The Wolf Within

by Cynthia Eden

  Pate shook his head. “No, you won’t be.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m even hearing rumors that the vamps are being starved and the werewolves are being tortured by silver—all to make them angrier, to get them ready to fight back against their guards.” His face was haggard. “We have to stop this. Will you do it? Will you stop the escape and help me figure out who’s pulling these damn puppet strings and trying to start a war?”

  It looked like he didn’t have much of a choice. “Holly’s safe.” Not a question, a demand.

  “Yes! I left agents at her place to keep an eye on her. She’s protected, okay?”

  A light scent teased Duncan’s nose. Sex and honey. In hell. He gave a sharp negative shake of his head.

  “What?” Pate barked. “What is it?”

  “Holly.”

  “She’s—”

  “Here.” His snarl. Pate had betrayed him for the last time. He would cut the bastard open.

  “That’s not possible!”

  “I smell her.” Not just her sweet scent, but also her fear. Holly was there, and she was terrified.

  Footsteps echoed, the tread coming toward him. The prison guard that Pate had spoken of?

  A growl built in Duncan’s throat.

  “Let him take you into the general population,” Pate whispered. “Do it. Dammit, I’ve got a mole in this prison, and he told me we don’t have much time.”

  “Why didn’t he tell you who was behind the setup?”

  “Because he’s a weak werewolf, the runt of this joint, and he doesn’t have that kind of power.”

  Duncan inhaled again on a deep breath. “Holly.”

  “Are you fucking sure?”

  The guard was almost on them.

  Duncan nodded.

  “I’ll get her,” Pate promised. “I’ll search the prison, and I’ll get her out, I swear. Just do this mission. You can’t even imagine how many lives are at stake.”

  He could imagine plenty. Only right then, there was only one life that mattered to him.

  Holly’s scent was coming closer because the guard was coming closer. The guard had been near her. Near enough for Holly’s scent to recently rub off on him.

  My senses are even more enhanced.

  Duncan held Pate’s glittering stare. “I’ll get her,” Duncan said, “and I’ll end this fucking mission.”

  Pate wouldn’t use him again.

  Pate didn’t get a chance to reply. The door opened, and the guard came in. A middle aged, balding man, he froze when he saw the broken bars—and Duncan.

  “It’s all right,” Pate said. The director had a gun in his hand. When had he pulled that out? “I have him contained. Just collar him, now.”

  With trembling hands, the guard hurried forward and snapped a collar around Duncan’s neck. When the guard lifted his hands…that was when Duncan noticed the fresh puncture wounds on the man’s neck.

  Holly’s scent was coming from those wounds.

  Just what was his vampiress doing?

  “S-supposed to collar him,” the guard said. “Bring him in…”

  Was it his imagination or did the guard look dazed?

  The collar snapped in place. Even though the silver was glowing, Duncan didn’t feel a burn. “Come with me,” the guard said, lifting the collar’s remote.

  After one final look at a tense-faced Pate, Duncan followed the guard out. They walked through a series of hallways, past heavy, silver doors. Duncan caught the salty scent of the ocean, drifting in to him from the windows high above.

  “Werewolves aren’t allowed out during full moons. So you’ll be locked up tight then,” the guard told him.

  The full moon had just passed. Duncan had survived that night. Well, partially, and he wasn’t exactly planning on hanging around the prison until the full moon came calling once more.

  “The werewolves are housed on the south side. The vampires on the north.”

  Since he was supposed to be some combination of both, where did that put him?

  “But you’re due for an infirmary check first. Got to make sure your collar’s strong enough to last, but not strong enough to kill you.”

  Uh, yeah, that was good.

  Then the guard was motioning with his weapon. Pointing toward a door on the right. “Ten minutes in the infirmary.”

  Was this standard protocol?

  “The doctor’s waiting,” the guard muttered, looking away.

  His doc?

  Duncan shuffled forward. The door to the infirmary opened, and she was there. Wide eyes. Red lips. Face so fucking beautiful that she’d haunt him forever.

