Deadly Darkness

by Victoria Zak

  Can’t ye see, wench, no one wants a female warrior in the pack? If I had it my way, ye’d be bearing my bairns and tending to my house.”

  “I wonder how Rafe would feel about yer disgusting opinions? I believe ye’d be banished for such views.”

  “Go ahead,” Ranger spat. “Run to yer brother like a good bitch. I’m more valuable to this pack than ye.”

  Adaira watched Seren’s demeanor change. The blade drew blood from Ranger’s worthless neck. Was Seren going to cut his throat?

  Adaira slammed her fists on the table and jumped up from the bench, hoping to gain Seren’s attention. “Do no’ kill him. He’s no’ worth ruining yer life over.”

  Seren didn’t move at first. Adaira understood too well what it felt like to be consumed by hatred and rage. “Please, Seren.”

  Finally, she lowered the blade, looking defeated.

  Ranger smirked as he walked away.

  Without a word, Seren sat down and went back to eating her stew.

  Adaira reclaimed her seat, too. “Trust me, ye did the right thing.”

  “Why did ye interfere?” Seren looked up from the bowl. “Why would ye care if I had killed him?”

  “I know yer pain, lass. I’ve lived it. ‘Tis a road ye dinnae want to travel.

  I’m no’ blind. I see the way yer pack looks at ye.”

  “They despise me.”

  “Nay, they feel threatened. Do no’ mistake their insecurities as hate.”

  Seren leaned closer. “I can best any one of them and they know it. My brothers have taught me well. I want to serve my people, but not by their standards.”

  “What do ye mean?”

  “Women aren’t allowed in battle. A good she-wolf is supposed to honor their mate and tend to wifely duties.”

  “And ye dinnae want that?”

  “Nay.” Seren’s brows creased. “My heart is on the battlefield.”

  “Ye’re brave to stand up to yer pack. However, I dinnae want to see their ignorance make ye do something daft like kill a guardsman.” Adaira smiled.

  “We lasses must stick together. I like ye.”

  “And I, ye.” Seren stared at her for a long moment. “Ye know, Rafe needs a lass like ye in his life.”

  Adaira coughed, choking on a sip of ale.

  “Pardon me. I tend to speak before I think sometimes.”

  Adaira cleared her throat. “Yer words surprised me.”

  “I want to see Rafe happy. He’s had a rough life.”

  “What do ye mean?” Adaira had known Rafe since she was ten summers old, before she’d made a blood oath to the fae queen. To think of it, she couldn’t recall him ever telling her about his past.

  “Ye haven’t heard the rumors?”

  Adaira sat back. Aye, she’d heard the rumors just like she heard the gossip about herself. Tall tales were just that—lies most of the time. Rafe didn’t match the monster in their stories.

  “Ye cannot tell him what I’m about to say.”

  Adaira nodded.

  “Before our pack came to Scotland, our home was in Wales. Rafe was mated to a beautiful woman he loved dearly, Gwen. Life was good for us, until King Edward declared the extermination of all wolves.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. ‘Tis my guess he found out about our kind and wanted us all dead. When the king’s campaign reached our village, it was best for us to welcome the hunters into our homes so the king wouldn’t grow suspicious.

  Rafe and my father hated the fact we had no choice but to give them a place to sleep and food to eat. The king offered ten shillings a pelt.”

  Adaira couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I’m so sorry.”

  “My father and Rafe had enough. I’ll never forget our last summer in Wales. Rafe prepared us for battle. When the hunters returned, we welcomed them with a surprise attack. The whole pack shifted. Unfortunately, pregnant women were easier targets, the hunters knew this. Before Rafe could save Gwen, he watched an Englishman plunge his sword into his wife’s gut. She and his unborn bairn died in his arms.”

  Adaira gasped. “Och, Seren.”

  “Something dark changed Rafe that day. He slaughtered every hunter and sent their skins back to the king. Our people fled Wales to Scotland shortly after.”

  “Aye, I remember when Doughall welcomed yer pack into the clan.”

  “Let’s hope the Mad Dog is never awakened again.” Seren picked up her spoon and dipped it into the stew.

