by A. D. Ryan
Her cheeks turned pink. “As well as could be expected,” she offered. “Obviously there are some rules and boundaries to be respected, but nothing you wouldn’t expect from an overprotective father.”
I nodded, knowing all too well what she was talking about. When my dad found out I was dating Nick, he basically showed off his gun collection as a gentle reminder for Nick to keep it in his pants. Not that we listened, of course; we just got really good at keeping it behind closed doors…most of the time. There was that one time we got busted, after all.
“Thanks for the clothes,” I added. “I appreciate it.”
Colby shrugged. “No worries. When Dad got back last night, he said you were pretty wiped out and that you guys would probably take your time coming back.” She paused. “He said you fought one of them. Are you…?”
I nodded, the sting in my neck still very present. “Yeah. I handled it.”
Nick returned with my coffee and one for himself. I shifted over a little to make room for him on the oversized chair before draping my legs over his comfortably. It struck me again just how easy it had been to fall into this role with him. We hadn’t yet put a label on our relationship, but with every day that passed, and everything that happened, we grew closer.
“Handled it?” Nick laughed. “You were amazing. You didn’t even wait for us to reach you.”
“So you’ve bagged two,” Zach chimed in. “That’s impressive for someone so new.”
“So I hear.”
Marcus and Miranda entered the living room a minute later, and Miranda acknowledged my neck with a look of worry. I assured them both that I was fine and asked about the plan for that afternoon.
“We’ll head out after dinner,” Marcus announced. “You and Nick can stay in tonight.”
I sat up quickly. “What? No way.”
“Brooke,” Marcus cut in. “You had a rough night. Asking you to force the change that much in just twenty-four hours…” He paused. “Well, it takes its toll on someone so new. You struggled, and if they were to catch you in the middle of a change…” He let his sentence just hang there, but someone else was quick to finish it.
“They’ll attack.”
I turned around to see Roxanne enter the room with her arms folded across her chest.
“They’ll wait until you’re somewhere between human and wolf, completely unaware of anything but the change, and too weak to defend yourself, and they’ll try to take you out,” she explained. I listened to her, because she had just experienced it.
I still didn’t like the idea of staying behind, but I accepted it, because my Alpha said so.
Just then, a roar sounded through the house, and my body tensed when I recognized the crazed sound as Karl.
Marcus sighed. “Besides, the two of you still need to decide what to do about that.”
Chapter 26 | deceived
I watched Nick prepare a plate of food, and then I watched as he picked the vial up off the counter. I’d seen Miranda handle the substance the other day, so I knew what Nick was doing with it. My nose tingled as the air became infused with the subtle notes of the silver nitrate. They coated my nose and throat like spores until there was an incessant tickle that I couldn’t rid myself of. Something struck me as off, because when Miranda used it, I didn’t feel the effects like this.
“Nick,” I said softly. He lifted his head, his intense eyes meeting mine, his forehead furrowed with concentration. “Don’t you think that’s enough?”
His eyes travelled between mine and the plate a couple times before he screwed the top back on the vial. “Probably, but I want to make sure it does the job.”
“Miranda used half that amount, and it seemed to subdue him just fine,” I replied.
Silence filled the room, and I realized the truth behind Nick’s actions. He confirmed them anyway. “I’m not trying to subdue him,” he confessed, and I only stared at him. “I’m going to offer him a choice.”
“A choice,” I repeated.
There was a steely resolve in Nick’s blue eyes that, strangely, didn’t unnerve me the way that it probably should have. “I’ve dosed his food with enough silver to kill him. He’ll know the minute he smells it.”
Confused, I shook my head. “I don’t—”
“He can either choose to eat it or he can agree to leave the Pack. He will be excommunicated and unable to settle down in any one place for too long.” I remembered being told this before, and the idea of Karl out there—even without a Pack to back him up—terrified me. What if he came back? What if he tried to hurt someone else?
