by M. E. James
Her dad's face became the color of oatmeal. Without saying a word, he stepped inside and closed the door. The moment that the door was shut, Emmy turned toward her friend, her heart thundering.
"Okay, what's really going on?" Emmy asked.
Mary Lou stared at her sadly.
"Mary Lou?" Emmy persisted.
"I'm sorry, Emmy," Mary Lou said. "I didn't have another choice. He said he was going to kill me."
"What are you talking about?" Emmy's eyes widened in horror. "Who said they were going to kill you?"
"Me," Jake said from behind her.
Something hard slammed against her head and then everything went black.
Chapter Nine
Groaning, Emmy's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she thought was, God, my head hurts like a bitch. This is the worst migraine I've ever had. And that was saying something. She'd been getting up at the crack of dawn for years. There had been times when she'd felt like somebody had spent all night sawing at her skull. Now, as her brain throbbed, she felt ten times worse. And that was before she realized where she was.
But then she did.
She was in some sort of dark basement with her hands tied behind her back.
Gasping in horror, Emmy looked around the dreary room. Suddenly, she remembered everything. Mary Lou had shown up at her front door, and then Jake had knocked her out. But what about her baby? In panic, Emmy glanced down at her stomach. Luckily, she felt no pain in her abdomen. Call it mother's instinct or sheer craziness, but somehow she knew that her child was alive and well.
"Thank God," she said.
"I wouldn't be thanking him just yet, if I were you," Jake said from somewhere out of sight.
She went rigid. Though she hadn't realized it until that moment, the only door to the basement had been ajar. Jake opened the door the rest of the way and stepped into the room. She shivered in horror, startled by the amount of fear she felt just looking into his eyes. This man was cruel. No, he was beyond cruel. He was evil. She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd been born in the depths of hell itself.
"You," Emmy said.
Jake walked over to her. "Were you expecting somebody else?"
"No," she said through clenched teeth. "Only you would be evil enough to do this, you heartless maniac."
To her shock, the man chuckled.
"You're laughing now, but you won't be for long." She squirmed, fighting her bindings. "Sebastian is going to come for me, you know."
"Oh, I know." Jake's grin widened. "I'm counting on it."
The words stunned her into silence. "Huh?"
"You didn't think I kept you alive for no reason, did you?" Jake asked. "Trust me, if I had the choice, I would have killed you ages ago. No, I'm using you to lure Sebastian here. It was the only way."
Despite the fact it was a warm day, cold crept into her core. Her teeth chattered as she stared at the maniac standing in front of her.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I was hoping you'd ask me that." Jake walked around her like a predatory beast. "I'm going to lure Sebastian here and make him bow to me…then I'm going to murder you and his baby right before his eyes. I'll sink my teeth into him as he screams your name."
"You can't." Emmy was sick. Not Sebastian. Not her baby.
"I can and I will." He drew nearer, drinking up her fear as if it was an elixir. "And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."
Emmy flinched as Jake drew nearer, yet that only made him lean in closer and sniff her hair. After he breathed in her scent, he released her.
"But why?" She didn't understand how anyone could be so cruel.
The grin on Jake's face became twisted. Repulsive. She didn't want to look at him, yet she feared that if she looked away, he might strike her down.
"Do you know who my father was?" Jake's crazy eyes remained trained on her.
"No." How would she know that?
His eyes hardened as he ran his hand down her shoulder. "The pack Alpha. I always knew that it was my destiny to follow in his footsteps. It's not unusual for the Alpha's child to gain control over the pack."
She noted that Jake's gaze dropped to her stomach as he spoke, and she wrapped her hands around her waist to protect her baby. "Still, that doesn't explain why you're going to kill me."
"Oh, but it does. You see, Sebastian was chosen to lead the pack instead of me." Jake grabbed a fistful of her hair. "He went behind my back and stole the Alpha position. The spot was supposed to be mine and nobody else's. But no, he had to be a conniving ass."
Jake yanked at her hair, making her scream in pain.
