by W. J. May
Dru walked around aimlessly in her tent, worry crowding her mind. Derik should have been back already, though the thought of him being late wouldn't have concerned her if Karis wasn't with him. He didn't care for the younger girl at all and had made comments on more than one occasion that Dru should consider marrying her off to another pack. That idea was beyond monstrous, and the fact that he'd suggested it made him even more despicable in her mind.
She sat down on the edge of her bed, the events of the night rushing around her.
The image of the vampire queen sat heavy on her, the vision of rushing into the night sky with her almost as real in the present as it had been when it occurred. Having the power to fly and see deep into the future almost seemed worth the sacrifice of light and food. Dru looked up and the curtain opened; Derik entered, toting her sister as she continued to sleep. Sweat covered his chest and face, the front of her sister’s shirt wet from his efforts.
Dru moved quickly, taking the girl from him and turning to put her into her bed. She undressed her as Derik slipped out, neither of them speaking a word to one another. It was freezing outside. For Derik to be sweating so profusely meant he was either sick or Karis’s weight had somehow caused him to exert too much energy. She finished with her sister and then moved back out into the night to find him.
Derik sat alone by a dying campfire, his head in his hands as if he were in despair. She moved to sit beside him, keeping her distance, but making her presence known. She needed to slip away if she were going to meet Caleb within the timeframe she’d promised. If she were late, there might be a chance that he thought she wasn't coming.
"What do you want, Dru?" he grumbled, his arm muscles straining beneath the soft material of his shirt.
"I want to know if you're okay. You’re sweating in freezing temperatures." She reached out to touch his arm, but he jerked away from her.
"It's a fever, but from what, I'm not sure. I'll be fine." He looked up from his hands and looked over at her. "Where is your pet?"
She scoffed, her concern quickly dying before it blossomed too far. "He's gone."
"And you made sure he left, or he just said he was leaving?"
"He packed in front of me and left." She shrugged.
He laughed sardonically. "I love that you think me a fool. Head of your pack and smart enough to outwit your brilliant father and yet you think I'm stupid enough to believe that Caleb just up and left." He shook his head, ran his fingers through his wet, dark hair and stood. "No, you might be that ignorant, but I’ll be watching for him. He has his eye on you and isn't going to be satisfied until he has you or I kill him."
She stood as well. "I'm not concerned with this conversation. I wanted to check on you, and I have. Thank you for taking care of Karis."
"Do not speak of what happened tonight to anyone. It's no one's concern about the demons. Understood?" He turned toward her, his legs almost giving out beneath him. She reached out to help steady him, but once again he pushed her away.
"You need to rest. Something isn't quite right."
She motioned for Nick, another wolf who was standing nearby, to come and give him aid. Nick was more of a companion to Derik than Dru would ever be. She moved back as a few other males moved up and man-handled him to his tent. He didn't say anything else to Dru, but muttered a few obscenities toward the people who tried to help him.
She turned to sit on the bench once more. Her concern for him was valid. There was no reason an Alpha wolf would contract a virus from being in the woods other than the stress of the move, the pressure closing in on all sides. Her father had come down with random fevers from time to time and her mother always swore it was stress related.
David, the elder wolf who she had helped escape in the battle with the Hunters, moved to sit beside her. "He's in bed, and we've called Merilla. You should get some rest too, Drucilia."
"I will. I'm going for a quick run in the forest to ease some of the built-up tension from dealing with him all night, and then I'll go to bed."
"No going near the edge of the property. There are rumors of vampires living in this area. God help us if that’s true. Those beasts took far too much from us once, and I'd hate to see it happen again." He shook his head and patted her arm. "Get some rest, okay?"
"Okay." She waited until he left. His words didn’t make much sense, but perhaps the vamps had attacked the village before her birth. She never remembered seeing or hearing anything of them as a child or teenager. She stood and stretched, checked the area around her and slipped into the forest, leaving her dress and transforming quickly.
The peace of the night surrounded her and brought a calm she'd been searching for over the last few days without success. She jogged slowly, enjoying the moments by herself and wondering what her and Caleb's next steps would be. She couldn't imagine them not being together. He was hope, and she was going to cling to it. Leaving the pack might be an option, but with the new accord she'd struck with the vampires, it almost seemed as if she were tied down eternally.
Lilith had been quite clear that Derik's time was almost up, but did that mean that Caleb would fight him or that this illness would take him? She huffed, her breath making a small smoky cloud in the air around her. The lake was just ahead, and anticipation built in her as she pushed her legs and ran toward it.
She stopped at the edge and narrowed her eyes, the small cap of dark hair bobbing in the middle of the lake bringing warmth to her whole body.
"Get in here. I'm freezing my ass off and you're late."
She transformed, one arm over her breasts and one covering the rest of her nakedness as she walked into the water. "This is too cold."
"No it isn't." He laughed and waded toward her, his movements causing the water to splash up onto her bare legs as she yelped. "Just run in here. It's better if you don't think about it."
She shook her head and moved a little faster, the water quickly reaching her thighs, waist and then just over her breasts. She gritted her teeth and swam toward him, stopping in front of him and leaving a bit of space between them.
