“You don’t understand, you said you loved someone once. We can’t be apart.” I felt the tears creeping up and swallowed trying to suppress them.
“Then I am sorry, Charity, but my plans will not change. Your Levi, and his elite, will die tonight.”
Tears flooded my eyes and leaked down my cheeks. “Please leave!”
He turned in a fluid move and left the room.
The day passed painfully slow and, on top of that, I was in desperate need of some lip balm. The tube I’d been carrying in my jeans pocket had long been empty, and I felt like someone trying to quit smoking cold turkey.
I was pacing about the room when Raven entered. “Selena has made the call and your pack of elite six are on their way to rescue you. But I cannot have you warning them, so, I am sorry to have to do this,” he said with a seductive grin as he approached me.
I backed up until I was against the bedpost. “What are you going to do?” I asked in alarm.
His hand rose in a blur and covered my mouth, stifling my scream—then my world went black yet again.
When my eyes finally opened, I was looking at the walls of the old house upside down. I soon realized Raven was holding me in his arms like a wet dishrag. I moaned as I lifted up to look at him.
“Oh good, you are awake. Now the fun can begin.”
He swung me up and set me on my feet. I stumbled forward and fell to my knees. Once I got my bearings, my eyes focused on Levi and the others spread about the large room, shirtless and wrapped in silver chains, clearly in pain. I could almost make out steam coming from their skin where the chains touched and the Wolfsbane burned.
“No!” I screamed, making a dash for Levi, but Raven grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to his side.
“The view will be much more enjoyable from here, Charity.” He nodded to the six vampires standing against the opposite wall. They then took the necessary steps to cross the large room, each one talking a stand in front of my werewolves, the largest one stopping in front of Levi.
I looked at Raven in horror as he gave the order for the torture to begin. The six vampires began beating my werewolves viciously, causing them to moan and growl in pain.
I turned to Raven with both hands over my ears. “Please, Raven, stop this! Please!” I begged, reaching for his shirt and grabbing it in my hands. “Please!”
“I am sorry, love, but this is just too much fun to watch. Do not worry, it will soon be over.” He smiled.
With my dad’s blood boiling in my veins, and with no thought of my own well-being, I rushed at the large vampire, slamming into him with all my force, only moving him slightly. I reached for Levi. If I could just get his chains off, he could shift and rip that vampire’s head off. The large vampire grabbed me by the back of the neck and flung me across the room. I slid and smacked hard against the wooden floor. I heard Levi growl a menacing growl. I lifted my head slightly and locked eyes with him. He was growling angrily, his eyes turning a deep yellow. He was trying to shift. His teeth shot out and snapped at the vampire, only missing him by an inch, but before I could get hopeful, the vampire began beating him again.
Up until that moment it’s always been Levi rescuing me from danger—from the forest—from Frank’s unwanted advances—from Wesley’s delusional plots, but all at once I realized that I alone had the power to set him free, and I was willing to sacrifice my own life to spare his.
I got to my feet and ran quickly to Raven. “Okay, I’ll go with you! Just please stop!”
He smiled in victory. “Stop!” Raven commanded, and the room went silent. “Well, Levi, it looks as if you will not be dying tonight after all. Your wife here has agreed to leave with me in order to save you and your precious elite.”
“No, Charity!” Levi growled through his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth and pooling in the floor.
“I have to. It’s the only way to save you,” I cried. When I tried to go to him Raven stopped me.
“I have to admit, Levi, I never thought I would covet any possession of a werewolf’s, but Charity is quite a fascinating woman. I find the idea of getting to know her very appealing.”
Levi growled and shook the chains wildly. “If you touch her I will make you regret it.”
“You are in no position to make threats I’m afraid.”
“I want to say goodbye,” I cried, looking up at Raven.
“Of course, my love. I would not deny you that.”
I rushed over to Levi and fell to my knees in front of him, taking his face in my hands. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and I wiped them away with my thumbs.
“Know this, I love you with my entire heart, and I will love you until I draw my last breath.” I touched my hand to his chest, tracing the tattoo that was his gift to me.
As his gaze met mine I knew the image of his sad eyes would haunt me until, by mercy alone, my heart stopped beating.
“Charity, don’t. We can take the pain. Please don’t do this. You’re breaking my heart.”
“Don’t say that,” I cried. “Please don’t say that. They’ll kill you.”
All of a sudden his expression lightened and his face turned hopeful. “Maybe there’s another way.”
I looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“The Farmer’s Cry.”
As I thought about what he was implying, I wiped my tears and smiled. I stood and turned to face Raven. “Raven, I’ve changed my mind. I won’t be leaving here with you after all. You see, I love my husband, and I could never be with anyone else. And I’m sorry that I have to do this.”
