He stopped dead in his tracks as he came into view of the laboratory doors, a growl vibrating up from deep in his chest as his eyes narrowed on Temple Fox standing inside the glass structure.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Marcus demanded between clenched teeth.
“I am claiming my rightful place by her side during her Rising. As is the right of pack leader.”
“Marcus, he is within his right,” Tegan interjected, placing a warning hand on Marcus’s shoulder before turning to Temple. “And because she is still under Enforcer Protection, it is Marcus’s right to stay if he so wishes.”
“You don’t understand. She is not just a Pure Blooded Lycan, she took my blood,” Marcus ground out. “And she is my Consort.”
A stunned silence greeted Marcus’s admission. The air grew thick with the promise of violence as Temple’s face contorted into a mask of rage.
“You will die for that, Valerian,” he hissed as long, deadly claws tore free of his knuckles.
Chapter Twelve
An agonized scream splintered the air and Tambra struggled within Marcus’s embrace. Christophe stepped between Marcus and Temple, a dark promise of retribution clear on his face as his attention narrowed in on Temple.
“First we see to Tambra’s Rising, then we will address your death wish, my friend,” Christophe stated firmly, just a hint of hardness to his words.
Slowly, Temple nodded, retracting his claws and stepping further back into the confines of the lab.
“Very well. We will play this your way. But I will stay. And, so we are clear on this, we are not friends.”
Marcus quickly moved inside the lab and placed Tambra on the stripped down hospital bed. All equipment had been moved out, leaving only a wide empty space. He held Temple’s gaze with a look of challenge.
“You stay, I stay,” he declared flatly, clenching his hands into fists at his sides in an attempt to keep from tearing Temple apart. “Secure the door, Christophe.”
Without a word, Christophe did as he was ordered. By the looks on Tegan and the other Enforcer’s faces, they were not at all pleased by this new development in their leader’s life.
An animal howl rent the air, reverberating against the glass panes in the lab. In a blur of superhuman speed, Tambra streaked off the table and into a corner of the room, huddling and shivering with her arms crossed around herself.
“Leave Marcus, please,” she begged in a voice more animal than human. “I can’t control this and if I hurt you…” she broke off with another scream as her body contorted.
The muscles in her face tightened, then elongated, forming a muzzle. Canines, long and sharp, formed in her mouth. A thick pelt of golden-white fur rippled down her body as sharp claws cut through her knuckles. She rose on the pads of her feet, her body lithe and powerful.
“How magnificent you are! Yes, Marcus doesn’t belong here does he?” Temple taunted as he slowly stripped out of his clothes.
A low growl rose menacingly from Tambra as she swung her head toward Temple, sharp white teeth bared in a vicious snarl. Temple barely had enough time to shift before Tambra was on him with fangs and claws, scoring bloody furrows into his skin. In his Werewolf form he towered over her, his thick, black fur shiny with blood from her strikes. His muscles bunched with power as he swiped back at her, but she was quick, jumping out of the way of his claws, then lunging back in to attack with savage grace.
She came at him again and again, leaving bloody rivulets down his chest and arms, her lighter form enabling her to dart away before Temple could land a blow. He howled out his frustration and rage, moving quickly to corner Tambra. She sprung at him, claws aimed at his throat. He barely had the time to raise his arm to protect himself. She ripped deep gouges into it, and Temple snarled. He lashed out with his other arm, connecting solidly with her shoulder. The impact spun her into the glass wall with a resounding crash. Tambra went down, momentarily stunned, giving Temple the time he needed to close the distance between them. Picking her up by her throat, he threw her again into the wall, the force causing a crack to appear in the glass. Her body slumped from the second impact and he released her. She crumpled to the floor.
Marcus saw Temple through the red haze of his rage. He launched himself at the Lycan even as Temple charged him, and they collided in the center of the room. Temple’s claws raked down Marcus’s chest, while Marcus sliced deep into the Lycan’s side from armpit to hip.
