I was so angry that I opened all of my drawers and began stuffing my things into my backpack, lastly shoving my toothbrush on top.
I’d spent too many vital years of my life locked away in my room. I would not allow my husband, who was supposed to love and cherish me, lock me up like an out-of-control child in time-out, and I was determined to make him regret it.
I paced angrily about the room wondering what was happening. Would Raven think I betrayed him? Would they kill him? I knew Levi wanted to. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
“Charity!” I heard Irena call from the other side of the door.
I rushed to the door. “Irena! Please let me out!”
“I’m so sorry, dear. I wish I could, but we’ve all been given strict orders not to. Levi feels strongly that you would be in danger if you were to follow him. But don’t worry too much. Levi won’t harm him. He just wants to talk. And I’ve called your mother and told her you were helping me with a project and would be staying here tonight, so there’s no need to worry about anything. I assured her I would look out for you. I don’t know how late Levi will be.”
“Please, Irena, let me out.”
“I’m so sorry, dear, but my alpha gave orders. I can’t go against him.”
I growled and stomped around the room. Stinking werewolves. Why did they have to be so protective? Suddenly, I remembered Ashley. I picked up my phone and called her. “Ashley! Oh thank you! Levi has locked me in my room. Please drive over here and let me out.”
“I’m sorry, Charity, but Levi called me and told me not to. And Josh asked me too. They said it was dangerous for you.”
“Ash, it’s not dangerous. Please!”
“He said you would say that. Listen, Charity, this vampire kidnapped you, and you almost died. Just like Levi, I’d rather have you mad at me than have you hurt or worse. I’m sorry, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Bye.”
“No, Ashley!”
Too late.
I thought about Hector, my one-man elite team, but that was no good because he was still only taking orders from Levi, which rots. I mean, what’s the point of having the biggest, baddest werewolf alive as your bodyguard if you can’t boss him around? Kind of takes the fun out of it, if you ask me.
I pressed my ear against the door as I heard a male voice. He was saying something about the kingdom of heaven.
“Mr. Bones! Mr. Bones, can you hear me?”
“Mrs. Charity?” he asked through the door.
“Mr. Bones, thank God. Can you unlock this door and let me out please?”
He quoted a scripture. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. But sadly—not by me. Goodbye.”
“No! Mr. Bones, please! Ugh!!” But he too was gone, leaving me alone with my anger.
The time passed painfully slow, and I was becoming more and more enraged. And by the time Levi finally opened the door, at twelve a.m., I was beyond reason.
His expression was cautious as he stepped inside.
I marched straight over to him and slapped his face. As he slowly turned his face to me, his expression was pained, but quickly shifted to something harder.
“We didn’t hurt Raven, Charity.”
“Good! But I’m not angry about Raven! You locked me up in here like some pet you can’t control! I’m not your pet! And you’ll regret treating me this way!” Tears filled my eyes as his softened.
“Baby, please don’t cry.” He reached for me.
“Don’t touch me! You can’t fix this so easily! I walked over to the bed, grabbed my overloaded backpack, and slung it over my shoulder. “I’m going on vacation with my mother, and don’t try to reach me because I am no longer speaking to you.” I walked straight past him and out the door.
Chapter Four
Ashley was waiting for me in the parking lot the next morning. “Save your breath, Ash, I’m not talking to him.”
“Why not? He’s been brooding all morning waiting for you to get here.”
“Good. He deserves it. If he knows what’s best for him he better stay away from me today.” As I finished the statement, I saw Levi fastly approaching, his face distorted in a look of pain.
“Ash!” I called in warning.
In a flash she was in front of him, stopping him. “Levi, it’s best if you just give her a little more time to cool off.”
“Charity!” he called to me. “Let me explain! Charity, please!”
“La la la la!” I covered my ears, humming louder, and made my escape, darting up the stairs and to my first class.
