Bethany's sunny smile faded. Her blue eyes hardened. “Stupid bitch. I didn't dump Vance because he was a werewolf. I dumped him because you cured him. Do you know how rare it is to find a mate like that—aspect of the wolf in his blood twice—once by birth, once by bite? Just like me."
Emilie gaped. “You?"
Beth seemed to preen a little, obviously proud of her unusual heritage. “I'm an Alpha female. Vance and I would have led our own pack. Together we'd have produced full-blood offspring, every one a born Alpha. Now I have to go crawling back to my leader and beg for my place in the pack, thanks to you, witch."
Tugging on the ropes behind her back, Emilie winced. “You don't look like an Alpha female. You're so—"
"Don't say short!"
"Okay, petite."
"I can rip out your throat with my bare hands. Is that Alpha enough for you?” Bethany surged forward, bearing her teeth in a fangless snarl.
Despite herself, Emilie shrank back. “Did I mention that I love your hair? Your highlights are just gorgeous. Are they natural—"
"Shut up!” She settled back, unimpressed by the fake flattery.
Emilie clamped her lips shut and focused on her surroundings. Sunlight filtered through thick branches above, and in every direction, she saw only row upon row of dark tree trunks and mossy rocks. Though they might have been anywhere in the world, Emilie decided the nearest place to Cypress Park that fit the description was the State Forest about two hours to the north.
As she looked around, she noticed dried blood on her left ankle. “You didn't bite me, did you?"
Bethany laughed. “I wanted to. But you're a gift to my pack leader. He'll bite you—that is, if he wants to keep you. My bet is he'll probably just eat you."
"Bitten or eaten. I'm really not sure which I'd prefer.” Emilie struggled a little more and wracked her brain for a quick spell that might loosen the bonds. Nothing came to mind. “You know, Vance would probably still make a good husband. Being one quarter wolf and all—you guys could probably have lots of slightly furry babies."
"If it wasn't for big brother, we might have mated already. Then it wouldn't matter if you cured him. I'd at least have one litter from him. But of course, Daniel had to interfere, keeping Vance on a tight leash every time he transformed, so we never got to mate in wolf form. I couldn't risk getting Daniel out of the way too soon, but as soon as the wedding was over ... now that's all screwed up."
"If you don't mind my saying, maybe if you'd told him you didn't mind the werewolf stuff, he'd have—"
"Shut up!” Beth growled. This time, her incisors grew longer. A half-blood, bitten by a werewolf, could probably transform at will. That wasn't a theory Emilie wanted to test. “You killed the were in him. You ripped it out of him and let it die. I'm going to enjoy watching my pack leader tear you apart."
"Can't we come to some kind of compromise? Maybe if you talked to him, Vance would let you bite him again"
Bethany rose and towered over Emilie, all five feet of her, casting a menacing shadow. She slapped Emilie hard, then kicked her wounded ankle for good measure. “Don't you think I know he can't be reinfected? He's useless to me now. But Daniel ... he's still a possibility.” Bethany smiled wickedly. “Maybe I can turn him tonight. Then he can join in the fun when my pack strips the flesh off your bones. I bet he'd like that."
"I think he's vegetarian."
Bethany kicked Emilie again and laughed. “He won't be when I'm done with him."
* * * *
"Werewolf,” Charlotte said. She looked at Daniel through the strands of spiky hair she'd found on the floor of the shop and hidden from the police while they searched the place for clues.
Cypress Park's finest had ascertained that the smear of blood on the floor near the front door was human. That evidence meant they had to treat the case as an assault and kidnapping.
Yellow crime-scene tape stretched across the front door, and a chalk mark outlined the bloodstain that marred a newly refinished section of floor.
"It wasn't me,” Vance said. “I was with Daniel all night and I didn't transform."
"I know my spell worked,” Charlotte countered with a disparaging glare.
Daniel might have enjoyed their sparring under other circumstances, but with his blood boiling and his gut churning in rage against Emilie's attacker, he could barely think straight.
A werewolf had her.
