CHAPTER 21
Rue
Another loud bang reverberates from outside, startling me so bad I practically jump into Arya’s arms. Her senses are on high alert, but she stays calm while I internally freak the smudge out. She glances from me to the door and back again as if she’s warring with herself on what to do.
BAM!
A squeal escapes me and Arya leaps to her feet. “Stay here. I’ll check it out.” I open my mouth to protest but she’s prowling out of the bedroom before I can even blink. I know she can handle herself. Shifters are extremely protective and territorial, and have the strength to back it up, but things can change in the blink of an eye. My nerves are practically eating me alive as the seconds tick by without any answers. I guess not hearing a commotion or sounds of fighting is a good thing, but I can’t help but worry… and pace, wearing a hole in the rug in the bedroom.
Right as I’m about to yank open the door and search for her, the doorknob turns and my heart thunders in my ears. Arya waltzes in half naked. I slap my hand over my eyes while she tugs a shirt over her bare tits. “Turns out the culprit was the shed door,” she tells me.
I peek through my fingers, only to catch a glimpse of bare skin. I wait a beat before asking, “Are you dressed yet?”
She snorts. “I’d forgotten how weird other supes can be about nudity. Yes, I’m decent.”
I uncover my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief when I find she’s fully clothed. Not that I have anything against nudity, but it’s not something I’m used to. “So, you said it was the shed door?” I question.
It should ease my nerves that there’s nothing out there with malicious intent. No red eyes or fangs lurking to tear me to shreds. But it doesn’t. My tea leaves are rarely wrong. They once predicted a breakup of mine at the beginning of the relationship. I shrugged it off like an idiot and ended up with my heart broken. I haven’t done that since. Especially when my body is telling me something isn’t right.
“Yeah, it’s windy which is causing it to bang against the frame. I closed it and now it’s fine.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “I don’t know… I still have a bad feeling. Would you mind trying Caylix again?”
She doesn’t question me, simply nods and pulls her phone out, which I appreciate. With quick fingers she dials his number and holds it up to her ear. We sit in silence while waiting for him to pick up, but he doesn’t. She tries Rhys and Kathan next. Same thing; nothing.
She huffs. “They must be inside HQ. The metal roof sucks for cell service.”
I take a few deep breaths, trying not to let the rising panic get to me. It doesn’t work. There’s a buzz underneath my skin like an electrical current, getting stronger by the second. “Is there anything else we can do? Don’t shifters have a mental connection with their pack?”
She shakes her head. “Sadly, it doesn’t work like that. The connection is one sided. Caylix could send me a message because of the pack bond since he’s alpha, but I can’t get anything across to him.”
That figures. I attempt to shake out the tinglies in my fingers. It doesn’t help. “Keep trying. It’s not an exact science but the leaves don’t lie. Something is wrong.”
I expect her to quirk a brow at me, but she doesn’t, earning more of my trust. Most people would be quick to write it off like nothing.
Wordlessly, she calls him one more time. “Dammit,” she curses when there’s still no answer. Her fingers fly across the screen as she sends a flurry of text messages. “I keep telling them they need to find a way to boost the cell service inside the building, but do they listen to me? No, of course not.” Her rambling is directed mostly to herself, so I don’t comment. She levels her gaze on me, eyes completely gold, but slightly different from the guys. Theirs seem to glow while hers are duller. I wonder if it has anything to do with their power levels. “You need to tell me what’s got you so spooked so I can protect us if it comes knockin’.”
She’s right. I know she is, but a part of me—the one I haven’t even let admit it to myself yet—doesn’t want to come clean. Because if I tell her, admit it out loud, then it becomes this real, terrifying thing I can’t ignore anymore. My whole body is tense. I’m so on edge I feel like I could transform into a blade and cut the tension like a knife.
Caylix seemed to leave it up to me to share with her what I wanted in the grocery store. He trusts her… but can I?
My gaze flicks away from the window to Arya. Her expression, while guarded, is also honest. Despite knowing her for a short amount of time, there’s a bond between us. It’s completely different from the one with my men, but something between us all the same. She hasn’t treated me with anything other than respect and a healthy dose of curiosity, which I think is her personality. I have to make a decision. I have to trust my instincts.
