by Mia Taylor
Chapter Eleven
Confronting the Beast
She gobbled down the cheeseburger and French fries with gusto, despite the mounting anxiety in her gut, but no amount of stress could keep Sera from eating.
There had been far too many hungry nights in her life and she would never give up the opportunity to eat if given the chance. It didn’t help matters that her energy had been depleted almost beyond the point of redemption, but she didn’t pause to think about it.
Sera had so much on her mind and on her figurative plate that she didn’t waste time pondering the aftermath of her purported drugging. That didn’t mean she wasn’t gravely worried about what had occurred that day. It was all so strange, so unlike anything she understood.
How could I have been drugged? Did Barry have something to do with it?
It seemed unlikely that the lawyer who had been in love with her since the day she’d stepped into Jacob’s filthy offices would take the time to drug her only to leave her in the arms of another man. Moreover, how could she, a seasoned and street-smart wolf, possibly have succumbed to a drugging in the first place?
My body shouldn’t feel like this. I should have been able to fight off whatever I was slipped… shouldn’t I?
The question only opened up a whole new can of worms that made Sera’s already lightheaded mind swim.
Adding to her concern was the look on Ash’s face as his mind worked behind his slate-colored eyes. She could tell he knew more about what was happening than he was saying, but how and what?
“Do you know this man?” Sera asked, licking her fingers as she polished off the last of the potatoes. Through her peripheral vision, she saw his face darken. His firm jaw clenched and she could make out every line of his handsome face with detail, but for once, she wasn’t turned on by the attractiveness of his face. Instead, she was deeply alarmed by his expression.
“Possibly,” he replied evasively. “Let us go find out.”
“What if he’s dangerous?” she asked, an unfamiliar fear tickling her stomach. It was a question she never thought she’d hear herself ask in her entire life. After all, until that moment, after escaping Harry, she had not comprehended the word “fear”. “I mean, if he drugged me, gods know what else he’s capable of.”
“The gods don’t know anything,” Ash said coldly, and Sera chuckled, nodding in agreement, despite her state of stress.
“Amen to that.”
“I will not permit anything to happen to you,” he told her, and she could read the sincerity in his eyes.
He really wants to protect me, she realized, a warm flush flowing through her body. All I have to do is let him.
She wondered if she was finally ready to let someone do that.
It had been such a long time fighting alone. Maybe it was time to let her guard down for once…
She pushed the thought aside.
There was time for sappy notions later. Right now, she had revenge to exact and she wasn’t going to let her emotions stop her from confronting this Jayce Parker.
From somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought she could find wisps of what had happened, but every time she tried to seize them, they were gone again as if something was blocking her memory.
I’ll find out soon enough, she thought grimly. As soon as I look that bastard in the face.
“Let’s go,” she announced, tossing her crumpled napkin into the basket and rising to her feet. She was filled with a new sense of purpose as she walked toward the door, her confidence returning.
Ash snaked his arm around her waist possessively and pulled her close.
“You will stay near me,” he instructed, and she nodded as they left the diner.
Her strength was coming back, the shakiness and disorientation fading when they stood at the curb, hailing a taxi.
“Perhaps you should return home,” Ash said suddenly, and Sera scoffed.
“Not a chance,” she replied shortly, hoping that he wouldn’t raise an argument with her. “I want to look this bastard in the eye and see what he has to say.”
Ash was silent, but Sera was lost in her own thoughts.
Sera leaned heavily onto Ash’s shoulder, closing her eyes. A sudden feeling of peace stole over her as he pulled her closer, a kiss brushing over her forehead.
Maybe Prince Charmings do exist in the form of oddballs with outdated views who fall into your lap. He’s not wearing a crown but he’s just as good as that Prince of Luxemburg I was hoping for.
Pulling up to the hotel, Sera jumped out as Ash paid the driver. Idly, she reminded herself to ask him what it was he did for a living. He never seemed short on funds but there wasn’t a single industry in which Sera could envision him.
This time she didn’t think twice about the action of his paying. She was already learning to accept that he was going to take care of her, chipping away at her rigid walls bit by bit.
And I’m not giving up any of myself because of it, she reasoned. I’m better for having him here at my side, aren’t I?
She shuddered to think about what would have happened if she was forced to confront the man alone. She had no idea what they were walking into and suddenly, Sera realized her palms were damp. The urge to shift into her wolf form struck her and Ash paused, stopping her as if he felt her desire.
“No,” he said softly. “There is no need for that.”
She tried to muster a look of innocence, but again her lack of acting skills failed her.
“I wasn’t doing anything,” she mumbled, wondering how he’d gotten to know her in such a short time. It was unbelievable and somehow comforting.
He really is my mate, she thought, awed by the revelation. Never in her wildest dreams did she believe that anyone would ever be mated to someone like her.
“You must let me speak,” Ash told her as they boarded the elevator to the executive floor, but Sera only smiled without responding. She wasn’t going to lie to him, but she had no intention of keeping her mouth shut. If Jayce Parker had done something to her, she had every right to make him pay, no matter how much Ash wanted to protect her honor in his odd way.
