She saw Talon, and she saw their happy moments at home. They were laughing in the kitchen, splashing water at each other as they did the dishes together. She saw them sitting on the couch in the living room. Talon was massaging her feet as she flipped through a magazine. These were all scenes from her life, a life she had just begun to live.
She was living a beautiful life. She had a mate, a family, a future. After everything she’d been through, she was truly, completely happy at last.
With a gasp, Bianca blinked back to the present.
She saw Rake’s contorted face above her and felt him pressing against her. His breath, his touch enraged and repulsed her. “Let. Me. Go,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Rake bared his teeth in an ugly smile. “I think you like it rough, slut. I’ll give it to you.” He began to undo his belt with one hand. His other hand clamped around her neck.
A tidal wave of fury rose within her. These bastards had no right to destroy her life.
Hurting her would hurt the man she loved. And she would never allow these cowardly hooligans to hurt Talon.
Screaming, she lashed out and clawed at Rake’s face. Her nails tore across his cheek, leaving a trail of blood.
When Rake tried to slap her, she turned and bit down on his hand. She tasted blood in her mouth, but she wouldn’t let go.
“You dirty slut!” Rake bellowed, grabbing her hair and slamming her head to the ground. “How dare you! I’m going to make you scream and bleed. Fucking bitch!”
Bianca rolled on her side and retched. Everything was tilting and spinning, and she could taste blood in her mouth.
Rake kicked her in the ribs, making her cough out more blood.
“I’ll kill you!” he roared.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Talon sped down the dirt road and fought to keep his truck and his wolf steady. He had to get to Bianca. He had let his wolf rise so that the beast could track his mate. And his wolf was leading him towards that old abandoned barn just outside of town.
His maddened wolf was ready to claw out of his skin. The beast could scent his mate now, and he could feel Bianca’s pain and terror. When Sariah told him that the Woodrow wolves had taken Bianca to the abandoned barn at the other end of Wolves Hollow, he knew exactly where it was. But he didn’t want to take her word for it. He didn’t trust the witch. He trusted his wolf.
Talon zoomed towards the barn, dirt and gravel flying from his wheels. He stopped the truck some distance away from the barn and killed the engine. He got out and sniffed the air.
The wind carried his mate’s scent to him. His wolf rose at the scent of Bianca’s blood. His mate was hurt!
Talon ran towards the barn, his claws and fangs stabbing out. The heavy front door was bolted shut. Throwing himself against the door would accomplish nothing except alert his enemies to his presence.
Talon shifted to wolf form and slid round to the side of the barn. It was full dark now, but the darkness didn’t hamper his wolf.
With his heightened senses, he could smell the putrid sweat of the Woodrow wolves. The scent of his mate called to him, and he could hear her frightened whimpers.
Talon moved as swiftly as he could. He found a broken window and took a few steps back. With a running leap, Talon smashed through the window and slammed into the barn.
He saw Cliff and his son, Rake, holding Bianca down. Cliff had his claws out, and was aiming his claws at Bianca’s eye.
“Talon,” Bianca rasped, turning her bruised face to him. Her eyes gleamed with hope and defiance. She wasn’t giving up. She thrashed wildly and managed to kick Rake in the crotch.
Cliff and his two sons immediately shifted to wolf form when they saw him.
The three black wolves surrounded him and blocked him from Bianca.
Talon growled and charged at Cliff. He had no doubt that Cliff was the mastermind behind this kidnapping. His sons just followed him, too weak to stand up to their bullying father.
Cliff slashed his claws down Talon’s side, opening up a deep, vicious gash. Talon staggered back in pain, and shook his head quickly to clear it.
Snarling, Talon fought back, taking on the three wolves at once. He twisted round and bit Rufus on the leg, before slamming himself into Rake and tackling him to the ground. Cliff jumped on him and tried to bite his neck but Talon managed to shake him off.
Growling and snarling, Talon continued wrestling Rake. The two wolves rolled on the ground, each fighting to gain the advantage. Finally, Talon clamped his jaws around Rake’s neck and bit down.