"You're hurting me." Tears filled her eyes.
In his insanity, Jake ignored her pain. "The Alpha position is still destined to be mine. All I have to do is take down Sebastian. That's why I'm doing this."
"No." Her eyes widened.
"Yes." He yanked at her hair again. "Unfortunately, killing him is harder than I imagined. The little shit has many allies, and I can't seem to touch him. But then I found out about you and you're pregnancy. At that moment, I put my plan in action. All I had to do was distract him long enough to kidnap you. Then after I lure him here, you know what happens next."
Jake's eyes glistened maniacally as he looked down at her stomach.
Her eyes narrowed in fury. "Don't you dare hurt my baby."
"Whether you like it or not, the Alpha's baby has to die," Jake said. "And so do you."
The words were enough to make her weak in the knees from terror. If Jake hadn't been holding her from behind, she would have toppled to the cement.
"How can you be so heartless?" She was desperate to save her baby, and at that moment, she would have done anything to convince Jake to let her go. "I'm carrying an innocent child."
"I don't give a rat's ass about your baby," Jake said.
The man spoke so callously that she knew he was telling the truth. Jake wouldn't feel remorse if the blood of an innocent was spilled.
At the thought of his heartlessness, vomit crawled up her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and hacked. Finally, Jake released her hair, allowing her to fall to the floor. Puke spilled from her lips, causing a slimy lake to flood the floor. Though Jake wrinkled his nose, he grinned at the sight of her trembling form.
"I love how scared you are." Jake bent over her, grinning.
"You're sick." Emmy spit in his face.
Despite Jake's fast reflexes, he wasn't expecting her to spit at him. Howling, the man recoiled as if she'd doused him with acid. When he blinked the spit away, he narrowed his eyes in rage and she knew she'd made a mistake. The man seized her by her hair and dragged her to her feet.
"If I wasn't saving the show for Sebastian, I'd beat that baby out of you," he growled. "I guess I'll just have to settle for a little less for now."
Snarling, Jake slapped her across the face. When his palm struck her cheek, she saw white and her skin stung. She screamed, falling to the floor for the second time.
As she lay on the cool cement, Jake seized her by her shirt and hauled her up to face him once more. The smell of his breath was foul as if he spent his evenings chewing on rotting flesh. Even though his features didn't change, her stomach twisted with disgust. He was a monster, even while in his human form. At that moment, she remembered what Sebastian had said: "There are bad humans who want to hurt people. There are also bad werewolves. The shift doesn't change who we are inside. Jake is always a monster no matter what form he's in." And she realized that Sebastian had been right. Jake was a monster no matter what he looked like. At the same time, that meant that Sebastian had never been her enemy. Even when they first met, he'd gone out of his way to protect her.
Too bad she hadn't realized that sooner and stuck by Sebastian's side. If she had, then she might not be in this situation now.
"Shit," she said, still clutching her face.
"Soon you'll be cursing a lot more than that." In his rage, Jake kicked her leg and then whirled around.
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She watched him walk out the door—and then began to cry.
****
After spending what felt like ages bawling her eyes out, Emmy's eyes were raw. Still, as she trembled on the floor, she was filled with the same fierce, protective urge to protect her baby. Because of that, she knew she had to find a way to escape. And hopefully by getting free, she'd be able to save Sebastian from being murdered too. After all, if something happened to him because of her, she'd never forgive herself.
She looked around the room, trying to find anything that was sharp enough to cut through the ropes that bound her wrists together. A jagged nail? Nope. A knife? Nope. There was nothing. Why the hell did her captor have to be so damn smart? Panicked, Emmy looked around the room. Unfortunately, she heard the door to the basement open. She drew back in horror when she saw Jake standing at the threshold. Not him again.
"Get away from me." Emmy crawled backward along the floor, trying to think of a way to save her child.
Instead of heeding her words—not that she thought he would—Jake headed over to her side and pulled her to her feet by her arm.
"Sebastian's here." Jake sniffed the air. "I can smell him."
