“Open the door, Madie. I know you’re in there,” he grumbled impatiently.
Madie closed her eyes and counted to five, then unlocked the door. “What are you doing here, Damon?”
“I’m here to make sure that you’re alright. That our baby is alright,” he said in strained voice. “Can I please come in?”
She stepped aside. “How’d you hear about the accident?”
“I didn’t.” His gaze darted over her, looking for any sign of injury. He locked onto the scratches on her hands, then traveled to the bandage on her ankle. “I just knew.”
Her suspicions rose again. Had he been the one behind the wheel? The thought sent ice through her veins. Before she dared voice the question, Damon lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed every scrape, every bruise. His tongue darted out over the deeper wounds.
When his eyes met hers again, they were filled with unshed tears. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you and our child from danger.”
A lump formed in her throat and the muscles in her chest tightened, threatening to cut off her air. “That’s alright.” Madie carefully pulled her hands away. She could think with him touching her. His tenderness was hurting her heart.
She couldn’t allow that to happen again. She couldn’t survive any more pain. Madie had to stay strong for herself and her child. The only way to do that was to keep Damon away.
His mere presence brought danger to her, to her way of life, to her sanity. They came from two different worlds. Heck, they were two different species. They had no chance at a future.
“What happened?” His face was pale and drawn with worry.
“I almost got run down. Guess the driver didn’t see me, because he kept going afterwards.”
“You don’t really believe that do you?” he asked.
“I don’t know what to believe,” she said truthfully. “I’m tired. I am confused. And I really need to be left alone.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine.” Madie wobbled, not used to the foreign feel of a crutch under her arm. “The doctor said I was lucky, no broken bones, just lots of bruising. I’ll have to keep it wrapped for a couple of days and put lots of ice on it.” Madie’s foot was almost black, but she could put weight on her ankle.
Damon stared at her bandaged foot.
If he continued to look at her like that, she was going to cave. She could feel the walls inside her beginning to crumble. She had to get him out of her house, out of her life before that happened.
“You need to go.” Madie ignored the pain welling inside.
Damon flinched, but didn’t say a word. His eyes sought hers, their amber depths fathomless.
“Before you leave, I have something for you.” Madie limped into the kitchen to retrieve what he’d wanted all along. When she returned, she dropped the battered tome onto the coffee table. “Here, this is what you really came for. Isn’t it?”
“Madie.” Damon reached for her.
“Don’t!” She jerked back. “Take it! Take it and leave. It’s what you wanted. What you’ve always wanted.” Madie laughed bitterly. “You never wanted me.”
She’d been such a fool to believe that a man like Damon Laroche would want a sheltered, naïve woman like her. Gaston’s overprotective nature had done her no favors. She might as well have stupid tattooed on her forehead.
“That’s not true,” Damon said.
“All these years I thought Gaston was wrong,” she said. “But he was right about you.”
Damon stiffened and red bloomed in his cheeks.
“A werewolf really can rip your heart out before you realize what has happened. I’m living proof.”
He flinched and pain flashed across his face. “Don’t go,” he murmured.
It hurt to look at him, but Madie forced herself to meet Damon’s eyes. “There’s no reason for me to stay. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an initiation to get ready for.”
Damon walked to the door, then stopped short, gripping the frame until his fingers turned white. Through gritted teeth he said, “If you need me, just call and I’ll come for you.” With that, he pushed forward and strode into the darkness.
Madie watched him until he disappeared from sight. With each step he took, her heart sank a little farther in her chest.
It was for the best, she told herself again. They couldn’t possibly remain together. Could they? Definitely not. Their whole relationship had been based on lies.
She’d given Damon exactly what he wanted, what he’d really come for. Madie had made the right decision, she was sure of it.
Then how come it feels like my heart is breaking?
***
Anger boiled inside of Damon like a caldron left too long upon a fire. He knew Madie wanted him—wanted their child, but she insisted on pushing him away. Her birthday was tomorrow, which meant the ceremony was upon them and he was no closer to solving the murders. To make matters worse, the killer was now after Madie.
Why would he target Madie?
It made no sense. She’s human, not wolf.
Damon stopped. Madie may not be wolf, but she was carrying one. He could smell the babe on her skin. Taste it in her blood, when he’d cleaned her wounds. She may be human, but what was growing inside her wasn’t. Did the killer know that?
Was it possible Madie was being hunted by another Hunter?
Damon couldn’t dismiss the thought outright. Anything was possible. He was pretty sure that Gaston would not hunt his own, even though the Hunter’s behavior was getting more and more erratic. The risks he took grew bolder and bolder, as if he were no longer worried about being caught or violating the treaty. There was no telling what he’d do next.
Had he hired an outsider to kill Madie, so that her blood wouldn’t be on his hands?
In the end, it didn’t matter. Damon had to stop whoever was doing this or die along with his bondmate and heir.
Damon returned to the home that he’d rented, while his other house was being rebuilt. Thoughts of Madie flooded his mind. He was missing something, but what? He pulled out the folders the Lycanian Elders had given him about the pack members that had died. There had to be a common denominator. He just hadn’t noticed it yet.
