Pursued: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Beasts of Edgewood, Book 3)

by Danica Rayne

  With a swallow, he nodded.

  “You want me to make her human.” She shook her head. “I can’t change a being’s true nature. Your sister was born a wendigo and she’ll die a wendigo. Just as you will.”

  He gripped the table. “But I don’t want her to go through what I go through every day! The uncontrollable hunger, the temptation to kill every human in sight. To never ever fully feel satisfied. Please, Agnes, I don’t want her to suffer the way I do.”

  She leaned back in her seat as her eyes studied him. “You’re very passionate about this, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. I’ll do anything if it means my sister can have a good life.” His voice choked a little. “You proved to us that you’re a good person. You don’t like to see people suffer.”

  She snatched her gaze away. “There is too much suffering in the world.”

  “And a lot of it is for reasons that are not in our control. We never asked to be born wendigos, just like Alivia never asked to be born a slayer. But she proved to you that she made good of her situation. I know my sister will make good of her life if she just had the chance.”

  The witch tucked her hand under her chin as she regarded him. “You have a big heart, wendigo. And an even bigger soul. But I told you there’s nothing I can do. I can’t change her into a human.”

  “But can you take away her desire to feast on humans?” he asked.

  She thought about it for a bit. “To remove her desires. Yes, I suppose…perhaps…yes, I think that might work. Hand over one of your teeth.”

  “My teeth?”

  “Yes, I must use a sample of your teeth for the potion.”

  “Um…okay.” He reached into his mouth and winced as he yanked out a tooth. Now out of the spell, it transformed into a large sharp wendigo tooth. Finn handed it to the witch. She waved her hand and a bubbling cauldron appeared in the room.

  “This is only because of the passion in your heart,” she said as she got up and dropped the tooth in the cauldron. “Because of the goodness you have. The love.”

  She muttered an incantation, and a purple vile appeared in her hand. She held it out to Finn. Just as he was about to reach for it, she pulled her hand back. “You have to understand that I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t know what kind of affect it’ll have on her.”

  “You mean, she could be worse?”

  “No, not worse. She definitely won’t want to hurt humans anymore. She’ll no longer be a full-fledged wendigo, but she won’t be human either. I don’t know what she’ll be. And she hasn’t been through puberty yet.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Puberty brings on all kinds of changes to the body. Supernaturals become stronger. I don’t know what kind of effect that will have on her.”

  Finn carefully took the vial and slipped it into his pocket. “As long as she doesn’t have the desire to hurt humans, I think I want to take the risk. Thanks, Agnes.”

  “Is there enough for both of them?” I asked.

  The witch looked apologetic. “Magic has its limits, I’m afraid. The potion is enough for one only.”

  “I’m giving it to my sister,” Finn said without hesitation.

  She patted his shoulder. “You’re one of the good ones, wendigo.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Liam flew back to Edgewood as fast as he could and lowered us down to the forest. We were about to leave when five wolves blocked our path. They weren’t ordinary wolves, though, they were shifters. Ryker hissed at them, fisting his hands like he was ready to shift.

  I stepped toward the largest one in the front, a black wolf who seemed to be the leader. “What do you want?” I demanded.

  His body shifted. The others did as well, and one of them ran off to the side and returned seconds later, tossing clothes at them. Once they were dressed, I asked again, “What do you want?”

  “We don’t want anything from you,” the leader said. “We’d like a word with Ryker.”

  Four men and one woman stood before us, all of them extremely buff like Ryker, though the leader was super buff. He looked around his mid-thirties, and his crew was a mix of twenties and late teens.

  “What do you want from me?” Ryker said.

  The leader crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m Sean, alpha of this pack.” He introduced the others. “I want you in my pack.”

  “I have my own pack.” He pushed past him.

  “Wait.” He shoved him back. “It’s not so simple. You have my bite. You’re part of my pack whether you like it or not.”

  Ryker stared at him, then barged over so that his face was right in front of Sean’s. “You’re the one who bit me?”

