atop white sheets. She whimpered and set her head on her paws, then closed
her eyes.
“She’s still in shock, but I think she’ll shift back sometime tonight. I need
you to be here when that happens. If necessary, I’ll help her through, but
you’ll need to clean her up. Calm her down. Get her clothes. And if you have
to, explain what happened.”
Sam frowned. “I don’t think she’ll be happy.”
Savannah whined faintly.
A morose half laugh escaped my throat. “You think you’ve seen her
angry before? She’s going to be livid. Good luck.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Dig into some of our old books of lore and see what I can learn about
lycanthropy. And ways to reverse it.”
My wolf strained inside of me, and I felt my claws extend, but I pulled
them back.
A flicker of concern crossed Sam’s face, but she gave me a small grin.
“Okay. I’ll hang out here and wait for her to go nuclear while you go read a
book. Got it, boss.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Sam, this is vital. No one can know about this.”
“What about Regina?”
“Not now. I’ll tell her and Savannah’s guards as soon as possible, but we
have to control the information here. That’s your specialty.”
“Okay.”
“And Sam, no sleeping tonight. The sorcerer is hunting for wolves, and
none of us can risk it. We’ll take shifts tomorrow during the day if we have
to.”
She nodded. “We got the memo. What about Savannah, though?”
I frowned and growled low. It was a fucked situation, but we didn’t have
much choice. “She needs her rest. We’ll have to gamble that the sorcerer is
trying to capture her and not incapacitate her. If he tries that stunt again and
she starts to sleepwalk, we’ll be here to stop her.”
“Got it.” She didn’t sound convinced.
I headed for the door. “Watch her.”
“Of course. I know what she means to you.”
I froze halfway out of the room, but my pulse started running.
There was no way Sam didn’t catch my reaction, but I pitched my voice
as calmly as possible. “Savannah is a liability. That’s what she means to me.
If we don’t handle this right, everything could go up in flames.”
“Jaxson,” she said with deep incredulity, “I know she’s your mate.”
My gut wrenched with shock, and I spun around. “How? How do you
know?”
Her gaze was steady. “I’m a master of information for a reason. Plus, I
know the signs of bonded magic. I suspected it when you dashed out of
Eclipse like that. But I’m sure this started long before tonight—I’ve seen the
way you’re pulled to her. You can’t resist.”
I braced myself against the door.
I’d been a fool to try to hide it from her. Sam’s parents had been fated
mates—she’d grown up with it. And she’d known my sister and Billy well.
She intimately knew what to look for. And although she’d never spoken of it,
I’d always assumed that she hoped to find her mate one day.
Why she would wish to tie herself to another’s fate was beyond
understanding, but it was none of my business.
I stepped very close, so my shadow fell across her. My voice was low and
laden with warning. “You tell no one—not Regina, not Tony, not the guards.
No one can know. We’ll find a way to reverse this, to change her back.”
My wolf tore at my chest, but I growled to rein him in.
Sam glanced over at Savannah and avoided my eyes. “Is that even
possible? And if you could reverse the lycanthropy, do you think that would
solve the mate problem?”
I scrubbed a hand through my hair. “I don’t know, but I didn’t feel the
bond with her until she started shifting. From everything I know, the mated
bond doesn’t just develop. It’s always there, and I would have sensed it the
first time we met. This has to be lycanthropy. Or some kind of curse.”
Could this have been a perverse trick by the sorcerer? The thought was
too much to even contemplate.
Sam searched my eyes. “You’ve always been drawn to her, Jax. In the
bar, in the woods…”
“No,” I growled. “Not like this. Yes, she’s gorgeous, but I don’t want her.
She is not my mate.”
My wolf began to struggle, demanding to be let loose.
Sam rested her hand on my arm. “This could be a good thing for you.”
I pulled away. “A good thing? This is a fucking disaster! The worst
possible thing at the worst possible moment.”
She crossed her arms and cocked her head. “Maybe, maybe not. This
could be a bridge to the LaSalles.”
I wrapped my hand around the doorframe and let my claws sink into the
wall. It took all my restraint not to rip the molding off.
I tried to steady my breathing, but I was on the verge of shifting. “Are
you insane? Do you have any idea what Laurel will do when she finds out
that Savannah was infected with lycanthropy? On our watch? And potentially
by my brother-in-law, who was also plotting to murder her entire family? It’ll
be a war like we haven’t seen in generations.”
Her eyes dilated as the gruesome reality sunk in.
“There’s no option. We have to find an antidote. And until we do, we
cover this—” My fangs erupted, and fur bristled along my skin as my wolf
began to tear itself free. He was growing more desperate to get out every
second that I was near Savannah. I staggered back.
“Fuck,” I rasped. “He wants to meet her. Now. That can’t happen.”
Our mate! my wolf growled from deep inside of me.
