by Croft, Nina
“Hmm. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Is Daniel coming back here?”
“Later. He had that meeting. And afterward, he has to go out and turn into a wolf—it’s full moon.”
Julia closed her eyes for a moment. “You sound so casual when you say that.”
“Believe me, it’s an effort.”
“I still can’t believe that my brother is a werewolf. What does he look like?”
“I’ve only seen his full wolf form and he was beautiful, big and golden. But they do this halfway thing and that was ugly.”
“It might have just been Sophia.”
“No, she was all wolf, but there were others.” She shuddered.
“Let’s go open a bottle of wine and pass the time with you telling me everything else you haven’t told me.”
“I’ve told you everything.”
“I shall never believe that again.”
They wandered through into the living room and Lissa crossed over to the window and peered out. Daniel had told her there would be someone watching them at all times. A dark car had followed them home and was now parked across the road.
Julia had gone to get the wine. When she came back, she joined her by the window and handed a glass to Lissa.
“What are you staring at?” Julia asked.
“Our bodyguards.” There didn’t appear to be any movement from inside the car. “I don’t like it,” she said. “I’m going to phone Daniel.”
“Don’t like what?”
The door behind her crashed open. Fear blossomed on Julia’s face, and Lissa whirled around. Two men stood inside the doorway, pistols drawn. She didn’t even have time to reach for the gun. Opening her mouth to scream, she snapped it shut as the man closest raised his pistol.
Time seemed to slow. His finger tightened on the trigger. She was never going to see Daniel again. Then he fired. There was no loud bang, just a prick in her arm and she glanced down to where a small dart stuck out of her wrist. She reached for it as the room began to spin. Her vision darkened and she swayed, grabbing hold of something. She realized it was Julia and her fingers tightened and they were both hurtling to the floor.
And everything went black.
Chapter Seventeen
“You want me to what?” Daniel could hear the shock in his own voice. He glanced across at Joe. The other man appeared perfectly serious.
“We want you to challenge Ethan.”
“Challenge him to what?”
“To the leadership of the pack.”
Daniel dropped into the chair behind him while he let the words sink in. He’d arrived at the warehouse where he’d arranged to meet Joe and Pete and found not only the two werewolves, but around twenty other pack members. All focused on him.
He didn’t want to be pack leader. In fact, he’d like to pretend the pack didn’t exist. Since he’d revealed what he was to Lissa, a secret hope had been growing inside him. Maybe he could beat Ethan without having to resort to any more of the drug. There would be enough of the human left in him to make some sort of normal life with her. She had taken the werewolf thing so well, hadn’t appeared disgusted. But how long would that last if he turned evil like Ethan? Ethan had always claimed that ruthlessness was essential to control the pack.
Besides, how could they ever have a normal life if he was leader of the pack? They would never accept a human mate for the Alpha. And he wouldn’t ask Lissa to risk her life and change.
And there was another thing. A leadership challenge was to the death.
“I’m not a fighter,” he said. “I’m a scientist.”
“You knocked out Sophia with one blow. She was the second most powerful wolf in the pack. We reckon you’ve been hiding your strength. Let it loose, and you might be a match for Ethan.”
“Might? And if I’m not—I’m dead.” Unless he took the drug.
“How long do you think you’re going to last anyway? He’ll be aware by now what happened to Sophia, and he’ll be coming after us.”
“I can go away. Hide.” But everything inside him raged against the idea of running from Ethan. He needed to face the man. But kill him? Though he’d fantasized about it, he wasn’t sure he was capable of killing anyone—even Ethan. It would be one more step down the path to becoming a monster. “Maybe if we confront him, all of us together, he’ll back down. Maybe we can talk him into leaving.” Wolf whined at that idea. Wolf didn’t want Ethan to leave. He wanted him dead.
“You reckon?”
Daniel nodded. “It’s got to be worth a try.”
“And if we can’t persuade him, you’ll fight?”
He’d never been a fighter—couldn’t remember getting in a fight in his whole life until he’d had to save Lissa from Sophia.
