“I’ll be the judge of that. Bring him in.” The oldest of the witches, who I assumed was named Gerry, turned and walked inside.
Vanessa pulled me inside to where Gerry waited with the other two young witches.
The blonde, Landa, or whatever her name was grinned at me. “Is he ready for the assessment?”
“Yes. He's ready.” Vanessa dropped the leash and all four of them took seats on a long black leather couch.
The dark haired one leaned back against the couch. “He's big. That’s always helpful.”
“Yes. He'd be useful for manual labor.” Gerry commented.
“Can you dance?” Landa flipped some of her hair off her shoulder.
I said nothing. Once again I couldn’t move. Otherwise I’d have been running.
“Answer her.” Gerry snapped.
I went to open my mouth and was surprised when my voice came out. “Dance? Are you kidding me?”
“Don’t talk back to us,” Vanessa snapped.
“I'm going to say whatever I want to say. You can't keep me here.” I wasn’t going down without a fight.
“Is that so?” Gerry stepped toward me. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes.”
Gerry made a disgusted sound. “I’ll be back to check on him later. Be sure that you have him in line.” She walked out the door.
“Thanks a lot.” Vanessa wagged a finger in my face again. “My first chance to prove myself, and you had to screw it up?”
“Prove yourself? Just let me the hell out of here.”
“No. I can make you obey.”
“Should I get the water?” The dark haired one asked.
“Yes. I'll get the chains.” Landa hurried off.
Water? Chains?”
Moments later a bucket full of cold water was poured over my head.
I shivered. The small cottage wasn't heated much and the cold water came as a shock.
“Sit down, Sprinkles.” Vanessa pointed at me.
“No.” I seemed to have control back.
“Sit, Sprinkles.”
“I'm not a fucking dog.”
In a flash, my body slammed into the wood floor and chains were tied around my hands and feet. “You will do as we say.”
“No. I will do nothing that you say.” I was tired of being told what to do. I’d have rather died than played their games.
My whole body convulsed as electricity seemed to run through me.
The witches laughed.
I blinked a few times, trying to recover.
When I opened my eyes Vanessa was right in front of me. “Still going to disobey me?”
“Yes.”
An even stronger jolt ran through me. Were they electrocuting me? Once I recovered I gritted my teeth. “I'm never going to listen.”
“Oh, Sprinkles. I don't want to keep doing this. Did you see Granola? He was shocked three times. Do you really want to become like him?”
“I'm never doing anything you bitches say.”
Another jolt ran through me. This one was more intense and lasted longer than the previous ones. I couldn't open my eyes, but I heard the sound of a loud knock.
“Who is it?” Vanessa snapped.
“It's me. Let me in.”
I recognized that voice. I shouldn't have been relieved to hear it, but at least Hunter hadn't tried to electrocute me.
Vanessa exhaled loudly. “Let him in.”
I forced my eyes open. I blinked several times to bring my vison into focus.
Hunter stood a few feet away completely naked. He must have come over as a wolf. His hulking form dwarfed the small room. “I need that one back.” He pointed at me.
“Why? We're using him.” Vanessa grinned.
I closed my eyes again. The effort to keep them open wasn’t worth it when I couldn’t move anyway.
“I need him.”
“Why? Why him? You've never taken the others.”
“I said I need him.” Hunter's voice sounded louder. I forced my eyes open. He stood a few feet from me. “My reasons don't concern you.”
“Oh, it's the girl. Isn't it? That little tramp you've obviously been with. Does she have you fetching her other men? Are you not enough to satisfy her?”
“Don’t speak of her.” Hunter growled. “I'm taking him.”
“I see how it is. You’re jealous.” She giggled.
“Jealous?”
“Yes.” She ran a hand down his chest. “You miss my attention.”
“I don’t miss you. I miss the girl I knew before.” He pushed her out of the way.
She sighed in an exaggerated way. “Fine, you can have him, but I need to do one more thing.” A final jolt ran through me, it was even stronger, and it gradually got worse. My body started to shake uncontrollably. Then just as suddenly as the searing pain and jolting started, everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mary Anne
I watched out the front window with my face pressed against the glass like a little kid watching for Santa. The snow had started again. I used to love watching the falling flakes, but after all we’d been through, I hoped to never see snow again. I was ready to move to the tropics.
Finally, what felt like an eternity later, I saw Hunter running toward the house. He was holding something in his arms, and my chest tightened. Was it Gage?
I didn’t wait for Marni. I just headed out the door. She didn’t try to stop me. Instead she just followed me out.
I rushed over to meet Hunter, trying to get a look at what he held. I knew it was Gage, but I didn’t want to accept that he couldn’t walk on his own. “Is he okay?” I peered over.
Hunter shook his head. “No. I was too late.” He laid Gage’s motionless body down in the snow.
Every inch of me was frozen, but not from the cold. I could have cared less about the wind and snow, but Gage's pale face had my chest clenching and my heart racing. He couldn't die. He couldn't. I squeezed his hand, willing some of my energy to jump from my body into his. He should have escaped when he had the chance. He shouldn’t have waited for me. I wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t worth his life.
