CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Hayley kept backing away until she hit the wall. She stared at the...thing that was coming towards her.
“It can't be,” she wheezed. “Y-you're dead! You c-can't be Strom!”
But it was.
Hayley could smell the stench of death and decay as Strom stalked across her bedroom. His eyes were dead and cold, and his mouth was caked with dried blood. The wounds on his face and arms gaped open grotesquely. He was dead so he couldn't bleed and his wounds couldn't heal. He was a walking corpse, but his movements weren't stiff and awkward. If anything, he seemed to have become even faster, stronger and more dangerous.
Hayley whimpered when she saw the brutal teeth marks around his neck. There were deep punctures in his neck, and his gray skin was covered with dark stains and dirt. His clothes hung in shreds from his discolored, mutilated body.
Strom gave a rattling laugh and a red flame flared in his eyes. “I'm back!” He threw out his arms, flinging earth and bits of his decaying flesh on her walls.
Hayley shook her head. “No...you...you're dead...”
“Yes,” Strom said. His voice was gravelly and grating, like rocks grinding tortuously against each other. “I've returned to avenge my own death. And to take what is mine.”
He took a step closer and Hayley flung the lamp at his head. The lamp smashed into pieces and a long nail lodged itself in the middle of Strom's forehead.
A jagged shard from the broken lamp sliced across Strom's cheek. But there was no blood. His gray skin simply peeled away, revealing the rotting flesh beneath.
“W-what are you?” Hayley whispered, shrinking back.
Strom grinned horribly and turned in an awkward circle. “I'm dead. But I'm walking around.” He gave that terrible laugh again. “I'm the walking dead.”
Hayley made a strangled sound. Strom had been awful when he was a werewolf, but at least he could be killed. How do you kill a zombie werewolf?
“Who made you?” Hayley said, edging sideways. If she could get to the door, she might be able to make a run for it.
“A nice, helpful witch brought me back to life,” Strom answered.
“A witch.” Hayley swallowed painfully. Grayson was right. A witch was involved. She thought of Yaya and squeezed her eyes shut for an instant. Yaya was a powerful witch, but she wouldn't do this. No, it wasn't Yaya. Yaya would never do this.
Hayley glared at Strom and said through clenched teeth, “Tell me her name.”
Strom turned his head towards the door. A tall, slim woman was standing silently in the doorway. Hayley started. How long had she been standing there? Had she just appeared?
The woman glided into the room and Hayley gasped when the moonlight illuminated her face. It was that pretty, well-dressed lady at the bookstore. “Madam Betty Morg! You're the bookstore owner...”
The woman smiled. “Yes, you came to ask me for a job. But I'm not really a bookstore owner,” the woman said, circling Hayley slowly. “And my name isn't Betty Morg.”
She pointed a long finger at Strom and smiled. “She asked you for my name. Tell her.”
Strom bared his teeth and articulated her name slowly and deliberately. “Blair Morgan.”
When Hayley gave her a blank look, Blair Morgan rolled her eyes and said, “You've never heard of the oldest witch in Wolves Hollow.” She laughed. “Of course you haven't. You're just a silly little human.”
“Oldest witch? You can't be older that Yaya,” Hayley blurted out, staring at the young woman in front of her.
Blair Morgan was wearing a flowing white gown and her silky black hair cascaded down her back. Her skin was smooth and translucent, and Hayley could see her shapely, svelte figure through her wispy, gossamer dress. She looked like she was in her late twenties at most. “You look like you're even younger than me!” Hayley said, reeling with disbelief and shock.
Blair looked straight at Hayley, and Hayley froze as she stared into those deep, dark depths. It was like staring into a bottomless abyss. Those weren't the eyes of a young woman at all.
The witch smiled. “You flatter me, Hayley.” Hayley heard the words, even though Blair's lips didn't move at all.
“What do you want?” Hayley choked out.
“Why, I want what every woman wants. To remain young and beautiful forever.” Blair laughed. “What a silly question.” She tilted up her chin and the smile vanished from her face. “And I want to make the wolves pay. They ran me out of town, hunted me, tried to make sure that I never returned to Wolves Hollow again. But I did return. I came home, and I will destroy the wolf packs by destroying their Alphas.”
