Read Torment: Reckless Desires (Dark Wolves Book 1) Online
Authors: Élianne Adams
Tags: #Reckless Desires Collection
Torment: Reckless Desires (Dark Wolves Book 1)
TORMENT
DARK WOLVES - BOOK ONE
by
Élianne Adams
Copyright © 2016 by Élianne Adams
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover Art by Jacqueline Sweet
ISBN (digital): 978-0-9948858-6-9
Darkness. He couldn’t escape it.
Oh, the day was bright, and the sun’s rays warmed his skin, but there was no peace. Not for him. Khet took a deep breath, hoping for… what? He didn’t even know. To have the coldness removed from his soul? Maybe he wasn’t meant to find the freedom his pack brothers had. Maybe he had escaped the Erritrol curse because of the good men around him rather than his own worthiness.
The shimmering portal, not twenty feet ahead, beckoned him. He could go back. Find his place in the Dark Lands again. Alone. It would be better than risking the others with the evil seeping into him every fucking day. But even though he’d come to that very same spot each day for the past week, he still couldn’t make himself cross into the bleakness awaiting him. Each time he tried, the beast inside him snarled and spat, proving how volatile he was even in this place of relative tranquility.
Swallowing his growl, he sat at the base of the tree, the same tree he’d rested beneath every day for the past week. Pine needles pricked at his naked ass, but he didn’t shift back to his wolf. He needed the sun’s warmth if only to give him the illusion that he might not turn into the monster clamoring to overtake him.
The kaleidoscope of colors swirling in the portal made his head pound. Only in the last few months had he been able to see color at all. Bright yellows and reds were the worst, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from the mesmerizing sight. For too long, nothing but blacks and shades of gray had filled his vision, and now he didn’t want to miss any of it, even if it made him want to gouge his eyes.
When Argram had insisted they learn the human names for the colors and to differentiate them all, Khet had been the first in line. Hell, he was even teaching himself to read with the human children’s books his leader had provided, but maybe it wasn’t worth it. Fitting into the human world would never happen. Not for him. Not with the taint on his soul threatening to swallow him whole with every breath he took. It was too risky. He wouldn’t give the beast the opportunity to destroy the land and the people in the neighboring villages.
The burn in his gut throbbed like a living fiery pulse, scorching his insides until he could do nothing more than grunt and close his eyes as he let it wash over him. Some days it lasted moments, others hours. Each time, it took his breath and drew the monster closer to the surface.
Off to his right, a twig snapped. He didn’t bother opening his eyes. The sound was too light to be human, and very few animals would come anywhere near him. Even their mightiest beast would not be a threat to one of his kind. Erritrols were predators.
He
was a predator. The creature residing inside him assured it.
Had he shifted back to his wolf form, he’d have been able to determine the species by scent alone, but in his humanoid form, he was almost nose blind. And it was irritating as hell. The muscles in his stomach clenched tight then released. He took a long, slow breath, ignoring the pain. Wishing it away accomplished nothing. Maybe that was his punishment for having survived the change. Sweat beaded on his skin, making goosebumps rise on his damp flesh where the cool breeze drifted past.
His skin.
He still couldn’t believe he had skin. A year ago he’d been nothing but fur, fangs, claws, fury, and hatred. An Erritrol.
No one knew how close he’d come to succumbing to the evil lurking inside. How close he’d come to doing the unthinkable and harming Brienne, the Avalorian woman who had sacrificed her happiness to help his people. When the curse keeping them from shifting for centuries was broken, he had expected to perish with those who had taken that final leap into madness, yet somehow, he’d been saved. He shook his head and gazed into the portal linking the Dark Lands to the human world. No one knew how hard the darkness still beckoned him, and how easy it would be for him to lose himself in it.
Only once the cramps subsided and he was able to breathe again did he get up from his spot beneath the tree. He took one look at the portal and turned away. He could hold the beast back for one more day. For now, he had won the battle. If the beast came too close to overcoming his will tomorrow, he would go back to his native land and let the darkness take him—let the monster destroy what little of him was left and be done with it. At least there, no innocents would be harmed.
In wolf form, he could be back at camp in no time, but he was in no rush. The sun was still high in the sky, but even if it wasn’t, the night held no challenge. He could see as well on a moonless night as he could on the brightest day. If anything, it was easier for him to be out after twilight. Most of the creatures that tempted him beyond reason were bunked down for the night, making his need to kill and destroy less—just less.
