“You should get changed too,” Christoph said. He tilted his head to yell up the stairs. “Bridget, grab a spare dress, please.”
I frowned, confused. “You know Bridget?”
“We met last night,” Christoph admitted. “I tried to do what you asked. I went into town looking for Jasper, but I must have just missed him. I found Bridget and the men instead.”
I was touched. “You didn’t have to risk your family like that.”
He shrugged. “I thought perhaps the duke could give me some protection. And what you said, about if it was my daughter, well, you were right. You didn’t deserve this at all, and I needed to help make it right.”
I heard Bridget’s feet on the stairs and she appeared in the doorway, the fire illuminating her dark locks and green eyes. She was fully clothed this time, and carried another dress in her hands.
Christoph stood up. “I’ll leave you to get changed,” he said.
Bridget helped me to my feet. As she unbuttoned the dress and helped peel the wet fabric from my body, I finally spoke.
“So... you’re a werewolf.”
“Yes.”
“You never said.”
“I was worried that it might change the way you felt about me. I thought I’d be fired.”
“You know most everyone at Wolf’s Peak is a werewolf?”
She laughed. “Yes, I know. But I saw how affected you were when you came out of the woods. I was worried that you wouldn’t be comfortable with me being a werewolf, so I thought I’d keep it quiet until you’d adjusted to things a little more.”
“I suppose I was a little sullen when I found out about Jasper,” I murmured. Bridget helped me step into the dry dress. “And here I was, worried that you’d be hurt by Conor like I was about Jasper.”
“I’ve actually known Conor a long time,” Bridget said as she did up the buttons.
“You have?”
“I wasn’t sure it was him at first. See, I was first turned when I was fifteen. I had recently left home and was living on the streets. I was attacked by a man I was servicing. He left me to die in an alley. Conor found me and nursed me back to health. I never thought I’d see him again.”
“That’s actually very sweet,” I said.
She blushed. “I think so. You’re all done up now.”
“Do you need to go back out there to help with the fight?” I asked. If she needed to be there, then she should be, but I wanted her company.
“Darling, they’ve got it well in hand,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve got Seth and his men hogtied by now. Seth’s minions are sloppy and disorganized.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said, throwing my arms around her.
She hugged me back, and I tried to soak up her warmth. I was still so cold.
“We were so worried when you were taken,” she said. “Conor and I tried to go after them, but in the wagon, they got too much of a head start. We settled in at the village and got ahold of Jasper.”
“So why did he show up alone?”
“He insisted. Thought he could talk some sense into Seth. I don’t think he expected Seth to have so many cohorts. Conor and I were less sure. We called the others here as backup, just in case.”
“I’m glad,” I sighed. Relief was still at bay; I wouldn’t feel safe until Seth was in chains, but I was slowly beginning to relax. “I thought so many times that we were dead.” I was still struggling to accept that we might make it out of this. I might get my happy family after all.
I hesitated, still. “Can we go check in on them?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said. “I brought your boots down.”
Bridget helped me into my boots, gingerly taking care of my right one. We took a lantern and wove back through the dark hallways to the door that led out to the balcony. Together, we stepped up to the railing of the balcony to watch the fight. A few men lay in the snow, surrounded by blood. From up here, it was hard to see who it was, but I could tell Jasper and Adam and Stephen were fighting.
“They’ve got Seth surrounded,” Bridget said, pointing to the scene below us.
“Good,” I said. “It’s his turn.”
Uncertainty still lingered, but it looked like we had won. It was almost over. This whole nightmare… Seth… it was almost done.
“Stop!”
A voice rang out in the cold air. I frowned, pausing to determine where the voice was coming from. Across the courtyard a group of men emerged from the trees, dressed ornately in robes. Confused, I glanced over at Bridget, who had blanched.
“The elders are here,” she whispered.
Chapter Twenty–Nine
Immediately, the battle below us came to a halt. The men who were still fighting froze. Tension hung thick in the air.
