The Gathering

by Lily Graison

  “I thought the time for secrets was in the past.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her snug against him, before kissing her on the forehead. “I don’t have any secrets. If there was anything to tell, I would.”

  “And why don’t I believe you?”

  “Because you’re paranoid.”

  She sighed, her shoulders relaxing. “Is that due to the wolf or is that just me?”

  He chuckled. “Knowing you the way I do, I’d say it was just you. Comes from all the skulking around in the dark you did and crossing my police lines when I specifically told you not to.”

  Rayna pinched him on the arm and looked up at him smiling. “If you would have just told me what I wanted to know I wouldn’t have had to sneak past your weak barriers.”

  “And if you would have been a good citizen like the rest of Bluff’s Point,” he said, before kissing her on the lips, “I wouldn’t have caught your scent. The wolf wouldn’t have been intrigued enough to follow you over half the city before finding you in that dingy little bar. Me wanting you is all your fault.”

  She smiled. “You stalked me?”

  “Something like that.” He kissed her again, his tongue delving into her mouth. A moan worked its way up her throat as her arms tightened around him and the sound of someone clearing their throat caused him to pull back.

  Dillon gave him a lopsided grin. “Hate to interrupt, but the vamp is agitated. She’s gone all spooky.”

  “Spooky?” Garrett stepped around Rayna and walked into the bedroom.

  “Yeah. Her eyes turned white and she’s got these creepy veins on her face.”

  Rayna saw what he meant when she was near enough to see the girl. Dillon was right. She did look a bit on the creepy side.

  Her eyes weren’t white as Dillon said, but a pale crystalline blue. Her face held a sickly pallor and small blue veins could be seen near her temples and snaking down over her cheeks. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “No clue. She was watching the door then went all…. vein-y.”

  “Watching the door?” Rayna turned to look at it herself before looking back at the girl. The sight of her made her think of, Sabriel, the vampire who had attended Malcolm’s little dinner party the night they tried to infect her. He’d been quite handsome. Too handsome, actually. Just thinking about him left her feeling guilty for admiring him. He made her think things she shouldn’t have. Like what it would feel like to have those fangs in her skin. To see if the myth of vampires being cold to the touch was real. Did the effect his voice had on her happen to everyone or was it just her?

  Looking at the vampire on the bed, Rayna had to wonder if Sabriel had the ability to go all spooky, too. She was sure if he could, her attraction to him would be lessened. There wasn’t anything attractive about the creature currently staring at her.

  The girl opened her mouth before shutting it. She looked toward Garrett and pointed to her neck.

  “We’re going to get the wire out.” He stared at her for long moments before mumbling, “Just as soon as I figure out how.”

  The girl shook her head, the tumble of curls on her head shaking violently. She pointed to the door, then to Garrett. Like magic the color of her eyes changed, the veins disappeared and her skin, although still pale, didn’t have that washed out ashy look. She looked normal again.

  Rayna saw her glance around the room before her face scrunched in apparent frustration. She stared at the bed before her head tilted back up. Her eyes were wide and she motioned to the quilt before laying her hand on it and making a series of motions with her index finger.

  Judith stepped closer to the bed. “What is she doing?”

  “I don’t know.” They all moved closer, watching as she did it again. Rayna watched the girl’s finger and smiled when she made out the letters she was spelling. “She’s writing! Judith, go grab a pen and paper.”

  They waited as Judith rushed from the room and came back a few moments later, pen and paper in hand. She handed it to the girl. A few quick strokes of the pen and she held up the tablet to show what she’d written.

  Erik Foster brought me to the mine.

  * * * *

  Bryce walked back into the house to see Garrett pacing the foyer. When the pack leader saw him, he knew he’d missed something. Garrett’s eyes were amber in color and his features were shimmering. The wolf was too close to the surface. “What happened?” he asked, shutting the door.

  “Erik Foster is the one who brought Lydia to the mine.”

  “Okay,” Bryce said. “Who is Lydia and how do you know?”

  “Lydia is the vampire we found.”

  The vampire’s name was Lydia? Bryce hoped his face was as neutral as he wanted it to be. Ever since that girl had taken a chunk out of him, he hadn’t been able to think of much else. Old wounds resurfaced and clouded his mind with pictures from his past. A past he hadn’t wanted to think about.

  He loathed vampires with a fiery passion. The world would be a better place if those blood-sucking leaches were wiped off the face of the planet. Just the sight of one made his skin crawl. Having to carry that girl out of the mine took every ounce of willpower he had. How many times on the way down the mountain had he contemplated pulling the tarp they’d wrapped her in off and just watching her burn? Watching her burn in agony just like…

  Garrett said his name and dragged him from his musing. He motioned him to the living room and didn’t wait for him to follow. When he stepped into the room, he watched Garrett continue to pace. “Did you have any luck tracking Foster?”

  Bryce cleared his throat. “No. The guy’s scent disappeared at the edge of town.”

  “How?”

  “Too many scents to track. There were a lot of wolves there not long ago. Not pack but familiar.”

  “The same as Foster.”

  Bryce nodded his head. “Whoever this guy is, he wasn’t alone.” Garrett stopped pacing. He stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips and stared out the window. “What are you thinking?”