They broke away, their breath harsh and gasping as they circled each other, both looking for any weakness to exploit. They came together again in an explosion of fists and claws, slashing and pummeling, each looking to wear down the other to get the upper hand, but too evenly matched. They continued the aggressive dance until Temple stumbled from the blood loss incurred during his fight with Tambra.
Seeing his chance to finish him off, Marcus moved in fast, slashing at Temple’s throat with his nails, just missing the Lycan’s jugular as Temple arched back. Marcus spun low, kicking Temple’s legs out from under him. Marcus was on him as soon as Temple hit the floor, his hands on the Lycan’s throat, squeezing tightly.
The sound of shouting seemed to come from a great distance as he stared down at Temple struggling, his face bloody and bruised, his gaze filled with hate. Hands pried at his fingers around Temple’s throat, pulling him away from the enemy, his enemy. Marcus roared with anger as he turned to face whoever was keeping him from his kill and found himself face to face with Tegan. But Tegan’s attention was on something else.
Following the direction of his eyes, Marcus watched as Tambra stood, her eyes boring into Temple for a moment before she turned her attention to Marcus. She moved gracefully toward Marcus, stopping on when her furry chest brushed up against his. She breathed his scent, her chest rising and falling with her quick, panting breaths. Her head swung to his face, her blue eyes sharp with intelligence.
“I choose you,” she declared in a half growl.
“No, you cannot do this, I forbid it!” Temple spat, his body trembling with the aftershock of battle and rage.
“You can do nothing, Temple. It is done. She has chosen, in full compliance with Lycan law.” Tegan’s voice cracked like a whip.
Marcus snarled, moving forward toward Temple. “Time to die.”
Tegan’s arm held him, as unmovable as a steel bar. “It’s over Marcus, you can’t kill him. Let it go.”
“He hurt her, Tegan. That I can never allow!” Marcus rasped, his voice gravely with his anger.
“Think about it. You’re better than this,” Tegan snapped, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “You are an Enforcer, not a vigilante. You can’t take his life. You have no grounds.”
Slowly the rage left Marcus, his body relaxing as Tegan’s words penetrated his bloodlust. He turned toward Temple, staggering to his feet in his human form.
“Help him, Tegan. See that he gets to his car.”
Tegan grabbed the Lycan’s clothes off the floor and moved up to him, his hand out, ready to steady him.
“Don’t touch me. I need no one’s help,” Temple barked, painfully rising to his full height and snatching his clothes from Tegan. He plowed through the men and out of the lab, stopping only once he made the stairs.
He turned back to face Marcus, his face twisted with hate.
“This is far from over, Valerian,” he warned, before disappearing up the stairs.
Christophe gave a low whistle. “That went well, don’t you think?”
Cody punched him hard in the shoulder.
“Ow! That hurt!” Christophe complained.
“Aren’t you dead?” Cody teased.
“No,” Christophe replied in annoyance.
“You could’ve—” The rest of Cody’s retort died on his lips. “Marcus, something’s wrong with Tambra.”
Everyone’s attention turned toward her as the lines of her body blurred. Her fur grew longer and she was forced onto her hands and feet. There was a sudden flash of golden
light and a wolf sat on its haunches, her white fur thick and shiny. The link they had formed enabled Marcus to see Tambra through her eyes.
“Oookay, so I’m a dog.”
Marcus heard her clearly through their link and couldn’t stifle the laugh that erupted from him. Tambra actually looked affronted by his reaction and he hurried to soothe her through their link.
“Wolf. You’re a wolf, sweeheart.”
“Whatever!”
He heard the irritation in her voice and a smile crossed his face. Then her eyes narrowed in on him.
“Don’t you even think about putting a collar on me, buddy. I’ll bite you.”
Marcus chuckled at her threat and raised his hands in surrender.
“I would never dream of doing that,” he said aloud.
