Blood Vow (Blood Moon Rising) (11 page)

Though it nearly killed her to do so, somehow, Falon found the strength to maneuver out of Rafael’s arms.

Shaking her head, she smoothed down the wrinkled fabric of the dress she had found in the closet. Nervously she stepped backward until her back hit a wall. Like the wolves they were, Lucien and his brother smelled her weakness for them and circled in front of her, waiting for their moment to exploit it. It made her nervous, and afraid of what these two men who she loved and trusted could do to her in the heat of passion when they both wanted her at the same time in the same place.

It would be a bloodbath.

“I don’t want either of you,” she blurt out.

Her words stopped them cold in their tracks.

Simultaneously their brows drew together and their eyes narrowed.

“You’re a lousy liar, Falon,” Rafael said.

“I don’t want either one of you, if I can’t have both of you,” she stated, her words bolstering her resolve and at the same time cooling the heat in her body. Smoothing her damp hands down the skirt of the dress, Falon pushed off the wall, her will returning in slow drips. “So I will have neither of you.” There, she said it. And she meant it.

She slid her hand down to her belly. “In less than nine months we’ll know who fathered this babe, and he will be allowed to raise his child, but it will be the only child I ever bear.” She drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. The identical shocked looks on their faces would have made a lesser woman laugh at the absurdity of these two mighty alphas left speechless. “Until then, we will travel together to find the sword. Because we are stronger together than separate, we must stay together through the rising.” She smiled wanly, feeling no victory. “As long as we are together, Fenrir cannot harm us.”

Falon inhaled again and exhaled. “I’m sorry for asking such a thing from either of you. It was selfish of me to even consider it.” Intending to shift, she slid the dress from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor.

The heat in the room rose exponentially.

“Falon,” Lucien said roughly, reaching out to her, “I cannot live without you.”

Rafe stepped toward her. “I
will
not live without you,” he said.

Oh, why did this have to be so hard? Her heart was torn in half, bleeding for these two men she loved above her own life. “Neither of you will have to. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere, I just will not be intimate with either of you.” She raised her chin and looked at each of them. “I release you both.” As she said the words she never imagined she would say to one of them, much less to both, her heart and soul imploded with the force of a wrecking ball. But there was no other way.

“I do not accept your release!” Lucien growled.

“There is no other way!” she cried angrily. “I know what I have asked of you two is selfish and humiliating to you as alphas. The last thing I want is to degrade you in front of your packs. I don’t want you to suffer with jealousy or break your heart each time I lay with the other. Truly, I’m sorry for even asking. But please, understand, I cannot choose between you. And I won’t.” Moist heat stung her eyes. “Please, don’t force me to.”

“Falon!” Rafe yelled as she backed away from them. “You cannot do this!”

Tears blinded her vision. “I already have.”

She shifted then, and leapt past them through the open door and ran to clear the heat in her blood and the ache in her broken heart.

Emotions stormed within. Frustration, longing, and anger. Why could they not see that the power of three meant unified on every level, heart, body, soul? Was it really so terrible what she asked? It was so clear to her, the rightness of it. With each long stride she took, her anger intensified. She was angry at Rafe and Lucien! Why did they have to be so stubborn and possessive? Her mood darkened. Was sex so important that they couldn’t look past their own lust to the greater good of the nation? They loved one another; she could see it in everything they did. Why couldn’t they allow her to love them, too?

The darkness in Falon sparked. Then caught fire as her frustration mounted. She was spitting mad. Furious at Rafael and Lucien. They were selfish, arrogant, and mean! How dare they tease her like they just did? Did they enjoy her pain? Did they care how she felt? That was a Lycan for you. No wonder the Slayers were bent on destroying them—she gasped at the turn of her thoughts, but more alarming was her rising bloodlust for revenge.

She growled as she picked up a familiar scent.

Anja.

That silver-haired bitch, she wasn’t good enough for Rafa! How dare she even think she was? Falon lifted her nose and howled. Lust for a fight infused her. And she would have her fight.

Unaccustomed to such black rage, especially directed at a Lycan, Falon fought to control it. Its insidiousness terrified her, because while she knew what she was going to do was against the Blood Law, she could not redirect it.