There were at least a dozen elders, all men, and all different nationalities. They were led by a tall, thin, gray–haired man. They all wore heavy, long robes that billowed behind them as they glided across the courtyard toward the paused battle.
Bridget and I watched with bated breath, unsure what to do. Even the snowflakes seemed to hang in the air as these intimidating men approached. Their faces were stern and angry, unhappy with the scene they had witnessed.
“Is this bad?” I whispered to Bridget.
“I’m not sure yet,” she said.
The elders came to a stop in front of Jasper, Seth, and the others. Words were spoken, the elders delivering some sort of instructions. Slowly the wolves began to shift back into their human form. Again, I didn’t look, gazing at my frozen fingers as they transformed. The switch from wolf to human wasn’t as horrific as from human to wolf, but it still made me ill. Besides, once they were in human form, they were naked, and I didn’t want to see that from anyone except Jasper.
Bridget watched though. It didn’t affect her as much as it did me. She was used to it. If she was changed when she was fifteen, she had about eight years of transforming to refer back to. In fact, she kept her eyes locked on the scene below, smirking as the naked men gathered their clothes. If only I had the sort of unembarrassed disposition she did.
I heard words from down below and glanced to see the men were clothed over the most important bits; Jasper and Conor were still shirtless, but Stephen was buttoning his shirt up and Seth was taking the time with his jacket. Jasper and the thin man were talking, and Jasper glanced up and gestured to me. He motioned for me to come down, and I nodded.
Bridget helped me down the steps. For the first time, I realized how truly strong she was. She lifted me effortlessly from step to step, keeping me off my injured ankle. We reached the base of the steps, and we hobbled over to where the men stood. Jasper came to meet us, joining up at my other side and the two of them carried me to wear the elders stood.
“Christine, this is Elder Benedict, the elder from Britain,” Jasper introduced me.
I glanced up at the elder. He seemed even thinner up close, his cheekbones sunken in and his eyes deep in their sockets. He must have been ancient, even older than Lester. His voice was soft and gravelly.
“A pleasure to meet you at last, Christine,” he said, extending his hand to me. I pulled my hand from around Bridget’s waist and she tightened her grip so I was still supported. I shook Benedict’s hand, a bony, dry hand that was warm against my cold skin.
“The pleasure is mine,” I murmured.
“Christine, can you explain what happened here?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure where to begin, but eventually, I found myself at the very start. I started by explaining how Seth had shown up at our home shortly after Jasper and I had wed, then continued to detail what had happened in the forest. I told him about Roderick and Adam. All of this he already knew, but he nodded politely. It was when I moved on to the story of Ashford Castle and my kidnapping that he began to listen intently, his mouth pressed into a hard line and his eyes narrow. I held nothing back; I explained Seth’s plans, what his intent was. Perhaps I was more emotional than
necessary. I let myself cry. I was overcome thinking back on the last few days, and if I were honest, I was trying to appeal to Benedict’s emotion. I hoped that if I showed what a toll everything had taken on me, Seth’s punishment would be all the more swift.
Speaking of Seth, he had finally finished slowly putting on his clothes. His eyes darted from side to side, trying to figure out a way to escape his situation. The elders surrounded him and so did Conor and Stephen. He wanted to run, but there was no way for him to get out of the circle of werewolves.
“I see,” Elder Benedict said as I finished my tale, adding plenty of tears and trembling for good measure. Jasper pulled me close, kissing me softly on the top of my head, trying to comfort me as I recounted everything.
Elder Benedict looked at the other elders. “Tie him up,” he said, motioning to Seth.
Seth’s eyes went wide. He backed up as the elders closed in on him. He began to fight, struggling against them, lashing out, kicking, scratching, whatever was possible to avoid capture.
