by Mina Carter
Damn it to hell, Mia was right. What was wrong with him? He was an idiot. He needed to talk to Brianna, let her know that he was wrong.
Nikolas shifted his gaze to the left. “It looks like you also have something that needs to be taken care of, Joseph.”
Mia followed his gaze. “Shit.”
Joseph glared at Eli.
* * *
Brianna, I need to talk to you
I’m done listening to you talk.
I was wrong.
No, you were right. And I’m done waking up every morning alone. For one night, I believed we had love. Maybe—I don’t really know what I believed. I’m done.
Brianna. He waited for a few seconds. I need to talk to you.
Not right now, Nikolas.
Brianna? His voice was a low, threatening growl.
Startled by his tone, she stood up and took a step away from the table. What? She felt a need to run far and fast.
“He was touching you.” Nikolas was directly behind her. “What are you doing, Brianna? One fight, and you go and—”
“It wasn’t a fight, Nikolas.” She was confused. Normally his steady calm and power led her to him. She turned to face him though she couldn’t see him. She wanted to reach out to him. She wanted to touch him in hopes the physical contact would allow her to see him. She couldn’t detect even the slightest trace of power. And worse, she couldn’t find any clear images in his mind to follow. With his temper flaring, she couldn’t be sure where he was. Taking a deep breath, acting on a leap of faith that he would be there, she reached out to him.
He took her hand and pulled her close. “You belong to me.”
Something felt wrong. He wasn’t completely in control. Anger was rolling, building in him and around him.
She pulled her hand out of his. “No, I don’t. I’m pretty sure I’m not anyone’s property.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Nikolas pulled her behind him and released her hand. He took a step toward Adam. “She’s my mate.”
“Leave him alone, Nikolas.” Brianna moved around Nikolas and reached for him, but in her confusion she grabbed Adam’s arm. She shook her head. Her senses were all screwed up, but she knew it wasn’t Nikolas’s arm she was holding. She released Adam and turned to where she thought Nikolas was standing. “This is insane. You can’t get mad at him for wanting me when you don’t.”
“Brianna.” He took her hand and coaxed her closer to him.
She took a breath through her nostrils. Crinkling her nose, she shook her head. The scent of whiskey was strong. “Have you been … are you drunk, Nikolas?”
It all made sense. His intoxication had to be why her senses were screwed up. His behavior had nothing to do with him wanting her. He was just drunk.
Nikolas looked down at her. “I never said I didn’t want you, Brianna.”
Brianna pulled her hand out of Nikolas’s and stepped back, inadvertently moving closer to Adam. She realized it probably appeared she was expecting him to protect her from Nikolas—not what she wanted either man to believe.
Hoping to defuse the situation, she reached for Nikolas again. At the same time, he moved in preparation to snatch her away and accidentally bumped into her. The impact was hard, painful. She stumbled.
Nikolas reached out to steady her, but the moment she had her balance, she turned to Adam.
“You’re drunk,” Adam said to Nikolas, wrapping his arm around her. “You can talk to her later. Leave her alone before you hurt her.”
“You cannot dictate when I talk to my mate,” Nikolas growled. “Let go of her.”
“You’re scaring her. If you must fight with me over this, we can. But not in front of her.”
Nikolas looked at Brianna. He wanted to wrap his arms around her. Of course he shouldn’t be doing any of this in front of her. His heart sank. She was afraid of him, and for good reason. He’d lost his temper and made her afraid. He’d hurt her arm. “Give me a minute with her.”
“I will leave it up to you, Brianna. Do you want me to leave so you can talk in private with Nikolas?”
Brianna nodded. “Yes.”
“I will be nearby if you need me.” Adam walked away.
Nikolas took Brianna’s hand and held it over his heart. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid for you, Nikolas.”
“There’s no excuse for my behavior tonight. I won’t interfere with your life anymore. But if you’re ever in danger I’ll be there to protect you.”