“He’ll have to,” Pete said. “Ethan will kill him anyway. And us as well.”
Great. He’d better not mention this to Lissa. So much for no more lies. He would talk to Jason, though, make sure he’d keep her safe. With him dead, however, there would be no reason to go after the people he cared about. Unless Ethan wanted to make an example of them.
Joe’s phone rang. He listened for a moment, his gaze straying to Daniel, his face expressionless. He ended the call, shoved the phone in his pocket.
“You’ve got no choice. Ethan has Lissa.”
Rage swept over him. Forget talking. The time for talking was well and truly over. Joe was right. He had no choice. If Lissa was to live, then Ethan had to die and Daniel couldn’t take the chance he wasn’t strong enough.
He’d always been a scientist first; time to play to his strengths. As he acknowledged the fact, a wave of hopelessness washed over him and he accepted that his human life was over. He’d save Lissa only to lose her.
“I’ll do it.” He pushed himself to his feet. “But we have to stop by the lab, first.”
Half an hour later, he stood in front of the cabinet in his laboratory. The syringe in his hand was almost full of a pale golden liquid. One vial remained, and he shrugged. He might as well go all the way. After jabbing the needle into the final vial, he drew the contents into the syringe. Ten times the dose he had taken previously. It might even kill him. As long as it didn’t kill him too quickly.
“What is that stuff?” Joe asked.
Daniel didn’t answer, just rolled up his sleeve. He tapped his forearm until the vein stood out, blue against his skin. Without giving himself any more time to think, he jabbed the needle through his flesh and rammed the plunger down.
Fire streaked through his nerves. Throwing back his head, he howled.
…
“Lissa,” Julia hissed, “wake up.”
Her eyelids were heavy and it took an immense effort of will to lift them, and then she wished she hadn’t. She recognized where they were immediately—in the clearing, lying on the ground in front of that big wooden throne.
Oh God, been here, done this before, so don’t want to do it again.
Only this time something was different. The throne wasn’t empty. A man sat in it with dark skin and dark eyes and a definite shifty look about him. Perhaps she was being fanciful, but she’d bet this was Ethan Stone. The one person she could really do without seeing. He was talking with someone behind him and so far ignoring their presence. She could only hope he would continue to do so.
The sun still lit the sky to the west, but dusk hovered close. And when the sun went down, the moon would rise. The full moon. And the wolves would come out to play. She wanted to go home.
Someone nudged her in the middle just as she closed her eyes again.
“Lissa, I know you’re awake. We need to get out of here.”
Well, that was a great idea, but she really didn’t see how they could manage it considering she was trussed up like a chicken ready for roasting. She tried to move her arms, but they were bound tight behind her, her legs tied at the ankle. But on the plus side, she was lying face up and the hard shape of the pistol dug into the small of her back. She still had her g
un. It obviously hadn’t occurred to them to search her. Could she use that?
Another nudge in the ribs and she forced her lids open and shifted slightly. Julia lay, also tied up, next to her. “Well, I’m open to ideas,” she whispered.
Was he going to kill one or both of them, as he had Barbara, to make Daniel do what he was told?
“I’m scared,” Julia said from beside her.
“Don’t be. Someone will come and get us. Daniel or Jason. The security team must have to check in, and when they don’t, they’ll know something is wrong.” She hoped. But how long would it take?
She twisted so she could peek around the clearing and her heart sank. There must be at least fifty people, and not only people, huge wolves mingled with the humans, many of them staring in her and Julia’s direction.
Was that hunger or anticipation she saw in their eyes? Or both?
Nausea roiled in her stomach
“I think our guests are awake,” a low voice said.
She rolled onto her back to find Ethan standing close by, staring down at them out of those dark eyes and a shiver of revulsion ran through her.
“Untie them,” he said.
Hard hands reached for her and she had to force herself not to fight. Being untied was a good thing. If there was a chance for them to run, they had to take it. She wouldn’t let them use her against Daniel.
