Angel Blackwood

by Sophie Summers

  “Don’t. Touch. Me.” I snarl, moving away. Chelsea quickly grabs my wrist.

  “I’d say it’s you who is the stupid one, Chelsea. Have you forgotten what I did to you the last time I saw you two together?” I say, ripping my hand away from hers.

  She’s at a loss for words as she stutters and looks to Drake. “Y…you c…can’t hurt me now. Drake will protect me.” He doesn’t say a word and this causes evident unease in her features.

  “Drake?” She says a little quieter.

  “Just help me get her back to the cottage,” he spits out.

  “I’m not going anywhere with either of you!” I turn around but Drake’s strong arms wrap around my waist, knocking the wind outta me as I collide with his chest. Chelsea walks in front of us in a hurried pace and far enough that I can’t kick her from my position.

  I scream, “Get off me!” I start scratching at his hands, but it only earns me a deadly growl and a tighter squeeze before one hand covers my mouth silencing my calls for help. The more I fight it the harder and harsher he is.

  I stop struggling and turn slack in his arms, his hold loosens and he drops me until my feet touch the ground. I feel him moving his head closer and then his lips are at my neck and ear lobe.

  “You can’t run from me, Lexi.” His hoarse voice has me trembling. I try to call out to my wolf, but it’s no use; it’s as if she’s left me for good. When calling for her doesn’t work, I allow my anger to call upon the magic I know I have. My eyes start tingling and when that tingling takes hold of my entire body, Drake loosens his hold on me. I’m on the brink of losing my shit and giving both these idiots a taste of what I can do, but I’m just not fast enough.

  “You need to stop her! She’ll hurt you like she did me!” I hear Chelsea’s scream over the wind that is now blowing through the trees.

  I’m so focused on building up the strength that I’m unaware of Drake and what he’s doing.

  Something hard hits the back of my head and I fall, it lands with a thud a few centimetres from my face. I blink away the blur and I find a small boulder. I feel the magic retreat and I don’t have the strength to summon it back anymore.

  Black sneakers fill my vision as the rock is kicked away. The hair in my face is removed and a callused thumb brushes against my cheek.

  “Stop looking at her like that, Drake. We’re running outta time here. Alpha is going to come looking for her when he notices her missing.” Chelsea’s whine doesn’t help the headache that’s forming. My body feels dense and I can’t move it. My eyelids are heavy and keeping them open is a losing battle.

  ****

  “I don’t know why you’re going through all the trouble of getting her cosy in a bed and making food for her, when she’s dead none of that will matter.” Chelsea’s high pitched voice wakes me from my sleep.

  When I’m dead?

  They’re gonna kill me. I need to get out of here.

  I open my eyes slowly. I have a throbbing headache and I seem to be in a small little cottage; it smells of mildew and dust. The bed doesn’t look as if it belongs here though, it’s hard and modern looking compared to the antique furniture that surrounds us. The sheets are scratchy, but they smell new and unused. Looking down I find pink bedding and bright fluffy pillows surround me, I instantly know this is Chelsea’s doing. I hear Drake and Chelsea yelling at each other in the other room, so I take the opportunity to find out whether the window in the room will open.

  I place my hand over the spot where he hit me, finding dried blood attached to a couple strands of hair. I sit up on the bed and gently move to the side hoping that the springs in the bed don’t creak.

  My feet touch the floor and I quickly tiptoe towards the window. The shouting in the other room gets louder, so I push the window up all the way whilst they are distracted. As soon as I have one foot out, the floor creaks and the shouting in the other room immediately stops.

  Shit!

  I quickly climb the rest of the way out and jump onto the ground. Before the window has chance to slam shut behind me, I’m running into the long grass of the nearby field, towards the forest.

  I look back when I hear a door slamming. Chelsea comes running out the front door and starts sprinting after me, following me into the thick grass. Unable to call upon my wolf to shift, I pick up the pace and head to the side which is nearest to the woods. I look around for Drake. That fucker plays dirty, I need to keep my eyes open. I keep running and looking to my sides but don’t see him.