  “Is he secure?” Her voice was flat.

  “Y-yes…” The guard stammered.

  She turned those deep eyes on the guard. “Then stand outside the door. Don’t let anyone in while I’m with the prisoner.”

  She reached for Duncan’s arm. Pulled him inside. She shut and bolted the door behind him. The guard didn’t say a word.

  Then her mouth was on Duncan’s. Just the touch of her mouth against his seemed to ignite a firestorm inside of him.

  He’d thought he’d lusted for her before, but now every sense was heightened. Every emotion raged out of control.

  He wanted to bite her so badly that his teeth ached.

  Her tongue thrust against his. He loved her taste. Would never get enough of it. Couldn’t get enough of her.

  Mine.

  The beast was still inside him, but that claim came fully from the man.

  Holly pulled her mouth from his. “I was afraid I’d lost you.” Her words were hushed. He could hear the whisper of pain in her voice. Her gaze was stark as she stared up at him. “I’m so sorry, Duncan.”

  He wanted to speak. Couldn’t. Because he could hear the wild thunder of her heartbeat. Want her blood.

  “I shouldn’t have given you my blood. I know you didn’t want to change.”

  His gaze was on her throat. On the pulse that raced so frantically.

  “But I couldn’t let you die.” The words broke. “Please, Duncan, say something.”

  He put his hand on her neck. He had claws. The claws of a werewolf came from his fingers. But he didn’t scratch her skin. He didn’t want to waste that blood. “Mine.”

  “Wh-what?”

  He pushed her against the wall. Trapped her. “Mine,” he said again, then his mouth was at her throat. This was instinctive, primal. There was no stopping, not now, not with her, though a part of him watched from a dark corner of his mind, horrified at what he was doing.

  Can’t stop. Must take.

  Her hands pushed against his chest. Before, her vampire strength would have been enough to send him stumbling across the room. Now, he barely felt the push of her hands.

  His mouth was on her throat. He licked the skin. She trembled.

  He bit.

  When her blood flowed onto his tongue, it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. Better than wine. Better than honey. Better than any damn thing. His cock hardened even more because he’d been aroused since the moment he’d seen her. It stretched, ached, and he yanked down her jeans and shoved aside her panties even as he kept drinking from her.

  The bloodlust tangled with the physical lust that he felt. He wanted to speak, to tell her that he didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t pull away.

  With one hand, he lifted her up. Held her easily, then drove deep into her. She moaned against him and arched—not away from him, but toward his mouth.

  Oh, fuck, but he hoped she was enjoying his bite. Because nothing could have made him pull away from her right then.

  Her sex contracted around him, so tight that his cock felt like it was gripped in a silken fist, and he thrust deep into her even as he drank her blood.

  He should have been repulsed by what he was doing.

  He fucking wasn’t.

  She came around him. He swore that he could taste the pleasure in her blood as her body tensed and she choked out his name.

&n
bsp; Then, only then, was he able to take one last sip from her. He swiped his tongue over the wound on her neck, and he came so long and hard that his body shuddered.

  The fury of need slowly faded. Pleasure still pulsed through him, small aftershocks as his cock emptied into her. Her arms were around him. Her legs locked around his hips.

  He was almost afraid to look at her. He’d been worried that she’d think of him as a beast before, but he’d just damn well gorged on her. She’d come after him, apologizing, and he’d done that to her.

  Careful now, when he should have been careful before, Duncan eased out of her. Her breath caught, and his gaze flew to her face.

  There was no anger in her eyes. No pain. Just the afterglow of pleasure.

  He stared at her. Lost.

  How the hell could she still look at him like that?

  Then she smiled at him. Smiled. She said, “You aren’t going to…ah…believe this…” Her voice was breathless, husky, and it just made him hard again, “but I promise, I came here to save you, not just to fuck you.”

