They had brought a stretcher with them.
“We stole an ambulance,” said Ewan.
“It was my idea,” said Sinead.
“An ambulance?” I said. “What?”
“It’s on the road,” said Landon. “Let’s get Desta into it, and we’ll head back home.”
Home. I couldn’t wait.
I hugged Sinead again. I hugged Ewan again. But when I looked at Landon, I stopped myself.
His blue, blue eyes held mine, and it was more intimate than touching, anyway.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
We were actually close to the town of Torston, which I knew about. It was where my grandparents had lived, years ago before they passed on. So, with that knowledge, we knew how to get home. We put Desta on the stretcher and carried her through the woods to the road. Then we got into the stolen ambulance and drove.
Ewan was at the wheel. Sinead was sitting up front with him. Landon, Viggo, Aston, and I were in the back with Desta.
“So, you have some idea where you’re driving this contraption?” said Viggo. He was holding Desta’s hand, who was flinching every time we went over a bump.
“We’re going home, obviously,” I said. “Back to my pack village.”
“Where I am not welcome,” said Viggo.
“No,” I said.
“Camber,” said Desta. “I don’t want to go back to your village either.”
“Well, at least until you’re healed,” I told her. “You have a better idea? We can’t go back to the city. That would be a disaster for everyone.”
“All right,” said Desta. “But at least find someplace for Viggo to stay.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on.”
Landon eyed Viggo. “Yeah, do we seriously have to play host to this sack of fangs?”
“I don’t need your hospitality,” said Viggo.
“Not that we would have any for you,” I said. “I mean, when I was your guest, you kept me in a cage in your room, like an animal.”
Viggo rolled his eyes. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”
“It’s kind of a big deal.”
“Well, you’re a werewolf. You are an animal, sort of.”
I gaped at him. “You did not just say that.”
Viggo made his way up to the front of the ambulance with Sinead and Ewan. “I need a break from you, Camber Fordham. Sometimes, all I seem to be able to do is fantasize about removing your head from your body.”
I turned to Desta. “You see? That’s what he is.”
Desta groaned when we went over another bump.
“Look,” said Landon to me. “You know that no one hates Viggo more than me. And usually, I couldn’t give a fang about Desta’s comfort either. But maybe for your sister’s sake, you should try not to fight with the guy? She looks like she’s got enough to deal with.”
“I am trying,” I told Landon, gritting my teeth.
He nodded. “Copy that. Actually, I can tell how restrained you’re being. Excellent job.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You making fun of me?”
“Me? Make fun? Have we met?”
I shoved him, but I wasn’t really annoyed. His characteristic banter actually made me feel better. And we were going home, after all. I was glad to be going home.
We drove a long time before we finally got into the territory of the village. Then we had to find a way to get through one of the gates so that we could get on the roads inside the woods. That done, it was only a short drive to the village.
We parked the ambulance outside and we all got out.
Viggo stood and watched us as we pulled Desta out on the stretcher.
“You won’t go too far, will you?” Desta said to him. “I’ll have them bring me out to visit you tomorrow, okay?”
“Desta,” I said. “Seriously?” Because maybe it would just be easier to let him go.
She looked up at me with confusion and pain and longing in her eyes. And I thought about all the things I’d been thinking before.
I sighed heavily. “Fine.” I turned to Viggo. “I’ll bring her out around dusk tomorrow, all right? Meet us here.”
“Thank you,” said Desta.
“I’ll be here,” said Viggo. And then he turned and trudged off into the woods. Where he was going, I didn’t know, and so I called after him. “Viggo!”
He stopped and turned.
I gestured. “If you wanted to stay in the ambulance, just to be out of the sunlight during the day, it’s not like anyone’s using it.”
He arched an eyebrow.
I pointed at him. “This doesn’t mean that I don’t still utterly despise you until the end of time.”
“Of course,” he said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
I took Aston and Desta to the bigger cabin where we’d all been staying before they’d been captured, the one with the busted kitchen. The kitchen was still busted, but it was as good a place as any for them to stay. I made sure that Desta was comfortable and I didn’t lock Aston in. I told him he was free to leave if he wanted. I figured he would.
The last time that we’d been in this cabin, Landon and I had taken separate bedrooms. I’d slept in a room next to Desta, and Landon had slept on the other side of the house, in a bedroom off the kitchen.
Now, with Aston and Desta settled in, and the rest of the night spread out, we didn’t go anywhere. We stayed in the living room and debated whether it was cold enough for a fire. It was early spring. It was probably just a little too warm for a fire, but we made one anyway, and then we settled in front of the fire in two overstuffed chairs. We pulled throw blankets over our laps. We gazed at the flames.
I was glad to be back home.
However, I wondered how Landon felt. This hadn’t been his home before. He was my mate now, so he was part of the pack, even though—as a bloodhound—he was more akin to one of the human members of the pack than one of the wolves. Still, he belonged here now. It was his home. But none of that mattered if it didn’t feel like it was his home.
“Are you…?” I tried to think of the words to ask him about it. “Are you glad to be back?”
