by L. P. Dover
“And you’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” I laughed, hoping to appease him. The last thing I needed was for him to get involved with what we were doing.
He sighed. “All right. Call me if you need anything else.”
“Will do.” I hung up and slammed my phone down on the table. “Looks like we’re back to square one. My cousin is involved with someone she doesn’t even know.”
We walked out to the car and Sebastian glanced at me from the other side. “We need to find out who he is, and fast. There’s a reason he didn’t want her to know who he was.”
Amelie’s house was almost completely cleaned up by the end of the day, but I couldn’t find any more clues, other than a couple of pictures in her room of her and the mysterious Jaret Bleddyn. I was ready to head back to our cabin and try the stone. Surely, I’d have more luck with it.
Sebastian had been patrolling the grounds for the past couple of hours, searching for tracks. If he’d found something, he would have been back long ago. The sound of footsteps scraped across the wooden porch and I rushed downstairs.
“Did you find anything?” I asked, turning the corner into the living room.
The man in front of me wasn’t Sebastian. He was a wolf, yet I couldn’t smell him. Tall, with dark green eyes and long, brown hair, the guy was dressed in dirty jeans and a plaid button down shirt. His eyes flashed when he saw me. “Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
He walked forward and I took a step back. “Who are you?” When I took another step back, a set of arms snatched me from behind. “Let me go.” I growled and bucked. My nails lengthened and I dug them in his arms, ripping his flesh.
He yelled and let me go, but not before smacking me across the cheek. It burned, but I stood strong and faced him. This guy had short, brown hair and glowing gray eyes. His fangs grew in length, and so did his claws.
I glared straight at him. “You don’t scare me, you worthless pile of dog shit.”
The long haired wolf burst out laughing. “We got a feisty one on our hands.”
“Where’s Amelie?” I commanded.
He smiled wide. “You talking about the busty blonde who lived here?”
“Where is she?” I shouted as loud as I could. Sebastian was sure to hear me now.
Long hair shrugged. “Somewhere up north. We were instructed to kill whoever came looking for her. But I don’t think that’ll be the case with you; at least, not yet. I wanna have a little fun with that body of yours first.”
My eyes flashed and I was ready to shift. “You can try.”
The guy behind me tried to grab me again, but I dropped to the floor and punched him in the balls. As he went down, I jumped over him and out the front door. I didn’t get far before Long Hair lunged and grabbed me around the waist, bringing me down on the gravel driveway. The breath was knocked out of my lungs and I gasped, choking for air.
“That wasn’t so hard.” He laughed maliciously. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight.”
Sebastian’s rage unleashed and I could feel his anger. “I don’t have to,” I said, sucking in a breath.
The loudest growl I’d ever heard echoed through the trees. Long Hair backed away from me and shifted, ready to fight. The other guy stumbled out of the house and joined him, both massive gray wolves. Sebastian didn’t waste any time in his attack. Long Hair lunged for him and they toppled over one another. Short Hair turned and glared at me.
“Mad that I kicked those tiny things between your legs?” I growled. Ripping off my clothes, I felt the magic of the shift shimmer across my body. He roared and lunged at me just as I shifted, but I dodged out of his reach. I was prepared to fight, but Sebastian had already beaten me to it.
Tearing the wolf open with one swipe of his paw, Sebastian sent his blood splattering across the ground. The howls of pain were deafening. I stood back and watched the carnage unfold before me. Sebastian was lethal, tearing both wolves apart limb from limb. The rage had consumed him and it scared the hell out of me. He didn’t slow in his attack, even when they were clearly dead.
Shifting back, I took a step forward. “Sebastian, stop,” I said low.
His gaze lifted, eyes still glowing. He growled and I held my breath. He wouldn’t hurt me, but seeing him like that terrified me. Blood dripped from his mouth as he stalked toward me. I stepped back and lost my footing, falling on my backside. He towered over me, his fangs scraping along my neck.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “Come back to me.” He backed up quickly, eyes darting back and forth from the dead wolves to me. “Sebastian, please shift back.”
