The Gathering

by Lily Graison

  Turning to the door, he walked into the hall and made his way to Bryce’s door. He didn’t bother to knock. “Who leads this pack?”

  Bryce stared at him with wide eyes. “You do,” he said, pulling his pants back up.

  “In all things?”

  “Yes. Your word is law.”

  “That’s what I thought. So, why the hell do I have to do anything Carmen demands me do?” Bryce stared at him blankly. “I don’t! She has no say in this pack. She left. Ran the minute her plan blew up in her face and only came crawling back when she thought she had something to gain.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, she knows Rayna hasn’t shifted yet and can be easily beaten in a fight. She also knows the pack is scared of her. She shows up with a pack of her own, tosses down an ultimatum, and everyone scurries to bow down to her. She’s nothing to this pack. She has no say. I’m pack leader. What I say goes!”

  Bryce grinned at him and he turned and walked back down the hall to his room. He slammed the door and looked at the wreckage. Rayna was the woman his wolf chose and she was the woman he would have. He would rot in hell before he let Carmen step foot back inside this house and demand anything of him or his pack.

  Pacing the room, he tried to think of where Rayna would go. Back to Bluff’s Point, maybe. Her old boss, Clive, would give her job back to her but he wasn’t sure she’d go someplace obvious. Unless she wanted him to find her.

  He smiled. Why wouldn’t she? She belonged to him and that wolf of hers knew it. If he just bided his time, she’d come home to him. He would bet his life on it.

  Chapter Seven

  They stopped just before dawn, pulling into a garage big enough to hold several cars. The walls were white, the concrete floor spotless and for a garage, it looked rarely used.

  Rayna blinked as the driver opened his door and flooded the inside of the SUV with light. “Where are we?”

  Sabriel opened his door and climbed out. “Somewhere you can rest.” Rayna didn’t move. She watched him and was surprised when he walked around the car and opened her door before holding his hand out to her.

  “I didn’t know you were such a gentlemen.” She ignored his offered hand.

  She climbed out and took a minute to stretch before looking back out the garage door. The sun was coming up over the horizon and the sky was lit in shades of orange and red. The smell of fresh cut grass and flowers filled her head and she inhaled the scent, welcoming it after being trapped inside the SUV for so many hours.

  “Not all vampires are monsters, Ms. Ford.”

  She turned back to face him and smiled. “No? When will I get to meet one of the good ones?” He frowned at her and her skin felt irritated all of a sudden. She rubbed her arms, trying to get the sensation to go away. “How do you do that?”

  “How do I do what?”

  “Touch me with just a look?”

  His eyes widened a bit and the frown disappeared. The tiniest smile touched his lips before that too vanished. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  He stared at her and the feeling changed. Instead of irritation, her skin felt cooled and covered in soft silk, her limbs felt languid and a prickling of heat shot through her body and tingled in places it shouldn’t have. She gasped, then scowled. “Stop that!”

  When he laughed, his eyes sparkled vibrantly, and Rayna had to close her own as the feelings running through her body intensified. “If I had known I was able to produce such a connection with you, Ms. Ford, I wouldn’t have had to come for you.”

  She peeked back up at him. “Oh?”

  He moved closer and she backed up, stopping only when she felt the SUV at her back. “You would have come to me.”

  Sabriel invaded her personal space to the point she felt uncomfortable. Not that he scared her, just the opposite, actually. She didn’t trust the way her body reacted when he was around. The cooling thing he did on her cheek, he’d said, was magic. Was that how he made her feel things with a look? How he was able to touch her without raising a hand?

  She knew now that’s what it was. A touch. Her skin felt itchy when he’d frowned and caressed in silk when he smiled. If it was magic, she wanted to know how he did it. If it was a vampire trick, well, the mystery would go unanswered. He’d never tell.

