by Laura Hysell
“Isabella, I know you don’t want your friends hurt. Just come back with me,” he said softly. “I don’t want a war with the werewolves. In fact, I want them on my side.”
“You want to control them, you mean, for your army.”
“This is war, my sweet. The werewolves are soldiers. They will fight no matter what, but wouldn’t it be easier if we combined forces? We all have the same goal. Just put the gun down, and we can discuss this like civilized beings,” he said, and I felt the telltale pressure as he tried to impose his will on me.
The gun in my hand lowered. I took a deep breath and sheathed it. Killian stood beside me, and I saw the worried expression he gave me. I smiled at him and pulled out the knife instead before turning back toward Henri. “You want to talk, fine. But stop with the mind games.”
Henri frowned at me and I felt the pressure of his power increase. I stood firm, drawing strength from the knife in my hands. The pressure suddenly subsided, and Henri nodded his head. “Very well, Isabella. No more games,” he said, laughing suddenly. “Oh, you do try my patience.”
“Fuck off, Henri.”
He laughed loudly at that, and the other vampires looked uneasily at their leader. “I thought something had changed, but you were oh so good at distracting me. You play the game very well, my Queen. Very well, indeed.”
“I’m not your queen.”
“I am King and you are my wife. So, yes, you are my Queen.”
“I’m not your wife,” I said sharply. One of the werewolves growled, but I didn’t take my eyes from the vampire to figure out who it was.
Henri’s eyebrows rose and he stepped forward, inching closer as the shadows grew longer. “We were married. Thomas, you were witness. Remind Isabella of our wedding.”
Thomas? One of the vampires behind us stepped into view, walking along the edge of the shadows. “I was at the wedding, yes,” Thomas said as he moved into my line of sight.
“I don’t remember getting married,” I said, glaring at Thomas.
He grinned and pulled a cigar out of his jacket pocket, stuffing it unlit between his fangs. “Well, that’s because you were a bit, um, distracted at the time.”
“What does that mean?”
“We decided to speed things up and have our wedding and honeymoon at the same time,” Henri replied, chuckling. “It really saved time not having to fuss with a wedding dress, or clothes at all.”
“Did a minister marry us? Did I say “I do”? Did I sign a marriage certificate? Or was I under your fucking vampire mind control?” I screamed at him.
“One of my men married us, and vampires don’t use marriage certificates. As for you saying the words, well, I believe the words you said were something along the lines of “Yes, Henri, yes, fuck me harder” or something like that. Suffice it to say, we took that as assent,” Henri responded and I felt my stomach churn. One of the wolves growled again, echoed by another.
“Fucking vampire,” I muttered.
“Ah, well, if you wish to get married properly with a dress and all, I would be happy to oblige. We can even invite your werewolf friends, here. After all, they are going to be joining us back at my home. And when the time is right, the others will join us as well. Then we will crush Petrivian, together.”
“We’re not going anywhere with you.”
“Do not play games with the lives of your friends,” Henri said, pointing a finger at Raoul. My worst fear came true as Raoul turned the gun he held to face Killian. Killian shifted his gun in response, until it faced Raoul. Henri was watching me, waiting for my decision. I couldn’t speak. My mouth had gone dry with fear. Henri shifted his focus, until he looked at the werewolf behind me. I glanced back, taking in the large brown wolf. Mark.
“Stop, Henri,” I said, drawing his attention back to me. “If I go back with you, you let them go.”
“I will not,” he replied.
“What?”
“This isn’t a negotiation, Isabella. We will leave this place, and you will join me permanently. Our goals will be aligned forever.”
“Forever?”
“It is time for you to become a vampire. Sylvia was right. I shouldn’t have kept you in this form as long as I did. I thought perhaps it would be easier to gain the Pack if you were still in human form, but that is not a risk I wish to take any longer. Besides, I have Mark now. I don’t even need you,” he replied, stepping closer again. I cast a glance at the sun, which was just a thin sliver peeking over the mountains in the distance.
“You can’t gain the pack,” I said defiantly.
