by Jordan Deen
“Please stop it,” I begged for her to do something, anything, but she didn’t. She just continued to brush the stupid rag across my face.
“I can’t stand this. Can’t you do anything?” Brea implored.
“Imagine how this is making Brandon feel right now. If this worked, he can feel every convulsion.”
“Oh no,” I said before heaving some more. “Am I feeling Brandon now?”
Serena looked at Brea, sheer panic flashed in her eyes. “Let’s get her up.” Urgently, they looped their arms around me and held me steady in front of the table. “Lacey, you have to finish the ceremony.” She brushed the remaining pieces of the charm into the palm of my shaky hand. “Put these into the bowl, and then, light it on fire. I promise we’ll be done, soon.”
I dumped my palm over the bowl and brushed every shred of the shiny material into the bowl. Without hesitation, I lit the pitch-black concoction on fire. There was no going back now, so there was no need to delay. If Brandon weren’t my true mate, I’d die anyway. And with how sick I felt, I’d be good with that.
“We have to hurry,” Serena said and gathered books and trinkets from her shelves into her leather burlap bag. “I think Brandon’s sicker than we know.”
Brea put her arm around my waist and led me to the door and into Catch’s waiting arms. “We have to hurry. Brandon’s really sick.”
“Did it work?” Catch asked softly, but everything was magnified. The trees, the birds, the stream, even their heavy footsteps on the ground, pounded in my ears. Yes, something had changed; even I could admit that.
“We won’t know yet. But, the instant she destroyed the charm, something happened. She got sick right away.”
“Does Serena think it’s the bond? That she’s sick because of Brandon?”
“I think so.” Brea looked in Serena’s direction. She charged ahead of us on the path, determined to get back to the pack before anything else could happen to me or to Brandon. “I think Serena thinks Brandon has the sickness.”
“No. That’s not possible.” Catch’s arms tightened around my back and my arms.
“Obviously, it is,” Brea said before Trevor and Thomas ran out of the woods, in wolf form, to escort us the rest of the way to camp. My stomach churned all the way, and if this was what Lily meant by I could feel him, then I’d rather skip this part of the whole bonding experience. Couldn’t we just skip to the music and serenity part?
“Where is he?” Serena asked Emile when we walked into our shared cabin. Thomas, Michael, and Emile sat around the large table. Lily sobbed from somewhere near our bedroom. Brandon screamed and moaned from the hallway, each scream scrambled my brain and made my skin crawl. Nicole’s description of seeing the sickness shot to the front of my mind. I didn’t think I could really see him if he was half werewolf and half human. It wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t. There’d be no way I’d accept it, and would probably go insane watching it.
“He’s in Lacey’s bed,” Nicole answered as she walked out of the hallway. “We thought that would be the best place for him.”
“Take me to him,” I said and urged Catch to put me down. The pain I felt each time he screamed told me we were connected in some way, and it was beyond time to test it out.
“Lacey, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea just yet. We don’t know…”
I cut Serena off before she could finish. “Brandon told me I’m stronger than he is. If that’s true, then all we’re doing is wasting time that we seriously don’t have. If Liam and the rest of them are coming, then Brandon can’t be sick when they get here. No one would be able to protect him and keep themselves safe at the same time.”
Brea put her hand on my back and propelled me toward the hallway, “If she said she’s ready, then she’s ready. Go ahead.”
A parade of people followed me. Brandon’s screams and cries got louder as we got closer. My arms and legs cramped under the pain, the throbbing in my head intensified with every step. He screamed my name, and then, coughed many times, making my lungs feel like they’d explode. I kept repeating to myself I can do this. I can do this.
I am stronger than him. He needs me now. But my self-assurances weren’t working, and if the ceremony didn’t work, I’d be disappointing everyone… including myself.