It was harder than I expected trying to stay away from him, and not because I love him, which I do, but because he seemed to be everywhere. But somehow, unbeknownst to me, I seemed to spot him first and was able to duck out of sight. I knew he was trying extra hard to run into me so he could talk to me, but I wasn’t gonna allow him to get away with that. A few times I hid in the girl’s bathroom until right before the bell rang, and then made my way quickly to class, just barely making it. This seemed to work. I even skipped eating lunch in the cafeteria. I paid Toby to smuggle some food into the girl’s locker room. I knew I was being childish, but I needed to keep my anger, and I knew Levi was going to try to take it from me. He was good at that. He knew what my weaknesses were. I needed him to suffer some. I couldn’t let him get away with what he did, and if that meant holding onto my anger for a period of time, so be it.
I strolled down the hall toward my last class of the day, Art, and also the class where Levi sits directly across the table from me. I was well aware of the fact that I was pushing my strength too far. I pulled out my phone and called Mom. I knew she was at home, packing. “Hey, Mom. I was hoping you could call and get me out of my last class, you know, so I can get started packing. I have so much to do before I can go.”
“Oh, of course, honey. I’ll call right away.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
I sighed in relief as I entered the classroom and made my way to my seat. Levi was already seated. I sat down without meeting his gaze, but I could feel it burning laser holes into my skin.
“Okay class,” Mrs. Cope began, only to be interrupted by the intercom.
“Mrs. Cope,” the principal spoke through the speaker, “I need to see Charity Bell in my office right away please.”
“Yes, of course. Charity, you’re free to go.”
Anticipating my exit, Levi reached across the table and took my hand, but I snatched it away and stood.
“Charity, please,” he whispered as I turned and left the room without so much as a backward glance.
When I reached the parking lot I was relieved that I’d made it through the day and managed to teach Levi a lesson, but I was also miserable for having done so. I guess I thought it would feel better, but it didn’t. In fact I was surprised at how much it actually hurt. But it’s not supposed to hurt, dang it! After all, he’s the one that screwed up, not me! But no matter how I tried to sell it, it still hurt. Love stinks!
I spent the rest of the day and night washing and drying clothes and packing. My phone rang a few times but I didn’t answer it. When it turned dark, I hear a howl in the forest behind my house. I knew it was Levi, so I went to my window, slammed it shut, locked it, and closed the blinds. He was suffering, I knew that, but he deserved it. At least that’s what I kept telling myself. I was going to manage to leave without saying goodbye, whether he liked it or not. Then I would be free to deal with my anger in peace.
The next morning I did managed to leave without saying goodbye, but as soon as our car pulled out and past our house, I spotted him stepping out of the forest and into my yard. He appeared to be wearing the same clothes he’d worn to school. Surely he didn’t spend the whole night in the forest. I turned around and peered through the back window and watched him watching me. With one hand to his heart, he reached out to me, begging me to come to him. I suddenly found myself fighting the urge to stop the car
and run into his arms. My heart broke at the very sight of him. I’d seen him look crushed before, but this was different. I was choosing this. But I had to resist him—to punish him—didn’t I? Finally his head slumped forward in defeat, his hands shoved deep in his front pockets. I closed my eyes, trying to wipe away the image, but it was no use. My anger, that I’d tried to hold on to with all my strength, was gone in an instant. I decided to continue on my present course. It might hurt momentarily, but he had to learn that although he was my husband, I had my own mind. I would not be controlled—not now—not ever. I could be strong a little longer. I had to.
It was our first real fight as husband and wife, and I hated being at odds with him. It felt so foreign and wrong, as if everything inside me was fighting against itself. I looked over on the seat and spotted, sitting in the top of my purse, the ipod Levi had bought for me as a wedding present. I smiled. He knew I didn’t know anything about technology and had gone to extra measures to make sure I had one to enjoy. He knew all my favorite artists and had spent hours of his time downloading music for me. I shook my head of the memory, putting in my earbuds and letting some Skillet and We the Kings wash away my thoughts—and the pain.