  “Looking for me?” His voice is close. I turn and find him a few feet in front of me. I skid to a halt, afraid of slamming into him. Changing direction, I start heading the opposite way; I’ll take on Chelsea if I have to.

  “We should just kill her now and be done with it,” Chelsea yells, as Drake tackles me from behind. He grabs my hair and yanks it.

  “We’re not killing her,” he grits out harshly. His hand is pulling at my hair, hurting the wound that’s already on my head.

  I’m gasping for every breath. The awkward position he has my neck in is making it hard for me to breathe.

  He climbs off of me and grabs one ankle. Before I know it, I’m being dragged back to the little cottage. I try latching onto the long grass. My hands are getting ripped to shreds, but I won’t stop fighting him and calling out for help. I try kicking with my free leg, but it doesn’t deter him.

  I can feel the grass and sand going up my shirt, and the burn on my stomach and sides as I scrape across the ground. The memory of Drake’s first beating floods my mind, I can’t help but feel petrified and so I try even harder to latch onto the long grass. Anything could happen to me once I get into that cottage.

  The long grass vanishes from my fingers and soon I’m being pulled over shorter grass, softer grass. We’re nearing the cottage. Chelsea continues to argue with Drake about details of my impending death, but Drake only grunts and growls in response.

  The tight hold on my ankle drops and my foot falls to the ground. I reach forward grabbing at the grass trying to get away, but a hand grasps my shirt and pulls my up and into a standing position.

  “Get inside now!” He growls into my ear. I try to get out of his clutch again, moving to kick between his legs, he anticipates it and instead I hit his knee. This only causes more pain on my end and I stumble over.

  He grabs my hair and walks me into the little cottage, entering the living room he throws me to the floor. I look down at my hands and my suspicions are right, they’ve been torn up by the long thick grass. I hear the sound of a chain sliding against the floor. Looking up, I find Drake looming over me. Before I register what is happening, he has my left foot cuffed, chained and wrapped around the base of the built in table in the kitchen.

  “Drake, let me go! Jax will find you and he will punish you for this!” I yell out to his back which is now facing me. He pauses his steps and turns to look at me over his shoulder.

  “Jax doesn’t give a shit about you,” he spits out, continuing to walk toward the fridge. He pulls out a beer, opens it and drinks it until it’s completely empty before letting out a loud belch.

  Disgusting.

  “So what’s the plan of action, baby? What are we gonna do with her?” Chelsea keeps her eyes glued to me as I sit on the floor. I look around trying to find some kind of weapon or something I can use, but all there is in this dilapidated cottage is books and dust.

  “We, are not going to do anything with her. Lexi and I have to make up for lost time, we have some catching up to do.” He licks his lips.

  Chelsea looks at him, hurt evident on her face. “What? You said that we were going to get rid of her? That’s why I helped lure her here.” She looks back at me as understanding hits.

  “You were never going to kill her, were you? You still want her.” Her menacing eyes find mine and she leaps at me.

  “You bitch! You can’t have him! I won’t let you.” She elbows me in the nose as she comes down on me. I block my face with my injured hands,
but she manages to grab my hair and scratch my chest with her talon like nails.

  Seconds later she is ripped from me.

  “I don’t want him! Just let me go and you can have him all to yourself!” I scream loudly, feeling my voice break. I back away as far as the chain on my leg will allow until my back hits the side of the sofa. “I don’t want him,” I say softly, looking into her eyes.

  My eyes find Drake. I can see the anger in his eyes, the tremble of frustration in his shoulders and the fury, as his hands fist and flex as if he needs something to hit. He stalks slowly towards me and I turn trying to get as far away as I can away from him wishing the chain on my leg would give a little more.

  He yanks at my hair as he climbs over me, and I scream out in pain.

  He looks down at me snarling with black eyes.

  “This would be a whole lot easier if you changed your attitude,” he sneers.

  “What happened to you, Drake?” I whisper, feeling tears falling down my cheeks. Long gone is the boy next door that I used to love, he’s a completely different person now. There is nothing gentle or inviting about him.