As she was hauled to her feet, her legs gave way and she sagged against the hands that gripped her upper arms. She tried again, and this time she was able to stand.
Ethan went back to sit on his throne—pretentious asshole. He studied them for a minute in silence. “The small one is his sister?” he asked.
“Yes, sir”
“And the other?”
“A friend of the sister’s. They were together, so we brought her along.”
At least they didn’t know who she was. That had to be good. Well at least better.
“Bring the sister here.”
Julia shot her a terrified glance as they dragged her toward the throne. She dug in her heels, but it did no good.
“Leave her alone,” Lissa shouted, but no one took any notice.
She fought, but it made no difference. Even if they’d been ordinary men, she wouldn’t have been able to free herself from two of them. And these weren’t men. She could feel the inhuman strength in the hands that restrained her.
Julia was making little whimpering noises. Lissa wanted to scream and rage, but it wouldn’t do any good, so she gritted her teeth and searched frantically around the edges of the clearing. If help was going to come, it had better come soon.
They had hauled Julia to a halt in front of the seated man, who rose to his feet and stepped up close to her. From his pocket, he pulled out a cell phone. A pink cell phone; it must be Julia’s. “Call your brother,” Ethan said. “Tell him to come and get you.”
Julia shook her head, her whole body trembling visibly. She appeared tiny, fragile next to the tall man. “Call him yourself.”
“Unfortunately, he’s not answering me, but I’m sure he’ll answer his little sister. Call him, tell him to come and get you. I just want to talk. He’s in no danger from me. None of you are, if you cooperate.”
“Yeah, right. You killed my sister, you asshole.” Her voice throbbed with hatred.
Was Julia trying to antagonize him? But maybe getting angry was better than being scared. She had an idea it made no difference anyway.
“I didn’t kill your sister.”
“As good as. You gave the order.”
He studied her, his head cocked to one side as though she were something curious. “You’re a brave little thing. Do you know what I am?”
Julia stood up straighter. “Yes.”
“So Daniel has been talking?”
It wasn’t a question, and from the way he spoke, it wasn’t a good thing either. Ethan held up his hand much as Daniel had done that morning. The air strummed with a strangeness and her skin prickled. Black fur flowed over the hand, vicious claws sprouted from the tips of his fingers.
He hooked a finger in the top of her shirt and ripped it down the front. Julia let out a little yip of fear and then clamped her mouth closed. Beneath the shirt, she wore a pink lace bra and her breasts rose and fell in time with her rapid breathing.
All Lissa’s muscles cramped up tight with fear, and hopelessness overwhelmed her. She hated that. Oh God, if anything happened to Julia, how would she go on? How would Daniel go on? He’d blame himself, when it was really Lissa’s fault. She should have done what he asked…kept quiet and gone away. Now it was too late, and Julia and Daniel would pay the price.
Ethan stretched out his clawed hand to Julia. She strained away from him but the men at her back held her in place. Almost gently, he placed the tip of one claw above her left breast and scored down over her skin. Julia screamed as the blood welled from the shallow cut. She took one look at it and her muscles locked, her eyes closed, and she fainted dead away. She hung, unconscious, from the arms of the two men who still held her.
Ethan stepped away, an expression of frustration on his face. “Wake her up.”
Someone brought a bucket of water and threw it at Julia. She let out a yelp and blinked, then started to struggle. It was pointless and finally, she stopped fighting and stood motionless.
This time she didn’t glance down. Just stared over his shoulder, her expression fixed.
“Call your brother,” Ethan said.
“No.”
Julia turned her head slightly so she could look at Lissa, and she shook her head and mouthed the word, “No.”
Ethan followed her gaze. “I don’t want to kill you—I want Daniel’s cooperation and I think it unlikely I’ll get that with you dead. But perhaps your friend is expendable.”
Lissa didn’t like the sound of that.
“Daniel will kill you if you touch Lissa,” Julia said.
