Chapter Seventeen
Hunter’s wolf howled, pushing to the front. Hunter wanted nothing more than to allow the wolf past the barrier and let him spring to life. But the repairing of his ribs wasn’t complete. Shifting now could disfigure him permanently and if his wolf couldn’t run, he couldn’t hunt Clarissa’s car down.
He had no choice. As agonizing as it was, he couldn’t do anything but wait.
The minutes ticked by like hours. His nerves wouldn’t let him keep still. With pain ripping through him, he stripped out of his clothes, leaving them on the floor where he stood. By the time he was naked, the last of the repairs were completed. His muscles and bones were still sore, but not sore enough to keep him from shifting. With a roar, he let the change happen and his wolf awakened fully, taking complete control.
The wolf took off for the open door. As he neared the threshold his paws became heavier and heavier until he could no longer pick them up. He stopped at the threshold.
“Stay in your house. Wait for me there.”
His Alpha’s words ripped through his mind.
His wolf whined. He was so close to the door, but he couldn’t get any nearer. He tried to lift his paws, but they wouldn’t budge. He found that he could back up and the more he did, the better he felt. So he backed all the way up to the other side of the room. He kept his focus on the exit. Pictures of his mate flashed across his mind. He had to save her. She needed him.
He couldn’t defy his Alpha, but he had to protect his mate.
When he couldn’t go any farther he tucked his tail between his legs and turned in a circle. His mind alternated between his Alpha and his mate. He looked at the open doorway again. He had no other choice. Ash was his.
He straightened his tail and squinted at the only way to get his life-mate back. Then he sprinted with all his might. This time when his paws became heavy, he lifted his legs higher, ran faster. He didn’t stop. He crossed the threshold. His legs seemed to have a mind of their own. He couldn’t stop them. He braced himself as he ran headfirst into one of the large dumpsters at the end of the parking lot. He righted himself and looked to the east and sniffed at the air. That was where his life-mate had gone.
He ran toward her, following a trail that would never disappear. It was the trail of their mating bond.
* * * *
“What’s my punishment this time?”
Ash would’ve never spoken to Clarissa like that before, but instead of fear and stupid admiration flowing through her veins there was something else. Courage.
It wasn’t hers. This she could feel. The courage came from Hunter. He was strong and wild and a part of him was in her now. She didn’t understand the whole life-mate thing, but she really didn’t need to. She felt it. There was a sense of belonging and a connection with him that she knew would never break.
Even as the miles spread between them, he was with her.
She had thought that she could hop into the car with Clarissa and leave him behind. That had been her first mistake. As soon as she’d gotten into the limousine, her stomach had felt as though it had dropped and her heart had twisted. As they’d pulled away from his apartment building, it had felt as though someone had taken a sledge hammer to the back of her skull.
She needed to be near him. Every nerve in her body missed him.
She’d tried to claw her way out of the window to get back to him. She’d screamed and fought, but Clarissa had been having no part of it. The bruises on her arms and legs and the black eye was a testament to that.
Ash peered at Clarissa. She sat, leg crossed, acting as if she didn’t have a care in the world, because she didn’t. She was the perfect predator.
Clarissa thought that she owned her. Never again. Ash felt the power of the Pack pulsing through her, making her mentally stronger than she’d ever been before.
Ash finally had the family that she’d always dreamed of. While she’d only met some of the other wolves in passing, that didn’t matter, she could feel them. They were her family. Their connection was just outside hers and Hunter’s.
She wasn’t alone anymore and she wasn’t afraid.
“What should we do with her, Angelica?” Clarissa kept her eyes on Ash as she talked.
Angelica peered out of the window, seemingly not paying attention to what Clarissa had asked her. “Do we still need her?” Angelica said in a droll voice.
“We’ve never needed her,” Clarissa responded with a laugh.
“I know you didn’t need me,” Ash said through clenched teeth.
Clarissa had used her. Had her slaving for them during the night and watching over them during the day, just like a good little pet. And Ash had been a very good pet indeed, better than any watchdog.
“Well, if we don’t need her, then why do we keep her around?” Angelica asked.
Ash cut her eyes at Angelica. They had never been friends, or friendly. Ash had a precarious relationship with all the Vampires. They tolerated her presence because of Clarissa. Ash had thought—no, hoped—that once she was one of them, they would all become friends. Or better yet—family.
