Great, these wolves are untrained, and I’m faring poorly against them. I look around after dodging a set of teeth. The only chance we have is running. Alright, just tell me when.
Russell goes on full-offense mode, surprising them as he snarls, bites, and claws his way through. He jumps on one, catching it off-guard, and latches onto its neck and tears its throat out.
Now.
He growls. I leap out of the circle through the gap he created and run. I race through the trees until I realize Russell isn’t behind me. I turn around, panting, finding nothing but pines, snow, and dirt.
Liar, I yell at him in a panic.
I’m…sorry…I…had…to.
His words come out in bursts. I can tell he’s still fighting, but that he’s struggling without having the other three focusing on me.
“Hello, Eleanor.”
Just two words and fear ebbs its way deep into my soul. I’ve heard that voice so many times in my life, and way too much recently. All it ever does is bring me pain. I slowly turn around, dreading what I already know, and come face-to-face with Marcus.
His foreboding figure towers over me even as a man. His rotten scent burns my nostrils making me gag.
He tsks and steps closer.
A growl vibrates inside of me as I step back.
He grins. “It’s been a while since we’ve actually been alone, hasn’t it? Are you ready to come with me now? I’ll call off the other lycans. We’ve only killed one so far. But I think there’s still two others we could kill, and that’s not including Jane.”
My eyes narrow on him. One dead? It couldn’t be Alice, right? And what does Jane have to do with this?
Please tell me she’s safe and not here.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” he says, reading the confusion on my face. “She came by just at the right time.”
A whimper slips past my lips.
Marcus moves beside me in a blink of an eye and grabs a chunk of my fur. I snap at him. He quickly lets go, but not before I get a chunk out of his arm.
He roars and shifts. My knees shake at his size. My body freezes up, as if I shrunk two sizes with his wolf hovering over me.
How is he so large? I thought he was terrifying as a man, but he’s petrifying as a wolf.
Marcus lunges at me and I skid away, but not fast enough as he snips my rear. I yelp and hunch low. Now would be a really good time for my special ability to emerge.
Come now, Eleanor. You don’t want your friends to die now, do you? Marcus’ voice enters my mind.
I stumble back, shaking my head to try to get him out. How is this possible? How did he get in my head? We aren’t members of the same pack.
I growl at him as he grows closer.
Don’t act like that. Just come with me and everyone else survives.
I retreat backward until my hind hits a tree. Quickly jumping aside, I move around it and rush away. Tears are leaking from my eyes as I run. But I’m not fast enough. I can hear him closing in.
I’m yanked back from my tail, and my yelp of pain is cut short when I receive a blow to my side. Crumbling to the ground, I try to catch my breath when he latches his teeth in my stomach.
His eyes flare with hatred. I told you that you couldn’t get away from me.
I paw at him, making sure my claws catch onto him and dig deep. He snarls but doesn't remove his teeth from me.
Let go! I scream at him.
My energy wanes, and I shift back, not of my own accord. My mind warns me that shifting was a bad idea while I’m hurt. But I couldn’t stop it, I couldn’t keep the form. Why did I shift back?
I slip from his jaw and scream from the pain of his bite. I clutch at my stomach, finding it wet with blood and ripped in shreds. My brain goes blank as pain flares all over my body. I scream, curling into myself.
Marcus shifts back and I try to scramble away. But it’s no use. I can’t move.
He lets out a huge sigh. “Now that wasn’t too hard, was it? Let’s go.”
I struggle to stand. I’m not going down without a fight.
He throws his head back and laughs without humor. “Seriously? I was hoping this backbone was just a phase.”
“I will never go willingly with you. I refuse to give up.”
His canines grow as his brown eyes blaze with fury.
Terror freezes me. Marcus moves so fast that after a single blink he’s in front of me, sticking his partial-shifted claws into my right arm.
I jab my left elbow into his stomach. He slightly loosens his grip and I rip my arm away, stumbling backward.
