Taken by Blood

by Tamara White

  Davis, the wolf who issued the challenge, made it a point that his friends would be participating in the challenge. When Talon tried to object, I glared him into submission. If Davis needed his friends to help him feel strong, then I didn’t really care. The day I can’t handle a few weaker wolves is the day I don’t deserve to keep living. Just because I’m no longer immortal doesn’t mean I can’t beat the ever-loving crap out of them.

  I flex my hands at the sight of their swords, wanting to call my own, but I’m waiting for the right moment. My dad was worried when I didn’t take the sword he offered, but my mother and father shook their head at him with small, knowing smirks.

  Still, this felt like yet another nail in the ‘this was planned’ coffin. Why else would he think to bring a sword to a meeting like this? After the challenge was announced, he ran off. He returned after I finished changing, carrying a massive broadsword, but I just shook my head in refusal.

  Dad took a step back, looking at me with a worried expression. He went along with it, but every so often, I saw the glances between him and my parents. This night wasn’t just planned for my dad’s benefit, so he could appear strong before his pack and show he had an alliance with my parents. It was also a way for my parents to show all the assembled supernaturals that an attack on me was a declaration of war on our coven.

  Talon catches my gaze with a wicked smirk. His eyes are drawn to my hands, which are clenched at my sides. He knows what I want and how agitated I’m becoming by waiting, but I know my swords have to be revealed at the right time. I can sense it deep within my soul, like the way I felt when I held them the first time, like they were speaking to me, guiding me in my actions.

  Once I’m in place, directly across from Davis and his three buddies, he looks at me as if I’m stupid.

  “Where is your weapon?” he calls across the few feet of space separating us, holding his sword with both hands in front of him like it’s a majestic cock. That thought leads me to believe he’s seriously overcompensating for something. I mean, who needs a sword that size? And holding it in front of your crotch like that? It just looks ridiculous.

  “Oh, you want me to get my weapon?” As I say those words, I can sense that now is the time to reveal them. I think about my swords, focusing on the feel of the blades.

  Gasps echo through the night and I grin, feeling powerful with them in my hands. Macy is standing close behind me, so when she whispers to her friend, I hear every word. “Are those Merlin’s swords? I thought he spelled them so only the rightful owner could wield them?”

  I frown, looking down at the twin blades in my hands. Merlin? He was real too? Shit, this is so surreal.

  I shrug the thoughts away, focusing instead on the task at hand—defeating Davis and his buddies. Malcolm, however, seems to have other plans and steps between us.

  “Where did you get those?” he growls at me. His eyes are filled with some unknown emotion, but I can hear the thread of fear beneath his bravado.

  For a second, I consider ignoring his question, but then decide against it. “I picked them when it was my time to choose a weapon,” I answer, refusing to give him the full backstory Talon provided me.

  Malcolm takes a step forward, advancing on me. I raise the swords, ready to defend myself. He stops in his tracks, his gaze narrowed. “Those swords are not yours! They belong to the witches. Now, this is your last chance. Hand them over!”

  My guys are behind me in an instant, but I fight not to look at them, refusing to turn my back on an enemy. When I remember what Talon said about them burning his hands and anyone else who tried to take them, I decide to trust my soul-tie and my instincts. “You want them, well, come and grab them,” I offer, holding them hilt up so he can easily take them from me.

  He doesn’t hesitate, rushing forward to snatch them from me with a greedy grin. With him this close, I notice something about him feels wrong. I don’t know what it is, but magic swells inside me at his proximity, as if it’s rising to protect me.

  Before it can react and explode out of me, Malcolm lets loose a scream and I smirk at him. The hilt of the swords have burst into flames and the fire is climbing his arms faster than can be seen by the human eye. His eyes dart to mine for a second, and I have to blink to clear my vision, sure I must be seeing things. For a moment, I thought his eyes were a vibrant violet, but when I look again, they’ve gone back to their regular green hue. I stare at him in confusion, completely dumbfounded. The only time I’ve seen eyes change like that was when Meron tapped into some powerful magic to figure out I was feeding Britt some of my energy. But if Malcolm was tapping into magic, why wouldn’t he have put the flames out?

