Dirt Road Redemption (Dirt Road Series Book 2)

by Chelsea Handcock

  When he kissed her hand, she had to swallow the bile that crept up her throat. The bastard licked her, tasted her skin like some kind of creeper. Atticus was never far from her mind, but she couldn’t focus on him right now. She needed this man, Draven, compliant to her touch. Gathering the dark magic as she had before, it felt like sludge in her veins, moving much slower. Dani was starting to fear she wouldn’t be able to pull off what she had planned.

  When Draven whipped her around to face Atticus, holding her close to his chest, Dani placed her other hand over his non-existent heart and pulled harder at the dark. Draven made a comment to Atticus about how this was going to be fun, even made a move to cup Dani’s breast. She managed to move away from his touch by curling further into his body. The weird and mundane thought that came to her mind was at least he didn’t smell bad.

  She quickly realized she had been quiet too long and once again adapted her bubble-headed persona.

  “Atti, why didn’t you tell me we had company? Silly man, I would have at least changed.” She added little giggles and dropped her eyes to look through her eyelashes, playing this for everything she was worth, and still, she pulled at the dark magic, cursing silently when it didn’t move any faster. Once this was done, she was going to give Atticus a piece of her mind.

  “Leave her alone, Draven, she is nothing but a little distraction, you can tell she has absolutely no common sense whatsoever. Fuck, have a go at her yourself, she just lays there and talks her nonsense like I fucking care. It gets annoying, might be better for the both of us if you take her off my hands,” Atticus growled.

  What a jerk! Here she was trying to save his ass, and he was calling her a distraction with no common sense. Yeah, she was playing the part… but still. Dani didn’t really know what she had expected from Atticus. Maybe this was his way of diminishing her value or something, but the little speech still pissed her off.

  Draven was starting to get a little more handsy, and Dani wondered how long she could keep standing there. That answer came quickly when he grabbed her by the throat.

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Atticus. Little Dani here has all kinds of worth to our Master, so much more than you could have. And thanks to me, her full potential will be realized.”

  Shit, that didn’t sound good. Atticus had talked about his ceremony and now this. At first, she thought it had to do with her heat, but that would only bond her to Atticus. Even if raped by someone other than her mate, as horrible as that would be, she wouldn’t connect with them. There would be no bond so it couldn’t be that, it had to do with the day itself. Racking her brain, she tried to figure it out, but the only thing she could come up with was moon cycles.

  The full moon was passed, now it would be the waning moon cycle. But what could that possibly mean to her and what these people wanted? The waxing moon lasted for seven days, and then there was still the waning stage, so technically, if her calculations were right, they had another twenty some odd days to do whatever it was they had planned. She tried to figure it out, but the only moon a wolf really cared about was the full moon, the other gave them slight power but nothing else. And with these guys, power meant everything, so wouldn’t they want the day that offered the most to a Shifter. It didn’t make sense.

  “Really?” Atticus sneered “What could you or the Master want with such an annoying little wolf? You think to make her into a hybrid?” Atticus laughed. “You realize she spends her days dreaming of flowers, butterflies, and shit? There’s no way you can change her into what you need. I assure you, the joy of breaking her would be short-lived and useless, one of the reasons I didn’t even try to do it myself. She is compliant and lives in a fantasy world. Her own Alpha wouldn’t even let her out of the pack house, fearing she wouldn’t find her way back.”

  “Oh, I think you protest too much, Atticus, this little morsel has plenty of worth to the Coven.” The asshole finished his statement by licking Dani’s cheek, sending unpleasant shivers up her spine, but she allowed it to happen, continuing to force herself to stay where she was without moving.

  “Then why didn’t her own pack, the most feared pack within three states, come after her, hmm? What about the McClane coven, wouldn’t they value her as well? Why aren’t they here? Shouldn’t they be beating down the doors to get to such a prize? Have you even asked yourself those questions? She is nothing and no one,” Atticus said, pointing to her, a look of dismissal and loathing on his face.

  Fuck you very much asshole. She realized what he was doing, he was trying to protect her in his own way, but damn, did he really need to go that far.

  “Boy, do you honestly believe yourself to be the only one capable of doing research? Bane has just as much interest in the Valentin pack as you do. Had she introduced herself as that whore Emily, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but Danica Valentin is of much worth, especially with her gifts. Even more so now that they have been corrupted—a healing gift changed to kill. Can you imagine it, Atticus, the boons our Master will receive for having such a treasure under his command?”

  Atticus threw his head back and laughed loudly.

  “And you know for certain this girl is Danica Valentin? Please, she’s playing you. Do you sense her wolf? Or even her gifts?” Atticus waited a couple of moments. “You don’t, do you?” he taunted, laughing even more, bending at the waist. “Who is the one who has been played? Your senses are clear, you didn’t take the potion. Tell me, Draven, what do you sense? Can you sense my beast? Hers?”

  Shit, Dani really put her foot in it this time—if only she had lied about her name. She continued to pull at the dark magic, it was getting closer to the time where she could force it into Draven, but she wasn’t there yet. She just needed a few more minutes. Unfortunately, Draven had other thoughts, dragging her closer to Atticus, dislodging her hands several times. Dani had to struggle to keep in contact with him as he dragged her around like a doll.

