The crowd parted as she moved to the front, Conall, Sloan, and Raoul walking behind her. Zahira, Verity, and Latriel were already there, standing off to the side with the rest of the Elders.
Alainn, if you want to call this off—
Since the moment they’d set out from his house, Conall had been giving her an out.
No.
And she mentally closed their connection. She needed to concentrate.
When she reached front of the crowd, Latriel moved forward and continued until he stood in the middle of the circle.
Holding up his hands, he waited for the noise to die down, and then said in a clear and even voice, “A blood rite has been called, and in turn, it has been answered.”
The silence was deafening and Vivienne felt Conall step closer to her back. His warmth was reassuring.
“Who calls this blood rite?”
“I do.” Vivienne watched as the crowd parted on the opposite side and Samia stepped through. Rafael was behind her, and winked when Vivienne caught his eye. Ignoring him, she returned her attention to Samia. The werewolf was wearing a white tank top, and knee-length tights. Vivienne almost snorted. She’d expected the woman to come naked, in a robe or something.
“And who answers this blood rite?”
Latriel looked directly at Vivienne, and she said clearly, “I do.”
The Elder nodded, and dipped his head to Vivienne and then to Samia.
“Whenever you are both ready,” he declared, and then promptly headed back to where the Elders stood.
Vivienne shrugged out of her jacket. It was frigidly cold despite the fact that the werewolves acted like it was eighty degrees out. Before the fabric could hit the ground, Eli took it and blended back into the crowd. Like Samia, she too had dressed comfortably. Instead of a tank, she wore a fitted long-sleeved black tee, and instead of tights, gray sweats and sneakers.
She’d taken a step forward when Conall tugged her back and bit down against the place where her neck and shoulder met. Vivienne caught a cry in the back of her throat, relaxing more when Conall licked at the bite, easing the nip of pain. When he released her, she tossed him a look over her shoulder, wondering what that was about, but Sloan and Raoul had stepped forward, and were now forming a sort of wall before him. Strange.
She turned and headed to the center, watching Samia all the while. She hadn’t moved and was glaring at Vivienne, possibly for the display Conall had just put on. Samia slowly approached, and instead of walking directly to her, began a sort of half-circling, in which she would move slowly in one direction around Vivienne before switching and moving in the other direction.
A large grin touched the woman’s lips, and her eyes flashed yellow. Moments later, she launched herself at Vivienne, who quickly moved out of the way, turning as she did so, to face a recovering Samia. Samia landed in a crouch, and had only to turn herself around before re-launching once more. Vivienne sidestepped her again, and Samia released an angry growl. She popped up, cracking her neck left and right, and strode to Vivienne. Briefly caught off guard by this change in tactic, Vivienne didn’t notice her arms were coming up until Samia was shoving her back. She flew through the air before coming to a jarring landing on the hard-mud ground. Before she could recover, Samia was on top of her, tearing at her face with lengthened claws.
“I’m going to rearrange that pretty face of yours,” Samia growled.
Vivienne heard a vicious snarl from somewhere in the background as she reached up, caught Samia by the throat, and tossed her off. Popping up, Vivienne ran a hand over her cheek, feeling the deep indentations where Samia had ripped out flesh. Her hands came away blood-red, and she blinked down at them.
Her face throbbed, but as she lifted her eyes to Samia, who’d begun circling her once more, her body began to hum. There was a slight whispering in her head, as if something were speaking to her. She looked around the circle of werewolves, at sight of Sloan and Raoul with their backs facing her…at Zahira and Verity, who seemed concerned.
Samia launched at her again, but Vivienne met her mid-air this time, flipping the woman so she would go down first. The colors faded out to red, and she saw a look of confusion pass Samia’s eyes moments before she drew her nails across Samia’s unmarked cheek. As four red lines appeared, Vivienne grunted her approval. Tit for tat.