  Adaira thought about what she’d heard. Her heart ached for Rafe. He’d lost a wife and his only child. He’d risked everything to protect his pack, and now, he was doing the same for her. If Cormag found out Rafe was disloyal to the clan, he’d burn. His family would be destroyed.

  As the realization sunk in, she knew she couldn’t allow him to keep protecting her. She would bring him more pain and suffering.

  “Seren.” A deep, rich voice Adaira knew well gained her attention. She looked up to see Rafe.

  “Brother.” Seren made room for him to join them. “Come, sit.”

  Rafe’s gaze settled on Adaira as he sat down next to his sister. Adaira saw him in a different light now. She could see the suffering etched on his face.

  “Any word on Teg?” Seren asked.

  “Nay, no one has seen him, which is odd since his scent led us here.”

  Adaira was disappointed. She’d hoped there was news about Leana.

  “The barkeep said the upstairs rooms are prepared,” Rafe said. “Ye and our prisoner will sleep there. The rest of us will sleep down here.”

  “Brother, I can stay with the pack.”

  “Nay. They are restless and drunk. This is no place for a lady. Besides, I need ye to guard the prisoner.”

  Seren stood, obviously unhappy with her brother’s orders. “I’m not daft. I can see she’s not a prisoner. This is yer way of keeping me safe.”

  “Seren,” Rafe warned.

  “When will ye have faith in me? I’m a warrior. ’Tis in my blood.” Seren strode off before Rafe could get another word in.

  “Let her go,” Adaira said as she touched his arm. “She’s a smart lass.”

  “Aye, too smart for her own good,” Rafe grumbled.

  “Ye should be proud of her.”

  Rafe eyed her as he chewed his food. “Well, I see the two of ye have become close.”

  “Aye, I’ve grown fond of her company. Why dinnae ye tell me ye had a sister?”

  “There are a lot of things I haven’t told ye.” He drank deeply from his tankard of ale.

  Adaira watched his full lips press against the cup as he drank. The amber liquid washed down his throat and her gaze fixated on the long, thick vein running along the side of his neck. Her nipples strained against her dress as she remembered his touch. She knew the sweet torture those lips could bring.

  Being this close to him, smelling his spicy scent, awoke her senses. He always had this effect on her. The wolf mesmerized her beyond compare. She licked her lips.

  A growl came from across the table. “Ye should tread carefully. My men are watching us.”

  Adaira shifted in her chair, extinguishing her lust. What was she thinking? She looked around the tavern—all eyes on her. Aye, she must not forget her place as a prisoner. “’Tis been a long two days. I’m going to bed.”

  Adaira started to rise, but Rafe grabbed her arm. “Sweet dreams, my queen.”

  His smoldering, silver gaze set her body on fire.

  Adaira sucked in a breath. “I bid ye a good night, Wolf.” She headed for the stairs.

  6

  SEREN RETURNED to the tavern after tending to her horse. Because she was the only woman in the Honor Guard, confrontations with Ranger and her brother weren’t unusual. It was times like this when she doubted herself. She questioned her abilities as a warrior and wondered if she should give up just so there would be peace in the pack. Even though she knew Ranger was an arse, his insults still cut deep. She must prove the pack wr
ong. Skilled with the sword, she could best any one of these men, and they knew it.

  The thrill of battle and the sense of pride that came along with it was what she lived for. But the distinction between honor and proving her worth became one and the same. Was she being stubborn? Mayhap, but she was born a warrior.

  Seren remembered how her mother would scold her father for teaching their daughter how to wield a blade. She was the youngest of three and the only girl. She and her mother had different opinions about what she should do with her life.

  “No respectable wolf would want a battle maiden as a mate.” Her mother’s words were as fresh in Seren’s mind as the day she’d said them.

  However, her father wanted his children to be happy. If fighting like a man made his daughter happy, he would make sure she was trained properly.

  Now her happiness was creating tension within the pack, and between Rafe and her. Was it worth all the heartache just to prove a point? Was her thirst for battle that unquenchable that she was willing to cause a disturbance in the social structure of her people? If she was honest with herself, no.

  She hated their scrutinizing glares and the way her brothers treated her

  with delicate hands. Why should she be treated any differently?