“You truly don’t want me.”
“Everything I’m doing, I’m doing because I love you, little one. More than anything else I want you. But I need you to be safe. To be happy.”
“Being with you makes me happy.”
“What about tonight?”
“You lost your temper. You’re drunk.”
“I hurt you because I lost my temper.”
“You bumped into my arm.”
“I could’ve broken it.” He paused. “I was pissed because you had the sense to move closer to him for protection from me.”
“That’s not true.”
He used his other hand to heal the bruise on her arm.
“I’m sorry, Brianna.”
He turned and walked away.
* * *
“You would like to alienate Mia from us. What would she say if she knew the truth?” Eli looked at her. “Or do you know how many of our kind his kind has slaughtered? How many women and children have suffered because of their belief they’re superior?”
Mia glanced at Joseph in confusion. She wanted to know more of her kind. Feeling Eli’s rage, she instinctively moved closer to Joseph. Besides, she wanted to hear him dispute it.
Joseph wasn’t going to engage in an argument. He would kill Eli, but he wouldn’t waste his breath responding to Eli’s accusations. She didn’t need him to answer. He looked down at Mia. “You want me to assure you that I’m not guilty, but I won’t do it. You decide if I would have any part in the slaughtering of innocent women and children.”
She looked at Eli, and then she looked up at Joseph. “Never.” She looked at Eli. “I know he wouldn’t. I don’t want to know more about my kind from you. I want the truth. Not stories. There’s nothing you could say to ever convince me Joseph would do anything so heinous.”
Eli growled. “No wonder you’re not one with your wolf—it’s ashamed. It wants no part of you.”
His harsh words hurt, but she was sure it didn’t hurt as badly as his face. Joseph had doubled his fist and hit Eli hard enough to send him hurtling several feet to land on top of a table seating four other patrons.
Eli got to his feet quickly as everyone at the table stared at him in what appeared to be disbelief. When Eli lunged for Joseph, Mia got between them and raised her hands.
Luckily, rather than run her over, he stopped. “Move out of my way, Mia.”
“Not here. Not now.”
When Eli reached to move her out of his way, Joseph grabbed her to pull her behind him, but Mia dug in her heels. As a result, they each had a firm grasp on her arms. Getting between them was a dumb mistake, but she couldn’t allow them to fight with so many innocent people gathered around. “There are too many people here.”
Just then a very large male walked up to them. “We’ve already called the police. You all need to take it outside right now.”
“You called the authorities on me?” Joseph asked.
“Oh, shit. Mr. Payne, I apologize. I didn’t recognize you.” The bouncer gestured toward Eli. “Would you like me to see him out?”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m leaving.” As waiters scurried to reseat the customers whose table he’d landed on and other customers whispered and stared, Eli turned and strode away.
* * *
Watching Eli leave, Mia jabbed Joseph side with her elbow. “You shouldn’t have hit him.”
Joseph stared down at her. “Don’t defend him. Not tonight.”
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She laughed out loud. “That’s not what I was trying to do. You should’ve given me a chance to hit him.”
Joseph smiled. “I could force him to come back.”
She started to laugh but then realized he was serious. “Nah.” She turned, wrapped her arms around his waist, and hugged him tight. “I’ve a feeling we’ll be seeing him again sooner than we want anyways.”
“I won’t force you to be with me. If you feel your place is with him, I’ll respect your wishes.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m serious. Even if you choose to be with him, with your kind, I will find a way to heal you.”
“If you’re serious I’m going to beat your ass.”
“I know we have differences. It’s hard for me to accept your need to be in the middle of a fight. It’s hard for you to accept that I want to protect you. I love you, Mia. I love you with every fiber of my being. We can work through our differences.”
“I’ve a confession, but it’s a secret that you’d better not tell anyone. You are not powerful. You are power. And I like having you as my big, strong, ass-kicking hero.” She closed her eyes and leaned heavily against him. “There’s a certain thrill knowing you are watching over me. I feel you, your power coming to me, ready to fight at any given moment. I know you love me.” She tipped her head back to look up at him. “You are the love of my life, Joseph Payne.”