He can’t protect me from everything, she thought, but she didn’t speak, the tension in the elevator mounting as they walked toward the door.
A cloud seemed to block her vision as they stood before the door, Ash knocking loudly.
She was floating suddenly as the door opened and she stared into the light grey eyes of Jayce Parker. Instantly, she was filled with déjà vu, again fleeting as she struggled to capture it.
I know those eyes, she thought, but she was somewhere else, watching as Jayce’s pupils dilated in shock. He tried to slam the door but he was no match for Ash, who had already forced his way forward.
“You!” Ash hissed, pushing his way inside the room. “It is always you!”
Jayce backed up, trying to regain his composure, but it was obvious that he had been taken by surprise.
Sera, too, was taken aback by Ash’s reaction, the mild-mannered wolf she’d come to enjoy over the past forty-eight hours replaced by a cyclone of rage and incense. But her shock was overridden by a sensation so strong, she suddenly forgot who she was. As if in a trance, she moved forward, her palms outstretched to caress Jayce’s face, her original intention for being there all but forgotten.
Dumbfounded by her touch, Jayce tried to step out of her reach, but she was on him as Ash pulled her back, the hurt in his eyes almost palpable.
“No!” she protested, arching her buttocks toward him as her arms vied to embrace Jayce again.
“Serafina!” Ash gasped, stunned by her action. “You must stop.”
“No,” she said again but she paused to look over her shoulder with wide eyes at Ashur, the heat in her body reaching feverish proportions. “I need you both.”
Both men seemed frozen as they stared at her. Her hands fumbled to undo her shirt but Ash yanked her into his arms, shielding her from doing more harm.
“What have y
ou done to her?” Ash snarled, his face showing none of the pleasure she had so experienced. “What are you doing here?”
“You must return to the dark otherworld, Ashur,” Jayce told him, backing away further. Sera gaped at him uncomprehendingly. “I only did what I must to get you back. She is merely a means to an end.”
“I am not the one who belongs there!” Ashur roared and Sera tried to make sense of what was happening. It was difficult as a cottony haze seemed to overshadow her brain, but she fought for some semblance of clarity.
This isn’t natural! a voice in her head screamed. There is an unnatural hold upon you.
But when she spoke, the words weren’t her own. She felt as if she were a marionette puppet being danced around the beautiful hotel suite at the hands of an unseen master.
“Shh!” she cried. “We can all be together, can’t we?” She didn’t recognize the voice coming out of her own body, but she was too entranced by the feeling of euphoria to fight back.
“You are under a spell!” Ash snapped at her and Sera giggled.
“I know!” she laughed gleefully. “Isn’t it glorious? I feel so… free!”
“Go back, Ashur, and I will release her,” Jayce told him. “You do not belong on earth.”
“You have no right to tell me where I belong,” Ash hissed, dropping Sera onto the settee to advance on his brother. He drew closer to Jayce, his face contorted in a mask of fury.
“Please, brother!” Jayce squeaked, perhaps sensing the danger he was truly in. “You must go!”
Brother? Sera thought, her mind still foggy. They are brothers?
“I will not!” Ashur shouted. “And you have lost all right to call me brother, murderer!”
Jayce hung his head and sighed. Sera could read true regret in his face as he exhaled shakily.
“You are leaving me no choice,” he muttered. “If you do not go…”
He trailed off as if he needed to build to what was said next.
“Then what will you do, Jayce? You will have me banished? You have already done that. What could you possibly do to me now that you have not already done in both life and death? You are a dark shadow in the bright otherworld! In all their infinite wisdom, His Grace, overseer of the gods, has allowed a treacherous mouse in under his nose.”
“Be silent!” Jayce screamed, his face growing wild as he looked around the room. “Stop speaking!”
A slow look of understanding crossed over Ashur’s face as he realized his brother’s concern.
“You are still worried that they will learn the truth about you after all this time!” Ash exclaimed. “You fear that they will learn that you murdered the prophet fairy Michele. Who else have you murdered, Jayce? What else have you done before you had me cast out on your behalf?”
“Stop speaking!” Jayce ordered again, the blood draining from his face as Sera watched on in fascination. Slowly, she was losing the sense of happiness which had embraced her. Something was screaming a warning to her, somewhere deep inside, but she still could not quite ascertain what was happening.
“What are you going to do, brother?” Ashur asked mockingly and as he spoke, a lamp exploded into a thousand pieces. He approached with more determination.
“You cannot kill me,” he continued, a smirk on his attractive face, his eyes glowing a fiery grey as he neared. His body began to shift then, his muscled frame falling into all fours as he cornered the other wolf.
“I am already dead, brother,” Ash taunted. “What will you do about it?”
For the first time since they had entered the suite, Sera felt in control of her surroundings and she shook off the shudder which threatened to spasm through her body. She recognized the look in Jayce’s eyes and the air of danger filled her lungs. She opened her mouth to shout out a word of warning but she was too late.
Before she could move or open her mouth to scream, Jayce reached down, yanking Serafina to her feet, a maniacal expression on his face. His intent was unmistakable and fear combatted anger in her rollercoaster of emotions.
