by Laura Hysell
If I have learned anything, it’s not to trust a vampire. Of course, I didn’t know what he was when I met him. And I didn’t believe him when he told me. I believe now. Too late. Whoever reads this, please, tell my family I loved them. In the end, I tried to do the right thing. I tried to stop him.
The rest of the page was blank, and I flipped through the remaining packet, searching for more notes. The remaining pages were also blank. There were no accompanying pictures and I closed the folder in frustration. Was it true? Henri had obviously gone through my backpack, or had his men do it. I couldn’t be sure what information had been omitted or added.
If these folders were true, was Subject 119 Mark? And what was that about Subject 17? Had Subject 119 been taken previously, escaped, and been taken again? If it was Mark, why hadn’t he mentioned it before? Was there something in these injections that made him forget? Too many questions, but I knew who had the answers: Henri. I sighed in frustration. Just because Henri had the answers, didn’t mean he would share that information with me.
I picked up the folders and put them back in the backpack, walking by the blacked-out windows. Then I walked to the dresser and rifled through the clothes already in the drawers, before finally finding something suitable for sleep. I took care in making sure my knife was holstered next to my skin before pulling on the thin, black satin pants and tank top. This day, or night, had been too much for me. I flipped off the light and went to bed, snuggling down into the warm blankets before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
I woke the next morning feeling groggy and disoriented. With no clock, I had no idea what time it was. I shuffled out of bed and walked to the large bank of windows, staring out into the dark scenery. Either I had slept past daylight, or I had woken before daylight had come. Stars glittered in the night sky and I stood there for several minutes trying to get my bearings.
“I see you’re awake.”
I took a deep, calming breath before turning around. Henri stood in my doorway, illuminated by the light filtering in from the room behind him. He looked like a tall, dark shadow, looming threateningly down at me. My heart sped up, partly in fear and partly in desire as he stepped slowly toward me. The power radiating from him pressed against me, and I could sense his emotions, his desires.
My mind struggled against the weight of his presence, and the knife pulsed angry waves of heat against my thigh. Henri stopped walking when he was within arm’s reach of me, and I craned my neck to look up at him, sure that focusing on his face instead of his naked body would be wiser. He reached out and ran his hand through my short, dyed hair. Within the blink of an eye, he grabbed me, lifting me off my feet and holding me against him.
His teeth bit into my neck, drawing my blood into his mouth. I struggled against him, but it was like trying to move a brick wall. His thoughts and desires rushed across my mind, too fast to comprehend more than images and feelings. As suddenly as he had grabbed me, he released me, setting me back on my feet. Then his wrist was at my mouth, and I tasted the salty blood on my tongue. I struggled against him again, refusing to swallow, but he held me tight, pushing his will into me without words. I drank.
After a few minutes, he finally removed his wrist and I licked my lips, hungry for more. I looked up at his face and saw the desire there. This desire was not for blood, but for flesh. Something burned me and I struggled against the desire that was taking all thought from my mind. Henri pressed his wrist to my mouth again, and I drank down his blood eagerly. The burning sensation grew stronger, but I ignored it as Henri’s free hand moved across my stomach and up to grasp my breast.
He moved his wrist away again, and I licked the remaining drops off my lips. “What do you desire, Isabella?”
“Your blood,” I responded, my eyes on his wrist still.
“I think you’ve had enough blood for now. It makes you feel strong, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” I responded, nodding my head as I looked up at his piercing blue eyes.
His fingers pinched my nipple, drawing a gasp from my lips. He smiled, and I smiled in return. “What do you desire now?”
“You.”
“I want you completely naked,” he stated, and I quickly obliged, pulling my thin nightwear off in quick succession. I ran my hands down my body, making sure I was well and truly naked. The burning sensation was gone, leaving me with a strange feeling of emptiness.