Somehow, there was a break in his arrestors, and Seth made a run for it. He shoved his way between two of the elders. He sprinted across the courtyard, kicking up snow as he flew toward the woods. Despite the advanced age of the elders, they were right on his heels. They tackled him to the ground, holding him as he struggled. It took four of them, with the assistance of Conor and Stephen, to get Seth tied up. He was bound around his wrists and arms. They left his legs apart as they dragged him back over to where we stood.
“I’ll get you for this!” he spat, still trying to struggle against his bindings. “Do you hear me? I will get you for this! I will be the alpha!”
His screaming devolved into profanities. His eyes were crazed, wide, and blood was streaked across his skin. His black hair hung in chunks over his face. He looked like a madman that had escaped from the asylum. He continued biting and spitting as the elders looked on, unamused.
“Lock him in the carriage,” Elder Benedict said with a wave of his hand.
Seth continued screaming as they dragged him to the road. Once he was out of sight, we still heard him, but I was able to relax. He was finally in custody.
“Tie up the others, as well,” Elder Benedict instructed. The elders went around, tying up the traitors.
“This one is dead,” one of the elders called out. I looked over and saw right away that it was Edgar. My breath hitched. I glanced over at Conor, and saw that he was affected as well. He glanced down at the blood–soaked ground, shaking his head.
On the ground beside Edgar, Theodore was wailing.
“Edgar, Edgar, please!” he cried.
He shook his brother, trying in vain to wake him up. I looked away. This wasn’t the ending I wanted for anyone. Still, I felt a sense of justice, watching Theodore cry over his older brother. This is what happened when you involved yourself with evil.
They continued tying up the men until another elder shouted.
“This one’s almost gone, and he’s not a wolf,” he said.
My blood ran cold. “Christoph,” I murmured.
Jasper glanced at me, brow furrowed in confusion as I tried to break free of his support. Pain shot up my leg, but I tried to ignore it. I stumbled through the scarlet snow to where the elder had shouted from. I pushed through the agony.
I knelt down on the ground. Christoph’s face was a deadly shade of gray, blood dripping from his mouth. I grasped his hand, and it was as cold as the snow it had been lying in. A chunk of his stomach had been torn out, and the blood had frozen underneath him.
“How did this happen?” I whispered, but he couldn’t answer me. All he did was cough.
We needed another doctor. “Conor!” I shouted. Conor bolted across the snow to join me, followed by Jasper. A few of the elders walked, poised, behind him.
When Conor landed beside me, his face paled and his shoulders slumped. He shook his head.
“Christine, there’s nothing we can do,” he said.
“No!” I cried. “You have to be able to do something!”
“Christine,” Jasper said as he came up behind Conor, “who is this?”
“This is Christoph. He’s a doctor. He tended to me while I was here.”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed. “He was helping Seth?”
“Not willingly. He has a wife and daughter at home: Seth threatened them. Please, Conor, help him. He has a family, and he was so good to me.”
Conor looked down at me. “Christine, he’s too far gone. There’s nothing I can do to save him. Except…”
He looked at Jasper. Jasper looked at the elders. There was a crushing silence in the air as everyone waited.
Elder Benedict nodded to Jasper, and Jasper nodded to Conor.
“All right,” Conor said, “let’s get him inside.”
Conor lifted Christoph, and Stephen assisted. They carried him up the steps, and all of us followed behind, excepting the captives and the elders holding them. Jasper carried me up the steps.
“He’s really worth saving?” he asked me.
“Yes. Jasper, his daughter is only a year old. She’s still a baby. Her name is Alice.”
Jasper’s jaw was square, but he nodded. “All right. If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
We went back to the room with the fireplace. Jasper sat me down on one of the plush, dusty chairs, and Conor and Stephen set Christoph on the chaise lounge and pulled it near the fire.
Conor glanced at Jasper once again, and Jasper took a deep breath and nodded to him. Conor leaned over and whispered something in Christoph’s ear. Christoph was close to death, but he managed to give Conor a slight nod as well.