Sam gripped my shoulder. “I’ll take care of Savannah. Go. Run your
wolf, clear your head.”
Barely able to control my wolf any longer, I grabbed my keys and headed
to the door. But I turned before I left as the chill of dread trickled through my
veins. “Watch over her, Sam. And remember, do not fall asleep.”
14
Savannah
I woke with a gasp. Another fucking nightmare.
At least the sorcerer hadn’t invaded my dreams this time.
I turned over to go back to sleep, but I froze, eyes wide. These weren’t
my sheets.
Every sense in my body screamed at me. I sat up, and my heart clenched
as I looked around. Holy shit. Where was I, and how did I get here?
Clutching the white bedsheet around me, I scanned the room.
Think, think, think.
Light streamed in from the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake,
and I squinted. It was almost blinding. The décor was minimalist and sleek.
Expensive. White floors, gray walls.
I racked my brain for any memory of how I had gotten here. Fragmentary
images of last night filtered through my mind like rain. The sound of cicadas.
Casey. The bonfire.
Panic flickered in my chest. Oh, shit, had I had a one-night stand with one
of Casey’s friends?
I squeezed my eyes shut. No. I’d been pissed, and I’d left.
After that, all I could remember was my nightmare of running through the
woods. A shiver ran down my aching spine, and I shoved the dream out of
my
mind.
I slipped out of bed and wrapped the sheet around myself, sucking in a
breath as pain trickled through my nerves. Not only did I have a massive
hangover, but every bone in my body ached like I’d tumbled down a
mountain a few times.
Whatever had happened, it wasn’t cool.
A quick search of the room revealed neither my clothes nor my phone.
Shit. I’d left the phone under the seat in Casey’s car. Where my clothes were
was anyone’s guess.
I crossed the room and picked up the framed picture that sat alone on the
dresser opposite the king-size bed that I’d just awoken in. A woman with
dark, curly hair smiled at the camera. My blood froze. She was beautiful and
had the same eyes as Jaxson.
The bedroom door creaked, and I spun, holding the framed picture out
like it was a weapon.
“Sam?” I released my breath but didn’t put down the picture. “Where am
I, and why the hell am I buck-ass naked?”
“I think you should have some coffee.” She stepped into the room and
smiled, but I could read the concern on her face. She gave me a wide berth
and set the mug on the bedside table. “Do you remember anything from last
night?”
My mind still came up short. “I went to a bonfire with Casey, but the rest
is missing. Tell me what the hell is going on.”
My voice sounded distant and panicked. I realized that I’d set the picture
down and was clutching my arms so hard that my nails were digging into my
skin.
“You might want to take a seat,” she said.
“Tell me!” I knew that whatever Sam was about to say would be bad, and
I didn’t need her pussyfooting around it. Better to rip the band-aid off
quickly.
Irritation flashed in her eyes, and her kind demeanor vanished. “You’re a
werewolf, Savannah. You shifted for the first time last night, and Jaxson
found you in the woods broken and nearly dead.”
Silence settled over the room, and then I broke it with a guttural laugh. I
couldn’t explain it—it was like the floodgates of a dam opening, and I just
couldn’t stop laughing. The absurdity of Sam’s words was hilarious. Was she
joking? Was I dreaming? I doubled forward, tears gushing down my cheeks
as I cackled like a madwoman. It felt good, like a release of pent-up tension.
The tears kept falling, though, and soon, my laughs turned into heart-
wrenching sobs.
I dropped to my hands and knees, ignoring the pain because as the
memories of my cracking bones and tearing muscles bombarded me at last, it
was all I could focus on.
My vision blurred.
Sam dropped beside me. “Breathe, Savy!”
My lungs screamed, but I couldn’t draw a breath.
I sat upright and pushed her away, gasping for air that never came. Now I
remembered everything from the night before—the argument with those
jerks, the bathroom where I’d begun to shift, my escape through the woods.
And the pain. The excruciating, endless pain that had nearly split me in two.
Maybe it had.
I clutched my hair and screamed through my gritted teeth—at the
circumstances that had landed me here, at my parents for leaving me in this
shitty world, and at God for making this my cursed fate.
How was I ever going to face Laurel? And Casey?
I’d just met my estranged family, and I’d actually liked them. Now? Now
I had turned into one of the monsters they hated so much.
The room faded around me, and every sensation was drowned with gut-
wrenching fury. My fingernails itched, and my skin burned, but my rage
dwarfed it all. I was like a star imploding on itself. I was going to burn this
fucking city to the ground.
But then, somewhere in the distance, I heard his voice. Jaxson. He was
upset and yelling, but his signature enveloped me like a weighted blanket,
pushing away my sinking despair. My panting breaths eased, and the pulsing
in my temples slowed.
A tingling warmth spread through my cheeks, and my rage and pain
slowly ebbed like a fading tide. I opened my eyes and met Jaxson’s
unyielding gaze. He was kneeling before me, clutching my face in his hands.
