I start to hear faint growling, but I’m too deep in this nirvana that I don’t even bother to open my eyes. I then hear an oomph sound followed by more growling. I slowly open my eyes and jump back, just as Talon tackles one of the younger guys from the pack to the ground. Tyler has another one by the throat. Both boys look up to me with black eyes and canines extended.
The guy in Tyler’s grasp passes out and falls to the ground, and I watch as three more men come out from the bushes. They’re staring at me and I’m starting to feel rather uneasy. I take a step back and bump into something. I turn around as big burly arms wrap around me; I’ve met this guy before, he’s a friend of the twins.
“Carl, hands off… NOW!” Tyler lets out a deathly roar as he holds another pack member down.
Carl ignores Tyler and pulls me into his body. He pulls my wet hair away from my neck then moves his hands towards my ass.
I don’t know what the fuck is happening.
My mind is telling me to push him off of me, but the way he’s looking at me and the way he holds me oddly provides me with comfort. I’m not so heated anymore and It’s making me lean into his touch. He squeezes my ass cheek and the growls erupt again.
Why are pack members fighting pack members? I don’t understand.
“Get her out of here… GO!” Talon’s angry voice breaks through my daze.
A hand tugs on my elbow and I look to find Nixon’s hard eyes as he stares Carl down.
“Move,” he says through gritted teeth.
Carl reluctantly removes his hands from me and I’m tugged into protective arms. Nixon immediately strides away from the fighting, with me being pulled along behind him.
“What the hell is happening, Nix? Why are they all fighting?” I pull my arm from his grasp and stand firmly. Nixon stops and turns around to look at me.
“Heat, Angel. It’s a full moon tonight. We need to get you out of here.”
I look back to see the twins still scrabbling around on the muddy ground with a few pack members.
Talon looks up and screams, “Fucking move it, Angel. Get out of here!”
I wince and run to Nixon’s car, quickly jumping into the passenger seat.
****
After being on the road for two hours, we finally reach an old small cabin. It’s hidden up amongst the trees and there’s a ladder you have to climb to reach the entrance at the top. The air conditioner in the car didn’t do shit, I’m soaking wet from rain and sweat. I’m so thankful we’ve reached our destination, I struggled to sit still for the whole journey and Nixon hasn’t said one word to me. He seems tense and a little angry, holding the steering wheel with clenched hands and scowling face the entire way.
He motions for me to climb the stairs and I do, but just as I’m about to lift myself up he grabs my ankle.
He shakes his head. “Okay, bad idea. You go after me.” He climbs up the ladder and I follow.
He helps me and after I’m up he pulls the ladder and closes the hatch on the floor where the ladder came through; no one can climb up and get in without the hatch being opened.
I look over the balcony and I’m at a loss for words. It’s absolutely beautiful. We are high enough to be hidden amongst the trees but we have a beautiful view of the surrounding wooded area.
“What is this place?” I say in awe.
“My Grandparents were birdwatchers, foragers too. When the real word became too much for them, they built this tree-house so they could be amongst the things they loved in their own secluded sanctuary. They’re long gone now, but it’s the one thing that my family left me,” Nixon says, and I turn to see him unlocking the door and opening it.
I follow him inside. The cabin seems to be a two bedroom. We walk directly into the lounge and dining area that has a small open plan kitchen. There’s a little hallway and on either side is a bedroom with a big double bed taking up most of the space. At the end of the hall is a shower and toilet.
The rain is still beating down hard on the roof of the little cabin.
“You need to change into dry clothes, don’t need you getting pneumonia on top of everything else. Have a shower and take this shirt. There’s a dryer for your clothes.” He throws me a shirt from his bag and I take his advice and head for a cold shower.
The heat is pulsing through me and although the shower helps, I’m still hot as hell. I slip on Nixon’s black shirt and thank the Fates that it’s long enough to cover everything that needs to be covered. I’m a bit uneasy with the fact that I won’t be wearing underwear or a bra until my clothes are dry, but the less clothes the better, it’s way too hot.
I walk out of the bathroom with my clothes in hand, heading for the dryer. I bend down and shove them inside. Looking at the buttons, I try to figure out which button to press, but Nixon’s hand goes past mine and he presses the right button for me.
I feel him behind me as I stand there.
I stand up full and he closes in on me. One hand goes under my shirt and rests on my hip, chills form down my spine as he uses his chin to move the hair away from my shoulder. He rests his other hand on the dryer then leans into me.
I’m not attracted to Nixon this way, but the only way I feel cooler is when my body is close to another’s.
I don’t want him this way, so why the hell am I leaning into his touch and shoving my body against his?
“You need to push me away,” he whispers against my ear.
“I know that’s what I need to do, but I can’t. My body is on fire when I’m not being touched,” I say breathlessly.
He growls in my ear, spins me around then picks me up. I stare into his lust filled eyes as he carries me to one of the rooms. He drops me onto the bed with him still on top of me. He takes my hands, holds them above my head on the pillows, and closes his eyes as he pushes his body against mine making us both moan out loud.
