by Dawn Kirby
Not once did Mark acknowledge anyone inside the large crowd surrounding him. He kept his eyes fixed solely on Donovan. Without being able to see a haze, I couldn’t read his mood. Though I was sure, after having his father’s secrets revealed, he was furious.
I chanced a glance at Raine to try and get a feel for his mood. He sat perfectly still, glaring at Mark with fire in his eyes. I knew no amount of time could make him forgive or forget the things Mark had done to me. His anger was so blatant even May took notice.
“Raine, honey, she’s fine,” she told him sweetly. “You’ve got her now.”
Brody was completely lost. He looked from me to Raine several times before he finally shrugged his shoulders and turn back to watch the fight.
“Lead out the challenger,” Donovan called to Declan.
Even before Kale was visible, people were cheering. It was pretty clear who their favorite was. Hopefully he wouldn’t let it go to his head. When Kale finally came into view, he was stark naked. I looked at May, expecting her to be mortified, but she wasn’t. It became quite clear to me then that showing up for the impeding fight naked was the tradition. Thank goodness it only applied to the competitors.
Kale’s entrance was completely opposite of Mark’s. His attention was everywhere. I don’t think he ever really stood still. High five and waves of appreciation were more his style. He looked at us and gave us a huge, exaggerated bow. He even stopped long enough to kiss a couple of girls along the way.
“Let the fight begin,” Donovan yelled. He quickly retreated to go and stand beside Declan, directly across from us.
Kale allowed Mark plenty of time to remove his clothes. Once both men stood naked, it was clear who would have the upper hand when it came to physical strength. Next to Mark’s lean frame, Kale looked like a Spartan. Before I could see how it happened, they changed.
The big, black wolf slowly circled a slightly smaller yellow and white wolf. Mark may not be as strong, but I knew he was quick. Agility might give him the edge he needed over Kale.
“Will he remember?” I asked Raine.
“He better,” he answered quickly.
His eyes were on the two of them. He kept my hand in his, but he had loosened up on it considerably. May had let up a little when Kale came out, too. Once she knew they would be accepted, everything was fine in her neck of the woods. There was still no doubt in her mind that her grandson would win.
Mark managed to grab the back of Kale’s neck several times, but couldn’t keep a good bite on it. The blood he had all over his mouth from continually breaking through the skin on Kale’s neck kept that from happening. Not that a little blood loss slowed Kale down at all. He nudged at Mark constantly, knocking him on his back time and again. No matter how hard or how many times he tried, Kale couldn’t keep him down. Mark was always right back on his feet before Kale could even think about going for his throat.
Now that I wasn’t the object of his anger, I could appreciate how quickly Mark moved. He was able to bounce from the ground to a boulder and back down again in the blink of an eye. Kale watched him closely; probably looking for signs of physical weakness. If Mark did have any I couldn’t see them.
Mark jumped up on another boulder and Kale ran at him full out, knocking him to the ground. He had him down, but Mark threw a leg in front of his throat. Kale bit down on it and shook it mercilessly, spraying the ground below them with blood. In a second, Mark latched onto Kale’s throat and took him to his back.
Both of my hands were being crushed again. Raine and May were worried. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Kale. His heartbeat was as fast as it has always been and the minty scent was getting stronger by the second. I smiled realizing he was playing possum.
“Is he still breathing?” May asked us, her soft voice unsure.
“I can’t tell, Mark’s got a pretty good bite on him,” Brody told her.
“Don’t worry, May, he’s faking,” I said.
Sure enough Mark, thinking he’d won, let go. Kale was on his feet in a second. His chin rested on the ground, between his front feet, hind end in the air. To add insult to injury, Kale’s tail wagged furiously. The crowd around them loved it.
“How did you know?” Brody asked me, holding his sides from laughing so hard.
“I told you, Brody,” Raine said happily, “she’s special.”