That was all a foolish dream. Ash could see that so perfectly.
Family.
She humphed to herself. No, they would’ve never been a family. What she felt inside her now was how a real family should feel.
Love.
Compassion.
Support.
Understanding.
Empathy.
Strong.
Courageous.
All the things that the Vampires lacked.
Ash rolled her eyes at Angelica and glared at Clarissa. “You should’ve left me where I was. I’ve never done anything against you.”
“Left you? Why?”
“Because I found someone who loves me. Something that you will never understand.”
“But I do love you. That’s why I changed my mind.”
She almost laughed out loud. Love? Clarissa didn’t know the meaning of the word. “You’re taking me back to Hunter?”
“No, silly. I was going to kill you. I mean, you did lie to me and after everything that I’ve done for you, you tried to run away. I was going to let the others have their way with you as a…present for a job well done on this trip.”
She dug her fingers into the seat cushion. “You changed your mind? You’re not going to kill me anymore?”
Clarissa smiled, like a child who had just gotten her way. “Oh, I’m still going to kill you. But because I love you, I’ve decided to finally grace you with a change.”
Ash cringed away from her. “But what about Hunter? What would happen to him if I changed into a Vampire?”
Clarissa shrugged. That smile was still on her lips. “I honestly don’t know. A Vampire has never lowered themselves to mate with a Wolf-Shifter before. He may continue to live and thrive or the mating”—she waved her hand through the air—“might sever when you officially die.”
No. Her mating bond grew stronger with each passing minute. It made her feel loved, complete. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. For once in her life she belonged. “You promised me that you wouldn’t harm him.”
Clarissa cut her uncaring eyes at Ash. “And you believed me because I always uphold my promises to you?”
Ash shook her head. “I don’t want to go through with it,” she said urgently. She scooted to the edge of her seat. “I want to stay human.”
Clarissa dismissed Ash. “Too late. The choice isn’t yours to make any longer.”
“You can’t do this.” Ash reached over Angelica’s lap to grab the door handle. Angelica pushed her back with a hard shove. “Stop! I want to get out. I don’t want any of this anymore!” Ash yelled, tears brimming her eyes.
Clarissa watched out the window with cool indifference. “Like I said, Asha. The choice isn’t yours anymore.”
No. I have to get out of here.
Francisco chuckled. “Why are you so upset, human? This is what you’ve always wanted. Once you become one of us, you’ll forget all about that mongrel of yours.”
“I don’t want to forget about him.” Tear after tear flowed down her cheeks. Francisco was probably right. She would forget about Hunter. She would also forget this feeling of family that was deeply rooted in her core now. She didn’t want to ever lose this. She couldn’t.
“I’ve been waiting for your change for a very long time,” Ricko said. His gaze roamed up and down her body.
“After the change, we’ll break you in real nice,” Rocko added.
“We’ll do things to you that no human would ever be able to endure,” Ricko said.
“And you’ll love it,” Rocko said.
Every ounce of Ash’s being screamed for her to flee.
The car came to a stop. Ash pushed past Angelica and scrambled out, stumbling as she did. She looked around. She didn’t see anything but a cornfield and barn. “This isn’t the house. Where are we?”
Clarissa came out of the car gracefully. “This is where we’re getting picked up.”
Ash glanced around again. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Not that she could’ve outrun five Vampires, but the courage coursing through her veins made her want to try. “We’re leaving? Tonight?”
“Our work here is done. Andras found the embezzler and we’ve eliminated her accomplice. We can leave now.”
“Then why aren’t we at the airport?”
Clarissa peered at the sky. “If I had to kill you, I didn’t want to make a scene about it.”
Ash pulled back her shoulders and lifted her chin. “So this is it, then? You lied about turning me into a Vampire to watch me squirm, only to kill me in the middle of nowhere.” She thrust her hands down to her sides. If this was going to end, then it would be with her knowing what a real family felt like, if only for a few minutes. She wasn’t going to cower or beg Clarissa for her life. It wouldn’t matter now anyway. “Go ahead and do it, Clarissa. Kill me.”
“Calm down, Asha.” Clarissa chuckled. “I didn’t bring you out here to kill you. I plan to change you at home, where it’s more comfortable.”
A helicopter sounded. Ash looked up, and although she couldn’t see the helicopter, she knew it was there. And knowing that made her pulse quicken and her breathing increase. She couldn’t go with Clarissa.