  Right there, in the middle of Purgatory, with death all around, with fangs in his mouth and claws growing from his fingertips, he…smiled.

  Her breath caught. “Duncan, you’ve got dimples.”

  He kissed her. Not wild. Not desperate. Just…kissed her.

  Her lips whispered back against his.

  “I’m sorry,” he told her softly. She deserved so much better than what had happened.

  “For what?” She shook her head. “Duncan, I’m the one who changed you.”

  And he was the one who’d just attacked her.

  His forehead pressed against hers. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I wasn’t going to let you just be tossed into some cell and locked away.” Her nails sank into his shoulders. “I can get us out of here. I just have to bite the guards, then I can control them. They don’t realize I’m a vamp, so they aren’t taking precautions and—”

  He realized why Pate had kept Holly’s secret for so long. Because Pate had known that if the dark segment within the FBI found out about her, Holly would be watched, monitored, and maybe even tossed to the wolves for the battle that was coming.

  Good thing this wolf found her.

  “I’m not leaving.”

  His quiet words froze her. Then she gave a hard shake of her head. “You have to leave. Look, I know your brother is here, but you can’t stay. You haven’t done anything wrong!”

  He hadn’t done anything right, either. “Connor’s here?”

  She gave a slow nod. “He was transferred in, the same day you were. I…convinced one of the agents to tell me that. Brent had quite a bit of information to share.” Her gaze searched his. Her legs had slipped away from his and fallen back to the floor. The scent of blood and sex surrounded them.

  Want more.

  He forced himself to step away from her. She wouldn’t be able to handle him taking much more from her.

  But when he stepped back, she blinked and almost looked hurt as she fumbled to fix her clothes. Then her hand rose to her neck.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered again.

  Her hand dropped. “I just…I couldn’t let you die.”

  “And I’m not going to let my brother die.” Because Connor would die. With the battle coming to this prison, all of the inmates were at risk. Some would escape, some would die.

  “He’s a killer, Duncan. He deserves to be here, but you don’t.”

  He could still taste her. Duncan turned away from Holly. Straightened his clothes. His fangs hadn’t gone away yet. Why not? “He was taken away by whoever the hell it was that killed my family. I remember him screaming for me, but I was locked in that closet, and I couldn’t get to him.”

  There was silence behind him.

  “I’ll get to him this time.” A vow. “He’ll tell me what happened to them. To me.”

  “And then what? You take him out, and you two walk into the sunset together?” Her laugh was bitter. “You’re a vampire now, and he’s a werewolf. He’s also out for your blood.”

  He glanced back at her. “I’m not leaving him.” That was all he knew for the moment. He’d find Connor, and then…well, he didn’t know what would happen after that. “According to your brother, this prison is set to erupt in a matter of hours.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Elias was a plant. Someone wants the Para Units to fail, and that same someone wants Purgatory to fail.”

  “But if the prisoners get out of Purgatory—”

  “Then Pate thinks a war will come. He says the vamps have been starved. That the werewolves are too close to losing their control. They’ll get out and go wild.” Because they had the baddest, most dangerous prisoners there. “He didn’t bring me here as punishment. He brought me here to stop that hell from coming true.”

  Her lips parted in surprise even as she took a step forward. “I’ll help you.”

  “No.” Absolutely fucking not. “You’ll use your power over the guard, and you’ll get him to take you out of here. Now.”

  “So you can fight them all on your own? You can’t do that. You’re just—”

  “According to Pate, I’m the only vampire and werewolf hybrid in existence. All of the strengths of both creatures, none of the weaknesses.”

  A furrow appeared between her brows. “Alpha…”

  So he’d been told. He just hadn’t realized what that meant at the time. He was betting that Pate had known though, all along. Tricky bastard.

  “That jerk,” Holly whispered. “He set this all up.”

  Duncan suspected he had.

  “So what? You’re supposed to take on all the prisoners here by yourself? That’s insane!”

