Werewolf Rage Book #2 in the Taming The Wolf Series (16 page)

Cyrus smiled at her and patted her knee.
“Harry’s here, waiting for you,” he said and pointed to the people standing on the front steps of the Carlston home. She leaned forward in her seat, her hand on the dashboard as she stared at the figure of her father. He was standing on the bottom stair, just staring at their car and she could tell from his posture, he was tense.

She looked at Cyrus as they slowed down and parked.
“My dad was upset, wasn’t he?” she asked.

Cyrus raised his eyebrows and nodded once slowly.
“
Yes he was
,” he said simply in such an understated way that she winced.

When the car stopped, she stepped out with every muscle protesting against the movement. Unsure of her legs she walked a few steps toward her dad, ignoring everyone else and the shouts that erupted from the people behind him. Harry stared at her
face for a moment, his eyes so sad and stormy that it made her want to cry. He rushed forward and picked her up, holding her tightly in his arms. She held him back, wishing she could stop crying but unable to hold the emotion back.

She had come so close to dying, so close to never seeing her new home, her father or her mate again, that she didn’t think she’d ever take them for granted again.
Harry slowly lowered her to the ground and cupped her face in his hands as he stared into her eyes. She slowly raised her eyes to her father’s, knowing that he had always been able to see into her soul, to her thoughts and feelings. What he saw in her eyes couldn’t have been good because he lowered his head and covered his eyes with his hand. For the first time in her life, she saw her father cry.

Ava wiped the tears off her own face and then wrapped her arms around her father as she leaned her head against his chest.
The noise and shouting faded slowly, leaving an emotionally charged atmosphere that grew heavy and hard.

Ava closed her eyes as her father tried to regain control of
himself. She felt him kiss her hair and pull away. She bit her lip as she looked up at her father and felt Cyrus standing behind her, not touching her, but giving her his support.

“Ava, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” he said, his voice breaking and his eyes devastated.

Ava smiled at her father. “You raised me to be strong and never give up. I knew I’d see you again,” she said softly, not adding that it had crossed her mind a few times that it might be from heaven.

Cyrus waved to the crowd and said something about her needing her rest and that they’d answer all their questions later. She was then escorted into the house and out of public sight,
allowing her to her breathe normally again.  As she took a grateful seat on a stool her father nodded his head and swallowed , looking down at her hands in his grasp. “The things he did to you Ava.
Did he . . .?
” he asked, not able to finish the sentence.

Ava closed her eyes and looked away.
“I don’t
think
so.”

Harry groaned and turned around, holding his head in his hands.
A growling howl ripped out of Harry’s throat and Ava covered her mouth with her hands. Cyrus put his arms around her from behind, leaning his head down close to her ear.

“He’ll be okay Ava.
He just needs time.”

Ava nodded as she whisked the tears off her face. Harry turned back around, running his hands through his hair, his face a mask of rage.
Ava pulled out of Cyrus’s arms and stood up to put her hands on her father’s chest.

“I’m alive.
That’s all that matter’s right now. Please be okay Dad,” she begged.

Harry shook his head back and forth jerkily.
“I’ll never be okay with this. Braxton Mayhew is going to die,” he said in a voice laced with violence and hatred

Ava closed her eyes, picturing a bloody feud between their two towns and felt exhausted and sad.
“I just want this to end,” she said softly.

Cyrus frowned worriedly at her. “Do
you want to go to your room, or the family room?”

Ava
shook her head. “No Cyrus, I just want to be here in the kitchen and watch Patricia cook. I want to watch you joke around with your dad and I want to see my dad standing by the sink, flirting with Perry. I just want everything to be the way it was.”

Cyrus didn’t say anything but
walked over and opened the fridge and pulled out a soda for her as she sat back down. He walked round the island and leaned his arms on the counter as he stared at her.

Ava took a sip and tilted her head as she studied his serious face.
“I think you’re taking my, uh,
situation
with Braxton better than my dad,” she said with a faint smile.

Cyrus didn’t blink as he looked at her.
“You think so?” he asked softly.

Ava frowned and blinked a few times.
“Aren’t you?” she prodded.

Cyrus smiled and she looked closer.
Past the quiet. Past the comforting smiles. And then she saw it.
Rage
. Pure, volcanic rage, held back so ruthlessly, that if someone even looked at him wrong, he’d crack.

“Oh Cyrus,” she breathed out, standing up in concern.

Cyrus licked his lips and smiled at her. “Before everyone comes in, I’d like to ask for your engagement ring back. I’m going to have to call an end to our relationship for now,” he said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ava’s mouth fell open and she stared down at her hand, weighed down by the large diamond and heavy gold band.

“What?
Why?
” she asked, her voice trembling. “Because Braxton touched me? Because he kissed me? I told you I don’t think he did anything more than that,” she pleaded.