“He doesn’t want you, bitch.” And then she began choking her. Samia clawed at her hands, opening her skin with her sharp claws. Despite the pain, Vivienne shook her head, and smiled. There was something delightful about watching a person struggle to take in air, knowing they wouldn’t be able to get it. Shaking her head, Vivienne tried to retain control. Something was trying to take over. The darkness.
She stood and dragged Samia up by the throat, lifting her until her feet were off the ground. The woman continued to scratch at her hand, but Vivienne only tightened her hold on her neck.
“Give up,” she heard herself say in a dark voice.
Samia stopped struggling, and when Vivienne thought the were would do exactly that, she lifted her feet, and kicked Vivienne in her belly.
Vivienne released her, and doubled over. Her midriff hurt and she imagined Samia might have broken a rib as well, but the pain only refueled her. When she straightened, it was to find a partially naked Samia, tugging at the rest of her clothing.
A ripple went up around the crowd as Samia stripped naked, sneakers and shirt flying every which way. A bright light exploded, and the red wolf charged her.
***
Vivienne waited until the last possible moment, and then she lifted her hands, allowed the power inside of her to come forth, and blasted the wolf back. There was a sharp whine as Samia landed hard on her back. Another ripple of excitement went around the circle like a pulsing wave.
The red wolf slowly got up, stretching her limbs, and stared at Vivienne. She was breathing hard, panting actually. Samia circled her once more, and Vivienne knew she was trying to find a weak spot. She allowed the wolf to circle her, barely turning her head to see where she was, before she felt the shift in the air as Samia went for the back of her neck. She twisted at the last possible moment, and blasted her again.
The wolf came up once more, shaking her fur as if to shake off the latest attack, and padded lightly around Vivienne. She suddenly stopped and approached her slowly, cautiously.
In her eyes, Vivienne saw a grudging type of respect. She tamped down the darkness as Samia fell to her side. Sloan had said something about the wolf having to show her belly, and Vivienne assumed that was what Samia was doing.
She assumed wrong. Before she could blink, Samia shot up, going directly for her throat. Vivienne threw her hands up, and then cried out as the wolf’s massive jaws closed around her arm. Under the pain and weight of the wolf, she was thrown off balance. She fell forward and found herself eye level with Samia.
Vivienne read victory in the wolf’s eyes and knew that in a second, she would move in for the kill. Something in her answered, and her mind was suddenly filled with the image of the white wolf.
Her body grew warm. Maybe it was the delirium setting in from that bite, and Vivienne felt the urge to close her eyes and relax. Considering she was moments aware from being mauled by a wolf, it was a very stupid urge.
A sharp pain rushed her, and she snapped her eyes open, wondering if Samia had attacked her again, but she quickly recognized that the red wolf had backed up and was watching her.
She heard a scream, followed by another. It was then she recognized those screams belonged to her. The pain. Oh God, the pain. Her bones felt like they were breaking, her muscles were stretching. What is happening?
And then, as suddenly as the pain came unmistakable pleasure. She blinked, glad that whatever had happened was now over, and turned to look at Samia. The red wolf had moved even farther away from her.
Vivienne looked around the circle. Every eye was on her. She found Conall and saw he’d taken steps forward and was now standing still, his head co
cked to the side as he stared at her.
It wasn’t like she was bleeding out. Her thoughts shifted when a bulldozer rammed into her. Well, Samia rammed into her, and she landed hard on her side. She recognized some things then. When she pushed herself to her feet, she stood on four, not two, limbs, and she was at a considerably low height, considering she was five-eight.
What the hell—? That thought was left unfinished because Samia came at her again, and Vivienne barely managed to get out of the way. She turned to face her nemesis, trying to figure out a way to get back to her original height before Samia killed her. Samia rushed her again, this time sinking her teeth into her side.
Every color faded to red once more, and she felt the darkness return. Pain. Anger. They triggered it.
Vivienne shook her herself so hard that Samia was forced to let go. She padded a few feet away, waiting. Like clockwork, Samia attacked once more, and Vivienne went low, then sprang up to catch her neck between her jaws. Clamping down hard, she tasted bitter blood before shaking the wolf and tossing her away.
