by M. K. Dawn
One would be easy enough to take down. Even if she had to resort to biting, her life was worth the blisters that followed.
“Samantha?”
Her name wasn’t any louder than a whisper, so low she thought she might be hearing things.
“Samantha?” Louder now, just beyond her door. “It’s Ethan. I know you’re in there.”
She sprung out of bed, a knife in each hand. Her body shook as she unlocked the bedroom door. A small voice inside her head screamed to stay on guard. Ethan was not the man she remembered him to be. He was a werewolf—her enemy. And he waited for her on the other side of the door.
Samantha inched the door open and peeked through the small crack. A mix of emotions bombarded her all at once. Not only was she angry to see him, but she also felt a sense of relief at the familiarity. “What are you doing here?”
“No time for an explanation.” He pushed open the door and reached for her hand, pausing as his sapphire eyes fell upon her weapons. “Are those knives?”
Samantha pushed past him and headed for the kitchen. “Yes. Someone was trying to break into my house.”
“Oh.” Ethan followed close behind. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You could have knocked, you know.” She tossed the knives onto the counter.
Ethan leaned against the wall, arms and legs crossed, looking more confident than she had ever seen him. “Would you have let me in?”
Samantha ignored the question, pretending to busy herself in the kitchen.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
She whirled around. “Why are you here, Ethan?”
His face sobered. “To get you out of here. It’s not safe.”
“It hasn’t been safe for weeks—as you saw last night.”
“That was something different.” He closed the gap between them. “Aimed more at me than you.”
She scoffed. “Didn’t feel that way.”
“It doesn’t matter. Leo—”
“Which one was that?” she interrupted.
“The bald one. He was the leader of their pack.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Was?”
Ethan jutted his chin. “Yes. He and I were supposed to fight for that right, but since I bested him last night, I nullified the challenge and took over as pack leader.”
Samantha didn’t know why he was telling her all this. He hadn’t cared about her when she lost their baby; why should she care about his little victory? “I guess congratulations are in order.”
“Sarcasm. I get it, you’re pissed and have every right to be.” He took a visible breath, the cocky wolf faded, and he looked more like the man she had fallen in love with. “When I heard you lost the baby…I wanted to come and check on you. God, I wanted nothing more than to take you in my arms and hold you until the pain went away.”
“Why didn’t you?” she snapped.
His eyes flickered to the ceiling. “As you’ve probably noticed, wolves and vampires are enemies. As much as my heart wanted to run to you, there was something inside me that held me back. That, along with the pressure from the other wolves. If I had shown any sort of lingering feelings for you or Darrien, they would have dismissed my claim as pack leader. I had to play the part, get into their good graces. Do you understand?”
“No.” She scrunched her face. “I don’t understand your reasoning at all. You turned your back on me and Darrien just so you could become the leader of some pack of wolves you don’t even know.”
“It was my father’s pack. With both my brothers dead, it belongs to me.”
Samantha rotated, still not seeing the point. “Fine. You have your pack. Doesn’t explain why you’re here now.”
Ethan seized her arm and spun her around. “Being a pack leader means I have the power to make decisions, to be heard among the wolves. I attend the meetings, know their plans.”
“Good for you.” He was talking in circles. “What’s your point?”
“Samantha.” Ethan ran his free hand through his raven hair. “It means I made them think they could trust me so I could find out what they have planned—for the Immortal Realm and for you and Darrien—and hopefully have a say in what happens to you both.”
Heat flushed through her body. “What do they have planned for us?”
Ethan dropped his head. “That’s why I’m here. Darrien tried to escape this afternoon. Beat up one guy pretty good—not that he didn’t deserve it. He’s also being accused of threatening a child.”
Samantha stepped out of Ethan’s grasp. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“He denied it. Said he told her to run. I believed him, but none of the others did. Not that I thought they would. They haven’t given him blood since we arrived, so his bloodlust is extreme. Still, he fled without hurting her.”
“What did they do to him?” Her heart raced, not sure she was ready to hear the answer.
Ethan scrubbed his chin. “They took him to drain his blood. Wolves need vampire blood to stay immortal.”
Samantha’s chest tightened. “Jesus. Like the vampires were doing to humans. Like the Council did to you and Evie.” She took a moment to let that sink in before meeting Ethan’s eyes. “Why are you here? He rescued you from the synthetic blood center. You should do the same for him.”
“I know and I will, but there’s more.”
“What could be more important than getting him out of there?”
Ethan rested his hands on her shoulders to steady her trembling body. “Samantha. They are not planning to kill him—not right away. He has time. You don’t.”
“What?”
He glanced at the door. “I’ll explain everything once we’re far away from this place, but we need to leave now. I don’t know when they will come. We’ve wasted so much time already. But if they get a hold of you, they will kill you.”
“Because I killed Diego.”
“There’s so much more to it than that.” He stepped away from her. “I’ll explain everything, I promise, but we need to go now.”
Samantha bobbed her head. “But how? I can’t cross the fence line.”
Ethan led them out of the house to the edge of the yard. “Take my hand. As pack leader, I can get you across.”