Anja never saw what hit her. Falon caught sight of her and as the she-wolf ran north, Falon leapt over a wide wooded ravine and landed behind the Siberian wolf. She snapped at her hindquarters, severing the main tendon in her right hind leg. Anja howled in pain and turned to fight, but snarled defiantly when she realized her attacker was Falon.

“Jealous are you?” Anja sneered as she shifted to human, and faced Falon head-on. “You’re a selfish bitch, Falon. Wanting them both. Mark my words, your selfishness will destroy the brothers and in so doing, destroy the nation.”

Falon lowered her head and flattened her ears. Snarling, she moved around Anja, who had the good sense to shift back to wolf. As human, she would die; as wolf—she might survive. If Falon allowed her to. For all of Anja’s bravado her quaking flanks and wobbly front legs belied her bravery. She was terrified.

Craving the she-wolf’s blood, Falon snarled again, circling her, realizing she was out of control. Not of her Lycan beast but of her vengeful Corbet blood. But she couldn’t help it. She wanted blood. Lycan blood.
Anja’s
blood. Falon lunged, knocking Anja onto her back. Even when Anja submitted, Falon kept her pinned to the ground. She howled fighting the terrible battle of the two bloods within her, knowing she should accept Anja’s surrender but unable to.

Consuming rage and the thirst for blood drove her. She attacked.

Falon, stop!
Rafael commanded.

She ignored him. Lucien’s big wolf body slammed into hers, knocking her off Anja’s mutilated body.

Furious at the interruption, Falon lunged at Lucien. He snarled and sidestepped her attack, but nipped at her flank letting her know he had let her past.

Back down,
Falon,
Lucien snarled.

She lowered her head and looked to where Rafe had shifted over Anja’s now human body. Jealousy tore through her.

Let her die! She is not worthy of an alpha!

Rafael speared Falon with a narrow-eyed glare. The black rage that consumed her tested her heart. Falon lowered her head and attacked Anja again. Lucien jumped in front of her, halting her assault while Rafe carried his chosen one to a safer distance.

Falon turned on Lucien, head low, ears pinned to her head.
I am stronger than you, Lucien, get out of my way.

You
think
you are stronger.

You will fight me over her?

I will fight you over you.

Lucien lunged and just as he hit her, he shifted to human. Bear-hugging her, he took Falon to the ground. Shocked by his brazen move, Falon shifted and began her fight in earnest.

They rolled down a steep embankment into a cold mountain stream. Falon gasped, the frigid water shocking her system. Lucien took advantage and grabbed her in another bear hug and pushed her deeper into the water. The swift current carried them downriver.

The shock of the cold water yanked Falon out of her crazed frenzy. As the realization of what she had just done—not only to Lucien but to Anja—hit her, she screamed.

“Oh, my God, Lucien, I’m so sorry, I—”

“Hush, angel face, you’re okay,” Lucien soothed, holding her shivering body against his steady one.

“Oh, my God, what did I do to Anja?”

“She’s alive; Rafe’s taking care of her.”

Falon began to shake uncontrollably. She had attacked a Lycan. Her own kind for no reason! What happened to cause her to do such an unthinkable act?

Clinging to Lucien like a baby, Lucien gathered her tighter into his arms and walked against the current, toward the bank. His strong stride defied the insistent current. As he emerged from the water, he gently laid her down on the loamy bank. Dropping down beside her, his worried eyes scanned her face for answers. “What the hell just happened?”

Rubbing the heels of her hands into her eyes, Falon shook her head. “I don’t know. Something came over me—an uncontrollable rage. I couldn’t stop it. When I caught Anja’s scent—” She shivered and looked up at Lucien. “I just wanted to tear her apart.”

He lay back on an elbow and eyed her carefully. “You just about did.”

Falon put her hand across her eyes. Despite the chill of the water, the close proximity of Lucien’s body comforted her. He leaned over her, brushing her hair from her face. “You’re scaring me, angel face. This isn’t like you.”

She grabbed his hands and brought them to her chest. “I’m scared, too, Luca. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.” She didn’t dare tell him it was Lycan blood she had wanted.