Henri laughed and shook his head. The sun’s last rays disappeared, and Henri bridged the remaining gap between us. I stared up at him, my heart thrumming in my chest. “Oh, but I already have. I knew Mark was second in the Pack, but I didn’t realize until just now what that meant.”
“He’s not second,” I whispered softly, but the words died in my mouth as Mark moved forward to nudge Henri’s hand.
Henri reached down and stroked Mark’s head, as though he were a very large dog. The other wolves sat still, and I wondered what they waiting were for. Mark’s massive head turned toward the other wolves, and he growled. The hair on my arms stood on end at the sound and the knife pulsed rapidly in my hand. One by one, the other wolves moved, but not to attack. They dropped to their bellies on the ground, cowering before Mark, and ultimately Henri.
“What are you doing?” I breathed as I inched further from the vampire. Killian moved to my side, his gun still trained on Raoul. Together, we backed slowly away from Henri.
He noticed, of course, and I stopped in my tracks as he turned his black-eyed gaze on me. “I am taking what is mine, Isabella. You don’t want to come willingly, so you will come forcefully. Perhaps a month on level three with Sylvia will teach you some manners. After you become a vampire, of course.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Precisely,” he responded sharply.
Everything happened at once. Henri turned his black eyes toward Raoul, and I grabbed Killian, pulling him to the ground with me as the shot rung through the forest. Killian fired in response, his bullet taking Raoul right between the eyes. I gasped in shock, but didn’t have time to do more as the sound of werewolf howls echoed through the forest.
“Kill her,” Henri screamed, and I realized he was talking about me. I struggled to my feet, but was immediately knocked back down as a massive form jumped on my stomach, pressing me into the earth. I stared up into the vibrant green eyes of the werewolf above me. He bared his teeth, growling, but not at me.
I craned my head to see behind me, just as the vampire charged at us. The werewolf, who I was sure was Hugo, met the vampire’s charge. Killian’s hand grasped mine suddenly, yanking me out from under the werewolf. I scrambled to my feet and looked around, only to see Henri stalking toward me. The other werewolves still sat on the ground, unmoving, as Mark towered above them. Only Hugo seemed to have control as he fought one of the vampires.
I looked around, searching for the other vampires. My eyes widened in surprise as I saw the vampires fighting each other. Thomas and another vampire with no hair fought off the remaining three vampires. Henri snarled, and I turned my attention back to the scariest vampire of all. The look on Henri’s face was enough to drain the blood from my face. I felt frozen as he moved toward me with single-minded determination. He was going to kill me.
Killian took aim and fired his gun directly at Henri. The vampire moved in a blur, disappearing. Killian and I turned together, back to back, as we searched for the vampire. I started to put the knife away and pull the gun out, when the knife shot a jolt of fire up my arm.
Don’t put the knife away! Aidan warned.
He’s going to kill me!
Then kill him first!
Easier said than done. Killian and I turned, searching for the vampire. The air thickened as fog rolled in around our feet, obscuring the werewolves from view. The sky darkened and the fog thickened and grew, ri
sing until I couldn’t see below my own knees. This was Henri’s power, I was sure of it, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Henri dashed back into view, and Killian fired several shots at him. I held my knife out, waiting. The vampire darted in, grabbing Killian and tossing him through the air away from me. He disappeared in the ever-thickening fog, and I was alone, face to face with the vampire. Henri’s eyes were two black orbs, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Who had he bitten?
I squeaked as Henri moved toward me, faster than my eyes could follow, grabbing my arm that held the knife. He looked at the knife, snarled, and yanked it from my hand. I screamed as pain shot down my arm from my visibly broken fingers. He roared in my face and threw the knife into the woods. The fingers that he had been touching the knife with had blackened and burned.
He grabbed my throat, hoisting me above his head. “How dare you!” he screamed, his hand tightening around my throat.
I struggled to breathe, my hands gripped around his. Fight! Aidan screeched in my head. I didn’t have the knife in my hand, but I could still feel it’s power. Swinging my legs, I kicked out, connecting with Henri’s groin. He roared and threw me through the air.
