The Dying Fate (The Umbra Chronicles Book 1)

by Willow Ravenheart

  "Thanks." I sigh, pulling away from the counter to walk to Elliot and check on him.

  I reach out and touch his cheek with the back of my hand and his eyes pop open. His hand snaps up, snatching my wrist into his grasp. A panicked look covers his face and his frozen eyes dart across the room. The look on his features are akin to those of a crazed animal and I don't know whether I should be scared or concerned.

  "Hank!" I scream as I crouch down to calm him down. I run my other hand up and down his chest, trying to draw a comforting pattern on his exposed skin.

  Hank barrels into the room, his eyes wide open. He crouches down next to me and grabs Elliot's face by his chin.

  "What the fuck were you thinking?" he snarls, his voice breaking.

  Elliot eyes him skeptically before returning his gaze to me. His eyebrows draw together as if he's thinking of something and he opens his mouth to speak. A low groan escapes his lips and he arches his back, a pained look plastered to his face. I gasp and cradle his face between my hands.

  "What's wrong with him?" I ask, turning to look at Hank.

  "I'm not sure...he should be knocked out right now," he says worriedly, his face consumed by a deep frown, "Hell, I've never seen him take this many pills at once, but I do know that he shouldn't be awake yet. He threw up a lot of them...."

  "Has anyone called Robert?" I ask, running my hands across Elliot's chest in an attempt to calm him down. His heartbeat drums against my palms and I can't help but be worried about the erratic beat.

  "I did when we left the pack-house to help you," he admits, "He's busy right now with one of our pack-members who's currently in labor."

  "Well, fuck...." I mutter before an idea comes to mind.

  I peel the blanket off Elliot's body, noticing the dampness on the material from how badly he's sweating. I motion to Hank to help lift Elliot's upper body and I peel his unbuttoned flannel shirt from his torso.

  "Do you think you can get the guys to help carry him to his bed?" I ask, turning to Hank.

  He doesn't waste a moment before calling the other men into the room and everyone assists in lifting Elliot from the couch. I rush ahead of them to open the bedroom door. The ceiling fan is turned on, the sheets are pulled to the foot of the bed and I've stripped down to my camisole and leggings before they place him on the bed.

  Denny eyes me skeptically, but I wave him out of the room with the rest of the men. Now isn't the time for him to go all protective on me. I run out of the room to grab a bowl of cold water and a washcloth from the bathroom. Elliot eyes me when I walk into the room, but doesn't move. I don't like seeing him like this and knowing that I have something to do with it.

  It takes me a few minutes to set everything up, but I finally think I'm ready. I lock the closed door behind me, knowing that Elliot wouldn't want them to see him this vulnerable. A groan escapes Elliot's throat when my hands go to his belt buckle and I roll my eyes at him.

  "Get those thoughts out of you head, buddy. It's not going to happen...." I joke as I unbutton his jeans.

  I'm glad that I locked the door right now. This has to be one of the most awkward situations of my entire life. I try to ignore the obvious bulge in his boxers as I work his pants down his legs and silently thank God that he's actually wearing underwear. This couldn't be any less awkward, but it could be a lot worse.

  After a few minutes of wiggling and manipulating his body, I finally have the pants and his boots on the floor. I take a moment to calm my nerves as I stare at the perfect male specimen laid out before me. God, what I wouldn't do to run my hands up and down those muscular thighs.... Okay, Macy...keep your thoughts out of the gutter!

  I crawl onto the bed beside him while holding the bowl and cloth in my hands. I dip the fibers into the freezing liquid, making sure to wring it out well before placing it against his forehead. He huffs at me, but closes his eyes as I rub the cold cloth against his skin. I repeat this, dipping the cloth and pressing it against his body, for a few minutes before he seems to calm down some. I can't see his pulse beating in the veins along his neck anymore, telling me that his heartbeat has slowed down.

  "Does this feel good?" I ask, trying to reassure myself that I'm doing the right thing to help.

  I let out an irritated cry when he reaches up to snatch the cloth from my hand and tosses it across the room.

