by Lola Taylor
“What is it?” Danica said, wide eyes searching the woods around them. Fog had descended upon the place, but there was something off about it. It was shimmering. Things moved within it as it stirred restlessly over the ground.
Nik growled. “Black Magic.”
Gage swore. He hadn’t been able to detect what type of witch they were dealing with inside. She looked more like a dabbler. It wasn’t until the flock of wraiths came swarming out of the trees like a hoard of angry bees that he knew they’d made a grave mistake in coming here.
At first, Danica thought there was no way in hell she was seeing what she was seeing. Several slow, hard blinks later, she knew without a doubt that she was seeing ghosts. Or at least, they looked like a mixture between a zombie and a ghost. Skin peeled off their exposed bones; she could see right through their murky, green forms. They whipped through the air, screeching and howling like a pissed-off flock of birds.
As the commotion increased, Erik got out of the car. The moment he turned around, he opened his mouth to scream when the zombie-ghosts attacked him, tearing him apart.
Bile rose in Danica’s throat, and she forced it back down. She leaned into Gage, fighting hard to tear her gaze away from the eviscerated werewolf but finding it impossible to do so. It was like watching a train wreck. She wanted to look away but couldn’t.
“Run!” Nik yelled. With the monsters swarming the car, the trio of wolves bolted back through the house and out the back door. Danica nearly tripped down the rickety wooden steps as they barreled toward the surrounding woods. She’d give anything to be lying back in Gage’s bed at the mansion. That was safe. Curiously, it was also starting to feel like home, crazy as it sounded, and she had no idea why. Her shack used to feel like home, but the joy she felt at actually coming home had waned over the long, hard years. Maybe the difference was at the mansion, she had someone to come home to.
And now she may never see shack or mansion again.
Her calves burned as they ran. That horrible screeching filled the air behind them, growing louder, spurring her on. Muscle burns be damned. She was going to haul ass away from those things.
The toe of her shoe caught on a rock, and she nearly went down, making her heart slam against her sternum.
“I’ve got you,” Gage said, holding her up and never breaking stride. “Keep going.”
“Easy for you to say, Mr. Gold Star Gym Membership,” she gritted out between heavy pants.
He chuckled. It was exactly what she needed, considering they were probably going to get eaten alive at any minute by those ghost-piranhas.
“Just keep moving,” he said. “We’re going to make it. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Okay, considering what those things did to Erik, she knew good and well Gage had to be bluffing. Still, it sparked a small ember of hope inside her to hear him say that.
Nik crashed through the trees ahead of them. The woods seemed to grow thicker the farther into the forest they went, like it was trying to choke out all the sunlight. That eerie mist crept along her peripheral vision, closing in on them and making her run harder.
“We have to get to the river!” Nik shouted. “Wraiths can’t cross moving water.”
“What did he call those things?” Danica yelled.
“Something not of this world,” Gage answered, a dark look on his face. Fear swam in his eyes. Since meeting him, this was the first time she could honestly say he looked scared. He seemed so fearless.
Branches snapped above them, and something clawed at her hair. Danica screamed as Gage snarled, his nails turning into claws and lashing out at the wraith that had hold of her. It let go with a shriek.
The sound of rushing water encouraged them to keep running.
“Almost there!” Nik said.
There it was; the river lay only a few feet away.
Run faster. Harder.
Fists pumping, she ran with everything she had toward the rushing water. Nik leapt clean over the river, bounding over it as easily as if he were playing hopscotch.
There was no way she could do that. She was going to slam into the water.
“No matter what, don’t stop moving until you get to the other side,” Gage said.
Danica screamed as white-hot pain lit up her left shoulder; one of the wraiths had clawed her. It swooped down, going for her head, when Gage ripped it out of the air and stomped it beneath his boot. It screeched, writhing before lying still. “I’ll hold them off!”
“No!” Danica yelled, pulling on his arm. “You can’t do this!”
“I can.” He kissed her fiercely, then shoved her backward. “Don’t watch!” The words were barely out of his mouth before he was jerked backward with a cry.
“Gage!” Danica screeched, skidding as her footing slipped.
Gage was surrounded by wraiths. He swung at them, grunting and snapping his jaws like a beast. Through the blur of shadows, two gold eyes burned.
“Get her out of here, Nik!” Gage shouted.
Nik bounded back across the river, seizing Danica. She struggled as he pulled her toward the river. “No! I can’t leave him.”
“You don’t have a choice! I’m not risking him killing me if something happens to you.”
Without warning, he swung her over his shoulder and ran toward the river, Danica kicking and screaming the whole way. Her eyes remained glued to Gage, calling his name, praying this was all a nightmare she would wake up from any minute.
There was the sense of weightlessness and the rush of cold air through her hair as Nik lifted them over the river. The moment he set her down, she started back toward the water, but he grabbed her in a bear hug, not letting go.
“Gage!” she screamed. “Gage! Don’t you dare die on me!”
Only the sounds of battle met her ears as her mate fought for his life. She didn’t even know when she’d started thinking of him as her mate. It was an unconscious decision, something her heart decided without her common sense to hold her back or screw things up for her.
