Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rafael
The sight that greets me when I reach the clearing a few steps behind Santiago curdles my blood. A huge bear is lying in the middle of the clearing and Patricia is attacking it furiously. Samantha is nowhere to be seen, but I smell her blood.
“Patricia, stop!” Santiago shouts. She doesn’t even blink and I rush closer. At that, she whips her head around.
“Stay, both of you,” she says and the compulsion freezes me in my place.
I can’t even turn my head to see if San is faring any better.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about your new plaything?
” she snarls at me. For the moment, she has abandoned the bear and her fury is fully focused on me.
“I—”
“Oh, I see. You really thought you could keep her a secret. Didn’t I warn you what would happen if you ever did anything like this?”
“Pat—” Santiago tries to butt in, but Patricia cuts him off.
“Shut up. I’ll get to you in a second. I bet you couldn’t wait to get your dick into her either.”
I see tiny movement under the bear and a few fingers poke out. Samantha. I want to sigh in relief, but that won’t last long if we don’t figure something out with Patricia.
“What do you want, Patricia?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm and reasonable.
We just need to buy time. Zack called in reinforcements and he’s on our trail too.
I never thought I’d be happy about him being a damn werewolf, but Patricia can’t compel him.
We just need to give him and the pack time to reach us.
“I want that little vamp out of your life, Rafael. Permanently. And since I can’t trust you to do it, I’ll take care of it for you.” There’s a vehement glint in Patricia’s eyes and I know she’s not joking.
“Fine, you’re right.” I have to force the words out of my mouth.
Samantha has managed to wiggle more of her arm free and she pierces her fingers into the bear's teeth. Fuck.
“I’m sorry,” I rush to say when Patricia’s head begins to turn. “I was feeling lonely. You’ve been ignoring me for quite a while.”
“Are you trying to make me believe that you did this to get my attention?” Her eyes narrow and she takes a step closer to me. Good, as long as she’s moving away from Samantha, who—for some godforsaken reason—is feeding the bear who is crushing her.
I try to look sheepish and embarrassed, while gently pushing against the compulsion, looking for any weakness. “It’s been so long, Patricia. What did you expect me to do?”
“You were the one who—”
“I know, I know. I was young and stupid. Please, forgive me?”
“I’m still going to kill her.”
“Of course.” The hell she is. I will die before I let that happen.
Patricia laughs. “Oh, Rafael, you are an abysmal actor.”
A deep growl precedes Zack as he limps into the clearing. He moved pretty fast for an injured wolf, but the strain is clear in his every movement. Not good.
“You again,” Patricia huffs, clearly annoyed but not in any way worried. Zack’s only reply is a menacing growl.
“What is it with you shifters, throwing yourselves at me to protect that little slut? First the bear spoils my attack, then you jump into the fray. Although having the two of you go at each other gave me a moment of pleasure. Too bad you didn’t finish the bear off. Now I have to take care of that.”
I’m unable to move a muscle, no matter how hard I strain, as Patricia turns and leaps at the bear. Horrified, I watch as she raises her knife.
It never lands.
The bear transforms smoothly into a lion and leaps to meet her in the air.
It’s a flurry of claws and teeth and snarls and growls. The beast moves so fast that Patricia has trouble keeping up. My respect for the werewolf goes up immensely when I take in the speed and strength the thing brings into the fight.
Zack slinks around them and me to position himself in front of Samantha, who looks pale and battered. Her eyes, however, trace every movement the lion and Patricia make.
“Silence her,” she screams and the lion attacks Patricia’s throat. His sharp teeth sink in and he bites down, crushing her windpipe. It certainly is not enough to kill a vampire as old as her, but she won’t be talking for a day or two.
Chills run down my spine when I realize the implications. She could have compelled me or Santiago to fight for her. I didn’t even think about that, but somehow Samantha was able to figure it out, even when I haven’t explained the compulsion to her properly. Or at all.
I wonder how long I’ll be frozen in place before Patricia’s compulsion wears off. If Santiago hadn’t taught me how to fight it, I might stand here forever. I keep pushing, nudging, wiggling my way out, but no matter what I do, my body stays locked in place.
“Jim!” Samantha’s shriek jerks me out of my musings. Patricia has sunk her knife between the lion’s ribs and he’s bleeding profusely.
“Zack, you need to help Jim,” she pleads and the wolf looks torn.
That hesitation seems to be enough to snap Samantha’s temper and she struggles to her feet.
“Fuck it,” she snarls between pants and wavers on her feet.
“Hey, Patty! I told you to never touch any of them again,” she shouts and hurls herself at Patricia.
Zack rushes along, but he’s too slow to jump in between them.
Instinctively, I try to lurch forward, but the compulsion holds me back.
Samantha tears into what’s left of Patricia’s throat.
Patricia punches her hard, hard enough that I hear bones break.
The pain barely registers in our new bond. All I get from Samantha is rage.
Protective rage.
Samantha spits out blood and rears to go at Patricia again.
Patricia pants, but her stance tells me she’s ready to take Samantha on.
Almost too late, Zack jumps in between them, only to take Patricia’s next punch to his ribs and his injured leg gives way.
Samantha doesn’t even slow as she pushes herself over him and punches Patricia.
The blow only glances Patricia’s cheek, and she retaliates by hitting Samantha in the stomach. Groaning, Samantha takes a second to catch her breath and then lunges at Patricia’s throat again. She manages to get a good hold of her and refuses to let go, even when Patricia pummels her mercilessly.
Neither of them is in any condition to fight anymore, yet they keep going.
I risk a glance at San—at least my eyes can now move, even if my head doesn’t turn—who is straining against the invisible wall of compulsion.
His hands are twitching. Either Patricia didn’t push him as hard, or the more likely explanation is that he’s had way more practice fighting against her hold.
Growling, Zack tries to push to his feet, but his leg refuses to cooperate.
There are bloody scrapes all over his body, and he winces when trying to move.
My attention is pulled back to Samantha when she snarls and Patricia tries to gouge out her eye.
Samantha jerks back just enough that she gouges her cheek instead.
Not giving Patricia time to regroup, Samantha lunges forward and tears another chunk out of Patricia’s throat.
Blood spurts all over her and Patricia sways.
Or pretends to. The second Samantha’s guard lowers, she punches her hard enough to send her flying. The lion panting on the ground whimpers when she crashes to the ground. He’s bleeding too and I smell Samantha all over him. I want to shred him to pieces for what he did to her.
He tries to crawl closer to Samantha even though every movement sends more blood flowing from him.
“Ji-Jim… stop. You are h-hurting…” Samantha pants.
The lion makes a gruff sound but doesn’t stop until he’s next to Samantha.
Well, fuck.
Movement catches my eye and I turn in time to see Patricia leap at Samantha. Somehow, the lion manages a jump that sends him into Patricia’s path and they crash to the ground. The lion’s anguished roar is covered by Samantha’s horrified scream. She’s calling the thing’s name over and over again.
Patricia is going at the lion and Samantha is trying to get up, screaming and cursing Patricia for touching her man. Hers.
Shit, shit, shit. There’s no way…
I can’t let Patricia hurt Samantha. I have to take her out. At least I have to try. Gathering all my strength, I try to break free from the compulsion. Try to move. Do anything.
But it’s the wolf that jumps at Patricia.