Chapter 3
Three
CHERYL
I wake up disoriented, not recognizing my surroundings or the scents. It smells like bark, herbs, sweat, and the cloying, sweet aroma of magic. The place is small, cluttered, and dark, but it’s definitely not a dungeon cell, and there aren’t any vampires in the vicinity.
The last memory I have is of trying to protect Ronan from Karl’s wrath. Not that the asshole deserved it. He made me believe he cared about me, only to turn around and take the princess’s side.
I’m still in my wolf form, which means we weren’t poisoned with wolfsbane.
“Ah, you’re awake. Just in time for breakfast.” Solomon enters the room, carrying a tray with three steaming pots on it. “You probably need to shift back if you want to use opposable thumbs.”
I am hungry, but I need to wake Karl first and have a private conversation with him, which I can only do in wolf form.
I bump his side with my nose and keep pestering him until he opens his eyes.
“What do you—” He starts, and then his rage surges like a volcano erupting. He jumps onto his paws, the fur on his back standing up. “I’m going to kill that bloodsucker.”
He must be referring to Ronan. I felt the same rage last night, and I couldn’t understand why. I thought Karl and Ronan were past their animosity.
“What did he do to you?”
“He… I caught him with Manu.”
No . My stomach sinks. I shuffle back, as if putting distance between myself and my brother will make his statement untrue.
“But… but you were locked up.”
“I was released earlier and went straight to her. I caught them together. The bastard escaped through the window before I could rip his throat out.”
I shake my head, still in denial. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Cheryl. I’m sure. I saw them with my own fucking eyes!”
“But she’s your mate. How could she do that to you?”
Karl begins to pace. “They were involved before I came into the picture. I guess the mating bond isn’t as strong for her.”
“Are you done conversing in your wolf form? Breakfast is getting cold,” Solomon interjects.
Karl barks angrily in response.
Solomon points a finger in his direction. “Don’t you use that tone with me, pup. I’m not opposed to using wolfsbane to force you back into human form.”
I ignore Solomon’s threat and focus on Karl. “If you go back, you’ll be killed. I’m all for getting revenge, but not at the cost of your life.”
My words are true, but I also don’t want Ronan to die, even if he betrayed my brother.
I won’t include myself in that statement.
We were never together; we were nothing but a promise I made up in my head.
Manu is a different story, though. She’s the one who deserves to pay, and I’ll make sure she does.
Karl disregards me and makes a dash for the front door. He tries to break through the wood barrier, but it holds strong. He bounces back with a wince.
“You can’t breach my door. All you’ll accomplish are sore muscles and perhaps a few broken bones.”
“Karl, please. Listen to Solomon.”
The idiot doesn’t. He keeps trying to get out. He’s gone berserk. I shift back, because he’s clearly beyond listening to me.
“He’s gone mad,” I tell Solomon.
“I can see that.” The familiar jumps from his stool and disappears through a heavy curtain. “He leaves me no choice, then,” he continues from the other room.
“Wolfsbane?”
“What else?”
My eyes burn from the tears filling them. Wolfsbane is terrible for us, and I’d never consider poisoning my brother with it. But he’ll get hurt otherwise.
“Don’t go overboard with the dose.”
“Young lady, I know what I’m doing.” He returns carrying a dart shooter. I suppose that’s the safest way to hit Karl and not lose a limb in the process.
The dart pierces him in the shoulder. He wheels around, growling.
He’d have attacked Solomon if the shift hadn’t already started.
Once it’s complete, he curls into a ball and does something I haven’t seen him do since he was little.
He cries. The tears are ugly and loud, and his entire body shakes.
My heart shatters for him. His pain is so intense, I can feel it.
Or maybe seeing him destroyed like this is amplifying my own torment.
“Why did she do that, Cheryl? Why did she obliterate what we had like that?” Karl asks.
I drop next to him and run my fingers through his hair. “I don’t know.”
“I want to kill him,” he grits out.
“I know. But you can’t. If they catch you, they will end you.”
“A mated wolf will never listen to reason. He’ll try to kill Ronan sooner rather than later,” Solomon says.
I whip my face toward him. “We can’t let that happen. I can’t lose Karl like that. That bitch doesn’t deserve his sacrifice.”
He rubs his chin, narrowing his eyes. “I can help… perhaps.”
“How?”
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“No!” Karl sits up. “You won’t mess with my head again.”
Solomon raises his bushy eyebrows. “You won’t allow me to meddle even if I tell you I can make the burden easier to carry? Even if you manage to kill Ronan, the ache of Manu’s betrayal will never lessen.”
“Are you sure?” I ask as dread drips down my back. “Not that I want Karl killing anyone.”
I’m not immortal like my brother. I’ll grow old and die, leaving him alone, pining for that bitch vampire.
“Yes, child.”
“I don’t care,” Karl retorts.
My empathetic sadness for him is quickly turning into anger. “I do. Do you think I want to see you suffer like that?”
Guilt shines in his eyes. “Pain is the only proof I have that last year happened. If he takes that away, how can I know what’s real and what’s not?”
“You’re not making any sense. Last year did happen, as much as I wish it didn’t.”
Karl looks at Solomon, almost hopeful. “Can you make me forget Manu?”
He snorts. “I’m not that powerful, boy. You forget that we aren’t dealing with only one bond here. You’re also her familiar. It’s a double knot.”
Karl walks to the cot in the room and drops down on it like a dejected potato sack, resting his head in his hands. “It seems the only way to be free of it all is to end my own life.”
“Karl! Don’t you dare speak such nonsense. You aren’t committing suicide.”
He lifts his pitiful face. “I’m already dead inside.”
I drop to my knees in front of him. “Let Solomon help you however he can. Please. I can’t lose you. You’re all I have.”
Guilt shines in his gaze. He’d better feel regret for saying such a foolish thing.
He looks over my shoulder. “What can you do?”
“Your pain will never go away, but I can make it more bearable, muffle it. That should help with your desire to kill Ronan on sight. But I suggest keeping your distance for a very long time.”
His shoulders square. “We’re bound to cross paths eventually.”
“Not if you leave the continent.”
“And go where?” I ask.
“I’ve heard some human named Columbus discovered a new world. It’s across the ocean. That should do it.”
Karl looks at me again. “Would you consider leaving all we know behind, Cher?”
“Yes. Europe has brought us nothing but pain and sorrow. Maybe we can be happy in this new world.”
My words ring false, but Karl nods nonetheless. It doesn’t matter where we are. Those damn vampires left their marks on our souls, and no time or distance will remove that.