She took off running. She didn’t know where she was running to, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was escaping Clarissa.
Before she could clear the road and get to the cornfield, she was yanked back by her hair. Pain radiated across her skull and she screamed. She struggled and fought as Clarissa dragged her back, her heels digging into the ground. The others smirked and laughed, not trying to hide their amusement at her expense.
Wind whipped around her, and dirt flew up to pelt her face when the helicopter landed.
This is it.
“Come, darling. Pretty soon all your wishes will finally come true.”
The wolf heard the helicopter. His paws beat against the grass, kicking up bits of dirt as he did. His legs moved just as fast as his heart. He couldn’t lose her. His world would fall apart.
When he finally spotted the helicopter and recognized one of the bodies getting inside as Ash, he ran faster. He wanted to call out to her, letting her know that he was close, but that would’ve only slowed his course.
The helicopter lifted into the air. He ran and jumped for the entrance. And missed. He hit the ground and rolled. He gathered himself and jumped again.
It was no use. The helicopter was out of reach.
He howled, letting his mate know that he would find her.
The sounds of paws beating against the ground came from behind him. The others were coming for him, but he didn’t care. He’d lost his sister and mate, all in one day. He tucked his tail between his legs. His life-mate was gone. He slumped to hit the ground.
He howled again to ears that couldn’t hear him and that might not ever hear him again. He closed his eyes. The man inside curled into a ball and cried. His soul hurt. Their souls hurt.
A cold nose nuzzled his neck, pushing him. He whimpered. He didn’t want to move. He wanted to lay where he was and die.
Magic from a shift sizzled in the air around him.
“Hunter,” Andras whispered. “We’ll get her back.”
He turned his head away from his Alpha. He wanted to believe him, but he couldn’t. Soon his Alpha would ban him from the Pack then he would truly be alone.
“But we’ll need your help to do it,” Andras continued.
“Shift and talk to us,” Kristof said.
He howled his defiance.
“Shift,” commanded Andras.
He had to listen to his Alpha until he wasn’t his Alpha anymore. The wolf subsided and let the crying man take control.
Hunter spread-out naked on the grass. He couldn’t stop the pain. It was in every nerve. His very being. It hurt so bad—everything hurt.
“Do you want her back?” Andras asked.
“Of course I do,” Hunter croaked.
“Then get up and act like it. We’ll need to fight for her.”
Hunter opened his eyes at hearing the word ‘we’ll.’ Both Andras and Kristof sat on the ground next to him, naked as the day they were born. “You’ll help me get her back?”
“Of course. She’s Pack,” Andras said.
“For how long? You banned Erzsebet and I was next.”
Andras frowned. “Ban you and Erzsebet? You’re family.”
“But I thought…?”
“You thought wrong. I knew you were covering for her and I also knew that Erzsebet really didn’t think that she was the one embezzling money. I wanted to separate you both so that we could get to the bottom of what was going on. That’s why I didn’t want you going anywhere.”
“But Ezie?”
“I didn’t ban her. She left on her own. I’d been mentally tracking her all morning. She’d finally understood what she’d done and she was coming to tell me the truth.” His eyes watered. “At the last second, she removed herself.”
“I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now. She needs me now more than ever. I’m so sorry, Andras. Ash found evidence that pointed to her, but I didn’t want to believe that she would do something like this. I was trying to buy time so that I could find out what was really going on. I screwed up. I should have gone to you right away. I-I was…”
“Trying to protect your baby sister as your father asked you to.”
“Sorry.” Hunter averted his eyes. “And sorry for defying your orders.”
“In this instance, it’s okay. You had to follow your life-mate.”
Hunter pushed himself up to sit. “Clarissa came in and took Ash away from me, even though I told her we had mated. Ash only went with her to protect me. I’ve lost them both. What am I going to do, Andras?”
“We will get them back. I put out an all-points bulletin for Erzsebet. The other Packs know that I’m looking for her. She’ll turn up sooner or later. But right now we have another Pack member to rescue.”
Kristof stood. “Let’s go get her.” He shifted and ran off into the distance.
Andras stood and Hunter followed. “Where are we going?” Hunter asked.
“To the airport. Katalin is meeting us there with clothes. From there, we’re heading to Clarissa’s den in New York.”
Andras shifted and, before he could run off, Hunter whispered, “I’m coming for you, Ash,” then shifted to follow his Alpha.