Mine.
“Savannah.” He gently rubbed the dampness from my cheeks, and I
realized that I was a sobbing, leaking mess.
I pulled away and rubbed the tears and snot from my puffy face. His jaw
was set, and his brow furrowed as he watched me closely, either trying to
read my thoughts or evaluate my sanity.
I climbed to my feet, brushing aside Jaxson’s hand as he tried to steady
me, and hurled myself into the bathroom. I slammed the door behind me and
bent double with my arms across my aching chest.
Why was this happening to me? Of everything I had to face—abductors,
demons, an insane sorcerer—why this as well?
“Savy? Are you okay? Can I come in?” Sam’s voice came through the
door.
“No. And no.” I stumbled to the sink and stared at the reflection in the
mirror.
I didn’t even recognize myself, and it wasn’t because of the swollen eyes
and disheveled hair. My life had changed since that night at the Taphouse,
and I had changed since coming to Magic Side.
What was I going to do?
I slumped down and put my head in my hands as I tried to grip the bull by
the horns.
So, I was a werewolf now.
I tried the thought on for size, like a new pair of jeans. I didn’t like it one
bit, but I wasn’t sure if this was something I could just return.
Inhaling deep breaths, I let my chest rise and fall. Okay. Where did being
a werewolf leave me, other than screwed?
Worst-case scenario, this was now my life. Overwhelming sensory input,
agonizing bone-snapping transformations, lots of hair everywhere. Potential
for fleas. Benefits: none.
Best-case scenario, there was a way to fix this.
Either way, I still had a madman trying to abduct me, and being a
werewolf didn’t change that.
Impending death really had a way of putting things in perspective. I
clambered to my feet with a low growl as my aches and pains reasserted
themselves.
There was going to be a way to fix this. And after I found it, I was going
to find whoever was responsible for this shit and make them pay.
I cleaned myself up as best I could and returned to the bedroom with the
bedsheet wrapped around me like a toga. Sam was sitting at the foot of the
bed while Jaxson stood by the window, arms crossed. He turned to me, worry
and exhaustion clouding his face.
“Right, then, I’m a werewolf. How do we fix this?” I looked between
Jaxson and Sam, feeling unexpectedly rational about the situation. Well,
rational and pissed.
Jaxson took a step forward, but I shook my head as I stepped back. “I
need answers. Is this lycanthropy? Is there a cure?”
He flexed his hands. “I’m not sure. Lycanthropy is extremely rare.
There’s a potion master who might know more.”
“That’s a start.” A sliver of hope peeked out of the darkness in my soul.
“Next question: how the fuc
k did this happen?”
Sam approached. “Did a werewolf ever bite you? The she-wolf whose
mate you killed at the Taphouse? Billy? Someone you didn’t tell us about?”
“No,” I snapped.
Both of them were quiet, and Jaxson looked murderous. I suspected I
knew why.
“Billy did it, didn’t he? They injected me with some kind of lycanthropy
serum while I was trapped in the sanitorium?”
“Possibly,” Jaxson said, his voice gruff and strained. “We’ll know for
sure when we meet with Alia, the potion master. If we’re lucky, she’ll have
an antidote.”
I rubbed my face and took a deep breath. Somehow, I could face this. I’d
faced blood demons and nightmares and murderous werewolves. I could face
myself. Right? “Let’s call her now, then. I need to know how screwed I am.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll find a cure,” Jaxson said. His words bit, and he wore
a visibly pissed expression. Sam looked almost as upset.
And why wouldn’t they be? They detested me to begin with, and now I
was some sort of werewolf abomination. I was sure that the sooner they got
rid of me, the happier they’d be.
But their feelings didn’t matter right now. The sooner we got the cure, the
better for me.
“How do you feel?” Sam inquired.
“Like I binge-watched horror movies all night, and then lost a boxing
match.” My stomach growled, and I shifted awkwardly. “That, and hungry.”
Ten minutes later, Jaxson and I were sitting at the far ends of a black
granite bar while Sam whipped up scrambled eggs and bacon in the most
expensive-looking kitchen I’d ever seen.
She’d brought me a fresh set of clothes, thankfully, since the toga look
didn’t suit me. The jeans fit like a glove, but the sweater drooped over one of
my shoulders. Fortunately, Sam lived on a lower floor, so the errand had been
just a quick elevator ride for her.
“A lot of werewolves live here,” she explained. “We like living together
and near the alpha. Plus, there’s a rooftop pool and bar and good amenities.
Though my place is about the size of Jaxson’s closets.”
“I pay you better than that,” he grumbled.
“Yes. But I like my view.”
If it was anything like Jaxson’s, I wouldn’t blame her. His windows
looked out over a vast green park and Lake Michigan.
Untamed Fate (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 2) Page 10