  Seren breathed in the cold night air before entering the tavern. It was late, and most of the men were asleep. She crept through the throng of snoring men to the stairs and up to her bedchamber. Before she turned in for the night, she stopped to check on Adaira. She pushed the door open enough to peek inside. Adaira was asleep, so she shut the door. Confident their prisoner wasn’t going anywhere, Seren entered her bedchamber across the corridor to freshen up before taking her post outside Adaira’s chamber.

  She splashed water over her face from the bowl on the table, and when she looked up, realized she wasn’t alone. “Ranger, what the devil? Why are ye in my bedchamber?”

  “This is where I belong, with my mate.” Ranger’s intense stare unsettled her.

  Her instincts cautioned her to tread softly.

  “Ranger, even though we are mates. I will not lay with ye. Now, please leave.” Seren walked past him as she made her way to the door to see him out.

  Ranger grabbed her arm. “I’m not going anywhere.” His grip tightened and the smell of ale drifted between them. He was drunk. “’Tis time ye stop all this battle maiden nonsense and mate with me properly. A wolf cannot be denied their mate.”

  “I’m not ready to be mated. Until ye stop overdrinking, I will never take ye as my mate.”

  His grip tightened. “I do not have a drinking problem. Can’t ye see what ye’re doing to me by denying my right to take ye as my mate?”

  Seren struggled to free herself. “Stop it,” she winced. “Ye’re hurting me.”

  “Seren,” he said tenderly as he removed his hand from her arm. “I think about ye all time. Ye’re the first thing I think of when I wake.”

  “Please, I beg ye not to do this. We can work this out.”

  “Nay, not when yer heart is on the battlefield. Ye’ll never submit to me willingly.”

  The look on his face made her heart ache. Aye, denying him came with grave consequences. She’d resisted her wolf’s call and was suffering, too.

  Ranger was right.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not ready to be mated.”

  Before she knew what was happening, Ranger threw her over his shoulder and headed for the bed. Kicking and beating her fists on his back,

  she fought to get away. His large hand came down across her arse. “Ye’d be wise not to fight it, Seren,” he warned. “Once I’ve claimed ye, yer role will be my wife, not the role of a battle maiden.”

  He tossed her on the bed and stood glaring down at her as he unbuckled his belt and then dropped it on the floor. Seren frantically moved away from him. “Ranger, ye’re making a horrible mistake.”

  He grabbed her legs and pulled her beneath him. “The only mistake I’ve made is not doing this sooner.” He removed his surcoat, then his chainmail.

  “I won’t allow yer stubbornness to tarnish my reputation as man and wolf. Ye will submit to me.”

  The bed creaked as he straddled her. Seren’s heart raced when he leaned over, placing a sloppy kiss on her lips. She turned her head away. The smell of ale on his breath made her gut lurch. She pushed on his chest. “Please, Ranger, stop. Ye’re drunk.”

  He sat up, looking down at her. For a moment, Seren thought he’d change his mind and leave. But knowing Ranger, he wasn’t going without a fight.

  “Ye have left me no choice.” He ripped the front of her tunic open, exposing her breasts. Seren desperately grabbed at the torn material, covering herself, but Ranger wouldn’t allow it. He pinned her arms above her head with one hand while he squeezed her breast with the other.

  Anger uncoiled inside her. No matter what he put her through, she wasn’t going to give in easily. He shoved his hand down her trousers, grabbing her womanhood.

  “Enough,” Seren screamed and kneed him in ballocks. He rolled off her, and she bolted from the bed, heading to the door. As Seren reached for the latch, her head was yanked back.

  Ranger had ahold of her braid and pulled her into his body. “Have it yer way, wench.”

  He pushed her hard against the wall. She cried out as her head slammed into the stone. “No, please,” she pleaded as her vision blurred.

  Adaira awoke with urgency. Someone was in trouble. Their fear pulsed through her like thunder. She closed her eyes, honing in on their emotions.

  “Seren.”

  She leapt out of bed, grabbed her cloak, and left the room. Seren wasn’t posted outside her door as she expected. In fact, there were no signs that she’d been there at all. Suddenly, raw terror throbbed in her chest.