She took his hand and followed him past the fence. The relief that came from knowing she was on the verge of freedom brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to—” He froze as Leo and Adren emerged from the shadows.
“Thought I might find you here.” The smirk on Leo’s face erased the elation she’d felt a moment ago. “Tito might not have seen it, but I did. How your face dropped for a brief second when they spoke of killing your vampire girlfriend here. The look you gave the male when they carried him off.”
Ethan pushed Samantha behind him. “She and Darrien both saved my life while I was in the Immortal Realm. I owe them.”
“And you care for them.” Leo lifted his chin. “They’re your family.”
“Yes,” Ethan said without hesitation.
Leo stalked forward until he stood inches from Ethan’s face. “Never in the history of werewolves has a defeated pack leader not been exiled. The pack leaders would have forced me, my wife, and my two daughters out of our homes, never allowed to speak to our family again if you had followed suit. I want to know why you granted me mercy.”
“It wasn’t your fault I came in and challenged your claim. You were only doing what was right for our pack. Your brother Tony was a good, selfless man who lost his life trying to help rescue my sister. If you are half the man he was… our pack needs you.”
Leo’s eyes darted to Samantha. “You can’t drag her around the compound while you go for the male. We have a couple of SUVs waiting past the old red barn. We’ll get her there and wait for you.”
Samantha stepped out from behind Ethan. “You’ll just kill me when we’re alone.”
“No.” Leo shook his head. “The family of ou
r pack leader is the family of the entire pack.”
“I killed your friend.”
Adren laughed. “Diego was a prick. None of us liked him. You did the pack a favor.”
“As pack leader, Ethan can order us not to harm you,” Leo reassured her, “if it makes you feel better.”
“I might just do that,” Ethan snarled.
“No.” Samantha sauntered up to Leo. “That won’t be necessary. He owes you his life now. I trust he’ll stay true to his word.”
Leo threw back his shoulders. “On my family’s life, no harm will come to her.”
Samantha turned to face Ethan. “I’ll be fine. Go get Darrien before someone realizes you’ve betrayed them.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Get your filthy paws off me!” Darrien contorted his body trying to break free.
“Shut your mouth,” Mason jabbed him in the ribs, “before I shut it for you.”
Darrien wasn’t going to let them take his blood without a fight. Long ago, he had freely given his blood to his wife and her family. He had loved them like his own and would have done anything to see them live a long, immortal life. But by force? And by these mangy beasts? Darrien wouldn’t allow it.
“On the table. Strap him down,” Mason ordered. “The doctor will be in shortly.”
They had brought him to a study turned doctor's office with bookshelves on one side of the room and a metal table and equipment on the other. It wasn’t nearly as secure as the cell they’d kept him in; the window didn’t appear to have any bars, just shutters. It wouldn’t take much for the glass and wood to break.
As two wolves held his arms, another two grabbed his legs. They lifted him up and onto the table, slamming him down hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. Darrien sputtered and coughed, trying to catch his breath.
“Oops.” Mason barked out a laugh. “Too hard?”
The man at this left foot loosened his grip on Darrien’s ankle as he reached for the straps. Darrien took the opening, ramming his foot into the man’s face and breaking what sounded like his nose and possibly jaw.
The others, shocked at the attack, released him. He jumped off the table and sprinted for the door, not realizing three others waited there.
“I don’t think so,” the muscular one in front said.
They surrounded Darrien, his only remaining option was the window. He couldn’t be sure with the shutters closed, but he no longer heard the rain’s patter. The sun might be out. It was a dangerous decision. Darrien didn’t want to die, but he also didn’t want to stay strapped to a table for God knew how long and drained of his blood.
“I wouldn’t do that,” a female voice said from the door. “The sun emerged not ten minutes ago. Burning alive would not be a pleasant way to go.”
“Like vampire blood bag would be much better.”
“I’m Dr. Tavia Agen.” She pushed her ebony arms through a white lab coat. “If you would be so kind as to get on the table, we’ll begin.”
Darrien’s eyes darted to the window again.
“There are several wolves stationed just outside. Not only will you burn, but we’ll catch you and bring you right back here,” she sighed, “where I will inject you with wolf venom. It won’t kill you, but it will hurt like a bitch, scorching you from the inside out.”
The thought alone sent chills down his spine. “Wouldn’t that taint my blood?”
Dr. Agen readied the equipment as if their conversation bored her. “For a time. What’s it going to be? Get on the table or wolf venom? The choice is up to you.”
Darrien scanned the room once again, hoping to spot something he’d missed earlier. With nothing that screamed escape, he plodded towards the table and laid down. He wasn’t giving up, though he hoped it looked that way to those who watched. He needed time to come up with another plan.
“Good boy.” Dr. Agen waved the others to the table. “Strap him down. Palms up.”
The thick metal was cold against his skin and so tight he couldn’t move. There was no way in his weakened state he could break through.
This whole setup reminded him of Ethan and how they had prepped for the synthetic blood center. The fear in his eyes as he realized his fate and the hopelessness of it all. Darrien forced himself not to show the dread creeping into his mind. He would find a way out of this. The other possibility was unacceptable.