Ethan’s gaze shot to her and she tried to appear small and insignificant. “Will he? Why would he do that?”
“Because…” Julia bit her lip. “Nothing.”
Ethan stepped around her to stand in front of Lissa. “Let her go,” he said to the men holding her.
They released their grip on her arms and she rubbed at the skin—she’d have bruises tomorrow. If she lived that long. Which appeared increasingly unlikely. But right now, she couldn’t feel a thing, her body numb while her pulse raced and her breath rasped in her throat.
She was going to die. For the second time in two nights. How was that fucking fair? And Daniel was going to be so broken. It would have been better if she’d never come back. But she’d told Daniel she loved him. He loved her. It had to be enough. Closing her eyes, she pictured his face, sensed him thinking of her. God, she wanted that life with him.
Her fear receded, replaced by a deep, burning fury and she gritted her teeth. How dare this man change the course of their lives?
If she was going to die, she might as well go out with a bang. Literally. She backed away, and he watched with amusement. Reaching behind her, she fumbled for the pistol still lodged in the small of her back.
Ethan frowned, but didn’t seem unduly concerned until she pulled the gun out and held it two-handed in front of her. Her hand was steady. Jason would have been proud of her. Without giving herself any more time to think, she flicked off the safety and squeezed the trigger. The sound was loud in the night, and a wound blossomed on his chest, staining the material of his shirt dark crimson.
Something smashed into her, the gun spun from her hand, and she crashed to the ground. Her mouth filled with dirt. She came up on her hands and knees and spat, shaking her head to clear the ringing.
Ethan stood in front of her and ripped open the shirt to reveal the bloody mess of his chest beneath. Nothing showed in his face, and the wound began to close before her eyes.
“That fucking hurt,” he said.
He drew back his foot and kicked her hard in the side and she went down a
gain as pain flooded her. As he kicked her again, she rolled into a ball. Julia screamed in the background.
“Stop.”
Daniel’s voice. Real or imagination?
But the kicking stopped.
She opened her eyes.
Daniel strode out of the tree line, and the night pulsated with power. He moved toward them with the fluid grace of an animal, muscles bunching smoothly under skin.
At his back, a group of men fanned out, but she only had eyes for Daniel. He’d come for her. She caught his gaze, and her breath hitched. His eyes held an inhuman glow as he stared into hers, and she shook herself to break the spell.
There were maybe twenty men with Daniel, but Ethan had far more. If it came to a fight, how could Daniel win? Dread slowed her heartbeat until it thudded against her ribs. Then Jason emerged from the trees opposite; he had a gun in his hand, as did Stella, who stood at his side. Lissa had seen how ineffective bullets were, though maybe if they filled Ethan with enough holes he couldn’t recover.
Pushing herself up on her hands and knees, she did a quick review of the bits that hurt and decided nothing was broken. Finally, she managed to stagger to her feet, swaying until she locked the muscles of her legs and stood on her own. Then Daniel was beside her and she fell into his arms.
…
He’d had to hold her.
Inside Wolf was baying for blood. Ethan’s blood. But as Daniel’s arms wrapped around Lissa, a small measure of calm washed through him.
Later.
Soon, Wolf replied.
The drug burned a trail through his system, as though the power would explode. He wanted to rip Ethan limb from limb, sink his teeth into his throat so badly he could taste the blood on his tongue, harsh and metallic.
First, he needed to get Lissa and Julia to safety.
The sun was almost down now and soon the full moon would rise. Magic thrummed in the air as though it was a tangible thing only adding to the turmoil inside him. Soon Wolf would run free.
He hugged Lissa tight for a second, then another. This was likely the last time he would ever have her in his arms, touch her. But it had to end. He tried to put her from him, but she clung and he had to unpeel her fingers from around his neck. Wolf howled, raking his claws along the edges of Daniel’s consciousness, but he couldn’t be distracted now. Clamping down on his control, he turned to the men still holding Julia. A growl trickled from his throat and his lip curled up in a snarl. “Let her go.”