I hit a tree and dropped to the ground, but at least I could breathe again. Henri ran toward me, but I wasn’t about to wait around. I stumbled, but managed to get my feet under me as I ran through the darkness and fog. The knife called to me, and I used all the power I had gained over the past few months to push my body faster.
I wasn’t going to be able to outrun the vampire, but if I could just get back to the knife I might stand a chance. Gun shots rang out, and I smiled in relief. Killian was still alive, and still fighting. Henri roared behind me in anger, but I paid him no mind as I skidded to the ground. The knife came to my hand and I turned, this time ready for the vampire. Henri was just behind me, but he stopped short at the sight of the knife once more in my hand. The broken fingers of my right hand healed and mended before my eyes.
He stepped back, holding his hand up. The tips of his fingers were still black, but it hadn’t spread further down his hand. “I am going to rip your throat out, my Queen. After your body dies and you return as a vampire, I will enjoy punishing you for the rest of eternity.”
“I think I’ll pass,” I retorted.
Henri snarled and stepped forward, pressing the full force of his power on me. I stumbled backward at the onslaught, clutching the knife like a lifeline. The fog thickened further, obscuring anything and everything further than a few feet away. It came down to the vampire and me. Alone.
Not alone, Aidan said. Power filled me from the knife and I pulled it into me, letting it course through the very fiber of my being. My confidence grew, but this was still a battle of strength, and I knew the vampire could snap me like a twig.
“Attack,” Henri said suddenly, and I barely jumped out of the way as the wolf pounced on me.
I rolled onto my back, kicking out at the wolf. The brown wolf form I knew all too well stumbled backward, but pounced in again, snapping his massive jaws at me. I pushed backward across the ground, stopping as I backed up into a tree. The fog had thickened further, and I could no longer see the vampire, but I could sense him moving around behind me. I was trapped.
The wolf jumped on top of me again, and I moved the knife so I wouldn’t harm him. No matter what happened now, I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt Mark. The wolf snarled, taking advantage of my hesitation as he closed his massive jaws around my throat. My heart jumped into double time as I saw my life flash before my eyes.
Mark, I screamed in my head, touching the wolf with the side of the knife.
I held still, barely daring to breathe as the wolf bit down slowly around my throat. The vampire moved into view above me, and the fog parted around us as he knelt down. “My wolf, at least, is loyal,” Henri said, glaring down at me.
“Your vampires betrayed you again,” I whispered, mindful of the powerful jaws around my throat.
“Trust is a fickle thing, my Queen,” Henri said as he brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “I wanted to crush your throat myself, but I think it is fitting to let your werewolf lover do it. Not to worry though. I’ll be sure he remembers every detail of this moment.”
Mark, please, fight him. Come back to me. I know you can, I pleaded in my mind, using the power of the knife to reach out to the werewolf crushing me. I glared at the vampire above me and adjusted my grip on the knife. He was so close. If only I could move fast enough, and get close enough, I could stab this knife into him.
“Henri, please,” I said, changing tactics. “I’ll come with you. I will be with you. You can make me a vampire, and we will rule together, forever.”
Henri laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Ah, you see how it is now, don’t you? It is too late.”
I used my free hand to pull at my clothes, lifting my shirt up. Henri’s eyes darted where I wanted them to go. I moved my hand lower, unbuttoning the top of my pants and flicking the zipper down. “One more time, then, as a human,” I said, shifting my lower body out from under the wolf. It wasn’t easy to move with the wolf’s teeth cutting into my neck, but I managed to wriggle my way out. “If I’m going to die, what better way to go?”
Henri glared down at me, his eyes still black and emotionless. “What makes you think you deserve such a thing?”
“I don’t deserve it, you’re right,” I said. “But I implore you, my King. Never in my life have I felt ecstasy as I have at your hands. This is my last request for my human body. Take me. Drain my blood. Make me one with you.”
Henri stood to his full height and removed his shirt. I almost sighed in relief, but I held fast, waiting for the opportune moment. He moved to stand over me, straddling me, but the wolf didn’t move. My hand holding the knife was trapped beneath Mark’s body. Henri stared down at me, his eyes flicking to the wolf.
