Saving Arianna

by Alisa Woods

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Jak said to him. “Because you’re not going to do the spell… I am.”

  A sea of emotions warred across Marco’s face. Finally, he settled on a frown. “You said that before, that she was worth dying for. You really mean that, don’t you?”

  “I do. I’m just really glad she has a brother who understands what it will take to protect her afterward.” Jak glanced to Circe. “That’s why I asked the witch to bring you here.”

  Marco nodded, and Jak could see the uncertainty sweep away. “You had to be sure. About us.”

  “I had to be sure.” Jak took a breath. “If you weren’t up to the task, I’d have taken her on the run rather than do the spell. I couldn’t risk stranding her, all alone, with no one to protect her. She could have fallen into even worse hands than Mace. But now that I know… well, that you’re here… I can do what needs to be done.”

  Marco’s frown carved deeper. “You really do love her.”

  “I do.” Jak gave him a tight smile. “You can’t tell her about any of this, Marco. Not until afterward. She’ll never go through with it.”

  Marco’s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. “No, she wouldn’t. I wasn’t going to tell her myself until… well, until it was too late to back out.”

  Jak breathed a sigh of relief. “So you understand.”

  Marco shook his head. “No, I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? I mean, she’s my sister. I’d do anything for her. But you… you’ve just met her. You can’t have known her for very long. Even if you’re in love with her… it’s not that I don’t believe you. I’m just saying—I’m surprised.”

  Jak dipped his head, then looked up. “My mother was a captive mate. Let’s just say I’ve been wanting a long time to right this particular kind of wrong.” He hesitated—it was clear that Marco was an alpha if there ever was one. The good kind. He could rise to this… already was, in fact. Jak shuffled forward and put a hand on Marco’s shoulder. He was talking to him brother-wolf to brother-wolf now. “I need your help in this, Marco. I need to know you’ll be smart about this. Even with the mating bond broken, you’ll need to move your whole family far away. So Mace won’t be tempted. You don’t know him like I do—he’s one vindictive asshole. You need to find Arianna a good, strong alpha for a mate. Someone worthy of her. Who can protect her. It shouldn’t be hard. She’s everything any alpha would want.” He paused, his heart breaking a little that he wouldn’t be that alpha. “All I need is to know that she’ll finally be safe. Can you promise me that?”

  Marco’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t move away from Jak’s brotherly hold on his shoulder. “I promise.”

  The kid was young, but Jak could tell this was a promise he would do everything in his power to keep. “And I need you to lie to her, just this once. Help me keep the secret of what the spell does until it’s too late to do anything about it. And then… afterward… she’s going to have a rough go of it for a while. But she’ll get over it.” He gave Marco a tight smile. “Like you said, she’s only known me for a little while.”

  Marco nodded, still wide-eyed. “I won’t say a thing. You have my word.” Then, slowly, Marco lifted his hand and offered it to him. Jak took it, clasping him strongly like a brother would.

  “Good man,” Jak said, with a nod. “Now, I need to call Arianna. She’s not far away, and she’s probably going out of her mind, wondering what the hell happened to me and why I haven’t called.”

  Marco gave a tiny smile. “Well, one thing you might not know about Ari is she’s not exactly the patient type. In fact, she’s on her way over.”

  Jak arched up an eyebrow and laughed a little. “That’s right, she called you, didn’t she? I told her not to. Obviously, that didn’t stop her.”

  “Yeah, she doesn’t listen to me, either.” Marco smiled and released him from the handshake. “She did say she wanted me to meet the person who broke her free.” Marco dropped his gaze for a moment then met Jak’s stare. “I’m not sure I have the right words to thank you for this thing you’re doing for my sister.”

  Jak smiled. “Hold up your end of the bargain, kid. That’s all I need.”

  Marco gave a sharp nod. “You have my word.”

  Jak glanced at the younger one, Kalis—he was all wide eyes, keeping quiet while listening in. It stabbed Jak a little that he wasn’t going to have the chance to get to know Arianna’s kid brother. But he looked like the kind who would be a comfort to her.