  With a hiss, he drops the swords. They disappear and reappear in my hands again, as if they were never gone. The flames immediately extinguish, but I continue to stand over him. I watch as Macy rushes to his side, and again feel something not quite natural with him.

  Malcolm pants heavily as Macy uses her magic to heal his burns. Finally, after a few minutes, he gets to his feet with Macy steadying him. I smirk at him and shrug. “I tried to tell you, they picked me.”

  I expect some kind of angry retort, but he remains silent, his expression blank. Then, like the flick of a switch, his eyes flash to purple once more and a sinister smile appears. “They’re yours for now, Emerald, but before long, they will be mine.” His words come out in a slightly distorted voice, his gaze flicking over to Britt. “I wonder, what does it feel like to know someone you love is going to die and there’s nothing you can do about it?”

  Macy seems oblivious to his words, and as I look around me, I realize it isn’t just her. Everyone is frozen in place, an empty unseeing stare on their faces. What the fuck?

  I let the magic pulsing inside me slip free and he gasps in shock. I straighten my back and glare at this purple-eyed version of Malcolm. “I don’t know who you are, whether you’re some kind of separate personality of Malcolm’s, or just some witch possessing him, but I tell you this now. You mess with one of mine, and you will die. I will fucking destroy you if you touch someone under my protection.” I let out a growl, my beast rising with the magic, and Malcolm shivers, goosebumps erupting over his skin.

  As if he knows he’s shown too much weakness, he shuts down his expression, that purple gaze meeting mine with defiance. The distorted voice speaks once more, sending chills through me. “Oh, I’m going to love breaking you, little one. I might even force the ones you love, watch as I make you scream.”

  Then, like the switch flicked, the purple disappears from Malcolm’s eyes and they return to their normal green. He looks confused by what just happened, and everyone present resumes their whispered conversations as if nothing transpired. I’m definitely going to have to call a meeting about this later, because that was some fucked up shit.

  ‘Blaine? Have you heard of any witches having eyes that turn purple?’

  His response is immediate. ‘Purple? Only one witch has ever been documented as having purple eyes, Emerald.’

  Dread builds in my gut, the feeling so strong I can hardly breathe. ‘What is his name?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter because he’s dead. Has been for a few years now.’

  ‘Blaine, tell me his name!’

  The insistent tone of my voice must get through to him, because he relents. ‘His name was Dastian. He was the witch who cursed Britt.’

  ‘Fuck!’

  I shield my thoughts, because I’m sure Blaine will have heard my curse and want to know why I asked in the first place, but I can’t give him those answers right now. There is something else I need to take care of first, even though I want nothing more than to chase after Malcolm and beat the answers out of him. If Dastian is somehow possessing him, then I need to find out how so I can rid the world of him once and for all.

  I turn my attention to Davis, who looks perplexed by what just went on. “I know you want this challenge to be to the death, but I want to make it clear that I won’t kill any of you unl
ess I have no other choice.”

  That same smug arrogance he wore when he challenged me appears in his eyes. He goes to speak, but the sound of footsteps behind me distracts him. I move infinitesimally to see a shirtless Linc approach my side. I try my best not to become distracted and stare, but holy fuck. Even with my beast contained in her cage, how the hell am I supposed to concentrate with a half-naked Linc beside me? I am still female after all.

  I clear my throat to ask what he needs, but Davis beats me to it. “What are you doing, wolf? This is a challenge between us and the crossbreed.”

  Linc smirks, wrapping a hand around my waist and pulling me close.

  Holy fuck, this must be some test from the guardians, because this is beyond cruel. Intense heat radiates off him, and I want nothing more than to melt into a puddle at his feet.

  Linc squeezes my waist gently, trying to help me focus. Clearing away my lust-filled thoughts, I turn back to Davis as Linc starts to explain.