  “Yes, and that makes you a member of my pack.”

  Ryker pinned him to the ground. “You murdered my mother!”

  The betas tried to throw Ryker off their leader, but the guys and I attacked them.

  “Wait a second!” Sean’s voice shrilled through the forest. “We’re not here to hurt anyone. We want Ryker to join our family.”

  “He’s not your family,” I said.

  He ignored me and focused on Ryker, who was seething. I never saw such fury in his eyes before. He wanted to kill Sean.

  Ryker charged at him again, and they tumbled over each other on the ground. “You killed my mom and bit me! You doomed me to a life I didn’t want.”

  Sean was on top of Ryker now, his knee pressing him to the ground. “I’m sorry about your mother. It was an accident. Honestly.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” he yelled into the ground.

  “I sensed the strength inside you,” he said. “I just started building my pack. I knew you were the right fit for me. But your mother got in the way. She wouldn’t have survived the transition, Ryker. She wasn’t strong enough. I had to kill her. But then you ran off and got picked up by that bear shifter. I’ve been looking for you all this time. I found you six months ago, but you weren’t ready then. You had barely ever shifted into a wolf without the full moon. I didn’t think you were fit for my pack anymore. But then I saw how you fought off the demons. You’re perfect for my pack.”

  “Are you insane!?” Ryker shouted again. “You think I’ll join you after what you did to my mom?”

  “You’re responsible for the animal attacks in Edgewood,” I realized.

  He shrugged helplessly. “Some of my recruits are still new. I apologize for the people who were hurt.”

  “That’s your answer to everything?” I demanded. “That you’re sorry? Sorry doesn’t cut it! You can’t just do things without thinking of the consequences. You can’t just go around stripping people of their lives because you think they’d make good betas.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course a human would never understand.”

  “I should kill you!” Ryker growled. “I should kill you for what you did to my mom.”

  “Probably not the best idea. Because if you kill me, you have my whole pack to deal with.”

  Kayden moved forward. “He doesn’t want to join your pack. So back off.”

  He looked at him coolly. “I wasn’t talking to you, vampire.” He bent down to whisper in Ryker’s ear. “So what do you say? No one here understands how you feel. Isn’t that how you’ve felt since the bite? Alone? You don’t have to be alone anymore.” His eyes flicked to me. “And wolves make far better mates than humans.”

  With another growl, Ryker flipped him so he was on top of Sean. His whole face blazed with anger. “You ruined my life!”

  “I know. But let me make it up to you. You’ll have a family that understands you. You’ll be with your own kind. We’re a shapeshifting pack, not just tied to the curse of the full moon.”

  “I don’t give a damn.” Ryker lifted off him. “I want you to leave Edgewood and never come back.”

  “Ryker—”

  “Leave,” he said through clenched teeth. “Before I lose it and kill every one of you.”


  “You’re making a mistake,” Sean said. “You can’t live without a pack.”

  “I already told you I have my pack. If I ever see any of you in Edgewood again, I’ll kill you.”

  “Ryker—”

  “Did you hear me? I’ll kill you.”

  Sean nodded to his pack. “Let’s go. He’ll change his mind one day. And it’ll be too late.”

  “Never!” Ryker called as they ran off.

  Then he fell to his knees, buried his face in his hands, and wept. I lowered myself behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. His body trembled as he cried. Kayden, Finn, and Liam lowered themselves to the ground next to us.

  I didn’t know how long he wept like this, but it was like years of pain and heartache had been dug up, crashing down on him. I tightened my hold on him and closed my eyes, fighting my own tears. It hurt to see him in so much pain. He must have heard me hiccup or felt my tears soak his shirt, because he reached behind me and gathered me in his arms. “Don’t cry, beautiful,” he whispered.

  “No, I’m supposed to be comforting you.” I gazed into his eyes as I pushed away some hair stuck to his tear-stricken cheek. “Ryker, I’m so sorry.”