By now I’d figured out Kale’s strategy. He was purposely trying to make Mark mad. After about ten minutes of tail wagging and playful nips, he accomplished just that. Now they were earnestly trying to rip each other a part. They moved around so fast, it was hard to keep up with which one had the upper hand. Both of them were bleeding from almost every bite the other inflicted.
Sensing Mark’s attacks, Kale was able to evade most of them, which only added to cloud Mark’s judgment with frustration. He wasn’t moving as quickly as before. Kale finally managed to get a grip on the back of Mark’s neck, ripping it open. Mark tried to jump on a boulder to get away, but Kale got there first forcing him back to the ground.
How much further Kale could push him without getting seriously hurt was anybody’s guess. Mark lost any ground he may have had and was furious. He ran at Kale. They locked jaws fiercely. For what felt like hours they twisted and tore at one another. Mark broke free first and forced Kale into a boulder. I squeezed Raine’s hand hearing the unmistakable sound of a bone crack.
The injury didn’t deter Kale. For the first time since I’ve known him, his eyes glowed red. He was honestly furious. He forced Mark to the ground, biting at anything he could get his teeth on. Mark, looking worse for the wear, quickly recovered and they began circling one another again. They were both tired, but neither one was going to quit.
Kale leaped up on top of the boulder behind Mark, throwing him off kilter. His senselessness only lasted for a minute, but it was long enough for Kale to circle around and knock him to the ground. Mark tore open Kale’s right shoulder and got right back up. Mark’s defensive stance morphed into one of obvious pride. Kale stopped, watched him closely and waited for his next move.
When Mark leaped towards Kale the next time, he missed. He lost his balance as a result and landed hard on his side. Kale, seeing his chance, charged. He hit him hard as Mark stood up. The force knocked Mark’s body back about six feet. The minute he hit the ground, Kale latched on to his throat. Mark’s breathing was ragged but steady. Kale wasn’t trying to kill him. A fact I hoped wouldn’t be lost on the rest of the pack.
Mark finally submitted with a barely audible whine. Kale released him. Mark got up, keeping his head down and tail tucked between his legs. Donovan immediately declared Kale the winner. The other pack members tilted their heads and exposed the left side of their necks to their new leader.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I told you he’d remember,” Raine told me, smiling proudly at his brother.
May smiled so big, she couldn’t even speak. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Kale’s victory meant she no longer had to live in fear. She squeezed me, then Raine, and finally Brody. The two of them were laughing it up over her complete loss of speech.
Kale finally reached us and effortlessly leaped up onto the platform, looking slightly worse for the wear. There were a few deep cuts, scrapes and swollen places he’d need tending to later. He’d managed to slip into a robe on his way through the crowd, covering up what was sure to be several more possibly serious injuries. At the moment he seemed content to let first aid wait. He was so happy, he smelled like a bottle of mint syrup mixed in a whole lot of blood. May finally got a taste of her own medicine when he embraced her. He squeezed so her tight, she had to push against him just to get some air.
“Well Granny,” Kale sighed, “looks like you finally get to reconnect with the pack.”
“Thank you, Kale,” May whispered. “And if that’s an invitation, I accept.”
“Good,” he said, hugging her again. “I may need some of your wisdom later on down the road.” He looked at Brod
y with a huge grin on his face. “Thanks for being here, man.”
Brody shook his hand so hard I honestly expected it to fall off. Raine was as happy. He gave Kale a big bear hug and couple of back cracking slaps on the back to show him how proud he actually was. Then, Kale turned to me.
“Thank you, Leah,” Kale said gratefully. “I couldn’t have done this without your help.”
“This was all you,” I told him proudly. “I had nothing to do with it.”
He pulled me to him and squeezed as tight as he could. Unfortunately, he came close to cracking a couple of my nearly healed ribs. I tapped him on the back and quietly reminded him I still had some healing to do.
“Sorry, I forgot,” he said, red faced. He held me out at arm’s length, concern on his handsome face. “Are you okay?”
I nodded my head and took in a deep, welcome breath. I caught the scent of something familiar. A few seconds went by before I realized what it was. Sulfur and ash are a dangerous combination. I frantically looked around the clearing for Mark. His pounding heartbeat helped me find him through the ocean of people.
