Gabriel followed his father into a back room with Carrie hot on his heels. He knew what she wanted—for him to take her hand before running for the hills. Of course they knew the second they did that she’d drop dead. He’d spent forty years trying to keep his mate alive. Letting her fall to the floor never to rise again hadn’t factored into his plan.

But he could die and nothing would happen to her. It had taken him years to figure it out, and then one day it had dawned on him. If he no longer had his wolf or any of her soul embedded within him, dying would not affect her in the least. The magic of the Westervelt mating—the exchanging of part of their souls so that each carried the other’s—had been negated.

For all intents and purposes, Gabriel had no mate. Not anymore.

Not that he intended to tell her that. Carrie meant more to him than anything. Like humans did, Gabriel loved her completely. He could keep her alive. She wouldn’t need to die because Gabriel wouldn’t be dragging her along with him into the next life. With Kendrick dead, she’d be free to go on with her life without any of the past to hold her back. If thinking about being in a world without her made him clench his teeth, he didn’t need to think about it that much.

Nothing in Kendrick’s binding spell had prevented Gabe from killing Kendrick, only Carrie.

But if Kendrick had his soul…

“Here.” His father pointed to a closed vial that sat next to several other pieces of scientific equipment on a counter. At first glance, Gabriel couldn’t see anything inside of it except air. He walked toward it and stared down.

“There is nothing in it. Empty.” He clenched his fists. “Is this some kind of sick joke? Is this how you get off these days?”

“See, I told you. He’s a complete liar these days.” Carrie sounded desperate and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

“It takes more than me for you to see it.” He turned to his left. “Darling, would you join us, please?”

A second later, a woman popped into the room, just as Carrie had earlier. “I see you decided to show him his wolf.”

Gabriel detested the woman on sight. He didn’t need his wolf to tell him the female in front of him had witch blood in her. He’d grown to hate the smell over the years. In the beginning he’d thought witches’ scent somewhat akin to the aroma of mint. These days if he passed by too much gum in a store he wanted to gag from the similarity. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that everywhere a witch went she brought doom, death, and destruction with her.

“So you’re my father’s whore.”

Her eyes flared. “Don’t you talk to me like that, you insignificant piece of—”

His father growled and the room silenced. “Drea, my love, if you will. I promise Gabriel will be dealt with in the appropriate manner.”

“You’ll deal with me. I’ve come to bring death to you.”

He called his shift onto him. Gabriel didn’t have a wolf to talk to but it didn’t mean he couldn’t kick serious ass in his wolf form. All he needed to do was finish what he’d once started.

“Gabriel.” Carrie’s voice barely broke through his rage. He hoped she’d have the sense to get out of the way.

His father picked up the vial. “Come at me, boy, and I’m going to drop this straight on the ground. Bye-bye wolfie-boy.”

“Oh for love of the Goddess, Kendrick.” Drea shook her head, her brown hair falling on her shoulders. “You don’t have to be so dramatic. We have a much better way to handle the moron. A way to control him and handle him at the same time.”

Gabriel had barely a second to consider her words before the vial Kendrick held turned purple. What had appeared empty moments earlier was now filled with a purple smoke.

Carrie lunged forward just as Drea pulled the lid off the container. His throat closed up and all the air plunged from his lungs. The room spun and he hit the floor, all thought of shifting disappearing in an instant.

“You’ve killed him.” Carrie sobbed, running to his side. “Why bring him this far if only to end his life?”

If death was on its way, Gabriel wished it would hurry up. Agonizing pain racked his body and he’d slammed into the ground with no control of his own movements. Gods, he’d ended up such a failure.

Carrie’s arms came around him, holding him against her while he seized. How long would it take to die from lack of oxygen? He hadn’t had a real breath in what seemed like forever.

His love called out something to his father. He had no idea what she said, but hearing her voice while he died seemed like a gift from a universe that had always been stacked against him.

The world faded to blackness and as much as he didn’t want to die until he completed his task he welcomed the nothingness when it embraced him.

Gabriel. Can you hear me?

He blinked awake. He lay on some kind of table, strapped down across his chest with his arms and legs in restraints.

The world tilted to the left. He blinked to try to right it and nothing happened except that his head began to pound begging him to go back to sleep.

No. You can’t do that. I don’t know how much time we have.

Gabe knew that voice though he hadn’t heard it in forty years. His wolf. Despite the pain he wrenched his eyes open and turned his vision to his mind’s eye to take a look at his fur-covered half who had been gone for so long. Brown and coated with gray specks, his lupine half remained exactly the same as he had been the last time he’d seen him.

Are we dead? He looked around. When he’d pictured the next life he hadn’t envisioned being strapped to a table. At least Carrie didn’t appear to be around. Perhaps he’d managed to keep her alive.

No. His wolf huffed. I’m back inside of you. Sort of.

Kendrick and his damned witch had actually done it. They’d taken his wolf and now they’d given it back. His head whirled at the implication. If this was the case, and it looked like it had to be, why didn’t Kendrick simply take everyone’s wolves? Why bother fighting? Why not take Tristan’s wolf and be done with it?