  “See, you didn’t think through everything when you challenged Emerald. Your challenge, while against Emerald, also allows for her soul-ties to help her. But since everyone here is aware that her connection was severed due to magical interference, you assumed there was no one else who could come to her aid.”

  Davis looks thoroughly confused so, Linc keeps speaking. “But there is something you seem to have forgotten in your rush to challenge my mate.” Davis and his friends’ eyes widen at the word ‘mate,’ but Linc doesn’t seem to notice. “You forgot that Emerald is not merely vampire or wolf. She is both. Which means I am well within my right to fight by her side as her mate.”

  “She has no mate,” Davis spits out, glaring at Lincoln. My heart beats wildly in my chest, a combination of fear and worry. If I want his help, I have to acknowledge Linc as my mate in front of all of these people, something I wasn’t sure if I was ready to do quite so soon.

  I turn toward the guys, trusting Linc to have my back if Davis tries anything while I’m still deciding what to do. Talon and Nik both look relieved that I have Linc to help me, but I worry that they’ll be upset with me later.

  Dev, however, stands there with fiercely proud eyes. He nods at me to do what needs to be done, and I know he won’t be upset with me admitting Linc is my mate. But if I fully accept Linc as my mate here and now, then I can’t go back on it. It would be too cruel to do that to him. I want to accept him so fucking much, but the fear of how the others will react is weighing on my mind. They may think I’m just accepting him for his help with the challenge, but what happens when they find out I really want to give Linc a chance?

  That’s when I realize I don’t want to live a life filled with what-ifs. I want to grab life by the balls and live it to the fullest, because if losing my soul-ties has shown me anything, it’s that we never know what will come our way.

  I turn back to face Davis, Linc’s arm never leaving my side. “I do have a mate. The Alpha of the St. Louis pack speaks the truth—he is my mate. I’ve just been denying our connection.” I smile up at Linc sweetly and he grins, running a hand possessively over my hip.

  The three guys behind Davis do not look too happy to be facing off against an Alpha and his mate, but they remain behind their friend, waiting for his instructions.

  “Exactly, so you challenging Emerald, the mate of an Alpha,” Lincoln emphasizes, “is basically a challenge on my pack. It also means I am well within my rights to fight alongside her. Not that I think she really needs any help.”

  “And why’s that?” Davis questions through gritted teeth. I’m guessing he didn’t expect this turn of events.

  I have a feeling I know what Linc’s about to say and I fight not to feel guilty. I still haven’t told my guys about the cold way I dealt with that wolf, and I know Linc won’t be sensitive about the subject.

  “You’ve heard about the wolf the Alpha of the St. Louis pack killed? The one who tried to kill Emerald?”

  Davis nods, his eyes wary, and Linc grins, seeming almost giddy. I can feel him brimming with happiness, which just brings a smile to my face despite the severity of the situation.

  “Well, now you know I’m the Alpha of St. Louis pack, but what you don’t know is that I didn’t kill the wolf. She did.”

  I look at Talon and Nik, the surprise on their faces making me feel guilty again, but it’s the expressions of the other people assembled that has me fidgeting uncomfortably. Britt suddenly appears on the edge of the crowd with her guys by her side. Blaine stares at me intently, and I think he knows exactly why I hunted that wolf down and killed him.

  “Nonsense! We all know your reputation and that wolf was killed by a true monster. We all saw the photos. Only an Alpha as vicious as you could have done that.”

  Linc shakes his head at their blatant disbelief. But why would they think I could do such a thing? I’ve spent my life hiding what I truly am because I don’t want to scare people off, but maybe it’s time that changes?

  “My mate is an Alpha and a very strong one too. In fact, she is next in line to lead the Nevada pack.” Linc looks down at me, beaming with pride.

