The Gathering

by Lily Graison

  Carmen’s smile widened and her eyes flickered. Her wolf slid to the surface and Rayna felt her own answer. This time, it didn’t scare her when she felt it. She welcomed the anger that came with her and the need to rip Carmen’s hair out one shiny strand at a time.

  “Then I challenge you,” Carmen said. “For rightful place at Garrett’s side.”

  The audible gasps from those watching the scene were deafening. “Challenge me?”

  “Yes. To be Garrett’s mate.”

  Rayna snorted a laugh. “What are you, twelve? Do you want me to meet you on the playground at recess?”

  Carmen’s entire presence shifted then. Her face shimmered, her wolf skating across her features. Her claws grew, and if Rayna didn’t know any better, she could have sworn the woman grew another five inches in height. “You’ll not think this a joke when your blood is draining from your body, Rayna. No one will step in to help you.”

  Rayna glanced toward Garrett. He was still watching Carmen. Turning her gaze back to the woman, she said, “So what? You want me to fight you for him?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is unbelievable,” she whispered, glancing around at the other members of the pack. No one was smiling. She caught the eye of several of them. They all averted their gaze, finding their shoes more interesting. Turning to Garrett, she noticed he still hadn’t looked at her. “Garrett?”

  Bryce turned his head. “Go back inside the house, Rayna.”

  Garrett’s refusal to look at her let her know the situation was more serious than she’d thought it was. Apparently Carmen’s threats weren’t just idle chitchat. Something was going on and it wasn’t just Carmen’s need for putting on a show.

  When Judith grabbed her arm again, she let the woman lead her back into the house. When they entered the living room, the angry voices from outside grew before they were muted. Ethan must have shut the door.

  Turning to Judith, she looked the woman in the eye. “What the hell is going on?”

  * * * *

  “You can’t kill her, Garrett.” Bryce lowered his voice and eyed Carmen. “Not without making a challenge to her first and she’s done nothing to warrant one. You’ll be no better than Malcolm if you do.”

  Garrett tried to cage his wolf but failed. A growl rumbled in his chest and he barely got the words, “She threatened my mate,” out before his claws extended. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the wolf and pushed him back.

  “Those marks on Carmen’s chest dispute that claim and you know it.”

  Garrett wished Bryce wasn’t right. If him and Dillon hadn’t grabbed him when he stepped outside, Carmen would already be dead. He still wanted her blood, the wolf clawed at his flesh to get out, and the only thing stopping him from letting the beast go was knowing the pack would turn on him if he did.

  They’d lived in fear of Malcolm for years and it had taken him months to gain their respect. He couldn’t loose it now. Not when Carmen stood on the lawn with a pack of wolves behind her. Caleb’s pack, the ones from the mine. He’d bet his life on it.

  When Carmen turned and smiled, it took everything in him not to lunge for her. The smirk on her face told him she’d won. Garrett had lost Rayna without so much as lifting a finger. Either he gave up his claim on her or he’d have to force her to leave so she could live. She was in no shape to fight. Not with her wolf barely making her presence known. Carmen would kill her in less than a minute and he wasn’t prepared to stand by and watch.

  “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  “And what exactly do you expect me to say, Carmen? Welcome home?”

  “That would be a start.” She looked over her shoulder before turning back to face him. “I know there aren’t enough bedrooms for everyone but sleeping in the forest is getting a bit old. The basement will be fine.”

  Garrett laughed. “You expect me to just let you inside the house?”

  “Yes.”

  “You are out of your fucking mind,” he growled. “I want you off this property. Now!” Her laughter was mocking, the sound of it abrading his skin to the point it felt like bruises on his flesh.

  “I can demand it,” she said. “I am still a part of this pack whether you like it or not.”

  “Try it and see how much I care if I play by the rules.”

  She shrugged her shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll be sharing your bed before the week is out regardless.” A glance behind her was all it took for her pack to slowly turn and start walking away. When she turned back to face him, the smile she gave him made his skin crawl. “Tell your little pet wolf I’ll be waiting for her decision.”

  With a final glance at the house, Carmen turned and walked back to the forest, following the others. Garrett watched her until she was out of sight. When she disappeared into the darkness, Bryce and Dillon let him go.

  He stared after her for long minutes, the pack members around him doing the same. When Dillon sighed, the others seemed to snap out of their trancelike state and turned to face him.

  “What will you do?”

  Garrett didn’t have an answer. He could take Rayna and leave the mountain but Bryce wasn’t strong enough to take on Carmen and survive. She’d gain control of the pack within minutes and destroy the others in the process. He couldn’t leave them to that fate. He promised to protect them and he would, no matter the cost.

  But letting Carmen anywhere near Rayna would never happen. He wouldn’t stand by and watch his mate killed. Regardless of what Carmen thought, or the marks she bared, his wolf hadn’t chosen her. A moment of carelessness and rough sex was all those marks were proof of. He’d lost control and let the wolf slide to the surface, slashing at her flesh before he could even comprehend what he was doing. He could still hear her screams, hear the laughter in her voice as she accepted a claim he didn’t make.