* Levi’s POV *
I watched in agony as the car drove away from me, taking my whole life, my whole heart, with it. Knowing she was angry with me was unbearable. I made a terrible decision. Locking her away like that was wrong on so many levels, and yet, at the time, I felt it was the only way to keep her safe. Raven couldn’t be trusted, and I couldn’t lose her again. I wouldn’t. I had to believe she would forgive me. In the meantime I’d wait. I would be ready when, and if, she finally forgave me so I could go to her. For as long as it took—I’d wait. The hardest part was knowing I wouldn’t be there to protect her. And trouble always seemed to find her—no matter where she went. That thought alone ate at me—tormenting me from the inside out. Instantly, I had my phone in hand.
“Hector, it’s me. I need you to meet me here at Charity’s. I have a very important job for you to do.”
As I snapped the phone closed, the hairs on my neck stood on end as I got the heart-wrenching feeling that Charity and I’s problems were just beginning.
* Charity’s POV *
On the way up, Mom was curious as to why Levi and I were quarrelling, but she didn’t press the matter. She was good that way. Honestly, it wasn’t something I could share with her, as were a lot of other things in my life. Like the fact that Levi and I had gotten married. That pressure was on for us to have a child, a male child, to be exact. He was the alpha male of a werewolf pack, which made me their new alpha female. I had a huge 7 foot tall, bald man who followed me around all the time in order to protect me, whether he thought I knew or not, but only took orders from Levi, which sucked. And, on top of all that, their sworn enemies, the vampires, were trying to start a war, of which I was on the top of their list to kill first. But one of them kidnapped me and tried to force me to become one of his brides, but then decided he actually liked me and brought me back to Levi, thus saving my life and sealing our friendship.
If I told her even one of these facts she would take me away to a mental hospital where they would lock me up and throw away the key, or at least hide it really well.
It was a nice, quiet drive, and when the cabin finally came into view, I was impressed, while Mom was ecstatic, and Frank was just relieved. He’d spent the entire ride scanning his surroundings as if he expected someone to jump out in front of the car or something. And if Levi had felt he was really still a threat he probably would have. It was a quaint little cottage with a huge front porch and a swing, surrounded by forest as far as the eye could see. I knew then that this would be a trip I would never forget—and I was right.
I spent the first two days of my vacation swinging on the front porch swing, reading, and journaling. This helped keep my mind off missing Levi, but only a little. In fact, it took all of my strength not to call him, but I wanted to drive my message home. I wanted him to think twice before he ever locked me away again. He’d been leaving me messages on my voice mail, at last count—twenty. He was so sweet, begging my forgiveness, pleading me to call him just so he could hear my voice, to ensure my safety. I thought it was hard for me to be away from him, but it seemed he was actually hurting the most. He couldn’t stand it, knowing I was angry with him. In his last message his voice actually broke, and with that I knew I’d taken things too far and my resolve was broken. Truth is, I missed his beautiful smile, those adorable dimples, his tussled, brown hair, and his strong arms wrapped around me. I had the phone in hand when my mother called to me from the yard. I slipped the phone into my front jeans pocket and headed outside to see what was up.
There before me, spread on a yellow tablecloth on the picnic table, was the most beautiful dinner consisting of grilled chicken, homemade potato salad, green beans, slaw, dinner rolls, a coconut cake, and a pitcher of southern sweet tea, which simply means a little tea added to a lot of sugar.
“Do you like it, Annabelle? Isn’t it lovely? This will be the best meal we’ve had yet.”
“Wow, Mom! It’s wonderful!” My mouth watered with anticipation. Gotta love the south.
“Well, don’t just stand there, come join us.”
“Yes, of course,” I said, darting to my seat.
As I was piling the mouth-watering food on my plate, focusing hard at the task at hand, I glanced up just in time to see Frank capture my mom’s hand and kiss it gently. At that very moment my heart melted. The realization that my mom was incandescently happy was evident, and that thought alone made me smile. I don’t know if keeping the secret of Frank’s advances was right or not, but just for that moment I was glad I had.