Cyrus stared at her angrily.
“You think I would break up with you because you were touched or raped? Is that what you think of me?”

Ava shook her head, holding her hand with her ring against her chest protectively.
“What am I supposed to think? Tell me what’s going on Cyrus!” she demanded loudly.

Cyrus put his hands on his hips and stared at her.
“I’m going to be gone for a while. A long time. I don’t know if I’ll be back. It would be better for you if you weren’t engaged. I want you to be free in case something happens to me,” he said walking around the counter and taking her hand briskly in his hand and pulling at the ring.

Ava squawked and ripped her hand out of his grasp, pushing her ring firmly back in place.
“Don’t you dare,” she breathed out, her eyes glowing with anger. “Don’t you dare put your life and our lives together at risk over revenge. Love me more than that. Love me enough to let it go,” she begged, moving around the counter as he followed her.

Cyrus closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head.
“And live the rest of my life knowing what that man did to you? He knows you’re my mate. He knows I adore you. And he touched you and hurt you and took you from me. There’s no greater insult. I can’t rest until he’s dead. I can’t breathe until he’s not able to breathe anymore. I can’t live . . .,
really live
until this is finished,” he said, his face turning red and his eyes bright with emotion.

Ava backed away quickly as he tried to snatch her hand again.
“Don’t do this Cyrus.
Please
, let’s wait a few days and talk it over. Let’s let our emotions calm down. Braxton wants you to go after him. He
wants
a blood bath. Please don’t give him what he wants,” she begged.

Cyrus shook his head angrily.
“He set his fate in stone the second he touched you,” he said and jumped on her so quickly, she didn’t even have a chance to react. He slid the ring off her finger and slipped it in his pocket as she moaned in misery.

“I don’t care if you have the ring or not Cyrus
.  You’re mine and I’m yours. Nothing could ever change that for me.”

Cyrus shrugged, his face, harder and colder than she’d ever seen it.
“My mom can keep you tranquilized through the worst of the withdrawals. When I’m gone, you’ll need a new mate. Someone strong and smart to protect you. Cole would be perfect for you,” he said, saying the words as if they were razor blades coming out of his mouth.

Ava looked at him in horror and shock.
“I can’t believe you’re saying these things to me,” she whispered brokenly, stepping forward to put her hands on his chest.

Cyrus reached up and gently pulled her hands down and stepping away from her.
“Please don’t touch me again. I’m leaving now to go up to my dad’s hunting cabin. I’ll be there for a few days while I go through withdrawals. After that, I’ll be going after Braxton. My parents already know of my plans. When your pains start, find my mom and she will help you. You’re moving tonight into your father’s home. It’ll be easier on my parents that way when you become engaged to Cole.”

Ava pounded her fist on the counter and screamed making Cyrus jump and his face tighten.
“I’ll never forgive you if you walk away from me,” she said through gritted teeth.

Cyrus shrugged.
“Someday you will. But by then, you’ll have Cole’s children and I’ll be a faded memory. Take care of yourself Ava,” he said with a forced smile and then turned and walked quickly out of the kitchen, leaving her alone and seething with rage and hurt and shock.

Ava stayed where she was, frozen for so long she lost track of time. When she felt a touch on her arm, she jumped, making a distressed sound.

“Baby, it’s me,” her dad said and pulled her into his arms.

Ava stayed stiff unable to think, her mind a complete blank. She couldn’t accept a world where Cyrus wasn’t with her anymore. She couldn’t bear to think of a future without him. She felt a hot ripping pain tear through her soul and she screamed in shock, falling to her knees and grasping her head.

She heard her father swear viciously but ignored him as anguished keening sounds tore out of her throat. She was faintly aware of her father running out of the room as she screamed again, turning on her stomach and clawing the floor with her nails.
Another wave of agony tore through her and she opened her throat, wanting to scream, but the pain was too great. Her eyes were wide, unseeing as her body froze in torment, her jaw locked open in a silent scream.

The sound of running feet penetrated her thoughts and urgent hands grabbed her lifting her body and carrying her to the couch.
She fought the hands. She wouldn’t be taken again, she thought over and over and then a wave of pain swept through her, so forcefully she felt like her body was being pulled apart.

She barely felt the pressure of the needle slip into her skin as strong arms held her down as she thrashed, writhing in pain so exquisite she knew she had to be close to death.
As another scream tore out of her raw throat, she felt a numb sensation ease up through her legs and arms. She moaned in distress but the numbness grew bigger, taking over her thighs and torso. Her mind felt funny, like it was closing in on her, blocking out the pain, blocking out everything. Her mouth fell open, lax as her head fell to the side, the muscles in her back and neck relaxing.

“She’s almost there,” she barely heard Patricia say, in a thick voice filled with tears.