Nick must have sensed my reservations, because he reached across the island and took me by the hand. “There is one other option,” he said gently, carefully. “But would you look at me differently if I did what I feel I should have done the night he attacked you?” A pause. “Could you live with yourself?”
I thought about this for a moment, and while the wolf in me salivated at the idea of Karl’s life coming to an end, the human part of me was hesitant to jump on board. Nick interpreted my silence as that of some kind of mercy and picked up the plate.
“Come on. You should be present for this,” he announced and then led the way from the kitchen and toward the basement.
I followed slowly, and Nick had to slow his pace so as not to get too far ahead. Truthfully, a large part of me was nervous about this, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what Nick asked me. Even if Karl chose to eat the poisoned food, Nick and I were responsible for his death. Would I be able to look at myself in the mirror? And if he chose to live a forced life of solitude, would I be able to live my life without constantly looking over my shoulder?
It was an impossible situation with no clear answer. We would just have to go with the flow. What other choice did we have?
As we descended the final flight of stairs, my apprehension spiked, and my hands started to shake. I tried to focus on the dank smell of the underground room, but I found it to be slightly more repulsive than usual. I could only imagine it was due to Karl not having access to a shower.
Upon seeing us, Karl stood from his cot and scowled angrily. “Where’s Marcus?” he demanded, eyes falling to the plate in Nick’s hand. He inhaled deeply, his nose twitching as he recoiled slightly. “What the hell is going on here?” I could tell by the fleeting expression on his face that he already knew the answer; I’d swear I even saw a glimmer of panic in his eyes.
Nick crouched in front of the cell door and slid the food through the opening at the bottom. Karl looked repulsed as he eyed the leftovers from last night’s meal with disdain. Slowly, his eyes rose to Nick’s as Nick backed away from the cage and crossed his arms in front of him.
I moved forward, but Nick made sure to keep me partially shielded from Karl’s murderous stare. After a moment of intense staring, Nick cleared his throat. “I’m here to offer you a choice,” he announced.
Karl remained motionless.
“By Pack Law, I have every right to kill you,” Nick continued.
“Then do it,” Karl snarled through gritted teeth, his hands clenching in a way that looked painful.
There was a rumble in Nick’s chest as his growl started to build, but he held his composure. “You’re not worth my time,” he said through gritted teeth before pausing. “On the flip side, I could also hold the key to freedom.”
Karl scoffed. “Freedom. Right.”
Shrugging, Nick leaned against the table in the center of the room. “Well, as free as you can be with no Pack and never being allowed to claim territory.” Karl looked angry beyond words, but before he could say anything, Nick spoke again. “The choice is yours. I’ve dosed your food with enough silver nitrate to kill you. Eat it and end your miserable existence, or live out your life, constantly looking over your shoulder and never being able to call one place home for too long.”
Even though he looked ready to kill both of us, Karl appeared to be mulling over his options. “So, I could kill myself or walk out of her
e today?”
“The choice is yours,” Nick confirmed.
“Not really much of a choice, since being cut loose is basically social suicide,” Karl reminded Nick.
“You made that bed,” I interjected impulsively. Nick turned his head and eyed me through his periphery, but didn’t say anything. Karl did, though.
“Still plenty of room for you in it, too.” He grinned evilly, glancing at me with eyes that shone with malicious intent.
Nick flew across the room in a flash, slamming his palms against the bars and rattling the cage until Karl focused on only him. I smelled his burned flesh before he pulled his hands away and clenched them at his sides. “If you want to avoid adding a third option to that list, I suggest you continue to address me.”
Karl’s smile widened; he was pleased with himself for having gotten under Nick’s skin the way he did.
“Nick,” I spoke up, reaching forward and grabbing his arm. I tugged gently, but he didn’t move. “He’s been given his options. Let’s leave him to make his choice.”
Nick leaned forward, lips pulled back in a sneer. “I’ll give you an hour, asshole.”