She made a point of looking out the glass walls to where Cody stood with the Enforcers, not even trying to hide his amazement as he stared at her.
“Make sure you tell Cody the same thing, alright?”
“You can tell him yourself. Just visualize your human body and concentrate.”
Marcus could feel her concentrating, could feel the power of the shift tingling up from the tip of her tail to the top of her spine. He felt how it didn’t terrify her as it had the last two times as Tambra let her body merge with the image she held of herself. Marcus tried to send her his approval and support, hoping she could feel it in her mind.
She yelped at a sudden pain that Marcus could feel too, a flash of terror filled her, making her fight the change.
“No! Don’t fight it.”
Marcus’s command rang through her mind like a lifeline in the tempest of her pain and confusion, and he felt her grab on tightly to his thoughts, focusing harder on what she wanted to do.
The battle took only seconds, but it felt like hours before she finally stood before Marcus in her human shape. Taking a shaky breath, she smiled tentatively up at him. Marcus stared, dumbstruck at what he was seeing. His reaction spiked her fear and her pulse thundered in her temples.
“Marcus, what’s wrong?”
Marcus didn’t speak, just crossed the distance between them and touched a finger to her hair, watching in amazement as pure white strands twined around his finger of their own accord. They wrapped around him like a lover’s embrace.
“Someone bring in a mirror!” he demanded, never taking his eyes off of Tambra.
He heard the opening of the door, a scrape of something dragging against the concrete and being settled in place. Glancing to his right, he nodded to Christophe, who stood staring at Tambra with a look of awe. He led her to the full length mirror.
She gasped in surprise and Marcus watched her take in the way her skin seemed to glow a pale golden white. Her hair too was a startling white, tumbling around her in shimmering waves that fell all the way to the floor. He watched, speechless, as the mass moved around her, covering her nakedness. Her face was the same as always, but more defined. Her cheekbones were higher, her blue eyes larger and tilted up at the ends, giving her an exotic look.
She gasped again, and Marcus watched her shaking fingers touch her white fangs, confusion and wonder warring across her face at the changes her Rising had wrought.
“This can’t be right. What happened to me?” The panic in her voice brought Marcus close, his arms wrapping around her in a soothing embrace.
“I never had a chance to tell you, you went into the Rising so quickly that there was no time.”
“Tell me now, Marcus.”
“It was in your blood memories. The last image that I saw was of you as a baby in the arms of your mother. She and your father were Pure Blood Lycans and taking my blood has changed you further I’m afraid. What you see is your true self. This is who you really are.”
“That’s impossible, my father …”
“The man who raised you was not your blood kin, Tambra. It was a ruse. I saw the man who brought you to your father with explicit instructions as to your special needs. You were kept on a vegetarian diet to retard the natural process of your Rising.”
“Did my father know? What happened to my real parents? Why was I abandoned and who found me?”
Marcus held her to his chest gently, a small smile playing on his lips. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but together we will find them, I promise.”
Tambra nodded, looking up at him through the mirror, admiring the contrast of his darkness to her light.
“Then tell me what you do know.”
“I think your father knew, or had some inkling, that you were not a normal child. I didn’t get a good look at the man who brought you to him but he had a heavy Hispanic accent and he was taller than your father.”
“And what about my real parents?”
“I believe they were killed. From the look I got, something serious was happening. I will do what I can to discover what really happened.”
She nodded, her trust in him showing plainly on her face. Marcus vowed silently to move heaven and hell to give her the answers she deserved.
A sound of a clearing throat brought their attention back to the present.
“I would like to introduce you to my team, though I would have liked this introduction to be held with you having a bit more covered.”
Christophe hastily removed his shirt, handing it to Marcus, who wrapped it around Tambra.
“The young man who so gallantly offered his shirt is Christophe, he is also a vampire. The large man in the back is Ryes. He is a Celtic warrior who…let’s just say has a Goddess problem. By his side with the white spiked hair is Zeke, our communications expert from Atlantis. You already met Adrian, and this is Tegan.”
