by Lily Graison
“And Rayna?” Bryce asked. “How does she play into this?”
“She’ll be dead.”
* * * *
The pit was exactly that. A filthy hole in the floor of the basement that reeked of rotting flesh. They were tossed down into it and left with nothing.
Rayna wiped her hands on her jeans. The room was dark and dank, she could hear things scurrying in the darkened corners. It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust to the low light.
“Are you all right?”
She turned at Garrett’s voice. That deep garbled, otherworldly tone he had when the wolf was present made her remember she wasn’t alone. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He was standing near the wall, his head lowered to accommodate his height with the low ceiling. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. “I didn’t think you’d make it in time.”
“I almost didn’t.” He raised his hand, the back of one finger brushing her cheek. “Chad insisted on coming along or I would have been here sooner.”
Her eyes widened. “Chad knows?”
“He does now. Although I’m sure he’s regretting that decision.”
“So someone knows you’re here?”
“Yes. Gavin and Dillon were waiting by the main road with the others. I’m sure they’re planning a way to get us out of here as we speak.”
“Why didn’t they come in with you?”
“I didn’t give them a choice.” He looked around their empty cell before returning his gaze to her. “I didn’t want them hurt. Besides, I knew if something went wrong, they could get us out of here. They can’t do that if we were all locked up. They are more useful to me on the outside.”
He looked across the room and Rayna turned her head, seeing Sabriel sliding down the wall. He moved as if he were still in pain. She glanced at Garrett before crossing the pit and kneeling down in front of him. “Are you okay?” He smiled but Rayna could tell it was forced.
“Yes. I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t look as if he would be. What little light coming into the pit lit his face and showed the bruises there growing blacker, his skin swelling. Blood still oozed from his bottom lip and a line of crimson trickled down from his left ear.
They’d beaten him to the point a normal human wouldn’t have survived it. Rayna stared at him as questions rattled through her head. “Why did they do this?”
“Throw us in here?” he rasped, taking a sharp breath he probably didn’t need.
“No. Try to beat the life out of you.”
He chuckled and winced, his arm winding around his waist. He leaned back against the wall and looked up at her through blood-shot eyes. “I was misguided enough to think they would tell me what I needed to know once everything was said and done.”
“And what is it you need to know?” she asked. “Is this the same thing you were helping them for?”
“Yes.” He glanced over at Garrett before turning his attention back to her.
“Tell me what it is you’re after, Sabriel. What was worth my life to you?”
He was quiet for so long, Rayna didn’t think he was going to answer. “They have someone important to me. Took her and hid her. I was told I’d have her back once I delivered you to Victor.”
Garrett’s voice echoed through the small room when he said, “You are the one who took Rayna?”
Turning to face him, Rayna knew things were about to get ugly. She stood and placed herself in front of Sabriel as Garrett crossed the room. His lips were curled back, his teeth bared. The look in his eyes should have scared her but she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. The same couldn’t be said for Sabriel.
“I did what I had to,” Sabriel said from behind her. “She hasn’t been harmed.”
“Not yet she hasn’t.”
Rayna reached up and laid her hand on Garrett’s chest when he growled, the hatred in his eyes causing her pulse to race. “Just hear him out, Garrett.”
“He took you from our home,” he said, those eerie amber eyes glowing in the dark. “From me. Nothing he can say will excuse that.”
Sabriel groaned and wheezed out a forced breath. “I did what I must. What I would do again to find her.”
“Find who?” Rayna asked.
He shifted, repositioning himself on the hard floor. He stared up at them before sighing. “Lydia.”
* * * *
“She said that?” Bryce asked. “She said Rayna would be dead?”
“Yes. I think she’s the reason Rayna disappeared.”
Bryce leaned back in his seat and turned to look at those hovering near the door. He spotted Lydia on the stairs, staring at him.
The desire to go to her was intense. He wasn’t sure how to shake whatever it was she was doing to him. This connection, she claimed, was the cause of it. Whatever the connection was.
Jacob coughed and he turned his attention back to him. His eyes looked heavy and Bryce knew rest would be the best thing for him. Looking toward Charlotte, he motioned her forward and asked her to see that one of the bedrooms was aired out for him.
When he looked back down at Jacob, he leaned toward him, lowered his voice and asked, “When you were in the mine, did Caleb ever mention the vampire he had chained to the wall?”
Jacob’s eyes widened a bit. “That was a vampire?”
“You didn’t see her?”
“No,” Jacob said. “I heard her though. We all did. I thought it was an animal.” He tried to sit up but winced and lay back down. “Why would Caleb have a vampire?”
“Good question,” Bryce said. “She doesn’t know why she was there either.”
“Where is she now?”
Bryce glanced back at the stairs but Lydia was gone. “Here. We found her a week ago.”
“She hasn’t said anything?”
“Not much. Just that she went to sleep in her bed and woke up chained to a wall.”
“Garrett didn’t mention her.”
“Well, he’s been a little pre-occupied lately.” Jacob nodded and closed his eyes. Bryce knew asking him everything he needed to know now wouldn’t result in the answers he wanted.