She smiled sweetly. “Oh, do you want to know the secret of my everlasting youth?” she told Hayley in a conspiratorial whisper. “The heart and brain of a damaged, tormented Alpha.”
Blair trailed a long nail down Hayley's face. A thin line of blood appeared. “I was supposed to get a living heart and brain, but...those she-wolves brought me a dead body instead.” The witch cocked her head at Strom. “He was already dead, so I couldn't use his heart and brain for my elixir. But I found another use for him. I brought him back to life so he could finish his unfinished business, and get me what I need at the same time.”
“What do you need?” Hayley found herself asking even though she dreaded the answer.
“From you? I need...your tongue. A fresh human tongue gives my potions some added oomph and power. Oh, and the heart and brain of an Alpha wolf for my elixir of youth.” Blair curled her long fingers into claws over Hayley's chest and leaned in. “The heart must still be beating when I rip it from the body,” she whispered. “Grayson Edge will do nicely.”
Hayley's fear boiled to rage. Her fist flew out and connected with Blair's jaw. The bitch's face was hard and cold. It was like punching a block of ice!
Hayley sucked her throbbing knuckles and snarled, “You won't get Grayson! You...you'll never find him.”
“Oh, I won't have to go after him. He'll come to me,” Blair said, wiping the side of her face that Hayley had punched. Her face twisted in disgust, not pain.
“Grayson will see right through your spells. You can't trap him. He will never come to you,” Hayley said fiercely.
“Oh, he will come...for you.” Blair Morgan let out a laugh as she eyed Hayley. “You seem to hold an irresistible appeal to dead wolves.”
The witch flicked a contemptuous glance at Strom. “Strom is dead. And—Grayson Edge will soon be dead.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Grayson stood in front of the dark, shadowy bookstore with Scott and three of his senior lieutenants. Scott started giving orders to smash the door in and search the place, but Grayson stopped his Beta.
“She's not here,” Grayson said.
“We should burn the whole place down,” Scott growled. “She's destroyed so many lives.” He paused and added, “You shouldn't have let those three she-wolves go, Alpha.”
“Asher didn't kill them, even though he was their Alpha. He could easily have ordered their deaths. But he believed that they were worth saving. I will not dishonor Asher's dying wish,” Grayson replied.
“I'm just saying you may live to regret it,” Scott said. “Those three she-wolves might come back and cause trouble.”
“They've been banished from the pack. No shifter pack or clan in Wolves Hollow will accept them. They won't return to this town, Scott.”
Scott grumbled under his breath and said nothing more.
Grayson turned to his three trusted lieutenants. “Search the entire bookshop, but don't destroy anything. Be careful. Blair Morgan is a very old witch. There might be traps and...”
He stopped suddenly. “Hayley.”
With a roar, Grayson took off at a dead run. Scott shouted a command to his three lieutenants and ran after him. “Alpha!”
But Grayson didn't slow
down. He could feel his mate's pain and distress. The mate bond was tugging painfully at him, pulling him to her. His wolf rose to the fore, desperate to get to its mate.
In his mind, Grayson saw Hayley's wide green eyes and he saw the image of a towering, long-haired woman reflected in them. He couldn't see the woman's face, but he saw the fear and anger in Hayley's eyes.
“Blair Morgan,” Grayson snarled.
He reached Hayley's house and exploded through the door, almost tearing the front door from its hinges. He charged straight into Hayley's bedroom and skidded to a stop.
The stench of decay was overpowering. He stared at the monstrous shape hulking at the back of the room and the woman in white standing in front of Hayley.
Strom moved incredibly fast. He blocked Grayson with a downward swipe of his sharp claws and snarled.
“Strom, you should have stayed dead. You look like shit,” Grayson said calmly.
Strom lunged at him but the witch raised a hand and Strom lurched backwards as if she had yanked an invisible leash around his neck. “I need him alive, Strom,” she warned.