Samia wheezed on the ground, trying to lift her body. She failed and a pain-filled whine escaped her lips as Vivienne slowly stalked her. Pausing above Samia, Vivienne read the fear and resignation in her gaze. Vivienne snapped her teeth together, wanting—needing— the kill. She was practically salivating with the need for the kill, and then there was another voice. The darkness. Kill her. She would kill you. Kill her.
She shook her head, took a fraction of a step backward, and growled down at Samia. The wolf’s eyes widened as if in disbelief and wheezing still, she rolled onto her back, presenting Vivienne with her neck and belly.
Vivienne held still for long moments, and the crowd seemed to collectively hold its breath. She moved forward, and touched her nose to Samia’s belly before stepping away. Mercy.
Noise erupted around the circle as Vivienne tried to understand what had happened. She was inside the white wolf—no, she was the white wolf. Somehow she knew that. How she was white wolf, she didn’t exactly know. How she would get out of this body she didn’t know, either.
And then as suddenly as those thoughts came, the environment around her fell away and she was suddenly inside someone’s house. At least, she thought she was in someone’s home. She could see stairs. Someone was running down stairs.
“Go, Cassie!”
Her mother came into sight, and Vivienne watched in horror as a tracker cruelly jabbed a syringe into her mother’s neck. Evelyn’s eyes rolled back, and then her head fell forward.
No!
She saw the stairs again, and then the road, the overcast sky. She was Cassie. Somehow, she could see through her sister’s eyes. Her sister ran for the car, fumbling with the keys as she did so. Vivienne’s heart stopped.
Cassie was muttering all sorts of curses and Vivienne was chiming them in right with her. Someone grabbed Cassie, and her sister began a frantic fight that led to her escape. As Cassie ran, Vivienne felt her sister’s heartbeat like it was her own. She was tackled from behind, and with a strangled cry, went down. The breath was knocked from her body, but Cassie managed a low scream. Vivienne screamed as well. She felt a prick, as if someone had just stabbed her with a large needle, and then Cassie faded away and Vivienne lay on the dirt ground, a frantic Conall above her.
“Vivienne!” His hands were strong on her shoulders as he shook her.
She sat up quickly, barely even recognizing she was completely naked before the entire Cedar Creek community, and yes, all of their eyes were on her.
“Cassie!”
Chapter Sixteen
It took everything inside of him to concentrate on navigating his convertible through rush-hour New York traffic. The car was built for speed, which was why he was driving it, while his pack followed behind in the SUV. Still, his mind kept drifting to other things that had nothing to do with the road. And who could blame him? In the span of an hour, he’d found out that his mate was a werewolf, or could somehow access a wolf body, that his mate had either premonitions or visions, and that it was highly possible Maximilian Cronin’s covenant had just taken Vivienne’s mother and sister. Separately, any of those three things were worthy of scrutiny, but together, they made for a ball of chaotic thoughts.
For one, his mate was a wolf! Not that he had a problem with that, but how? He’d never smelled it on her before. When Samia had dragged her to the ground, her muzzle only inches away from Vivienne’s neck, Conall had fought his way through his betas. He refused to stand by and watch Vivienne die. Laws be damned. He would deal with the consequences later. He’d just managed to get past Sloan when he heard Vivienne scream. Immediately, his wolf had come to the surface, demanding to be released, as that scream signified pain. His change was quickly approaching when a bright light surrounded his mate, and in the next moment, a white wolf stood in her place. His wolf retreated briefly in the face of confusion, as Conall tried to wrap his mind around what should be impossible. The white wolf was Vivienne. He’d been able to smell her, and although the scent was slightly different due to the wolf nature, there was no doubt she was his mate, one and the same. And she’d fought with a grace and viciousness that made him proud, and sent his beast even wilder than before. If the beast was attracted to Vivienne the druid, he’d come close to obsession with Vivienne in wolf form.
