The Gathering

by Lily Graison

Rayna turned her attention to Stan. He looked exactly how she remembered him. Tall, thin, wearing jeans and cowboy boots. A brown corduroy jacket paired with a hat in the same color completed the look.

  He’d been missing since the night Malcolm had died. The pack had searched the mountain for him with no luck. She didn’t get time to wonder where he’d been when the sound of a car caught her attention. Turning her head, she saw an SUV coming toward them.

  When it stopped, and the doors on the passenger side opened, Rayna could only stare as Carmen stepped out onto the road followed closely by a man she’d never forget.

  The vampire, Sabriel.

  Chapter Six

  Sabriel was the first vampire Rayna had ever met. He’d shocked her so much upon meeting him, and seeing his fangs when he smiled at her, that she’d laughed in his face. She wasn’t laughing now.

  She stared at him as he rounded the front of the SUV, stepping into the light. The last time she saw him he’d been wearing a suit and a silk shirt while attending Malcolm’s little infection party. Now, he wore black slacks and a shirt in the same vibrant green as his eyes.

  Her heart started pounding the longer she looked at him and she turned away, hoping her face didn’t show her surprise. She focused her gaze on Carmen and took a steadying breath to try and calm her nerves.

  Carmen walked toward her, glancing into the backseat of Mitch’s car before smiling. “Going somewhere?”

  The urge to play a deaf mute was great but Rayna felt a prickling along her limbs. Heat surged through her body and she knew the wolf was stirring. She smiled and looked Carmen in the eye. “I was just going to drive down to the corner market and pick up a Slurpee. You want me to grab one for you, too?”

  Carmen wasn’t amused. “Either you’re trying to be funny or you’re just too stupid to realize how serious your situation is.”

  Rayna’s smile widened. “It doesn’t really matter what I think, does it? I’m sure you’re not here to say your good-byes.”

  “No. I’m not.” Carmen stared at her for long minutes before sighing. “I really wished you would have stayed at the house. I was looking forward to killing you.”

  Rayna spread her arms wide. “Nothing’s stopping you.”

  “Ah, but no one is here to see your last minutes. It wouldn’t be quite as fun to just drop your bloody corpse on Garrett’s door. I want to see his face as your life drains away.”

  “Dramatic,” Rayna said. “You should have been a writer instead of a bitch. You may have been able to get more attention.”

  The slap Carmen delivered hurt worse than when Erik hit her. She knew then Erik hadn’t meant to hurt her. Carmen did.

  When her eyes stopped watering, Rayna jerked her arm away from Erik and straightened her spine. “I’m getting a little tired of being slapped around! What do you want?”

  “Me personally? To see you dead, but it seems the others have different plans.”

  Others? What others? Rayna gave everyone present another glance before returning her attention to Carmen. “Which are?”

  “For you to expose us to the world.”

  Rayna looked over at Sabriel, then. He was still standing in front of the SUV, his body illuminated by the headlights. He was staring at her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His face was stoic, his eyes looked cold, and she wondered how she could have ever thought the man attractive. He was a monster, just like the others. He didn’t care about anything other than himself and she was sure her death wouldn’t disturb his sleep patterns.

  Thinking of her own death, Rayna looked back over at Carmen, the woman who wanted the honors of ending her life. It may not happen today, but Rayna knew it would soon. Sabriel being there wasn’t a coincidence. Erik’s speech to Garrett hadn’t been a complete lie, either.

  The Breed Leaders were still interested in her. She wondered if Carmen had planned this all along or if meeting up with Sabriel had just been dumb luck. The first seemed more logical. The Collective had sent someone to retrieve her and Carmen had been the one to guarantee the delivery. Either way she looked at it, she’d lost. She lost Garrett, her freedom and, once the public saw her shift into a monster, she’d lose her life.

  She forced her attention back to Carmen. “So, I suppose this the part where I’m supposed to cry and beg you for my life?”

  Carmen grinned. “That would be fun but it will help you very little.”

  “Good. I’m not much in the begging mood.”