Instead of shifting, he darted off into the woods. He could smell my fear.
As fast as I could, I threw on my clothes and ran inside to grab the keys. If there were more wolves around, they’d find the carnage. I didn’t want to be there if that happened. Grabbing his clothes on the way out, I jumped in the car and raced out of the driveway.
Back at our cabin, I could sense Sebastian was near. His torment was thick in the air. I had to find him.
Shifting back into my wolf form, I took off into the forest and followed his scent. Thankfully, he wasn’t hiding it from me. Coming to a stop at a lake that was partially frozen over, I waited as Sebastian rolled around in the water. When he was done, he traipsed out and shook off his fur, no longer covered in blood.
I approached him slowly and he never took his gaze off of mine. Rubbing my head under his chin, a satisfied growl rumbled in his chest. I just wanted him to come back to me. I nudged him with my nose and licked the side of his neck, only to come away with the taste of blood in my mouth. My mind whirled and a flood of emotions exploded inside of me. What the hell did I just do?
His feelings became my own and I could see everything inside of his mind. The pain became too much and I screamed as I shifted back, clutching the sides of my head. I closed my eyes and fell to the ground, hoping it would stop. Usually when you tasted a mate’s blood, a vision of your future would occur, but there was only pain, hatred, and rage.
“Tyla!” Sebastian pulled me into his arms and held me tight. “Tyla, what’s wrong?” He grabbed my hands and jerked them away from my face.
I looked into his eyes, and realized what he’d been keeping from me this whole time. “Sebastian, it’s too much,” I thought to him, knowing he’d hear me in his mind.
Eyes wide, he shook his head and shut me out. The relief was instant, but his agony was just below the surface. It wouldn’t stay hidden for long. “Dammit, Tyla, you weren’t supposed to see all of that.” Lifting me up, he carried me back to the house.
My eyes burned. “I didn’t realize it was that bad.” And all because of me. To top it all off, I hadn’t received a vision of our future. That could only mean one thing . . . death.
Tyla
I wanted to talk to Sebastian about what had happened, but he was struggling to keep it together. He sat on the couch, watching TV like nothing was wrong, but I knew the truth. He thought he was shutting me out, but I could still see his thoughts. He had seen me get slapped across the cheek and that vision was on loop in his mind. He blamed himself for not getting there fast enough.
Sneaking away, I tiptoed upstairs to the bedroom and dialed Bailey’s number. She knew Sebastian better than anyone.
“Tyla, oh my God,” she said, forgoing the usual greeting. “What’s going on? I heard about your family. I’m so sorry.”
“And it gets worse. We were attacked today. It appears there’s more to this whole story that we haven’t figured out yet.”
“Do you need help? We can send others out there to you.”
Sighing, I sat down on the bed. “The more of us around, the more attention it’ll bring. And unfortunately, we have another problem.”
“What?”
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on Sebastian’s mind. He was afraid I was scared of him after seeing him today. My heart broke. “Sebastian’s a lot worse than I thought. I acc
identally drank some of his blood today.”
“Did the link open up?” she asked.
“It did. And what I saw terrified me,” I whispered. “There wasn’t a vision either. I just knew there’d be no happy ending for us.”
“You don’t know that. The visions could be tainted because of his rage. Besides, the future always changes with the decisions we make.” She blew out a sigh. “What else happened?”
“He not only killed the wolves who attacked us, he shredded them apart. I’ve never seen him like that before. His mind is in a dark place, Bailey. He’s trying to keep me out, but it’s not working. It’s taking him over.”
“What are you going to do? Please don’t make him suffer. I love him and I know you do too.”
My eyes burned as Sebastian’s words echoed in my mind, “If you don’t finish this, you will surely lose me. The rage will drive me insane and I won’t be able to control it. You need to make the choice, your fear . . . or my life.”
“Tyla, you there?” Bailey said desperately.