Bringing his face down to my neck, he runs his extended canines from my collar bone to beneath my ear. I’m trying hard to resist him, but my body has other ideas, the coolness he brings with his touch is too allaying. My legs wrap securely around his waist, forcing him tightly against my body. I feel his one hand leave mine, but his other hand quickly takes its place holding both of my hands in his one.
I hear something jingling.
Then the clank of metal.
But it’s too late.
He’s handcuffed me to the headboard.
Memories roll in and flashbacks cloud my vision as I thrash about on the bed.
Nixon moves off the bed. “I only have so much self-control, Angel. This is the only way. I need to be away from you. I’ll bring you something to eat a little later.” He doesn’t give me a chance to speak, just walks out of the room shutting the door. Leaving me alone with a little lamp on in the now darkened room.
I stretch my neck to look up at my wrists where the handcuffs are. They’re not as tight as the belt Drake used when he tied me to the bed that day, but the pink scars around my wrist are enough to freak me out and bring back all those terrible memories. I thrash and move about until I’m out of breath and have tears seeping out the corner of my eyes. I close my eyes exhausted, my temperature rising again.
I wake up sweating, my body is on fire and my throat is dry. My hands are no longer bound and there’s a sandwich sitting on the night stand. I scoff down the food and down the water. I walk to the door and pull. Nothing. I try again but the door won’t budge.
I pound my flat hands against the door making it rattle.
“I swear to God, Nixon. If you don’t unlock this door right now, I’ll bring all my inner fury down on this place. No more tree-house for you! I swear it!” I quickly hear the door being unlocked from the other side. He opens the door and looks almost as bad as I feel. I shove past him, slam the bathroom door closed and jump under another cold shower.
I find my clothes neatly folded on the sink when I get out of the shower. After dressing, I open the bathroom door to find Nixon standing there with his arms fold
ed across his chest. I storm up to him and push him hard.
“Don’t ever cuff me to a bed again.” I push him once more, but before i can do it again he grabs my wrists. I try to wriggle away from him, but he holds me firmly whilst staring down at the scars Drake left around my wrists.
His apologetic eyes find mine. “Shit, Angel. I didn’t think. I’m so sorry,” he says, loosening his grip. I pull my hand free and shove his shoulder as I walk past.
“Just don’t do it again.”
I head out to stand in the cool air on the balcony watching the rain. I can already feel the sweat dripping down my back, so I place my hair in a bun on the top of my head.
“I thought I was helping you. We don’t have that kind of relationship. I knew if we’d gone there, given into our desires because of the heat, we would ruin a friendship that has become important to us both. You’re my best friend, Angel. I don’t want to lose you,” Nixon says softly, as he leans on his elbows on the railing of the balcony next to me.
I let out a deep breath. “I know, Nix. I’m sorry too.” I turn and look at him, lift my hand and place it on the top of his head, running my fingers through his hair gently.
“I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never felt that way before, but no matter what happens... I’ll always be here Nix. You know all my secrets, you couldn’t get rid of me even if you tried.”
****
The days fly by and I’m in and out of consciousness. My body is constantly on fire and I’m getting weaker by the day. Nixon helps to feed me, lifting my head to give me water. I can feel Faith writhing in pain too as she calls out for our mates. Nixon tells me five days have gone by, if we’re lucky I’ll only have to go through this for another two days. My parents keep trying to get through to us. I’m afraid that in my weak state I might not be able to hold up the barrier inside my head. My entire pack could get in there and find out all the secrets and memories I’ve kept hidden so well. Nixon told them where we were staying, but he told them that we’d invited a couple friends to join us and didn’t know how long we’d be staying for. Surprisingly they were cool with it as long as I was responsible; meaning, keeping my drinking to a minimum. I would rather them think that I was partying like a regular eighteen year old then know what was actually going on.
“I can’t do it Nixon, you need to make it stop!” I yell from where I lay on the bed.
“You know what I have to do to make it stop. I’m not having sex with you, Angel. I’m sorry,” he says, wiping his face with his hands. The past few days has been really tough on him, he looks exhausted.
“I don’t care anymore, Nixon! Just do what you have to do. My body is on fire, just make it stop!” I start crying.
“Dude, if I had a girl begging me to bed her, I’d jump her.” I hear Axel’s voice. I turn to see him through tear-filled eyes leaning against the bedroom door.
“What the hell are you doing here? How did you get up?” Nixon stands quickly and looks back and forth between Axel and me. He looks a little worried that Axel may take me up on the offer.
“I’m good at climbing,” he shrugs, walking past as Nixon keeps his eyes firmly on Axel.
“Chill, bro. I’m not gonna jump her. I was joking. I have more control then you think, dude.” Axel calmly sits down on the side of my bed near me.
He looks down at me, giving me a little smile. He reaches into the bowl full of ice and wets the face cloth.
“How you doing, sugar?” He says, using the gentlest voice I’ve ever heard him use. He places the ice cold cloth on my forehead and I let out a sigh of bliss. The fact that I’m lying in one of Nixon’s shirts and nothing else doesn’t even faze me at this point.
I close my eyes. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Ax. We’re hurting.” I speak for myself and Faith.
He brings another ice cold, wet cloth down my arms, then goes towards my legs.
