Chapter Twenty-nine
Erik hummed as he rode up the elevator to the office. He had grabbed some pasta and wine, which were waiting for them in the car. He hoped that now that the office was empty, he and Lillian might finish what they started earlier.
It’s not that he’d never wanted to have sex in the office before, but the thought of having sex with Lillian in the office made him painfully hard. The woman would be the death of him. And for the moment, his relationship with her was one of the few things keeping him from worrying too much about all the other hanging threads of crap around them.
Hell, he was just doing what people like Nan had been bothering him about for years: finding a good woman. He furrowed a brow at the thought.
He wasn’t sure how far they’d come, but it was certainly a stronger, deeper relationship than he’d shared with any woman before. He’d worry about the future when it came. For now, he’d just enjoy his time with her.
The elevator stopped on the third floor, and he quickly stepped off, a grin on his face. It’d be safer if they went to his office, but the whole break room romance idea had only grown in appeal.
A few short yards, and he was back in the breakroom. Only much to his surprise, the breakroom was empty. The light was on and copier still running, but Lillian was nowhere to be found.
"Lill," he called out.
There was no reply.
Somewhere above him he heard the clack of a door and frowned. Had she planned something on the roof? Considering how cold it was, he had a hard time thinking she’d enjoy that, even if he didn’t mind.
Erik made his way to the fire escape and climbed the stairs. When he had nearly reached the top, he noticed something crunching under his feet. Glass.
He narrowed his eyes, his wolf growling inwardly. The window in the door at the top of the stairs was shattered. He bit back a growl and cursed himself.
He’d let himself become complacent. If anything had happened to Lillian, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself, but for the moment, he needed to control his fear and the wolf.
Erik breathed in deeply, but smelled nothing out of the ordinary for a moment. Then he picked up the faint hint of blood lingering in the air.
His wolf roared inside of him as worry over Lillian crept up. He clenched his hands into fists for a second and took a deep breath before pulling open the door and surveying the roof. The men had long since cleaned off the snow, making it easy to see across it.
Lillian lay on the ground. A small trickle of blood ran down the side of her head. Hall stood over her, waiting.
Of course Erik wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual. He gritted his teeth. All his planning through the years just didn’t involve one of his own pack turing on him. Sure, a pack member might leave, but not this way.
The wolf in him pushed for him to charge the other man, but he kept control. He wasn’t Hall. He’d show the other man what a controlled wolf could accomplish.
"Get away from her," Erik roared.
Hall continued to stare at him, his blood red eyes visible in the light of the moon.
"She has to die," Hall said, shaking his head violently from side to side like a rabid animal. "Things have already been put into motion. It’s beyond us.”
Erik could feel the wolf trying to claw his way out, desperate to protect the woman on the ground. He took another deep breath. If he lost it now, there might be no chance of saving both Hall and Lillian.
"What's in motion?" Erik asked. “Tell me, and we can help you.”
Hall shook his head a few times more. Erik could only hope the man he'd once known was fighting for control.
"It's too late," Hall shouted at him. "Her death is just a piece, but we will all see in the end." He let out a little pained laugh.
Lillian moaned from her spot on the ground. Both men turned to look at her.
Hall shook his head once again. If the man inside was struggling for control, Erik might stand a chance. He wanted to save them both, but if he had to choose, he’d choose his woman every time.
There was no way Erik would let Hall kill Lillian. The very thought of it made his heart ache.
"I can't let you do this," Erik said as he made his way toward them. “Don’t make me do this. Please.”
“It doesn’t matter.” The young werewolf shook his head. "You have no way to stop it," he said. "No one can stop it. It’s written in the stars. It is destiny.”
Erik scoffed at the word. "Fuck destiny." With that he leapt out, tearing his clothes as he shifted into his wolf, hoping to take Hall by surprise with the early shift.
He slammed in the Hall, and the two rolled away from Lillian, one in human form and the other in his wolf form. Erik knew he would have to work with his wolf, even as it was threatening to take control. He’d need to skirt the line between the monster and the man. He would need all his strength to defeat the berserker.
Much like during the dog fight they'd had, Hall wormed his way out from under Erik, but this time he was ready for it. The thing about fighting someone was that you learned how they moved. Hall might be amped up on drugs, but he was still a novice when it came to fighting.
