Purify: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance: Blood Persuasion Book 2

by Wendi Wilson

  I unlocked the doors and he climbed in, cranking the engine without a word. I didn’t trust myself to speak, to keep the derision from my voice about him and his beliefs, so I stared out my window and kept quiet. Once we made it to the highway, Dr. Patton spoke.

  “You didn’t have to run out of there like that,” he said. “No one would have hurt you.”

  I looked over at him, my eyebrows raised. “Um, your sermon made it seem otherwise.”

  He waved a hand in the air, brushing off my words and my concerns. “Our duty is to rid the world of Alts,” he said.

  “I am an Alt.”

  “No, Savanna. You’re not. You’re not like them.” Before I could take offense and retort, he shut me up with the last words he’d say on that car ride home. “The Purist community reveres you because you, my dear, are the key to our salvation. You are the Savior.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Tell me you’re joking. He really said that?”

  I looked at Wyatt and nodded. We were sitting in our favorite booth at Lucille’s having lunch. The boys were waiting in my driveway when Dr. Patton dropped me off after the Purist service. Dad was at work and Mom took her weekly trip to Savannah to work with the homeless, so I hopped in the truck with them and told them to drive us to the diner, texting my parents along the way to let them know I was alive. I needed the fortification of a good cheeseburger to tell them everything that happened that morning.

  “Yep,” I said, “he really said that. You, my friends, are looking at the Savior.” I didn’t laugh, but I couldn’t stop my eyes from rolling. The whole thing was ludicrous.

  “It sounds like something from a fantasy book where the bumbling heroine finds out she’s the key to saving the world,” Beckett said, his eyes wide.

  I picked up a fry and chucked it at his face, but he caught it before it met its mark. “Who’re you calling bumbling?” I asked, arching a brow at him.

  “I’m glad you two think this is a big joke,” Jett said from beside me, his voice low and serious.

  “Relax, Jett,” Wyatt said.

  His words just ratcheted Jett’s tension up another few notches. I could feel it rolling off of him in waves. I nudged my shoulder against his and squeezed his knee under the table. His body relaxed a little as he met my gaze.

  “If I don’t laugh about it, I’m going to cry,” I said quietly. “I thought they were going to…I don’t know exactly what, but I can tell you it was the opposite of reverence. I was so scared when your uncle started preaching about Alts being the offspring of the wicked and how we all needed to be wiped from the face of the earth.”

  “I still can’t believe Uncle Earl is a cult leader,” Wyatt said, stealing a fry from my plate and shoving it into his mouth.

  “Is he, though?” I asked. “I mean, sure, he seems to be in charge of that particular church, but how big is the Purist movement? Do you guys remember hearing anything about it in Connecticut?”

  Beckett shook his head. “Not really. We knew the group existed, but no one really talked about it. I think people there are a little more accepting of people who are…different.”

  I looked from him to Wyatt, then at Jett, who both nodded in agreement with their brother. I sighed, taking a drink of my coke. We weren’t getting anywhere. I needed a break.

  “Okay, I say we table this for a while. My head can’t take anymore right now.” I looked at Wyatt. “You wanna go do something?”

  A beatific smile broke across his face. “Of course, I do. What did you have in mind?”

  “I don’t care. Just get my mind off of your uncle and the rest of the lunatics at that church.”

  He and Jett slid from the booth simultaneously, allowing Beckett and I to slide out behind them. I hugged first Jett, then Beckett, kissing them both on the cheek before linking arms with Wyatt. I was secretly glad it was his day with me. Of the three of them, he was the most fun-loving and carefree. If anyone could get my mind off the craziness my life had become, it was Wyatt.

  We walked to the truck with Jett and Beckett trailing us. Wyatt helped me into the front while his brothers hopped into the back. We had to give them a lift home before we took the truck. The ride was quiet, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

  After we dropped the others off, Wyatt looked at me as he shifted the truck into gear and pulled out of the driveway. I stared back, waiting to see what he would suggest. His eyes left mine to focus on the road before he spoke.