  The look on Carmen’s face grew smug as she looked over Rayna’s shoulder to Stan. “Take her car to the high ridge and run it over the side. Meet me back at camp when you’re finished.”

  Erik pulled Rayna to the edge of the road as Stan got behind the wheel of Mitch’s car. She stumbled and Erik’s arms wrapping around her waist was the only thing to keep her from falling. His hands roamed places they shouldn’t have and lifting her foot, Rayna planted her heel on his shin. His scream brought a smile to her face.

  Jerking away from him, she watched Stan drive away, the taillights disappearing from view. She looked back at Carmen. “What are you going to tell Garrett?”

  “Nothing. I’ll just let him think you left him, but don’t worry. He won’t miss you long.” The smile on Carmen’s face grew and her eyes flickered to amber. She raised her hand, sliding her fingers over the top of her breasts. “I’ll make sure of that.”

  The heat Rayna felt in her limbs intensified and she tramped down her fear and let the wolf have full rein, biting back a gasp when she felt the pain seconds before her nails started to extend. Carmen grinned at her and said something, the words lost as she concentrated on the wolf.

  Carmen laughed and the sound was like daggers to the skull. That shrill noise was enough to enrage the beast, and gave Rayna the courage to lunge forward. Her claws bit into the side of Carmen’s neck, blood spilling over her fingers. Carmen screamed, her eyes wide before they fully changed color.

  The woman could shift as easily as Garrett did. In less than a minute, she’d gone from a curvaceous female to a massive beast.

  She backhanded Rayna with a clawed hand and sent her flying toward the ditch at the edge of the road. When she hit the ground, Carmen howled loud enough to cause the hair on the back of Rayna’s neck to stand on end.

  Carmen’s wolf was black and like the other Alpha’s, stood on two feet. The moon was still hiding behind the clouds and even though her eyesight had improved, making Carmen out in the dark was difficult.

  She saw her move when she stepped into the light from the SUV’s headlights and tracked her movements. She debated just lying there but didn’t want to be on her back if Carmen attacked again.

  Standing, Rayna closed her fist. The claws were gone. She tried to sense the wolf but didn’t feel her. She almost laughed. As many times as the thing tried to get out, the moment she actually needed it, the little coward fled. Stepping back onto the road, she faced Carmen.

  Her options were few. Either Carmen killed her now or she’d be delivered to the Collective and she’d die in a crowd of onlookers as they gawked at the monster she’d shift into. Either way she lost.

  Raising her hand to wipe a trickle of blood from her lip she straightened her spine and looked the wolf in the eye. “You hit like a girl, Carmen. No wonder Garrett’s wolf didn’t want you.”

  The next swing knocked her off her feet and slammed her into the side of the SUV. When she hit the ground, the world went fuzzy. Her entire body ached and she hoped she’d be unconscious when the killing blow came.

  She saw Carmen coming toward her, her lips pulled back to expose teeth sharp enough to saw bone in half. Rayna closed her eyes, pictured Garrett’s face in her minds eye, and wondered what he’d do when he found her… if there was anything left of her for him to find.

  Someone touched her back and she opened her eyes. Carmen was still coming toward her but the words, “That’s enough,” stopped her.

  Rayna watched Carmen, her vision blurry. Someone moved
her, rolling her over onto her back. She groaned and blinked, gasping as she was picked up in strong arms. Focusing her eyes, she looked at who held her.

  Sabriel was staring down at her. His eyes weren’t that forest green she found so fascinating, instead they were pale blue, almost white. His skin was ashy and she knew then he could go all creepy like Lydia.

  He said something before walking around the front of the SUV and to the open door. He sat her inside and climbed in behind her, mumbled instructions to the driver, and they were moving before Rayna could get her wits about her.

  When she could think clearly, and realized they were moving, she reached for the door, jerking on the handle. It didn’t move. “Let me out.” She raised her fist, beating on the glass while pulling at the handle.

  Sabriel grabbed her and pulled her across the seat. His arms circled her, holding her tightly against his chest. “Relax, Ms. Ford.”