He blinked as his wolf’s words crept into his fogged consciousness. Sort of?

See that purple haze? His wolf gestured upward with his chin.

Gabriel squinted. He could see a lavender-colored cloud floating around him. He hadn’t noticed it before, which seemed really weird. What had happened to his eyesight? Why did his head feel so thick?

It’s that very fact that is keeping you from noticing these things. My own senses are all askew. That purple stuff, it’s going to make it hard for us to function. The longer it’s here, the worse it’s going to get.

Gabriel swallowed. His stomach turned over. The implications of this were tremendous. What exactly had they done to him? Why not just kill him right off? How do you know all this?

I have been trapped in this place with these monsters while you did gods know what out there in the world without me. I’ve had a good opportunity to observe them. Trust me, brother, this is bad news.

All right. Let’s get out of here. He tugged at his restraints. Certainly someone has to know how to make the purple haze go away. I hadn’t planned to go back to Westervelt, but…

Wait. What? His wolf growled. You have made a mess of things. I thought you would. Hoped you wouldn’t, but in my heart I knew you’d cross over some kind of threshold without Carrie and me. Something you wouldn’t be able to undo.

Gabriel twisted on the table but didn’t get anywhere in his struggle. I’ve done the best I could in horrible circumstances. Everywhere I looked I had to betray someone, even in just my thoughts or pieces of information I didn’t supply. I watched nearly everyone I knew die. So, you’ll have to excuse me if I really don’t give a shit about any kind of lecture you want to give me right now.

His wolf rolled his eyes. Language, Gabriel. Have you become some kind of dockworker?

We’re going to need to shift. You’ll get out of these restraints. I can’t. The purple haze swirled above him. He tried to blow it away but nothing happened. I think this is only in our mind. I think if Carrie were to come in here right now there would be nothing for her to see.

Carrie! That might be the key. He’d contact her telepathically. Getting his wolf back should have returned his ability to do that again. Every year without his wolf had taken away more and more of his magic, but now he had to have it back.

No. His wolf shook his head. That purple haze is sucking any magic I could have given you. Do you feel any more mated than you did a while ago?

Gabriel dug into his soul, really wrenching down into the frozen place where he never let himself venture anymore. Once, Carrie’s colors had filled him there, giving him warmth, showing him his true place on earth was always with her.

He saw nothing but the dark pit he’d come to hate so fiercely that trying to avoid thinking about it took up a large portion of his day. Too much time with nothing left for anyone else.

No. He shook his head. Carrie hadn’t reappeared when his wolf had come back. He still felt as cut off from her as he ever had. But I love her. Not mating, but love. She’s the only good thing left in the crazy world.

You really made a mess of things.

Gabriel pulled against his restraints even while knowing it was a fruitless endeavor. The pain gave him something to do besides lie on the table and die. Or whatever the purple haze would do to him.

Yeah? Well, it must have been nice to sit around here and twiddle your paws while I struggled every day to keep the pack, my father, and Carrie from destroying each other.

His wolf growled. How dare you speak to me like that?

How dare I? What are you going to do? Leave again? You’re good at that. Rage boiled under his skin. He wanted to peel the membrane from his body inch by inch until his insides stopped burning.

I’ve been trapped in here this whole time knowing you would destroy yourself because you’ve never been able to cope on your own.

Whose fault is that? Who showed up in my head, in my body when I turned twelve? Who told me I’d never be alone again? You did. You liar. No spell should have taken you from me. You said you were mine, that we were one. If you’d been stronger it wouldn’t have happened. If I’m weak then so are you, fur ball.

The door flung open with a bang. His father’s slut strode into the room, brushing her hair over her shoulder. Kendrick trailed behind her like a puppy on a leash. Gabriel rolled his eyes. The man who’d sired him had turned out not only to be a lunatic but an unfaithful mate. Gabriel had never even heard of such a thing.

A few seconds later Carrie rushed into the room. “He’d better be alive like you promised.”

“Oh, he is.” The witch smirked. “How is that rage feeling? Has it taken over yet?”

“What?” He tried to make sense of what she said even as the haze pushed down further onto him.

Oh. His wolf harrumphed. This is just wonderful.

Carrie whirled on Kendrick. “Tell me what she did to him.”

“In less than an hour, my second born, the strongest wolf I’ve ever known, the one born with battle skills that can’t be taught, is going to be fully under my control.”

“Like hell I will.” Gabriel pushed off the table only to be thrown back down by his restraints. “You’ll never control me.”

“In one hour, you’ll be so consumed with anger you won’t be able to control yourself at all. The only thing you’ll hear, the only thing you and your wolf will understand is the sound of my voice. And to get some relief, you will do just what I say. You won’t have any choice.”

The witch laughed. “It’s a rather insidious spell, isn’t it?”

“Why would you do that?” Carrie grabbed his hand. Even the comforting boon of her soft skin did nothing to make the heat cease. “What purpose could it serve?”

“Gabriel is going to lead my wolves … my man-made wolves against Tristan and his pack. At long last, I’ll have Westervelt Island back and all that goes with it. None of you have understood its power like I have.”