“I’ve waited for you for so long.” She saw tears in his eyes and heard them in his voice. “I lied to you. I didn’t tell you that you were lycan because I didn’t want to lose you. I’ve known he was here since the night Caylee was attacked. I planned to kill him and his pack before you ever knew he existed.”
“Why?”
“I never actually worried that he could take you from me. But I worried you might choose him over me.”
She started to laugh, but the look on his face told her that it wasn’t a joke. “There’s no other man for me, Joseph.”
Mia paused and then asked. “Was he right about our kind being enemies?”
“We were at odds with each other. I won’t lie. Many lives were lost. Basically, some of your kind wanted more power and dominion. They didn’t care how they got it. They murdered many humans. From the beginning of time, my kind has been charged with the responsibility of protecting mankind and keeping the power of other immortals under control so humans would have a chance.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you would kill me if you thought my powers were too great and I wanted more?”
“Never. I fight and destroy evil. Not a particular being. There is no evil inside you, and there will never be.”
“How do you know?”
“I know.”
Haden and Caylee walked up from behind.
“Is everything okay, Mia?” Caylee asked.
“Yes.” Mia remembered what had been going on with Nikolas and Brianna. “Where’s Brianna?”
“She’s fine. She’s dancing with Adam,” Caylee replied.
“Where’s Nikolas?’
“He left.”
“That’s not good. He was supposed to leave with her.”
“It’s a good thing he left. He’s drunk. He needs some sober-up time.”
~ Eighteen ~
IT WAS WELL past closing, but Mia was still at her boutique rearranging racks of clothing in preparation for a sales event she was having the following day. She heard the front door open and called out, “I’m almost done, Joseph.”
Then she remembered she’d locked the door and she’d never given Joseph a key because he didn’t need to use one. She experienced a strange sensation of déjà vu just a split second before she heard Eli’s voice. “He’s not right for you.”
She turned to face him. “How did you get in here? What are you doing here?” Her first thought was to call Joseph to her, but she didn’t. For reasons she couldn’t figure out, she didn’t want Eli to die. More men walked in, but Mia didn’t believe they were a threat. She knew Eli was in charge, and he wouldn’t allow them to harm her.
Smiling, he dangled a key in front of her. “You dropped it just outside.”
She reached for it. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He handed it to her. “But you won’t have any use for it in the future. I’m taking you with me. You belong with me.”
She counted eight men besides Eli. She wasn’t going to be able to fight them all, but she believed it wouldn’t come to a fight. Deep down she actually believed he didn’t mean any real harm. For whatever reason, he’d gotten the notion in his head that they belonged together. Of course, he was wrong. Joseph was the only man she would ever love. Eli was obviously confused and just plain stubborn as hell, but she believed she could reason with him and help him come to terms with the truth.
Narrowing her gaze on him, she frowned. Well, she could try saving the dumbass before calling Joseph to execute him.
She took a step back to give herself a little space and time to figure out what the hell to say to him to convince him she didn’t belong with him. The men moved with supernatural speed and surrounded her. Still, she knew Eli was in control, and she believed she might be able to reason with him. Instead, she found herself completely immobilized in the strong arms of another man. Her backside was pressed so tightly against his body she didn’t have a hope in hell of getting away.
Eli moved closer to her. “Don’t be afraid. No one will harm you.” As she struggled to break free from the man restraining her from behind, Eli held a cloth over her face. Rather than panic when she realized she was losing consciousness, she called out to Joseph. I need you now! She sent him the image of Eli’s pack standing in her boutique as darkness surrounded and overtook her.
* * *
Joseph no sooner heard her cry for help and saw the image of Eli’s pack surrounding her than his mental connection to her disappeared. Completely disappeared. In its place was a dark, empty void. It was as if she’d never existed. There were only two possibilities: she was dead, or she was unconscious.