  Circe, meanwhile, was downright misty-eyed. “Well, if this female wolf you all are so eager to die for is on her way, we might as well head out. No sense in bringing a mated female into the coven unnecessarily.” She tapped the elevator button to call it again.

  Jak had no idea where she was planning on taking them. But wherever it was, he hoped it was a decent place to die.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Arianna’s nerves were stretched tight the entire short ride to the witches’ coven.

  Sarra’s battered Jeep looked like it had been stolen from an army surplus depot—after a tour overseas—but it was rugged and roomy. She said she was out of the healer business now, but Arianna could easily picture the Jeep transporting more than one pack of broad-shouldered shifters. The shocks were shot, making the ride pretty bumpy, but it served to take them from Sarra’s down-and-out neighborhood to the sparkling towers of downtown Seattle. The address was for a place called Morgan Media, which sounded vaguely familiar. Mace didn’t talk much about work, but she knew that Red Wolf worked with lots of businesses in the area, both as clients and as partners. That was probably where she had heard it.

  But if it was really a coven of witches… it suddenly clicked in Arianna’s head that Mace might have worked with the Morgan Media witches. He had a witch brought in when he was trying to mate with the Sparks pack female. And the Red pack had been involved with witches before—she seldom knew the details, but Mace often bragged about how the witches feared Red pack and not the other way around. Which she doubted was actually true.

  But she suddenly worried about meeting her brothers there. If they were involved with the same witches as Mace and the Red pack… it just seemed a lot riskier for all of them to be there at the same time.

  Arianna bit her lip as Sarra pulled into the parking garage. The Jeep lumbered into a spot barely large enough for it, and Sarra turned it off.

  Arianna hesitated to leave the car.

  Sarra frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m thinking that meeting at a witches’ coven might not be the most brilliant idea I’ve ever had.”

  “Definitely not the safest move.” Sarra smirked. “It is kind of genius though.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Arianna grimaced. “My mate might not be as hesitant to come here as I thought.”

  Sarra heaved a sigh. “Okay. Then we get in, get your brothers, and get out. Yes?”

  Arianna nodded her agreement.

  They climbed out of the Jeep and crossed the parking garage’s concrete floor quickly. Before, her excitement about seeing her family again had overwhelmed everything. Now, an awful anxiety itched up her back. She wanted to get them as far away as possible from anything that might be related to Mace.

  As she and Sarra took the elevator up to the lobby, Arianna tried to settle her breathing, which was starting to hitch into panic mode. This was how her life was going to be from now on: running away from Mace, trying to keep her family safe. Always.

  She might as well get used to it.

  When they reached the glass-and-chrome lobby, it was beautifully appointed with plants, a mahogany receptionist desk, and sparkling granite floors. But the thing that stole her breath was the sight of three shifters waiting in the middle of the open-floored space: Jak, Marco, and Kalis.

  Arianna broke away from Sarra, practically sprinting across the floor to the three men she loved most in this world… then she stalled out when she arrived in front of them, breathless. W
ords had forsaken her, tears were threatening, and she had no idea who to embrace first. She wanted to hug them all simultaneously, but instead, she stood frozen in front of them.

  Kalis crashed through the awkwardness first, lunging forward to scoop her into a giant hug. He swept her off the floor and spun her around. She hugged him back, even as he was squeezing all the breath out of her. A smile nearly broke her face.

  When he set her down, smiles had jumped to everyone’s faces.

  “Oh man, it’s good to see you, Ari,” Kalis said, his voice low and growly, so much deeper than when she saw him last. She had to reach up to ruffle his hair—he must have grown six inches, his shifter genes finally kicking in to turn her baby brother into a man.

  It speared right through her heart.

  She scowled at him and took both his cheeks in her hands, pinching them like their aunt Josie did before she passed. “Oh my god, it’s my little Kalis!” she said in her best Aunt Josie impression.

  He laughed and twisted his face out of her grip.