  Draven got so close to Atticus, Dani had to push her body backward at an odd angle just to keep away from him, not wanting the dark she was trying to drive to touch him in any way. She was also trying to dodge the spittle flying from Draven’s mouth when he screamed.

  “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!”

  “I’ve done nothing, she is precisely as I said, no one, not your precious little prize, just a small chit of a woman, only good enough for a few fucks, and even those are less than pleasurable. Her weak blood mixed with human leaves a slightly bitter taste in the mouth if you want my opinion.”

  “Well then, I guess since she is worth nothing, you won’t mind seeing her die.”

  Dani didn’t have any time to brace for the hand that circled her throat and squeezed roughly. Black dots started to form as she struggled to get out of his grip, but it was no use—without the strength of her wolf, she was defenseless. Right before everything went black, Draven’s eyes widened, and he fell to the floor. Sage was standing behind him with a bloody fire poker in her hand, looking just as stunned as Dani.

  Dani looked down after she caught her breath and noticed the deep stab wound in Draven’s back. That wouldn’t last long, she could already see the edges creeping together. Vampire had an ability to heal that rivaled even Shifters. Feeling the dark magic she gathered finally ready to release, she went down to her knee, placing both her hands on his back and pushed forward. She went for the bones, feeling each and every one snap and break as the dark entered his body. Dani could have killed him, probably should have, but she wasn’t that person and refused to become a cold-blooded killer.

  When she pulled away, Sage was staring at her like she was watching a monster.

  “What have you done?” The words weren’t directed at Dani, they were directed at Atticus. Dani didn’t wait for him to reply, not caring what he had to say right now. Going to the French doors, she opened them, stepping outside. Using the remaining dark magic she had, Dani pushed it out, and her heart sank.

  “Come on,” she yelled, “we have to go now, th
ere are more of them coming, at least twenty. If we don’t get out of here soon, they will be on us in minutes.”

  Chapter 11

  Atticus forced his body to move, going first to Draven, needing to make sure the man was incapacitated for the moment. Vampire healing was quick, and he didn’t have the strength to go up against him again. Atticus had heard the pops and snaps and guessed every bone in his body broke, but he needed confirmation. Struggling, he walked over to Draven. His body was limp, contorted, and grotesque—the fucker deserved it and much more. Atticus planned on making sure much more happened very soon. But first, he needed to address his little wolf. Atticus was pissed beyond measure. She had taken risks she shouldn’t have, putting herself in danger. Hell, she walked in and shook fucking danger’s hand. Spinning around, he winced, taking a quick breath due to the pain racking his body.

  “What the fuck were you thinking, Danica?”

  She stood there, looking at him like he’d lost his mind, and hell, maybe he had, but damn it, what she had done was so fucking risky. When he saw her using the dark magic he had unwittingly forced upon her, his fury exploded to massive levels. She was sweet, innocent, and everything he wasn’t. The taint of dark magic should never have touched her. But now, because of him, not only had it touched her, she used it, the ramifications staggering him. A user of black magic always paid in some way—always. Atticus had no idea what the consequences of what Danica had done would be, and it scared the fuck out of him.

  Danica placed her hands on her hips, jutting one out, giving him an exasperated look he was becoming all too familiar with.

  “I just saved your ass, and you’re asking me what I was thinking? I think that’s pretty damn obvious, don’t you, Master Hybrid?”

  If he weren’t so damn mad right now, he would have smiled at her. She was fucking cute, sexy as hell, and if Draven hadn’t kicked him in the nuts, Atticus was pretty sure he would have been sporting wood. This woman was getting to him in ways no one ever had before. She was everything wrapped up in a nice tight little package. But those things didn’t matter right now, his fucking raging libido didn’t matter—Danica’s very soul was at stake. Taking a couple of seconds, he tried to gather his thoughts, calm down a little, and address her in a way he hoped she would understand and accept. He should have known that wasn’t going to happen.

  Danica let out a frustrated breath when he didn’t respond to her fast enough.

  “Listen we need to leave! Now! He isn’t the only one coming after us, I can sense at least twenty more.”

  “No!” Atticus said.

  “What do you mean, no? Are you fucking nuts? Come out here. Can’t you sense them coming in the house? Your wards backfired, you heard that, asshole!” Dani said, pointing at Draven’s broken body.

  Atticus knew damn well his wards and every fucking thing else he had planned had backfired. But that wasn’t going to stop him from making his point right now. He walked over to Danica—well, actually limped while hunched over holding his stomach and moving very slowly, but in his own damn mind, he looked fierce.

  “You will NEVER do that again, do you understand me?” He would show her who was the Master of this fucking Castle.

  “Understood, can we leave now?” Danica said the words with so much snark and sass, he wanted to shake her, just a little. Either that or hold her in his arms, and strip her naked so he could check every inch of her fair skin until he was confident she was okay. Then he would bury himself so deep in her body, neither one of them would know where one started and the other ended. He even took several steps forward to get closer to her, thoughts whirling through his mind about what he was going to do with that smart mouth, or more specifically, what he was going to have her do with that smart mouth. His control nonexistent, Atticus even considered taking her right on the floor. Even seeing a twitch from Draven’s prone body wasn’t enough to dissuade him. But Sage loudly clearing her throat did.

