by Laura Hysell
I looked back at Mark, who sat down before his Alpha. I could feel the magic pouring from Jed into Mark, but I didn’t know what it meant. Mark didn’t shift into human form, but stayed as he was. After a full minute, I felt the magic recede. Then Jed moved back, shifting into human form easily. It took less than thirty seconds for the Alpha to shift into his human form. He ignored everyone and focused on the remaining vampire.
Jared reached his hand out to me and I looked up. “Come on, Izzy,” he said easily. I took his hand and stood, trying to ignore the fact that he was naked. “Killian, you too.”
“My backpack is around here somewhere,” I said, stopping to scan the ground.
“Someone will get it. Don’t worry,” Jared replied.
I let Jared pull me along. We walked, his hand still clutching mine, past the naked Alpha and mobster vampire. Killian strode beside me quietly. Several of the wolves moved in around us as we walked, guiding us. I glanced back at the clearing. Jed was speaking to Thomas casually, and Mark was lying on the ground in exactly the same spot.
Go with Jared, Jed said in my mind, and I shivered. How did he do that? We will talk soon.
Creepy. I finally sheathed my knife as I realized the danger was gone. Jed wouldn’t be in human form if he was still worried. Of course, it was still night and there could be more vampires around. Do you sense any vampires? Aidan asked, and I shook my head.
No one except Thomas, I replied. You know, you could have been more help. I almost died back there.
You hesitated. You let the vampire get the best of you. You didn’t want to kill him, and that was your mistake. I can advise you, but nothing more. I am, after all, just a memory; a piece of the knife you wield.
So this was my fault?
Are you trying to blame me? Aidan laughed, and I knew he was right.
Sorry, I said apologetically.
Aidan’s voice was faint as he replied. Don’t be sorry. Be strong. Be sure. Be a fighter. Or else, you will die.
“Izzy, did you hear me?” Jared asked, and I realized he’d been talking to me.
“Sorry, no, what did you say?”
“I asked what happened to your neck,” he replied.
I reached up, feeling the still open wounds on either side of my throat. The bleeding had slowed, but it hadn’t stopped. So much for my fast healing. “Oh, that. Don’t worry about it. It’ll heal eventually.”
“It doesn’t look like vampire bites,” he said, reaching out to touch my neck.
“That’s because it’s a werewolf bite. It was Mark,” I said, and Jared stopped in his tracks.
“It’s what?” he asked angrily, his eyes darting back the way we had come.
Damn it. “Jared, please, it wasn’t Mark’s fault. It was Henri. He was controlling him. Please, leave him be. It’ll be fine. I’ll heal in no time. I’m fine, okay,” I said, tugging on Jared’s hand.
His eyes turned back to me, and they glowed with golden light. Tears welled in those golden eyes, and I reached out to stroke his face that suddenly looked so sad. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him, enveloping me in a fierce hug. I stood still, listening to his heart pound in his chest rapidly. I let him hold me, because he needed to, but it grew awkward the longer we stood there. Killian cleared his throat several times, but Jared kept his arms tight around me.
“Jared,” I finally said, pulling back so I could look at him. His thick beard tickled my face and I had to lean back further to see his face. “Jared, what’s wrong?”
“Izzy,” he said, his voice catching. His eyes were red rimmed with unshed tears. He ran his hands across my face and down my neck, tenderly inspecting the wounds on either side of my neck. I didn’t move as he leaned closer, sniffing my neck and peering at the wound.
“I told you, Jared, it’s not a vampire bite,” I said, touching the wound on one side. “It’s not healing right though.”
“It’s healing just fine,” Jared said quietly.
“I’ve, uh, been healing considerably faster lately,” I responded, thinking back to my suddenly blonde hair. I flexed my fingers. Henri had broken them and they’d mended almost immediately. “Maybe I used up my healing for the day.”
“Izzy,” Jared began, then stopped, clearing his throat.
“Here comes Jed,” I said, stopping him as the Alpha walked into view. Mark, still in wolf form, walked beside him. Vanessa’s silver wolf walked on his other side.
