Tamed: A Huntress Spin-off Novel

by Adria Wade

  Tears seeped out of my eyes, cooling my hot cheeks, and I bit down on my bottom lip so hard that I drew blood as I fought as much as my worn out body would let me. But I didn’t have much else to give. Still, I pushed forward, willing myself to stay strong.

  I felt a tug at my chin. “Stop. You’re making yourself bleed. Let go,” Taylor said.

  My teeth slid over my lip as I let go of my hold. As hours passed, time seemed to drag on and I was left suffering and forcing myself to go on when I all I wanted was to give in already. I felt trapped, forever swimming in a sea of scorching, hot lava, desperately wanting to be free of the hurt, but there was no way out. My mouth began to throb as an ache pulsated through my gums.

  I heard a gasp. “Taylor, look,” Chelsea said.

  Taylor hovered over me, opening my mouth more than it already was, and his eyes widened slightly before relief flooded his tired, worried face. “She has her fangs…it’s almost done.”

  The spasms continued to rage on within, ripping and taking, twisting and turning as the pain the venom had brought refused to let me go.

  When the pain slowly drifted away and my body was left numb, I lied still, too worn out to move my sore body. I panted and shut my eyes, feeling my frantic heart gradually slow to a steady beat. I had never been so incredibly happy in my life to finally be free of the torture.

  I turned on my side, wincing from the soreness of my muscles, and pressed my cheek against Eli’s hand that still wrapped around my own. I let myself drift into a deep sleep, and everything around me grew farther away. Peace rained down on my brittle, beaten body, finally allowing my soul to roar victory over death’s cold grip.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Whispering that was once barely audible, had become so incredibly clear and easy to pick up on as I came to. Adrenaline buzzed through my veins. It was such a rush, and I felt so alive that I couldn’t stand to be in bed any longer. I craved the outdoors. I wanted so bad to be outside where the owls hooted and the moon shed its light on the night. I wanted to sprint through the woods and run up the mountains as the fresh air brushed against my skin. My insides vibrated as the sound of a whiny whimper exploded in my head.

  My eyes popped open. What was that? It seemed like there was something alive inside of me. It was strange, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I had to ask. I sat up, surprised by the empty room that surrounded me. I furrowed my brow. The room was empty, yet the voices were still there, filling my ears as if they were right next to me; only there was no one in sight. It was Eli, Taylor, and Hunter. Eli and Taylor were laughing and joking about my defiant ways to Hunter, and how he was too soft to ever handle me.

  I gasped. That’s right. Hunter bit me. He’s my alpha. It was slowly sinking in now. Everything had changed. The way I lived my life would change. My body changed. I would have to get used to the new me.

  I got out of bed, opened the door, and stepped out in the hall. Eli, Taylor, and Hunter were at the end of the hall, far away from my door, and I gathered then that my ears were sensitive to sound. I rushed down the hall, eager to get to them. I needed Hunter. They saw me coming, and their smiles broadened from the sight of me.

  “Your little puppet’s awake!” Taylor said to Hunter, grinning.

  “Really? Puppet?” My brows rose.

  “Yeah.” He pointed to Hunter then to me. “Master, puppet, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the other way around. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

  “My roar will do all the work,” Hunter said.

  “This is going to be very interesting,” I said.

  There was a warm smile to Eli’s face as his hands found my waist and pulled me close. “You wear orange well.”

  I brought my hand up to feel underneath my eye. I almost forgot. “My eyes.”

  He nodded. “We match. It’s only temporary. Once your body adjusts completely your natural eye color will return.”

  As he claimed my lips, a jolt of excitement exploded within and I heard it again in my head—the whimpering. Only this time, it had turned into a howl, and I could feel the vibration course throughout the rest of my body. A sudden urge to kiss him even more took over. Despite my deep want for him, I was afraid of what was going on inside my head.

  I pushed him away and averted my gaze to Hunter. “There’s something inside me. I heard a whimper in my head, even a howl. I think I actually felt it…it made my body vibrate.”