  He stared at her for long moments, his gaze caressing her face before landing on her lips. “If you weren’t already taken, Ms. Ford, I would be very tempted to keep you.” He leaned toward her and for a brief moment, Rayna thought he was going to kiss her. He turned away instead, motioning her forward when he reached the door.

  She followed, his words still running on repeat through her head. What had he meant exactly by keep? She shivered. She was just getting used to werewolves. Vampires were something she knew little about but no longer than she’d been around Sabriel, her body responded to him much like it did with Garrett and that was disturbing. She loved Garrett. With Sabriel, she… well, she didn’t know what to think about him and didn’t want to know either.

  Stepping into the house, she gave the spacious home a thorough look as he led her down a series of hallways. The interior of the house was very generic. White walls, beige carpets. The furniture was white and tasteful art hung on the walls. The scent in the air reminded her of a hospital. Very “clean.” Whoever lived here must have been the dullest person on the planet. Nothing about this house said, “home,” to her.

  Sabriel showed her to a room at the end of the hall, motioning her inside. The bedroom was large and spacious, again with the monochromatic whitewashed look. She stopped at the foot of the bed before turning to look at him. “A little color would do wonders for this place.”

  He looked around the room. “You don’t like it?”

  “It’s not that I don’t like it…” She gave the room another inspection before shrugging her shoulders. “Its just… dull.”

  “How so?”

  Rayna grinned. “You’re kidding, right?” He didn’t look amused or as if he even knew what she was talking about. “It’s all the neutral colors. Everything’s so… generic.”

  “Generic?”

  “Yes. There’s no… life here. Its boring.”

  He smiled. “Well, nothing alive lives here.”

  Rayna raised an eyebrow at him. “Come again?”

  “I’m a vampire. I’m not technically alive.”

  Glancing around the room again, taking in the white on beige, she turned back to face him. “This is your house?”

  “Yes.”

  She grinned and sat down on the bed. “You should hire an interior decorator. Or eat the one you had do all this.”

  His laughter skated across her flesh in a wave of tingles that shot straight between her legs. He was staring at her again, his eyes sparkling, and she was almost positive whatever he was doing to make her feel things had been on purpose that time. She scowled at him and his smile widened. “Stop doing that!”

  He turned, his laughter washing over her limbs until she rubbed furiously at her arms and legs to get the feeling to go away. He stepped to a door on the other side of the room, opening it before turning back to her. “You’re welcome to use the bath. You will find towels and other supplies in the cabinet by the tub.”

  When he left the room, pulling the door shut behind him, Rayna jumped from the bed and searched for a phone. There wasn’t one in the room, naturally. She sighed before looking at the door. Could she find one without him noticing?

  Light from the windows streamed into the room and she turned to the beam of sunshine filtering in. She smiled. Vampires slept during the day, didn’t they? “Shower first, snoop later.”

  * * * *

  Garrett was boarding up the broken window in his room when he saw Jacob. He was standing near the tree line. He was alone, staring up at the house.

  Laying the hammer down, Garrett watched him for long minutes before turning and making his way outside. The moment he stepped out the back door, Jacob turned back
toward the forest.

  Garrett gave chase the instant the boy ran. The sun was bright, dew sparkled on the grass and the air was filled with the scent of evergreen. The dash across the field took the soreness from his limbs. Sleeping on the floor hadn’t been fun. He couldn’t make himself leave the room, trashed as it was. It still held Rayna’s scent and he was loathed to give it up.

  By the time he made it to the trees, Jacob was nowhere to be seen. He stopped, raised his head, and tried to pick up his scent. He smiled when he found it and was running again before he remembered to tell Bryce where he was going.

  The chase led him over half the mountain and when Garrett finally caught up with Jacob, the boy was sitting with his back to a tree, arms propped up on his elbows. He was breathing heavily which told him he’d tried his best to outrun him.

  Smiling as he approached, Garrett sat down facing him. “So… fancy meeting you here.”

  Jacob grinned before picking up a small twig and pulling the leaves off of it. “If I don’t get back soon, she’ll skin me alive.”