A sweet scent wafted to him on the breeze, then as quickly, it was gone, leaving him wondering if it had been there at all. It didn’t smell like any of the flowers he’d encountered, but then, he didn’t go around sniffing flowers. He could have easily missed some. Inside, the beast stretched and lifted its head. Had it sensed prey? His skin prickled with the fur trying to emerge from his pores, and sweat dampened his brow. Maybe he should give in and let the beast take over. It would be better than the agony of keeping it under control. He growled, more so at himself than at the beast inside him. No, damn it. He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t give in.
He took one step, then another, heading back for camp. A woman’s high-pitched scream had him stumbling to a stop at the base of a steep knoll. He didn’t move, didn’t even breathe as he took in the sounds of the rushing footsteps as they hurtled toward him.
Brush rustled in her wake. Her panting breaths became louder as she neared, but her footsteps didn’t falter. Roots and jagged rocks littered the ground. She was going to kill herself if she came crashing down the hill. Not that it mattered to him. It was up to the woman to be aware of her surroundings, yet he stayed there, waiting, his whole body tense.
The same sweet scent that had teased him earlier came back, filling his nose, rousing the wolf. Before he had a chance to beat it back, a small form hurtled from the top of the knoll, her arms flailing when the ground failed to come up to meet her feet as she’d lunged ahead.
Her eyes grew wide, as she fell, slamming right into him.
Delana raced through the forest. Her simple mission to get to the new wolf pack and request their aid had gone sour fast. The Mahehkan pack was close—too close. If she couldn’t convince the new wolves to join forces with them, the Komoro pack would suffer the same fate as their neighbors over a year ago. The Mahehkan wolves had slaughtered them in cold blood. Rumor had it one she-wolf had survived the attack, but no one had seen her since.
Her lungs burned with the need for more air. She wished she could have taken the time to remove her clothes and shift, but she’d spotted two wolves pacing her in the forest. She couldn’t afford those precious seconds. They would be on her before she could get her shoes off. So she had bolted, running through the forest like an idiot, hoping her knowledge of the land would help her escape. Thankfully, she was a fast runner no matter what form she took.
The rocky drop off ahead was a risk. If she didn’t land just right, she’d do some serious damage, but it was her only option. If she could make it there, she could duck left and be out of there before they realized where she’d gone. She’d have to go back to her pack without the extra help they needed, but at least they’d be warned the enemy was coming. Pumping her arms, she forced her body faster. Just a little farther.
One huge leap and she was in the air. Relief flooded her, then winked out in an instant. Standing at the base was the biggest male she had ever seen. Not a stitch of clothing covered his massive body. With her arms cartwheeling all around, she tried to stop, but there was no use. She slammed right into the living mountain, the impact of her body on his hard chest knocking the breath out of her.
Arms as thick as her thighs came around her, holding her up when she would have crumpled at his feet. Eyes so dark she could barely discern the pupils stared down at her. His nostrils flared, and his full lips drew into a straight line. The vibration from his chest shook her even before his growl rumbled from his throat. He was pissed.
Crap.
She pushed against his chest with all her might, but nothing could have freed her from the beast who had caught her. There was no escape. He’d either take her back to the Mahehkan pack where they would either kill her or worse, keep her, or he’d kill her right there. From the fury burning in those black eyes, she had the feeling she wouldn’t be going anywhere.
Digging her heels, she shoved at the man again. She didn’t plead, didn’t beg. Doing so would be useless. The Mahehkan weren’t compassionate wolves. All they cared about was expanding their territories, and didn’t care who they destroyed in the process.
His eyes narrowed, and his lips parted, revealing long, pointed canines. Longer than she’d seen on any wolf. “Stop,” he barked at her, his voice deep, authoritative. And damn if she didn’t listen. What the hell was wrong with her?
In the next instant, two wolves came hurtling over the rise. One landed on its feet a short distance away, while the other stumbled. The unmistakable snap of bone sounded just before the clumsier of the two yelped and crashed to the ground.
Delana couldn’t breathe. She wouldn’t be able to help her pack. She’d failed in her mission. Failed her younger brother. Joss wasn’t an Alpha, not yet. Given a few years, things might have been different, but they didn’t have that kind of time. If they didn’t do something, and fast, Joss wouldn’t live to grow into his power. None of them would survive. The Mahehkan shifters had killed her Alpha and left them without a leader. Delana had done her best to help Joss, but now he’d be on his own.
The steel bands of his arms tightened around her, and his lip curled up in a snarl. Her chest hurt with the pounding of her heart, but he wasn’t looking at her. His glare was fixed on the wolf still standing. The guttural sound coming from his throat had her quaking. The big gray wolf froze where it was, and tucked its tail between its legs. The man growled again, and the wolf bolted. The smaller, the one who had made a less than graceful landing, whimpered as it struggled to stand. One more growl from the man and it was dragging its lame leg as it scurried away, yelping with each awkward step it took.