  "Why did you do that?" I groan as I sit back on my heels to stare at the man before me.

  I squeal when his hand shoots out again and knocks the bowl from my hand, drenching the mattress. He grabs my wrist and hauls me forward until I'm laying along his side. The electrical shocks seem to vibrate throughout every nerve ending in my entire body and I have to take a deep breath to clear my head.

  "This is much better...." he says, his voice raw and hoarse. My heart leaps in my chest, knowing that he's getting better. I try to ignore his words, but can't help the warmth that spreads across my cheeks.

  "Why did you do it?" I ask seriously, "You could have seriously hurt yourself."

  "I...had to," he sighs, "He wasn't going to stop. I... I had to protect you."

  "What was he going to do, Elliot?" I ask, my heart beating erratically within my chest.

  "He wanted you...and I couldn't let him do that," he admits, a forsaken look on his face.

  I can't stop my body and it feels as though I'm watching myself from afar as I lean down, my face only inches from his. I can feel his warm breath fan across my face.

  "Is he gone...?" I ask.

  "Yeah, I can't feel him right now...." he admits, his voice low and husky causing goosebumps to appear across my body.

  I take him, and myself, by surprise and lower my lips to his.

  A deep moan passes his lips and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me even closer to him. All the exposed flesh lights up with electrical pulses which grow stronger with every moment that we touch.

  I can't hold back a moan of my own as his hands run up and spine, his fingertips tracing the exposed flesh along my lower back from where my camisole has ridden up my body. I bury my fingers in his long, tangled hair and press my chest as close to him as I possibly can.

  A shocked shriek escapes me when he suddenly wraps his arms tightly around me and flips us over, his body nestled between my legs. I don't give it a second thought, only taking the time to focus on the feel of his body against mine. I can't blame this on Heat because I know I'm doing this on my own with a clear mind.

  I want to know what it's like to be with him without the fear of Olcan popping up and ruining things. I know it's wrong, to do this when it isn't fair to Elliot, but I want to see if I can feel something on my own for him without supernatural assistance.

  His mouth moves from my lips to the hollow of my neck. A loud groan escapes me as he kisses along the sensitive flesh...one of the places on my body that sets me on fire. He notices this and gently bites down, his teeth scraping against my skin. I can't help it and buck up against him, unable to control myself when he touches me there.

  After several minutes, my mind finally awakens and I press my hands against his chest to push him away. This is wrong and totally unfair to him. I'm not ready for this!

  "Elliot," I whisper, "this is too much. Can we stop?"

  A groan passes his lips before he gives me a quick nod and collapses on the mattress beside me. I look down at my body, noticing that my breasts are nearly spilling out from my top and how high it has ridden up on my torso. It takes a moment to adjust my clothes and I look to the side, noticing that he's climbed from the bed to pull on a pair of pajama pants.

  "I'm sorry, Elliot...." I say sincerely as I crawl off the bed to walk to his side.

  "Can I do something before you have a chance to regret it?" he asks as he turns to me.

  "Yes...." I say honestly, my heart hammering in my chest.

  He takes three long steps toward me and grasps my face with both of his hands. His lips are on mine after a moment and I can't keep my knees from shaking. His lips are
so soft against mine as he kisses me with all the passion he possesses. I meet him with the same amount of vigor and wrap my arms around his neck.

  He doesn't try to deepen the kiss, frustrating me. I don't like this...it feels as though he's kissing me goodbye.... I try to ignore this and pull him closer, but he kisses me one last time before pulling away.

  "Macy," he sighs, "you might want to make yourself comfortable because I have a lot to fill you in on."

  "You don't have to tell me anything...." I argue as I sit on the edge of the bed.

  Elliot simply ignores me and sits on the mattress next to me, taking my hand into his own. His large calloused fingers brush against my knuckles as he stares at our hands intently, his brow drawn close together as he processes what he's about to say.