“Ah, Madam Betty Morg, what are you doing out of bed at this hour?” Grayson gave a mock bow and enquired politely. “I think you sorely need your beauty sleep. Don't mind me saying, but you're beginning to look your age.”
The witch glared at him with both malice and hunger in her eyes. Her black hair was turning white and deep lines and creases were appearing on her face and hands. She didn't look like the pretty, young bookstore owner any more. She seemed to grow taller as she aged, looming over them all like a specter.
Blair Morgan was a thin, tall, ancient witch. Her white hair moved even though the air around them was absolutely still. She stared at Grayson's chest and licked her thin lips when she heard the powerful beats of his heart.
“You have a very strong heart and mind, Grayson Edge.” Her voice echoed round the room. “But I can break the mind, Grayson. All it takes is time and a spoonful of terrors. Your nightmares will follow you even in your waking hours, and soon enough, you will lose your hold on reality and your sanity.”
Blair Morgan sighed. “I gave those three she-wolves a vial of my specially brewed potion. Just a spoonful for each Alpha. But the last Alpha, Asher Ronski, needed something a little stronger. The potion didn't work on him. He fought to the very end. He simply refused to succumb to his madness. In the end, he even managed to escape my clutches.”
Her voice rose to a screech as she pointed at Grayson. “He chose to let you kill him, rather than let me have his heart and brain. He thwarted me, that dog!” she spat.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“You took Asher Ronski from me. I will take her from you,” Blair said, her black eyes gleaming malevolently.
Blair's fist closed viciously around Hayley's throat. Grayson lunged forward to stop her but Strom flew towards him and knocked him away.
Grayson tried to scramble up but Strom was unbelievably fast and strong. In fact, he was even faster and stronger now. Grayson scowled as he faced Strom. Strom circled him, his mouth stretched wide in a leering, taunting grin. “You can't kill me, Grayson,” Strom hissed. “I'm already dead.”
“And I'll make sure you stay dead this time,” Grayson answered.
Strom crouched and fixed Grayson with his unblinking, backlit eyes. “I've come back for my pet,” Strom said, jerking his head at Hayley. “I promised her I would make her my wife.”
Grayson didn't reply. He realized that Blair was inching Hayley slowly towards the door. He tried to block them but Strom pounced on him.
“Grayson!” Hayley screamed as Blair dragged her out of the room.
Grayson roared as Hayley vanished from his view. Strom's claws were digging into his shoulders, pinning him down.
“Let her go!” Grayson bellowed. He heard the witch's mocking laughter as Hayley's scream was cut off abruptly.
Grayson tried his best to fight Strom off but the undead werewolf didn't flinch from his blows. The dead could feel no pain. He just kept attacking savagely, unrelentingly. As he pressed Grayson down and bared his fangs, Grayson flinched from the sickly stench of death. He was literally staring death in the face.
“Don't worry, I won't kill you,” Strom hissed. “I will just gouge out your eyes and break every bone in your body. The witch wants you alive.” Strom laughed. “She promised to let me watch when she tears your heart from your chest. I think I will make that little human female watch with me. It will be my wedding gift to her.”
Grayson kicked out but Strom sat like a dead weight on his chest. Grayson gripped Strom's arm as Strom pushed his claws towards Grayson's face.
The tips of Strom's sharp claws were dangerously close to his eyes. Grayson strained to hold Strom off, but his claws kept inching closer.
Strom howled in victory as his claws scratched Grayson's eyelid. Just a fraction of an inch more and he would stab straight into Grayson's eye.
The window crashed and Grayson saw Scott leap through the window. His Beta was in wolf form, and as the large white wolf landed on Strom, Grayson rolled away and pushed himself up quickly.
Scott was a good fighter and he moved swiftly, anticipating the enemy's moves. But his jaws closed around empty air. Strom was no more than a blur as he dodged and twisted out of the way. He was too fast.