“Please, open your eyes.” I'd never wanted to see his brown eyes more. “Please, do it for me.” Gage was more than just my fantasy, he was so much better. He was so deserving of a full and long life.
Memories from the night before flooded me. The feel of his hands on my skin, the taste of his mouth, the way his lips trailed down my body. Gage made me feel alive in a way I never imagined possible. I wasn’t giving up on him. I couldn't. I needed him. I'd never needed someone so much. He was all I had anymore, and I knew even if I returned to my real life it would be empty without him. I’d have given up anything for him. I’d already given up my freedom, but I’d give up more. I’d give up everything.
“He's not waking up.” Hunter's deep voice startled me. I’d almost forgotten I wasn’t alone with Gage. I couldn’t see anything but his face.
I ignored Hunter. Of course he'd say that. He didn't want Gage to be okay.
“Mary Anne. He's dying. You can't change that.” There was something in Hunter’s words that made me pause.
“But can you?” I turned, standing up while holding on to a tiny ray of hope.
“It won't be easy.”
“Do it! Do anything. Please.” I fell to my knees in front of him. “Save him. Please. You promised. You promised you’d bring him back.”
“And I tried. I brought him back here.”
I clasped my hands together. “It doesn’t count. You have to save him.”
“There’s one thing I can do, but it’s taking a huge risk. I would be putting my entire pack in jeopardy.”
“Do it. I swear I’ll be yours. I’ll do anything. Please.”
“Be careful what you offer.”
“I'm serious. Anything.” I looked up at him through tear rimmed eyes. Anything was worth saving Gage, no matter the cost.
“It doesn’t matter.” He s
hook his head. “I can’t do it.”
“You can.” I grabbed a hold of his legs. “Please. Please.” The tears started streaming down my face.
“No one will judge you for it.” Marni’s voice was strong, assertive. I looked around Hunter’s legs to find her. “We’ll all understand.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
She shrugged. “And what isn’t?”
Hunter kneeled down beside me. His face flashed with indecision.
“Please. I already told you. I’ll do anything.”
He nodded and put a hand on my shoulder. “Be my mate.”
“Your mate?” I knew that term had strong meaning, but I’d have agreed to anything.
“Yes. My mate. You’ll belong to me in every way.”
“If I promise, will you save him?”
“Yes. In the only way I can.”
“And what way is that?” I shivered.
He dodged my question. “He may not appreciate the decision your making.”
“Will he be alive?”
“Yes. But he won’t be the same.”
“What does that mean?”
“I have to change him. I have to make him one of us.”
I didn’t care whether Gage would agree or not. Life of any sort was better than death. I couldn’t lose him. “Do it. It’s better than letting him die.”
“Stand back.”
“No. I need to stay with him.”
“Stand back. We’re running out of time,” Hunter growled. “Marni, hold her. Don’t let go.”
“Of course.” She grabbed my arms. “Are you ready for this Hunter? I know I told you we wouldn’t judge, but do you really want to do this?” She was playing the devil’s advocate, and I wanted to shake her to tell her to shut up. We were running out of time.
“It’s worth it. It’s worth it for her.” The air buzzed as Hunter turned into a wolf. His wolf eyes locked with mine before he bit down on Gage’s neck.
I forced myself to watch as blood oozed out. “Is he hurting him?”
Marni hesitated before responding. “I’ve never seen this before. Only an Alpha Dire can change someone—it’s one of the things that make us different from other shifters. We’re the only ones who still have the power.”
Hunter released Gage and let out a loud and deep howl.
Gage’s body began to convulse, and I cried. I cried for the boy I almost lost, and for the boy I could never have again. I knew I couldn’t get out of what I promised Hunter, and I wouldn’t try. Not if he saved Gage. Not if he gave him another chance at life.
The minutes passed and with no warning Hunter stepped back and transformed into his human form. I rushed over just in time to watch Gage’s eyes open. I moved toward him, but Hunter held me back. I pushed against his arm until Gage stood up and let out a thundering growl. What had we done?
The Dire Wolves Chronicles continue in Dusk (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #2) coming winter 2015! Keep reading for a preview of Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1), a New Adult Paranormal Romance by Alyssa Rose Ivy.
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Soar
the
empire chronicles
Alyssa Rose Ivy
Chapter One
Casey
Glowing Eyes. In the chaos of the moment, the only thing I could focus on were the yellow eyes that followed my every move. They were eerie and seemed more at home on an animatronic creation than on the living, breathing animal that had me cornered in the alley. I knew I was stuck, but I didn’t think about death. It wasn’t an option because I wasn’t ready for it. Realistic or not, I was a firm believer that we make our own destiny.
I stepped back, convinced that if I walked backward slowly enough, I’d escape. I silently cursed Eric for making me throw out the trash after my shift. He was such an ass of an assistant manager.
At first, the wolf didn’t move—at least I thought it was a wolf, although it seemed two sizes too big. As strange as it should have been to see a giant wolf in an alley, I’d seen far stranger in my nine months of living in New York City.
