by Eden Beck
I feel his massive ribcage stop moving against me as he holds his breath and I can feel the pounding of his heartbeat start to race like thunder inside his chest. He lifts his head and shakes it, and in what looks like a swift and effortless motion, he turns back into a man right before me.
Rory perches on his bent legs with his hands on the ground in front of him, completely naked and with lingering gold eyes that look as if they’re on fire. If it wasn’t for the immediate danger that I know we’ll soon be in, I’d want nothing more in whole entire world for him to make love to me right this very moment without hesitation.
He is the most beautiful, most powerful man I have ever seen.
His tensed and rippling muscles gleam under the encroaching moonlight. His eyes are the most enthralling thing of all. I can feel the look in his eyes inside my soul.
He falls onto his knees and raises his hands to hold the sides of my face to his. He presses his face against mine so that I can feel the movement of his lips against my mouth as he speaks.
“You didn’t let him touch you? You’re still wholly mine?” His voice is a concoction of pain and hope.
Rory’s words dance around on top of each synapse in my brain … his?
He said that I am his still.
“Yes,” I nod against his temple. “I’m still yours. I didn’t let him touch me, not like that.”
Rory presses his mouth against mine as if nothing else in the world exists; not Remus’ land, not Vivian standing there watching, only us in this moment where everything is temporarily the way that it should be.
When he takes his lips from mine, I say what I have been wanting to tell him the entire time he’s been away from me.
“I know you think that I can’t feel what you can feel. I know what Lydia said about me not being able to feel the bond that we have because I’m just a human. But I swear to you, Rory, I can feel it. I can hear you in my thoughts and feel you there with me in my dreams.”
It’s his turn to shake his head in disbelief.
“But … but that’s not possible?”
The wolfish growl still lingers on his tongue.
I reach out to touch the side of his face, brushing back the shaggy hair that’s grown longer in my absence.
“But I can. I can feel the pain that you felt when you thought I had been with Tom. I can even taste your tongue in my mouth and smell the scent of your skin when you aren’t even with me. It’s not just in my head, it feels as if our very cells are wrapped together.”
Rory looks at me with a flicker of understanding and I think that he finally believes that somehow, I actually can feel it too.
“How sickeningly sweet,” a voice calls from behind Rory.
I look up over his shoulder to see Remus standing within arm’s reach.
And he’s not alone.
24
Sabrina
Remus is flanked on all sides by members of his pack.
Members of his enormous pack.
Rory doesn’t turn around right away at the sound of his voice. Instead, he stands up slowly and brings me up to my feet too with his arms wrapped tightly around me. I can see his glowing eyes looking over my shoulder at Vivian as if he’s asking her a silent question and she is answering it with only her eyes.
Then Rory turns around with his back toward me, still holding my hand as he places his body between me and Remus.
“I see you’ve made it easier on me by showing up nude. I do hate when fabric gets stuck in my teeth,” Remus taunts.
“No rules have been broken,” Rory says cautiously. I catch the sight of him moving his bare foot back slightly so that it’s no longer touching the trodden section of grass. “We have no quarrel with you now.”
“And yet still you have,” Remus growls. “Here you are, on my territory, a naked and broken excuse for both a man and a wolf; groveling to some human girl as if your life depends on her. When in fact, your life now depends on me.”
I can hear Vivian moving behind me, getting closer to us, I think. And I can see Remus’ pack tightening their semi-circle around him.
“I’m so disappointed in you, Rory,” Remus continues. He sounds partially sarcastic, but also somewhat sincere. “You are the eldest, and the only pure-blood descendent of my brother. I thought that you were the wisest too, but I can see I’m mistaken.”
The low guttural growling coming from Remus’ pack is silenced when Remus puts his hand up to hush them. He steps onto the territory line so that half of his foot is outside of it and half still within. His toes touch the tips of Rory’s and he speaks to him quietly enough that only Rory and I can hear.
“You did break a rule tonight and we both know it. You set foot on my territory after being specifically warned not to. You came in wolf form and with so much rage within you that I can still smell it. You came here to kill or be killed, and I don’t think you can honestly deny that, can you?”
Rory stares at his uncle and I squeeze his hand so tightly that if he had been a human, I probably would have broken his finger.
“No,” Rory says with conviction. “I can’t deny that.”
“You were warned,” Remus says again. “It pains me to lose my one and only blood nephew, but you’ve put me in a difficult position. If I don’t kill you, my pack will smell the weakness of their leader … and that’s just not something I can allow.”
Rory pulls his hand from mine and gently pushes me backward toward Vivian.
He’s preparing to fight his uncle, and he knows that he won’t win. That’s what his look to Vivian was about a moment ago. I see that now.
It wasn’t a plan to win … it was a plan to get me away.
A plan to protect me.
As always.
Now, he wants her to take me and run, I know it.
But I won’t leave him. I won’t let them kill him. I desperately try to think of something to do, something that will stop this from happening, but I know in my heart that there’s absolutely nothing I can do.