Standing, he looked at the wolves Jacob had brought with him. They were still hovering around the door, looking frightened and wary.
What was he supposed to do with them? What would Garrett do?
Moving across the room, he stopped by Danny, the man he’d talked to in front of the house. “Let’s go have a little chat.”
He walked out into the foyer before continuing down the hall. He didn’t look to see if the man was following him or not. Once he reached the office, he entered and waited for Danny, closing the door behind them.
Danny was thin, his clothes filthy and frayed around the edges. His hair was unkempt and it didn’t take much to realize that the wolves who depended on Carmen weren’t being treated well.
Bryce sighed and moved to the desk, taking the chair behind it and motioning to the other for Danny. “Carmen left you to fend for yourselves, I assume?”
Danny nodded his head. “Yeah. She didn’t even tell us if she’d be back. She just… left.”
Why am I not surprised? “And what do you want from us?” Bryce asked, ignoring his thoughts about Carmen.
Danny lowered his head, staring at his shoes for long moments before raising his eyes again. “Jacob said Garrett would protect us.”
Bryce knew that answer was coming before he’d even asked it. It didn’t take seventeen people to carry one injured man. What remained of Carmen’s pack had come for one reason and one reason only. Asylum. They wanted protection.
Glancing at the phone, Bryce wondered if he should try to get in touch with Garrett and dismissed the notion as quickly as it came. If Garrett never returned, someone had to lead this pack and being second in command that position was left for him until someone challenged him for it. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before looking Danny in the eye. “I don’t have room for all of you upstairs. All the beds are taken.”
“I understand.” Danny stood, gave Bryce a forced smile. “I appreciate you telling me to my face instead of just turning us out without a word.”
Bryce stood, raising an eyebrow at the man. “I didn’t say I was turning you out.” Danny stilled, his gaze penetrating. Walking around the edge of the desk, Bryce stopped on the other side and crossed his arms over his chest. “There’s a basement here in the house. It’s not the best of accommodations but the floor is clean and it’s dry. Your group can stay down there until Garrett gets back and we figure out what to do with you.”
Danny looked at him slightly wide-eyed before giving him a genuine smile. “We’ll take it. We’ve slept on the forest floor for months now. The basement will feel like the Ritz. As long as Carmen can’t come marching back in to issue orders, we’ll be fine.”
“She won’t be getting back inside the house. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“And your pack leader won’t have a problem with us being here?”
Bryce grinned. “I didn’t say that. He’ll probably have a hell of a lot to say about it but Rayna will calm him down. She always does.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rayna knew she looked as shocked as she felt. The way Sabriel was staring at her confirmed it. When Garrett walked around her and faced Sabriel, she finally found air enough to speak. “Lydia… the Collective took someone from you named Lydia?” She glanced at Garrett and knew he was thinking the same thing.
“Yes. Lydia is my sister.” Sabriel shifted again, groaned before finding a more comfortable position. “She’s my natural born sister,” he said, smiling. “She was turned a few years after I was. I kept a close watch on her after my death and one night, she disappeared. When I finally found her and realized what happened, I made myself known to her. She’s been with me ever since.”
“And the Collective took her?” Garrett asked.
“Yes. I wasn’t completely on board with their plans to start with.” He glanced at Rayna and smiled wearily before continuing. “Apparently my reluctance was a hindrance to the other leaders. They needed me to convince the other vampire’s to cooperate and taking Lydia was the way they insured I played along.”
“And what exactly were you told to do?” Rayna asked.
Sabriel looked up, glanced quickly at Garrett, before returning his gaze to his feet. “I was to see that Malcolm’s plan went accordingly by any means I saw fit.”
“Meaning?”
Another quick glance at Garrett from Sabriel and Rayna could guess what he meant. The way he looked at her at times and the feelings he was able to produce in her were telling enough.
“That doesn’t matter now,” Sabriel said. “I refused to do anything else for them and as you can see, they weren’t very happy about that.”
Rayna watched Sabriel close his eyes, his face battered black and blue. He was still handsome, as beaten as he was, and the urge to tend him was strong. She didn’t dare with Garrett in the room. Lord knew what a pissed off jealous werewolf would do.
She turned to Garrett and nodded her head toward Sabriel.
Garrett sighed. “Tell him.”
She smiled. “Sabriel, I know where Lydia is.” He opened his eyes and stared at her. “She’s in Wolf’s Creek. Garrett found her a few days ago. Caleb had her chained up in the mine.”
Sabriel tried to stand. Garrett put a hand on his shoulder, holding him down. “She’s fine,” Rayna said, trying to reassure him. “She’s safe.”
“Bryce is tending to her.” Garrett released Sabriel’s shoulder. “She’s being cared for and should be back to normal in no time.”
“Normal?” Worry lines stretched across Sabriel’s face. “What’s wrong with her?”
Rayna looked at the worried expression on Sabriel’s face and tried to reassure him. “Nothing that won’t heal. As soon as we get out of here, we’ll go get her.”
Sabriel looked as if he wanted to say something more but didn’t. He stared at them both for long moments before nodding his head and settling back against the wall. “How do you suppose we get out of here?”
