Enticed (The Brazil Werewolf Series Book 3) (10 page)

              I paced in the living room for a long time after Sophia had ushered the other women home.  She would be checking on me every few hours until Luc arrived but for the most part, it was good for me to be alone because the less people who were around, the less chance there was of me hurting someone. 

I glanced outside as the sun began to dip behind the trees.  Luc would be home soon but I couldn’t focus on that as my skin crawled and I began to wonder if he would find me as a wolf when he arrived. 

A tremble shook me and I stopped pacing and cocked my head to the right.  The hair on the back of my neck rose in warning as a chilling certainty that Luc would not be home swept through me.  I closed my eyes against the thought as ice cold fear ran through my veins.

              My head rose as I stared at the door, hearing the pounding of someone’s heart on the other side. I whispered to myself, “Someone is coming.”

A sharp intake of breath rushed past my lips as a knock sounded at the door.  My chest rose as my breaths quickened.  I was suddenly terrified by the news on the other side.  I forced my foot to move toward it as the second loud knock reverberated through the door causing it to jump with the force of the fist against the entrance’s face.

              “Mary Jane, it’s Tamas,” he called through the door obviously desperate to reach me. I was finally able to make my feet move faster toward the entrance of my home.   I swallowed hard before I threw open the door. 

              Luc’s eyes widened as he gazed up at me with one side of his face hidden.  My lips trembled as I took in the horror on his face.  I blinked as he turned fully and saw blood running slowly down one side of his face.  His skin was abnormally pale with pain and worry.

              “What happened?” I asked pushing the words from between my lips.  Tears burned my eyes and my skin began to tingle more and more.  My stomach which had cramped mild but steady for the last four hours began to shoot pain throughout my body.  I crossed my arms over my abdomen and groaned as I gritted my teeth.  Only then, did I glance down at my hands as they began to elongate. 

              Tamas was so grief stricken that he didn’t notice and had begun to speak, “Eli took Luc while we were out in the field,” he said, shaking, “We didn’t see it coming.  We have to hurry.  Eli has sent word that he’s going to kill him unless you go to him.”

              I gritted my teeth as fangs broke free from my gums.  A low rumble worked its way past my chest. 

“Then, I’ll go,” I growled as the wolf within me finally broke free.  Tamas fell backwards with a surprised humph as I jumped over him.  He cursed on a breath as he scrambled to his feet. 

              In an instant, he changed joining me in wolf form.  I lifted my nose in the air and howled as I found Luc’s scent.  A moment later, I was running toward him, determined to kill anyone who would hurt him.

***********

              The scent which reached my nose was like fire in my veins, causing me to howl in pain.  I narrowed my eyes as I was reminded of the fire from the taste of wolf’s bane.  It had burned as intensely as this.  I shook my head and continued through the brush.  Tamas had stopped shaking his head from the pain.  I moved forward because beneath that scent was the scent of someone I would go through hell for.  I raised my snout as I ran because Luc was here…in this neighborhood somewhere. 

I stepped cautiously forward as I glanced around.  Even in the haze of my first change, I could sense dozens of werewolves near.  The neighborhood was full of them though none were visible. 

              I took a step into the street, bracing myself for the burn before inhaling again as I opened my mind.  My heart pounded hard as I took in everything with new eyes.  I blinked as the colors pulsed around me.  Even the sounds echoed and  seemed to have their own colors.  Details in the asphalt beneath my feet or the light post beside me would have been distracting if it were not for the familiar scent of my husband floating on the air.

              I closed my eyes as I focused on Luc’s smell.  Slowly, I began to hear Luc’s voice echoing within my head, “She won’t come, Eli,” he whispered, “She’ll know it’s a trap.”

              I frowned as I took a cautious step toward the voice.  Didn’t Luc realize that it didn’t matter that it was a trap?  I would have to come.  I would have to save him.  I couldn’t live without him and not just because of the bond.  I opened my eyes as my heart ached. 