  Then she dropped the fake voice and said, “Jesus, Kal, seriously—when did you turn into the Incredible Hulk?”

  He blushed and ducked his head, but she could tell he took it as a compliment. And that made her heart pound with happiness. Marco stepped up next, nudging their now-big baby brother aside to hug her. He held her for a long moment, and her tears nearly escaped her valiant attempts to hold them back.

  When Marco finally loosened his grip, he still held her close and peered into her eyes. “Ari.” His voice was thick. She knew him well enough—from running as a pack a hundred times, sharing thoughts—to know what was going through his mind. And she finally would be able to say all the things she’d imagined saying ever since Mace captured her… but never had the chance.

  “It’s not your fault, Marco.” Her throat was closing up. “None of it was. Mace took what he wanted because he could. It’s how he is. There’s nothing you could have done except die trying to stop him. And I’d have never forgiven you for that.”

  She could tell he was tearing up, and she didn’t want him to be embarrassed, so she grabbed him in another fierce hug. He held her tightly for another long moment before finally releasing her.

  Only then did she turn to Jak—with a heart-twinge, because he was the only reason she was able to hug her brothers at all. If he was feeling neglected, he didn’t show it: he was grinning ear-to-ear. She gave Marco’s hand a squeeze before leaving his side.

  “So this is your errand?” she said to Jak, teasing him and smiling just as hard. “Saving my life again?”

  His smile faltered for just a split second, and she was afraid he somehow took her words the wrong way. So she flowed into his arms and hugged him tight.

  As he buried his face in her hair, she said, quietly, just for him, “Oh my god, Jak, you brought my family back to me. Thank you.”

  His hands were on her back, holding her so tight, she didn’t think he would ever let her go. For a long stretch of seconds, she just basked in the safety of his arms. Then thoughts of Mace wormed their way back into her mind: her family couldn’t stay here, out in the open, exposed and vulnerable.

  She eased back from Jak. He seemed reluctant to release her. There was such a mix of joy and pain on his face that it confused her. She was momentarily at a loss for words.

  But then a voice spoke up, saying what she was thinking anyway. “We need to leave.”

  She turned to find the source—it was a strikingly beautiful woman in a red dress, tall and imposing, that she had somehow not noticed before in all the excitement. She had never met a witch before, but this woman was the perfect picture of one: an air of haughtiness, a magical beauty, and a powerful, glittering look in her eyes.

  “This is all very sweet,” she said, coolly, “but this isn’t the place for a pack reunion.” She threw an arched-eyebrow look to Jak.

  “Arianna, meet Circe,” Jak said softly, still holding her loosely in his arms. “And she’s right. We need to move.”

  Sarra had already gone on full alert, holding back from the group, especially the witch. “In and out, Jak,” she said, but she was really addressing the group. And keeping a hawk-eye on Circe. “That was our plan. Jeep’s in the garage.”

  They didn’t waste any more words, just hustled back to the elevator. Sarra was in the lead, with Jak and Arianna close behind. Marco and Kalis and Circe brought up the rear, which made Arianna frown: when did her brothers get so comfortable around witches? They kept quiet on the ride down. It wasn’t until they reached the Jeep that Arianna realized they should have some kind of plan before all piling in.

  She pulled Jak to a stop with their clasped hands. “Sarra was super smart and brought some things for us to use on the road. But where do you want to head first?” She glanced back to Marco and Kalis. “Should we get my mom, too? I’m thinking if we’re heading out of state—”

  A gentle squeeze of her hand stopped her.

  “We’re not going out of state, my love,” Jak said softly. He looked to Marco. “At least, not yet. Maybe after we’re done.”

  Arianna frowned. “Done? What do you mean? We can’t stay here. Mace will—”

  “Arianna,” Marco cut her off. “Let the man talk.” He tipped his head to Jak.

  That simple motion stirred all kinds of feelings around inside her chest: happiness that her brothers seemed to have already accepted Jak; irritation that Marco wasn’t explaining what he was talking about; and a horrible dread, like black oozing tar dripping through her body. Something wasn’t right here.