  “It’s okay. It’s only your wolf. You must have made her stir. What were you thinking about?” Hunter said.

  “I had an urge to go outside all of a sudden, and that’s when it happened. Wait a minute, so you’re telling me that there’s another person in me?”

  “The animal is in you. It stays hidden until you’re ready to take on wolf form, but certain things that would appeal to her or even anger you, which alarms her, will make her react and want to take on wolf form,” Hunter said.

  “Don’t you know anything about mythology?” Eli asked.

  “I was aware of the powers, but I didn’t actually know the wolf lived within me like it was an actual person. The damn thing started whining. I was a little alarmed.”

  “You just need to adjust. Give it time,” Eli said.

  Taylor burst into laughter. “Remember when granny used to jump out of the closet in a wolf costume before telling us her wolf stories. She would scare the shit out of us.”

  “How can I forget? She made me pee my pants one time.”

  They all laughed, and I smiled.

  “I remember,” Taylor said, then he sighed before grinning. “The memories.”

  “Were they actual wolf stories?” Hunter asked.

  “Not a chance. She would put her own twists on Little Red Riding Hood.”

  “Oh, you’ll have to tell me some of her stories sometime,” Hunter said.

  “So, there’s something very important we have to do today,” Eli said.

  I frowned. Ambrose and Silas. If I killed Ambrose, Silas died as well. My heart felt heavy. I wished there was a way to save Silas. He wasn’t the bad one, really.

  “Where is Silas?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry that little heart of yours. He didn’t leave,” Taylor said.

  “Did Ambrose show while I was asleep?”

  “No. Silas said he wouldn’t after you had been infected with the venom, because it stopped your death. He couldn’t claim you,” Eli said.

  “I have to see him before I…” I froze. I couldn’t go on. I had yet to accept what needed to be done.

  With concern on his face, Taylor reached for my arm and pulled me in for a hug. I was still getting used to the affection of others. I guess three years or more of pushing people away and just not getting enough affection would do that to me. I hated it, yet embraced it. I hated it, because I always found myself wanting to cry, and I embraced it, because I craved it. It felt nice to feel the love of someone and to know that they really did care.

  “Please, I’m begging you, don’t let the grief take you when it’s over. I don’t want to lose you again. We’re just getting to a good place.”

  That was what I was afraid of. I knew that if the misery of his death was too strong to overcome, I would only drown myself in the only medicine that I had come to love. I realized, though, as he was begging me to not turn to alcohol, that it was a mistake for me to think that I had to carry the burden of what happened all by myself. I saw now that talking about it, even though it was painful, would have helped. Keeping it in and forcing myself to bury the memories only made me hurt so much more. I had to find a way to open up. I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

  “I don’t want to lose myself,” I said.

  My chin quivered and my eyes blurred with tears.

  “You have us. We’re here, always, even if you push us away,” Taylor said.

  “We’ll just push back,” Eli said.

  “Yeah. Besides, you can’t push me away. We’re a pack now. You’re stuck w
ith me forever…if you choose to be, that is,” Hunter said.

  “Thanks, guys. I have to see Silas,” I said.

  “He’s been outside on the back patio for a while. He said he wanted to be left alone. I think he’s trying to come to terms with his death,” Taylor said.

  My heart sank. “I know the feeling.”

  I started down the hall, sighing as sorrow settled in the pit of my stomach.

  “Do you want me to come along? Just in case you need support? That’s part of my job, you know, as an alpha,” Hunter said.

  “No; I think I’ll be okay.”

  Was I going to be okay, though? I wasn’t so sure. How was I going to look him in the eye, knowing what I had to do? I hated it.

  I made it a point to walk down the staircase as slow as I could, because each step I took brought me closer to the one person that I needed to see, yet wanted to avoid. As I reached the kitchen, I pushed the swinging door and walked inside, gasping as Violet, with a smile to her face and tea in her hand, stood before me.