Cody silently watched from behind Ryes. Marcus saw him catch Tambra’s eyes and give a faint smile before he slowly moved up to Christophe’s side. Christophe smiled at the human then gave him a good natured punch in the arm.
“You look good, cher. I think your dad would be happy for you.”
Tambra broke away from Marcus’s arms and ran to Cody, throwing her arms around his neck in a fierce hug.
“You are still, and will always be, my friend, Cody. Nothing will ever change that,” she whispered in his ear.
Cody patted her back before stepping away. “And I will always be there for you. I’ve been spending time with Zeke and Christophe. I know it sounds corny, but I believe I can make a difference here. That is, if Marcus is okay with it.”
Two sets of eyes bored into Marcus and he sighed.
“You have quite a mouth on you, and I’m sure I’ll regret this, but yes, we can use the extra help,” he agreed, shaking Cody’s outstretched hand.
“What about your job, Cody? Are you going to leave Metro?” Tambra’s brows pulled down into a frown, a look of concern shadowing her eyes.
“Nah, I’m in a great position to do both. I can track any paranormal activity and still do my job with no one the wiser.” He gave Tambra a cocky grin. “Besides, Zeke has some awesome new surveillance toys I’m itching to get my hands on.”
Marcus let out a long suffering groan. “Just what we need. Another tech geek.”
“Sir, perhaps Miss Ellis would like to shower and change into more appropriate attire,” a British accented voice said from somewhere behind the Enforcers.
“You? I should have known.” Tambra grinned as the tall, silver haired man eased through the group to stand in front of her and Marcus. “I thought it was strange that you didn’t have many questions.”
“This is Alistair Brockhurst. He sees to just about everything around the house and is an old friend of mine,” Marcus interjected with a small smile.
“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Miss. If there is anything you might need, please do not hesitate to call.” Alistair smiled, clasping Tambra’s hand in a warm handshake.
“I could really use some clothes,” Tambra admitted, a flush of color rising over her cheeks.
“I have taken the liberty to see that your things be brought over and placed in
Mr. Valerian’s room. Everything you require is waiting for you, Miss Ellis,” Alistair assured her.
“Please, call me Tambra. I’m not a formal type of gal.” She grinned.
A huge smile transformed Alistair’s face, making him look years younger.
“Oh, I do like you Miss…I mean Tambra, I like you very much,” he chuckled, darting a glance a Marcus. “You will have your hands full with this one. I can tell.”
“There is no doubt about that, old friend,” Marcus laughed. “Now if you will excuse us both. We will all meet first thing tomorrow evening.” He nodded at each man before ushering Tambra up the stairs and toward his bedroom with obvious haste.
****
Neither spoke as they made their way to Marcus’s bedroom. That suited Tambra just fine as it gave her time to absorb everything that had happened. So many things had come to light and she needed time to take it all in.
When she had Risen and attacked Temple she had thrilled in the power of her new form. An animalistic side of her that she had never known existed had reveled in the new found freedom. She knew, deep within, that her wolf form would have taken Temple’s life if the opportunity had been there. It made her uneasy. She wasn’t a cold blooded killer, and the idea that this other side to her nature could so effortlessly commit such an act gave her pause.
Yet it was the sudden knowledge that she was adopted, more than anything else, that crumbled the world around her. She felt the sharp sting of betrayal that her father and even Miguel, for she had no doubt who it was that had delivered her to her father, could have kept this from her. And for what purpose? She was determined to confront Miguel with what she knew as soon as she could.
Her tongue touched the tips of her fangs and she felt the tug as they retracted back into her gums. Weird. She watched with a sense of wonder as the white silky locks of her hair moved around her like a living entity.
She pulled out of her musings as they passed the guest room and reached the door to Marcus’s bedroom. He opened the door for her and moved to the side to make room for her to enter.
Dark Passion Rising Page 10