I grasped the doorknob tight and swung the door open, silently hoping that Brandon was fully human and not half Grant when my eyes finally met his. Luckily, he was in human form, but seeing him didn’t make things any better. Bailey sat huddled on the bed next to him with a cloth in her hand. Every time she brushed his neck or body with it, he cringed away from her and yelled again. It really pissed me off. By hurting him, she was hurting me.
“Get away from him,” I said firmly; knowing her presence caused more harm than good. She wasn’t what he needed, I was. Trying to force herself on to him, wouldn’t change anything. She probably hoped I’d be gone by now, since Lily already told half the camp I planned on leaving with Alex as soon as Brea and I got back to camp.
“You have a lot of nerve.” Bailey stood and threw the rag down on the nightstand. “You don’t want to be here and we don’t want you here. Why can’t you just leave?”
It took less than two steps before she was in my face. Her chest pressed against mine; she tried to intimidate me, but she should have known better. Brea reached around me, grabbed Bailey by the hair, and yanked her out of my path to Brandon.
“Don’t think that I won’t kick your ass just because we’re in the same pack,” Brea muttered and pushed Bailey out the door.
“Thanks.” I focused on Brandon’s broken, bruised body. This would be no problem for Haventon. A couple of hours there and he’d feel much better. “Please leave,” I said to Brea, but she understood my meaning.
I wanted everyone out. This was between Brandon and me only. If they needed us, Lily could come into Haventon, like she had before, and pull us out. But right now, our perfect place was exactly what Brandon needed and what he would get. Plus, the anxious feeling of getting to touch him rushed through my arms and down into my ravenous fingertips. If the spell was truly broken, then that first contact should part the seas, open the gates of heaven for us, and spark the beginning of my transformation. Something he desperately needed, and I desperately wanted to get over with.
“Lacey,” he said breathless and moaned as he twisted his aching body on the bed. The pain he felt radiated against me, but didn’t feel like it was my own. Not yet.
With nothing but love in my heart, I sat on the edge of the bed and lay next to him. My body perfectly curled into his, I summoned Haventon with every inch of my being.
“I love you,” I whispered and placed my palm over the clammy skin shielding his heart. The world melted away, taking the bed, the room, the pain, the doubt, and confusion that tainted our relationship with it.
Every dream of our lives that he brought me rushed through my mind like a movie on fast forward. The first time I met him in the office of my old high school, the first time he saw me as Grant, the first time he took me to Haventon, and then, the first time he saw me transform—all his memories flowed into me. In return, I opened my memories to him. I allowed everything to flow freely into his mind of my past.
Of my times with Alex; of the night I came home drunk from the party at Alex’s condo and I finally got to show him what really happened—that I didn’t really sleep with Alex. Although, I showed him the longing I had for it. Step-by-step, I walked him through my memories of growing up without my true family, of my fake parents, of going to high school, and my first bad time with Nate Randall. Then, I showed him us, the dreams of the horrible black wolf that he turned into, and the fears I had over becoming a werewolf. I gave it all over to him. I let him see the emotions and feelings I’d had since they brought me to camp. He took all the information, without passing judgment, and held me tighter, clinging to me until all the dirty laundry was out there, leaving nothing but a clean slate for just the two of us.
&nb
sp; The final memory I showed him was going to the old camp with Brea, and finding my mother’s book. That caused his breathing to stagger beneath me, but he still watched in wonderment as I led him through reading her journal and learning about my history. Silently, he watched as I lit the candles in the woods and transformed into my powerful alter ego for the first time.
Then I waited; waited for him to yell at me and be mad, but he wasn’t. No words had to be spoken; his pride flowed from his skin against mine and filled me with bliss. With everything on the line, Brandon accepted me, all of me, and wanted more. The prickling pain returned, marking the appearance of the crescent branded in the palm of my hand; the perfect half—making us whole. We were bonded… officially bonded. The feeling doubled and tripled in intensity the longer we touched. The pain in his eyes subsided as Haventon drew us into its safety.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Brandon asked with the breeze of Haventon chilling my shoulders.