Jared turned immediately to his Alpha. “She’s been bitten,” he said, his voice cracking.
Jed nodded his head and stepped close to me. I resisted the urge to back up. Naked Jed was just as terrifying as fully clothed Jed, or werewolf Jed. I stood my ground as Jed reached out and lifted my chin, turning my head from side to side. His eyes were still glowing green, but it was fainter than it had been earlier.
“What happened?” he asked, dropping his hand.
“It wasn’t his fault,” I said immediately, and Jed’s eyes darted to Mark at his side. “Henri made him do it. He ordered him to kill me, and he had his jaws around my neck. He stopped though. I think it was when you arrived.”
Jed stared at me, his face unreadable. “We’d better get back home,” he said simply,
“You’re not going to punish him, are you?” I asked worriedly.
“No, Isabella, of course not.”
I sighed in relief and forced a weak grin. “Please don’t call me Isabella. Just Izzy, okay?”
He smiled and nodded his head. “Of course, Izzy, I’m sorry. Jared, the truck is about a mile that way. We’d better hurry though. Izzy, are you up to running?”
My heart sped up and I looked around worriedly. I didn’t sense any vampires. “Are we in danger? What happened to Thomas?” I asked, realizing I didn’t sense the gangster any more either.
“We let the vampire go. I might regret it later, but he has been useful. Time is of the essence though, and we have a long drive back home. Let’s get to the trucks first. There will be plenty of time to talk later,” Jed replied. He didn’t give me a chance to respond as he moved past me and began running easily through the forest. Mark followed his Alpha, brushing past me without a backwards glance.
“Let’s go,” Jared said softly, tugging on my arm. His eyes were still red, but Jed was right. We could talk in the truck, further away from danger. I nodded my head, turned, and began running carefully through the dark forest with Killian and Jared following closely on either side of me.
Chapter 21
It took almost 30 minutes to run through the forest to the truck. I stumbled more times than I could count, scraped my hands, tore a hole in the knees of my pants, and skidded down a small wet hill on my butt. I’d like to say my clumsiness was because of the thick underbrush and dark conditions, but that was only part of it. The moon had come up, and while it wasn’t full yet, it was large enough to illuminate the forest. I could see moderately well, and that was part of the problem. Jared had taken the lead, running ahead of me to check the path, completely butt-naked, then returning to lead me through any treacherous terrain. It was distracting, to say the least.
By the time we made it to the truck, I was exhausted, wet and muddy. To top it off, the wounds on my neck hadn’t stopped bleeding. If anything, the blood flow had increased as we ran. My shirt was damp with blood. Jared had offered to carry me, but I had declined. The more I stumbled, the closer Jared ran to me, his arms reaching out repeatedly to catch me. He didn’t have a clue he was the cause of half my stumbles.
I kept running until my hands touched the first truck. A few other wolves had shifted into human form, and they moved about the trucks naked as though it were the most normal thing in the world. To them, it probably was. To me, it was embarrassing. I could barely turn my head without seeing a naked man. And they were all in good shape. Very good shape.
I rested my head on the hood of the truck and tried to tune out the world. Jed walked up to me, touching me on the arm. I turned and looked carefully at h
is face, blowing out a sigh of relief when I realized he was dressed. He smiled knowingly, and the grin widened as I blushed furiously. “I just came to tell you it’s safe to walk around normally,” he said, the grin growing wider with each passing moment. “We’re all dressed now.”
I was sure my face was on fire. To top it off, Jed was making fun of me. I didn’t know he even had a sense of humor. I looked at his clothes, my eyebrows rising as I took in his outfit. Where was the flannel? Where were his cowboy boots? Jed was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a Star Wars t-shirt. It looked like he’d raided Mark’s closet, and I nearly died choking back my laughter.
“Do I amuse you?” he asked, his face suddenly serious.
I widened my eyes and shook my head. “No, nope, of course not, Jed. Uh, I mean, Alpha. Uh, Alpha Jed? Um,” I stopped, pursing my lips together to keep from saying something else ridiculously stupid. What was wrong with me? Jed scared the bejeezus out of me, that’s what.