  “Not if you’re with me, she won’t.” Jacob’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What are you doing with her, Jacob?”

  He sighed and tossed the twig away. “I didn’t have much choice. After Caleb and his goons shot me with that Tranq gun, I woke up in the mine. It wasn’t like I could just walk out. Once Carmen showed up and got everyone moving, I couldn’t get away.”

  “And what does she want you for?” Jacobs cheeks turned blistering red then and Garrett didn’t even have to ask why. He knew Carmen too well. She used sex as a weapon and had a way of getting whatever information she wanted by the same means. Apparently Jacob had been on the receiving end of her interrogation tactics. “What did she want to know?”

  Jacob shrugged and averted his gaze. “Mostly about you. What your relationship with Rayna was like.” He laughed and picked up another twig. “The woman is seriously twisted. She doesn’t even know Rayna but hates her enough to plot her murder on a daily basis.”

  “She’s dead the minute she tries.” Garrett’s wolf slinked closer to the surface just thinking about Carmen hurting Rayna. He reined it in and focused on Jacob. “What else?”

  “Your plans as far as Malcolm were concerned. If you were going to challenge him to take the pack.”

  “And?”

  “And I told her you didn’t want it. That you just wanted to get Rayna and go back to the city.”

  “But I didn’t do that.”

  “No. She wondered why you’d stayed and got her answer when she sent Erik to the house.”

  “They were curious about Rayna?”

  Jacob nodded his head. “Yeah. Once Erik confirmed her to be infected, Carmen set out to challenge Rayna. She wants this pack bad, Garrett.”

  “Why?”

  “No clue. It’s all she talks about though. What she’s going to do once she’s back inside the house. How everyone will bow down to her.” He rolled his eyes before chuckling. “You should hear her. She’s crazy, man.”

  “I know.” Garrett looked around the forest and wondered if allowing Carmen to roam free was such a smart move. The woman was dangerous. She always had been. With a group of shifters at her beck-and-call, it was hard to tell what havoc the woman could pull off. “What’s the story with the new pack she has?”

  Jacob tossed his stick away and frowned. “Those are the wolves Caleb made. Most of them are just as twisted as he was but a few of them just do as they’re told and sit quietly in the background.”

  “Like you?”

  Jacob grinned. “Like me.”

  Garrett was quiet for several minutes, staring at Jacob and wondering what to do now. Getting Jacob back had been a priority the day before but now he wondered if leaving him with Carmen wasn’t the smartest move. “What do you want to do, Jacob? Do you want to come to the house?”

  Jacob lowered his eyes and nodded. “I’d love to.” He stared at his hands before looking up. “Staying with her gets harder by the day.”

  Standing and stretching out his legs, Garrett stared at him and wondered if having him at the house would be best for everyone. He leaned his head to the side, watching him. “You’re welcome anytime, you know that… but I think you’re better off where you are.” Jacob’s expression grew somber, his eyes downcast. “I need to know what she’s up to, Jacob, and you’re the only one in the position to find out.”

  Jacob lifted his head and the look on his face was again filled with surprise. His smile was slow to form but once it was there, it grew to near blinding. He stood and dusted the seat of his pants off. “I can do that.”

  Garrett returned the smile. “I know you can. Let me know the minute something happens you think I should know about. If it gets to much to handle, come home.” He turned and started to walk away but Jacob saying his name stopped him.

  “Something went down last night. I’m not sure what, exactly, but Carmen and Erik were gone for a while. When they came back, Carmen was sporting a couple of new wounds on her neck.”

  Garrett puzzled over the new information. “Did anyone say where they’d gone or how she was injured?”

  “No, but she was highly pissed about something.”

  Garrett stared at him and wondered what Carmen and Erik could have been up to. He was sure whatever it was would land on his doorstep soon enough. Where Carmen was concerned, it always came back to him.

