniacal laughter filled the room as his claws swiped her chest again, deeper than before, and she bit her tongue to keep from screaming. The torture he had given her before was more for pain and blood loss than wounds, this time was different. His claws dug deeper, but he never hit vital organs or major blood vessels, just more pain and deeper flesh wounds that took longer to heal. Releash me! Her wolf cried out, speaking in proper words and showing her power. Release me and let me help you!
‘I can’t. Nick has to find me. If I let you take over, he won’t be able to track me here,” she thought. She closed her eyes tightly, separating herself from the pain of her body, fee
ling pulled within herself. ‘No! You can’t do this! Nick will-’
Our mate will come, he is very close. Can you not feel him? Suddenly, the sounds of fighting were much closer than before. She thought she heard Nick calling for her, but she couldn’t be sure. He sounded so far away through the heavy metal door. As she stared at the door, she suddenly heard a massive thud against the metal. Jeremiah, in his bloodlust, was too enthralled with flaying Elizabeth to notice.
‘He’s almost here, isn’t he? He really is almost here. But Jeremiah, and the door.’ Sadness made her feel heavy, or maybe that was the bloodloss of the wounds Jeremiah had caused.
Yes, the seal of the room is a problem, but one we don’t have to worry about. What we need to worry about is this male who is hurting us. Now, let me help you!
‘Okay, I’ll trust you.’ The form of the wolf within her mind and her own form joined, and she felt the shift take over. Her eyes snapped open, snarling loudly as she stared at Jeremiah’s shocked expression. She pulled against the ropes tying her down, fur rolling over her skin and covering the wounds peppering her flesh. First one hand got free, then another. She reached down with one hand slicing easily at her feet to free them, but her eyes never left Jeremiah’s. Finally, she stood as the ropes from around her torso fell away and she realized several things all at once. She was shifted, but she was neither wolf nor human.
She was both.
Both Candice and Jeremiah had expressions of disbelief on their faces. Jeremiah, in his haste to get away from her, fell backward as they heard a thud at the door, he started crawling slowly away towards the door. This drew her attention to it, which she saw a small area near the handle glow in a pinpoint of orange. Growling low and pulling the lips of her snout to one side, she glared at Jeremiah, at his look of sheer panic.
“Now, I believe it’s time for a little payback,” she growled out as she jumped on Jeremiah. He quickly shifted into his wolf form, a large brown wolf that was neither frail or weak in appearance. Elizabeth felt her tail swishing behind her, helping her balance as she evaded the male’s attack and striking back, her claws catching his side. He snarled and curled his body around to the side, sinking his teeth into Elizabeth’s leg. She snarled back, more in anger than pain as she swiped at him again, causing him to fly back to avoid her paw-like hands.
Her attention was once again drawn back to the door, as the small spot of orange began to spread quickly. She turned her attention back to Jeremiah just in time to see his lunge but not fast enough to avoid the jaws that locked onto her arm. She roared in rage and tried to pry the jaws off her arm as she heard a voice in her head. ‘I hope my Master forgives me for killing you, but you’re not worthy to be a part of our group! What even are you?!’
“I’m...a werewolf.” She snarled as she pried the jaws off of her. The floor was covered in blood, both hers and Jeremiah’s now, but he seemed to be doing worse than her. She gave a low chuckle, eyeing Jeremiah carefully. “Now, refresh my memory. Who is going to die?” As she spoke, puffs of cold air flowed out of her mouth. This was new to her, but she had no time to wonder about it because Nick was almost through the door. Inhale deeply, and breathe out a howl, her wolf whispered. Doing as she was bid by the creature who had changed her life, she inhaled deeply, feeling the air fill her lungs to the point of bursting.
When she could no longer hold it anymore, she forced the air back out in an icy cold wind that blew through the room, causing both wolves to try to hide from the frigid temperature. Jagged ice shards formed on the bars of the cages still in the room, as well as on Jeremiah’s legs causing him to be stuck to the ground in an icy prison. The ice spread up from his feet and legs to cover half of his torso before finally leaving only his head exposed, effectively locking him in place. Though he struggled, he was unable to break free of the translucent casing as he growled viciously at Elizabeth. She finally ran out of breath and gasped to fill her lungs again, intending to completely encase her attacker, but a sound from the end of the room stopped her.