Jared chose that moment to walk up behind Jed, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts that hung low on his hips. It was almost worse than him being naked. I raised my hands in defeat. What next? I swallowed and focused back on Jed’s face. “I think I’ll get in the truck now.”
I moved around Jed and opened the truck door, climbing into the back seat. Jared followed me, as did Killian. The three of us scrunched into the back seat. Jared had been holding my backpack, and he set it on the ground at my feet. I nodded in appreciation, but didn’t have the energy to mess with it. I was exhausted, mentally as well as physically. I closed my eyes and leaned back in the seat.
Jared moved around me, and I felt him buckle the seatbelt onto me. I didn’t care. A seatbelt just meant we were leaving soon. I had been awake most nights, accustomed to vampire time, and would normally have been up and around right now, but the last few days of travel I had barely slept. In addition, the wounds on my neck hurt worse with each passing moment, draining me. I definitely wasn’t healing any more. Sleep was in order.
The truck started up, a deep rumbling sound. I opened my eyes to see Hugo sitting in the driver’s seat. Vanessa sat in the passenger seat, still in wolf form, curled up with her eyes closed. I turned to look behind me into the back of the truck. The truck had a canopy on and I couldn’t see anything in the dark, but I could definitely hear something.
“Jed’s in the back with Mark and a few other wolves,” Jared supplied. “He wanted to talk to you, but he needed to stay near Mark. He’s not exactly himself right now.”
Wasn’t that the understatement of the year? I nodded my head and looked over at Killian, who already appeared sound asleep. I smiled and closed my eyes, trying to get comfortable as I curled my feet underneath me. Jared put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. I sighed and let myself relax against him.
Sleep was easy to come by, and thankfully vampire-free for a change. All my questions faded to the backburner. They could wait. Being safe for the time being was enough. I fell into a deep sleep, until there was nothing.
I’m not sure how much time had passed before I finally woke. I felt groggy and disoriented, and more than a little uncomfortable. The pain in my neck was the first thing I noticed. I reached up, feeling the bandages wrapped on either side of my neck.
“You’re awake,” Jared said softly.
I smiled and nodded, opening my eyes finally to look around. Where the hell was I? I sat up and really examined my surroundings. Metal bars encompassed a cage, and I was smack dab in the middle of it. The bed I was lying on was little more than a cot, with a thin pillow and blanket, very militaristic. Jared sat on the ground beside my cot, looking up at me with a guilty expression on his face.
“What the fuck, Jared?” I asked, and his face fell. “Why am I in a fucking cage?”
“Can we get her some food?” Jared called.
I looked to see who he was talking to. Beth sat on the other side of the cage. She nodded and stood up, walking away without so much as a glance my way. I knew this place. We were back at Jed’s place in the barn. And I was in one of the fucking cages.
I scooted to the end of the cot and stood up. The cage beside mine was empty, but the one across from me contained one werewolf. Mark was still in wolf form, pacing the edges of his cage impatiently. Another wolf was lying beside his cage, his head resting on his paws. He looked at me with unreadable wolf eyes. I had no clue who it was, so I turned my attention back to Jared.
“So, what the hell is going on?” I asked, crossing my arms. My clothes were different, I noticed as I looked down. I wore a pair of loose gray sweat pants and an oversized X-Files t-shirt. The shirt was one of Mark’s, and it even smelled like him. I pulled the shirt to my face, breathing in his familiar scent.
“Izzy, I think you’d better sit down,” Jared said, pointing back to the cot.
I dropped the edge of the shirt and sat down. Jared moved and sat down on the cot beside me. He had shaved I noticed, and cut his hair. He smelled of soap and was dressed in just a pair of sweatpants. His feet were as bare as his chest.
We sat in silence for several minutes, while I waited for him to speak. He sat beside me, staring down at his hands. After several minutes of silence, I finally spoke. “Jared, why am I in a cage?”
“For protection,” he said softly.
“Protection? From what?”
He looked up at me and sighed loudly. “Protection from yourself. Ah, fuck, Izzy,” he said, his voice cracking as he turned his face away from me once more.