  “You relax! And let go of me.” She struggled against him, his hold on her tightening until she was barely able to move. “You can’t do this!”

  “But we already have.”

  “And you’ll get your head ripped off when Garrett comes to get me.”

  He chuckled and the sound skated across her flesh like a feathery touch. It caused goose bumps to pimple her skin and she had to bite her tongue to keep from moaning at the sensation. She stared out the window, watching the trees rush by in a blur.

  “You were found on the main road with luggage. Will your mate think it foul play when he finds you gone?”

  Rayna did want to cry then. She’d told Garrett she was leaving and had sex with him shortly after. He left their room thinking she had changed her mind. What would he think when he came back and found her gone? Would he come after her or be so pissed he’ll welcome Carmen back with open arms?

  She slumped against Sabriel and kept her gaze on the window. They were on the main road, miles from the house. Mitch’s car had been disposed of and no one would know she was with the Collective.

  No one other than Carmen and she wasn’t going to tell.

  It was in that moment she realized no one would be coming to her rescue. By all appearances, she’d left. She’d told Garrett she was leaving. He’d watched her pack a bag, heard her tell him she couldn’t stay. Why wouldn’t he think she’d done exactly that when he found her, and her luggage, missing?

  The seriousness of the situation hit her, then. She was in the hands of the very men who wanted to harm her. Once she had been delivered to the Collective, she’d have no choice but to play along with them. They’d force her to shift in front of the world and her life would be over. If she wasn’t killed immediately, she’d be locked up and used for lord knows what.

  Turning her head to look over her shoulder at Sabriel, she noticed his features were normal again. He was staring at her and an unreadable look lingered in his eyes.

  Rayna blinked and struggled against him, surprised when he let her go. She moved across the seat, putting as much distance between them as she could. “Can you believe I actually entertained the thought of you being one of the good guys?”

  He smiled and her heart did a funny little dance in her chest. “You don’t think so now?”

  “No. The good guys help out when the damsel is in distress.”

  “I did help. I stopped Carmen from killing you.”

  Rayna chuckled. “You just prolonged the inevitable. Once I perform parlor tricks for the Collective, I’m as good as dead!” She winced and reached for her jaw. She wouldn’t be surprised if half her teeth fell out by morning. Between Carmen’s wicked backhand and the impact with the ground, she could only imagine what her face looked like. It already felt swollen and would probably be a pretty shade of ugly by morning.

  Sabriel reached for her, pushing her hand away before laying his own on the side of her face. Rayna gasped at the cooling sensation. The burning along her cheek slowly faded and she stared up at him as he watched her. “You did this cooling thing to my face the last time you were here. What is that, exactly?”

  “Just a little trick I picked up in Istanbul. Does your cheek feel better?”

  She nodded. “Is it magic?”

  He grinned. “Something like that.” His hand lingered on her face, sliding over her chin before he ran one finger over her lips. His smile remained but the look in his eyes spoke of sadness. “And for the record, under different circumstances, I would not have a problem saving you.”

  Rayna didn’t doubt his sincerity. She could see the truth of it in his eyes as he looked at her. She blinked and glanced away. “What circumstances?”

  He pulled away from her and slid back across the seat. “The Collective has worked a long time to bring their vision to light. Malcolm assured us all would go as planned and since his death, many have lost faith. Bringing you to the leaders will expedite the proceedings.”

  “Because Garrett won’t be there to kill you for it?”

  Sabriel laughed. “Yes. Your mate doesn’t seem to share our vision.”

  “Neither do I but that doesn’t seem to stop you from dictating my life.”

  “You don’t know what its like to live as we do.”

  “Then tell me,” she said. “Make me understand.”

  He turned and looked out the window. “You’re newly turned. You’ve not had to spend years hiding in the shadows as we do.” Sighing, he faced her. “I’ve spent the last three hundred years hiding from the world, Ms. Ford. Never being able to call any one place home. The most I can hope for is ten years in any given location. Anything longer and people start to wonder why I never age. Why I’m never seen in the light of day.