So, I do. The truth flows out of my mouth in a rush. She listens silently, her hazel eyes widening as I tell her everything. Sometimes she seems like she wants to interrupt to ask a question, but she doesn’t. She lets me get it all out.
“Which brings me to now.” I grab my teacup and show her the drop of blood. “I saw this in my tea reading the morning of my birthday, but I thought it was a teardrop because my powers didn’t increase, and I was upset over it. Or the fact that my two supposed best friends ditched me. Either way, it was an awful day.”
Arya whistles low under her breath. “Holy hell, Rue. This is like… next level insane.” The more she talks the more animated she gets, turning to stare at me in awe. “You were half eaten by a feral and are still kicking? Shit, no wonder my brothers are so secretive about you. Not to mention head over heels, goo-goo gaga in love, struck by Cupid’s arrow. You catch my drift?”
My mouth twists. “I don’t know about that. Kathan acts like he hates my guts, and Caylix is still guarded. Maybe I could see it from Rhys, but I don’t know…” I trail off and she gives me a grin like she knows something I don’t.
“You’ll see. They’d protect you with their lives, trust me.”
I open my mouth to argue or, I don’t know, agree, when something bangs outside so much louder than before. My heart jumps to my throat and I leap to my feet. Arya and I race to the living room, only to stop and stare in horror outside.
The glass window that leads toward the swamp showcases the not-so-feral vampire and about six ferals, all of them twitching like zombies on a TV show would. The sight sends a spike of fear straight through me, and the leader’s lips curve into a grin as he sees me tremble with fear. His nostrils flare like he can smell it even from this distance and through the walls.
I don’t want to tell myself I told you so because that would be silly, but like, I knew something wasn’t right. It makes me wonder if he’s been toying with us because I can’t imagine the guys leaving the shed door open in the first place.
This time Arya dials Caylix without any prompting, but when it goes to voicemail, we both glance at each other and her golden eyes harden. She gives me a silent nod before rounding the counter in the kitchen. She yanks open the cabinet underneath the sink, producing two hand-carved stakes, one of which she tosses to me. My hand closes around the wood so hard it bites into my palm. The pain brings me a small bit of clarity, and I do my best to shove away my rising anxiety. This is bad. So hexin’ bad.
She checks the front entrance next and grimaces. “At least four more out here. We’re surrounded, but they can’t get in without an invitation. As long as we don’t go outside, it’ll be okay.” The confident way she says it makes me wince, and she notices. “Don’t burst my bubble, Rue. Don’t you do it.”
Cursed rat tails, I can’t believe I forgot to mention how the not-so-feral stormed in like it was nothing. “Uh, about that… The one I cured managed to get in without permission the day he escaped. What if the rules don’t apply to him because he’s something else entirely?”
“Are you kidding me?” she asks, her expression equal parts awe and horror. I wince and nod. “Fuck. Okay, ferals still can’t enter without permission but maybe something about curing him changed things. He’ll be a problem, but surely, he’s not stupid enough to come in here on his own. It’d be a hard-won battle, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to take on one by myself.”
The guilt over her potentially having to defend me is eating me up. “I’m so sorry, Arya. I—”
“Don’t apologize,” she interrupts with a light growl. It’s enough to get me to clamp my mouth shut. “It’s not your fault.” She yanks the front of her leather jacket, straightening it like a badass. “If worse comes to worst, I’ll shift and bite the fuckers head off. Ferals are stronger and faster, but my wolf is better.”
“Okay,” I respond, watching as the reformed feral seems to be barking orders to the other ones. Even in their beastly state, they seem to listen to him. It’s freaky and far from the mindlessness of them I expect.
“Hello, beacon.” The vampire’s raspy voice crawls over my skin like he’s standing right in front of me. The hair on the back of my neck rises and my feet are glued to the spot as I watch him through the window.
“Why are you here? What do you want from me?” I shout, and he only grins. Even from here I catch a glimpse of his razor-sharp fangs. The ones that almost drained the life out of me. I shiver. “You’re not welcome here,” I croak and take a step back.
Two things happen at once. The not-so-feral phases toward the cabin as Arya puts her arm in front of me to drag me behind her, tensing for the inevitable fight ahead. “No!” I scream as he yanks the door open, but a miracle happens. He rams straight into an invisible wall and bounces off it, somehow managing not to land on his ass. His features contort into a snarl of rage, and this time, he shoulders into the doorway. Over and over, he tries, but not an inch of him crosses the threshold. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way,” he snaps and retreats.