  He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. The only option he had was to make Rayna leave but that wasn’t a guarantee she’d live. Carmen would see that she didn’t. She’d sent a wolf to Bluff’s Point to kill her once. She would do it again. And where did that leave him? Sitting on the top of this mountain worrying about her and having to pretend to be Carmen’s mate. He laughed. Why the hell was his life so fucked up? He must have really pissed off the gods in a former life for his Karma to be such a bitch.

  Turning to the house, he ignored the curious glances thrown his way and went back inside. He followed Rayna’s scent, finding her in the living room pacing the floor. Judith was with her, the look on her face letting him know she was just as worried about the outcome of all this as he was.

  When Rayna noticed his presence, she stopped and looked at him. “Since Judith refused to tell me anything I expect you to and no half truths, either, Garrett. I want to know what the hell just happened out there.”

  He opened his mouth to answer her but couldn’t get the words to come. What was he supposed to say? You have to fight Carmen or die trying? Leave the mountain and forget I ever laid eyes on you? He stared at her and didn’t know where to begin. Anything he said would be the end of what they have. He lost his mate the moment Carmen issued the challenge and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

  * * * *

  Rayna vaguely wondered if the anger she felt was of her own making or if it was the wolf. She could still feel the thing inside of her. It was restless. Pacing around like a caged animal and the feeling was so odd she had to mentally shake herself just to get the sensation to go away.

  Garrett had yet to speak but she wasn’t sure he even could. He was still angry. The set of his jaw and the look in his eyes told her that. His fists were clenched and the muscle in his cheek was twitching. But that wasn’t all. The way he was looking at her left her feeling cold. It was as if something had changed between them and she hadn’t been quick enough to see it.

  She glanced at Bryce, watching him stare at anything but her and felt what little patience she had left slip. No one was speaking. The room was filled with people; mos
t of the pack hovered around the doorway, and no one would even look at her. Even Judith was studying her feet.

  Crossing her arms under her breasts, she looked at Bryce. “Since Garrett has lost the ability to speak, tell me what I’m missing here.”

  Bryce cleared his throat and glanced at Garrett. “Carmen’s challenged you for right to be Garrett’s mate.”

  “Yeah, I got that part. What the hell does it mean?”

  “It means…” He sighed and leaned against the arm of the sofa. “She wants you gone, Rayna. Either you fight her for the right to stay or you walk away.”

  “Walk away?”

  He nodded. “Leave the mountain.” He glanced at Garrett again. “Alone. Unless Garrett will go with you.”

  The question in Bryce’s voice made Rayna look to Garrett. He was still staring at her. “Who will protect the pack if we leave?”

  No one answered. The look on everyone’s face made sense now. If her and Garrett left together, they left the pack vulnerable. No one would be there to protect them. Carmen would walk back into the house and make their lives a living hell again. That only left two options. Fight Carmen or walk away, alone, just as Bryce said.

  The reality of her choices must have shown on her face. Slowly, everyone in the room turned and left, leaving her and Garrett to stare at each other. As the noise in the house grew silent, the realization of what happened sank in.

  She’d lost Garrett once and spent eight months wishing she’d had him back. His hateful remarks and snide comments to her, just to drive her away, hadn’t worked. She’d still wanted him and by some twist of fate, they’d found each other again. Now, two months later, she was right back where she’d started. He was as untouchable now as he’d been in Bluff’s Point. Standing right in front of her, within reach, and she couldn’t have him.

  Long minutes passed, both of them staring at the other before he crossed the room and stopped in front of her. She stared up at him and didn’t have the strength to open her mouth and say anything.

  Garrett raised his hand, threading his fingers through her hair. He kissed her forehead, holding his lips to her skin as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I should have never followed you to that bar. I knew the moment I first caught your scent I should leave you alone.” He sighed. “The wolf wouldn’t let me, though. And when I saw you sitting in that corner booth, laughing at something Mitch said... I wanted you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life.”

  He looked down at her then and Rayna knew he’d made a decision. She could see it in his eyes. He was going to let her go. Her heart broke again at the realization. He was going to send her away just like he’d done in Bluff’s Point. He’d push her away to protect her regardless of what he wanted. “I’m not leaving,” she said, cursing her trembling voice when it came out weak. “You can’t make me.”

  “You have to, Rayna.”

  Her hurt turned to anger then and she let it come. It dried the tears burning her eyes and fed the wolf with rage enough to keep her voice strong. “Do you want her? Is that why you’re just going to let me go again?”

  “Rayna...”

  “Did you claim her when you were here twelve years ago?”

  “No. It was an accident.”

  “An accident?” She laughed and shook her head. “How do you accidentally claim someone, Garrett?”

  His eyes flashed gold and his hold on her hair tightened. “I marked her, Rayna, but I didn’t claim her. I didn’t want her. The wolf didn’t want her. There’s a big difference in marking someone and claiming them.”

  She looked at the marks on his neck, her gaze following the four claw marks she’d given him. “This was an accident,” she said, reaching up and touching his neck. “Yet you accepted it as a claim even though I didn’t say that was my intention. What makes that any different than what Carmen did?”

  He stiffened, his eyes flashing from brown to amber. “The difference is you were already mine. I was never hers and I never will be.”