“You still hold that knife,” he said, and I swallowed in fear. Fuck, there went my big plan. “Let me see it.”
Mark shifted and I managed to pull my hand out above my head, knife in hand. Henri grinned, but it was not a happy smile. “Henri, please,” I implored.
“You planned on stabbing me with that knife,” he responded, shaking his head. “Oh, that fire is what I like about you. Drop the knife, Isabella.”
Fuck. I was so screwed. Mark, please, help me! I screamed, hoping to reach the werewolf. Tears stung my eyes, but I couldn’t bring myself to let go of the knife again.
“Isabella, drop the knife,” Henri repeated.
The werewolf growled and I felt his jaws tighten around my throat further. I clutched the knife, unsure of my next course of action. “Mark, please don’t,” I whispered.
“Subject 17, kill,” Henri ordered.
I tensed and closed my eyes as the wolf’s jaws tightened further and blood trickled down the sides of my neck. The wolf slowly crushed my windpipe, and I felt myself growing faint at the lack of oxygen. A howl pierced the night, and the wolf stopped moving. Another howl ripped through the air, followed by another, much closer. Mark growled, the feeling reverberating through my body. His jaws relaxed on my neck, and I drew in a ragged breath.
The weight of the werewolf suddenly vanished, and I opened my eyes in surprise. No one was in sight. Henri and Mark had both disappeared. I gripped the knife tighter as I sat up, feeling at my neck with my other hand. Blood trickled down my neck where the wolf’s teeth had cut through.
The fog thinned and dissipated as swiftly as it had appeared. I stood on shaky legs, searching for somebody, anybody. The knife acted as a beacon, and I followed it back to the clearing. Thomas stood in the center of the clearing, with his hands held above his head in surrender. Wolves filled the clearing, but the wolves I was looking for weren’t there. I turned in a circle, looking frantically.
Where is he? Aidan, help me!
The knife pulsed, and I turned with it, letting it guide me away from the clearing. A large wolf mo
ved in front of me, blocking my way. Green eyes stared up at me, and the power behind the gaze staggered me. I stumbled backward until I tripped and fell to the ground. The wolf moved over me and stopped.
Stay, came the voice in my mind. The voice was one I recognized, but not one I expected to invade my mind.
Jed?
Stay, he repeated.
I’m not sure why I stayed where I was. There was authority behind Jed’s command, but not magic. I could easily have disobeyed and ran away, but I sat down and let the Alpha take charge. Henri was still out there, and he was bound and determined to kill me. Not that I blamed him, really. The feeling was completely mutual. But Henri wasn’t the reason I stayed where I was. I trusted Jed. There was something about him that made me feel confident that everything was going to be alright.
I turned to look at Thomas, who still stood surrounded by werewolves. He seemed at ease, despite his circumstances. My eyes caught movement, and Killian limped into view. He grinned as he stumbled to the ground beside me. Blood ran down the side of his head from a large gash, but he’d live.
“Glad to see you’re still alive,” he mumbled as he flopped down on his back.
“You too,” I said softly.
“Nice of your friends to show up,” he muttered.
I laughed halfheartedly and nodded my head, looking at Jed. The wolf was staring off in the distance, in the direction the knife in my hand was telling me to go. The Alpha’s eyes seemed to glow with green fire, and I felt a trickle of what I suspected was magic seeping from him. He howled suddenly, startling me.
The knife shot fire up my hand, then just as suddenly went back to the steady low tingle. Two wolves loped into view, and I felt my heart stutter at the sight. They moved together, stopping before the Alpha. I felt the magic from Jed once more, encompassing the Pack. Tears of relief filled my eyes as I stared at Jared and Mark.
Jared stepped back and his form shivered as he shifted. The sound of bones cracking and shifting made me wince, but I watched his entire transformation. His hair was even longer than last time, as was his beard. He looked up at his Alpha, then his gaze flickered to me. He nodded his head, stood up, and walked over beside me.