I pulled on his arm again, and this time he budged. Karl’s stare burned into my back the entire time we climbed the stairs, and once the heavy wooden door was closed, Karl’s maniacal laughter floated up. It chilled me, but I found comfort in the fact that in sixty minutes, he could be out of my life for good…
Or, so I hoped.
Nick flopped down on the couch in front of the flat screen while I paced the floor. I could feel his eyes on me as I moved back and forth over and over again. “Brooke, honey, sit down.”
“I can’t,” I replied, wringing my hands in front of me and then running them through my hair. “Sitting down would require me to be still. Being still typically requires a modicum of calm, and I’m anything but calm right now.”
Nick sat up and leaned on his thighs as his eyes followed me. “The choice is out of our hands now. Whatever he decides—”
“I know.” I stopped walking, but only for a second before the wolf grew restless again. I could feel it balancing precariously between feral and human. Instinctual and rational. What was best in this situation? If I blocked out my humanity, I could probably find peace with Karl’s death if he chose it. But if I thought rationality, and we let him live, I’d always be on edge, wondering if and when he’d come after me, probably blaming me for being shut out.
I knew what the wolf wanted—she hadn’t exactly been subtle about her feelings—and it surprised me to find that my human side was toeing the line and preparing to cross it. It suddenly craved a life where I would feel safe and secure, and the wolf exulted in this apparent breakthrough.
“What do you think he’ll decide?” I asked, not sure if either answer would put my mind at ease.
Sighing, Nick rested his head on the back of the couch and looked up at the roof. “Hard to say. Taking your own life is often viewed as cowardly amongst our kind, and being shunned by your own pack is a fate worse than death. Going from having a roof over your head and a family to having absolutely nothing…” He fell silent. “Well, it’s not an easy choice to make.”
When he looked at me again, he must have interpreted the look on my face as one of pity for Karl. “Brooke, he deserves this.”
I didn’t pity Karl, but after spending some time within the Pack and getting to know them all, I certainly didn’t envy him the choice. “I know,” I replied. “I get that, and I understand why things need to be done this way. It’s just hard for me to fully accept because of what I am…what I was.”
Nick seemed perplexed for a moment before understanding crossed his face. “A cop.”
I nodded. “Morally, what we’re doing is so beyond messed up that I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it, while instinctually, I’m embracing it. It’s just…it’s a lot to deal with, and I’m sorry if I made you think I felt anything but contempt for that monster.”
Smiling, Nick stood up and looked down into my eyes before cupping my face in his large hands. “After today, he won’t even register on the Pack’s radar.”
I felt the conviction in Nick’s words run through me, filling my veins with warm comfort and dispelling the ice cold fear that had previously taken up residence in them. “That’s quite a gift,” I whispered as he rested his forehead to mine.
“What’s that?”
“You have this way of easing me off the brink of a nervous breakdown and calming me down. I’d almost forgotten.”
Nick chuckled softly. “Well, I’m glad I could be of service.” Taking my hand in his, he pulled me toward the couch and we sat next to each other while we waited for the rest of the hour to play out.
Time dragged on as we sat in silence, so Nick switched the TV on and flipped through the channels until he found one of those crime procedural dramas. Even though it was fiction—I mean, come on; it usually takes much longer than they portray on those shows to solve most of these crimes—it helped me settle down further. It reminded me of my life back in Scottsdale while reminding me of what I loved about my time on the force.
When the credits rolled, Nick shut off the television, and we went back down to the pit. As we descended the stairs, I was surprised to hear nothing, and as we neared the bottom, I picked up slow, shallow breaths…but that was it. I would soon realize why.
There, on the floor of his cell, was Karl. Face down. The plate was upside down on the floor next to his right hand, a few bits and pieces of food scattered around it, and he wasn’t moving, save for the slight rise and fall of his back.
“He did it,” I whispered, disbelief haloing every word; I honestly thought he’d choose solitude over suicide.