Carrie snarled, her wolf appearing in her eyes. “If you were meant to have it, then you would have won forty years ago. You wouldn’t be trying to get it back. It would have already been yours.”

“I misjudged my sons.” He shrugged. “No more. I have what I need in Gabriel. His hand will end Tristan. Brother against brother. Kin to kin. That’s more poetic justice than I could ever have dished out.”

“No. He never will.” Carrie sounded so sure of him that her voice almost made him forget about the pressure on his chest.

“Carrie.” He swallowed as his wolf growled, pacing around inside him. “You need to kill me. Please. End me now.”

He’d seen what a curse could do. Husbands killing wives. Women fleeing in the night. And then finally Tristan trying to kill Ashlee. He wouldn’t be another tool of destruction for Westervelt. Not when his last act should have been saving it. If Carrie would comply, it still could be.

“Please, Carrie. Don’t let me live. End it now.”

Kill him? Not in this lifetime or any other. She would rescue him and together they’d figure out what to do. Gabriel always thought himself stupid, but he had a shrewd mind even if he’d been beaten down too many times to believe her when she told him so.

She called the shift on herself.

No! Her wolf called out and Carrie jumped. In her ninety years on the earth she’d never heard her wolf call off a shift before. If anything, her lupine half had been itching to kill Kendrick—death curse or no death curse—for four decades.

What? Kendrick and Drea were laughing with each other as if she didn’t exist in the room. That suited her just fine. Let them forget her; they wouldn’t see the attack coming that way. Why stop the fight?

Because we won’t win and in this case, as much as we should tear them apart, I want to save Gabriel. Control yourself.

She couldn’t believe her wolf had more self-restraint than she did. Then what do you suggest?

Gabe groaned on the table. He didn’t look good. In fact, he seemed even paler than he had moments earlier when she’d first come in the room.

Carrie swallowed her fear. Is he going to die? Her wolf would know. Her lupine half always understood these things before she did.

No. It’s going to be much worse. Her wolf stood up. Carrie, you need to do something you’ve never done before.

What? She’d do anything for Gabriel, anything to undo this day, to make their reunion the one she’d always dreamed about. The one where they rushed into each other’s arms and made up for lost time.

I want you to run.

She must have heard her wolf wrong. Carrie’s temper flared. She didn’t run away. It had been bad enough when Gabriel had convinced her to stay put with Kendrick so he could try to save Westervelt. That had felt too much like hiding. Now her wolf, usually so ready to fight that Carrie had gotten into trouble more times than she could remember as a child, told her to flee?

Did I hear you correctly?

Stop arguing and move. We need our Alpha and we need him now. Her wolf growled.

Carrie backed up a few steps. Leaving Gabriel alone on that table to face his lunatic father and the witch? How could she do it? How could she possibly run away and leave him looking dead on the table?

“Gabe.” She called out to him telepathically. He hadn’t answered her that way since he’d entered the house. At first it had seemed odd, but now it alarmed her. Why didn’t he answer?

He can’t. Whatever is doing this to him has blocked him from us. Maybe in many ways.

What? She didn’t understand. Everything had happened so quickly.

Her wolf shook her head. Never mind. I’ll explain it later. Come on. Get out or I’ll shift and get out of here for us.

Carrie rolled her eyes. You’re not strong enough to shift without my consent.

She’d had this argument before and now didn’t seem the time to continue it. Narrowing her gaze, she took a deep breath. If Gabriel couldn’t hear her telepathically, she’d have to resort to the old-fashioned way of communication.

“I’m going to help you.” She yelled toward the table. “Do you hear me? I’m not abandoning you.”

Drea laughed, turning around. “Isn’t that sweet? Sorry, honey, he can’t hear you. We own him now.”

“Some day”—Carrie let the growl come out full force in her voice. This was not the time to hold anything back—“I’m going to claw your eyes out, bitch.”

“You sound more like a cat, Carrie, than a wolf. But then again you’ve always been so tame. Maybe you can’t tell the difference.” We will tear her to shreds.

Drea couldn’t hear her inner wolf and that suited Carrie fine. The witch could be surprised when she dropped dead. Kendrick hadn’t turned around to acknowledge her at all. He had Gabriel now and it looked like he had all his ducks in order to destroy Westervelt. In his mind, she’d never counted for much. Once upon a time that would have bothered her. However, at that moment, it made her disappearance easier.

Without another word, she turned and ran.

Maybe Tristan would turn out to be the Alpha his father hadn’t been. Maybe he wouldn’t kill her as a traitor and abandon his brother to Kendrick’s evil ways.

Maybe she could still save her love, bring him back to her as she remembered him and not the broken shell that had arrived at his father’s house with no coherent plan and a very evident death wish.

Maybe she could do it.

Or maybe she’d end up alone in the dark without Gabriel’s light to shine her way home.

Carrie stopped in her tracks to stare at the house she’d just fled. She would not let Gabriel die in there. If Westervelt wouldn’t help her, then she’d find another way. She’d done as he asked for forty years, but enough was enough. No way would she leave Gabriel alone in the dark.