  She turned to Jak. The pain in his eyes just clenched her stomach tighter.

  “Circe is coming with us,” Jak said, glancing at the witch, who was holding back, watching them. “She’s going to perform a spell that’s going to break your mating bond with Mace.”

  “What?” Arianna wriggled out of his arms and took a step back. Then she glanced at Sarra, whose general wariness had gone up five levels of alarm. Arianna swung back to search Jak’s eyes. He was serious about this. “I thought you said they couldn’t do the spell.”

  “Well, I have to admit, I’d rather not do it,” Jak said tightly. “Turns out I’ll have to be involved and… it’s on the painful side. At least, my part will be. When Circe first told me about what was involved…” He took a deep breath. “Well, it just seemed easier to get rid of Mace the old-fashioned way.”

  Arianna swallowed—if Jak would rather kill Mace to break the bond than do this spell, it had to be bad. Really bad.

  “But that didn’t exactly work out for you, did it?” Sarra’s alarm level had settled into a fierce scowl. “And now you’ve got some hair-brained idea about using magic to break the spell. I swear to God, Jak—”

  “Sarra.” Jak’s voice was full of alpha command, and it almost made Arianna cringe, hearing it. For Sarra’s sake.

  Sarra pressed her lips tight, but the anger was clear on her face.

  Which only made Arianna’s anxiety shoot through the roof. “How bad is it, Jak?” she whispered. The black ooze was filling up her lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. She couldn’t watch him get hurt… not over her. Not for anything. He’d already nearly bleed out in her car, all just to set her free.

  The guilt was written all over his face. “It’s really not that bad.” He was lying to her. Completely.

  “Tell me the truth.” Her fear was rising up and making her angry. A terrified kind of angry. “Tell me the truth, or I swear, I’m marching right back to Mace’s house.”

  He threw up his hands. “All right, all right.” He glowered at her. “It will hurt. A lot. I’ll probably pass out from the pain. I may scream like a little girl. I’m not exactly proud of this, Arianna. I should have just done this from the start instead of being… squeamish. I’m a shifter, for god’s sake. It’s not like a little pain is something I can’t handle. It’s just that…” He lowered his voice and dropped his gaze to the floor. Then he spoke softly, like he was con
fessing to something even more embarrassing. “It reminds me a little of when I was young. When my brothers used to slice me up for fun. I really didn’t want to… well… revisit that.” He took a deep breath and peered at her. “But it’s going to be worth it. To get you free.”

  And that part had the ring of truth. She could feel it in her heart.

  “Oh, Jak.” She was back in his arms in a heartbeat, a fierce hold on him with her arms around his neck. But it was nothing like the hold he had on her like he couldn’t get her close enough to him. She forced herself to let him go and gently pulled away, far enough to look in his eyes. “You don’t have to do this. We can just run away—”

  He put a finger across her lips, softly. To keep her from speaking, but also to trace them with his fingertip. “He’ll find us, my love. And then I’ll lose you and everything we have together. I can’t let that happen.”

  His fingers wandered to her cheek, and a small, terribly sad smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

  She kept her voice soft, just for him. “What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?”

  His smile grew as he caressed her face. “You were just… you.”

  Arianna had the vague sense that the others were still there—her brothers, Sarra, the witch Circe—but it was as though they had faded away into the dark corners of the parking garage. So she gave into the urgent need to kiss Jak, pressing her lips to his. She meant for it just to be a soft kiss, a gentle touch so he would feel her love, but Jak’s hands were instantly in her hair, his lips devouring hers. He was breathing her in, consuming her in a way she couldn’t help but give herself over to—he was her alpha in every real sense of the word. She had submitted to him, and the magic of that bond flared between them, turning the kiss hotter and more full of love than anything she had ever experienced, even when they were deep in the throes of their lovemaking. It was like he possessed her in that moment, claiming her in a way that went beyond magic. She was his. She belonged to him. It left her gasping for breath when he finally broke the kiss, still holding her tight but only lightly brushing her lips with his.