“Because of Henri,” I whispered, shaking my head. They didn’t understand, did they? I felt for the knife, feeling a moment of panic when I didn’t see it. Then I felt it, pulsing against my skin. I reached beneath my sweats and pulled the knife out, drawing strength from its presence.
“Woah, where’d that come from?” Jared asked, pointing at the knife.
“It was strapped to my thigh. Not sure how, after a wardrobe change, but here it is,” I said, stroking the hilt of the knife.
Jared laughed and stood up, walking to the corner of my cage. On the floor were my torn and dirty pants, but they appeared to have been cut into pieces. “We had to cut them off you. Couldn’t figure out why, but they just wouldn’t come off. Must have been your invisible knife. Who knew?” he said, laughing again as he dropped my pants back onto the floor.
“You cut my pants off me?” I asked.
“Yeah, well, Hugo and I did,” he replied, moving to sit back beside me.
My face burned and I put the knife back in the sheath beneath my sweats. Hugo and Jared had changed my clothes? I wore no underwear beneath the t-shirt and sweats, which meant Hugo and Jared had stripped me completely naked, cut me out of my clothes, and re-dressed me. Then they’d put me in a cage.
“Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Jared said, obviously noticing my red face. “We just, uh, had to make sure you were okay. No other injuries, um, and, well, get you into some other clothes.”
“Of course,” I snapped. “Then you decided to put me in a cage.”
The smile that had been playing at the edge of Jared’s lips immediately fell, and he looked down at his hands once more. “Damn, Izzy, I… I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Do what? Explain why the fuck I’m in a cage? I’m not dangerous, Jared, because of the knife! Do you think I’m going to attack you in the middle of the night or something?” I looked away from Jared, toward Mark in the other cage. “I get why you have Mark locked up, but he’s a werewolf.”
“It’s almost a full moon,” Jared murmured.
“Okay, I get it. It’s almost a full moon, and he’s a werewolf. Can’t have a rabid vampire-controlled wolf running around. But why the hell am I in a cage? I’m just a human! And you’re all werewolves. I’m pretty sure you could handle me! This cage is overkill!” I yelled, standing up.
Beth walked in at that moment, carrying a tray of food. My stomach growled and if it weren’t for the fact that I was starving, I would have
punched the bitch right in the face through the bars. As it was, I took the tray through the slit in the cage and turned my back on her. She moved away and sat down on a stool outside Mark’s cage.
I shoveled food in my mouth, barely tasting it. Jared kept quiet while I ate and fumed. I glared across the barn at the bitch, wanting nothing more than to yank her away from Mark’s cage by the back of her neck. She was talking quietly to Mark, but I couldn’t make out the words. Didn’t matter what she was saying though, it pissed me off. Her presence in general just pissed me off.
“Why the fuck is she here?” I asked as I finished off the last of the hamburger on my plate.
Jared opened his mouth, but I didn’t give him a chance to respond. I walked over to the edge of the cage and pushed the plate through the opening. “Hey, bitch, take my plate,” I called to Beth. She turned to me angrily, her lip curled back in a snarl. I grinned at her response while holding the plate.
She stood and walked toward me, a look of pure hatred on her face. I smiled wider, leaning against the cage. She snatched the plate, but I held on tight. Beth glared at me, and put her weight into pulling the plate from my hands. I chose that moment to push the plate against her, causing her to stumble and fall on her butt. She dropped the plate to the ground and stood up, racing up to the edge of the cage.
Jared’s arms were around me, pulling me from the edge of the cage at the same time Jed entered the barn and grabbed Beth, pulling her away. I shoved at Jared angrily, but he didn’t let go of me until Jed had hauled Beth out of the barn. Then he released me and stepped back.
“Really, Jared?” I asked, glaring at him.
“Izzy,” Jed said, walking back into the barn. “How are you feeling?”
“Pissed off,” I snapped, looking back at the Alpha. He was once again dressed in jeans and cowboy boots. My comment didn’t seem to affect him though, not that I was surprised. I doubted much fazed the werewolf.