I saw him just in time to watch him take aim at Kale. I heard the click of the hammer and stepped in front of Kale. My presence there didn’t stop him. He simply smiled at me, shrugged and pulled the trigger. I knocked Kale out of the way and yelled out just as the bullet sank into my left shoulder. I fell to the ground surprised that a bullet tearing through my flesh didn’t hurt like I thought it would.
Declan and Donovan were on Mark as soon as the gun went off. Donovan’s oceanic scent blasted through every other smell in the air. With new life running through his veins, I didn’t know what to expect. He’d broken Julie’s neck without a second’s hesitation and that was before he had my blood.
“Donovan, don’t!” I yelled.
Raine fell to the ground beside me and pressed his hand tightly to my shoulder. His body was so hot I expected it to cauterize the wound any minute. Keeping him and Donovan from killing Mark was going to take every ounce of strength I had. That meant showing no pain or fear.
“Leah,” Raine said urgently.
“I’m alright. Did anyone else get hit?”
He took a deep breath and looked at me. “No, it’s still in you.”
“Thank goodness,” I said.
“How is she?” Kale shouted to Raine.
“Happy to know no one else was shot,” Raine said gruffly.
Kale knelt down beside me and looked at my shoulder. He shook his head and smiled weakly. I knew what was going through his mind before he even said it.
“You could have ducked,” Kale mumbled.
“If I had, someone else would have been hit,” I told him. “Besides, he was aiming for you.”
Raine cradled me in his trembling arms. May ripped off a long piece of Kale’s robe and tied it tightly around my shoulder. The shock had worn off and it felt exactly like I thought it would.
“Take a break, Leah. I don’t know how much more your body can take,” Raine said earnestly. “Let us protect you for once.”
I suddenly remembered Mark and his precarious position. “Kale, please don’t kill him. He’s not thinking straight.”
“He just shot you!” Brody said in disbelief. “That son of a bitch was trying to kill Kale. He deserves to die.” Brody was as furious as everybody else around us. They all wanted to see him gone. The heat filling the air around me said as much.
“He’s just been humiliated,” I told him. I turned to look at Kale. “Please don’t, there’s already been too much death.”
I was on the verge of tears but I held them back. Strength was what I needed now, not hysterics. Somehow, I had to make them all see that killing him wouldn’t accomplish anything. All it would do is make things worse, especially if Dane happened to recover.
Declan and Donovan brought Mark to face Kale. Nothing but hate seethed from him now. Most of it was clearly directed at me. I don’t think he realized that I was the only one on his side.
“I have the gun, don’t worry,” Declan said. Only his mouth never opened. He saw the confusion on my face and sent me another telepathic message. “It’s okay, darlin’; the telepathy is only a side effect from ingesting my blood. More than likely it won’ last long.”
Still a little stunned, I turned my focus back to saving Mark’s life. I pushed May’s hand away from my shoulder and slid off the platform. If I wasn’t being coddled, maybe the situation wouldn’t seem so bad.
“Raine, your girl’s bleeding. You might want to get her to the hospital,” Brody said, watching the blood slowly soak into my white dress. “I don’t think the little pixie can lose much more.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said to him. As bad as it hurt, I couldn’t let it show.
“This woman,” Kale growled, jumping off the platform to stand behind me. He placed his hot hands gently on my shoulders, “wants your life spared. Even after you and Dane took her, beat her, and took a knife to her.” His voice boomed over the murmur of the crowd. “You’ve tried to force yourself on her and now you’ve shot her. After all that, she still wants you to live.”
“I don’t care what that bitch wants. She’s not worth the cost of that bullet,” Mark said snorted. “I should have had my fun and killed her when I had the chance.”
Raine jumped down and took a step towards him, but Brody beat him to it. He backhanded Mark so hard his bottom lip split open. Mark kept his angry eyes on me and I glared right back at him.