Now, Frank and I have had our differences, for one, he’d tried for years to have a sexual relationship with me, and he’d never been the father that I needed, but in that instant I knew I had forgiven him completely. And our vacation had been a good one, with him even treating me like a daughter at times. Who would’ve thought that all he needed was a werewolf to threaten to rip his head off to start being a good stepfather. But if I could forgive Frank for all the years of misery, then surely I could forgive my husband who had only ever shown me love, passion, and support. With that thought, I made up my mind to call him as soon as our meal was finished.
I had just taken my last bite, and was laughing at Frank and Mom as they teased each other, when I heard a strange noise coming from the surrounding forest. I peered out into the edge, squinting, when my eyes focused in on four pair of glowing eyes. My own eyes widened in horror. At the exact moment of recognition, four werewolves in massive size leaped out and charged at supernatural speed. I screamed and scrambled for my phone, but it was too late. I was knocked backwards with such force that I could no longer breathe. I heard gargling sounds coming from Frank and my mother and tried to get up and go to them. It was then that I was knocked back down and felt excruciating pain as one werewolf’s teeth sank into my left shoulder, ripping and gnawing it. I felt the exact moment it dislocated and screamed out in agony. I couldn’t even catch a breath as his whole body weight was pressing heavily upon me. I heard my mother’s weak whimper and the anger spread throughout me—building. I could not die like this—my mother could not die like this! My mind scrambled for thoughts. In desperation I began to growl, as loud and menacing as I could create considering I felt on the verge of losing consciousness. I shook my head from side to side like I’d witnessed the werewolves doing when shifting. Suddenly, the werewolf knawing on me stopped. I stifled a scream, biting down hard on my lip, as he jerked me up and stared into my eyes. His eyes were wild and confused as he studied me as if he didn’t know what I was, becoming even more enraged as my scent finally hit him. Then he jerked up, obviously hearing something that I didn’t. He dropped me with a force that drove the last of my breath from me. Then, as quickly as they came, their massive forms blurred as they retreated back into the dark forest. An angry roar came fro
m behind me, and a fifth werewolf, which I instantly recognized as Hector, sped past me in hot pursuit. I was relieved to know they would soon be dead. Hector would make them all pay for hurting me.
I tried desperately to hang on to my consciousness, and I couldn’t seem to make any of my body parts move. I fought nausea as I peered down at all the blood soaking my clothing. I’m not even exactly sure how I did it, but somehow I managed to reach my cell phone. My eyes were blurred as my bloody fingers found the number one on my phone and hit it.
“Charity!” Levi’s relieved voice answered, but quickly turned anxious. “Charity, is that you? Charity! Is everything okay?!”
My breath was gone, and I had to concentrate extra hard to form the words. “LE-VI—AT—TACK—HELP—ME.”
“Charity!! Baby, if you can hear me, hang on!! Do you hear me?!! Hang on!! I’m coming for you!!”
The darkness finally found me, and I slipped away into unconsciousness.
Chapter Five
I woke to the odd sounds of beeping. I opened my eyes slowly, rolling them this way and that, trying to clear away the fuzziness. As my eyes finally adjusted, I realized I was in an unfamiliar room, a hospital room. A tube was sticking out of my right hand and my left arm was wrapped tightly against my body making movement uncomfortable, though I sensed the pain was dulled somewhat. As I took in a deep breath, I noticed movement elsewhere. To my left a head popped up and relieved eyes met mine—Levi. He had a strand of my hair wrapped around his fingers, stroking it with his thumb, while the other hand quickly wiped at his moist eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see his handsome face as in that very moment.
Our eyes met again.
Then he smiled, a tired but relieved smile. “Charity, oh thank God you’re awake. I’ve been going crazy.”
Charity Rising (Charity Series Book 2) Page 3