They’re going to kill Rory, and then they’re likely going to chase down and kill me and Vivian too.
“Sorry it has to be this way,” Remus says as his jaw widens, and his mouth suddenly looks like his canines are way too big to fit inside of it. The words signaling bloodshed begin to form on his lips … and then he’s stopped.
“It doesn’t,” a new voice bellows from behind me.
I have never been more happy to hear Romulus’ voice in my life.
I turn around to see him and all the rest of his pack walking up behind Vivian. There are even more people with them. One of the women that I don’t recognize walks up and puts her arm around Vivian as if she belongs to her, and then another man—the one I saw arrive with her that first day—walks next to Vivian’s other side and she lowers her head in response to his presence there.
Vivian’s pack is here too.
Even with their added numbers, however, Remus’ pack still far outnumbers us.
Romulus, Lydia, and the other two boys walk ahead of the others and past where Vivian is standing. They come up to flank Rory on either side. Lydia stands next to me and I can feel her reach for my hand.
I let her weave her fingers between mine and take a big breath in as I wait to see what will happen now.
Romulus and Kaleb stand on one side of Rory, and Marlowe on the other. I catch a quick glance of Kaleb’s eyes flashing back toward me to make sure I’m alright. They must have gotten Vivian’s messages after all.
God, they arrived just in time.
Remus glares at Romulus and even though I can’t see the expression on Romulus face, I can imagine it. The muscles at the sides of his neck are taut and bulging and his posture seems much taller and broader than it was before, which is impressive considering Romulus’s already massive stature.
When we survive this, I would be curious to see what Romulus looks like in his shifted wolf state.
If we survive this.
“I understand want
ing to come and save your son,” Remus says to his brother, “but it was still a stupid idea to come. Rory has broken our agreement. He has trespassed onto my territory, and he did so with the intent to kill. You and I both know that our pack laws side with me.”
I can tell by the protruding vein in Romulus’ neck that he does know that, and that Rory has placed them all in an impossible situation.
I’ve placed them in an impossible situation. Again.
“I don’t debate the stupidity of my eldest son,” Romulus says, calmly. “But I do debate your manner of dealing with it. We are blood, something that you claim to be of utmost importance. And yet you would strike down your own nephew, your own blood, simply because a rule was broken? Which is it then Remus, which thing is more important to you; rules or blood?”
The expression on Remus’ face twists into one of rage.
Still, Romulus is right, and if Remus wants to adhere to his pure-blooded values that his pack is built upon, he can’t just slaughter his nephew … not over a human, anyway. Someone so insignificant.
“You’ve always been the clever one,” Remus says snidely. “Ever since we were young. I admire that quality in you, actually. But this simply cannot go unpunished. It was a foolish, human judgement that caused this rift between you and me to begin with. The rift that has broken a brotherhood and caused our packs to be more enemy than ally, was all caused by a pathetic, human woman that came between us. This is no different, and it will end no less poorly.”
The tone of Romulus’ voice changes. It’s no longer anger, but rather seems to be laced with pity and remorse as he appeals to the part of his brother that he once recognized.
“She was not a pathetic human woman,” Romulus says as if it pains him deeply to even speak of her. “You loved her every bit as much as I did. Human or wolf, it matters not … what matters is that love is love. She wasn’t the one that caused the rift between us, brother. Deny it all you like, but out of everyone standing here—all of our pack members and family that are ready to go to battle with each other right this very moment in this very spot—you and I are the only ones that carry the pain of that in our bones each and every night.”
He and Remus face each other, neither one backing down, but also neither one eager to cross the withering gap between them.
“You can hate me and my choices all that you like,” Romulus continues, “but you and I are forever connected because of that. You can fool everyone else here, but not me.”
There’s a very distinct look that comes when someone has reached a level of pain that is so overwhelming that the only way to cope with it is to turn the pain into anger.
That is the look that now grows across Remus’ face.
Something that Romulus said to him, or perhaps everything that Romulus just said to him, is causing him to lose control. The energy between the packs shifts.
They’re preparing to fight. Any second now, this forest will be painted red with blood.
Lydia releases my hand quickly and pushes her way forward between her husband and son. She stands facing Remus with the kind of beautiful and graceful strength that I imagine only a woman who has been through hell and back can muster.
“The eclipse is nearly here,” she says to Remus. He eyes her as if he would like nothing better than to tear her limb from limb. “If we engage in this conflict now, we will all miss it. Lives will be lost and blood from all three packs will be shed on the ground blessed with the sacred moonlight of the eclipse.”
I divert my eyes to the ground for a moment as that horrible sense of dread comes over me.
I’m afraid that Remus is going to do something like shift and swipe Lydia’s head from her shoulders before anyone has a chance to stop him … and I can’t bear to watch that. I couldn’t live with that image burned inside my head, even in the unlikely event that I live to see another night.