He looked at me with a bewildered expression as I inserted my fingers in my mouth and whistled the loudest Farmer’s Cry in history. The sound echoed off the walls of the old house and made it even louder. Raven cringed and the werewolves howled. I even heard Selena’s werewolves in the basement below us.
“What was that?” he asked me in astonishment once the vibrating sounds quieted.
“That was the call that’s gonna bring the werewolves to your door. I figure you’ve got about one minute or less until this place is surrounded. Once you hear the growling it’ll be too late.”
“You are bluffing.” But his expression was wary.
“Am I? I guess we’ll know soon enough. But nine vampires against twenty werewolves, it doesn’t sound too good. I’ve had to use the call before to break up a fight. They know it and they heard it. They’re wolves after all. I only wish I had remembered it earlier.” I smirked at him.
“Raven paced about the room angrily, his hands balled into fists. He looked at Levi, “You realize this is not over, not by a long shot. Besides your death, there is now something else I want from you.” His gaze quickly shifted to mine and there was fire in his dark eyes. “Let us go!” he yelled angrily, and all the vampires disappeared quickly out the back.
I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and rushed to Levi, reaching around him and feeling into his back pocket until I found his phone.
“Charity, what are you doing?” Levi asked, his voice pained.
“Calling for help.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “What? They’re too far away to have heard that.”
I hit Hector on speed dial. “Hector, it’s Charity. I—”
I froze as I felt a cold hand wrap around my neck. Raven lifted me to my feet and pulled me against him so that I was facing Levi.
“That was very clever, Charity. Too bad it didn’t work.”
“Well, maybe that didn’t, but this did.” I held up the phone for him to see.
“Nice try, but you did not have time to give him our location.”
“No, but I did!” I heard a voice behind me say. We all turned to see Selena standing in the doorway holding my cell phone in the air, followed by howling in the distance.
Raven and Levi locked eyes, and even in pain Levi smirked at him.
“You think you have beaten me, young alpha, but I still hold your precious bride in my hands, and I think I
will give her a final farewell. Let us see how much you love her when she is one of us.” He pulled my hair to the side, tilted my head back, and opened his mouth wide, exposing his sharp fangs.
“No!” Levi cried, reaching for me.
“Raven,” I said in a pleading voice, “remember what you said about God? What if you’re right?” I knew he wasn’t, but I hope he couldn’t tell that. “Please don’t condemn my soul to hell. Please.” My voice was gentle, but shaky. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, anticipating the pain that would soon come.
He froze for a brief moment right before his teeth brushed against my neck, then his lips. His kiss was gentle as he whispered in my ear, “We will meet again, my love, that I promise you.” Then I felt a breeze, and just like that, he was gone.
It took me a second to realize what had happened, but then I swallowed my idiocy and rushed to Levi, throwing my arms around him and squeezing until my fear was extinguished.
“Charity, get these chains off me,” he demanded weakly. “But please be careful of the Wolfsbane.”
“Oh, of course. Selena, come help me.”
She rushed over and helped me remove his chains, using her jacket to protect her hands. Once he was free, he grabbed me and pulled me against him.
“Levi, please don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not mad at you, you stupid girl.” Then his lips came down on mine desperately, almost painfully.
“Who are you calling stupid?” I said, pulling back to study him. I meant for my voice to be reprimanding, but as I gently touched his bruised face I felt such love that my voice was more of a whimper than a lashing. “You came to a fight with vampires with no weapons and no back up. Who’s the stupid one?”
“Shut up and kiss me.” He pressed his lips to mine once again. And this time I didn’t argue. As his lips devoured mine, he took my left hand in his right, pressing his palm against mine, causing our connection symbols to touch. The result was a tingling so powerful it made us both gasp, breaking away and looking at each other in surprise.
It was then that we heard stomping on the front porch right before Hector kicked the door down and werewolf after werewolf flooded into the large room. Within seconds, all of the werewolves were freed of their chains, including Selena’s pack in the basement.
“Thank you, Levi, for rescuing us,” Jessie Domingo said, shaking Levi’s hand. “If you ever need our help, we’ll fight with you. And if anything ever happens to you, your pack is welcome to join us. Charity has definitely proven herself as a worthy pack member. You have my word she would be treated with the utmost respect and given as much freedom as she desires. As long as I’m alive, your pack will never have to submit to Wesley Windsor.”
“Thank you, Jessie, and the same goes for your pack.”
“Thank you.”
I was so relieved that my legs almost gave way at the news. I didn’t have to worry about myself anymore, because I knew that once Levi died I would soon follow, but to know the pack will be spared from ever submitting to Wesley was a total relief.
“Thank you, Selena, for changing your mind and helping us.”