“Let me go!” she cried.
“No!” Nik said, sounding anguished. “I’m sorry, love.”
Tears streamed down her face as she watched the golden eyes slowly vanish beneath the mass of ghostly bodies. Rearing her head back, she screamed into the sky, sounding like a wounded animal. Her knees gave out from under her, and Nik sank with her to the ground, holding onto her. Tears leaked from his eyes as he silently stared at where her mate had been seconds ago but now only a whirling mass of wraiths swarmed.
They were coming closer.
“I thought you said they couldn’t cross moving water,” she said, starting to stand.
“They can’t,” he said, standing with her, looking puzzled. “Something’s moving with them.”
With a yell, Gage forced his way through the mass of wraiths, crashing into the water.
“Nik!” Danica yelled, but he was already diving into the river. She watched him swim after Gage’s lifeless body, grabbing hold of it and pulling him back to the shoreline. She ran to them, sinking to her knees beside Gage. His clothing was shredded, as was his skin. It was so covered in blood, she couldn’t tell where the cuts were.
“Gage!” She grasped his face, turning it toward her. “Open your eyes!”
An unintelligible mumble came from his mouth as his lids slowly fluttered open. “Is she safe… Please tell me she’s safe….”
“I’m right here,” Danica said, grabbing his hand and cupping it against her cheek. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“You scared the hell out of us both,” Nik said, rocking back on his heels. He ran a hand over his face. “You look like shit, man.”
Gage groaned and started to sit up.
“Don’t!” Danica placed both hands at his shoulders, trying to force him back down. “You’ll hurt yourself! We need to get you to a hospital!”
“There’s no need, love,” Gage rasped with a chuckle. “I just need to lie still for a while. My wounds w
ill heal.”
“How?”
“Werewolves heal fast. Other than silver, about the only thing that can really kill us is a vampire bite.” He shuddered. “Or being torn apart by wraiths.”
“Good to know.” Danica sat back and sighed hard. Without her permission, she started crying all over again.
Gage frowned, starting to speak. Nik stood and looked around, cutting him off. “We’re close to Swallow’s Peak. The cave there should provide some refuge from other predators until you’re well enough to move.”
“I know,” Gage said, never taking his eyes off Danica. “I’ll get us there.”
“It’s you I’m worried about,” Nik said in a low voice.
“I’ll be fine. We need to get in touch with the others, find out how many were injured or killed.”
“I’ll run recon and go for help, see if Penelope’s around.”
He started to leave when Gage caught his wrist. “Thank you.”
Nik smiled and nodded. “Anytime.”
Changing into a brown wolf, he took off like a shadow, disappearing into the darkness hiding amongst the trees.
All the while, Danica couldn’t stop crying. Damn these tears!
“Hey,” Gage said, wiping them away with his thumb. “What’s the matter?”
“What’s… the matter?” she said, hiccupping. “You… almost died….”
He pulled her to him, rocking her back and forth. “It’s all right. I’m safe. We’re both fine.”
She pressed her ear against his chest. She felt a sudden urge to hear his heartbeat, to assure herself he was still alive. “Why did you do that?”
“I couldn’t let them hurt you. I needed to distract them.”
She cried into his shoulder, the shock of him nearly dying wearing off after several minutes. The wraiths swarmed along the opposite shore, seeming agitated they couldn’t cross.
Gage wobbled to his feet, Danica hovering close in case he stumbled. Jaw set, he forced his spine to straighten, pride radiating from his face. “River or not, we should seek shelter. Other things take to the woods at night.”
Danica gulped. “Like what other things?”
“Faeries, for one.”
She snorted. “What could be so bad about Tinker Bell?”
“Think wraiths—only ten times worse.”
“Oh.” That just blew her cute Disney version completely out of the water. Looping her arm under his shoulder, she said, “Where to?”
He was dying, or at least he sure as hell felt like it. By the time they reached the cave, most of the lacerations had healed, a process which left him exhausted. Worry locked his jaw. Several times along the way, he’d tried telepathically communicating with his pack, only to find silence. Even Nik hadn’t answered him, meaning he was either too far away or was too busy to afford distractions. Gage refused to believe he could be dead. Nik was tough as nails. No way in hell the fierce wolf could succumb to something so vile as wraiths.
The cave wasn’t very deep, but it was secluded. Seclusion equaled safety; that much brought comfort to Gage, as it would mean keeping Danica protected from the dangers of the woods. She had no idea what the night could be capable of, of the abominations that lurked there, waiting for something innocent like her.
After laying him on the stone floor, Danica collapsed beside him, her shoulders heaving with heavy breaths. Her earlier hysteria had subsided, though Gage hadn’t stopped watching her the entire time. He was going to need a vacation after his Blood Moon set. Maybe, if she agreed to be his mate, he would whisk them away to a foreign country, something not quite so “on the map” and riddled with tourists. Peace sounded awfully nice about now.
Pain shot through his side as a sharp rock poked him between the ribs, right in one of his healing wounds. Gage buried his groan, not wanting to worry his mate further. She’d been through so much already, and she wasn’t even a full werewolf yet. The amount of control she’d shown as a newcomer to their world was nothing short of astounding. With all the care of touching a baby animal, he reached over and lifted her hair from her face, brushing the long blond locks behind her shoulder.