Henri smiled and grabbed me, tossing me onto the bed. There was no further thought needed. We made love for hours, exchanging blood as the time passed. This was what I had always wanted. Henri told me I would be a queen above all others. Food was brought for me, and I ate while Henri drank drops of blood from delicate places across my body. We kissed and made love again and again, until the sun began to dawn and Henri retreated to his own bed. I closed my eyes and slept deeply, until he came to me again the next night. And the night after that.
Chapter 7- Jared
Moving my belongings didn’t take much effort, since it all fit inside two boxes. I kicked open the door and dropped the boxes onto the bed, looking around at my new room. There was a small dresser, a bed with flannel sheets, and a nightstand. The bedroom was smaller than the one at the cabin had been, but I didn’t care. I had a roof over my head, food in my belly, and somewhere to crash at night. That was all I really needed. The military had taught me that.
It took a matter of minutes to unpack my boxes, shoving the clothes unceremoniously into the dresser drawers. The sound of footsteps alerted me to someone coming up the stairs. I sniffed the air, taking in the scent. Jed. I turned toward the door just as he tapped lightly on the frame.
“Settled into your new room already, I see,” Jed said, nodding toward the empty boxes on my bed.
“It took almost five minutes,” I replied, grinning.
“How did Justin take it?” Jed asked.
I sighed loudly. Jed could be extremely direct at times. It probably had to do with him being Alpha. “I didn’t see him. Honestly, I’d be surprised if he even noticed I moved out.”
“I’m sure he noticed. He’s more observant than you give him credit for. Too observant, sometimes,” he added, frowning. I shrugged, but didn’t respond. The last few weeks I had avoided the cabin except to sleep, and half the time I didn’t even sleep there. This morning I’d woken up in the barn on a pile of hay with Jed standing over me. He casually mentioned that there was still an open room in his house, and that if I wanted it I’d better take it right away. I hadn’t wasted any time.
“Thanks for this,” I said after an awkward silence.
Jed nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. “If you didn’t move in now, you wouldn’t have had the chance. Two delegates from a Pack in Texas arrived a few minutes ago, and I just received word there’s a group from Nevada on the way as well.”
“I hope they brought camping gear.”
Jed chuckled and shook his head. “I’m just happy the Packs are responding.”
“Maybe if enough respond, we can go find Izzy,” I retorted, more than a little angry.
“Jared,” Jed began, but I cut him off.
“Damn it, the longer we wait, the further away she gets. The same with Mark! You know, I get why you don’t want to go after Izzy, even if I’m not happy with the decision. She’s not Pack. She’s not married to Pack. But Mark is! And who knows what the hell is going on with Leon!”
“I can’t track Mark,” Jed growled, and I backed up a step. “Do you think I want to abandon him? I don’t even want to abandon Izzy, but I have to look at the bigger picture. What do you expect me to do, Jared? Should I just send more wolves out searching for them, and hope that they don’t disappear too? I don’t even know where to look!”
Jed towered over me, and it took every ounce of strength not to cower under the anger of my Alpha. “If we’d gone earlier, we could have tracked their scents,” I muttered.
“Not from a car we couldn’t,” he replied. “You’re a new enough wolf that I’l
l forgive your ignorance, but not your open disrespect. I am Alpha here, and I will not have this conversation with you again. We will go after Mark and Izzy when we have a clue where they might be. Don’t let your emotions get the better of your judgement.”
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“Don’t be sorry, Jared, be smart.”
I nodded and bit my tongue. Jed cut me a lot of slack I knew, but I was pushing the limits of his temper. This wasn’t the first time I’d brought up going after Izzy and Mark, but it would have to be my last. The look on Jed’s face was enough to deter even me.
“The Texas boys are looking for you,” Vanessa said, peeking her head into my room. I hadn’t heard her walk up. The woman was eerily silent.
“Thanks, Vanessa,” Jed replied, turning to leave my room. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. “We’ll find them, Jared. I don’t know when, but we’ll find them.”
Vanessa stood in the doorway, staring at me as Jed went back to speak with the Texas Pack delegates. Her hair today was black, with blue undertones, and she was grinning mischievously. “You want to go have a little fun?”