Rake howled in pain and fury, but Talon held on. But before Talon could bite into his jugular, he felt a sudden pain in his hind leg and was forced to release Rake.
Talon whirled round and saw that Rufus had come to the aid of his brother. Rufus let go of Talon’s leg and backed away. He didn’t seem to want to fight Talon, but he wouldn’t let Talon kill his brother.
Talon growled. He could almost respect Rufus’s loyalty to his family. Almost.
But Rufus wasn’t blameless. The three Woodrow wolves were in this together. He wasn’t going to let any of them go.
Talon charged at Rufus, but Cliff slammed into his side and knocked him down.
Snarling, Talon scrambled to his feet and faced Cliff. He crouched and waited for Cliff to come closer.
The two wolves flew at each other, clashing in the middle of the barn. Jaws snapped and claws slashed down.
Dark red blood sprayed in an arc into the air.
Both Talon and Cliff crashed to the ground, blood pooling and spreading around them.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Talon shook the blood out of his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. Cliff shifted back to human form, gurgling and convulsing in his own blood.
Even as his life flowed out of him, Cliff stared at Talon with undimmed hatred. With his dying breath, he rasped to his sons, “Kill her!”
Fury surged through him and Talon charged madly, blindly forward to finish the bastard off. He bit savagely into Cliff’s jugular, delivering the killing blow. Talon almost regretted granting Cliff such a quick, merciful death. The piece of shit deserved to suffer for what he did to Bianca.
Bianca’s scream wrenched him out of his blood-soaked haze. Talon jerked away to see Rake prowling towards Bianca, his teeth bared. Before Talon could move, Rake flew at Bianca, his jaws aiming for her throat.
Talon lunged forward, his heart stopping in his chest. He knew. He knew he wouldn’t reach her in time. He would be too late to save her.
Everything happened at the same time.
As Talon tried to reach his mate, the top window of the barn exploded.
Two witches came smashing into the barn on a flying broomstick.
One of the witches jumped from the broomstick and dropped in front of Rake. She covered Bianca with her body, shielding her from the murderous wolf.
Talon pounced on Rake, slamming him to the ground. Sariah was still shielding Bianca when Yaya and Boris landed beside them.
Rake fought like a wolf possessed. He was determined to avenge his father’s death. Crazed with grief and rage, Rake attacked Talon with savage violence. The young black wolf was unstoppable and unrelenting. He kept attacking, ripping skin and flesh from Talon’s body.
Dazed and weakened by blood loss, Talon knew he was no match for the maddened, younger black wolf. Rake pinned him down and his teeth sank into Talon’s neck.
“Rake! No!” Rufus stood up and shouted. Rufus was in human form and was running towards them.
Rake turned at his brother’s voice. He narrowed his eyes at Rufus, baring bloodstained teeth at him.
“Don’t.” Rufus’s voice was quiet but authoritative. “Don’t do it, Rake. It’s over.”
Rake growled and dug his claws into Talon’s belly.
“No, Rake. Stop. He’s gone. We don’t have to be like him,” Rufus said.
Rake closed his eyes for an instant. When he opened his eyes again, Talon saw that
all the rage and fight had gone out of him. Rufus came forward and held his brother back while Talon staggered away.
Talon shifted back to human form and stared at the two brothers, his eyes still glowing with rage and blood lust. His claws glinted, his wolf still in control. His beast was not appeased and refused to back down. His wolf bayed for blood, and Talon was happy to spill the blood of his enemies. No one hurt his mate and got away with it!
“Talon...” It was Bianca’s voice.
He snapped his eyes to her and saw her stretch out her hand to him. “Don’t, Talon,” she said. “Don’t kill them.”
“Why,” he snarled. “They hurt you.”
Bianca shook her head as Yaya and Sariah helped her up. “They were afraid. They were afraid of Cliff. I...I know what it’s like to be afraid of someone. You keep doubting yourself, and nothing you do is ever good enough. You’re scared of going against them because you know what they’ll do to you when they get mad.” She looked straight at Talon and said softly, “Let them go, Talon. They deserve a chance.”