  What have they told you?" he asks, turning his face to look at me. His frozen blue eyes feel as though they're staring into my soul. I have to take a long breath before squeezing his hand and confessing what I know.

  "Hank told me that you've been a prisoner for most of your life." I tell him, "That's all I know."

  "Well, he wasn't lying...." he says with a sigh before leaning back against the headboard, "I don't know where to start though...."

  "The beginning is always a good start." I say, the same words that he once used with me, trying to help him open up.

  We sit in complete silence for a few minutes. I watch Elliot chew on his bottom lip as he picks at a loose thread on his black, flannel pajama bottoms. I reach out and run my fingers through his tangled hair and he simply leans his head into my touch.

  "I actually had a fantastic start at life...." he says finally, but not before leaning into my touch so much that his head is currently in my lap as he stares up at me, "I was the middle son born to my parents. My father, Issac, was Alpha of our pack and my mother, Jocelyn, was his dutiful and loyal Beta.

  "My older brother, Emmet, was the most calculated person I've known in my entire life. I swear, he wouldn't eat something for breakfast without planning it out days in advance. He was born eight years before me and his sole purpose in life was to protect Adam and me.

  "Adam, he's my twin brother...born exactly ten minutes after me. Where Emmet was meticulous, Adam was the complete opposite and as carefree as it came. He was my best friend and my constant companion once Emmet grew old enough to begin his Alpha training.

  "Emmet was so prepared to take on his role, even when we were children, he was already being primed for his future role as leader of the pack. Adam and I, all we had to worry about was which of us he would eventually choose to become Beta. God, we fought about that. I was always the asshole twin who would always bring up that I was the older brother, even if it was a game of chance of which of us came out first.

  "Brotherly quarrels aside," Elliot sighs, burying his face in my lap, "we had the perfect life. Father was a stern, but fair Alpha and ruled our pack well. One day, just before me and Adam's tenth birthday...a strange man appeared at the gates to our community. He claimed that he was a Nomad, one of our kind not belonging to a community yet not feral like a rogue, and that he'd come seeking refuge.

  "The first mistake Father made was allowing him on our property, the second was allowing him to live within the pack. Two weeks after his arrival, I woke up to the sound of my pack being torn apart...." Elliot says, pausing for a moment to breathe, "Emmet ran into my room and drug me out of bed. He was in a complete panic as he half carried me to Adam's room and shoved both of us in the hall closet. He begged for us to stay quiet and hugged both of us before closing the door and leaving us in complete darkness"

  Elliot takes a deep breath and sits up, clenching his head in his hands. I lean forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders as a shiver runs down his body. He leans into my touch and I lift his face, making him look me in the eyes.

  "You don't have to tell me any more...." I tell him as I lean down to place a kiss to his forehead.

  He lifts his face, causing his lips to brush against mine. A small moan passes my lips as I close my eyes and lean into his touch. His hands lift to trace both sides of my face as his lips move against mine. I pull away from him and press my hands against his chest to create an appropriate distance between us.

  "Elliot-" I say, but he cuts me off.

  "I know, but indulge me?" he asks before leaning in closer to me.

  "Okay, but we have to stop this at some point...." I say. I don't know who I'm trying to convince more, me or him.

  "Mhm," he mumbles before pressing me back into the mattress and claiming my lips with his.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down to me, our chests crushed against each other. He caresses my face in his hands and nuzzles my neck before pulling away. Elliot lays his head on my chest and takes a deep breath before continuing.

  "Emmet never came back...." he sighs, "No one did.... It seemed like Adam and I crouched in that closet for days before someone opened the door and it wasn't Emmet or our parents. The man staring down at us was the Nomad, the man who was responsible for killing our entire family. The night of the attack...he snuck out to let in his entire pack of rogues and they annihilated my entire pack.

  "He led us to a large kennel that had been crudely built in the middle of the pack house and tossed us inside. We spent the next several years on display to everyone, stripped of every scrap of clothing and our dignities. They held us for the sole purpose to torture and maim us. Adam, he was stronger than me and took most of the beatings, but that didn't make that life any easier on me.