Arya’s every bit the predator shifters are known for right now. Her gaze constantly scans the property, trying to get a read on what the hex is happening. “Not that it’ll do any good, but I’ll ring Caylix one more time. If he doesn’t answer, you and I are staying put until they get my messages. I don’t know what changed, but neither of us need to take a step outside this house.”
All I can think about is that episode of Vampire Diaries where something similar happens and they torch the house to get them outside. My lungs suddenly feel like they’re too big for my chest, like my whole body is too big for this cabin, and the walls are caving in.
Breathe, Rue. You’re having a panic attack. In and out. In and out. Several deep breaths later, the spacey feeling recedes enough for me to pay attention. I can’t lose focus at a time like this. There will be time to break down and be cuddled later, but right now, I need to be strong.
Arya slams her phone down in frustration, and I hear the telltale voice of the mailbox lady through the speakers. She hits the end button, and it immediately lights up again with Caylix’s face across the caller ID. I suck in a sharp breath as she fumbles to answer it. Immediately, she tries to relay what’s happening but she’s more panicked than she let on and it comes out in an angry jumble mixed with wolf growls.
Meanwhile, my focus shifts to the ferals outside, watching them move and twitch. The leader, as I’m dubbing him, disappears into the tall grass, and I tilt my head in confusion. Where is he going? What’s his endgame in all this?
I don’t have to wonder for long. He rounds the corner with a woman in his grip and my heart leaps to my throat. Arya isn’t paying attention because she’s still explaining what’s happening to Caylix. Everything seems to be unfolding in slow motion like everyone is sluggish, but at the same time, they’re not. I chew on the inside of my cheek as I take a step toward the glass and another, until I can see who he’s holding clearer.
It’s the bartender from the other night, and from the looks of it, she fought them hard. Her face is bruised, which takes incredible force to accomplish with a vampire since they heal so quickly. There’s also a giant gash in her side, dripping with dark red blood. Her clothes are ragged, and it seems like she’s barely holding on. But she’s alert enough that when she sees me through the glass, she stiffens.
There’s a flicker of knowledge in her hard eyes as she stares at me. Does she know something about my blood? Is that why she was the first vampire to start acting weird in my presence?
The leader draws my attention back to him. “I don’t think I have to tell you what will happen if you don’t willingly come outside,” that dark, scratchy voice that’s haunted my thoughts lately says. I shouldn’t be able to hear him this well from the other side of the glass, but it’s almost as if he’s speaking directly in my ear, sending a shiver racing down my spine. He shakes the bartender, and she groans.
For the first time, I notice his eyes are completely red and they match the mindless ones around him. When he attacked me inside Kathan’s bedroom, they were normal. Is this a side effect to curing him or is he turning feral again?
Or is this something else entirely?
Hexes, we need answers to questions we don’t even know to ask. All of this is completely unexplored territory.
Apparently, I’ve stayed quiet too long because the vampire wrenches her head to the side, and she lets out a pitiful scream. “Time’s ticking.”
Arya steps up beside me, her phone still up to her ear. “He’s trying to draw you out, but you can’t let him. They’re on their way, okay?” She doesn’t have to tell me who. I can feel their panic as freshly as my own, battering my chest with their worry.
“He’ll kill her if I don’t do something,” I hiss.
She glances at the bartender, and a flicker of something crosses her face. Regret, maybe? But when she focuses on me again, her eyes are determined. “Who knows what they’ll do to you, Rue. Risking your life for hers is non-negotiable. I’ll tie you to a chair if I have to. I’m under strict orders from three very growly, very overprotective alphas to keep you in my sight.”
Outrage bowls through me so completely, a strangled gasp escapes my lips, and she at least has the decency to wince. “So, because I carry magical blood that we don’t know a single thing about, that automatically means my life is above hers? It could’ve been a fluke! We don’t know. We know nothing about it,” I shout, my temper flaring. It’s not right. None of this is okay.
She shushes me, eyes imploring me to calm down. “How about we don’t let our enemy know that? And I thought wolves have a temper,” she mutters and leans in close to my ear. “We’re only stalling until reinforcements show up.”
“You’re running out of time,” the vampire snaps. This time, he digs a finger into the gash on the bartender’s side and she screams in agony.