  “I knew you were coming down. I made you some tea.”

  I would be lying if I said this wasn’t strange, but I guess you never quite know what you’re going to get with a half witch.

  I took the tea. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah, she’s weird like that, but you’ll get used to it,” Athena said.

  Violet scowled and poked her tongue out at Athena. “I’m not weird; I’m just intuitive.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Athena smirked before biting into her apple. My eyes widened as a red liquid ran down her chin, and she quickly scooped it up with her finger and put her finger in her mouth.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “Oh, it’s a blood apple. Vi makes them,” Athena said.

  “I used to eat the hell out of them when I was a vampire,” Lucas said with a sad smile to his face.

  Athena went behind Lucas, wrapping her arms around him. “One day you’ll be able to eat all the blood apples you desire.” She puckered her lips, waiting for him to bring his lips down to hers, but he gave his cheek instead.

  She gasped and smacked his arm. “Lucas Christianson!”

  “Woman, don’t you even come over here wanting a kiss after your feeding. Go brush them teeth and get the blood out of your mouth then we’ll kiss.”

  She laughed then grabbed him and kissed him up and down his cheek. “Just for you, because you like my blood breath so much.”

  Violet took a blood apple out of the wicker basket on the counter and handed it to me. “You can have one on the full moon when you crave blood. Trust me, they’re delicious. In my world, I made beautiful trees of different colors, where little fruits that look like cherries grow into blood apples when you pick them from the trees,” Violet said.

  I scoffed as the thought of me ingesting blood invaded my mind.

  “Yeah, we’ll see. You have a world?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. That’s where all the vampires live to get away from the hunters. There’s a portal inside the waterfall where you enter. I’ll have to take you sometime.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  I was a tad bit afraid to go, but her world did seem like it would be an interesting sight to see.

  Demetrius nodded a greeting my way. “Paige, it’s nice to see you up and about.”

  “How are you feeling?” Chelsea asked.

  She sat at the breakfast bar with Kyle.

  “So much better,” I said.

  “You must be starving. We saved you a dinner plate,” Kyle said.

  “Yes, you must eat. We need you strong for the ritual. The power of the moon can sure wear a person out,” Violet said.

  “Okay, yeah, I’ll eat. I’m going to talk to Silas first.”

  The sadness in my voice brought a frown to their faces.

  “It’s unfortunate, you know, with Silas,” Kyle said.

  I nodded, feeling the pain wear me down.

  “Just remember, he had evil intentions before you managed to steal his heart,” Demetrius said.

  “Spoken like a true hunter. Your disdain for him is a little too heavy at the moment,” Athena said.

  “You’ll be fine, Paige. I know this because I’ve seen. It’s going to hurt, but you will heal,” Violet said.

  I nodded and forced a smile. She continued to catch me off guard with her sudden facts of the future.

  She laughed, amusement glowing in her eyes, and I could see her fangs peek out from behind her lips. “You’ll warm up to me the more you’re around. I’ll be seeing a lot of you now that you and Hunter are pack mates.”

  “Yes. There are definitely a lot of things that I’ll have to warm up to.”

  I took in a breath as butterflies filled my stomach. I was nervous to see him. I walked out on the patio, and Silas immediately turned to look at me. A warm smile covered the misery that he once showed. I noticed that he looked paler than usual, but I didn’t comment. I thought it was the worry of what was to come.

  “You look beautiful. Your wolf really makes your skin glow.”

  I forced a smile and looked away. The guilt of what I had to do made me crack under his gaze. Still, as I saw him, I couldn’t find it in my heart to loathe him.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “How I can’t find it in myself to hate you, and it baffles me because I think the natural emotion I should feel is hatred.”

  “Please, hate me.”

  “I can’t, Silas. I don’t see you as the monster. I see you as the monster’s little puppet. He was stronger than you were, because he was driven by hatred and revenge, and-”

  “And I was weak, because a part of my heart wasn’t as cold as it should have been,” he cut in.