And then, after forcing Samia to admit the superiority of her beast, Vivienne had collapsed to the ground, shifted back to human form, and remained in an almost comatose position as, apparently, she’d had a vision. He hadn’t even known that she could do that. Conall knew of some witches who had premonitions, but he’d also heard they were rare. He’d held her with fear in his heart, praying she’d blink and her eyes would focus on him, and when seconds trickled by, he’d begun to shake her. When the vision passed, she’d been frantic, screaming about her sister, her mother, going to the safe house, and Maximilian Cronin’s trackers. Conall had immediately rushed her back to his house, where she’d dressed in record time as he quickly assembled a team. Minutes later, Vivienne was seated across from him in the convertible, and Sloan was at the wheel of the SUV, following.
“Did you see anything else?” he asked as he switched lanes to go into Brooklyn.
Vivienne released a breath, and shook her head. He felt her frustration, her fear, and briefly removed his hand from the gear stick to squeeze her cold hand.
***
As soon as Conall pulled up to Evelyn’s safe house, Vivienne leapt from the car and ran to the front door of the tall brownstone. Conall, Sloan, Raoul, and other pack members whose names she couldn’t remember, or didn’t know, followed on her heels. The door was closed but not locked, and her heart thumped as she stepped inside. Immediately she recognized the staircase down which her sister had run, the balcony upon which her mother had been drugged.
“Mom!” she screamed, knowing it was pointless but doing it anyway. She’d telephoned her mother and sister after rushing back to Conall’s house, praying what she’d seen was just premonition or a really bad daydream. Something that could be prevented. Evelyn didn’t answer, which terrified Vivienne even more, as Evelyn always kept her cellular phone close. Cassie had been the same. No answer.
“Cassie!”
Vivienne took the stairs two at a time, coming to the balcony, and then heading down the hallway. Bedroom doors were open. Shattered glass lay against the carpet. There were dents in the floorboard and walls, as if a huge fight had taken place. Her heart thumped even harder, raced even faster.
It was real. Somehow, she’d seen the moment her sister and mother had been abducted.
She found a room that smelled of Evelyn, and stepped inside. It was untouched, signifying no interference with the room. The next room she entered was the exact opposite. The bed was against the wall, as if someone had tossed it there, and there were char marks on the cream carpet. Although it smelled of her sister, she also scented others. Trackers.
They’d obviously been after her sister
, and Evelyn had come to Cassie’s defense. How had they known where to look? Her mother’s safe houses were close to undetectable. She felt Conall behind her, and then his hand landed on her shoulder. He was trying to comfort her. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and let him take her weight. The last time trackers had taken someone she loved, she hadn’t seen him again. Max. And now her mother and sister. She didn’t know the first thing about finding them. Where was Maximilian Cronin’s home? Would he keep them there?
“We’ll find them, alainn,” Conall said firmly, giving her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. She could feel his anger wafting off of him, but couldn’t even revel in it. She felt…alone.
Vivienne shook her head. “How?”
“I know where Cronin keeps his covenant. I also know that he’ll try to contact you shortly.”
“Why?”
“Because he wants you both. At the Council meeting, he tried to claim kinship for you and your sister.” Conall’s voice was cool and level. As she practically melted in fear for her family, he took control. “He’s going to either send his trackers after you, or try to convince you to go to him.”
“How can you be sure, Conall?” Her voice was soft because it took so much effort to speak.
“Because he needs you both. At least, that’s what he thinks.”
She nodded weakly against him, and Conall’s free hand slipped around her waist, turning her so that she faced him.
Lifting her chin, she looked into his eyes. She saw reassurance. Determination.
“I promise you, Vivienne, we will find your mother and sister.”
She wanted to believe him, and hoped he was right, because her pain was growing larger by the second. Her entire body hurt. It was as if she were missing a limb, like someone had cut off a body part, and with the pain and the hurt pulsed the darkness inside her.
Taken by Moonlight Page 37