  “Not all of ‘em…just the asshole who thinks he’s in charge.” Because there would be one leading the pack. There always was. Once he took him down, the others would follow.

  Or at least, he hoped so.

  “I can help you.”

  He shook his head. “No, you’ll make me weak.”

  Her indrawn breath was painful, and dammit, he hadn’t meant the words that way, but they were the truth. Physically, he was strong. Amped up paranormal, yeah, he had that whole bit going on. But Pate was wrong when he’d said that Duncan didn’t have a weakness.

  He was staring at his weakness. “If one of them gets to you, I’ll lose it.” The painful truth.

  “Duncan…”

  “You matter to me.” Mattered so much that he was glad she’d transformed him. Because the transformation meant that he had a chance to be with her. Not just for a few years, but maybe forever. “If I thought you were in danger, I don’t think I’d ever be able to hold onto my control.” He huffed out a hard breath. “So don’t stay, understand? Use the guard and get the hell off this rock before the battle comes.” Then he went back to her. Because he had to. One more time. “I’ll find you. We’ll both be more than just monsters.” A man. A woman. Maybe with a future?

  The wound on her neck had already healed. He could feel her, though, inside of him now. “Get out and stay alive.” For me.

  She nodded.

  His shoulders wanted to sag in relief. Instead, he kissed her once more. Had to do it. Then he headed for the door.

  “Don’t you want to know why?”

  He’d unbolted the door. Duncan didn’t glance back at her.

  “Aren’t you a little curious…” Holly pressed. “About why I couldn’t let you die?”

  “No.” Because he already knew. Duncan shoved open the door. “You love me.”

  And he…well, he was insane for her. Obsessed. Consumed.

  To him, she was everything.

  That was why he had to leave her. If anyone at that prison realized how important she was, he’d be lost.

  Not an alpha. Not the warped hero who was supposed to swoop in and save the unsuspecting humans out there.

  If anything happened to her, he’d just be…lost.

  Becaus
e the vampire who’d bit him held his heart in her hands.

  ***

  When the doors closed behind Duncan, Holly didn’t move for an instant. Her clothes were back on. Her body was still flushed, and pleasure still pulsed within her.

  She couldn’t move.

  Duncan was walking away. He knew how she felt, and he was just leaving her.

  Because I’m his weakness? She wasn’t sure how to take that. She’d come there, so desperate and breaking every rule she’d ever known, in order to save him.

  Now he’d told her to leave.

  The door swung open. Brent stood there. “The guard took Duncan to general population.”

  She was supposed to just leave him?

  No, she couldn’t do that. She’d stay out of the fight. He could go play alpha, but when the bloodbath was over, he’d still need someone to get him out of that hellhole.

  She’d sworn not to leave him behind, and she wouldn’t. No matter what.

  Holly cleared her throat. “Go find my brother. Bring Pate to me.” The control was so easy to her now that it was frightening.

  Brent nodded and hurriedly left.

  She stared at the infirmary around her. She’d need some sort of weapon, just in case. Everyone in this place seemed to have fangs and claws, and her compulsions wouldn’t work on other vampires.

  She jerked on a lab coat. If any other guards came by, she wanted to make sure that she blended well. She searched around a moment, and then Holly picked up a scalpel. Silver. She wondered why the doctors had silver scalpels in stock. Actually, now that she looked at the instruments, they were all made out of silver. Odd. Silver surgical instruments would just increase the pain for the werewolf patients.

  Did someone want them all to hurt? The thought chilled her.

  But hadn’t Duncan told her that the vampires were being starved? Pate had billed this place as being a humane place to hold the dangerous non-humans. She clutched the scalpel tightly. Just what was happening in Purgatory?

  “I thought I smelled something sweet.”

  The dark, low words had her stiffening. She shoved the scalpel into the pocket on the right side of her borrowed lab coat, then spun around.

  She’d expected to see a guard. Because prisoners shouldn’t be wandering loose, right? Some asshole, horny guard who thought he’d make time with the new female doctor.