  * * * *

  Rayna had just stepped out of her panties when she heard Sabriel say her name. She snatched up her towel, wrapping it around her body, and turned to the door. Why the hell hadn’t she shut it?

  He appeared a moment later. He took in her appearance and when he looked back at her face, heat smoldered in his eyes. “I’ve brought you something to sleep in.” He ignored her state of undress and laid something white on the cabinet before backing out of the bathroom. “The kitchen is stocked. Help yourself to whatever you’d like.” He watched her, his gaze once again lingering over her. “I’ll be across the hall if you need anything.” He walked away before she could thank him for the clothes.

  Shutting the bathroom door, and locking it, Rayna ignored the entire encounter and showered quickly, dried off, and picked up the clothing Sabriel had left for her. It was a man’s long sleeve button-up shirt. Not that she was expecting fancy lingerie, or even a respectable nightgown, but for some reason, the shirt bothered her.

  She lifted it and inhaled the scent that lingered on it. Washing powder, mostly, but she knew this shirt belonged to Sabriel. She could smell him on it. He didn’t wear cologne or she didn’t think he did. She hadn’t ever noticed the presence of any but his scent was refreshing for a man. He smelled of bed linens and oddly enough, like the spring air. As if his clothes were dried in the sunlight.

  Shaking her head, she slipped the shirt on. Thankfully it fell to mid-thigh. She wasn’t too keen on running around his house with her ass showing, especially seeing how her only pair of panties was laying in a pile of dirty clothes at her feet.

  Winding her hair into a towel, she entered the bedroom and crossed to the door. A peek into the hall revealed nothing. There wasn’t a sound in the house and creeping out of her room, Rayna made her way back the way Sabriel had brought her when entering.

  She found the kitchen but by-passed it. A search of every room caused a frustrated sigh to escape before she scowled. “Does this man not own a damn phone?”

  Walking back to the kitchen, she checked the refrigerator. It was stocked, just as he’d said. She had to wonder about that. She didn’t know vampires ate real food. Did they?

  Staring at the contents, she grabbed a bottle of water before finding a plate of cheese and sliced lunchmeats. She carried them to the table and ate in silence while wondering what to do.

  She was sure this wasn’t their last stop. Sabriel had said he was taking her to the Breed Leaders. Maybe they were coming here, she thought, before looking around the house again. She hoped not. She needed to let some
one know where she was and with no phone, that was impossible.

  Her thoughts went to Garrett then and her mood, and appetite, plummeted. This was the first day in three months she hadn’t been right by his side. She felt the loss constrict her chest before her eyes grew damp. How did she ever think she would be able to just… walk away from him? He was a part of her now. Her wolf was created by him. By the infection he accidentally gave her the night he’d killed Malcolm. Being separated from him felt like a limb had been cut off.

  She pushed the plate away and wiped at her eyes. “You’re so stupid, Rayna. For once you should have listened to Garrett instead of being so pig-headed. You wouldn’t be in this mess now.”

  Walking back to her room, she locked the door behind her and crawled into bed. The emptiness she felt only grew when she realized she might not ever see Garrett again. He didn’t know where she was and the chances of him finding her were growing slimmer by the minute.

  Once the Collective had her, her days would be numbered.

  Chapter Eight

  There were clothes on the end of the bed when Rayna woke, including under-things. She raised an eyebrow as she picked up the panties and bra. Black lace and see through. Surprisingly, they were her size and not so skimpy they would be uncomfortable to wear. Jeans, a royal blue shirt, and socks were also there. Beside the clothes was a bag that held toiletries and a perfume that smelled faintly of flowers.

  She didn’t want to even think about who picked out the clothes, especially the black lacy things, and dressed quickly, brushed her hair and teeth, slipped on her shoes and walked out of her room. She glanced at the door as she pulled it shut behind her. She was sure she’d locked it before she’d lain down. How did someone get in to deliver the clothing? She shrugged her shoulders before heading down the hall.