“I may not be able to kill you, but I can kill her,” he replied, a quaver in his voice as his hands closed around her neck. “One more move, brother, and Serafina will be in the bright afterworld with me while you seethe in the pits of darkness.”
Sera whimpered slightly, striving to morph, but even as she struggled to find the strength in this post-trance weakness, she knew that she was no match for whatever these beings were. They had abilities much greater than anything she could ever conjure and she dared not make matters worse.
Ashur froze in his spot, his eyes losing the flames as his gaze rested on Sera. How nakedly his feelings for her showed in his expressive eyes.
“Don’t let him get away with whatever it is he’s done!” Sera squealed. “Get him, Ash!”
But even she could hear the emptiness in her words, her terror overriding the sentiment behind her pep talk.
“Unhand her,” Ash hissed, his breaths escaping in jagged, uneven rasps. “So help me, Jayce, if you harm her…”
“You know what to do to save her,” his brother cried eagerly. “Just go and tell the Commodore you have returned and everyone goes back to their existences.”
Sera stood helplessly between the beings but she could read the look in her mate’s eyes without any explanation.
There was nothing Ash could do but give Jayce what he demanded.
~ ~ ~
Jayce’s hands were trembling, but he hoped his brother could not see his inner turmoil.
Do not be foolish, Ashur, he begged the older wolf silently. I have the Commodore’s powers on my side and I will kill her.
“Let me go!” Sera screamed, and Jayce suddenly realized he had bigger problems than just Ashur on his hands.
Without warning, Sera’s elbow flew upward to smash his jawline and Jayce toppled backward, shocked by the unexpected move. It wasn’t so much that he was hurt by the gesture but he was stunned that she had done it.
A woman who can fight? he thought, aghast. He had never known such a thing.
“Fool!” the Commodore hissed. “You should have been expecting such retaliation!”
Jayce didn’t have a minute to respond, his heart racing as Ash roared, an otherworldly sound which shattered every piece of glass in the room, including the windows. A rush of air suctioned them all in several directions.
“Run, Sera!” Ash ordered her, his body fully taking on the beast inside him, teeth gnashing as he pounced.
Jayce whimpered and tried to conjure whatever powers the Commodore had given him, but his fear had outplayed his ability to act.
“You will repent for your sins against me,” Ashur growled as he pinned his brother to the floor, saliva dripping off his snout. “You have gone too far now, Jayce.”
He reached around his brother’s neck and Jayce could feel the sickening crunch of bones beneath his hand as the life was squeezed from his body.
“You… cannot… kill… me… either…” he choked, and the words only seemed to incense Ashur more, his body growing larger to fill the room as he shook Jayce like a rag doll. The realization that his brother was right only infuriated him more.
“Ashur, put him down.”
Jayce’s eyes bugged from his face as Ashur crushed his larynx and he struggled to see who had spoken. The voice was both familiar and unfamiliar but it couldn’t be whom Jayce believed it to be, could it?
He was losing consciousness and couldn’t be sure.
“Ash, drop him!” the voice commanded again.
“No!”
“Whatever it is you think you are doing will not affect him in the least. You must know that.”
“He has ruined everything!” Ashur howled. “And he will continue to get away with it just as he always has!”
Spots of black and red danced across his face but Jayce feared what would happen if he blacked out. He feared he would not again wake.
Ridiculous. You cannot kill a dead immortal.
It was then that Jayce recognized the voice, half-shadowed by his own hallucinations.
Ash’s fury seemed to lessen, his claw-like hand loosening, and he tossed Jayce aside like a rag doll as he spun to glare at the speaker of reason.
Slowly falling back into his mortal form, Ash gazed at the Commodore.
“You lie. You always lie,” Ash spat. “You would rather see Sera killed than lose a bet!”
From where he lay, gasping for air, Jayce thought the ancient ruler seemed hurt.
“First of all, if I wanted the girl dead, I would have killed her myself,” he replied easily. “I just like a good game as much as the next guy. It is fun to up the ante here and there.”
“Fun?” Ashur shouted. “You are not fit to rule anything! You are a petulant child, throwing temper tantrums and stealing from his flock!”
The Commodore’s eyes flashed, and Jayce began to crawl away, hoping to hide himself at least temporarily. He didn’t know what that would accomplish, but his mind was not working at full capacity.
“You are going to regret those words in a minute,” the Commodore muttered, his eyes darting toward Jayce. “Where are you going, boy? I’ve got someone here who wants to talk to you.”
Jayce became motionless as she realized the Commodore was speaking to him. He wondered if he stood a chance by running, but for once, he made the smarter choice and remained in place, contradicting his terrible instincts.
“Nowhere!” Jayce croaked. “I am here.”
He peered at the Commodore with bloodshot eyes and his mouth fell open when another form appeared at his side.
Oh no. No, it cannot be! How can this be? Jayce wailed inside his own head and to his chagrin, he heard the Commodore laughing.
“You are a disgrace!” Johann glowered, stalking toward him with fury, the likes of which Jayce had never seen. “You have deceived us all and betrayed your own brother despite all he has done for you!”
Jayce’s mouth fell open and he shook his head in protest.