Grayson shifted into wolf form and fought alongside his Beta. He and Scott had worked and fought together for a long time, and they were unstoppable as a team. Their attack was well coordinated and Grayson kept charging madly to distract Strom. Scott managed to get close enough, and his fangs glinted as his jaws clamped down.
Scott bit down forcefully on Strom's leg and held on tight. Strom twisted round and slashed at Scott but Scott refused to let go. He met Grayson's eyes.
Now!
In a flash, Grayson clamped his jaws around Strom's neck and wrenched violently. He kept twisting and tearing until Strom's neck was a bloody mess. With one last forceful jerk, Grayson managed to snap Strom's neck completely and rip his head from his shoulders.
Strom's body stopped twitching once he was decapitated. The hellish red fire in Strom's eyes died as his head rolled to a stop at the foot of the bed.
Grayson and Scott shifted back to human form. Scott spat on the ground, his face contorted in revulsion. “God, that was nasty! I don't know if I can ever get the taste of rotting flesh out of my mouth!”
There was a flash of blinding light outside the window, and the ground shook.
“Hayley!”
Grayson's anguished roar echoed round the room as he tore out of the house.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Hayley screamed as Blair dug her sharp nails into her neck and dragged her forcefully out of the house. “Let go of me!” Hayley shrieked and fought like a wild animal.
She kicked, punched and scratched, but Blair Morgan simply pulled her along like a sack of potatoes. Blair's hair was fully white now, and her hands were gnarled and wrinkled. One skeletal hand clamped around Hayley's neck like a vice. The witch's cold, hard eyes glittered from her sunken sockets as she raised her other hand and pointed skyward. A bolt of lightning struck the house and all the windows shattered at once.
“No!” A scream tore from Hayley's throat. “Grayson!” She saw Grayson rush out of the house and slam into an invisible wall. Scott ran out behind Grayson but both men were trapped behind an invisible barrier. They couldn't reach her.
Blair Morgan raised her hand again but before she could strike, a loud, smart thwack was heard.
A broomstick swooped down from the air and began to beat Blair over the head.
“Boris!” Hayley cried.
Blair Morgan tried to make a grab for Boris but the broomstick darted gleefully out of her reach.
Boris zipped this way and that, trying to trip the witch up with his bristles. The witch screame
d an incantation and hurled a small ball of fire at Boris. The tip of Boris's handle caught fire and the broomstick quivered and zigzagged wildly in the air.
There was a loud whistle and Boris turned and scooted to Yaya's side. Boris's handle was burning and smoking, and the poor broomstick looked like he would become firewood in a minute.
Yaya clapped her hands twice and a tiny cloud appeared above her jumping broomstick. The cloud released a shower of rain and put out the fire immediately. Boris shook the water out of his bristles like a dog and stood obediently behind Yaya.
Blair tightened her grip on Hayley. “I think I'll rip out your tongue now,” she hissed in Hayley's ear. “A tongue in the hand is worth two in the mouth...”
Someone caught Blair's raised hand. “Oh no you don't,” Yaya said calmly.
“Yasmin Yager,” Blair sneered. “Do you want her tongue as well? We can share. Every witch knows that a human tongue is a prized ingredient for the most powerful potions.”
“No, Blair,” Yaya replied. “I don't use human body parts for my potions. Haven't you learned to harness the hidden power of plants? Move with the times, Blair. Or are you getting too old to learn new tricks?”
Anger flashed in Blair's eyes. “If you don't want her, then stay out of this,” Blair snarled. “This doesn't concern you.”
“I won't let you hurt her,” Yaya said.
“You can't stop me.” Blair laughed. “Why, you couldn't even see through my glamor!”
“I suspected that Madam Betty Morg wasn't just a simple, reclusive widow. But yes, your glamor was pretty sophisticated. Even I couldn't see through the glamor,” Yaya admitted. “I had my suspicions, but no proof.”
Blair smirked. “It's amazing what the heart and brain of an Alpha wolf can do. I'll be getting my hands on a fresh Alpha wolf soon. I can cook you a batch of my elixir, Yasmin. After all, we were friends once.”
Alpha Next Door (Wolves Hollow Book 1) Page 9