Stretching my uninjured arm out, I grip onto a nearby tree and hunch over, trying to remain standing.
“Foolish girl, you’re going to bleed out.”
“Thanks to you,” I growl back.
My eyes catch a movement behind him, but before I can register what, Marcus is jumped from behind by a wolf.
It’s Russell.
With him distracted, I partial-shift my uninjured hand and slash it across Marcus’ face.
He roars and shifts back into a wolf, dislodging Russell and throwing him against a nearby tree.
“Russell!” I scream and rush toward him, but Marcus snatches me up.
“No, you don't. I have other plans for you.” His sick breath slides across my face as he whispers in my ear. He takes off in a run with me in his grasp. I watch in horror as his wounds stitch back together.
How am I supposed to win this? He’s healing faster than Ash can.
Not willing to give up, I allow my canines to lengthen and bury them into the closest thing I can reach—his shoulder. I clamp down hard and put as much hate and anger into it as I take a chunk out of him.
Marcus roars, dropping me onto the ground. He lays into me with his fists. It’s not long before he switches to his claws.
I phase in and out from the intensity of the pain, but each time I can focus, I make sure to take a shot at him. His arms have blood flowing down them from my efforts.
But I know my efforts are pointless. He still has so much energy left, but I take pleasure from seeing that his shoulder wound is still visible. It’s taking longer to heal than the little marks I’m giving him now. I’m slowly losing the strength to keep going. I wish I was stronger. I thought being a lycan and a pureblood would give me a better chance at beating Marcus.
In one last ditch effort, I get my feet underneath him and use all my strength to kick him off, but he won’t budge.
My attempts are pathetic. I’m pathetic.
I’m not sure how much time passes when he finally stops, panting over me, sweat dripping down his face with my blood coating his hands. I can barely move.
He looks down at me with disgust. “You’re making my life extremely difficult.”
“Like…I…care,” I say between gasps.
My head is about the only thing I can move.
“What am I supposed to do with you now?” he says, then growls.
I ignore him as he mutters about how his head alpha will be pissed if I die. Why does he even care? What’s been the purpose of any of this?
Instead of dwelling on my questions, I look up at the night sky. There’s a chill in the air as I lay on a patch of dirt and snow, yet I don’t actually feel the cold. Instead, I feel…almost peaceful.
And tired. So very tired.
There isn’t a moon tonight, but the stars shine brighter than I’ve ever seen them before. I wish I could be looking at them in a different scenario with Ash by my side. I can just picture him holding me close as we point out the different constellations. Not that I know any, but I bet he does.
I picture his beautiful face, his eyes that remind me of glaciers, but there’s still so much warmth in them when he looks at me. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I can almost smell him. The smell of pines and fresh snow combined with his unique musky scent. It’s probably just the pine trees around me, but I pretend it’s him. My eyes grow heavy as exhaustion overtakes me, my head lulli
ng to the side.
Glowing glacier-blue eyes meet mine through the bush.
Suddenly alert, fear gives me an adrenaline rush.
Ash.
He shouldn’t be here. He can’t be here. Marcus will kill him. He’s more powerful than I realized. He was holding out on his full strength when he thought I was just a human.
I try to shake my head, to tell him to leave, but my head barely moves. I grind my teeth in frustration, tears building up.
Marcus hovers over me, reaching to pick me up when Ash jumps out of the bushes. He collides with Marcus and latches onto his injured shoulder.
I watch in horror as Marcus pries Ash off and shifts. Ash regains his footing quickly and turns, disappearing as Marcus bounds into the forest after him. I try to get up, but pain sends a wave of dizziness, and I collapse in a heap on the ground.
My eyes track Marcus’ movements in horror as he slides a finger against the whip that’s now coated with my blood and licks his fingers clean.
He’s never done that before.
His eyes widen with surprise as his gaze lands on me.
“Well, what do you know? I’m one lucky bastard, finding you.” His smile turns menacing. “We’re going to have fun with you.”