“How are you feeling?”
She laughed. “How am I feeling? Seriously? You’re the one who’s been mauled by ghost piranhas.”
“Ghost what?”
“Er, nothing.” She did that cute thing where she took her bottom lip between her teeth, shooting a protective surge through him.
His gaze softened. “I heard you screaming my name back there.”
She swallowed hard. “I just didn’t want anything to happen to you. It scared me, thinking I’d lose you. You’re the first decent person I’ve met in a while.”
He wondered how anyone could be cruel to his angel, and his hand clenched into a fist. He would destroy anyone who tried to hurt her.
She rubbed her arms, which had broken out into goose bumps. “When do you think Nik will be back?”
“I don’t know. We could be here for a while, depending on if he gets held up and when he can find help.” Gage prayed that was sooner rather than later. Not that he minded spending time alone with Danica, but spending the night in the cave wasn’t his definition of a romantic evening. And a girl like Danica needed romance.
“What made you stay?”
“Excuse me?”
“With me,” he added softly.
She paused, staring out over the trees in the valley below the bluff. Her legs were drawn up to her chest, and she had her arms wrapped around them. “You’re the first person in a while who’s wanted me around.” She laughed. “Guess you can say I’m a bit of a lone wolf.”
He smiled, but it was abruptly weighed down by guilt when she spoke. “Besides,” she said, “I’m marked now. You said there was no taking it back. The Change is coming whether I want it to or not, and going at it alone scares me ten times more than having someone to help me through it.”
His shoulders sank. Of course she wasn’t doing it just for him. How foolish could he be? Guilt weighed down the smile that had been there seconds before. “I’m sorry for bringing you into this.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing,” she said, shaking her head with a wistful smile. “Truth is, I’ve been feeling a bit lost lately. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was working a job I wasn’t thrilled with because it paid the bills and taking it one day at a time. I was beginning to doubt I’d find someone special again to share my life with. I went to the bar to meet someone, and I did.” She smiled at him, easing some of his worry.
“What do you do for a living?” he asked.
“I work at Cassie’s Cute Cuts.” She frowned. “Only as the front desk girl, not a hair dresser. That is, if I haven’t been fired by now. I was supposed to be in this morning at eight.”
Gage winced. He hadn’t meant to get her fired. “I’ll take care of you.”
She set her jaw. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
“I don’t doubt it,” he said gently. “Something tells me you can look out for yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself. You’ll break, eventually. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
She stared at him thoughtfully. “What do you do? Besides being a packmaster.”
“I deal in real estate,” he said. “It’s a bit of an inherited business when you join our pack. We have rental properties all over the United States and several overseas. We all help out.”
“I see.” She shivered.
Gage opened up his arms. “Come here.”
She eagerly curled up next to him. For a moment they lay there, neither talking, just enjoying the silence. “So what’s the Change like?”
He thought his answer through. “The first time will be unpleasant.”
“It’s going to hurt like hell, isn’t it?” He grimaced and she sighed. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m breakable. As I said, I can take care of myself. I’m a big girl.”
“That doesn’t mean I
like the idea of you being in pain.”
Danica shivered and he held her closer. She tensed at first, then her body relaxed against his. He closed his eyes, trying to memorize her scent. Her fear had washed away as she’d calmed down, and he could pick up on her smell. Roses. The woods. Arousal.
That last one sent a shiver of longing straight to his loins.
He wasn’t sure if she’d done it on purpose, but she nuzzled closer to him until their bodies were plastered together. Parts of his still-healing body ached in protest, but he firmly shoved those objections back down.
“Will I not be as horny after the Change?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Doubtful. Werewolves are horny by nature.”
“Oh. Then I’ll fit right in,” she said huskily.
His breath caught as she rubbed herself against him.
He growled deep in his throat, situating her so she was straddling him. “Does this hurt?” she asked with concern.
“No,” he breathed, shaking his head. He was lying through his teeth, but damn if he was going to tell her to stop.
She clung to him, moving her hips, her bare sex rubbing along his bulge. “I have to admit,” she breathed as he watched her nipples harden through the sweat-dampened material of her shirt, “that I’ve been fantasizing about you lately.”
“Also a side effect of the Fever.”
She shook her head. “Something tells me I would have anyway.”
He held onto her hips to help keep her steady. What he wouldn’t give to make love to her…. The urge to see her, all of her, overwhelmed him. To mark her with his scent, to claim her as his. Silently, he sat up, keeping her straddled on his lap, and began peeling her blouse up and over her head. She lifted her arms, leaving her naked from the waist up, except for the lacy bra. With deft fingers, he snapped open the clasp, and her plush breasts came spilling out. He tossed the bra to the side along with her blouse. He started to lift her up, intending to go for her skirt next, when she raised a brow and stopped him.
Gage sighed hard, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I got carried away. I just wanted to see you… all of you….”
A sexy grin came over her face. “Well, this works both ways, you know. It’s only fair if you get naked too.”