  “No preference as to what we do?” he asked.

  “I don’t care. I just don’t want to be around a lot of people,” I said. I’d had enough of people for the day.

  “So, you’re saying you want to be alone with me.” It was a statement, not a question, and the corner of his mouth ticked up.

  I laughed then sobered. “Yeah. I guess that is what I’m saying,” I said in a low voice and waited for his reaction.

  “Hold on,” he said, then slowed the truck only slightly before driving right off the side of the road.

  I squealed as I grabbed the center console with one hand and the oh-shit bar with the other. Somehow, Wyatt found a game trail wide enough for the truck to fit through without scraping the sides of the truck on the trees and bushes. Once we were out of sight of the road, he pulled the vehicle to stop and grinned at me.

  “I thought we could take a walk in the woods,” he said.

  “And you couldn’t find a normal place to park that wouldn’t give me a heart attack?”

  He laughed. “Sorry, I just got excited,” he said with a wink before opening his door and hopping out.

  I leaned over and grabbed my jacket from the backseat. I was still wearing the same outfit I’d worn to church, and it was too chilly to go traipsing about the woods with bare shoulders. When I straightened, Wyatt was opening my door. He helped me hop down and closed the door while I put on my jacket and zipped it up.

  Taking my hand, he interlaced our fingers and led me into the woods. Cold air filled my lungs as I breathed deep, the smell of pine trees and earth greeting my nose. I looked over at Wyatt, his cheeks ruddy from the chill.

  “Aren’t you cold?” I asked, noting his lack of jacket.

  “Naw,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”

  I wasn’t really sure where we were going, but it seemed like Wyatt did. We strolled further and further into the forest, him turning us this way and that and until I had no clue where we were.

  “Are we lost?” I asked, looking around for some kind of landmark to get my bearings.

  “Only a little,” Wyatt said, smirking.

  I pulled him to a stop. “There’s no such thing as being a little lost, Wyatt. You either are, or you aren’t.”

  “Stop worrying so much,” he said, tugging me forward. “I have an excellent sense of direction. I’ll get us out of here when the time comes.”

  I decided to relax and enjoy the serene expanse of woods around us as we strolled under its evergreen canopy. I trusted Wyatt, and if he said he’d find his way out, he’d find his way out. I let the cool air, the sound of birds chirping and the warmth of Wyatt’s hand in mine lull me into peaceful contentment.

  “Feel better?” Wyatt asked.

  I nodded. “Much,” I said, smiling at him.

  “Good,” he said, stopping by a large pine tree and leaning back against its trunk.

  He tugged me toward him, his free hand gripping my hip and pulling until my body was flush against his. His mouth landed on my neck above the collar of my jacket. It paved a hot, wet trail up to my ear and I got a little light headed. I grabbed his shoulders to steady myself and arched my neck to give him better access.

  Hid hands slipped under my jacket and shirt to grasp the sides of my waist. The shock of his cold fingers on my warm skin caused me to jump, but he held tight, whispering an apology in my ear before trailing kisses along my jawline. I leaned into him, trying to get as close as possible.

  Wyatt tried to kiss a path around to the other side of my ne
ck, but I lost patience with his gentle teasing and turned my head, chasing his lips with mine. I licked at the seam of his lips, my urgency spiraling as tension built in my core. My fingers worked their way up into his hair, my grip tight as he opened his mouth and kissed me properly.

  His hands travelled to my back and rubbed up and down my bare skin, his thumbs sliding beneath my bra strap on his way back up. A purring sound vibrated in my throat as he stroked the skin underneath the elastic, the rest of his fingers slipping underneath and pushing it upward. I froze as the front of my bra moved up, too, the cups resting on my chest, leaving my breasts bare beneath my shirt.

  “Sorry, sorry,” Wyatt whispered against my lips, his hands still against my shoulder blades.