“Cyrus?” she heard her father ask wearily.

“Over there in the corner Harry.
He insisted on watching. He wanted to make sure she made it through alive,” she heard Tobias say gruffly as her eyes closed.

And then she felt someone lean over her and run their hand over her hair before brushing a light kiss on her forehead.

“Good bye sweetheart,” Cyrus whispered. And then she was out.

***

Ava woke up feeling scratchy. She lifted up a hand and stared at her fingers. Her skin felt strange like it wasn’t hers. She sat up slowly and looked around. She didn’t recognize the room she was in. She scanned her surroundings and noticed it was a plain, room. Beige walls, white quilt and a bland picture of a boring landscape on the wall in front of her. She reached up a hand and massaged her stiff neck and pushed the covers off her legs. She felt sore and tired as she stepped onto the wooden floor and stood up. She looked down and saw that someone had changed her into an old fashioned nightgown that wasn’t hers.

She walked over to the mirror over the small pine dresser and stared at the woman looking back at her.
She looked the same. Long, slightly wavy, dark blond hair with a few light blond streaks from summer. Her eyes were the same warm rich brown. Her face looked exactly as it always had. But If the way she looked on the outside reflected the way she felt on the inside, she’d look like a corpse.

She noticed the paper sitting on the dresser and picked it up.

Ava, come downstairs when you wake up.
– Dad

She let the paper fall from her hands and walked over to the closet.
She saw that all of her clothes were now hanging on new hangers. She’d been gotten rid of and transferred. She was now living in her grandfather Titus’s house. She felt a sense of revulsion so deep, she gritted her teeth. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. She looked through the dresser for socks and found her tennis shoes easily by the door. She ran a brush through her hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. She paused and walked back to the closet and looked on the floor at the very back. A suitcase. She stared at it thoughtfully for a moment before turning around and walking out of the room.

She tried to ignore her surroundings as she found her way to the kitchen.
Her dad was leaning against the counter talking to Perry. Her hand was on his shoulder in a familiar affectionate manner that spoke volumes about their relationship.

She watched them for a moment and then cleared her throat softly, “Hi.”

Harry whipped his head around and rushed to her side, looking at her closely and feeling the pulse in her neck with his finger. “How are you feeling honey?” he asked gently.

Ava stared back at him curiously.
Did he really want her to describe the hell she was feeling right now? She didn’t answer him and glanced at Perry. Perry stared at her with guilt and anxiousness. She couldn’t deal with Perry’s emotions. She had too many of her own to handle.

“I’m hungry,” she said and pulled away from her dad’s hands, turning toward the fridge.
Harry made a clicking sound with his mouth and joined her at the fridge. “Perry made a breakfast casserole for us. It has hash browns and eggs and cheese and sausage. It’s delicious. Come sit down at the table and I’ll bring you a plate. You must be starving. You’ve been out for two days straight,” he said worriedly.

Ava shrugged and walked over to the table and sat down obediently. Perry poured her a glass of juice while her father served her the breakfast casserole.
She ate exactly half of the casserole but drank all of the juice while her father and Perry stared at her worriedly. She patted her lips with the napkin and stood up. She turned to walk out of the room but her father grabbed her hand.

“Ava, please sit down so we can talk,” he said gently, pulling her back to the table.

Ava shrugged and sat down again, looking at him expectantly. He stared at her for a moment and ran his hands through his hair. “Like I said, you’ve been out for a couple days. We’re living in my house now. Things have changed a little. There are things you need to be made aware of. Cyrus is gone of course. He took off right after um, he knew you’d live. We’ve had three attacks by hybrids in the last couple days. Kurt was attacked last night but he fought them off of course. He’s injured, but he’ll be okay. The other two attacks were on homes on the outskirts of town. We’re starting to do patrols. We were able to catch one early this morning.”

Ava nodded her head as if she cared and waited for the rest.
Harry frowned and glanced at Perry who was staring at her strangely.

“Go on,” she prompted, staring at the clock above her father’s head.

Harry nodded.
“We’re getting four men and two women together to go up to Tanner’s Landing this afternoon. We’re going to try to negotiate a truce between our towns. I won’t be going. I’ll be staying here to protect the town. Tobias is going though,” he said worriedly.

Ava nodded her head and stood up.
“I hope that works out for you,” she said and walked toward the doorway.

Harry stood up.
“
Ava
. Where are you going honey?  You can’t follow Cyrus. He wouldn’t want you to. Please honey, please sit down and talk to us.”

Ava looked back over her shoulder with a faint frown.
“I’m leaving Dad. I’m done here. I never want to see Paskell again. I never want to see Cyrus again. I don’t want to see anybody here ever again. I’m going home to Washington.”

“Wait
, what are you talking about? What will you do?” Harry demanded.