  Garrett turned his head to look at him. “Lydia said he was in the mine.”

  “You think he’s one of Caleb’s wolves?”

  “That would explain his scent. Those wolves were made by Caleb but didn’t associate with the rest of the pack. That may be why his scent is familiar yet not. We smell a trace of Caleb on him.”

  “Okay, say he is one of Caleb’s. What was he doing here?”

  “I think he was trying to grab some information.”

  “About what?”

  Garrett looked to the door and Bryce turned his head as Rayna walked into the room. He knew then what Garrett suspected and he hoped he was wrong.

  She stared at them both in turn, giving Garrett a peculiar look. “The wire is out.”

  Bryce raised an eyebrow. “What wire?”

  “In Lydia’s neck.”

  Garrett crossed to the center of the room. “Can she say anything?”

  “No,” Rayna said. “Not yet. Judith said we’d probably have to wait for her throat to heal. Maybe then she’d be able to.” She stared at them before frowning. “What were you two talking about?”

  Garrett smiled at her before shaking his head. “She’s turning into a bloodhound instead of a wolf.”

  “Very funny.” She rolled her eyes at him. “And your face gives you away, Garrett. You get these funny little lines between your eyebrows when you’re worried about something.”

  “I do not.” Garrett raised his hand and rubbing the skin between his eyes.

  She turned to him and the look on her face told him not to lie. “What were you talking about, Bryce?”

  Bryce smiled and glanced at Garrett. “You might as well tell her. She’s going to find out eventually. And if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, she needs to know.”

  “Know what?”

  Garrett ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “Erik Foster, as Lydia told us, was in the mine. He smelled funny to you because the s
cent was familiar, as in Caleb’s scent.”

  Her eyes widened. “Caleb’s wolves.”

  “Right.”

  “So what was he doing here?”

  “It’s just a guess,” Garrett said, “But I think he was trying to see if you were here.”

  “Why?”

  “He told me Malcolm had sent for him but didn’t know why. That his pack leader had told him to come yet, he didn’t know Malcolm was dead. Malcolm has been gone for over two months. I’m sure everyone involved in Malcolm’s plan knows what went down. Why would someone send Erik here two months after the fact.”

  Rayna frowned. “They wouldn’t.”

  Bryce shifted on his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “Not unless someone was trying to get information. What if this Collective Erik talked about actually sent him?”

  Garrett shook his head. “I don’t think it was them. If the Collective was still interested they wouldn’t send just anyone to come here. They’d send someone powerful. Erik didn’t come across as weak to me but he isn’t powerful either. If the Collective still wanted Rayna, they’d be more cautious about who they sent to retrieve her.”

  “Then who sent him?”

  Bryce remembered what Garrett had said before they entered the mine and had a sick feeling in his stomach. The thought running through his head must have been the same one Garrett was having. Rayna was right, he did get lines of worry between his eyebrows. “You think it’s her, don’t you?”

  “Her who?” Rayna asked, her head turning quickly to look at each of them.

  Garrett gave her a pointed look. “Don’t go into the forest alone, Rayna.”

  Bryce turned and crossed the room. “I’ll send out more patrols. If she’s on the mountain, we’ll find her.”

  Rayna growled. “Find who!”

  He stopped, looking at Garrett over his shoulder and at his nod said, “Carmen.”

  * * * *

  Rayna didn’t turn away from the windows when she heard the bedroom door shut. She knew it was Garrett without even looking. He stepped in behind her moments later, his arms circling her waist. “Do you think she’s out there now?”

  He kissed the side of her neck, his breath hot against her skin. “Probably.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip, staring at the darkened forest. The moon was only a day past full and should have still lit the world but clouds drifted across the sky, the moon barely shining through them. Shadows crept across the lawn, the shapes they created looked like specters inching closer to the house. Coming for her. “What do you think she wants?”

  “Hard to tell with Carmen but don’t worry. Bryce has the grounds well guarded. If she gets anywhere near the house, we’ll know about it.”

  By then it would be too late, wouldn’t it? She’d thought since Malcolm was now dead that the interest in her would have died with him. Knowing there was a group of Breed leaders hell bent on seeing their species brought to the attention of the world left her feeling uneasy. What if they weren’t finished with her. She was infected now. That’s what they had been waiting on. Was that why Carmen was back or was it for something else?

  The only other thing Carmen had wanted was control of the pack. Well, that and Garrett. Rayna felt an urge to lash out at something just thinking about it. She still remembered the punch Carmen had landed to the side of her face, the threats and hysterical screaming the woman had done when she’d been dragged from the room the day Carmen had attacked her. Had all that been the reaction of a jilted lover?

  Turning in Garrett’s arms, she looked up at him. He was handsome enough to get a girl worked up. He was fiercely protective, just as jealous as she was, and loved with his whole heart. He cared about others and would put his own life on the line to see that they were safe. He’d done it for years in Bluff’s Point. He was still doing it now, standing up for their small wolf pack. She could see why Carmen would want him. Any woman would.

  He smiled. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking about how much I love you.”

  His smile widened, his hands sliding up over her ribs to rest under her breasts. “Want to show me how much?”