“I didn’t want Brea to get in trouble.”
“Is that the only way you’ve shifted? With the candles?”
“Yes, but the journal says eventually I’ll be able to do it on my own. I just need more practice.”
“I wonder if you need the magic because you’re a hybrid. What other things can you do? Her book has a lot of spells and stuff in it?”
“I don’t know. She said it would be difficult since I’m the only hybrid.” I traced the curves of his chest with my fingertip, letting the heat of his smooth skin warm mine. “I’m not done reading through everything, so I don’t know what else I can do yet.”
“You know,” he said and brushed hair off my face to kiss my forehead, “some of the best memories I have from my childhood were with your mom.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I used to sneak out while my parents were preoccupied. Emma used to do little spells for me. One time, she transformed a simple piece of paper into a beautiful butterfly that she put in a jar and let me take home. The enchantment only lasted a day or so, but it was like owning a trained pet. I’d open the jar and let it fly around my room. Then I’d call it back to the jar.”
“Some people in the community feared her because she could enchant things, and make things disappear and reappear. But I always loved hanging out with her. The things she could do were amazing.” Hearing him speak so fondly of my real mother made my skin ache for her. The Mares took her from me; they took the life I should have had. I had eighteen years of catching up to do, and only the journal to guide me.
“Your visions showed a lot of insecurity over being here with me. Do you still doubt this? What I’ve told you?”
“No, I don’t doubt any of it.” I pressed my lips to his and felt the addictive draw that everyone told me about. It was so much more enticing than anyone could have ever described.
No wonder Brea always folded under Catch’s touch, and why Nicole never wanted to be away from Dillon. His skin and mine blended together to make one living being. We were no longer two. I didn’t have to let him into my head, he was already there, and I was in his. We didn’t have to say a word because nothing needed to be said. All we had to do was feel… and it was better than anyone could have ever explained.
It felt invigorating and exhilarating all at the same time… yes, Brandon replaced every other person I’d ever had in my life; the misdeeds of my fake parents, Jillian’s deception, and Alex’s lies… none of that mattered anymore. My old life slipped away from me like a funeral pyre, ready to be cast out to the sea on a Viking ship and set ablaze. The new Lacey was born, with more knowledge, strength, and confidence than before.
c h a p t e r
NINETEEN
Brandon and I spent what felt like days in Haventon. We played in the stream, chased each other in wolf form through the woods, danced, and just relaxed in each other’s arms.
Nothing mattered, not the confusion, the worry, the insecurities, the time apart—nothing could disrupt our bliss. That was the change. That was the biggest benefit of the spell being broken. Doubt and regret no longer occupied my heart, and it didn’t feel like Brandon judged me anymore. No, the only thing that mattered to him was each touch, each moment together, and the longing for the next embrace.
The need he felt for me rivaled my own need for him. We were the perfect yin and yang. His strong exterior made the perfect match to my delicate one. We had become the mirror image of Gregory and Emma—no spell necessary.
When I finally woke from Haventon, Brandon was still deep asleep in my bed, but he looked stunning. The marks and bruising from Liam’s attack had vanished. The craving to touch him grew the more I looked at him, but there was so much to be done that I resisted. Haventon had healed him, just like it did for me. Saving him felt… empowering.
The Arlets, the Mares, Alex and Liam all weighed on my mind. I uncurled myself from Brandon and slid my feet to the cool floor. The sun barely peeked through the windows. I knew there wouldn’t be much more time before we were attacked. The enemies were growling at the gates, and it was time for me to growl back.
“Lily?” I said softly when I realized her small body was curled up on her bed. Her Barbie and all her clothes were thrown all around her bed in a giant tantrum-induced circle.
“He’s gone,” she wailed as quietly as she could, but every part of Lily’s body churned and tensed with tremors.
“What?” I reached for her shoulder to fully understand her.