I blew out a shaky breath. “I know what to do.”
“You do?”
“Yep. I’ll call you soon.” I hung up and started for the door, heart racing. Sebastian was still on the couch with an arm draped over his eyes. His breathing was heavy, but he wasn’t asleep. He was fighting his demons, visions of red flashing through his mind. I tiptoed over and watched him, wondering if he was going to acknowledge me.
“I know you’re there.” His voice was low and dark.
Biting my lip, I took a step forward. Slipping my pants and underwear down my legs as quietly as I could, I closed the distance. When I ran my hands up his thighs, his body jumped at the contact and then relaxed, mind clearing for a brief second.
“What are you doing?” he murmured.
Climbing up on his lap, I straddled his waist. “A little bit of this,” I said, sliding his hand up my shirt. “And a little bit of that . . .” I ran my hand over the zipper of his jeans and rubbed his arousal. He sucked in a breath and dropped his arm, eyes blazing.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he warned.
I knew what I was getting myself into. I couldn’t let him suffer any longer, not when I could see what he was going through. His pain was now my pain. I leaned down and kissed him, biting his lip between my teeth. “I guess it’s a good thing I plan on finishing then.”
His grip tightened and he closed his lips over mine. I could barely breathe, but I knew he needed it. His erection pressed into me and he rocked me against it, his fingers digging into my hips.
“I need you so fucking bad,” he growled, sliding his lips down my neck. Fisting his hands in my shirt, he ripped it apart and tossed it on the floor, groaning when he sucked a nipple between his teeth.
I gasped and leaned my head back, my whole body trembling from his touch. I needed him inside of me. Sliding my hands down his smooth, bare chest, I stopped at his pants and freed him. He lifted me up and kicked his pants to the floor before setting me back down. Moaning, I rubbed my wetness all over him, loving the way he growled deep in his chest at my movements. Raising my hips, I slid down onto him inch by inch, until he was all the way in. He filled me completely, stretching me to the point of pain.
Gripping the back of my neck, Sebastian pulled me to him, ravishing me with his lips. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”
I slid up and down his length, the delicious ache sending tremors throughout my body. The connection between us opened, and instead of seeing red, I saw visions of me, laughing and smiling—Sebastian’s memories of me. I could feel his need to protect me and how hard it was for him not to force his claim on me.
Holding him tight, I rode him as hard as I could, loving the sound of his groans. I was so close to the edge. His teeth grazed along my neck, but I grasped his face, drawing him to my lips. “I’m not ready for that,” I whispered breathlessly.
Eyes flashing, he drew his fangs back. “I need to feel all of you, love.”
I kissed him again. “You will. Just give me a little more time.”
Gripping a handful of my hair, he held me to his lips and pushed his body up into me hard. My whole body tightened around him and I let go, screaming out my release. He grunted and gripped the side of my hip, holding me down as he came inside me. I leaned forward, resting my forehead to his and smiled. He was happy; I could feel it and see it in his mind.
Wrapping his arms around my waist, he lifted me up and stood.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
His eyes bored into mine and I shivered. “Taking you to bed. I’m not done with you yet.”
I could barely move the next morning, as the entire night before was spent in an orgasmic haze. Sebastian hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he wasn’t done with me. His scent was all over the sheets, but when I reached for him, he wasn’t there. Opening my eyes, I sat up and listened. His mind was shut off from me, but I could hear him outside on the porch, tapping a finger on the wooden railing.
Sliding out of bed, I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around my body. When I got downstairs, I saw him outside on the deck, bare-chested, wearing only a pair of pants. The snow fell all around him, his whitish-blond hair covered in flakes. Something was wrong; I could feel it. It was almost like the awkwardness after a one night stand, only I’d never had one of those to compare. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out. He didn’t move.
“Sebastian?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Good morning, love.”
“What’s wrong?” I walked up and stood beside him, my shoulder brushing his skin.