  He brushed his lips across my temple. “I always wanted to meet the animal that did this to me. Who killed my mom. I thought he was just that, an animal under the curse of the full moon. I thought it was random. But he targeted me.”

  I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him close to my body.

  “This is so messed up,” he cried. “I should have killed the bastard.”

  I rubbed the back of his head. “You did the right thing. It wouldn’t have been a good idea to start up with him. Who knows what kind of friends he has? But he’s out of your life now, Ryker. I’m here. Liam, Kayden, and Finn are here. Your foster dad is here. You have your own family, your own pack. Just like you said.”

  He moved a few inches back so he could look into my eyes. He stroked the side of my face. “You always know what to say to make me feel better.” His eyes dipped to my lips. Then he covered his mouth with mine and gave me such a passionate, loving, heartfelt kiss. He put everything he had in it, all his fears, insecurities, worries, along with happiness and excitement. I melted against his body, loving the feeling of being buried in his strong, protective arms. After what we’d endured the last twenty-four hours, it was nice to just disappear to our own Ryker Alivia island.

  We would go on for hours, if not for Kayden clearing his throat. We reluctantly drew apart. “Thanks, Alivia.” He brushed his nose with mine. “Thanks for everything.”

  ***

  I sensed them when we were a short distance from the Caldwell mansion. Kayden must have sensed them too, because he made a short stop, and Liam rammed right into him.

  “Dude.” He rubbed his forehead. “You’ve seriously got to stop doing that.”

  “Supernaturals in your house?” My alarmed eyes met Kayden’s. We rushed to the mansion, the others chasing after us, asking what was going on.

  “It’s coming from the basement!” Kayden said as he threw the door open and hurried downstairs.

  “Do you sense your foster dad?” I called after him. “Is he okay?”

  “Too many scents!”

  We raced down the hallway, toward the makeshift prison Dr. Caldwell had made for Ryker during the full moon. My legs froze. Dr. Caldwell wasn’t lying on the floor mauled to death like I had feared. He stood outside the cell, watching the ten supernaturals that were locked inside, including Finn’s sister.

  “What the…?” Liam asked.

  Dr. Caldwell inclined his head. “I was a little busy while you were away.”

  I stepped closer to the bars and peered inside, noticing something about the supernaturals. I looked back at Dr. Caldwell. “They’re kids.”

  He nodded.

  The guys moved closer to get a better look.

  “How did you find them?” Kayden asked.

  “I sensed one was in trouble,” he said, nodding to a female creature who cowered in the back. “When I went out to look for her, I found many others just like her wandering around, not really understanding were they were or what was going on. But they weren’t attacking humans. None of them. That’s the first sign. I brought them here.”

  “What is she?” I asked as my eyes swept over her. She was tall and gangly, furry green skinned, with three eyes, the one in the center the largest, and long dark red hair. “A troll?”

  “Yes. She doesn’t seem hostile. I think these kids were in hiding all this time, not wanting to hurt anyone. Maybe they came here when they learned the portal was closed. Maybe they’re seeking a better life.”

  “What are you going to do with them?” Liam asked.

  “I want to train them.” He rested his hand on the bar. “I bet there are many just like them out there, seeking a better life.”

  Finn walked over to him and held out the bottle.

  “What?” Dr. Caldwell said as he signed. “The witch gave that to you? For your sister?” He nodded as Finn continued to communicate with him through his mind. “Are you sure this won’t backfire? Can we trust the witch?”

  “She turned out to not be that evil after all,” I said. “She’s actually a very good person.”

  Dr. Caldwell slowly nodded, then moved his eyes to Finn. “The decision is up to you. If you want to take the chance and try to give your sister a good life, you have my full support. We’ll deal with the consequences if this goes wrong.”

  Dr. Caldwell opened a closet and retrieved metal cuffs. Then his eyes landed on me. “Alivia, you can’t be here when I take her out of the cell. A frenzy will overcome her when she sees you and we won’t be able to placate her.”