Talon took a sharp breath and stepped back. He didn’t want to let them go at all. But he would do it, for his mate.
“You.” He pointed at Sariah. “Get away from Bianca! Don’t touch her, witch. You’ve caused enough trouble!”
Yaya tsked loudly. “Sariah just saved your mate. She got me and Boris here. Even with all her injuries, she rushed to get help for Bianca.” Yaya turned to Bianca and said gently, “Come on, dear. Get on the broomstick. Sit between me and Sariah, so we can keep an eye on you. I called Dr. Leela. She’s waiting for you at the clinic.”
Talon glared at them and snapped, “I can drive Bianca to the clinic. My truck is parked...”
Yaya waved a hand. “Boris is faster. I want to get both Bianca and Sariah to the doctor as soon as possible.”
Sariah protested. “No, just get Bianca there. I don’t...”
Yaya ignored her and addressed Talon, “They are both hurt,” she said quietly but firmly, her sharp, knowing eyes boring into his. “I’ll get them both to the doctor before you’re even out the door.”
As the broomstick rose into the air, Yaya quirked a smile and said, “Boris is loving his new handle, by the way. Thanks, Talon!” She slapped Boris’s bristles and shouted, “Let’s go, Boris. Giddy-up!”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Talon lurched forward just as Boris sailed neatly out that broken window near the top of the barn. He ran out to see the three women disappear into the night sky on a speeding broomstick.
Yaya was right about one thing. Even before he was halfway to his truck, Boris had already gotten Bianca to the doctor.
Talon jumped into his truck and started the engine. He didn’t even glance back at the barn as he turned his truck around.
He had left Rake and Rufus there with Cliff’s body. But he didn’t care what the Woodrow wolves did as long as they stayed away from him. After they buried their father, Rake and Rufus could go back to their ranch and carry on their lives.
He wanted nothing to do with the two brothers. Talon snarled as he sped towards Dr. Leela’s clinic. The Woodrow wolves had better hope that their paths never crossed.
Talon screeched to a stop in front of the clinic and bolted from his truck. He exploded through the door, his eyes wide and wild.
“Where is she? Where’s Bianca?” he demanded, almost shoving a nurse out of the way.
Yaya jumped up from the small couch at the corner. Even Boris pushed himself away from the wall and hopped forward. “Talon, calm down. Bianca and Sariah are in the treatment room. Dr. Leela and her colleague are seeing to them. Come and sit down, Talon.” Yaya went back to the couch and patted the cushion.
Boris followed Talon around, wagging his bristles. He clearly wanted to show Talon his new handle.
Talon glanced towards the closed doors and raked his fingers through his hair. “What’s taking them so long?” he growled.
Yaya shrugged and picked up an old magazine. “Time is relative,” she said.
Talon glared at her. What the hell did that mean?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Yaya went on, flipping through the magazine.
Talon scowled. “No you don’t.”
“You’re thinking, why did Sariah come to me, of all people? And you’re wondering, what has Yaya got to do with that evil witch? Is Yaya evil too?” When Talon made no response, Yaya put down her magazine and sighed.
“I don’t want you to think too badly of her. It’s my fault, in a way.”
Talon tensed. What was Yaya saying? How was she involved in this whole horrible mess?
“Sariah was my apprentice, for a very short time,” Yaya said. “I guess I wasn’t a very good teacher. I didn’t teach her well. I didn’t teach her what she wanted to know. I refused to teach her dark magic. So she left.”
Talon narrowed his eyes. “You could have stopped her. She hurt a lot of people.” Before Yaya could open her mouth, Talon snarled, “And don’t give me that shit about free will.”
The door opened and Dr. Leela stepped out. Talon surged to his feet. “How’s Bianca? Can I see her? I...”
Dr. Leela closed the door behind her. “I’ve treated Bianca’s injuries. You can take her home now. Just make sure she has lots of rest and nourishing food so she can get her strength back. She’ll be okay.” She gave Talon a quick, reassuring smile.