“I’m happy not to be in a dungeon or sleeping in the woods, that’s for sure,” he said. “And I’m glad to be with you. But, uh, I guess I’m starting to realize that we rushed into this mating thing without figuring out how it was going to work.”
I bit down on my bottom lip. “We didn’t really rush into it. We were planning on doing it. It’s only that we were planning to do it a little differently than it worked out. We had to rush to make it happen, but it was going to happen.”
“You thought it was,” he said. “I was sure it would never work.” He sighed. “We’re mated, but we can’t sleep in the same bed.”
“We did,” I said. “In that hotel in the human town.”
“Yeah,” he said. “But we ended up in each other’s arms, and I’m just not sure…”
“Well, if I’m in wolf form, it’s not a problem.”
“True,” he said.
“We could do that now,” I said. “Go to the bedroom beside the kitchen, and I could shift, and we could sleep.”
He nodded slowly.
“You don’t want to?”
“No, I do,” he said. “And we will. This’ll work out, I guess.”
“What is it?” I said.
“Nothing,” he said. “It’s nothing.”
“Are you afraid it’s not going to be enough?” I said. “What we have together, it’s better than nothing, but it’s not… are you afraid it’ll kill you wanting more?”
“No,” he said to the fire. “Are you?”
“Of course not,” I said.
We fell asleep in our chairs. When I woke up in the late morning, the fire had burned out.
* * *
“Well,” said Neil Brightcoat, glaring at me across the room in the main lodge, “One might argue that if our alphas were compelled by vampires, the
n we wouldn’t have to worry about them running off and leaving the pack at the drop of a hat.”
“I had to leave,” I said. “I had to rescue Sinead and Ewan.”
“And bring your sister, a vampire, back into our pack,” said Neil. “Along with that human, that Aston Waterfield. He’s served his purpose with the bloods. What do we need him for anymore?”
“I told him he could leave,” I said. “I assume he’ll be off as soon as he figures out where he wants to go. You have to understand that we were all held captive in a dark dungeon in fear for our lives for a long time. We’re all still recovering.”
“We do understand that,” said Henry Sharptooth, another council member. “But we, as the council, want reassurances that our alpha is not going to go gallivanting off whenever someone she cares about is in danger. It’s not the place of the alpha to do so.”
“Well, you’re not going to get assurances,” I said. “Because I don’t care what my place is. I don’t do things the way other alphas do. I do what I feel in my teeth and bones and my guts. And I am your alpha. So, stop thinking you can tell me what to do.”
Judah laughed softly on the other side of the room.
“This isn’t funny,” said Neil, glaring at Judah.
“It’s a little funny,” said Judah. “Listen, say what you will, Camber has been good for the pack. We’re the only wolves who have a pack of bloods as allies, and our protective spell is stronger than ever.”
“Yes, and you are able to stay with your girlfriend,” said Mary Jones, the head of the council. “So, of course you are pleased. But the council doesn’t know what to do. We are not used to a pack being run this way.”
“It’s not just about Tempest,” said Judah. “I think that being too tied to tradition stifles a pack. We are growing and changing.”
“But it is even more imperative that we stay hidden,” said Neil. “More and more of the packs are falling to the vampires. They are becoming citizens and moving out of the woods.”
“Yes, but even if our protection spell was breached,” said Judah, “we have the bloods, as I just mentioned.”
“They’re not loyal to us,” said Henry. “The bloods are loyal to no one.”
“I’m actually surprised they haven’t gone and attacked the vampires,” I said.
“I think they might have if the government hadn’t changed,” said Judah to me. “Of course, I don’t know why they do anything. They haven’t conferred with me about any of their choices.”
I smiled at him.
“Listen,” said Henry, “there’s no chance that we’re going to submit to vampires, Neil, so if you’re suggesting that we do so, that we become citizens, know that we are steadfastly against such things, and you should be as well.”
“I agree,” said Neil. “Of course I agree. But we are in more danger than we’ve been before. We must come up with some way to protect ourselves.”
“You don’t think the protection spell will hold?” I said to Neil. “My bond with Landon is strong.” Even if we never touched each other. I was more certain of Landon than I was of anything.
“Even with a strong bond, those spells are not impenetrable,” said Neil. “And if something were to go wrong with it, the witch who made it is dead.”
“What are you suggesting?” said Mary.
“I don’t know,” said Neil. “I suppose only that we must remain vigilant, and not rest on our laurels.”
“I agree,” I said. “Perhaps Landon and I could speak to Ondine, who is the new vampire queen. She owes us for helping her take the city. Perhaps she could grant our pack special dispensation.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” said Henry. “You’ve barely been back for a day. You’ll stay right here, thank you very much.”
“Indeed,” said Neil. “But the vampire, your sister? She needs to go.”
“She’s wounded,” I said.
“She should be healed by tomorrow, yes?” said Neil.
“I’m not going to turn my sister out,” I said. “Not when she has nowhere to go. But rest assured, I don’t think she has any intention of staying here. So, she will be gone eventually, when she is ready.”