I raised an eyebrow at her. Vanessa had an odd sense of humor. “What kind of fun?”
“Well, if anyone asks, we’re working on your shifting speed,” she said. Vanessa had taken it upon herself to teach me the ways of the wolf. Shifting from human to wolf, and back again, took most wolves a great deal of time and a lot of pain. Vanessa was a natural wolf, so she could shift almost effortlessly. While it was still painful, I’d found that the more I practiced, the faster I got.
“So, what are we actually going to be doing?” I asked.
“Oh, we’ll be working on your shifting.”
“And?”
She laughed and indicated I should follow her out the room. “You’ll see,” she said.
I followed Vanessa, wondering what kind of mischief she was about to get me into. She couldn’t get me in any worse trouble with Jed than I already was, so I figured I didn’t have much to lose. She led me out the back door and down the path through the forest that ultimately led back to the cabin. We hadn’t gone far when she stopped.
“Lesson number 48,” Vanessa began, and I rolled my eyes. She had a lesson for everything. She hit me on the arm and I grinned back at her. “The element of surprise can mean the difference between winning and losing. As a human, you can climb this tree here and spy down on those below. How often do you look up to see if someone is watching?”
“Some people actually do look up, Vanessa.”
“Yes, some do, but not many.”
“If I’m stuck in a tree and the person I’m watching looks up and sees me, then decides to pull a gun and shoot me, I’m screwed,” I interjected.
Vanessa grinned widely. “Oh, no you’re not! If you’re spotted, you simply jump down on them before they know what to do. And that is your objective for this exercise.”
“You want me to jump out of trees?”
“No, I want you to jump down on unsuspecting targets and shift mid-jump.”
“You want me to what?” I asked. She was insane. “How the hell do you expect me to shift while falling? I’m much more likely to break my neck than actually shift into wolf form.”
She shrugged and looked up at the trees above us. “Just climb higher, so you have more time to shift.”
“But if I jump from higher, I’m more likely to break my neck.”
“Then don’t climb so high, and shift faster.”
“Shift faster? That’s your answer?” I shook my head. Vanessa had a wild side that held no bounds. While part of me admired the strange woman, I was also just a little bit scared of her. “Have you done this before?”
Vanessa laughed and pulled off her jacket, tossing it to the ground. “Of course!”
Of course she had. I don’t know why I’d even doubted it. Vanessa stripped down and raced into the woods, her bare feet not making a sound. What was I thinking? I stood there for a few minutes, debating the wisdom of trailing her. Knowing Vanessa, she had an ulterior motive. To find out what that was, I’d need to follow her. Damn it.
I stripped and left my clothes in a neat pile before tracking her scent into the woods. The forest was filled with the scents of Pack, and I had a hard time tracking her specific smell. I watched above me until I caught a glimpse of her climbing a tree. She turned and looked down at me, then pointed at another tree. Damn, she wanted me to climb.
What did I have to lose? My life, maybe, if I broke my neck falling out of a tree. I found the tree she had indicated, which was easy enough to climb, although I was extra careful not to scrape any vital body parts. I climbed a short distance up the tree, but Vanessa urged me to climb higher. What was I doing? I climbed a little further and stopped, looking down. I wasn’t a cat, I was a wolf.
Vanessa held up a hand, ordering me to stop. I made myself as comfortable as possible, trying to figure out how I could jump out of a tree, shift, and land as a wolf all without getting myself killed. I looked over at Vanessa, waiting for her to go first. She stood on a thick branch, looking down at the ground without a care in the world. After waiting several minutes, someone walked into view.
Beth strutted through the woods, and I rolled my eyes. Vanessa liked antagonizing Beth, but it ultimately backfired on her every time. I waved my arms, trying to get Vanessa’s attention. She glanced up at me, then pressed a finger to her lips.
Vanessa jumped from the tree, her body shifting into wolf form seamlessly. Her front paws took Beth squarely in the chest, knocking her to the ground. “Damn it, Vanessa!” she screeched, rolling the wolf off her.