He leaned over the railing on his elbows and looked at me. “Why didn’t you want me to taste your blood last night? Are you afraid of me getting in your head?”
Averting my gaze, I focused on the woods, ashamed of my fears. “The last thing you need to worry about are my insecurities, especially while you’re battling your own issues. It’s not fair.”
“That’s not it, Tyla. There’s something else. What is it?”
Blowing out a sigh, I turned to face him, his piercing blue eyes seeing right through me. “When I took your blood yesterday, there wasn’t a vision. From what I’ve heard, you’re supposed to see visions of a glorious future together after the first exchange. I didn’t get that.”
His jaw tensed. “What did you see?”
“Blood, darkness, pain. Bailey says it could’ve been your thoughts overpowering the moment, but I don’t know. Having you, then losing you, would kill me. I’m afraid of what I’ll see when you take my blood.”
My eyes burned, and I tried and failed at blinking back the tears. Sebastian pulled me into his arms, my face resting against his chest. His strong heartbeat was music to my ears. “Don’t you think I’m scared too?”
“Of what?” I asked.
He pulled back and cupped my face in his hands. “We don’t know if it’s me hindering our visions, or if it’s our true future. Whatever happens, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s you losing me. What if I’m the one who loses you? As your mate and protector, I don’t want to fail.”
“You won’t. It’s not in your blood.”
A sad smile spread across his lips. “But I would rather die knowing I had a few happy moments with you, than nothing at all. You have no idea how much last night helped me.”
I placed my hands over his and smiled as the blanket slid down my body. “It helped me too.” Leaning up on my toes, I pressed my lips to his. Our future was unknown, but he had a point. I’d rather have a few happy moments with him than nothing at all.
“The full moon is coming soon.” His hands cupped my backside, holding me against the bulge in his pants. “I want to complete the bond.”
I stared up at him, completely at a loss for words. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, eyes searching mine. I wanted to do it, but it was all happening so fast. Before I could answer, his eyes flashed and he growled, hi
s attention snapping to the woods.
“Sebastian, what’s wrong?”
He pulled me behind him, his body tense. Then I realized what was going on; a wolf was in the distance. “Go inside, Tyla,” he commanded. I did as he said and raced upstairs, throwing on a T-shirt and pants before rushing back down. Eyes closed, Sebastian stood by the door. “He’s getting closer.”
All I could sense was one wolf, but it could be a trap. I couldn’t let him go out there alone. He took off his pants and opened the door. I started to follow him, but he held out his arm. “You’re not coming with me, Tyla.”
Jaw clenched, I stood up to him, daring him to try and make me stay. “You may be an alpha, but so am I. If you want me to be your mate, you have to let me be one. That means protecting you as well. Let me go out there and draw this wolf in while you shield your presence. When he gets close you can attack.” I rested my hand against his cheek. “We fight together.”
He huffed and nodded at the door. “Go, before I change my mind.” Instead of shifting, I jumped off the deck and took off for the woods. Sebastian caught up to me after shifting. He was beautiful, and a hell of a lot larger than me in my wolf form. I watched him run off into the woods and disappear.
The other wolf was close, maybe a mile out. A small clearing was up ahead and I stopped in the middle of it. Whatever happened, I’d be ready.
“I’m okay,” I said, hoping Sebastian could hear me in his mind. It was going to take some getting used to knowing I could speak to him without actually talking. The only problem was, I couldn’t hear him back. He had to take my blood in order for the link to be open both ways.
The other wolf picked up his speed and my heart raced; he sensed me. By the sound of his paws on the ground, he was in wolf form. I thought about shifting, but when the massive gray wolf finally came into view and stopped at the edge of the clearing, I froze. Sucking in a breath, I stared into a set of golden, amber eyes.
“This can’t be,” I whispered, closing a hand over my mouth. He charged toward me, and me to him. I had to touch him to make sure he was real. He even had the same patch of white fur between his eyes. We were about to close the distance when a white blur caught my eye.