  “Okay.”

  I climbed up the stairs and sat outside the basement door, straining my ears to hear what was going on down there.

  “I’ll clasp the cuffs around her and then we’ll free her from the shackles,” Dr. Caldwell instructed as he unlocked the door. “You guys okay in here?” he asked the other supernatural kids huddled in there. None of them responded. “We have a long journey ahead of us,” he murmured to the guys.

  I heard the sound of chains and then the snap of cuffs. “I’ve got her,” Ryker said.

  “Okay, bring her out.”

  The cell door was shut.

  “She won’t hold still,” Ryker said. “Ouch! She nearly poked my eye out.”

  “She can probably smell Alivia. Quick, give her the potion.”

  I heard the sound of liquid making its way down a throat, and then all five of them groaned out in pain. Then it was complete silent. Someone slammed to the ground.

  “What happened?” Liam asked.

  I opened the door and slowly made my way downstairs. Finn’s sister was unconscious on the floor, Finn on his knees, his worried eyes on her, signing frantically.

  “The witch wasn’t sure what effect this would have on her,” Kayden reminded them. “Maybe—”

  His words cut off when Finn’s sister coughed.

  “Did she just make a sound?” Ryker asked.

  Dr. Caldwell pressed his fingers to her neck. “She has a pulse. We didn’t lose her.”

  Her green eyes snapped open, and she stared straight at Dr. Caldwell.

  “Hello,” he said as he carefully helped her sit up. “Are you okay?”

  Her eyes darted to Finn. She held out her hand. Finn grabbed it, relief washing over his face.

  “Tired,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

  “She can talk,” Dr. Caldwell said. He examined her mouth. “She has human teeth.”

  “So the potion worked,” I said as I moved closer to the crowd.

  “Seems like it was a success,” Dr. Caldwell agreed.

  I raced to Finn and flung my arms around him. “I’m so happy she’s okay!”

  “She’s out cold.” Dr. Caldwell scooped her into his arms. “I’m putting her in one of the spare bedrooms. We’ll let her choose a room when she w
akes up.”

  Finn signed “thank you,” to his foster dad.

  “Whatever for?” he asked.

  He signed again.

  “Of course I’m taking her in. She’s part of the family now.”

  I glanced at the other supernatural kids in the cell. I hoped Dr. Caldwell could train them to be good like he had done with the Magnetic Four.

  “I’m really happy for you, Finn.” Ryker slugged him on the back as we climbed up the basement stairs. “You’ve got blood with you now, something we’ve all wanted.”

  There was a strange expression on his face.

  “Finn, what is it?” I asked.

  He touched his mouth. Then he slowly parted his lips, revealing his teeth. But he didn’t have wendigo teeth—he had human teeth.

  “Did you drink from the potion?” Kayden asked. “Did some of it rub off on you or something?”

  He shook his head.

  “Can you talk?” Liam asked.

  He opened his mouth, but no sound come out.

  “Weird,” Ryker said. “It’s like you’ve been half cured.”

  Finn signed.

  “You don’t crave humans anymore?” Kayden asked, his eyebrows creased in wonder.

  Finn shook his head.

  “It must be Agnes’s doing,” I realized. “Because Finn did a selfless act. He would have rather given his sister the vial when he desperately wanted it. She couldn’t change them both, so she made Finn’s life a little easier.”

  The largest smile I’d ever seen on Finn captured his face. Actually, it was the first real smile I’d ever seen.

  Ryker chuckled as he pointed to Finn’s missing tooth. “You make quite the distinguished gentleman,” he teased.

  Finn fingered the gap between his teeth and frowned. Then he signed. The guys burst out laughing.

  “What did he say?” I asked.

  “I finally have human teeth and I look like a hillbilly.”

  I burst out laughing, too.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Aunt Bea was playing a video game when I walked into the house. She was a mega pro now at using only one had. I plopped down next to her. “Need your fix?” I asked.