  I see fear flash in Davis’s eyes right before his gaze flicks to the side, so quickly I almost miss it. There stands Malcolm, his eyes filled with anger as he glares at me, like I’m ruining some grand plan of his. I wonder if anyone else saw the exchange between Davis and Malcolm just now? I would bet my life that the two of them are in league with each other.

  “I amend the challenge,” Davis announces, surprising me. “Wolf form, no weapons.”

  Linc bursts out laughing, his arm slipping from my waist to clutch at his stomach. It takes a moment for him to compose himself. He looks over at Davis as if he’s stupid, which he probably is if he’s in league with Malcolm.

  “I tell you my mate was the one to rip apart the wolf, and you want to face her in wolf form? Oh God, you must have a death wish.”

  The swords disappear from my hands the moment the words leave his mouth, as if they sense they are no longer needed. Davis and his men throw down their weapons and start stripping. Linc turns to me, and with urgency in his tone, inquires, “How fast can you shift?”

  “Uh, two seconds. Why?”

  “Shift! Now! If they see your wolf, they’ll shit themselves and end this challenge. Then we can focus on the real threat,” he growls, turning to glare at Malcolm. It looks like I’m not the only one who’s figured out who’s behind this.

  I don’t think, I just let the cage drop in my mind drop. My beast accepts my call, rising up within me, the shift happening in a split second. I shake off of the remnants of clothing and position myself in an aggressive stance, growling with my teeth bared.

  Linc takes a step back, giving me some room, but he doesn’t go far. I look down at him through my beast’s eyes as I tower over him in this form. He smiles up at me and I relax, knowing he definitely isn’t afraid of my beast form. When I was last in this form, I thought he might have just been too shocked to be afraid, but now I see that isn’t the case.

  Everyone else though? Well, that’s another story entirely. I can smell the pungent scent of fear coming off the majority of the people who are gathered. However, there are a few who look at me with wonder, awe, and general amazement. I guess it must be a bit of a shock seeing me like this.

  Davis and his cronies seem to be among the people who are filled with fear, though, because they’re all frozen midway through stripping down.

  Linc chuckles, running a hand through the fur on my chest. He looks at the four men standing across from us and grins wickedly. “Last chance, pups. Back out of the challenge, or I’ll let Emerald here feed on your carcasses.”

  I let a growl slip free, watching in amusement as they fight not to bow to my will. The Alpha vibes are ten times stronger when we’re in our wolf form, but my beast seems to emit even more intense Alpha pheromones than is typical.

  I watch in satisfaction as they all drop to their knees, my dominance too much for them. “We withdraw
our challenge,” Davis declares, fear still the most prominent scent coming from him.

  Linc nods smugly and turns to look up at me. I bend my head, letting him stroke my snout. Suddenly, though, I sense a shift in the air.

  Linc and I watch in shock as all four of the challengers burst into flames, their screams cutting through the air. Talon, Nik, and Dev swarm around us, while everyone else jumps into action, trying to put out the fires. Unfortunately, though, nothing works.

  Instead, we all just watch on in horror as they burn to death before us.

  Six

  Traitor Revealed

  Emerald

  I was surprised by everyone’s lack of reaction to seeing four wolves burn to death. It was as if the people gathered really didn’t care one way or the other what happened to them.

  So much of the night had gone like it had been rehearsed down to the very last detail, including the challenge. So until someone tells me otherwise, I just have to assume this is all some elaborate setup. But if so, why would someone go through with issuing the challenge just to kill them afterward? What do they have to gain by that?

  I asked Talon why no one seemed more upset that four wolves had just died by spontaneous combustion. He admitted that while everyone was probably scared shitless, and were filled with questions, they most likely assumed that a witch in league with our coven was the person responsible. And if my parents were to outright ask who did it, or search among the attendants for the culprit, then it would be openly admitting they had no control over what was happening at their meeting. So it was better just to pretend that everything happened was all expected, rather than alert everyone it was unplanned.

  And so, the rest of the night continued with us pretending that the four wolves who challenged me hadn’t actually burst into flames after they backed out of the challenge.