              “You should have let him die,” I heard someone say behind me.  I stiffened and then, turned slowly unable to answer him back because of my wolf form.  My eyes narrowed as I took in the unfamiliar man.  Hair black as raven’s feathers brushed his collar.  His silver eyes were cold and cruel. 

              “You don’t know who I am,” he said, giving me a wry smile as he stepped forward. 

              I shook my head once and he rolled his eyes, “Of course, my ungrateful daughters wouldn’t have told you,” he said with a sneer, “They always find ways to disappoint me.”

              I frowned as I took a step toward him.  He shrugged, “My name is Emilian Grey,” he said, raising his chin in defiance, “I am Lilly and Aurora’s father.”

              Anger slid through me and a low growl broke from my throat.  He stepped back with a grin, “Now, you don’t want to hurt me, do you?” He asked and then, licked his teeth, “After all, if I die, so will Aurora’s mother.”

              I stopped abruptly at that realization.  My lips trembled as his eyebrows raised, “I suppose that you want to know where Luc is,” he said and then, shook his head.  He pointed beyond me to a house at the end of the road.  I turned on instinct but the moment I did, a sharp pain slammed through my buttocks. 

              I turned and looked down the length of my body.  A howl of grief escaped me as I gazed down at the dart imbedded deeply into my skin.  My world began to tilt and nausea slammed through me. 

              “Don’t worry,” Emilian said, putting a dart gun I had not seen until now into his belt, “It won’t kill you.  It just knocks you out until you are in human form again.  Then, you will be a bit more manageable.”

              I sank to the ground as the knowledge that I couldn’t beat them without being the beast sank into my mind.  Darkness began to flood my vision and I sank further and further to the ground.  I fought to stay awake until I couldn’t hold my eyes open anymore. 

              The last thing I heard before falling completely into darkness was Luc’s voice screaming my name.

              Everything tilted as I opened my eyes.  Cool breeze touched my skin and I shivered.  Gone was the complete awareness of everything.  Only my human senses remained.  Nausea caused my stomach to clench as I sat up and heaved up the remains of my stomach into a small trash can that was thrust beneath my mouth the moment I started to gag.

              A woman’s voice reached me, cooing softly as she smoothed my hair, “It’s okay,” she said, touching my forehead as if checking for a fever, “You’ll be alright.”

              I forced my gaze upward to find a woman who was petite with blonde hair and blue eyes.  She was obviously a werewolf and one from the Grey family but there was a kindness in her eyes that I did not associate with them.  Still, I sensed that there was something that wasn’t right about her. 

              “Who are you?” I choked out, trying to breathe through the sickness.

              The woman’s face stretched into a smile that caused chills to slide down my back, “My name is Fiona Anderson Grey,” she said as my eyes widened in recognition.

              “Aurora’s mother?” I asked in awe. 

              Fiona’s eyebrows raised in surprise and her hand fluttered to her chest, “She’s told you about me?”

              My eyes narrowed as I tilted my head studying the woman, “She told me that your brain has been high-jacked by her psycho father,” I said, raising my chin away from the trash can.

              “That’s not true,” she said, quickly but her voice was strained as she took the trash can and sat it down on the other side of the room, “I came here of my own free will.  I left the Brazil family because I love Emilian.  They just don’t want to accept that.”

              “No,” I said with a sarcastic lilt, “He forced you to blood bond with him.  What else would happen?  You couldn’t live without him.  You left because of the bond…not love.”

              She stared at me and for a second, I thought she would agree but then, she blinked and her eyes hardened, “It was a misunderstanding,” she whispered as she shook her head.

              I scoffed, “I suppose when he raped you it was accident,” I said, rolling my eyes.  I straightened as my stomach calmed and the tingling of the wolf just beneath the surface rippled my skin.  I bit my lip oddly comforted by the very thing that had frightened me before. 

              “It
was
an accident,” she said, brokenly, “Why won’t anyone believe me?”

              “Because rape isn’t an accident,” I said, frowning, “It’s a malicious act of control.”

              She winced, “That’s not what happened.”

              I rolled my eyes again, tired from the conversation with her, “Where’s Luc?” I asked.