  I surround myself with others like me. Vampires, who after the first thirty years or so, I’d just as soon stake as to talk to. I can’t afford to meet new people, Ms. Ford. Humans don’t like to know monsters roam their streets. We want to change all of that. Change the way people see us.”

  Rayna listened to him and understood but that didn’t mean she had to agree. She certainly didn’t have to be the one to, “bring them into the light,” so to speak. She also knew trying to change his mind was useless. If he would kidnap her to see that the world knew he existed, he wouldn’t grow a conscience now and let her go. She was trapped regardless of how she looked at it. Either she exposed them to the world, and endangered her own life, or doomed them to a life of darkness. A life Sabriel had already endured for over three hundred years.

  * * * *

  Garrett lifted his head when someone knocked on the door. He sighed. “It’s open.” Bryce walked in and Garrett knew by the look on his face the news wasn’t good.

  “We found nothing, Garrett. There were fresh tire tracks in town but that’s it.”

  “I figured as much.” Garrett stared at him before looking around the room. He should have been embarrassed at the state of it but he was too tired to bother blushing.

  When he’d come back upstairs and found Rayna gone, along with her suitcase, he’d lost it. The room now lay in shambles, the pack members he’d worked so hard at to gain their trust were once again afraid of him, and Bryce looked at him with such pity he wanted nothing more than to take off on foot and chase that hard-headed woman down just so no one would feel sorry for him anymore.

  When Bryce cleared his throat, Garrett turned to look at him. “Go to bed. There’s nothing to do now.”

  “Are you going to be all right?”

  Garrett laughed but there wasn’t anything funny. “Sure. My mate left me. A woman I don’t want can’t wait to come back and the people I promised to protect are afraid of me again. What else can go wrong?”

  A hint of pity shone in Bryce’s eyes. “For what its worth, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think she’d leave or I would have posted someone outside.”

  “I didn’t think she’d leave either. Shows you how much I know, huh?” Garrett laughed again and felt anger coil inside of him when he did. There was nothing funny about any of this but it was either laugh or c
ry like a bitch, which is what he wanted to do.

  How could Rayna just leave him? Especially after what had happened earlier? His neck still hurt where she’d bit him. Blunt teeth marks marred his skin and those straight edged teeth hurt worse than the wolf’s sharp fangs. He hadn’t complained, though. His wolf had nearly tap danced on his spine when Rayna marked him and said he was hers. He’ll, he’d let her do it again if she’d just come back.

  Bryce shifted and cleared his throat. “I’m down the hall. Just yell if you need anything.”

  Garrett nodded his head. When Bryce pulled the door shut behind him, the silence was deafening. He leaned back against the wall and stared at the room before laughing again. Rayna bitched because he left his socks lying around. He wondered what she’d think if she saw this mess?

  The dresser was in pieces, the mattress on their bed shredded. Clothes littered the room, broken furniture thrown from one end to the other and the window had shattered when he tossed the chair through it.

  When the dust settled and he’d slid down the wall, he could still smell her. Her scent still hung in the air, thick and rich like expensive perfume. He inhaled, taking it in before he closed his eyes. He could see her in his minds eye, lying on their bed, naked. Her skin still flushed pink as she stared up at him. “Why did you leave me, Rayna?”

  Because Carmen gave her no choice.

  Garrett growled the moment he thought of Carmen. Why did that woman enjoy fucking with his life so much? He’d left twelve years ago to get rid of her and now, she’d chased off the only woman he’d ever loved.

  Opening his eyes, he stared around the room and his temper flared. Heat raced through his veins as he thought of Carmen and the fury that followed brought him to his feet. He paced the small space uncluttered with debris and the wolf surged to the surface. He held it back but fed off his agitation.

  Why did Carmen get to say how things would be done? She was no one. A rogue wolf who ran with her tail between her legs the minute Malcolm and Caleb were defeated. Now, the moment things had settled, she’d waltzed back in and demanded things she no longer had a right to demand.