First Pop, then Vance. Now the beast had taken Emilie away from him. He couldn't stand any more, couldn't lose someone else to this curse. He flung himself toward the door, tearing down the police tape as he went.
"Where are you going?” Vance trailed after him, his voice sharp with concern.
"I'm going to find Emilie—and kill a wolf."
CHAPTER 19
Emilie cursed at the pain in her wrists and ankles but kept pulling and tugging at the stiff white ropes.
Bethany had left hours ago, threatening to return before moonrise. Now, the shadows grew long across the forest floor, and mosquitoes started biting in droves. The birdsong had died down, replaced by the sound of crickets and the trill of tree frogs and cicadas.
She'd screamed for a while, hoping some of the hikers that frequented the State trails might hear. No one came, though, and Emilie decided Bethany must have brought her to a spot far away from the most popular hiking routes. She'd also tried a spell to dissolve the ropes. Her hopes soared when she felt a fiber or two snap with little pressure, but then nothing. Subsequent castings failed miserably. Hungry, tired and mostly numb proved not the best condition for performing spell work. Her concentration drifted, and eventually she forgot the words to the incantation entirely.
Finally, she fell back against the tree trunk, exhausted and angry with herself. Why hadn't she gone to Daniel last night? Why had she foolishly insisted that a potion could change how she felt about him?
She'd fallen in love—sweaty-palmed, no-appetite, gnawing-hole-in-the-gut love—with a man who hated magick. And he probably hated it more so now that her spells had made mess of his brother's life.
On the upside, she'd cured Vance, which is what Daniel had asked her to do. She'd sealed Chester Creek's portal to hell, all by herself—mostly—and despite a broken window and a sticky floor, her shop was up and running.
But why hadn't she remembered to retrieve her protection amulet from Daniel's dining room after the first spell failed? If she had it now, maybe she wouldn't be in this mess.
As darkness closed in and the forest sounds grew louder, Emilie comforted herself with visions of tearing Bethany's pretty blonde highlights out of her skull.
"You can call me a bitch all you want,” she muttered, working on her bonds again, despite the pain. “But let's not forget who's the female dog around here!"
* * * *
The locked drawer didn't stop him. Daniel lifted the end table and smashed it to the floor, strangely satisfied by the sound of splintering wood. He tossed aside shards of polished oak and closed his hand over the gun's gleaming silver handle. Cold as ice, it did nothing to cool his anger.
He'd just finished loading the chamber with bullets when Vance burst through the bedroom door. “That's Pop's gun. You've had it all this time?"
Nodding, Daniel slammed the chamber shut.
"Let me do it.” Vance held out his hand. “You said you'd never kill another werewolf."
Daniel flicked the safety on the gun before shoving it into the back of his jeans. “I said I'd never get lucky enough to love someone the way you love Beth. I was wrong about that, too."
Vance followed him out of the bedroom and into the darkened hallway. “Where are you going? How are you going to find Emilie?"
"I can feel her. She's in me. When the moon rises, I'll know exactly where she is."
"I'm going, too."
At that moment, Charlotte's red curls appeared at the bottom of the staircase. “Me, too."
He glared at them. It didn't matter if they came to help since th
is was his fight, his duty to protect his mate. “Fine. But don't get in my way."
* * * *
Bethany finally returned just after dark.
"I bet you thought I wouldn't hang around, but I hate to miss a party,” Emilie said. Her throat burned with the effort, but she refused to lie mutely and wait for her own death.
It surprised her that Vance's former fiancée still remained in human form, as the four men and three women who appeared out of the shadows behind her.
Emilie stiffened when she saw the feral glow in their eyes. These were more than just hapless victims of an ancient curse. These were true lycanthropes—beings that embraced the wolf, tamed it and used it to their advantage.
They surrounded her, with Beth at the center of their circle, her gaze locked on their obvious leader. “She's a talkative one, Julian. I know you like the chatty ones.” She gestured to her offering.