If I had been in wolf form, I’m sure I would have heard Vanessa’s laughter. As it was, she snorted loudly and nodded her massive wolf head. Beth had scrambled back to her feet and was glaring down at Vanessa, with her back to me. Vanessa moved her head again, nodding at me. Beth had begun screaming, while Vanessa stood there snorting.
Jumping from a tree while shifting into wolf form was probably one of the dumber things I had considered doing. I stood up, making sure I had room to shift. Beth’s screams had stopped, but I was no longer paying attention. My focus was internal, as I pulled my wolf forward. It was an acceptance. My wolf was a part of me, and I reached out to that piece, embracing the animal within as I leapt from the tree branches.
Fur swirled across my body as I dropped, shifting from man to beast. I hit Beth in the back, knocking her down as I rolled. Vanessa was roaring with laughter, her wolf thoughts a jumble of emotion. I stood up and looked back at the woman. She was sprawled face-down on the ground, glaring at me.
Vanessa suddenly straightened, turned, and ran back through the woods, her laughter ending abruptly. Run, she said, but I was too exhausted to move.
“What is going on here?” Jed asked as he stepped into view. “I could hear screaming from inside the house.”
Well, crap. I sat back on my haunches, waiting for my punishment. There wasn’t any point in running. Beth climbed to her feet, wiping mud off her clothes. “He jumped me!” she cried, pointing accusingly at me.
Jed looked at me, and I felt the weight of the Alpha’s power pressing on me. I cowered down on the ground, pressing my belly to the dirt. Beth sneered down at me, but I did my best to ignore her. I should have known this wouldn’t go well for me. Why had I listened to Vanessa? I had to be as insane as she was.
“How exactly did he jump you?” Jed asked.
“He was in a tree!” Beth exclaimed, pointing up at the trees dramatically.
“Jared, go back to the house, and take Vanessa with you,” Jed ordered. I nodded my head and scurried off, but I hadn’t gone far before catching Vanessa’s scent. I followed the trail, but it circled back around toward where we had left Beth and Jed. There, Vanessa hunkered down behind a thick group of bushes, watching them.
I scooted up next to Vanessa, nudging her with my nose. She didn’t look at me, but kept her eyes glued on Beth and Jed. I looke
d at her, then turned my focus toward the crying form of Beth, and my Alpha.
Beth’s body shook with tears, and I felt a pang of guilt. Jed had his arms wrapped around her as she cried into his shoulder. We sat like that, none of us moving for several minutes. Finally, her tears subsided and she stepped back.
“They’re just awful,” she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Vanessa is just playing. You know how she is,” Jed said. “And Jared is reckless. He doesn’t know when not to play Vanessa’s games.”
“He hates me. They all hate me,” she murmured.
“They don’t hate you,” Jed chided, as though he were speaking to a child.
Beth laughed and tossed her head. “You know what they think of me.”
Jed sighed loudly and crossed his arms. “Only you can change the way others see you. I’ve told you before that you bring this on yourself.”
“If things had been different…” she began, but Jed cut her off.
“Do you think you’re the only one who wishes things had gone differently? I wish your brother was still here, just as much as you do. I wish my wife was still alive, but I can’t turn back time. Do you know how many times I thought, if only I’d changed her? If only I’d taken the risk and turned her into a werewolf. But women don’t usually survive the change, and I couldn’t take that risk, even before she got sick. I have to live with that choice the rest of my life, but at least I’m trying to move on.”
“It’s easy for you because you’re the Alpha. Everyone respects you, and loves you. You’re not alone like I am!”
“Damn it, woman, don’t you realize you’re not alone! You are surrounded by your Pack! We are your family! Get out of your own damn way and start living your life! Quit the blame game. If you want things to be different, you need to make a change. I’m tired of intervening on your behalf!”
“Then don’t intervene! Just let them attack me. It’ll be easier that way,” she murmured.