“There’s no way they’ll make it in time.”
Vaguely, I hear Caylix through the phone, but I ignore him. I’d never be able to live with myself if this woman dies because I didn’t act when I could. I’ve never been a selfish person. In fact, I normally go out of my way to make sure everyone else is having a better day than I am. I’m always looking out for others, and this time won’t be any different.
My feet are already carrying me toward the back door before my mind is even completely made up. I’m practically vibrating with nervous energy, but it doesn’t stall my approach. Arya curses, Caylix shouts my name through the speaker, but I ignore them both as my hand wraps around the knob. The leader smiles victoriously, licking his lips as he watches me through the glass door. In hindsight, maybe glass doors and huge windows weren’t the smartest choice here, but it’s not my cabin. “That’s it. Come to us, beacon.”
That’s not the first time he’s called me beacon. Honestly, earlier I chalked it up to his scratchy voice, thinking maybe he’s calling me bacon, because like, who doesn’t like bacon? But it doesn’t seem that way. Beacon. What does it mean?
“Rue! RUE, STOP!” Caylix screams through the phone and his ragged voice on speaker makes me pause. If I go out there, I’m signing my death warrant willingly.
The thought of dying before getting to explore these connections with the men in my life makes my heart ache so fiercely in my chest it steals my breath. I’ll never know the warmth of a bear hug from Kathan, or what Caylix’s massive cock feels like inside me, or how it is to be loved unconditionally by Rhys.
My legs almost give out when Slade flashes before me. It’s the weirdest sensation because he isn’t physically standing in front of me—more like his form is in my mind’s eye, a concerned tilt to his gaze. It’s impossible… but it’s as if our minds are linked for one single, heartbreaking moment in time. His confusion morphs with mine and he disappears in a blink, leaving me reeling.
The memory of his tangy blood in my system hits me hard, followed closely by the way his fingers felt inside me, and the way he gazed at me while sending me over the edge. It all threatens to break my resolve. A keening noise threatens to leave my throat, but I hold it in. I don’t want to die. Them saving me was supposed to be my second chance to explore life and put myself out there. Well, as much as one can when they’re harboring secrets and magical blood.
We never even got to have the mate conversation. If I weren’t staring down my eventual and likely horrific death, I’d open my heart to the bonds in my chest that haven’t faded since saving me, but I can’t. Because it would absolutely wreck them. I’m not selfish enough to put them through that pain, even if it would be easier for me. Even if it’s not a permanent bond.
And they know it too. There’s a rush of panic under my skin, and this time it’s Kathan who tries to get me to listen, his gruff voice coming across Arya’s speaker. “Damn it. Don’t be a fucking hero, Rue.” It’s a command. One my body wants to obey, but I hexin’ can’t. I can’t let the bartender die for me. Despite being a vampire, she’s an innocent bystander in all of this. She doesn’t deserve this fate.
With a deep breath and heavy effort, I turn my attention internally, finding those bonds residing in my chest. I prepare my mental scissors and sever them, saving them the eventual pain of my death even if they can’t feel it, and I’m imagining the connection. The loss of them is so sharp, the emptiness as deep as a chasm, it’s like a knife twisting in my gut, and I can’t suppress the sob before it escapes. Sensing what I’m doing, Arya reaches for me at the same time I lunge outside. The vampire grins triumphantly, beckoning me forward with his free hand.
At the very last second, right as my foot is about to cross the boundary, Arya grabs ahold of the back of my shirt and yanks me with all her might. We go tumbling backwards, the stake clattering to the floor as I scramble to my feet, trying to get my bearings, but it’s too late.
The bartender locks eyes with me, seemingly resigned to her fate. I wish I’d gotten her name.
Her lips move, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. She makes the same motions again, more pronounced, and I watch carefully because I think she’s trying to tell me something.
Dar.
Pause.
Tha.
Wait, I know that name, but where do I know it from?
Those are her last words because the leader’s face twists in rage. Before anything can be said, before I can even react, he puts both hands on either side of her head and twists. Her neck snaps with a sickening sound as he pulls it clean off her body. Blood spurts everywhere. A scream erupts from my throat as it slumps to the ground, her lifeless eyes staring at me as he holds her severed head in his hands.
Bile rises in my throat, and I turn to the side, spilling the contents of my stomach onto the hardwood floors.