  Fuck, the mating pull was insane, her coming into her heat only making it worse, and Atticus was having a hell of a time trying to keep his shit together. At least, he was trying to convince himself it was. He didn’t want to admit he had actual feelings for Danica—that would make what had already happened so much worse.

  Plus, this wasn’t the time or the place, but that time would come and soon. Atticus started to bark orders, telling Sage to go to her room and gather her things and weapons. He even yelled at Danica to get away from the door, but both women just stood there and stared at him like he was one bottle short of a six-pack.

  Danica was fuming in all her red-faced glory, but Sage looked confused and concerned.

  “Umm, Atti, did you hear what Dani just said? There are others coming for us, we need to leave. There isn’t time for anything else, you need to step out of the house. They are close and getting closer by the second, we don’t stand a chance against so many.”

  Atticus stepped through the door, but he sensed nothing. It bothered him, he knew he was weakened, but this was unheard of in an Other. All of his powers, his gifts had abandoned him. Even the skills he had used earlier were gone, making him human, and he didn’t like it very much.

  “I know you don’t like or understand what’s going on, but the longer you stay in this house, the worse it will get. You need to trust me, I understand if that’s hard,” Danica said, placing her hand on his arm, “but if you can, I promise I will do everything in my power to get us all out of here as safely as possible.”

  Atticus was shocked by her generosity and kindness. He didn’t know if he would have been so nice if the situation was reversed. He had kidnapped this woman, told her he was going to mate with her regardless if she wanted it or not, and placed black magic in her blood. He must have stood there too long, just looking at her because he watched as the kindness washed out of her eyes. She removed her hand from his arm, turning.

  “If you don’t trust me, at the very least, trust Sage.”

  Atticus reached out to her, saying her name, but Danica was already out the door. Sage just looked at him.

  “You know she’s right. Atti, I have never let you down—until tonight, and that woman saved our lives. I was frozen in fear just sensing Draven in the house, I couldn’t even get out of my bed. You might not like the methods she used to do it, but that’s on you. You created this mess, and I stood by and let it happen, thinking if at least one of us could be saved from the hell that has become our lives, I was all for it, but now I’m questioning it. Is our freedom really worth her demise? She’s a good person, and tonight, she has shown more courage and strength to rival any warrior.”

  Atticus ran his hand over his face. “Shit,” pointing at her, saying, “we are going to talk about that. You don’t fear anyone, do you hear me! I won’t allow it, I will wipe this asshole from the face of the earth and anyone else who dares cause you a moment of fear ever again.” Atticus turned and kicked Draven’s body.

  He wasn’t ready to think about what Sage had said about Danica, he was fast coming to the same conclusions, so he focused on his anger on Draven. Whatever the bastard had done to Sage had to have been truly awful for her to react that way, and Atticus was pissed once again because he had ignored all the signs. Sage always portrayed herself with strength, she was rarely weak and she never talked about what lessons Draven taught her. Assuming something had happened and getting confirmation were two totally different monsters.

  “Get your sword, Sage. We need to end this before we go anywhere.”

  Danica came running back into the room.

  “There’s no time. Leave him, it will take days for him to heal from his injuries, and we need to move now! Where’s your car?” Danica asked. Sage and Atticus went out to the porch, and he could see by the look on Sage’s face, it wasn’t good.

  “Can you flash?”

  “I’m not as fast as usual, but I can still do it.” Sage flashed and came right back.

  “Take Danica to the safehouse. I’ll follow.”


  He didn’t say the words, but he knew he would never make it in time. He couldn’t flash or change, and although he was a fast runner, he couldn’t compare to Vampire speed and strength right now. But at least Danica and Sage would be safe.

  Danica looked at both of them for a second.

  “We are not leaving you. We either go together, or we all stay. Now, where is your car?”

  “Shit,” Atticus said wiping his hand down his face, “we don’t have a car here. I didn’t want to take the chance of…”

  “Oh, of me getting away? Is that it?” Danica questioned. “Well, good job, buddy, now none of us are getting away!”

  Atticus knew he had fucked up, hell, everything he had done up until this point was fucked somehow or another, but not having a backup plan to escape if needed was downright stupid. He had arrogantly believed if anything happened, his gifts would get them out of it. Barring the black magic he dabbled in, now they were all screwed. Danica and Sage both tensed, and Sage ran into the house. Danica looked like she didn’t know what she wanted to do, go to the house or run to the woods. When those gorgeous hazel eyes looked up at him, asking without words what she should do, he asked, “What is it, what’ going on?”

  “You can’t sense them at all, can you? It’s not just your vampire side that was affected by the black magic, your shifter side is gone too?” Danica asked, and Atticus just shook his head, ashamed he had fallen so low. “We need a weapon, the first wave is going to be here in seconds. I sense Vampire but also wolves, maybe some witches, I’m not exactly sure, the wards on the house are messing with my wolf. She’s there but buried so deep, I can’t get her to come to me.”