"I thought you might not come." His eyes shone in the light of the moon, the smile playing on his mouth causing her stomach to clench. He was so beyond handsome that the vampires’ beauty didn't hold a candle to him. A million questions about his past assaulted her. Surely there was another female in the world looking for him.
The Huntress.
"Of course I came. Derik took forever to get back, and when he did, he was dripping with sweat from a fever." She moved her arms and legs to keep herself above water, the intimacy of being so close washing over her in waves.
He moved closer, stopping in front of her as his eyes moved across her face. "You owe me an answer to the questions I asked of you back at the camp. I've been searching for you for a long time, and yet I resolved earlier that if you decide you don't want me then I’ll back off, only because to force you to love me wouldn’t be any better than what Derik is trying to do."
She reached for his shoulders, pulling herself to him until no water flowed between their bodies. He closed his eyes as a sound of appreciation rose from his chest, the delight of hearing it setting her blood on fire.
"I'm here because the answer is yes. I don't know what that means will happen next or how to go about being with you forever, but I need you."
He smiled with lustful intent and tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her mouth up to meet his. He paused just before they kissed and nipped at her. "The how is my part to discern, as your mate. Trust me in this and let me give you the world."
She mumbled her agreement, not caring about words or promises anymore, only about the demanding desire to take him and claim him as hers forever.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Their passion spilled from the water onto the shore, their bodies bathed in the light of the moon as Caleb fulfilled his promise to deliver carnality and pleasure, the two tightly woven. Dru let herself go to the rhythm of his lust, his lips soft and hand
s strong and demanding as he bathed her in his scent.
The night ended far too soon for her, but the idea of her sister waking up alone wasn't something she could bear. He laid another kiss to her swollen mouth, his body pressed to hers as they lay on the soft grass beside the lake. He propped himself up on an elbow and stared, his fingers absently rubbing the skin just above her temple as a peaceful glow rested on him. She didn't want the moment to end, but knew it needed to.
"Where do we go from here, Caleb? I mean … I need to get back to my sister. Do we run and disassociate with the pack?"
He kissed her chin and neck as he mumbled his response. "No, we stand up for what we believe in, baby."
"That means that you'll fight Derik, and what if he kills you?" She pushed at his chest a little, wanting the focus of his attention.
"That's impossible. My lifeline holds many more years. I'm not worried, Dru, but if you'd rather us run from here with Karis, then I would be open to that too. I only want you, and if that means I take on a pack of wild animals to have you, so be it, but if not, let's just go."
She pushed a little more until he groaned and rolled off of her, sitting up as she stood to pace around. "I mean, I think it would be a smart move to just get out of here and take Karis, but then I think about all that my mother and father did to build the family I have in the pack. They’re all my family because my parents fostered those bonds." She paused, ignoring him as he started to respond. "But if you fight Derik and he kills you, then he might as well kill me, and what would happen to my sister?" She looked down at Caleb as he stood to move toward her. "I promised my mother and father that I would always take care of her."
"Then we get Karis and run and pray like hell that this illness takes Derik out. When he dies from natural causes we return and take leadership of the pack." He pulled her against him and nuzzled her neck, breathing in deeply as he growled. "I want more of you."
She wrapped her arms around him and nipped at his exposed shoulder. "If I have my way, you can have all of me forever."
Her arrival back into the camp did not go unnoticed. She and Caleb decided it would be wise for him to remain in the woods while she gathered Karis and their things. Her sister wouldn't hesitate when Dru told her the plans, but getting to Karis without getting stopped by Derik or one of the other members of her pack would be hard. She'd been marked by Caleb, his scent and magic all over her. She was his mate, and no one could take that from him without damning themselves.
She moved quickly to her tent, the morning sun just coming up over the edge of the trees when she heard his voice, the strong command of it freezing her in place. "Where have you been?"
She turned and pulled the tent covering around her, not wanting to be naked in front of Derik. "I went for a swim. Are you well? You worried me."
He moved toward her, and she braced herself for hell to break loose. He looked better. Actually, he looked completely well—well enough to be a bastard. The look on his handsome face said that he was concerned about more than her whereabouts.
He pulled the cloth from her hands and let his eyes move across her body where small scratches, bites and bruises lined her otherwise perfect figure. She covered her breasts and tried to be modest as his face filled with fury.
"You whore. You slept with him. You mated with another wolf when you knew that I had claimed you as mine." His voice rose as members of the pack started to move from their tents to see what the commotion was.
"I'm not a whore, and I'm not yours. He loves me, which is far more than I can say for you," she yelled back.
His hand stung her face, and her nose poured blood from the hard slap. She jolted from it, falling toward the tent and slipping inside. There was nowhere to hide, but she wasn’t about to get her ass handed to her, especially while naked.
She pulled on a white cotton dress and held a rag up to her nose as the sound of yelling continued outside the tent. Members of the community were trying to talk sense into Derik, but he wasn't having it. He walked into the tent and barged toward her, Dru holding up her hands to defend herself. He outweighed her by more than a hundred pounds, and where she was fast and cunning, he was brutally cruel.
He grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked hard, moving to pull her out of the tent, Dru sliding along the ground behind him as she screamed. Pain laced her scalp and she clawed at him, but his grip was too firm and his senses were lost to madness. He yanked once more, throwing her across the fire pit. She landed in the cold ashes from the night before as he approached, fast and furious.
"Do you know what our law says about adultery? It forces me to take your life. Is that what you wanted? When you handed yourself over to him? You wanted to force me to cut you down in front of Karis? Who's going to take care of her now, Dru? Who's going to keep the heart of this tribe alive while I protect it?"
She wanted to fight, and if he came closer she would physically go down swinging, but his argument was completely valid according to pack rules. Death was the only option afforded her. She backed up another step as he laughed, madness settling over his features.
"And here I thought you were the one. The great and mighty daughter of the strongest and most worthy Grayback—until me. How wrong I was. You're nothing more than a needy little whore. If you would've told me, I could've given you far more than your lame white wolf did, I'm sure." He laughed again and shook his head. "This is goodbye, my love. I hope we meet again on the other side and that I've somehow found it in myself to forgive you by then."
He started toward her and she turned to run, but her body plowed into Caleb. He looked nothing like the passionate lover she'd left at the water’s edge. His demeanor reminded her of Derik, his shoulders straight and eyes narrowed in hate. He moved Dru to the side and stepped up in her place.
"I should've taken you out the first night I got into town. This game has gone on far too long, and I'm tired of you ruling my new pack." Caleb rolled his shoulders, a wicked smile on his handsome face.
Dru knew there was no reasoning with them now that the dance of power had begun. All she could do was move back and allow it to happen. Karis ran up beside her, and Dru pulled her sister close, kissing the top of her head and quieting her down. Even though she was grateful for her sister's health, she shook at the idea of anything happening to her Alpha, the great white wolf.
"I'm going to enjoy tearing your head from your shoulders and watching Dru's face as she realizes what a mistake it was to ever turn from me." Derik laughed and started forward, his eyes narrowed and teeth bared.
Caleb matched him in force as the two clashed against one another, Derik pulling back and taking Caleb with him as he rolled to the ground. Punches and head-butts followed, blood covering the area between them as they continued to tear at one another. Neither seemed to be able to get the upper hand, and it was obvious that they had each come to that conclusion, but there would be no stopping them until one of them lay dead on the earth.
Dru reigned in her emotions, not wanting to show the terror that nipped at her essence. The fight before her would not end well, no matter what happened. Either her heart would be ripped from her chest, or she would bury someone that had once mattered more to her than life. He had become a product of the power that lived within him, but watching him die wasn't going to heal any of her own wounds.
She looked up as Derik transformed into a large black wolf. He rushed toward Caleb and latched onto his shoulder, pulling hard as Caleb grunted in pain. The tear ran deep, and his muscle lay exposed as blood poured from him, the paling of his skin scaring Dru. She got up to tell him to turn as Derik charged again. Horrified, Dru transformed into her wolf and started to charge toward the ancient battle, breaking the rules upon doing so. She didn't care.
Before she reached them, though, she pulled up short as Caleb’s gaze flicked up toward the tree line, a look of surprise on his face. Derik must have seen it too because he paused just long enough to look up toward the trees, hesitating in his attack.
Caleb grabbed his arm, holding it close to his body as he turned awkwardly, diving toward Derik. Dru was baffled, wondering why he would try to attack Derik in his human form, but instead of attacking, he dove in front of Derik, screaming, “No, this is my fight!”
As Dru looked on in horror, a large wooden arrow that had obviously been intended for Derik burrowed into Caleb’s chest. He fell to his knees, his breathing labored.
Dru swore she felt her heart stop for a moment before it began thundering in her chest. She searched the trees frantically for their attacker as she rushed toward Caleb, but she saw no one. Meanwhile, Derik stood in shock, his body completely still.
Before Dru could reach him, Caleb rolled onto his side and jerked the arrow out, his body transforming into his large white wolf, his fur stained with blood.
Derik shook off his shock and rounded to face Caleb, snarling. Caleb moved with purpose, despite his injury. He charged toward Derik and rammed into his midsection, knocking him over as the ground shook beneath them. Without a moment of hesitation, Caleb latched his teeth onto Derik's throat and pulled hard, ripping out his throat and claiming victory as Alpha of the Grayback tribe.
It was over.
The tribe sent up a long, ceremonious, solemn howl, showing respect for the death of their Alpha while simultaneously demonstrating their acceptance of their new leader. Caleb simply gave a somber nod and moved toward Dru, his limp noticeable. She could see that his eyes were focused just behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to catch the dark curls of a female holding a bow. Dru could see a fresh scar on the woman’s face and neck, but she was most interested in the woman’s expression—the soft look of love on her face was concerning. She turned her attention toward Dru only for a moment, her green eyes filling with tears. Before disappearing back into the trees, the woman turned back toward Caleb and nodded. Dru was just able to make out the words on her lips: “Your fight.”