Julian stood more than six feet tall. Blond, like Beth, he had striking green eyes and a cruel smile. He approached Emilie and crouched before her, moving easily in clothes that looked painted on his muscular body. When he tugged on her bonds, they came free. Her limbs screamed in agony as she attempted to kick him. He easily caught her foot, however, and twisted her sore ankle until she whimpered.
"I'm glad there's still some fight left in you.” He turned to Beth, and his appreciative expression faded. “You left her out here all day with no water. She might have died."
Beth's proud smile dimmed. “It was only a few hours."
"Who would have thought the Big Bad Wolves would have to tie up their dinner?” Emilie couldn't resist the taunt, despite the rush of blood to her numb extremities, making her feel lightheaded. There were eight of them all together—and one helpless witch among them. “What's the matter with you? Too weak with hunger to chase me?"
Her heart pounded, but she met their arrogant gazes one by one. The others looked as though they wanted to tear her apart, but Julian had control. He kept them docile with subtle movements, commanding glances. They feared him, but they didn't respect him. He was obviously the leader because he fought for the position. Any sign of weakness and the others would pounce.
"I'm not going to eat you, witch.” Julian moved closer and pushed the tangled hair away from Emilie's face. He licked his lips in a way that made her stomach sour. “I'm going to claim you as my mate."
"What?” Beth rushed forward and clawed at Julian's broad back. The others growled, shifted for position as the Alpha female's jaws and teeth began to elongate.
"She's perfect for my needs,” Julian replied, dismissing Beth's anger. “Though I'd prefer it if she had a little more strength in her."
Emilie squirmed away from Julian's grasp as the feeling began to return to her arms and legs.
Behind the pack leader, Beth hunched over, ready to fight. “I thought I would be your mate! I'm an Alpha and my mate is gone! The witch turned him human again!"
"That's too bad for you, isn't it?” Julian dragged Emilie to her feet. The new altitude made her dizzy. She swayed, but he caught her. “You wanted to leave the pack. You don't get to come back on top."
"But Julian—"
"You know your place, Bethany. You start at the bottom and you have to earn the right to mate.” Julian smiled down at Emilie, who struggled to get her exhausted legs under her. She cringed when he leaned in and licked her neck. When she spat at him, he laughed. “Once I'm finished with my witch, you might have to watch your back. As a member of the pack, she may just be stronger than you."
A shot rang out in the distance. Bethany screamed. The pack members scattered into the shadows, yelping and growling as they transformed. Julian dropped Emilie, and she collapsed, grateful to be left alone while the pack leader and Bethany also transformed. He became a shaggy gray beast with long, curving fangs, while she became a smaller creature with a stiff brown pelt and red eyes. They howled at each other and loped into the woods.
* * * *
Daniel felt her—as if her heart beat inside his chest and her breath filled his lungs. Her fear and anger mixed with his, and it drove him, as bright and strong as a beacon in the dark forest.
Behind him on the barely visible hiking trail, Vance and Charlotte struggled to keep up. He heard them panting and cursing him, but he didn't care.
His mate was close—as was the beast. He fired his shot into the air and heard the fearful yowls as a pack of wolves ran for cover.
He kept his eyes focused straight ahead and kept moving. The scent of the pack leader lingered nearby, and Daniel understood. He'd have to fight not just to keep his mate alive, but to keep her for himself.
* * * *
Emilie rubbed her arms and legs to get the blood flowing and tried to gauge the direction from which the gunshot had come. In the deep woods, the sound echoed. Like the songs of the crickets and tree frogs, the blast seemed to come from everywhere at once.
She tried to calm her labored breathing and ignore the throbbing pain from where Bethany had hit her to knock her out. Standing on her own, slowly getting her bearings, she became aware of something she hadn't noticed before. Her senses felt sharper than they should have been after her ordeal, heightened. Almost instinctively, she now knew from where the shots had been fired. She sensed Daniel and her heart raced.
As soon as her legs felt steady enough, she ran, flinging aside low-hanging branches as she went. A few yards down a rocky incline, she crashed into a hulking form and screamed as she fell backward, scrambling to get away.
The creature swiped at her with its gnarled claws, its red eyes glowing. Bethany!