"No." She twisted in his arms.
Jake tightened his grip on her arm and sniffed again. "And he came alone, just like I told him to. Good. That will make this so much easier."
No, Sebastian was falling straight into his trap. She had to save him.
"Sebastian, don't come down here!" she screamed.
Unfortunately, she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. When Sebastian burst into the room, she cringed, knowing what was to come. And when she met his eyes, she felt so much worse.
Because she realized that she loved him.
And how could she not love him? He cared about her, despite the fact she'd fled from him. Even now, his gray eyes were filled with fury at the sight of her being held captive by Jake. Yet now she couldn't tell him that she loved him. Still, she reached for her lover, trembling, and Sebastian let out a string of curses a mile long.
"Stop squirming, you cunt." Jake held her so close that the breath was chased from her lungs.
"Don't you dare talk to her like that." Sebastian took a step toward her.
"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you." With a wicked grin, Jake curled his fingers in her hair. "All it will take is one tiny bite for your precious mate and your baby to die."
Emmy let out a sob of despair.
"They're innocent," Sebastian said. "You can hurt me, but don't do anything to them. Please. I'm begging you."
"How noble." Jake grinned at her trembling form. "Of course, I thought you would be."
"Don't hurt them," Sebastian repeated. His eyes were wide with terror.
"I won't if you do what I say," Jake said.
"Don't listen to him." Emmy dug her nails into Jake's skin, trying to pry his fingers away. "He's lying to you, Sebastian. He doesn't intend to let me go."
Jake covered her mouth with his hand to silence her. For a moment Sebastian didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes remained trained on her. She stared back at him, frantic.
"If you kneel before me, your mate will go free." Jake held her tighter.
Silence fell. Still Sebastian's eyes remained on her face. She could see the wheels in his head turning, but she wasn't sure what he could do to save her and her child. Jake was strong. And her baby…her baby was so fragile.
"Well?" Jake's grin widened. "What are you going to do?"
Jake's knees twitched, but he didn't move. Judging by how Jake tensed, the man was losing patience. And it was never good when the person losing his patience was psycho.
"Get on with it," Jake said, a vein throbbing in his neck. "I've waited a long time for this."
Finally, Sebastian groaned and kneeled. "Please don't hurt Emmy."
Watching the man she loved kneel before a person so evil was harder than being punched in the face a thousand times. And what was worse was when she felt Jake's hand tightening around her neck. She knew that the man was going to kill her in spite of Sebastian's begging. Her baby was never going to enter this world. She would never hear her child speak or giggle. It wasn't fair. Just when she'd grown accustomed to the idea of being pregnant, somebody planned to murder her unborn baby.
Her eyes narrowed. No, she couldn't let that happen. Though the baby hadn't been born yet, she was a mother now. And while Jake may have been a werewolf, she was a pissed off woman who's child was being threatened. As Jake's body shook with laughter, something in her snapped.
At that moment, she was certain that some unknown force seeped into her body, making her unnaturally strong. It was the power of a mother possessed. One second she was weak, and the next, she was a force to be reckoned with. Infuriated, she sank her teeth straight into Jake's hand. He released her, and she used the opportunity to throw her body against him. The man was pushed off balance by her sudden strength.
During his moment of weakness, Emmy kicked and bit every inch of Jake she could reach. Wails of rage escaped her lips. She didn't want to stop until every inch of him was battered and bruised.
"You. Will. Not. Hurt. My. Baby," Emmy screamed at the top of her lungs, protecting her child with every last bit of power she possessed.
Sebastian leaped to his feet and headed straight toward her. Unfortunately, that was when Jake recovered from his surprise. The man stood up and threw her against the wall. As she let out a scream of agony, Sebastian yelled, "Emmy!" and rushed toward her.
At that moment, Jake stepped in his way. The man's eyes narrowed and a deep growl burst from his lips. Sebastian echoed the noise and crouched, his eyes darting toward Emmy.
"I wouldn't be so quick to rush over here," Jake said. "I can still kill your mate and your baby in a heartbeat."