“And the human? Waterfield?” said Neil.
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll talk to him,” I said.
* * *
“Oh, I can’t stay?” said Aston. “Why not? I want to stay.”
“You do?” I was in his bedroom with him in the big cabin. “But why?”
“Where else can I go?” said Aston. “I don’t want to go back to the city. I’m terrified of the vampires. You have no idea what it’s like to be a blood slave. When I was in that dungeon, I was positively in love with the vampire that was feeding on me. A woman. And I find the female form kind of gross. Boys are so much… tidier, without all the curves and breasts and…” He wrinkled up his nose.
“Actually,” I said, “I know what it’s like to be a blood slave.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Then you understand why I can’t go back to the vampires. I just can’t risk it. I don’t know anything about this Ondine person, and I don’t know what she’d do with me.”
“Well, she’s got to need someone for the bloods,” I said. “She’s apparently still using them to patrol the woods. She’ll need more. You can use your knowledge as leverage.”
“Yes, and then she’ll just bite me, and I’ll be devoted to her and do whatever she says, no questions asked. Leverage… poof.”
Well, he did have a point. “All right, fine, well, then you don’t have to go to the vampires. Go to a town. With other humans.”
“No, it’s the same. The vampires are in charge there. Here, you’re in charge. I trust you.”
“Really?”
“Definitely.” He nodded. “I like you, Camber. You’re, you know, plucky. A lot of people, they’d just roll over and do whatever they were told, but not you. You’ve got spunk. Plus, you’re mated to a bloodhound, which is badass.”
I laughed a little. “I see what you’re doing. You’re flattering me to try to get your way.”
“Is it working?”
“Listen, Aston, the resources here are for the pack, and you’re not part of the pack—”
“So, how do I become part of the pack? Can’t you just say that I’m part of the pack? Please? Please?”
“It’s not really like that,” I said.
“What do I have to do that would make you let me stay?” He eyed me. “What do you want?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I don’t want anything. You have to go.”
“Camber!”
“I’m sorry, but you do.” I turned toward the door. “Look, why don’t you try to come to terms with it, and then we’ll talk later.”
“But I can’t come to terms with it. Please, please, please, there must be something I can do for you!”
I hesitated in the doorway. Then I turned to look at him. “Viggo said the first bloodhound prototypes didn’t have rage mode.”
“Ohhh,” said Aston. “You want me to fix your bloodhound permanently, huh?”
“You can’t do that, can you?” I said. “If you could, you would have offered that instead of that temporary injection.”
“Well,” said Aston, “the truth is, I never thought about trying to reverse the rage mode permanently. I only wanted it to be long enough for me to get it on with a bloodhound, if you know what I mean.” He winked at me. “Which I guess you do.”
“Aston, please.” Oh, blood and fangs, was I blushing? Why was I blushing?
“I guess it was a nice time, too, if you want a repeat performance.”
“It’s not about… that.”
He raised his eyebrows.
I folded my arms over my chest. “Okay, it’s not just about that. It’s about safety. If Landon gets triggered into rage mode, he can hurt people. Not just me, but anyone who’s around. So, that’s a loophole that should be closed.”
“You sure your bloodhound wants to lose his rage mode? It’s a pretty intense weapon.”
“It’s not a weapon,” I said. “Not if you can’t decide how to wield it. It turns him into a weapon, but only for someone else to use. I know he doesn’t want to be used, ever again.”
Aston nodded. “Makes sense. So, uh, if I figure out a way to take the rage mode away, then I can stay?”
My lips parted. Well, how would I explain that to the council? Would they accept that? “Do you think it’s even possible?”
“I don’t know,” said Aston. “But I like impossible projects.”
“Look, I can’t make any promises. The council wants you gone—”
“You’re the alpha. You can override the council.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t really work that way.”
“You’ve done it before,” he said. “From what I hear about you, you keep doing exactly the opposite of what the council wants you to do.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best, Aston.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Is my lab still like I left it?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Miraculously, Aston’s lab had not been dismantled by the council. I figured they would have taken it apart since they didn’t want him back. But maybe they hadn’t thought of it, or maybe they had thought it would have been a waste of all the expensive equipment in there. Of course, we’d stolen most of that, with the help of my sister who’d compelled people to give it to us. I hadn’t exactly told the council that, however. The truth was, I didn’t run much by them at all. It was no wonder they were a little annoyed with me.
I was going to have to mend things with them, and sneaking Aston into the pack probably wasn’t the greatest idea, but I couldn’t help but be hopeful that he could find something for Landon. If Landon and I could be together, if I didn’t have to be afraid of him, it would be the best thing that had ever happened to me.
But I had to admit that I thought it was unlikely. Aston might just be trying to buy time, hoping to come up with some other way to stay here when he ultimately failed. Because I had a hard time believing that Aston hadn’t realized that, of course, I would want the rage mode permanently gone, not just a one-time experience. If he could have done that, he would have told me.
Canticle to the Midnight Moon Page 10