The massive, metal door had just been kicked in by Nick. He stood in his hybrid form, growling and ready for a fight, but once he took in the room he stopped as if she had frozen him in place too. His eyes went first to his mate, then to the cage Candice was in, then to Jeremiah’s wolf form nearly covered in ice before finally back to Elizabeth. His arms went slack as he stared at her, taking in her appearance like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing with his own eyes. Elizabeth’s heart was suddenly flooded with the love she felt for her mate at seeing him, scratched and bruised but he was here and whole. Her wolf whined at seeing him, a sound she also made aloud, if quietly. This caused Nick to blink, snapping him out of whatever trance he was under upon seeing her again as he moved slowly to her, careful not to slip on any ice on the floor.
“Liza,” was all he said, but that was all she needed. That one word was full of emotions, and those emotions filled her heart and mind as she threw herself at him. Neither cared if she was still bleeding from the multiple wounds across her body, neither cared if she was in a form that shouldn’t be possible because in that moment, they only cared that they were together again. All was right in their world for the moment as their bonds stopped burning their souls and settled to the quiet hum of connection they had come accustomed to.
“I knew you’d come. I hoped I’d hold out, and I did,” she whispered, moving her snout to the crook of his neck, her nose near his ear. Her arms wrapped tighter around him, grabbing his fur so they could be even closer together, causing him to growl deep in his chest.
“Of course I’d come, nothing could keep me away from the only joy I’ve felt in over a hundred years. I’ll never not follow wherever you go.” Reluctantly, he pulled away to assess her injuries and finally took in her form. “You look like a hybrid. How is that possible? Did he do something to you?” He snarled as he turned toward the now shivering Jeremiah.
“No, this wasn’t because of him. My wolf told me she would help and… I guess she did. I don't really understand what happened, but I am in full control of my actions and– ” Suddenly she couldn't breath and her head swam. She leaned heavily into Nick who supported her as a worried expression crossed his wolfish features. “I’m okay, I think.”
“It’s blood loss. While our healing is quick, the sheer number of wounds will take a little more time to heal. You need red meat for the next few days, it’ll help replace the blood you’ve lost.” His stare turned back to Candice as he moved to her while still supporting his mate. The bars of the cage were partially frozen, making the hinges weakened enough for him to yank the door open as he heated them. Candice, in her weakened state from her long imprisonment, was able to stand on her own but she would need help to make it back to the den. He called for aid using the pack bond, and soon a couple of wolves came to answer the call. They explained that many of the Ferals above had been dealt with, though some escaped into the woods.
“Do you want us to pursue them, Alpha Nick?” One of the wolves asked.
“‘Alpha’ Nick? When’d that happen?” Elizabeth jokingly questioned.
“Beatrice tried to stop me from coming to save you, so I did what I had to. Even Colin’s here, with help. He’ll want to see you soon.” He looked to the wolf and answered, “leave them, we have what we came for and I doubt they’ll be a bother anymore once we cart him back with us.” Nick nodded over to Jeremiah, who had since passed out from the cold. The wolf nodded, glancing questioningly at Elizabeth. “Go, do as you are ordered.” The wolf nodded once more and ran off, Candice and the other wolf followed slowly after their packmate.
Elizabeth pushed herself off of Nick, standing on her own and feeling stronger after his heat warmed her by being close to him. Nick looked at her, worriedly as he let her stand on her own power, but still ready to catch her if she needed him to.
“I think I can walk a bit now, on my own.” She looked down at herself, taking an inventory of her current form that she hadn’t been able to b
efore since she was fighting for her life. Her body was covered in blood, with several deep gashes still visible but most of the smaller cuts from earlier had healed already. Matted golden fur covered her from head to toe, except for her fingertips and the palms of her paw-like hands. She felt like she was walking in high heels because her feet were tilted up like a wolf. She had no idea why, but she felt surprisingly good considering all that she’d been through. Still powerful and strong despite the blood loss, but that probably wouldn’t last long. She glanced over to Jeremiah, approaching her kidnapper and torturer with an inner fire blazing from her glowing emerald eyes.
“Liza, we should take him and get going. I can break him out of there if you want me to,” Nick offered, holding his hand out as he approached the ice prison.
“I think that might be wise, I’m feeling really wiped and you’re the one with heat powers,” she almost laughed at her pathetic state, but to be honest she was tired. Whatever form she was in now was exhausting, but she had no idea how to turn it off.
“Oh, I won’t need my heat to take care of this,” he stated as he flexed his arms before rearing his fist back and slamming it into the crystalline prison. His hit caused fissures to open and spread along the translucent surface until the unconscious Jeremiah inside collapsed to the ground in a heap of fur and ice.
Pureblood (Pureblood series) Page 27