But instead, as angry as he still remains, Remus looks like he suddenly deflates. All the anger, the torment, the burning indignance–it drops from him all at once.
It’s an incredible occurrence to see the rest of the pack follow suit, as if their emotions and reactions are directly linked to their leader.
“You’re lucky that the eclipse is mere moments away. If not for that, I wouldn’t hesitate to give the order for my pack to tear you all limb from limb. But even the eclipse will not stand in the way of consequence. There must be an agreement made here before I let you leave. And this time, the agreement will be made in blood, since one of you has failed to adhere to our last agreement.”
“What is it that you want?” Romulus asks. I see him touch Lydia’s side slightly to bid her to step back behind them again. He loves her dearly, that much is very apparent; as is the fact that he doesn’t trust his brother at all.
“You will promise that this woman will never be turned.” Remus points his curled finger between the men’s shoulders at me. “EVER. Never again will a human girl come between our packs.”
“Agreed,” Romulus says without hesitation. “You have my word.”
For the first time, hearing it doesn’t immediately make my heart sink. All I want is for this to end. All I want is for the boys I love to survive, and if my never being turned is what it takes—then so be it.
Remus laughs at his brother. “Your word no longer means shit to me, dear brother. You obviously can’t control your pack, or even your pups,” he says as he glances toward Rory. “Nor keep them from making foolish decisions that affect us all. This time you will promise me with blood.”
Romulus doesn’t seem to be thrilled with the idea, but he accepts.
He steps forward toward his brother and I watch anxiously to see what’s happening.
I’m terrified when I see both Remus and Romulus open their jaws to reveal elongated and lethally sharp canines, as they both grab each other firmly by the shoulders and then lean forward to clamp their teeth down into each other’s necks.
I put my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming as even Lydia looks away.
The three boys watch with a brewing look of hatred toward their uncle. I see Rory’s lips curl and his hands clench into fists at his sides.
The whole thing lasts only a few seconds, and then both men pull away from each other as a spouting gush of blood pours from the puncture wounds in their necks. There are no more words said, no glances exchanged. Each of them simply clasps a hand over their wound and turns to lead their packs away from each other.
I should be glad.
The packs are saved.
But in doing so, I am lost.
25
Sabrina
Or so I think.
The walk back out of the forest is unhurried and silent. Vivian walks with her pack, following behind us on our trek well beyond the boundaries of Remus’ land.
I walk behind Romulus and Lydia, with the boys walking closely behind me. I want to say a million things to them, but I can’t bring myself to break the tense silence.
So, instead I just keep quiet and keep following Romulus as he leads everyone further away from his brother’s territory. I don’t dare look back at them. I know once I do, I won’t be able to stop the flood on emotion that’s sure to follow.
“Did you mean what you said to him?” I hear Lydia whisper to her husband. “Are you going to keep that agreement?”
His response is not what I expect.
Romulus keeps his head facing forward, but it shakes slightly. “The next eclipse is in eighteen months, but it’s going to feel a lot shorter than that.”
I stumble over my own feet.
What does he mean by that?
I just heard the promise he made. It was true to everything he said before.
So why then now do I imagine he’s suddenly changed his mind?
Then, without even turning to look at me, he says something that is directly meant for me to hear.
“We have a lot to prepare for if you’re going to become one of us, Sabrina.”
&n
bsp; This time, I come to a full stop.
I can’t believe what I just heard. Surely, I must be misunderstanding him because I can’t believe that even for a second, Romulus would consider turning me into a wolf shifter.
Especially not after all of the trouble I’ve caused. Not after tonight.
“What?” I ask him. I’m not the only one frozen in place. I take a few quick steps forward so that he will hear me, but neither he nor Lydia turn around. They both just keep walking ahead.
I know that they heard me. Lydia has her hand on the side of Romulus’ neck as the gaping wound continues to spurt blood. It seeps through the space between both of their fingers and runs down the side of his shoulder and onto his arm. I look back at the boys to see if they heard what their father said too.
And I know they did.
I know I didn’t imagine it.
“We’ll discuss this later,” Romulus says, up ahead. “For now, I think it’s best if we head back to the house.”
To where it’s safe.
Rory’s eyes are still a blazing gold and filled with a ferocity that’s both shocking and magnificent. Marlowe simply stares ahead, his expression disbelieving.
Kaleb is the only one that reacts to me as I look back. He gives me a small grin that is so full of contained energy that I can see how hard he is trying to downplay it.
He heard. He heard Romulus say I would be one of them.
I could shout. I could scream it into the treetops.
But now is not the place. Now, we still need to get out of here. We need to get away before Remus changes his mind … something I wouldn’t put past him.
When we get to the road, Rory’s Jeep is there. One of the other boys must have brought it. Marlowe reaches into the back of the cab and pulls out a pair of jeans which he throws at his brother. Rory grabs them before the jeans smack against his chest and slides them on.