  A scream sounded from across the corridor. Without hesitation, Adaira shouldered the door open, splintering the damn thing to bits. Startled from the sudden disturbance, Ranger turned and snarled at her.

  “What are ye doing here?” Adaira paused as she saw Seren’s sword propped against the wall. “Where’s Seren?”

  Ranger turned around, smirking as he pulled up his trousers. “She’s all yers.” He stepped aside. To Adaira’s horror, she spotted Seren pinned to the wall, her tunic ripped to shreds, her face as cold and emotionless as a corpse.

  “By the saints, Seren.” Adaira rushed over and covered her with a fur from the bed. “What happened? Did that bastard hurt ye?”

  Seren kept her gaze on Ranger.

  “He hurt ye.” Seren didn’t need to answer, Adaira knew by the lass’

  shaking body what that monster had done.

  “I didn’t hurt her,” Ranger exclaimed. “I merely taught her a lesson.”

  She slowly turned around. Her vision narrowed on him. “Ye taught her a lesson?” Adaira approached the drunken fool.

  “That’s what I said.” He stood tall with his hands on his hips, challenging her. “Punishments are not meant to be pleasant.”

  Adaira bit back the urge to rip his throat out. She wanted to see him beg for mercy before she slowly went in for the kill. “Nay, Ranger, punishments are no’ meant to be pleasant, are they?”

  He showed no fear, yet she could smell it rolling off him.

  “But I must ask, what kind of punishment would a pack member receive if he was caught raping a woman who happened to be the Alpha’s sister?”

  “I—I didn’t rape her.” The tone of his voice sounded as if he was offended by her accusation. “She’s my mate. A lesson needed to be taught.

  She’ll be well by morn and back home where she belongs. Seren, tell her I’m right.”

  Adaira looked over her shoulder at Seren and her heart shattered. “Look at her, Ranger. Take a long, good look. Does she look well?”

  Ranger glanced at Seren. Adaira saw a small hint of regret spread across his face. “’Tis wolf law. Ye wouldn’t understand it.”

  “Ye’re right, I dinnae. I will never understand a man
taking something so precious from a woman or invading her body for his own selfish needs.”

  “What happens between my mate and me is none of yer concern. Hold yer tongue.”

  In a flash, Adaira slammed him against the wall, her hand at his throat.

  The large vein that ran down his neck throbbed against her grip. Even though Ranger was three times her size, she had the advantage. She could snap his neck.

  Terror spread across his face as he fought to breathe. “I cannot…breathe.”

  He clawed at her arms.

  “Shhh, laddie. Ye said punishment was no’ pleasurable.” Adaira smiled with the devil in her eyes. She had no intention of killing him, only giving him a good scare.

  “Ye wenches are all the same,” he spat. “Ye need to be taught respect.”

  His warning infuriated her. A red haze blurred her vision. Ranger’s face transformed into the monster that haunted her dreams. The monster had a face she’d never forget, the face of the man who had raped her.

  The innocent lass she used to be surfaced. “Slay the monster,” she whispered.

  The lust for blood coursed through her veins. Long, sharp fingernails extended from her fingers as she gripped his neck tighter, lifting him off the floor. He kicked and gasped while Adaira stared at him, emotionless, watching the life force drain from his body. “Ye’ll never hurt another lass again.”

  “Adaira.” Rafe’s voice thundered behind her. “Release him.”

  Adaira considered it for a moment. But anger mixed with vengeance was a deadly concoction. Even if she wanted to let go, the blood drinker inside her insisted on being fed.

  “I said, release him.” Rafe grabbed her arm, and she let go. Ranger fell to the floor holding his neck and sucking in air as fast as he could.

  “Fucking blood drinker,” he coughed.

  Rafe spun Adaira around. “What is the meaning of all this?”

  “This swine raped yer sister.” Adaira looked at Seren.

  “Seren, it this true?” Rafe asked. As he approached her, Adaira noticed how the lass avoided eye contact with Rafe. “Seren, tell me.”

  Before Rafe reached her, Seren shifted into a white wolf. She howled mournfully and then bolted from the room.

  “Seren,” Rafe went after her. “Come back.” He stopped outside the door and spun around, anger evident in his eyes.