Nick held a hand out to keep me behind him as we continued forward. “His breathing is shallow,” he confirmed. “It sounds like he’s struggling, so I doubt it’ll be long now.”
We hung back by the table and waited. I couldn’t help but watch and listen for the next few minutes until Karl took a deep, shuddering breath and then fell still. It took a minute before I realized Nick and I were holding our breath, too.
Slowly, Nick moved toward the cage and unlocked it, pulling the door open and kneeling next to Karl’s body. As he reached out to check Karl’s pulse, I stepped into the cage, waiting for confirmation. What I didn’t expect was for Karl to spring up, throw Nick into the bars and beat him to the ground where he proceeded to kick him in the chest and stomach.
“Thought you could force my hand, asshole?” Karl demanded venomously, landing one more kick to Nick’s ribcage.
I sprang forward without a second thought and grabbed Karl’s arm to pull him away from Nick. I expected him to be a little more pliable like he was the other day when I took him on with ease—for the most part—so it surprised me when he hardly budged, instead turning just long enough to backhand and shove me hard against the cage bars. My head hit the bars hard, stunning me. The pain was exponentially amplified due to the injuries I’d obtained during our last altercation, shooting through my body and making me dizzy. I slowly slumped to the floor, my vision darkening. Nick’s groan pulled me from the abyss I was slipping into.
I looked up, everything moving in slow motion and the edge of my vision foggy and blurred. The heat from the silver bars I was leaning against seeped through my clothes and irritated my skin, but I couldn’t move, still too dazed to do anything. I glanced toward Nick to see blood dripping from his mouth—one of his lungs might have been punctured—and he appeared too weak to fight back as Karl ignored me and went back to Nick.
My skin sizzled as I finally pulled away from the cage and moved as silently as possible to find something to use on Karl. I couldn’t let him hurt Nick anymore; the look in his eyes was deadly, and if I didn’t do something, neither of us would leave this place alive.
Once clear of the cage, I scrambled to my feet and scanned the room for the first available weapon. While I would have liked something a little s
harper and a lot more deadly, I grabbed the metal pipe that was propped up in the corner and rushed back into the cage. Karl was leaning over Nick, holding him up by the front of his shirt as he punched him repeatedly.
Wild with anger, I screamed and brought the pipe down across Karl’s head. I heard a dull crack, smelled Karl’s blood as it seeped from his head and slickened his skin. Unfortunately, this didn’t stop him right away.
He turned on me, abandoning Nick as though he wasn’t a threat—and to be honest, he probably wasn’t wrong; Nick looked awful. I doubted he’d be able to stand on his own, let alone save me from whatever Karl had planned.
I gathered my strength and swung the pipe again, but Karl was quick—quicker than a werewolf who’d been dosed with silver nitrate several times a day should have been. It didn’t make any sense. Karl grabbed the pipe before it could connect with the left side of his head, yanking it from my hands and throwing it to the side. It clattered to the cement floor and rolled out of reach as he continued to advance on me.
My back hit the cold wall, and my breath caught in my throat as Karl stood less than two inches from me. I could feel the heat from his body. His temperature rose and his irises grew brighter by the second; he was in the beginning stages of his change. Would he release the wolf on me? Would he stay human and deal with us this way? Why wasn’t he weak like the other day…or better yet: why wasn’t he dead?
Karl closed the gap between us, his chest pressed against mine as he placed his hands flat against the wall on either side of me, pinning me in place. My heart hammered in my chest, and I tried to think of a way to get out of this with no room to move. My panic continued to escalate.
Smirking, Karl leaned in, his nose brushing against my neck and making me shudder as I clenched my eyes shut. “Your fear smells just as delicious as it did that night in the woods…maybe more-so thanks to your mounting sexual tension with Nicky-boy.”
I fought the urge to wretch, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of getting to me in some other way. I’d once again given him the power, and I still wasn’t sure how I’d flip the tables on him this time. His eyes roamed over me, almost like they were devouring me, and when they locked on mine, he must have seen my confusion.