“No, Charity, thank you. Your bravery, or stupidity, saved us.”
“That’s the second time tonight I’ve been called stupid. Well, I’m just glad it had a happy ending for both of us. And I’m sorry I was giving you a hard time before.”
“Don’t apologize. I deserved it. I’m sorry I snuck into bed with Levi.”
“I forgive you. But if you ever touch him again I’ll dismember you.”
“I believe you.” We both laughed as we embraced.
Levi and I walked out of the house with our arms wrapped around each other while Hector and the others piled out behind us.
“Oh, Levi! I killed my first vampire last night!”
His eyes widened in surprise. “You what?”
“It’s true,” Selena said. “She staked one of Raven’s brides right through the heart.”
“Yeah, and she was really annoying. It felt good. She totally had it coming.”
“Baby, I’m so proud of you! Wait till the rest of the pack hears about this. The young ones will idolize you. They already believe you’re more than human as it is.” He kissed me on the top of my head.
“Thanks again, Selena, for calling Hector.”
“Huh?” Hector remarked, confused.
“Oh, I didn’t call him,” Selena replied, “I was bluffing.”
“Well if you didn’t call him, then how did you know where we were, Hector?” Levi asked in confusion.
We all stopped and looked at him in anticipation. He looked at us and answered, as if obvious, “Charity whistled.”
Our mouths fell open as we glanced around at each other, then we all burst into a contagious laughter that seemed to have no end.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Everyone had dispersed, and Levi and I were sitting in my car holding hands and staring at each other, thankful the ordeal was over. I reached up and touched his face, noting the marks on his skin had already begun to fade. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yep, already healing. That big, ugly vampire was just lucky I was bound, but if I ever see him again he won’t be so lucky.” He smirked.
“Yeah, that’s one vampire I wouldn’t mind seeing get the ax.”
“Just one?”
“Well, Raven was awful of course, and yet I almost sensed something redeeming about him. I don’t know—maybe I just imagined it. It doesn’t matter anyway. We’re together now, and that’s all I care about.”
I looked down and spotted my purse. “Oh thank goodness,” I cried as I reached in, frantically searching for my lip balm. Once my lips were saturated fully, I sat back, letting out a contented sigh.
Levi laughed. “You are one strange girl, you know that?”
I turned to gawk at him. “This coming from a man who wears women’s lip balm.”
“I don’t wear women’s lip balm.”
I put both hands on his face and kissed him passionately, smiling as I pulled back to peer at him. “Oh puppy—yes you do.”
He chuckled softly. “What would my life be without you?”
“I think that’s already been established—the word boring comes to mind.”
I unconsciously ran my hand along my neck to feel for my ring, something I found myself doing a lot for reassurance, but felt nothing. Panic rushed over me as I searched myself, peeping down my shirt and into my jeans. Gasping, I shot Levi a frantic look.
“What is it?” he asked, his expression mimicking mine.
“My chain and my ring are missing!”
“When was the last time you remember having it on?”
“Well, let’s see. I had it on this afternoon, in the bedroom I was kept in. It has to be in that room. I’ll go get it.”
“I’ll come with you.”
He started to get out, moaning as he moved. “No! You stay here and rest. You’ve had quite an ordeal. It’ll only take me a minute. And if you follow me we’re not sleeping in the same bed for a week.” I was out the door and up the steps before he could protest any further. I stepped over the door and walked slowly through the den where only minutes earlier my werewolves were being savagely beaten. I cringed at the memory, racing past the room and up the stairs.
I entered the bedroom, flicked on the light, and frantically began the search for my most prized possession. I went first into the bathroom, but there was no trace of it. I walked over to the bed and looked around on the floor. Bending down on my hands and knees, I looked under the bed, sighing in relief as I spotted the shiny chain with my ring secured to it lying there before me. “There you are.” How odd that the chain wasn’t broken. I just shrugged and fastened it safely to my neck.
I felt a sudden chill pour over me. I stood hastily and spun around, relieved that no one was there. I sighed and then laughed at myself. I must be going crazy, I thought. I turned back around and gasped as a cold hand covered my mouth.
<
br /> Raven moved close and whispered, “I told you I would see you again, my love. Do not make a sound. I know your werewolves have gone. Only your precious Levi remains. There are five vampires out back awaiting my command. If you come quietly we will leave your Levi alone, and alive. But if you scream, he will rush in here and meet his end. Do you understand?”
I nodded helplessly, tears flooding my eyes.
“Good.” He released me only to pick me up and carry me swiftly out the door. He exited out of the back of the house and started running through the forest. I wanted to scream for Levi, but I knew he would be outnumbered and thus killed. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t bear to think of him in danger because of me. My only hope was that he would find me. I just had to believe he would find me.
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