  I pulled back a few inches, putting some space between us. I was completely worked up by Wyatt’s mouth and hands, and I wasn’t ready for it to end. I wanted, no, needed more. My lips sought out his once more as I pulled him forward.

  His hands moved back to my waist and, releasing my death grip on his hair, I grasped his wrist and urged his hand upward. I remembered how good Jett’s hand felt through my clothes and wanted to feel it against my bare skin. My move must have surprised him because his hand stalled on my ribcage and his mouth broke away from mine.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, staring into my eyes.

  I nodded, applying more pressure to his wrist. I needed his touch. His breath hitched and my heart exploded as his fingertips trailed their way up. My eyes drifted shut as his palm touched me, a gentle caress. Electricity zipped through me, circling through my limbs before pooling in my core.

  Wyatt kissed me again, his fingers grasping the edges of my bra and pulling it back down into place. His mouth moved slow and leisurely over mine and my heartrate slowed to a normal tempo. Wyatt pulled back, giving me a soft smile. I returned it, though I felt slightly frustrated that he ended what we were doing so soon.

  “I love you, Savanna from Savannah,” he said, brushing his lips against mine once more before pulling back again. “And as much as I want to keep doing what we were doing…and believe me, I do…I don’t think the cold, dirty forest is the place to do it.”

  “I love you, too,” I said.

  I knew he was right, but as he led me back through the trees, disappoint filled me. I wasn’t ready to head back to reality. I wanted to stay in our little wooden paradise for just a little longer.

  I pulled him to stop and attacked him before he could react. Bracing my hands against his shoulders, I jumped and wrapped my legs around his waist. My mouth pressed against his as he stumbled forward with my unexpected weight. Rough bark of a tree pressed into my back as his mouth took over, ravaging mine.

  We kissed like that for minutes. Hours. I wasn’t sure how long. Wyatt’s hand moved to my ankles, unlocking them so my legs drifted back to the forest floor. He took a step back, pulling me away from the tree while slowing our kiss once more.

  “We should go,” he said between pecks on my lips.

  “Not yet,” I murmured against his.

  “It’ll be getting dark soon,” he warned, pulling back as his silver-gray eyes locked on mine.

  “Okay, fine,” I said with a pout. Then I kissed him one last time before wrapping my hand around his and gesturing for him to lead the way.

  He chuckled and headed out, presumably toward the truck. I couldn’t help but smile. Thinking about Wyatt Patton’s hands on me shoved all thoughts of “Brother Earl,” the Purists and their plan for me out of my head. If only we could have gotten rid of them completely.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Oh, no. Hell, no. Get that thing away from me.”

  “Now, Savanna, you agreed to let me run tests on you.”

  I looked at him, my eyes wide, like he’d lost his mind. “I agreed to let you run tests,” I said. “I come here every Thursday and you take my blood, perform x-rays and CT scans. I did not agree to let you inject me with God knows what just to see what happens.”

  My eyes flicked from his down to the syringe in his hand. It was filled with a milky white fluid with little bits of gold swirling through it. No. Freaking. Way.

  “Savanna,” Dr. Patton said, his voice stern, bordering on downright sinister, “you will submit to whatever tests I wish to perform on you. You know the consequences of your refusal.”

  “But…”

  I trailed off, failing to come up with an adequate argument. He was right. I was the one with everything to lose. He had the upper hand.

  “Will you at least tell me what it is?” I asked, my voice meek with resignation.

  A satisfied smile spread across his face. “Not to worry, my dear,” he said, walking forward while thumping the side of the glass syringe. “This is the exact formula I injected into your mother while she was pregnant with you. I have a desire to see if it has any further effects on you now that you are no longer a child.”

  “Don’t you mean fetus?”

  His smile grew, sending a chill down my spine. “I meant what I said.”

  My mouth fell open. “You gave me this, whatever it is, after I was born? Without my parents’ knowledge?”

  “That is neither here nor there,” he said brushing me off. “Pull down your pants.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, please, Savanna. I am a doctor, not some pervert on the street. I need to give you the injection in your hip.”