“What about Sariah?” Yaya asked.
Dr. Leela hesitated a beat. “Sariah left before we could attend to her.”
“What?”
“Sariah insisted we see to Bianca first. While we were attending to Bianca, she left. No one saw her leave. I think she slipped out through the back door.”
Talon pushed into the treatment room, leaving Dr. Leela and Yaya talking in low tones outside. He didn’t bother listening to their conversation. He wanted to see his mate.
He entered the room and saw a nurse helping Bianca sit up. She had a bandage around her head and the cuts on her arms had been cleaned up.
Bianca smiled as soon as she saw Talon. “Hey,” she said, her eyes shining.
Talon went to her and hugged her.
She must have felt him trembling because she patted his shoulder and said, “Hey, I’m okay. I’m really okay.”
Talon cupped her face in both hands and kissed her long and deep. “I’m going to take you home right now,” he told her sternly. “And you’re going to do nothing but sleep and eat, understand?”
She laughed. “Sounds good to me.”
“Let’s go home.”
Talon thanked the doctor and helped Bianca into his truck. He wanted to get them home and keep his mate away from all the other wolves and witches.
He would shoot anyone who came too near his house. He should have done that a long time ago.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Bianca untied her apron and glanced towards the last booth at the corner of the diner. It was almost closing time and the diner was empty and quiet.
Only one customer remained.
Bianca went to the corner booth and sat down.
“Hey,” she said softly.
Sariah looked up and smiled. “Hi, Bianca.”
“Want another milkshake?”
Sariah shook her head. “I’ll have another one tomorrow. I’m meeting Yaya and Boris here for dinner tomorrow.”
Bianca quirked a lopsided smile. “Don’t let Boris eat all your fries.”
That earned her a laugh. “That broomstick has a big appetite.”
They sat in silence for a while. Bianca studied the witch quietly. Sariah had disappeared from the clinic that night and left town. Only Yaya knew where she’d gone but Yaya refused to divulge Sariah’s whereabouts. No matter how hard Bianca pressed her, Yaya simply refused to tell. All she would say was that Sariah would come home when she was ready.
Nine months later, Sariah did return to Wolves Hollow.
She returned as quietly as she had left. But when Bianca first
saw Sariah again, she almost didn’t recognize her.
Sariah’s hair had grown back. The witch sported a crop of short snowy white hair, and her eyes were no longer red. They were blue, the blue of a clear summer sky.
She was still thin but the spots and wrinkles had disappeared from her skin. And she was no longer stooped and hunched. She could stand tall and look people in the eye.
“Where did you go?” Bianca had asked her when she first came to the diner.
“I had to make a journey,” was Sariah’s reply. “A journey of finding and forgetting. I had to forget all the magic that I’d learned so that I could find myself. I will never walk that path again.”
At Bianca’s urging, Sariah began to come to the diner. Sariah usually came to the diner alone after most of the patrons had left, but sometimes Yaya and Boris joined her. Sariah was training to be a healer now. “I know I can’t undo all the damage that I’ve done. But I’m going to try,” Sariah had told Bianca. “I’ll try to do as much good as I can. Hopefully one day...” I will be forgiven.
Sariah looked away from the window quickly. “I...I’d better go,” she said, getting up. She put the money on the table and hurried to the door.
Bianca turned and saw Talon’s truck rounding the corner. Sariah slipped out the door and disappeared into the darkness just as Talon pulled up in front of the diner.
Sariah knew that Talon still hadn’t forgiven her. It was better for everyone that she stay out of his way. Talon left Sariah and the Woodrow brothers alone, but there was no telling what he would do if they got in his face.
Rake and Rufus stayed at their ranch and kept to themselves. They no longer hunted in the woods around Talon’s house, and they kept a very low profile. They hardly ever appeared in town.
Bianca grabbed the empty milkshake glass and took the money to Carly. “Oh, Sariah’s left?” Carly said. “I didn’t even see her go.”
“Talon’s here,” Bianca said simply.
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