Conor leaned over Christoph, placing his lips at Christoph’s neck. For the first time, I saw Bridget look away. I couldn’t, though; I was too concerned about Christoph, and too curious as to what was going on. I couldn’t figure out how Conor was going to help him this way.
Conor stayed at Christoph’s neck. Christoph’s eyes widened and he gasped, arching his back off the bed. Conor pulled away, and in the flickering light of the fire I saw blood around his mouth. I let out a small shriek, looking up at Jasper.
He knelt down next to me. “Christine, it’s all right. This is normal.”
“Normal? Normal for what? What is he—” The realization dawned on me. “He’s changing him.”
“Our bodies heal rapidly. It’s the only chance we have to save him.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away. Christoph’s body continued to jerk and seize, and he coughed, gasping for air.
“I need bandages,” Conor said.
“Bridget, Christoph’s bag,” I said, pointing to the doctor’s bag that was still beside the fireplace. She picked it up and brought it over to Conor. He rummaged through the bag until he came up with a roll of bandages.
Bridget sat next to him and helped him, handing him the things he needed and assisting him. I wished I could be over there to help, but I could hardly get up on my own. Instead, all I could do was watch as Bridget and Conor patched him up and cleaned his wounds. When they were finished repairing him to the best of their ability, Conor felt for Christoph’s pulse.
“His heartbeat is a little stronger,” he said. “I think he’ll recover.
“I’m assuming one of you will stay back to assist him?” Elder Benedict asked.
Conor looked around. “I can do it.”
Bridget frowned. “But—”
“No, I’m a doctor,” he said. “It’ll be all right. I’ll stay until he’s more stable and explain lycanthropy to him. How much does he already know?” He turned to me as he asked.
“I don’t know. He knew that Seth and his men are werewolves, but I don’t know how much he knows outside of that.”
“All right,” Conor said. He turned to Bridget. “I may have to stay through his first shift.”
She took his hand. “I understand.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes off Christoph. Jasper saw this and rubbed
my shoulders. “He’s going to be all right, Christine.”
I swallowed and looked up at him. “Can we go speak to his wife? I want to let her know what’s going on.”
Jasper shook his head. “We should get you home. You’ve had a long few weeks. Conor will bring Christoph home and explain everything.”
Conor spoke up. “He’s getting stronger by the second. We should be able to get him in the carriage in a few hours.”
“All right,” I murmured. I hated leaving this man that had helped me so much, but Jasper was right. I was tired and hungry and cold. For my health, and for the baby’s health, I needed to get home.
Elder Benedict put his arm on Jasper, and he motioned that Jasper should follow him out of the room. Jasper kissed me on the forehead and left my side. I watched them leave down the dark hallway.
Bridget came over to me. Her skirts were stained with blood. “Are you all right?” she asked me.
I nodded, my whole body feeling numb. “I think so. Are you all right?”
“Why should I be anything less?”
“You just helped Conor turn a man and stitch him up.”
She shrugged. “It’s not my first time watching someone be turned.”
I stared at her. “There is so much I don’t know about you.”
She dropped her gaze. “There’s a lot that you don’t want to know.”
I wanted to ask what she meant, but I didn’t get a chance. Christoph finally spoke.
“Water,” he croaked.
Bridget turned to me. “Do you know where any water is?”
I shook my head. “There was a washbasin in my room.”
“All right. Hold on.” Bridget stood up and went over to Christoph. “I’m going to get you some water. I’ll be right back.”
Bridget disappeared down another doorway and up the stairs. Moments later she returned with water for Christoph. She knelt down beside him and helped him drink.
After several minutes, Jasper and Elder Benedict returned.
“It’s time for us to go now,” Elder Benedict announced to the room. The elders with us murmured in agreement. He and Jasper shook hands, and the elders all left the room.
The Wolf's Bait (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 2) Page 22