“You need to eat more, Angel. You’ve lost weight,” he says, sounding concerned.
He looks up to Nixon.“You too, dude. Go shower and have a rest. You look like shit. I’ve got this.” Nixon rolls his eyes, but reluctantly leaves the room, too exhausted to argue with him.
After Axel feeds me, he helps me to the shower and stands outside the shower curtain until I’m done. He gives me privacy when we enter the bedroom so I can place my underwear and bra on. I don’t even bother putting on a shirt, my body can’t take the material sticking to my wet skin.
I lie on the bed and curl in a ball of pain. Axel opens the door and clicks his tongue.
“You’re determined to make this harder on me, aren’t you, Angel?” He chuckles to himself as he looks down at my half naked body.
“I can’t wear clothes, they keep sticking to me,” I say, as I roll over onto my other side and fall asleep.
I hear Axel’s angry voice speaking over the phone. “Either one of you get your asses over here and help her or I’ll ease her pain, and you know what I mean when I say that. She’s in so much agony right now, man and I’m struggling to not do what I really want to. If you don’t get here in the next three hours I’m going to take her and believe me, when I’m done with her…you two won’t even be a blip on her fucking radar.”
I hear him huff and throw the phone on the bedside table. I don’t even have the energy to open my eyes or mouth to say thank you as he places an ice cold face cloth on my forehead.
I fall asleep soon after.
Chapter 14
I wake up feeling better. My body isn’t dripping wet with perspiration, but my temperature is still very high. There’s banging and shouting coming from outside my room. I’m guessing the person responsible for this change in my heat has arrived.
I run for the bedroom door and swing it open. Talon sits on top of Axel with his hands wrapped around his throat. Nixon’s attempt to get Talon to stop is failing miserably. Talon won’t budge.
“Talon stop! Get off him!” I scream.
Talon’s head whips up and looks at me. He removes his hands and Axel shoves him off. I run up to Axel and pat his back softly as he coughs.
“Are you okay?” I say softly as he rubs his throat and nods before sending a glare towards Talon.
“Get your hands off him, Angel. NOW!” It’s my turn to glare at Talon.
“What? So now I’m Angel again? Thought I was Lexi to you,” I spit out, but he ignores my jab and turns to Nixon.
“What the fuck, Nixon? Haven’t you been feeding her?” Talon growls as he looks my body over.
I look down and realise I’m only wearing my bra and underwear. I wrap my arms around my body. When Axel moves to take off his shirt, Talon growls and throws me his. I quickly put it on.
“Look at her! She’s skin and bone,” Talon says.
“Don’t you dare come here and start asking questions. I’ve been here from the beginning! You know how hard it is to be around unmated females when they’re on heat? I was here looking after your mate, Talon. I had to force her to eat, and hold her head up when she was too weak to lift it on her own to drink. Don’t you dare start questioning me!” The fury in Nixon’s voice forces me to cower away.
“You don’t know how hard it’s been trying to control my wolf around her, but I swear to the Fates, if you don’t help her, I will!” Nixon yells, his face red and eyes darker. Talon charges for Nixon and tackles him to the ground.
“You won’t touch her! She’s ours!” Talon growls. Axel manages to stop the fight as I stand there frozen watching the scene play out.
After fifteen minutes of watching the boys wrestling each other, I head back to my room. I climb on to the stool by the window and place my hand against it, watching the heat from my skin steaming up the glass. It’s been raining quite frequently these past few days; I suppose it’s nature’s way of trying to help me out…or I’d like to think it is.
I draw a little heart on the window, but rub it out when I hear Talon’s footsteps and take in his scent.
“You only hav
e a day left of this. I’m sure my presence here helps, but don’t expect me to fuck you. It’s not gonna happen.” I cringe at his choice of words and the way he spits them out.
I don’t respond because the truth is his presence is helping me, its better with him here than without him. The heat is still very evident, but it’s much less painful and a lot more comfortable seeing that my mate is within walking distance; even if I’m unable to touch him.
I bring my feet up, pulling my knees under my chin as I rest my cheek on my knee and look out of the window.
“You hear me?” He asks irritably.
I know he doesn’t want to be here, the little brawl he just had with the boys has him all riled up. I have no intention of feeding his temper, for him to then take it out on me. I just don’t have the strength for it.
“I heard you,” I say softly.
He walks out and slams the door behind him, and after a few minutes I hear the shower turn on. I exit the bedroom and find Nixon and Axel sharing a bottle of Jack. Each sipping from it.
Their eyes find mine and Axel lifts the bottle toward me, but Nixon the concerned big brother takes the bottle from him and shakes his head.
“I think she deserves a drink after what she’s been through,” Axel says, snatching the bottle away from Nixon. I walk closer and grab the bottle. I’m just about to take a sip when the bathroom door opens behind me. We all turn to see Talon, his eyes fixated on the bottle in my hand. He then turns his mean eyes to me.
“You. Get in that room now,” he roars, causing the windows to rattle. My eyes widen, the wolf inside of me has her tail between her legs and wants me to get the hell outta here, but the stubborn human in me wants me to stand my ground. Nixon snatches the bottle from my hands.
Angel Blackwood Page 17