              She went to the closet and pulled out a simple white dress, “I’ll take you to him, once you are decent enough to be seen.”

              I nodded taking the dress from her, “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said to me so far,” I said, slipping the dress on. 

              “Why is that?” She asked, frowning.

              I pursed my lips deciding whether I should answer and then, shrugged, “Because everything else you’ve said has been insane.”

              Her mouth popped open but she straightened her back and went to the closet again to retrieve shoes, “Put these on,” she said through clenched teeth.  The muscles in her jaw were tight against her skin.

              I smiled because I realized I was pushing her toward a place, she could come up with no excuse for and even though there was a part of me warning that I shouldn’t have because she was Aurora’s mother and she was bound to a man who raped her, there was also part of me that wondered if I could push her out of the haze of the bond. 

              So far I had not been able to.  I winced as she shoved a brush in my hand and pointed to a mirror.  I raised my eyebrow and she let out a pent up breath, “Don’t you want to look your best for your husband?” She asked with raised brows. 

              I narrowed my eyes as I took the brush and began to run it through my hair.  When the tangles were gone, she smiled, “Eli will be pleased,” she said, raising her chin.

              “Eli?” I asked shaking my head, “Why the hell would I care what he thought?”

              “Because he’s your husband,” she said so simply put that I blinked.  As I gazed at her, I could see that she actually believed what she said.

              “Luc is my husband,” I said as stern as my voice would allow, “I would never marry Eli.  He killed my parents.”

              “We shall see,” She said with a grin that sent a shiver down my spine.  I narrowed my eyes at her.  The woman was seriously unhinged.

              “You said that you would take me to see Luc,” I said, forcing my eyes to remain steady on her as I tried to control my frustration.

              “Of course I am,” she said and then, smiled brightly, “I wouldn’t lie to you.  I can promise that.”

              “I suppose I should be thankful for small favors,” I said, frowning at Fiona’s unsettling oddness.

              “You should,” she said and then, rolled back her shoulders as if proud of herself, “They were going to kill Luc.  I asked that he be able to live.  After all, Sophia was my friend.”

              I blinked as my heart picked up speed, “I would die, if they killed him,” I said as my stomach twisted causing me to be queasy, “We’re bonded in every way.”

              “And you’re worried about the bond?” She asked with raised brows.

              I nodded as my breath hitched in my throat, “Yes, but it’s more than that,” I said as a tremble worked through me, “It’s deeper than that.”

              Her lips twitched, “Don’t worry,” she whispered, “Eli and Emilian know how to break the bond,” She said with a contented sigh, “Then, you won’t have to worry about it.”

              I was so surprised that I stopped following her, “There is no way to break the bond,” I said, suddenly interested in the cure.

              She stopped walking and turned to me, “Yes, there is,” she said, raising her chin, “I told you that Eli and Emilian know how.”

              I raised a brow, “Have they told you?” I asked, trying to feign disinterest and failing miserably. 

              She shook her head, “No,” she said with a grin.

              “Then, how do you know they aren’t lying to you?” I asked as my heart sank. 

              “Because I am personally acquainted with someone they broke the bond for,” she said with a satisfied grin, “He’s now with someone else even though his mate died.”

              Though I had tried to remain composed, I jumped at her words, “You’ve seen this happen?” I asked.

              She grinned not answering the question.  Instead, she pursed her lip as if satisfied with my reaction. 

“Interested, aren’t you?” She asked with a raised brow, “Don’t worry, we’ll break your bond with Luc.”

              My eyes widened as she turned from me and I shook my head.  I didn’t want to break my bond with Luc.  I wanted to break her bond with Emilian.  Instead of saying more, I followed her down the hall to a set of doors at the very back of the house. 

              She opened the door and smiled, “Through here,” she said with raised brows.  I hesitated causing her to huff as she said, “You want to see him don’t you?”

I closed my eyes as Luc’s heartbeat melded with my own.  He was close.  I nodded as I walked through the door.  I gasped as I found him bloody and chained to a wall in front of me.