He scanned the papers until his eyes burned. All the members that had died had been from the Fortier line, except Jacque.
Why had the killer picked Jacque? He wasn’t part of the pattern. Was it because he was heir apparent? Damon didn’t think so.
His hands shook as he picked up the Book of Lycan. The leather was soft and pliant beneath his fingertips. Damon had spent years trying to get his hands on the records written on these pages. In this book, he’d finally discover the truth about what had happened to his brother and the others.
And the information had only cost him his bondmate and unborn child.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Madie phoned Gaston the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday. She thought he’d be happy to hear from her, but his gruff tone told her otherwise.
“I’m ready to go through with the initiation, but I’m keeping my apartment. I want a place in town, so I can be near my gallery,” she said, sounding braver than she actually felt.
“We’ll discuss it when I arrive,” he said. “I’ll be there in late afternoon.” Gaston hung up before she could respond.
So much for wishing her a happy birthday.
Jack and her father arrived, when Gaston said they would. Madie had dressed in slacks and flat shoes because she wasn’t sure what she’d have to do once the initiation started. To be honest, she didn’t care as long as the whole thing went by quickly.
They piled into the front seat of her father’s pickup truck and drove to her family home. Jack sat on one side of her and Gaston on the other. Madie felt like the filling in a rancid sandwich. Broad shoulders brushed hers squeezing off any chance of movement. She reached for the radio in hopes of relieving the tension in the cab, but Gaston stopped
her. Instead, they drove in silence.
The sun slowly faded on the horizon, its waning rays winked over the treetops before saying goodbye. Madie felt the chill to her bones and snuggled deeper into her sweater.
After a quick fuel stop, they finally reached the long familiar driveway that led to her childhood home. Gaston didn’t put on his blinker nor did he slow down as they approached.
“Gaston, you’re going to miss the driveway.” Madie watched as they drove past it. “We have to turn around.”
Gaston glanced at her. “We aren’t going to the house, girl.”
She frowned and looked back as the drive faded into the distance. “But I thought…what about the ceremony?”
“Isn’t held at the house,” he said, finishing her thought.
Jack kept a watchful eye on the woods. His sharp gaze scanning the tree-line for any sign of movement.
“Anything yet?” Gaston asked, without taking his eyes off the road.
Jack shook his head. “Not yet.”
Suspicion rose inside her. “What are you looking for?”
“Company.” Jack’s eyes fastened on her abdomen and his expression slowly twisted in to hatred, before carefully resuming its stony façade.
Madie crossed her arms defensively and looked straight ahead.
Gaston pulled onto an unpaved road that was full of ruts. The truck bounced its way to the woods, then stopped. “We’re here.” He shut the engine off.
They all climbed out.
Madie was stiff from the long ride. She stretched her arms above her head, then touched her toes.
“Stop fooling around!” Gaston said. “We still have a ways to go.” He led them down a trail, deeper and deeper into the forest.
Fear and her crutch slowed her footsteps. “Where are we going?” Madie asked.
“You’ll see.” He dismissed her question.
Jack nudged her forward, but continued to watch their surroundings.
“Father?”
“Don’t ever call me that!” he bellowed.
Madie flinched as his words struck her. Something was wrong, very wrong. “I want to go back to the house.”
Jack reached out and grasped Madie’s arm, his grip tightening to the point of pain. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
She tried to pull away, but he only increased the pressure. “Let go! You’re hurting me.”
“I’ll do more than that, if you don’t come along.” Jack leaned in close to her ear, so that only she could hear what he was saying. “I can smell him on you,” he growled. “You carry his heir in your womb.”
He knew about Damon and the baby. But how?
Madie struggled to break Jack’s punishing grasp. “Gaston, what is going on?”
Gaston’s lip curled. “You always were weak.” He shook his head in disgust. “I should have rid myself of your existence when I found out your mother had that affair in Boston. She said you were mine, but the Valois’ breed true, and they always breed male.”
The shock of the admission numbed Madie to the core. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. All the years of trying to get Gaston to love her. All the years of thinking that she wasn’t good enough in his eyes, finally made sense. So much wasted time. Well no more.
She stared at Jack and Gaston. The two men looked as if they were possessed. Their pale faces were sunken, their eyes reduced to slits, and their mouths were no more than twisted lines of determination. They upped the pace and Madie found herself having to hobble quickly to keep up, which sent pain spiking through her ankle.
They reached a clearing in the center of the woods. Someone had gathered stones and laid out in a circle. Four torches were perched around the crude structure. Jack released Madie long enough to go light them.
She looked around.
The center of the stone circle held four stakes with leather tethers attached to each one. She didn’t like the looks of this at all. Madie gauged the distance back to the truck, but knew with her bum ankle that she’d never be able to outrun Jack.
“What are you planning?” she asked.
Before her Gaston could answer, Jack lifted off the ground and carried her into the circle. He held her down, while the man she’d thought was her father tied her arms and legs to the stakes.
