Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Samantha
As soon as the potpourri is out of the house, I manage to breathe and relax. I’m pretty sure Zack is exaggerating his limp when he allows me to help him into the den. With a groan, he flops down on the sofa and pulls me with him, practically on top of him.
He doesn’t even turn on the TV, just nuzzles my cheek and neck.
“What are you doing?”
“Scent marking you,” he replies and I rear back.
“What?”
“You might not drink my blood, but you’ll carry my scent, dove.” He nuzzles me again and then kisses my shoulder softly. I’m not sure what to think about him laying a claim like that, but then I have to laugh a little.
We’ve bled together. He fucked my pussy to oblivion. I forced my blood on him. I think I can live with his scent on me. When I relax into him, he purrs. The sound lulls me into almost sleep where time doesn’t matter.
At some point, Rafael carries me to bed. His blood tastes richer; he probably drank from Santiago again. When I wake, it’s Santiago in the bed with me. He runs his fingers through my hair in an absentminded way that tells me he’s deep in thought.
“Where’s Rafael?”
“It’s his turn to keep watch,” Santiago replies, his gaze snapping to mine.
“Huh?”
“Someone needs to keep watch in case Patricia returns.”
“Oh. You think she’ll come back?”
“With her, you never know,” Santiago replies. “Are you hungry?”
I shake my head. I debate getting up, but Santiago’s stroking is soothing and I end up dozing off again. It feels like my body is finally catching up on rest and I lose track of time.
Rafael comes in to feed me, which turns to sex, which leads to me coming until I black out. More sleep. Blood. Riding Zack until his eyes roll over.
A perfect day, really.
It’s late in the evening when the unease I’ve tried to forget finally grows to the point I can’t ignore it anymore.
My danger sense keeps pinging, but there’s nothing here.
It’s not until I rise to pace in front of the windows, my gaze constantly getting pulled toward the forest, that I realize it’s not mine.
The thing. There’s something wrong with him. When I try to reach out, he rebuffs my effort. That more than anything convinces me that I’m right.
“Samantha?” Rafael asks when I stiffen. “What is it?”
I shake my head, focusing on Jim. Sharp pain lashes over my ribs, but I know the pain is not mine. Whatever happened, I think it distracted Jim enough that for a moment his concentration breaks and I feel a tug toward him.
For a second, the world turns black.
“Samantha, no!” I hear Rafael’s anguished roar and something shattering. My entire focus is glued to the black tether inside of me. It’s vicious, strong, and it’s calling me. I know without a shred of doubt that the thing is in danger.
And I need to help.
That’s all I can think about and my body takes over, it knows what to do. When I blink and the blackness recedes, I’m outside, running. The forest blurs around me, but I manage to avoid snagging Rafael’s shirt on anything. As long as I don't think too hard, my instincts take care of things.
:Jim! I scream in my mind.
:Mate, no! Go back! He shouts, furious, but I’m having none of it.
“Not your mate,” I pant and keep going.
:Go back now!
“No!”
Damn these men. I feel him trying to pull back and confuse my senses, but it’s not working like before. There’s a part of me that’s affected, but the other parts stay steady. The parts that are linked to Rafael, Santiago, and Zack. He has no control over those pockets.
I don’t have time to mull it over now. He’s in danger. I know that as surely as I know that Santiago and Rafael are speeding after me. I push my body to move faster. I don’t need to lose them from my track, but they can’t catch me.
:Mate, it is not safe for you. Jim tries to plead with me, but his focus is split between me and whatever threat is closing in.
“I don’t get why I care, since you attacked me,” I mutter more to myself and the wave of shock that slams me makes me stumble.
:I saved you!
“I remember things a bit differently. Zack saved me,” I growl.
:The wolf? What did he save you from?
“You!”
There’s a long silence and then he sighs. :Go back, mate. We’ll talk about this later.
“No! We are discussing this right now. What do you mean you saved me?”
:The bitch was stalking you. I jumped in between barely in time.
“But… who?” An image of Patricia flashes through my mind and I gasp. Then I realize I’m seeing something Jim is seeing right now. Patricia. The threat is a snarling Patricia closing in on Jim. Wounding Jim.
:She had a knife. I’m sorry I didn’t fully protect you from the poison.
That’s all he says and then I feel a wall build between us.
I run faster. Faster.
Voices tease at the edge of my hearing.
“You attacked my mate.”
“Little bitch, she—”
The clearing stinks so badly of blood that I have no problem tracking it down even after Jim shuts me out. Stupid, stupid man. I’m going to gut him for that. After I pound into his head that I’m not his mate.
My heart stutters violently when I see a massive bear—covered in blood—rearing in front of Patricia. She’s blurring closer, slashing him, and blurring away again.
“Get away from him,” I scream as I charge her.
There’s priceless shock on her face when my fist lands. Lucky, I got lucky, I realize as soon as she pivots and kicks me across the clearing. Whatever fighting we did before was restrained, almost polite.
This is going to hurt.
I spit out blood and get back on my feet. She’s snarling at me, totally ignoring the bear. I’m ignoring him too despite the frantic pleas he’s sending at me. I’m not going to run. I’m not going to leave him to face Patricia alone.
From the back of my mind, an image of Alyssa’s bloodied body rises and I glance between Jim and Patricia.
The foul smell is present here too, but I’m not so sure I read things quite right back then.
I thought the smell was from Jim, but maybe…
I sniff the air and snarl. The whole clearing is permeated with that smell. I can’t make out who it’s coming from.
“You—”
“Don’t ever and I mean ever again touch any of my men,” I cut Patricia off.
“Your men?” She laughs.
I don’t waste any more breath arguing with her and, instead, charge again.
I know I’ve made a mistake the second Patricia’s eyes narrow and the smile drops from her face.
The knife slices deep into my stomach and this time Jim is not there in time to knock me out of the way.
He tries, though. The bloody bear crashes over me and presses me to the ground, forcing the air out of my lungs.
I try to wriggle free to get some air, but he refuses to move and that leaves him vulnerable to Patricia, who doesn’t hesitate to cut into him. I smell the blood and feel him flinch with every slash.
“Get off me,” I manage to whisper. Jim!
He doesn’t reply, only keeps me pressed to the ground.
My heart pounds so hard it’s making me dizzy, or maybe it’s the lack of oxygen.
For a second, my mind takes a detour wondering how I can be a vampire with a heartbeat and why do I need to breathe so bad, but then Patricia’s voice pulls me out of it.
“I’m going to kill you, you fucking furball. And then I’m going to cut that little vamp to pieces.”
“Fuck you, bitch,” I manage to snarl back at her.
Jim shudders over me but still refuses to move.