  “I thought I did that this morning out by the creek?”

  He leaned down, nibbling on her lips as his hands toyed with her breasts through her shirt. “You did but that was hours ago. I need a reminder.”

  Garrett lifted her shirt, pulling it over her head before divesting her of her bra. Wet kisses were peppered across her face and down the side of her neck before he found the soft flesh around her nipples. His tongue lapped at her, his hands tugging at the snap on her jeans.

  A sudden knock on the door caused them both to growl. Garrett turned and yelled, “What?”

  Bryce answered saying he had news. Garrett gave her breasts one last look before he bent and picked her shirt up off the floor, handing it to her and walking across the room. He waited until she was covered, then opened the door.

  Bryce stood on the other side, breathless. “There’s trouble out front.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “Carmen’s here and she’s not alone.”

  Chapter Four

  Garrett darted out the bedroom door before Rayna had time to comprehend the fact Carmen was actually outside. When she snapped out of her frozen stare at the empty doorway, she followed the men, having to run to keep up.

  She saw Garrett rush out before she was halfway down the stairs. The sounds of scuffling, angry voices, and growls filled the air, and she jumped the remaining steps and crossed the foyer.

  Ethan, one of the older pack members, was blocking the door. He was near seventy but didn’t look a day over fifty. He was broad shouldered but thankfully, not much taller than she was. She peeked over his shoulder and saw Bryce and Dillon holding Garrett. Mitch stood close by, his gaze darting from Garrett to Carmen.

  Garrett’s features were shifting and Rayna could tell he was a struggling to keep the wolf back. A glance at the lawn and she saw why. The front yard was filled with people. From what she could see, most of the pack was there. All of them were staring at Carmen and the group of people standing behind her. Two dozen of them. Almost the same number of people in their own pack.

  One face stood out in the crowd. He was on the outer edge of Carmen’s pack, his shoulders hunched. He looked watchful, his head darting in every direction. She caught his gaze, saw how much he didn’t want to be there, and knew he had no choice. He was Omega. Jacob would always be too weak to do anything other than he was told. Giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, Rayna turned her attention to Carmen. The woman was smiling, which wasn’t a good sign.

  The last time Rayna had seen Carmen, claw marks had disfigured half her face. The flesh was now healed. Four tiny lines, barely visible, were all that remained. Her hair was still long, shining in the streaks of moonlight that peeked out from behind the clouds. She was wearing jeans, the denim so tight Rayna wondered how she even breathed and the blouse she worse left little to the imagination. The crisscross front plunged into a revealing neckline, her breasts nearly spilling out of the material.

  When Rayna looked at her face again, Carmen was staring at her.

  Carmen’s gaze was filled with animosity. She blinked and turned her head to Garrett. “You’ve marked her.”

  Garrett had stopped struggling. His mouth was set in a grim, straight line. The wolf was shining through his eyes and he was breathing heavily. “She’s the only woman worth the honor.”

  Carmen’s smile vanished. She glanced around her, at Bryce, Dillon and the others standing at the front of the house. “The claim is useless, you know.” She turned back to Garrett.

  “Useless against what?”

  “Against this.” She pulled her shirt down to reveal her left breast and the four claw marks still visible upon her skin. “You marked me twelve years ago, Garrett, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.” The pack members turned curious glances toward Garrett and her
in turn. Rayna kept her gaze focused on Carmen. “You’re pack leader now, Garrett, and as Alpha female of this pack, one who bears your mark, I demand my due!”

  The mutterings and mumbles of the others slowly grew and the pack started shifting on their feet. They shot nervous glances to Carmen before looking to Garrett. Rayna wasn’t sure what was happening but something was. And it wasn’t good. Garrett’s face was red, his anger evident, and she knew, if Bryce and Dillon weren’t holding him back, the smug look on Carmen’s face wouldn’t last for very long.

  Raising her hand, she placed it on Ethan’s shoulder, pushing until he moved enough for her to slip past him. He grabbed her arm, restraining her from moving far from the door. “Don’t get too close, Rayna. I don’t trust her and neither should you.”

  She looked to Garrett and Bryce before seeing Judith in the crowd. When she caught the woman’s eye, Judith quickly crossed the porch and stopped by her side. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Nothing good.” Judith threw a nervous glance over her shoulder before grabbing Rayna's arm. “Let’s go back inside.”

  Rayna shrugged off Judith's hand. “Not until I find out what’s happening.”

  Carmen moved closer to where Garrett stood and looked at those around him. “I’m feeling generous tonight so I’ll make it painless for her.” She turned to look at her and Rayna held her gaze. “Leave Wolf’s Creek, and Garrett, and I’ll let you live.”

  A growl echoed in the silence. It was Garrett. Rayna glanced at him before looking back at Carmen. “Sorry to spoil your plans, but I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

  Carmen shrugged her shoulder. “It makes no difference to me.” She smiled. “It’s your death wish, not mine.”

  “You lay one finger on her Carmen,” Garrett growled, “and you’ll wish you’d never laid eyes on me.”

  “Then tell her to leave.”

  Rayna straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “I’m not going anywhere.”