"You son of a bitch!" Sebastian screamed.
With a cruel grin, Jake began to morph into a dark beast. Fur sprouted from his skin, and his cold eyes turned a mutant green. Claws sprouted from his feet, causing divots in the cement floor. Emmy whimpered, terrified of the transformation she'd just seen. Despite the fact she knew that werewolves existed, the metamorphosis from human to beast was horrifying.
"Move one step closer and the woman will die," Jake said, his voice echoing in her mind.
Sebastian howled, but he didn't come nearer.
At that moment, Emmy was certain that everything was lost. All it would take was one leap for Jake to reach her. In a matter of seconds, he could sink his teeth into her neck. Even the empowering strength of motherhood would not get her out of this one. Still, she felt no sadness at the thought of her own death and only contemplated the horrors of losing Sebastian and her child. Her family, all gone.
I'm so sorry, baby, she thought, pressing her hand against her stomach. I would have done my best to be a good parent.
As a tear spilled down her cheek, Jake glanced at her. She tensed, certain that something was going to happen soon—and that something was going to involve her skull being crushed between jaws.
Then everything went black.
Emmy screamed, wondering if Jake had killed her.
"What the hell?" Jake howled in her mind.
Okay, judging by Jake's infuriated howl, she wasn't dead. Somebody had just turned off the light. But who? No, that didn't matter. She just had to get out of harm's way.
Shaking, Emmy inched her way along the floor, holding back vomit. She heard howling and growling, but she forced herself not to look behind her. No, she had to keep going forward. After she found a stack of old, dusty boxes, she crawled behind them, shaking. Yet even as she hid, she heard something heading closer to her.
Horrified, she realized that Jake must have found her. She curled up in a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible. Unfortunately, that was when she was seized.
Emmy wailed.
"Will you shut up?" Mary Lou whispered.
"Mary Lou?" Emmy's eyes widened in shock.
"Sta
nd up and run," Mary Lou said.
"But Sebastian…" She peered through the dark.
"Did I risk my keister to save you for nothing?" Mary Lou dragged her forward. "Let's go."
Though Emmy hesitated, she allowed herself to be dragged across the floor. As she hustled, she saw two massive werewolves warring in the middle of the basement. Eyes glowed green and teeth flashed white. One of the terrifying werewolves had to be Sebastian.
Her Sebastian.
Oh, dear God. Tears filled her eyes.
"Come on." Mary Lou trembled as she yanked Emmy out of the basement.
Emmy followed Mary Lou up a flight of stairs. The woman pulled her out the door and into the yard. They were in the middle of a forest, and unfortunately, no other houses were in sight. Still Mary Lou looked around, searching for a way out.
"What happened?" Emmy asked, choking on a sob.
"After I screwed up and led that messed up bastard right to you, he knocked us both out," Mary Lou said. "I woke up in the kitchen and heard you screaming. After that, I came down to help. Thank God turning out the light distracted that monster because I wasn't sure what else to do."
Emmy's eyes widened. "Oh."
"What the hell were those beasts?" Mary Lou asked.
Instead of answering, Emmy hung her head.
"It doesn't matter," Mary Lou said. "We have to get out of here before—Emmy!"
Emmy looked up just in time to see Mary Lou leap at her. Her eyes widened in shock seconds before the heavy woman landed on top of her and then pushed her to the ground. A massive beast landed beside them with a mighty thud and sunk his teeth into her friend. Mary Lou screamed in agony. Jake—she knew it was him because he was the only one who would attack—began to claw at Mary Lou's side. The woman writhed, but still, she didn't stop protecting Emmy.
Mary Lou began, "I'm…so…sorry…Em…"
Before Mary Lou could finish saying her name, she stopped moving. Jake batted the woman aside, his green eyes aglow with rage, and snarled. His gaze darted toward Emmy's neck. He leaned forward and his hot, rancid breath filled her nostrils.
"Say good-bye." Jake's eyes glistened with malice.