  He blinks his eyes as he looks down at me. “Was wondering when those tears were gonna fall.” He wipes one away and sucks the same finger. “It’s about time. You’ve been holding out on me, Lexi,” he chuckles, shaking his head.

  He’s lost his damn mind for sure this time.

  “I’m getting out of here. When Alpha figures out what we’ve done.” Chelsea’s voice has Drake’s head whipping around to look at her. A growl escapes his lips and it has me shivering under his tight hold.

  “You will leave when I tell you to leave,” he says coldly.

  “I don’t have to stand here and listen to you.” She moves towards the door.

  “I don’t think my mate has very good hearing, do you?” He says sarcastically, looking down at me.

  “Maybe I need a new mate.” From the corner of my eye I see Chelsea freeze. Her tear stained face looks up to Drake. A smirk forms on his face and a dimple appears, but it isn’t endearing at all.

  “You don’t mean that, baby,” she says softly. I almost feel sorry for the girl… almost.

  “I think I do! And I know exactly who will be the perfect mate for me.” He looks down to me. I push against him, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. He just snarls and forces me between his kneeled legs as he grips my jaw with one hand and his other hand fists my hair, forcing me to look at Chelsea.

  “Lex, I know how much you hate Chelsea.” He looks up to her then back down to me, I feel his lips touch my cheek. “Let this be my gift to you,” he whispers, in a tone so dark and evocatively that I know it’s his wolf speaking.

  I tell him to stop, but he’s not listening.

  “Chelsea, I no longer want you as my mate.” she runs towards him screaming out “No!” but it’s too late.

  “I reject you!” He says, leaving her to fall to the floor crying out in pain as she clutches her chest.

  Chelsea doesn’t last long before she starts screaming out her acceptance. Drake chuckles sadistically through the entire scene, savouring in the hurt he has caused. I already knew he’d lost his mind, but this behaviour is a complete mind-fuck; I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this one. There is no sign of the boy I knew, his wolf has completely taken over and now I’m left to deal with it alone.

  I hold my breath watching Chelsea as she gets off the floor. She looks at me then back at Drake, her eyes widen a little as she’s finally released from the connection she had with him. My eyes hold hers using all the energy I have left to link to her. I’m weak and I can’t feel my wolf, but I know I can link to her if I try hard enough.

  “Get me help, please. Find Jax, tell him everything. He won’t punish you, I’ll make sure he doesn’t. Just get help.” For a second I don’t know if she’s heard me because her stance doesn’t change.

  “I’m so sorry for bringing you here, I don’t know what I was thinking,” she replies, her eyes locked with mine.

  “Help get me out of here then. He will kill me.” My eyes turn to look up at Drake’s deadly ones, as he looks between the two of us.

  Chelsea bolts for the door, I hear the tearing of clothes as she shifts into her wolf form and heads into the dark night.

  Drake stares at me for a few moments with an odd expression on his face.

  He tilts his head to the side and squeezes my jaw a little tighter until I yelp from the pain. “She’s gonna help you. Isn’t she?” He doesn’t wait for a response from me, he stands up abruptly and I stumble over. I reach for his leg but he’s too quick. He pulls the door open and runs out.

  I get to my feet and start running after him screaming out.

  “Run, Chelsea! He’s coming! Run!” I scream as loud as I can, making my throat feel raw. I’m yanked back by the hold on the chains, but they do allow me to make it to the open door. In the moonlight I’m able to see Chelsea running in her wolf form across the pasture toward the woods. Drake is close behind, also in his large wolf form.

  I scream out when he tackles her to the ground. I can hear the growling and the sound of their jaws snapping at each other.

  I yank and pull at the chain not caring that the metal is slicing into my skin.

  “Faith, please I need you. Please, he’s going to kill her.” I continue to cry out calling on my wolf, but nothing happens.

  “Faith, please… Faith! Where are you?” I call and call but I can’t feel my wolf at all.

  All of a sudden I hear a loud howl and then… Nothing.