“I’ll go to school since I’m already registered.
I’ll go back to my old life. This one didn’t work out so well for me,” she said faintly and walked out of the room as her father rushed to her side.

Harry put himself in front of her, gripping her shoulders in his hands.
“You can’t mean that sweetheart. It might seem like you want to leave now, but please, give it a few days. The effects of a withdrawal can take weeks and even months or years to fade and go away. Just give it time Ava. You’ll feel like yourself again. You’ll be happy again someday, I promise,” he said urgently.

Ava tilted her head and stared at her father for a few minutes before talking.
“I love you Dad, but if you don’t get out of my way I’m going to hurt you,” she said in a low serious voice as she stared her father down.

Harry blinked in shock and let his hands drop.
She walked past him and up the stairs to her room and went to the closet. She grabbed the suitcase and opened it, throwing it on the floor. She grabbed all of the clothes in the closet, hangers and threw them in the suitcase. She walked over to the dresser and pulled out all of her underwear and t shirts and bras and threw them on top. She then turned to the bathroom and looked in the room curiously. Yep, all of her makeup and hair products. She went back and dragged her suitcase over to the bathroom and dumped everything in, not caring how messy she was being. She zipped it up and then looked around for her purse. It was hanging on the back of the door. She picked it up and scanned the contents. Everything was still in place, including her license and credit cards. Perfect. She was ready.

She pulled the strap over her shoulder and picked up the suitcase and walked out the door.
She made it down stairs and then paused. She needed a car. She looked around and saw her dad and Perry standing in the hallway staring at her sadly.

“You’ll need a car.
Take mine,” he said, holding out the keys to her.

Ava nodded without any expression and walked over, snatching the keys out of his hand.
She turned and grabbed her suitcase and opened the door.

“Hybrids are watching the town.
If they attack you, I won’t be able to help you. You’ll be on your own,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

She glanced over her shoulder and shrugged.
“I’m always on my own. No one’s ever there to save me,” she said and left the house.

She walked over to her dad’s jeep and threw her suitcase in the back and opened the car door.

“That’s it? No good byes. Nothing?” her father asked walking down the stairs to stand by the car. His face filled with pain and shock.

Ava blinked in surprise.
“Nothing is all I have left,” she said and got in the jeep and drove off. She didn’t bother looking in the rearview mirror. She could only look ahead now.

She turned onto
Main Street and drove past all the stores, the pharmacy and the pub. She kept her gaze firmly on the middle of the road and put her foot on the gas pedal. Driving past the lake though made her heart hurt for some reason. It was the place she’d first met Cyrus. She turned and looked away and noticed that a black Humvee had fallen in behind her, following her at a close distance.

She glared at the mirror and put on speed.
She was up to ninety mph within seconds, but the other car kept up, keeping the same amount of distance between them. She leaned over and flipped the glove compartment open and looked at her father’s Beretta 9mm she knew he kept there. She leaned forward and took the gun out, holding it on her lap. She was so done with Braxton and his men and his desire to have revenge. She steered with her knees for a moment as she checked the safety. She racked the slide, loading a round in the chamber and then turned around as she kept one hand on the steering wheel. Her eyesight had always been abnormally good. There were just so many perks to being a werewolf.

She aimed carefully and shot the front right tire of the Humvee.
She turned around in her seat and smiled for the first time that day as she watched in her rear view mirror as the vehicle behind her flipped over and over, landing in a pile of smoke at the side of the road.

She laid the gun on the passenger seat and relaxed.
She thought she saw some movement to the side of the road and knew she had seen a creature running after her. It was most likely a hybrid, but even a hybrid couldn’t chase down a jeep going ninety. No, she was done with hybrids. She was done with love. She was done with Cyrus and she was done with
everything
.

If a phoenix could rise from its own ashes, then maybe she could too.
But it wouldn’t be here.

Ava drove for two
painfully long days dogged by memories she didn’t want any more before finally reaching their home in Seattle around midnight. She used her keys to let herself in and took a deep breath, shutting the door behind her and locking it. She left the suitcase in the car, but held the gun in her hand. She walked through the house, turning on and off lights as she stared at her old home with new eyes.

She walked to top floor of their home where her father’s library was and the entrance to the top deck. She opened the door and walked out onto the wooden deck and walked over to the railing.
It was a clear sky tonight and with the full moon, she could see light glisten on the water in the distance. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She lowered her head to her hands and felt herself relax. She would be safe here. This was the world where werewolves didn’t exist. This was the world where everything made sense. Here she would find no hybrids. No revenge. No love.
Thank goodness
. She never wanted to feel that way again. Feeling that way meant she had given the power of her happiness to someone else to hold. Cyrus had held her whole life in his hands and he’d throw it away. She lifted her face to the moonlight and smiled.