Emilie tore at the ground in an effort to drag herself back up the slope, but the were-female pounced, bowling her over. Long jaws snapped at her face as she struggled to get away. In an instant, another creature sailed through the air and knocked Bethany aside. While Emilie scrambled away, the two beasts rolled along the forest floor, snarling and tearing at each other with teeth and claws. Emilie recognized the larger one with its gray coat and yellow eyes. Julian had come to claim his prize.
While the creatures fought, Emilie crawled up the incline. When she reached the top, a strong hand closed over her shoulder and someone dragged her to her feet.
"Daniel!” She sank into his arms and he crushed her against him. Shielding her, he aimed a gleaming silver pistol over her shoulder at the tangle of furry bodies. “No! The smaller one is Bethany!"
He lowered the gun a fraction of an inch and stared at her. “Are you sure?"
"She attacked me at the shop. She brought me here to give me to the other one—that's Julian, the pack leader. They're more than werewolves—they're lycanthropes—half-bloods that have been bitten."
Daniel seemed to shake off the knowledge that the woman who might have become his sister-in-law was now lying on the ground, whimpering as a male werewolf tore at her pelt with his claws. He fired the gun, but the shot went wide, scaring the two beasts away from each other.
Julian immediately broke off the attack, and Bethany, the brown beast, slunk into the shadows, beaten and bloody.
Daniel pushed Emilie behind him and aimed the gun at Julian. The beast rose on hind legs and lunged up the slope, leaping at Daniel.
Two shots rang out, and Emilie screamed.
CHAPTER 20
The first shot had hit the beast in the shoulder, driving it backward, barely a foot. It howled, staggered and lunged again, claws outstretched. Daniel's second shot toppled the creature. With a human-sounding moan, it rolled down the embankment, clutching its wounds. When the werewolf came to rest at the bottom of the slope, it lay unnaturally still, but Daniel kept his aim steady nevertheless.
He registered only vaguely that Vance and Charlotte had appeared, out of breath, but relieved to find Emilie safely in Daniel's presence.
A strangled scream interrupted their reunion.
Bethany crawled out of the underbrush below, naked, bloody and bruised. “Vance! Kill it. It tried to eat me!” She sobbed an
d dissolved into hysterics. Vance rushed toward her, past the gray hulk of the injured pack leader.
"No!” Daniel's sharp command stopped his brother in his tracks. “She's one of them!"
Vance rounded on Daniel with his fists balled. “Look at her! It attacked her just like it attacked Emilie."
"It's true—Bethany was the one who attacked me,” Emilie said, stepping between the brothers. “There are six others out there somewhere."
Behind them, Bethany cried and screamed. Her pitiable whimpering became vicious curses when she realized her former fiancé was not coming to her aid. Vance looked over his shoulder, but made no move toward her. He cringed when her face began to transform with her rage.
Charlotte nudged Daniel and pointed to the gray beast. “Are you going to—"
He swung around and aimed the pistol at Julian's heaving chest. The beast opened its eyes and glared at him, challenging. He lowered the gun.
"Coward! Shoot it!” Bethany yelled, her words slurred by the fangs protruding from her mouth. Charlotte silenced her with a dangerous look.
"The others will be back,” Emilie whispered. “We'd better not stay."
Daniel stepped back, taking Emilie into his arms. Vance remained where he was, staring at the half-human creature Bethany had become. Regardless, he took a step toward her, but Julian rose up, teeth gnashing, claws ready. Without question, Daniel raised his grandfather's pistol and fired.
With an inhuman howl, Julian tumbled down and lay still, his mouth slack, his yellow eyes wide.
Then Daniel turned the gun on Bethany.
"Are you crazy?” Vance grabbed his arm, but Daniel held his aim rock steady.
"Get out of here, and keep the rest of your pack away from us. All of us."
Bethany responded to Daniel's warning with a snarl. Charlotte drew something from her pocket and threw it at her. Bethany screamed when the herb bundle opened, showering her with a green powder. She reared back, yelping in pain.
Wolfsbane: Aspect of the Wolf Page 10