“It would figure that a vampire’s daughter and a shape shifting werewolf would end up together,” he seethed. “You’re both freaks, even among us.” Obviously pleased with the crowd’s confused reaction, he smiled. “Try getting them to accept you now.”
“Hey, man,” Brody said, turning to look at Kale. “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to know what the hell is going on.”
“She’s David’s daughter!” Mark yelled. Donovan grabbed his hair and pulled his head back. The sudden threat of a quick death shut him up.
“How is that possible?” a young lady close to us asked. “Isn’t David a vampire?”
Donovan quickly took control of the situation. Declan held onto Mark while Donovan told the waiting crowd David’s sad story. He began with Judith’s jealousy and went from there. Somehow, it sounded more dramatic than I remembered. His tale only went as far as the night I came to live here. The rest he left to Kale.
“Dane and Mark took Leah’s friend, Drew, to lure her to them. They were working with Michael. Most of you know how evil he could be. David, along with her mother’s body, was also taken- as bait,” Kale said, stopping for a breath.
“Why?” another person asked. “What difference would it make to Dane who she is?”
“It’s simple,” Kale said. “At one point, Judith bit Raine. When she did, Dane was afraid his little secret would come out. Please understand that Raine hid what he was only to protect us, not because he wanted to. My little brother is not only a werewolf; he’s a shifter, too. After that Dane wanted him dead so no one would ever find out that he himself is nothing more than a shifter. Leah was a means to an end. He knew we were helping David protect her and we would stop at nothing to get her back.” Kale waited for questions but none came. His pack was thoroughly mesmerized. “Anyway, she and Raine managed to get her friend back. I had been involved in a scrap with another werewolf and was unfortunately unconscious for the escape,” he admitted.
Declan picked it up from there. “Since Kale was hurt and Raine was bleedin’, Leah allowed Judith to take her. Leah knew our lives depended on her silence.”
“This woman was tortured with watching her mother’s body burn and seeing her father die by the light of the sun,” Donovan said, picking up the tale once again. “Once Michael was asleep, Dane and Mark had a go at her. Her time with them was tortuous. Even after suffering as much as she did, she refused to tell them where to find the others. She is still healing to this day. The gunshot wound, I fear, will take
a little longer to heal.”
Donovan’s eyes sparkled when he raked them over my bleeding shoulder. I hadn’t given a second thought to what the scent of my blood would do to him until now. Kale pulled me closer to him and Raine stepped in front of me, blocking Donovan’s view. So far, May’s warning not to bleed wasn’t going over so well.
“Stay where ye are,” Declan thought to me.
“Well?” Brody pushed. “How did she get away?”
“They all came back for me,” I said.
“We did go back, but it was Raine’s actions that saved us,” Kale said proudly. “Raine is huge as a werewolf, but as a bear he’s pretty much unbeatable.”
“No way! He’s a bear when he changes?” Brody asked. I’ve never seen a smile so big.
“He can shift into any animal,” Kale told him. “After Raine tossed Dane across the room, Mark started wailing on dear ole dad for some reason and they disappeared. During their scuffle, Michael went for Leah and she staked him. There’s not a doubt in my mind that he would have taken her and then killed her when he had what he wanted. Today is the first time in days she has been out of bed.” He finished his story with an angry glare at Mark.
“What did Michael want her for in the first place?” a teenage boy asked.
“All you need know is that Leah will put her life on the line to save others,” Donovan snapped harshly. Clearly he didn’t think Michael’s reasons were worth sharing. “I would expect, now that she has saved your leader and quite possibly several of your pack mates, you will extend to her the same courtesy.”
Kale glared at Donovan. “Leah’s bravery isn’t the issue,” he told his pack. “The fact that she’s still being hunted is.”
“Even after everything you’ve been through, you’re willing to forgive the things they’ve done,” Brody asked. “You just took a bullet and now you want to save the bastard that put it there?”
“I did what I had to do,” I told him. “Yes, I got Kale out of the way, but if the bullet hadn’t gone in me, it would have hit one of you. How’s that any better?”