  “No, you’re not weak. Only the strong allow themselves to love. He’s your twin. It’s natural to have that unconditional loyalty to him.”

  As he walked to me, the misery that was once washed away by my presence had returned. “I need you to hate me. I don’t want you to hesitate when the time comes. I can’t have you stop the ritual because you can’t kill me. I deserve it, and he deserves it. I need him gone, because even though you’re a wolf, that won’t stop him from attacking you again. You may be too strong for him to take your soul now, but he does have claws that are lethal. It’s easier for him to kill you than it is for you to kill him, remember? You can only injure him in a fight. Promise me that you’ll go through with it.” His eyes were heavy with sorrow of what was to come, yet they were begging me to go through with killing him.

  There was an ache in my chest that drowned my heart in sorrow. “I promise.” My voice shook as I forced myself to say those two painful words.

  “I have something for you,” Silas said.

  He went inside his pocket and pulled out a sterling silver heart locket with a cluster of diamonds on the front, and on the back, he had five claw marks engraved.

  “So you can remember me when I’m gone.”

  I smiled so sadly at him. I loved the necklace; I just hated the reason he was giving it to me.

  “It’s really nice. The claw marks are my favorite part. Thank you.”

  He smiled. “Turn around.”

  And so I did, lifting my hair as he put the necklace on my neck.

  I turned and wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight. “I’m going to miss you.” I shut my eyes and let my tears slide down my cheeks.

  He let out a sigh. “Me, too, Paige.”

  I held onto him for the longest time, not ready to break away from him just yet as I savored the final hug before death took him away from me.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The half-moon was at its highest in the sky, the strongest as its power poured down on us. I could feel its power within. It vibrated against my bones and rushed through my veins. A feeling that was all too consuming as the wolf howled inside of me. Now I understood what the legend meant about how the full moon affected the wolf, urging it to abandon the human mask that it hid
under and roam free.

  “You can feel it, can’t you? The moon,” Hunter said.

  I tore my eyes away from the night sky and looked at Hunter, who came to stand beside me. “It’s a rush.”

  “Imagine what it’s going to feel like on the night of the full moon. I get excited just thinking about it. The rush you feel now is only a small taste of what is yet to come. It will overwhelm you and take control.” He smiled and nudged me in the arm. “I’m going to have so much fun taking you out on your first time. It’s always better if you’re in a pack. Since I left mine, it hasn’t been that fun.”

  “You were in a pack?”

  “Yeah. There were five of us, including me. I met Vi, left the pack, and moved here. My old alpha, Maddox, forbid any of us to mate outside of our own kind, but Drew and I couldn’t help ourselves.”

  “Does it hurt to turn?”

  “It’s painful, but it only lasts a couple of minutes.”

  “That doesn’t sound too tempting.”

  “I believe you already got a taste of what it will feel like. The muscles spasms you endured while you were turning is what you feel when your wolf comes out.”

  I groaned. “They were the worst.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll do just fine. You were at death’s door; you can handle turning into a wolf. Besides, I’ll be right there with you.”

  “Paige,” Demetrius called.

  I turned to face him.

  “Do you remember the chants?”

  My eyes instantly fell on Silas, who stood leaning against the wall with his arms folded and a frown to his face. Dark circles had formed underneath his eyes.

  “I don’t remember all of it.”

  “I’ll help you through it then.”

  “Okay. Does he seem sick to you?”

  He averted his gaze to Silas. “He hasn’t fed. He started looking sick earlier today. From the looks of it, it’s been a couple of days of him depriving himself.” He shook his head. “Out of all of the families that have come to me for help with saving their loved ones, he’s the most unique demon I’ve ever had to deal with. I actually think he’s depressed. The way he acted with you, so protective and willing to sacrifice himself to save you, shocked me. Although, I see him more of a danger because he does feel love, and when love and evil collide, it’s never a good thing. When hurt, he could easily be driven into madness by the same powerful emotion that consumed him…love.”