We? A shiver runs down my spine.
Marcus drops the whip and pulls out his phone. Grinning, he holds it up to his ear. “Head alpha, I found one.” He pauses as he listens. “Yes, don’t worry, she won’t be going anywhere. It’s one of the foster kids.” He frowns. “She doesn’t smell like one,” he says. “But her blood…well, let’s just say it’s obvious how potent it is with just a drop.” He chuckles.
I tighten my arms around my legs and bury my face in between my knees, ignoring the pain from my back. Dealing with this for four years has numbed the pain. My hope of making it out of here alive is slowly dimming. By this rate, I’ll die before I make it to eighteen.
“Yes, she’ll be ready to leave by the time you get here.”
My head snaps up, a sense of dread overwhelms me. He rarely ever lets me leave the basement, he keeps it locked most of the time, trapping me here. But now he’s planning on taking me somewhere? I can’t let that happen. Something inside tells me that whatever he’s planning is going to be far worse than this. I need to leave.
“Yes, see you soon.” He ends the call and walks over to the mini fridge that’s down here. Not full of food or drink for me, but full of beers for him.
“Well, Eleanor, it looks like it’s time for a celebration.” His grin makes me sick. He pops the lid with his bare hands and takes a swig. “That’s some good stuff.” He chugs the rest down and reaches for a second. He pouts, looking back at me. “Sadly, I probably shouldn’t harm you anymore, but the wait will be worth it,” he says more to himself than to me.
He downs the second, grabs a few more, then heads up the stairs. “Goodnight, Eleanor. Dream of me tonight.” He chuckles as he closes the basement door behind him, but in his excitement, he forgets to lock the door.
Bits and pieces of conversations filter through my mind as I fade in and out of consciousness, in and out of forgotten memories. Hours could’ve passed and I wouldn’t have known. The only thing I can feel is the soft fabric of a blanket that’s covering me.
The skin on my hand lights up with tingles and warmth. I know what that feeling means. “Ash,” I say, my voice barely a breath out of my slightly parted lips. I’m not sure if he heard me. I can’t even hear myself.
His skin grows warmer and warmer against mine until it feels like it’s burning. I weakly try to pull away, but my limbs won’t listen to me. I try to open my eyes, but everything is blurry. Disorientation and dizziness surface, so I quickly shut them again.
Ash tightens his grip on mine. “She’s so cold. Why isn’t she healing?”
“She’s too far gone to be able to heal herself. This was only her second time shifted, yes? It takes a toll on your body. She doesn’t have enough strength or energy,” a woman’s voice answers. It sounds like Dr. Kathy.
“Isn’t there something you can do?”
It’s silent for a while, or maybe I passed out again.
Ash still has a hold of my hand.
“You should say goodbye,” she says.
“No.” His voice is strained. “There has to be something else we can do. I can’t just watch her die. Have you tried everything?”
I already had a feeling it was too late for me. I was resigned to the fact in the woods, but hearing Ash reminds me how much I don’t want to die. My mouth refuses to move as I try to speak. To tell Ash I don’t want to die and not to give up on me. Instead, I end up screaming inside with frustration.
“We tried everything that we could but…”
“But what?”
“Well, there is one thing we haven’t tried.”
Ash growls. “Why haven’t you?”
“Well…”
“Kathy,” he growls.
“It’s not something I can do. You would need to claim her.”
“I can’t do that to her. She’ll never be able to look at me the same again. I can’t take away her choice.”
“She’ll be dead if you don’t. You’re giving her a chance to live, and she’ll still have the choice to claim you or not.”
There’s a deafening silence before Ash speaks again, his voice hard and quiet. “I’ll do it. But I want everyone out.”
There’s a patter of footsteps and fabric ruffling as people shuffle out. A door clicks shut, then silence.