He lowered his lips to hers, and said, “I vowed to always protect you, and that includes from yourself.”

Her trembling body stilled beneath his kiss. One kiss, she told herself. It soothed her savage beast, and at least for now, it would not hurt.

Eleven

RAFAEL WATCHED ANJA slowly make her way into the thick foliage of the forest. He had healed her, but she was clearly still vulnerable. Her weakness would be evident when she reached her pack, and then there would be hell to pay . . .

Rage and confusion spiraled through him. Falon had known Anja was no match for her, yet she’d brutally attacked her. Her actions had been furious, ferocious. Violent in nature. Unprovoked and completely out of character.

Not an act of jealousy, as he’d first suspected, but something more. Something akin to unmitigated hate. And despite the severe stress they were all under, he just couldn’t reconcile the idea of Falon hating the petulant and arrogant but ultimately harmless Anja. Not when Falon knew she, not Anja, held Rafe’s heart in the palm of her hand.

He ran his fingers through his hair. Anja was damn lucky to be alive. As much as he wanted to be rid of her, he did not want her dead. She was an admirable Lycan and would serve an alpha well, just not him.

And if Falon had killed her? Jesus, her sentence would have been instant death! The Blood Law was unforgiving in these matters. He’d have lost her when he’d only just learned of his right to keep her.

Frustrated by what Falon had almost cost them all, Rafe clamped his hands behind his neck and looked up into the towering trees. When he had suggested Anja return to the cabin to regain her strength, she’d defiantly refused. He wasn’t a complete prick. But he couldn’t blame her, and he knew when he’d made the offer that it was a mistake. Falon might finish the job next time.

As maimed as Anja was, she swore she would inform the packs of what Falon had done to her, and while he’d never allow Falon to face death, she would nonetheless be severely reprimanded. He scoffed at that. Why did he even worry? As if they could force Falon. She had become a force to be reckoned with.

The hair on the back of his neck spiked. In the course of two months she had gone from a confused young woman to a formidable warrior. He’d never seen such natural power. Not from a Slayer or a Lycan. Maybe if you combined them both one could generate that kind of power, but all because a Slayer had bit her? It didn’t make sense.

The ring flared on his hand, as if it knew something Rafe did not.

“What is her secret? Who is she really?” he murmured.

Nervous energy flickered along his spine. The moment he’d laid eyes on her he’d known she was special. With each passing day he was discovering just how special she was. A wry smile tugged at his lips. She was a full-time job—more than full-time. Hell, maybe he should just give in and share her with Lucien so they would both get some rest!

And if there was an alpha out there who could rein her in it was Luca. They had always been competitive when it came to women. Neither one of them had to do much more than look at a female and she would drop for either one of them. He grinned. He missed Lucien. Missed their camaraderie, their hijinks and their partying days. There had even been a few wild nights when they had shared a woman or two, but it was easy because they had no feelings other than momentary lust for her. Falon was 180 degrees different.

Even in jest the thought of sharing her rankled him beyond furious.
He
had marked Falon first. She’d returned the mark. She belonged to him. Period. Why should he share something, anything, with the brother that had caused him so much pain?

Argh!
He punched the air.

Because he had never denied Luca anything, even when he knew it was not in his best interest. Because Rafe knew he would be there to pick up the pieces. And the one time he wasn’t, Lucien brought a damn Slayer home! It was the price he paid for indulging his brother. The indulgence born of the guilt he felt for not doing something, anything to save their parents. Lucien had taken their deaths harder than anyone. Even, Rafe admitted, harder than he. And he had been devastated.

Was it any wonder he fathered and mothered his brother? Indulged him so that his pain was lessened? But then Rafe struck a disastrous blow, killing Luca’s chosen one. It hit Rafe at that moment that it didn’t matter that she was a Slayer. She was Lucien’s. He loved her and Rafe took it away. The one person Luca trusted above all others, the one person he could always count on, killed his mate.

Self-loathing washed through him. He hated himself more at that moment than at any time in his life. He’d fucked up. Big-time. And now he had a choice to make. Break his brother’s heart all over again, break Falon’s in the process or find a way to make this fucking insane situation work.