“Easy boy,” I said in a half whisper, more for myself than for the beast now taking slow, deliberate steps toward me.
All of a sudden, he lunged. Gray fur moved in a blur as I blocked my face the best I could in the spilt second I had. A whimper rang out, and I lowered my arms when the contact never came.
The gray wolf slowly limped out of the alley. I searched for an explanation as I struggled to regain my breath and vaguely saw another figure disappear into the distance. He could have been any man, except that in my adrenaline-rich state, I could have sworn he had wings.
My head started to spin, and I reached out for something to hold onto. Then everything went black.
***
“Hey, Bates! Are you okay?”
I forced my eyes open, confused about the cause of my killer headache and the fogginess permeating my head.
“Casey?” Eric bent down next to me with some legitimate concern on his face. “Are you all right?”
“How long have I been out here?” I glanced around, trying to make sense of how I ended up face down in a pile of trash outside my place of work.
“Not too long. When you never came in from tossing the trash I got worried.”
Likely. Eric was probably more worried about being named in a potential law suit.
“I’m fine… I think.” I struggled to remember what had happened. The only memory I had couldn’t be real. It involved a wolf and a strange guy with wings. Evidently I managed to pass out and hit my head on a trash can. Because that’s normal.
“Are you sure? Do you think you can walk?”
“Yeah, I can walk.” The alternative was to let him carry me inside. Despite his good looks, Eric’s personality nullified any desire to have him hold me, even if walking seemed like an insurmountable task at the moment. Out of necessity, I accepted his outstretched hand and leaned heavily on his shoulder. My head continued to throb, and all I wanted to do was get home and lie down.
He put me down on the couch in the break room. The worn sofa wasn’t a place I ever wanted to lay my head, considering it was twenty years old and had probably never been cleaned, but I didn’t have a choice. The world was spinning.
“Did you hit your head?” Eric asked, taking a seat next to me. His muscular arm blocked my view of the room.
I reached up and touched the knot forming on the back of my head. “Yes. I have no idea how.”
“Only you would do something that ridiculous.” He routinely made fun of me, but something was off. Then again, I’d hit my head so maybe everything was off.
“Can you get my purse? It’s in that locker.” I pointed around him to where I’d stowed my stuff.
“Sure.” He walked across the room and retrieved my ancient knock-off Gucci. He handed it to me, and I fished out my phone.
“Are you calling someone to get you?” He settled in next to me. The couch sunk down from the extra weight.
“Yeah. My cousin.” I hit Rhett’s name on my contacts list.
“Casey?” Rhett answered after two rings. Five years older than me, Rhett and I didn’t hang out much, but he was being seriously awesome by letting me crash in the spare bedroom (read closet) in his apartment in the Village.
“Any chance you could walk down to Coffee Heaven?”
“Sure…but is there a particular reason why?” He sounded distracted, which probably meant he was buried in his research. A twinge of guilt went through me when I thought about bothering him, but asking Eric to walk me home was out of the question, and we were the only two closing.
“I kind of passed out and hit my head.”
“What?” Shuffling, followed by a door slamming, let me know he was on
his way. I worked a few blocks from Rhett’s place, so I knew it wouldn’t be long. “Hold tight. I’ll be right there.”
“I could have walked you home.” Eric stood up, probably getting ready to unlock the front door for Rhett. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, but he quickly shut it.
“Rhett doesn’t mind.”
Eric mumbled something incomprehensible before stomping off through the doorway. I didn’t really get him. He was a jerk to me most of the time, but then other times he got almost protective.
Eric returned minutes later with Rhett on his heels.
“You okay, Case?” Rhett kneeled down in front of me. As usual, his brown hair was all rumpled, and it looked like he hadn’t showered yet. It was ten o’clock at night.
“I think so.”
“What happened to her?” He looked at Eric, an unspoken accusation hanging in the air.
“I’m not positive. She went out to toss the trash and when I came out to look for her, she was on the ground.”
“Next time, throw out the trash yourself.” Rhett helped me up. “Casey won’t be coming in to work tomorrow.”
“Hey. I will so. I need the shift.” My savings were dwindling, and that didn’t bode well for going back to school the next semester.
Rhett shook his head. “No, you don’t.”
“I do. Eric, don’t find someone to cover me. I’ll be in.”
“See you tomorrow, Bates.” Eric blatantly ignored my cousin and called me by my last name. No matter how many times I reminded him that I preferred he use my first name, he disregarded the request.
“Night,” I called just before the door closed behind us, leaving us in the brisk night air.
“You’re a glutton for punishment, kid.”
“Who are you calling kid?” I linked my arm with Rhett’s as we walked past Washington Square Park. I was feeling better but was still light headed.
“You’re nineteen. You’re a kid.”
“I don’t feel like one.” Working full time and trying to support myself on only a step above minimum wage had been an eye opening experience, even with the ridiculously cheap rent I owed Rhett.
Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 1) Page 17