“He’ll come for her,” Jack said. “He has no choice. She carries his spawn.”
Gaston gasped in horror. “She’s been tainted?”
Jack nodded.
“How do you know?” Gaston’s gaze examined Madie closely.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jack asked. “She doesn’t cringe from my touch. She’s used to male hands being upon her body. If she were pure, that wouldn’t be the case.”
Gaston’s face flushed. “But you said there was a babe, perhaps you’re wrong?”
Jack shook his head. “No, I followed her to the Alpha’s house. I heard her tell him that she was carrying his heir.”
Gaston’s eyes burned with hatred. “You whore!” He spat. “If you weren’t my sole heir, I’d shoot you this instant.” He slipped the safety off on his gun.
Madie’s heart slammed into her ribs. “I can explain.” She pulled against the restraints, but it only made them tighter.
“Don’t say another word. I raised you as my own and you’ve dishonored me. You’ve dishonored this family,” Gaston said. “Jack, get the head strap. We’ll have to pry her jaw open to get her to drink the potion.”
In that moment, Madie knew they were insane. She had to get away from them or she and her unborn child were going to die.
Jack hesitated. “Will it kill the child?” he asked, but there was no concern in his voice, no feeling whatsoever. The utter disregard for her safety chilled her.
“What does it matter?” Gaston countered. “She’s already ruined everything.”
Unholy light filled Jack’s eyes. “Perhaps not,” he said. “I’ve been giving her pregnancy some thought. We might be able to use it to our advantage.”
Gaston turned to him. “How so?”
“She’s carrying what will in all likelihood be the future Alpha of the Moonlight Kin pack,” Jack said.
“So?” Gaston glowered.
“So, if I was to say marry Madie, and she had the baby, then we’d eventually have total control over the pack,” he said. “They wouldn’t be able to deny their Alpha once the child got a little older.”
Jack’s reasoning, though sound, terrified Madie. No way would she agree to any of this. She’d die before she’d allow her child to be used in this fashion.
“If the abomination lives,” Gaston said with a disgusted snort. “You can do whatever you want with it. It’s not like it’s human.”
Jack retrieved the potion and handed it to Gaston, who stirred the paste until it thinned into a semi-liquid state.
Madie pulled on the tether as Jack strapped her head in. The restraints locked her forehead in place and yanked at her jaw down until her mouth hung open. “Don’t do this!” she pleaded.
Jack leaned in close. “This is the only chance you and your baby have of making it out of here alive. I suggest that you shut up and take it, before I remove the offer from the table and move on to our backup plan. It’s not like I’m happy to be getting Damon’s sloppy seconds.”
Gaston approached. There was no love in his eyes as he poured the potion down her throat. Madie tried to spit it out, but the tether prevented it. She held it in her mouth for as long as she could, but with Jack massaging her throat, she eventually had to swallow.
The bitter taste made her gag, but the potion stayed down.
“Now we wait,” Gaston said. “It shouldn’t take long for it to take effect. When it does, she’ll do whatever we want.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Damon had spent the night and all morning reading the Book of Lycan. He was still in shock over what he’d discovered. The pain that followed was nearly unbearable. He had to contact the Elders, then he’d go find Madie. If what he’d read was
true, then she was in serious danger.
It was early evening by the time Damon reached Madie’s home. He pounded on the door, but there was no answer. She was gone. Had been gone for a while, if her fading scent was any indication.
He recognized Gaston’s stink and the same elusive werewolf scent that he’d caught earlier. This time it was fresh. His blood went cold. Fear gripped his heart like icy tentacles.
“Why?” he asked, but the empty house held no answers.
There was only one place that Madie could be—at her family’s estate. He had to reach her. Save her. It wasn’t until that moment that Damon realized how much he loved her.
He raced out of the house, his heart beating a mile a minute. Damon turned a corner and slammed into a wall or at least that’s what he thought. When he looked up, he was face to face with Luc.
Damon stumbled back, preparing to fight his Beta if need be. “What are you doing here?” he asked, a growl forming in his throat.
“I’ve come to warn you that the pack is after your mate.” Luc grumbled. “But I can see I’m too late.”
Damon smiled at the sour expression on Luc’s face. “I should have known I could count on you my friend.” Then the words Luc spoke finally sank in. Damon’s face drained of blood. “How long have they been on the hunt?”
Luc glanced at his watch. “At least an hour or two. They were headed out to the Hunter’s estate.”
“Then we must hurry. My mate and child are in even greater danger than I realized.”
Luc grabbed Damon by the shoulder and guided him to his waiting vehicle. “I’ll drive. You talk,” he said.
Damon explained that Gaston had Madie.
Luc’s eyes narrowed. “But Gaston is her father. Surely no harm will come to her.”
“There is another.” Damon raked a hand through his hair. “I thought it was you. The scent was familiar. I didn’t know the truth until last night. I still can’t believe it.”
“Werewolf? Are you saying the Hunter is working with a wolf?” Damon’s expression mirrored Luc’s shocked one.
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