His heart stuttered as if it would stop and then slammed against the wall of his chest. He reached for her again and waited for a few seconds but sensed nothing. There was a chance she might reach for him while he wasn’t in tangible form, but he had no choice—he had to shed his flesh and shift to her. Almost instantly, he was standing in the very spot she’d been in when she called out to him, but she was gone.
The first thing he noticed was that there were no visible signs of a struggle. It was the worst thing he could’ve discovered. Mia would’ve fought like hell when Eli approached her. She would’ve done her best to prevent him from taking her.
Eyes scanning the boutique for clues, he breathed deeply through his nostrils, filling his lungs with Eli’s scent. He memorized Eli’s scent and the scent of each pack member that had anything to do with Mia’s abduction. He could and would be able to find them anywhere regardless of how much time passed. And he would eventually kill each and every male involved.
Suddenly, the front window shattered. Slivers of glass sliced his flesh, and bullets tore through his body. Then a powerful explosion shook the building with enough force to throw him back several feet. He landed flat on his back.
Eyes flashing open, he jumped to his feet. Severely wounded, he stumbled backward, but he quickly regained his balance and forced his body to function. His chest was tight, and he was short of breath, but it had nothing to do with the wounds he’d sustained. He was a master of overcoming physical pain.
Something strange was happening. He felt lightheaded and nauseous. His heart physically ached. At first, since he’d seldom feared anything during his long life, he didn’t realize it was panic for Mia. The moment he understood what was happening to his mind and his body, he gathered his strength and took control.
He was surrounded by fire and smoke. The walls and the ceiling were fully engulfed in flames. He stood motionless in the center of her tiny boutique, her pride and jo
y, as it burned down all around him. She’d started out with nothing except a dream and determination. She’d worked hard for it. She’d fought with all that she had to keep it. And now, it was gone.
Eli knew bullets and an explosion couldn’t kill a demon. Eli had destroyed her dream just to buy time to escape with her because he was too much of a coward to fight man to man.
Raising his head to the heavens, Joseph roared. He called Haden to join him as he lifted his arms and pulled the most deadly ancient powers in the universe to him. He drew every ounce of the energy in the atmosphere into his body, determined to send it slamming into Eli with more deadly force than an atomic bomb.
He stopped. What the hell was he doing? He could control the explosion. Mia wouldn’t be harmed, but would she realize that? If he sent all this power to kill Eli and his pack and Mia feared it, she could die of that fear. He couldn’t take that chance. He had to hunt them down, get her back, and then destroy Eli and his pack.
His body began changing. Stretching. Contorting. Growing.
In the form of the dragon, he lifted his head and roared as he shot up straight through the top of the building, using the flames and billowing smoke to hide his ascent from any onlookers. He traveled quickly, making it several miles before Haden joined him. Together they began to search for Mia and Eli’s pack.
* * *
Standing near the campfire, Eli stared over at Mia. She didn’t deserve to be abducted and tied to a tree in the middle of the forest. He’d made a terrible mistake. He hated the way he’d taken her. He knew all too well she could’ve summoned Joseph the moment she saw him and his pack. He hated that he’d stooped to drugging her to prevent her from calling out for help to the male she loved. He’d been convinced for so long that she was his mate, but after seeing her anger and hatred for him in her eyes when she realized he was going to take her, he knew better.
Something else bothered him. Up until the day he’d cornered her in the alley behind her boutique, he’d dreamed of feeling his heart and soul merge with hers the first time they touched. He’d heard many of his kind describe the total connection they shared with their mates and had looked forward to feeling it with her. When he touched her, it just wasn’t there—he didn’t feel any deep connection at all. He couldn’t even force it. Though he’d continued pursuing her, it was mostly because he didn’t know what else to do. For the past twenty years of his three hundred years, finding and possessing her had been his sole purpose for waking up each day.