“A little prick.” The needle pierced his skin and Darrien flinched. “It’s a slow drip; too fast and you’ll be dead. This way we can keep you around for a while.” Dr. Agen popped her gloves off and tossed them in the trash before heading to the door. “I can’t give him a sedative, but he’ll be out soon enough from blood loss. A guard or two won’t hurt, but there’s no way he can get out of the restraints. I’ll send someone back in a little while to check on him and change the bag.”
“Fuck that.” Mason stormed towards the door. “No way in hell am I taking guard duty again.”
The others chimed in with the same sentiments.
“I will do it.” Nikko emerged from the back of the group. “I brought him here, so he is my responsibility.”
Mason laughed. “Yeah. Like that’ll happen. I’ve seen you all buddy-buddy with him.”
Nikko grabbed Mason by the shirt and rammed him into the wall. “Are you questioning my loyalty to the wolves? Because questioning a pack leader with nothing to back it up could mean some serious shit for you.”
Mason shook his head. “No. I just meant—”
Nikko tossed him aside. “Get out.”
The remaining wolves ran from the room and Nikko followed, closing the door behind him.
Darrien’s last hope—his friend, his brother—had turned his back on him.
He struggled against the restrains. They didn’t budge, but the leather shocked the shit out of his wrists.
Time passed. How long, he couldn’t be sure. He went in and out of consciousness from exhaustion or lack of blood. He welcomed both.
Darrien’s head rocked to the side and his eyes fell on the window. It was dark now. If he could just get out of these restraints, he could be free. Run far away where the wolves couldn’t find him. He needed to muster up his remaining strength. It was there somewhere. He could feel it scratching at him, trying to surface.
Commotion and raised voices filtered under the door. Darrien jerked his head in that direction and tried to focus on what they were saying.
It was two men—that he was sure of—and they seemed to be arguing about something. Probably wanting to know when the next batch of his blood would be ready.
The door swung open and someone who looked a whole hell of a lot like Ethan raced to Darrien’s side. “Hey, man. Time to go.”
“What?” Darrien blinked, lost in a haze of confusion. “Who are you?”
The entire room was blurry, like a thick fog had rolled in.
“It’s Ethan.” He tugged at Darrien’s arms. “Shit. I need a key. You don’t happen to know where they put that, do you, brother?”
“What?” It was the only word Darrien could manage.
“Looking for this?”
Blurry Ethan spun around, the quick motion making Darrien nauseous.
“Mason. Great. They told me to move the prisoner to a more secure location. If you could just toss me the key.”
“Yeah, right.” Mason snorted. “I always knew there was something shady about you. Let me call Tito.” He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a walkie-talkie. Before he made the call, his eyes widened and he fell to the ground, out cold.
Behind him stood Nikko, shaking his fist. “That hurt.”
“Um…” Ethan stuttered.
Darrien shook his head, trying to clear his vision. This was a dream. Had to be.
“Here.” Nikko tossed Ethan the key. “Unlock him and get him off the table. I have my second watching the back exit. I don’t know where we go from there.”
“I have cars waiting by the red barn.”
The st
raps fell away from Darrien’s limbs and Ethan helped him sit. Darrien closed his eyes and opened them again. “Is this real?”
Ethan yanked the tube out of Darrien’s arm and blood pooled on the floor. “As real as it gets. I see what you mean about the blood. What a damn mess. I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be able to walk.”
Nikko rushed over and threw Darrien’s arm over his shoulder. “We can try to carry him, but it will slow us down considering his size compared to us.”
“Darrien,” Ethan got under his other arm, “we need you to at least try to walk.”
“Okay.” Darrien’s legs shook underneath him, but held his weight.
They hurried outside and half-dragged Darrien the couple hundred yards to the barn.
“Sit him down here.” Nikko motioned to a wall. “Where are the vehicles?”
“They said they’d be here.”
Nikko crouched beside Darrien. “Who?”
Ethan spun around. “Leo.”
“What?” Nikko shot to his feet. “You trusted him, after all he put you through?”
“That he did.” Leo stepped out from a distant tree line. “There were guards on patrol; we had to take cover. You need help with him?”
“No.” Ethan helped him off the ground and they followed Leo just beyond the trees where two SUVs waited.
Samantha jumped out of the lead vehicle, a bottle of blood in hand. “He looks awful. Get him in the backseat. He needs this and probably the other one as well.”
“What about you?” Ethan guided Darrien inside as Leo climbed in the driver’s seat.
She popped open the bottle and the sweet aroma of blood tickled Darrien’s nose. It took all the willpower in him not to snatch it from her.
“Here.” She lifted the bottle to Darrien’s lips. “I have another. Take it slow. It will take time for your body to adjust.”
The blood hit his tongue, sending a wave of power through him. The world around him cleared as he watched Ethan climb into the front seat.
“Thanks,” he managed, taking another gulp as the car took off.
Ethan smiled. “Don’t thank me yet. I just made enemies out of four wolf packs. They’ll be coming for us.”