A moment later his fingers caress my face, the same burning sensation follows. Ash lifts my head to sweep my hair to the side, his touch sparking more heat. His fingers follow my jawline down to my neck and stop at the junction of my shoulder. He pulls the blanket slightly down. A cool breeze hits my exposed flesh.
Ash places a kiss on my cheek, a drop of something wet lands on my skin and slides down to my ear. “I’m so sorry, Ellie. I want to make you mine, but not like this.” His voice cracks. “Never like this.”
The air stills around me. There’s a light touch of his scruff against my skin as he places a gentle kiss. Then his canines pierce my skin in the soft area between my shoulder and neck.
Too soon it burns, as if he’s slowly pouring boiling water inside of me. It starts in my shoulder and neck, then spreads like a wildfire, completely engulfing my body. I scream inside, my body and voice still refusing to work.
As suddenly as it started, the pain stops. A warmth seeps in—similar to when he marked me with the pack bond—and takes over, but it’s so much more intense. An ecstasy joins it, intertwining with the warmth, making my insides tingle and burst at the same time. My body is completely weightless as swirls of color dance underneath my eyelids.
My heart pumps faster. My nerve endings come alive.
My body is slow to respond, but I can wiggle my toes and move my fingers.
Gasping, my eyes flash open. My insides seem to expand.
“Ash,” I whisper.
His teeth return to normal after detaching himself from me. His tongue sneaks out, licking the small wounds. I shiver at the touch.
“You’re okay,” I say, my voice raspy.
His eyes are rimmed red as he grips my face, gazing at me lovingly. “You’re okay.” His voice cracks. “Will you ever be able to forgive me? I...I wasn’t here to protect you like I promised, and I forced the...” His voice cracks, his eyes squeeze shut.
I reach a hand up, caressing his face. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m alive because of you.”
His eyes open wide. “Y-You heard us?”
“I heard everything.”
Tears well up in his eyes and slide down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Ellie. I wanted to give you the chance to accept me.”
“I know, but I was always planning to accept you.”
Grabbing my hand that was on his face, he places it against his chest. He leans over me to place his head on my shoulder as a sob racks through his body.
My heart breaks. “I love you, Ash,” I say, choking on all the emotion between us.
He lifts his head, tears streaming down his face. “And I love you, Ellie.” He leans over and kisses me oh-so-gently. “I’m so glad you’re alive,” Ash says against my lips, his warm breath sending butterflies into my heart and stomach.
I grip his shirt where my hand lays above his heart. His hand comes up and covers it. “Thank you, Ash.”
He leans away, his brows scrunched together, cheeks wet from his tears. “You’re not angry with me?”
“How could I be? You saved my life.”
He squeezes my hand. “But I left you. I wasn’t here to protect you.”
I shake my head. “You tried to protect me even far away. How were you to know what was going to happen?”
His eyes flash, glowing brightly before going back to normal. “Can I join you? I need to be closer to you.”
I start to nod but realize I’m naked. “Actually, could I have some clothes first?” I look around, realizing I’m in his bedroom—in his bed.
His brows rise and a small smile curves his lips, humor just barely touching his forlorn face. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind how you are now.”
“Ash.”
He snickers and gives me a brief kiss. “I’ll go get you something comfortable to wear.”
Once Ash leaves, I lift the blanket to peer down at myself. My stomach is covered in bandages, but I don’t sense any pain.
Peeling back one, I find my skin completely unharmed. And now that I think of it, I feel fine. Actually, better than fine. More like amazing, except for some soreness.
I quickly cover myself back up when Ash enters, carrying a bundle of my clothes. He grins when my cheeks flush from the sight of my undies in his hands.
“Am I healed now?” I ask as I quickly take them from him.
“You are,” he says as he turns around giving me privacy. “The mate bond healed you.”
“It can do that?” I test my weight on one foot before standing.
I remove the bandages that I find not just on my stomach, but also my legs and arms.
“Only during the initial marking,” he says.
Saving Ellie (Lycans Book 1) Page 30