With no hesitation, Erik bit down hard on the man's leg, and Hall cried out in pain. He hoped that would be enough to slow him at least for a little while.
Erik stepped back and made his way over to where Lillian lay on the ground. He licked her hand and was glad when she turned to look up at him.
A loud snarl ripped through the air, and Erik turned to see Hall in wolf form just before he landed on him. Foam crested his mouth as he snapped at Erik's neck, just missing it.
He tossed off the other wolf, but Hall was fast. Damn fast. He was back on Erik before he'd even had time to think, this time his teeth sinking hard into Erik’s shoulder. Erik could feel his leg buckle as the wolf ground hard against it.
Hall shoved Erik to the ground, pinning him, snapping and growling.
"No," Lillian said weakly.
Erik could see her from where he was on the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched him.
Hall jumped back and bared his teeth at her, his loud growl filling the air. Erik knew that once Hall was finished with him, Lillian would be next. The pup was gone now. Only the wolf remained.
Erik summoned his strength and called on the wolf within him. It was dangerous, letting the wolf take control, but he had no choice. He had to save Lillian, and he knew the wolf agreed.
With a mighty growl, Erik tossed off Hall once again. This time he was the one at the ready. The moment the other wolf was off him, Erik leapt into the air. He landed on top of Hall and bit down hard on the scruff of the younger wolf’s neck. Maybe this would be enough for him to submit.
His wolf wasn't satisfied. His wolf knew that Hall wouldn't go down that easy. He snapped down hard again against his leg, biting so hard that his teeth met bone.
Hall struggled underneath him, but his wolf only bit harder again.
Erik was losing control. The wolf was hell bent on blood, and that's exactly what he was going for. Even if he wouldn’t become a berserker like Hall, he’d lose himself enough to kill his pack mate. The only thing was, at that moment, he wasn’t so sure he cared.
A soft hand landed on him. He leapt back and jerked his head toward the source, only not snapping at it because it was Lillian. He stared at her as she also placed a hand on the bloodied Hall.
"No more," she said, her voice nearly a whisper.
A warmth spread through him. A blinding light engulfed them, the intensity forcing him to shut his eyes. When he opened them, both Erik and Hall were back in human form.
Lillian collapsed on the ground next to him. He wrapped his arms around her.
"You're safe," he whispered. "I've got you." He glanced over to Hall. He wasn’t moving, but he was breathing.
Erik held on to Lillian as Hall began to stir next to them. He blinked, realizing whatever she’d done had quieted his wolf despite its bloodlust just moments earlier. He could only pray that whatever Lillian had done had also brought the other man back to his senses.
Hall sat up and stared at them both. His eyes were now back to their normal color.
Erik nodded slowly and exhaled. "You did it," he whispered to Lillian as she lay on his chest. "You brought him back."
Lillian shifted her head to stare up at him. Her light blue eyes were still filled with tears. "I couldn't stand to watch you hurt one another."
Erik leaned down and placed a kiss against her forehead, lucky she'd found the grace his wolf could not.
"I killed people," Hall said after a moment, shaking his head. He stood and took several steps back. “Innocent people.”
Erik frowned as he saw the young man was standing perilously close to the edge of the building. He gently laid Lillian back on the ground and stood slowly.
"That wasn’t you, Hall," Erik said. "Shit. It wasn’t even your wolf. It was whatever that bitch of a vampire gave you. It’s not your fault.”
Hall shook his head. "You don’t understand. It's not over. It’s only just begun."
Erik held up his hands as Hall took a step closer toward the edge. Erik’s heart hammered in his chest. All they’d done, and even Lillian’s effort, and there was no way he could get to him in time.
"We can figure this out," Erik said, his voice edging on desperation. "Just come over here, and we'll help you. It doesn’t have to end like this. It’s not your fault.”
Hall shook his head. "You can't help me. No one can. I can’t live with what I’ve done.”
“You listen to me, pup, you—”
The young werewolf threw himself from the building. Erik sprinted toward the edge, missing him by inches. He gritted his teeth.
There was nothing to do but watch Hall fall to his death.
“Damn you, Anca,” Erik growled. “Damn you.”