  I stood from the chair, unbuttoning my jeans while he prepared an alcohol swab. I turned and lowered the waist of my pants the bare minimum on one side, revealing a swath of bare skin across my hip. I heard his footsteps come near and squeezed my eyes shut as tight as they would go. First, a cold sensation then a hot sting before I felt the fluid being forced into my body. A sticky bandage was applied before he patted me on the shoulder.

  “All done, my dear,” he said, his voice sickeningly pleasant. “See you Saturday morning.”

  I hastily did up my jeans and turned to find the room empty. I grabbed my purse and jacket and bolted from the room. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I had a bad feeling about it. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  I dashed outside, relieved to see the large black truck idling right outside. The back door flung open and I practically flew inside, hyperventilation threatening as I took quick bursts of air into my lungs. Beckett threw an arm around my back as Jett and Wyatt turned in their seats to peer at me as I gasped for oxygen.

  “What is it?” Jett asked. “What happened?”

  I shook my head, unable to answer for the moment. I leaned into Beckett, accepting his warm comfort and rubbing my head against his chest. They waited in silence, giving me time to calm down enough to explain my distress.

  “Sor-ry,” I stuttered between breaths. “I overreacted.”

  “Overreacted to what?” Wyatt ground out between clenched teeth.

  I took a deep breath, held it for a moment and let it out slowly. “I’m okay,” I said.

  “Savanna,” Jett said, his tone holding a warning.

  “Okay,” I snapped before giving him and apologetic look. He was just worried. “Your uncle injected me with something.”

  “What?!” Beckett exclaimed, causing me to jump and move away from him. “What did he give you?” he continued, his voice returning to its normal, gentle timbre.

  “I have no idea. He said it was the same formula he gave my mother while she was pregnant,” I said, pausing for a moment before adding, “and to me when I was a child.”

  “Your mom and dad never said he gave you injections,” Jett said.

  I shook my head. “They didn’t know. He must have gotten them out of the room, somehow.”

  “Bastard,” Wyatt muttered under his breath.

  “Sorry I freaked you guys out, but I was freaked out.”

  “With good reason,” Jett said with a snarl.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” I said, “but it can’t be too bad, right? I’m obviously okay after getting the s
hots as a child. And Dr. Patton wouldn’t do anything to risk losing his greatest achievement.” My tone went full blown sarcastic with that last bit.

  “Will you tell your parents about this?” Beckett asked, pulling me tighter against him.

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “They’ll just feel guiltier than they already do.”

  “Did he tell you what he expects to happen?” Wyatt asked.

  I barked out a humorless laugh. “What do you think?”

  “Of course, he didn’t,” he mumbled.

  “Can we get out of here, please?” I asked.

  “Yes. Sorry,” Jett said, turning in his seat and throwing the truck into gear before peeling out of the parking lot.

  We rode in silence as Jett headed back toward home. Beckett’s thumb swiped back and forth across my upper arm, soothing me and exciting me at the same time. My emotions were all keyed up, skipping from fear to contentment to nervous tension to sexual tension— the latter courtesy of Beckett’s warm and gentle attention.

  The truck rumbling over something bumpy focused my attention on our surroundings. I caught Jett’s eye in the rearview mirror, arching a brow.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked.

  We were at the playground, the place they always took me when they wanted to talk about something important. It was there that they told me they all wanted to date me, separately. Where they later told me they wanted us to all be together at once. Where they told me they loved me for the first time.

  “I just thought you might want to hang out for a while before we take you home,” Jett said, his expression innocent. A little too innocent.

  I shook my head but held my silence as we all climbed down from the truck. They obviously wanted to talk to me about something. I knew I wouldn’t have to wait long. Beckett led me around the back of the vehicle by my hand and we followed the other two over to the picnic table.

  “Okay, spit it out,” I said, sliding onto the bench.

  “What?” Wyatt said, the red tinge riding his cheeks barely visible in the late afternoon sun.