Chapter Eleven
Shaky legs carried her off the bed and across the bedroom. ‘An hour to get dressed.’ That was all she could think of right now, not the sounds emanating from downstairs and making her blood run cold. April found underwear in one of the drawers and slipped it on before she tugged on a t-shirt with trembling hands. Her body seemed to be moving on auto pilot, only working on the threat that Corbin would indeed toss her into a car stark naked with other wolves. That wasn't an enticing prospect.
Her fingers slipped against her neck, pulling her wet hair free from the black t-shirt she tugged on when something changed. There was the sound of vicious snarling, yelping, and fighting. April was almost out of the room and down the stairs, but a part of her was terrified that James would be hurt or even worse...
The door banged against the wall as James barged into the room, a slight yelp leaving him before he was a man again before her. There was blood over his eye and she noted he limped toward her a bit, but he was alive. He was there and he was alive.
“James!”
April wrapped her arms around his neck as he held onto her tightly. For that moment, there was nothing that could have come between them. His face went into the crook of her shoulder and she was crying all over again as he whispered quietly, soothing her with soft words to calm her down. April pulled back slowly, wiping her eyes as she saw someone standing there.
“This is Paxton,” James said quickly.
The male gave her a slight nod and a smile before he glanced at the people with him. April nodded softly as they were introduced. Paxton, the alpha of the group, had been tracking James along with Derek, Cameron, and Lorna, the other wolves. When they saw what Corbin was doing, they'd jumped in, putting themselves between the two of them and harm's way.
“Thank you,” April said as relief flooded her voice.
“Don't thank us yet. The council is going to be pissed off that James mated with a human. That's why they were here tonight, going after James for his father's ‘mistakes.’”
“Come on, we're getting out of here. Let's go.” James passed her some jeans and she quickly tugged them on before she grabbed his hand and refused to let go.
They had to go past the carnage of the floor below, but April refused to look. Her stomach turned at even the thought of it and James guided her through, as if it were a minefield. She diverted her eyes. They stepped carefully until they reached the front door.
“I'll have Derek and Cameron follow us later. For now, they should clean up this mess before anyone finds it. The last thing you need is to be accused of murder by someone that has no idea what they're looking at.”
James nodded. “All right. We'll go with you then.”
“Hop in.”
Paxton opened the back door of the sleek black car for them. Lorna moved to the front, slipping behind the driver seat as Paxton relaxed. She quietly asked if he was okay and he nodded. The small wounds he'd suffered from the fight were hardly anything compared to the type of injuries he'd dealt with in the past. He would be just fine.
James helped April into the back seat, she settled in and clicked her seat belt closed. Her breathing was still shaky, hands still trembling as adrenaline rushed through her body. The crash was coming, she knew that much, but it still hadn’t come. All she had was a wildly beating heart and the urge to hide. It wasn't logical, Corbin was gone, but in her mind, he could come back at any moment. The man would simply pop up, rip out James’s throat and then kill her. Each thought led to a darker scenario until James gave her hand a squeeze and she glanced up at him.
“Breathe. You’re going to hyperventilate.”
“I’m okay. I’ll be okay.”
James watched her closely. She could see the uncertainty written on his features, the way his brows knit together and he frowned slightly. April gave him a reassuring smile, when he was looking over every five seconds to make sure she was okay. It was sweet and she thought about how much she couldn't stand to be away from someone so perfect. He might have his problems and so did she, but James would always be there for her, worrying and protecting. What more could she ask for?
April tried to push Corbin and the rest of them out of her brain. The slight humming and vibrating of the car helped with that, seeping into her bones as James traced outlines on the back of her hand. Despite the fear that was still settled in her belly like a stone, those motions soothed her mind. Soon, she found herself not looking over her shoulder to the house that was becoming smaller and smaller. Instead, she began to look forward. There had to be more to the future than what had happened tonight. There would be.
She refused to let go of James’s hand through the trip, and it seemed he didn't mind as his grip was just as firm. She leaned against his shoulder, his lips and nose buried in her hair, the scent calming him. Her entire body felt as if it was made out of lead once the adrenaline died down. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with him and sleep for a few days.
The car drove along, occasionally hitting bumps and holes in the road until they pulled onto the main road and then the highway. April snuggled up to James, using the heat of his body to keep her warm. Paxton glanced back before he turned on the heater, warming up the car before April fell asleep on James’ shoulder. He kept her close, still not trusting anyone to just have access to her.
“Need to make a stop.” Lorna pulled into a gas station before another car met up with them. Derek and Cameron slipped out before they moved into the car with James and a passed out April.
“Where did the car come from?” James asked.
“Oh, someone's driveway,” Cameron replied as caught a bag of jerky Lorna threw to him, and ripped through a piece with his teeth. “They'll find it tomorrow or somethin’.”
Lorna grinned as James shook his head. “They're a little feral still,” she said as she slipped behind the wheel and headed back onto the highway.
“So, what are we going to do, Pax?” she asked as she maneuvered the car back into traffic effortlessly.
“We can’t go to them, just sit down and talk. They're going to be pissed off about Corbin.”
“Well, we can’t just go in and charge them either,” Derek said as he tapped away on his phone. “We need some strategy, an in with someone already on the council.”