  "One day, about six years after the attack...they were only a few lashes away from finally killing me. The bat they were beating me with came down on my back and Olcan surfaced in my mind, lashing out at them. I don't know how many people he killed, but it was enough for Adam and I to take off and make our escape. We ran for weeks, but they caught up to us.

  "Adam took the blame for the attack, but I tried to tell them the truth. They wouldn't listen and drug him out into the middle of the field and sliced him up, keeping him alive of course. I can remember every single scream that tore from my brother's throat when they set red, hot iron bars against his skin. God, I know the exact moment when he lost his mind.... They said it was so hard to tell us apart that they needed a way...all the scars they created on his body made sure that no one would ever mistake us again.

  "They held us prisoner for a few more years and I began to feel the beginning stages of the change. I kept quiet, not wanting them to know. That's when I truly met Olcan for the first time and where I learned where our Umbras come from. Olcan belonged to Emmet and passed onto me...the next Shifter in line for the Alpha bloodline that we carried. He remembers Emmet's death...and how he couldn't do anything to help him. That's why he takes over completely with me. Macy, he refuses to let another host die...."

  "Oh my God...." I gasp, covering my face with my hand. I can't even begin to fathom what Elliot and Adam went through and now it makes sense.

  "When I shifted for the first time, Olcan took over and killed everyone in sight. I fled with Adam, who was only in the first stage of the change. We were on the run for a few years.... Along the way, we found Louis.... We lived in the wilderness for a while before we found Ronan. He took us under his wing instantly and I've been here ever since. Adam...the pack life isn't for him, so he lives the life of a true nomad and travels from pack to pack trying to find the ones responsible.

  "He helps with the pack some, but he just sends money back that he makes....Like before, he'll stop by from time to time...crazier each time he comes home. I think he blames me for what happened to him... It hurts so much to see my brother broken and know that there's nothing I can do to help him.

  "Ronan went to our old pack after we arrived, but everyone was gone and the only reminder that it had really happened was the cage, still intact in the middle of the foyer with our bloodstains covering every metal bars. We don't know what happened...but Adam is hell bent on finding them and making them pa
y."

  I lift his face and kiss him gently as I wrap my arms around his neck. He groans into my lips before shifting up my body until my shirt has ridden up, exposing my belly. He reaches down, his fingers grasping my hips as he pulls me closer to him. All I want to do is kiss all his hurt away, but there's only so much that my touch can do for him.

  "I'm so sorry, Elliot...." I whisper against his lips before hugging him tight.

  "There's nothing you could have done," he says before resting his cheek against my skin, his nose nuzzling my throat.

  "It doesn't keep me from wanting to make it all better...." I sigh as I run my fingers along the map of scars marking his back.

  It's hard to believe that anyone would do something like this to a child. How old was he when he received his first beating? Was he ten or did they wait a few years before turning into the sick bastards who enjoy torturing innocent boys?

  "Where's Adam now?" I ask.

  "He's actually on his way back...." he tells me, "Right now, he's probably somewhere in Russia, but it shouldn't be too long before he makes it home. Apparently, he has a lead that he wants to talk about in person. He comes and goes all the time."

  "Has Olcan ever opened up to you?" I ask, looking into his eyes as he gazes at me.

  "Never," he sighs, "like I said, he was Emmet's Umbra...we don't have that connection. Our animal spirits were meant to live with us for a lifetime and then pass on to the next available generation. The way Emmet died...Olcan won't talk about it, but I know it drove him a bit insane and there's nothing I can do but fight him."

  "I'll help you," I tell him as I push him onto his side and cuddle into his chest.

  "You don't have to...." he argues, but I simply shake my head.

  "You've helped me. The least I can do is return the favor."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Elliot and I spend most of the afternoon cuddled in the middle of the water soaked mattress, his arms tight around me as I lay my head on his chest. We barely speak, instead we just bask in each other's company. I know that I'll have to stop this soon, but something in me doesn't want to. There's something about him that pulls me in...deep.