“Matt’s gone. Trevor doesn’t know if he’s dead or if he was taken,” she cried and cupped her hands over her mouth to stop from sobbing. She didn’t want to wake up Brandon, but she couldn’t control the agony that ripped through her. I wrapped my arms tightly around her and comforted the silent shudders.
“It’ll be okay, Lily. We will find him. Matt will be back with you again soon.”
“I should feel it, right? If he were dead?”
I squeezed tighter, wanting to cut off that idea before she really had the chance to realize the true possibility. If he were gone, then she’d die too. “Lily, don’t worry, alright? Can you do me a huge favor and stay here with Brandon? I don’t want to wake him, but I need to go see what is going on. Okay?”
Lily nodded and scurried to my bed to curl up with Brandon. Times like these reminded me of how young and alone she was. I hadn’t even met her parents or any of her real friends yet, and with her mate gone—desperation would set in easily.
“I’ll be back,” I said before shutting the door.
Lily barely listened to me with her adopted big brother under her skin. When Brandon and I moved into our house, she’d be welcome there anytime. Having a younger sister turned out to be not so bad; sure, she had her moments, but overall, I loved her, and he loved her. Although, I knew if Matt wasn’t found, I’d have to watch her go through the sickness… or I’d be on the hunt for the spell to bond her with someone else.
Out in the main hall, every male of the camp gathered around the large table. More than two-dozen eyes fell on me, and with my head held high, I stayed my course and strode right up to Michael’s side at the table.
“You look much better.” He gave me a wide grin, and whispers started spreading through the group of men.
“I finally got some rest,” I said and looked at each of the faces smiling at me.
“Did you need something?” Michael asked. His question offended me. These are my people, and Matt was Lily’s mate and my responsibility. There would be no way I’d let them exclude me from this.
“Yeah, I need someone to catch me up on what’s going on.”
“The women are getting things packed,” he started to say, but I cut him off.
“That’s nice, so what do we know? Has anyone come into camp?”
Michael grabbed my forearm and pulled me away from the table. “Right now, your main concern needs to be Brandon. I need him healed and ready to fight. We are looking for Matt and we will find him. The best thing you can do for the pack right now is to help Brandon
and make sure your bond is strong.”
“I want to help find Matt.”
“Can you turn yet?” He grinned and I considered sticking my tongue out at him and telling him yes, but I don’t.
“No.” A lie, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Well then, go help the women or go be with Brandon. Catch and Brea will stay here while we search the woods.”
“Fine.” I turned and stalked off towards the kitchen to pick Brea’s brain about Matt’s disappearance.
“Hey,” I started talking the second the door swung open. Brea, Emile, and Ava wrapped their arms around me.
“We are so glad it worked!” Emile held me longer than the others, and Brea waited anxiously to hug me again.
“I’m so glad you are better. You seriously had me worried.”
“Thanks for having my back with Bailey.” Speaking of the devil, she was missing from the preparations in the kitchen. Nicole, Lucia, and Britney were gathering bags from the pantry. Ava started to pull more items from the icebox.
“No sweat. That’s what I’m here for.” Brea bumped arms with me.
“So. What’s up with Matt?”
“The only thing we really know is that he went out with Brandon and Trevor. Only the two came back. We aren’t sure it was Liam or not. It could be more, but no one has actually come into camp yet. The guys are getting ready to do a wide sweep of the area.”
“Do you think he’s hurt?”
“Honestly?”
“Yeah,” I watched Emile pick up a box to load food into.
“If he was dead, Lily would already feel it. And she’s not thrashing or hurting like you were with Brandon. So, yeah, he could be just lost in the woods or knocked out somewhere. But, the likeliness was, something happened to him. He should have already been back by now; it’s been hours.”
“So, the guys are going to go out and look for him? Catch isn’t going?”
“No. I told him I wasn’t leaving you, so he won’t leave me. The fact is if the camp is being watched, then whoever it is will try to take advantage of all the leaders being gone at once.”