Cameron laughed. “I’m with Paxton. I’d rather be biting throats and kicking asses than having peace talks. Screw those guys.”
James was stuck in the middle, watching all of them as they talked it out. Well, more like argued over what they wanted to do. He could understand both points of view, but he didn't know enough to interject.
“Christian isn’t going to be happy at all,” Lorna said.
“Who’s Christian?” James finally asked as the car descended into silence.
“Christian,” Paxton spoke up, “Is Corbin's brother. And now that we’ve killed his brother, he will find that out. He’s not going to stop coming after us until we’ve all paid for it.”
Paxton’s words hung heavy in the air, hanging over their heads as the sound of the heater filled the space. “He had a brother,” James muttered. He wrapped an arm around April, pulling her closer. “What are we supposed to do?”
“We will have to deal with that when the time comes,” Paxton said. “That’s all that we can do, wait and see. Form a plan as it comes.”
James checked out for the rest of the conversation as they still bickered among themselves. He wanted to pay attention, but now his mind was on protecting April and the fear that she would be exposed to more danger.
After a while, they pulled up to a house, lit up with glowing lights that just seemed to radiate warmth. Slipping from the car, April stretched her legs and groaned from being cooped up. She was still groggy, wiping at her eyes as she walked inside with James and glanced around. “Where are we?” she whispered.
“Myre Falls. This is Paxton’s territory.”
April nodded as a woman came into view, and gave them knowing smiles. “James, I set the shower up for you when Paxton texted me. Why don’t you go ahead and get cleaned up?” He looked uncertain and the woman waved him on. “She has plenty of protection here.”
James nodded finally and kissed her forehead before he went down the hall. No sooner had he gone, she had a blanket around her shoulders and a mug of coffee in her hands. She smiled in thanks, took a deep sip, and part of her seemed to come back to life.
“Thank you.”
“No problem, hon. I'm London, by the way. London Sawyer.”
“April.”
“I know.” The woman seemed to notice April staring at the marks that covered her shoulder. She turned a little, lifting blonde locks and showing off a huge one on the back of her neck. When she turned back, she only smiled at April.
“My mating marks. I’m human, too.”
“You are?”
London nodded. “Not all of them think like the council. A lot of wolves are more open-minded now, and we will continue to fight for our right to mate with who we please.”
April nodded and sipped at her coffee. If there was a fight to be had, she would gladly be a part of it. Who was anyone to tell her that she couldn’t love James, or that they couldn’t be together because they were different? When James was all cleaned up, he came back to collect her.
“There is a cabin Paxton says we can stay in for a few nights. Catch our breath. Thank you, London.”
The woman gave both of them small hugs before she sent them off, and they were soon dropped on the porch of the cabin. James unlocked the door and pushed inside before he locked it behind him. The quiet calm reminded her of his home and she felt a bit of comfort, as she was led to the bedroom.
“We should probably get some sleep,” James said as he climbed onto the bed and watched April crawl in after him.
“Not yet.”
He looked her over, could see something by the way her brows knit together and she fidgeted with her fingers. James didn’t push her, he wanted to let her get it out on her own. She glanced up at him and he tilted his head at her.
“What?”
“Will you... mark me now?”
His hand slid into her hair, caressing the back of her neck. “Not if you don’t want me to.”
“I want you to. I really do.” She placed her hand on his and gave it a tight squeeze. “I want the world to know I’m yours. So, please, mark me.”
James didn’t need to hear her say it more than once. He gave her a slight nod before he kissed her deeply. Their tongues slipped past each other slowly, caressing tenderly before they pulled free. James took her in his arms and pushed her to the bed.
“Turn over.”
April did as he asked before she could feel his tongue rolling over the muscles of her shoulder and upper back. He ran his hands underneath her shirt, pushing it off and following it with her bra, tossing it aside. His hot mouth covered her flesh and she felt a moan slip from her lips.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “I’m ready.”
James’s mouth clamped down on her shoulder and she cried out. The sound filled the small cabin, along with the growl that slipped from his lips. April’s head was already spinning, when she felt his teeth sink into the back of her neck, the side, her opposite shoulder. Pain and pleasure flooded her senses as she clenched her fists into the blanket beneath her, body trembling as she cried out.
“Want me to stop?” he asked as he panted, his eyes hazy as she glanced over her shoulder.
April smiled. “Not even a little bit. Keep going.”
James smiled back at her before he turned her onto her back and slipped between her legs. He watched her raise those slender limbs and wrap them around his back before she brought him down with them. A laugh left his lips before he kissed her deeply, the faint hint of iron on them. James caressed her cheek, turning her head before he began to kiss and suck on the soft flesh of her throat. And then he was biting into her again, making her back arch as she moaned his name like a prayer.
“More. Again. I’m yours.”
James finally pulled back to examine her, littered in his bites and glowing with sweat, but smiling. “I’m yours.” April was his mate now, for good, and he couldn't imagine wanting it any other way. She pulled him down and kissed him deeply before her hand slipped down and began to undo the button on his jeans.
“Really?” He asked against her mouth.
“Mmm, yes. We need to celebrate, don’t we?”
James chuckled. “That we do.” His mouth moved against hers, stealing her breath away before he moaned. “I love you, so much, April.”
She paused and glanced up at him, her eyes softening as she rubbed her thumb gently over his cheek. “I love you, too.”