  “And if I leave? Will she be yours, then?” His eyes changed back into the soft tawny brown she was used to seeing. She knew she was being selfish and only thinking of herself. Her pain was his also. She could see it on his face; the loss she felt wasn’t for her and her alone.

  “She’ll never be in my bed, Rayna. Regardless of what happens, she’ll never be welcome there.”

  The fight left her then. The tears were burning again and Rayna closed her eyes to keep them from falling. She leaned against him, laying her head on his chest before sighing. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “And I don’t want you to leave.”

  “But…”

  “I don’t know what else to do, Rayna. You can’t fight her. You’ll never win.”

  “I can try to get the wolf to come out. She almost did once. Surely it won’t be hard if I actually want her to.”

  He shook his head. “It won’t matter if you do. No one is born an Alpha and only an Alpha will stand a chance against her in a fight. It takes years to gain the strength you’d need to fight her. If you shifted today, your wolf would be weak as a kitten.”

  “So that’s it, then?” she asked, lifting her head to look at him. “I just let her have you and go back to Bluff’s Point like nothing ever happened?”

  “Don’t go back to Bluff’s Point. It’s too dangerous. You can’t control the wolf. You have to be with the pack until you have power to control her actions.”

  Rayna laughed and stepped away from him. “Then what am I supposed to do? I can’t go home and I’m sure as hell not staying here,” she said, her voice rising as the anger returned. “If I can’t have you I’ll be damned if I stand by and watch you play house with that bitch.”

  “It won’t be like that.”

  “No? What will it be like then? Are you going to ignore her every second of the day? Pretend she isn’t in the house? Push her away every time she flashes her tits at you?” She walked across the room and stopped at the doorway when he said her name. She turned, anger causing the tears she’d kept in check to slip from her eyes. “I can’t stay here and watch you with her anymore than you could watch me with someone else, regardless of the fact they shared my bed or not. She wants you and she’ll do everything in her power to get you, Garrett. It’s only a matter of time before she’ll succeed and you’re a fool if you think she won’t end up in your bed.”

  He stared at her and didn’t deny her claims. Visions of Carmen seducing him flashed before her minds eye and she felt that entity now taking up residence inside her flesh stretch. The wolf slinked along her bones and howled so loud inside her head she was sure the entire house heard it.

  “Where will you go?”

  “As far from here as I can get.” Wiping angrily at her face, brushing the tears away, Rayna straightened her spine. “But don’t worry; I’ll take someone with me when I go. I’m sure there’s one person in this house who will stand by me regardless of the cost.”

  Chapter Five

  Bryce waited until Rayna had climbed the stairs before continuing down the hall. He hadn’t meant to listen in on their conversation but their voices had grew steadily louder with each passing second.

  He stared down at the cup in his hand. The blood for the vampire was getting cold. He wasn’t sure if Garrett even wanted to talk but just walking away seemed wrong. Looking up the stairs when he heard the slamming of a door, he shook his head and walked to the living room doorway.

  Garrett was standing near the fireplace, staring at the cold bricks. His back was to him but even from across the room, Bryce could see how beaten he looked. His head was lowered, his shoulders drooping.

  He cleared his throat. “Is there anything you’d like me to do?” He waited for long minutes and when no answer came, he turned and headed for the stairs. The sound of his name stopped him.

  Walking back to the living room, Garrett met him at the doorway. The look on his face was one he hadn’t seen since the night of the fight
with Malcolm.

  “Jacob was with Carmen. I won’t believe for a minute its by choice.”

  Bryce nodded. “I saw him, too.”

  “We have to get him back.”

  “How do you want to go about doing that?”

  “I’d personally like to rip every member of Carmen’s little pack into shreds but I don’t know how many of them are in the same situation Jacob is. We can’t assume they’re all there by choice.”

  Bryce had never thought of that. Just because Caleb had created a small pack of werewolves didn’t mean they all wanted the same things Caleb did. Or the same things Carmen did, for that matter. Just because they were there didn’t automatically lump them into the bad-guy camp. “You’re right. I have Gavin and Ethan patrolling the edge of the forest. Do you want me to have them go in further to see where they’re camped?”

  Garrett was quiet for long moments before slowly shaking his head. “No. Bring everyone back to the house, even those watching the town and the main road. I’ll meet you, and the others, back here in an hour.” He walked away then, taking the stairs two at a time.

  Bryce followed a few minutes later, making his way to the third floor where the vampire’s room was. He knocked before opening the door and walking in. She was standing by the window. Her hair was brushed; a riot of brown curls falling down her back. She’d showered, he noticed. She didn’t smell like a rotting corpse now. The scent of shampoo and soap filled the room and he had to admit it lifted his mood a bit. Having to face her at all was a daunting task but her smelling like walking death just reminded him of what she was.

  He stopped when she turned to face him. They stared at one another for endless moments and if someone were to ask him later what it was that caused his feelings toward her to shift, he wouldn’t be able to answer. It may have been the look in her eyes. Fear was something he’d never seen in a vampire before but this girl looked at him as if he were about to execute her. Yesterday, he would have without a second thought. He wasn’t so sure now.