  “No. God, no.” I fall to my knees sobbing in the doorway as I look out into the pasture.

  When Drake’s bloody wolf appears out of the tall grass, I hurriedly limp back inside to my place behind the sofa. I try pulling at the chain again to get free, but it just won’t budge.

  I grab the little lamp on the table holding it tight, glaring at the door, waiting for him to appear. My feet are pulled up to my chest and my hands tremble as I stare at the door. I hear his low growling outside and then the sound of his bones breaking into place, followed by heavy footsteps up the wooden stairs.

  He walks inside, naked and covered in blood. I can’t help but cry louder as I hold the lamp in my shaky hand.

  “Just you and me now, babe.” He smirks, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “She must have linked to Jax, he’s probably on his way right now.” I stutter willing to do anything to keep him away. He starts laughing, chuckling so hard he to has to hold his stomach to

  try and catch his breath.

  “We do have witches here too.” I don’t know why he’s telling me this.

  “Turns out those witches are pretty damn crafty; they have spells for everything. Cloaking spells, spells for scents….” He walks to where the chain is locked around the base of the table and he unlocks it.

  Wrapping the chain around his fist, he starts pulling me towards him. “Spells to block sounds….”

  He continues talking, each time dragging me closer toward him. I turn my body and try reaching for the sofa, keeping one arm wrapped around the little lamp. I lose my grip and start clawing at the floor in desperation.

  He continues, “…turns out they even have spells for blocking pack links. It only works for a couple of hours, but you won’t believe how effective it is. Your pack members can’t get into your head, and you can’t call them out; unless you’re face to face that is.”

  No one’s going to find me. I’m stuck here and it won’t be an easy death; he’s going to drag this out as much as he possibly can.

  In a last attempt to keep him away, I throw the lamp at him but it falls to the floor shattering the glass at his feet; he lets out deep laugh. I turn and start scratching at the wooden floor as I try getting away from him, but he yanks at the chain and I go flying backward.

  “Come here!” He demands, reaching for me. He grabs my shoulder and jerks me up in one go, blood covers his face, neck and chest; Chelsea�
�s blood. He manages to throw me over his shoulder despite my kicks and screams.

  “Let me go, Drake. You don’t want to do this. If Jax finds out, he’ll never forgive you!” I scream as he throws me onto the bed I woke up in earlier.

  He wraps the chain around the pole on the headboard of the bed and saunters out of the room naked. I yank at the chain, trying to get my foot out of the metal ring that holds my foot tightly. I hear a shower turn on and I frantically pull at the headboard trying to find a way to loosen it, but it just won’t budge.

  When the shower switches off, I start pulling and yanking even harder.

  “Please. Come on, come on.” The tears fall down my face as I’m yanking at the metal hysterically. It really is pointless, I’m just not strong enough.

  “Always were the feisty little thing, weren’t you?” He says, walking into the room. The blood that covered him has been washed away, a towel is wrapped around his waist and I can smell the soap that he’s just used still lingering in the air.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” He walks slowly up to me and sits on the bed. I move away, but he doesn’t like it. He growls and pulls me onto his lap.

  He starts stroking my hair affectionately, I need to play this right. I know he only gets rougher the more I rebel. I look up to him, watching as his eyes flicker between hazel brown and the black I fear so much. I lift my injured hand and cup his cheek, not caring if I get blood on him. He looks puzzled by my movements and his entire body goes stiff beneath me.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” I whisper. He looks me in the eye and the blackness in his eyes dissipates.

  “I love you. That’s why I’m doing this. I won’t let Jax have you. You were mine from the start… you were mine.” He gently takes my hand from his cheek and looks down at it with a frown.

  “We need to get these cleaned up. Wait here, I’ll get the first aid kit.” He pushes me to the side, leaving me speechless as I watch him leave the room.

  What the hell just happened? It’s the gentlest he’s been since he’s taken me.

  Drake comes back and cleans the wounds on my hands up, he also cleans my face. It’s as if him nurturing me helps calm his wolf and brings the old Drake back.