Rayna looked to Garrett. She didn’t have a clue what to do but knew her mate did. He turned to her and the look in his eyes told her he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“We do nothing at the moment.” Garrett glanced up at the grate covering the entrance of the pit. “We’re not entirely alone.” Shadows along the walls proved someone was there. Waiting. Watching. “Now, we wait. The others will come for us.”
Sabriel sighed before settling back against the wall and closing his eyes. “I hope you’re right.”
Rayna gave him one last look before turning and walking back across the room.
There wasn’t anything inside the pit except the dirty stone that made up the walls and floor. Sitting down wasn’t a pleasant thought but standing all night wasn’t either.
Garrett crossed the room, to the corner farthest from the door, and sat down before looking at her. When he reached out one clawed hand to her, she smiled.
He settled her on his lap when she reached him and for the first time in days, she knew she could sleep without having to keep one eye open. Assuming she could sleep. Fear of what Victor was going to do wasn’t far from her mind. Garrett being there made it less frightening but the danger was still there.
More so now that Garrett was there. What was Victor going to do with him? The answer to that question whispered itself to her and she snuggled closer to him. She wouldn’t think about that. She’d force that wolf hiding under her flesh out if her worst fears came to pass. Garrett was willing to risk his life to save her and she’d do the same.
“Stop worrying,” Garrett whispered.
Rayna smiled. “How do you know I’m worrying?”
“I know you.” He lowered his head, rubbing his face into her hair. “I’ll not let them hurt you.”
“I know you won’t.” Rayna wrapped her arms around him, rested her cheek against his chest and tried to relax. Regardless of what was to come, they needed rest. Come morning, their future would be decided.
* * * *
Lydia was bathed in moonlight. The shimmering blue haze caressed her limbs and caused the light to throw iridescent sparkles throughout her hair. The borrowed gown she wore fluttered in the breeze; the material all but transparent in the brightly lit glow of the moon and her body was outlined for him in delicious detail. Every curve and swell highlighted for his personal perusal. Bryce’s pulse leaped as he stared at her, watching the wind catch the ends of her hair and twirl the strands around her shoulders.
She was breathtaking.
He knew with every fiber of his being he should turn away, go back inside the house, and forget he saw her but he was moving toward her even as he tried to talk himself out of it.
She turned to look over her shoulder at him. Her eyes seemed to glow and he slowed his steps. When she smiled coyly, he wondered again if she wasn’t playing some vampire trick on him. His body was hard just looking at her, his muscles taunt. The wolf was restless, her scent teasing them both. He could taste it on the back of his tongue, thick and sweet.
When she laughed and sprinted across the field for the forest, Bryce’s wolf slammed against his bones. He was chasing her moments later.
The forest was shadowed, the trees filtering the moonlight into patches of glowing beams. Bryce let the wolf out enough to enhance his vision and spotted Lydia moments later. The chase was invigorating. He didn’t know vampires were as quick as Lydia seemed to be. He had trouble catching her. When he was finally close enough to touch her, she twisted to the side, darted out of his reach, and laughed before leaning back against a nearby tree.
Bryce stared at her, trying to catch his breath. Her eyes were still glowing, her chest heaving for air he knew she didn’t need. Turning to face her, he let his gaze linger over her form.
The white gown she wore clung to her breasts. They were full and round, her nipples hard and straining against the mat
erial.
She was beautiful and he hated her even more for it.
“You still dislike me,” she said.
“Dislike is putting it mildly.”
She smiled. “Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“I see.”
“I doubt you do.”
“Oh, but you’re wrong.” She folded her hands behind her, tilted her head to one side and Bryce fought the need to go to her. To bury his hands in her hair. “It isn’t me you dislike but vampires in general.”
She had that part right, at least. Bryce stared at her but didn’t comment. “Why?”
Why? Bryce chuckled but there wasn’t anything funny about what he was thinking. Why did he hate vampires? The reasons were so numerous he wasn’t sure he could list them all. “It doesn’t matter why.” He glanced back at the forest, in the direction of the house. “What are you doing to me, Lydia?”
Her lips parted, the corners tilting up a fraction before she answered. “You want me.”
Her voice still sounded raspy from the damage the wire around her neck caused but it scored his flesh like knives to hear it. He looked at her face, met her eyes, and saw his own desire reflected there. “Yes. Despite everything I’ve tried to do to prevent it, I still want you and I want to know why.”
She took a step away from the tree. Grabbing the edges of the gown, she pulled it off her shoulders, the material sliding down her body to pool at her feet. She stood naked before him and Bryce looked his fill as every delicious inch of her was bared for his hungry gaze.
He couldn’t remember seeing a more perfect pair of breasts. Her waist was small, her hips flared, and the small triangle of hair at the apex of her legs glistened in the filtered light from the moon.
His wolf slinked along his limbs, urged him forward when he once again caught her scent on the wind. He didn’t fight his reluctance to go to her for long. When he stood within inches from her, he glanced at all she offered him before looking back at her face. “What are you doing to me?”