A Cursed Bloodline (WG 4) (36 page)

I heard his grunts, the thunderous crashing, and the relentless smash of everything we struck. The sounds were muffled, occurring high above me while I remained safely ensconced in a tranquil wave of tepid water. All the while, soothing images of my intimate moments with Aric filled my mind. From our first kiss, to his kiss of my belly when he learned I carried his baby. Bliss was all I knew until one final blow brought everything to an abrupt halt. I screamed when my right ankle snapped.

My head continued to spin although we’d finally stopped spiraling. I forced open my eyes. Bad idea. My vision whirled in a dizzying blizzard of color. I tried to clear it. I had to. Sprawled beneath me was Aric…and he wasn’t moving.

His right arm lay at an odd angle and his forearm had separated at the joint. Pieces of his elbow punctured his skin. “Baby, can you hear me?” He didn’t answer. I rubbed my eyes hard, it took a few moments, but I was finally able to see him clearly. I bit back a sob. Blood trickled from his mouth, eyes, ears, and nose. Both legs twisted away from his knees. His ribs pierced through his chest like daggers. Somehow he was still breathing—and groaning with each anguished breath.

My human side responded with my nursing training. I straightened his limbs, yet that’s all my tigress would allow. I ripped off his T-shirt, removed mine, and instinctively crawled on top of him. He jerked and roared from my sudden weight. It was an asinine thing to do given the extent of his injuries, but my tigress insisted I follow her lead. I concentrated on surrounding him with my love, just as he’d done for me. At first, I couldn’t, so panicked I shook. But through my trembles I spoke.

“I hope our son looks like you. I love your eyes….Have I ever told you how striking they are?” Tears formed at the thought. “They would look adorable on our little one.” I could picture them vividly in my head—both of us with our arms wrapped around each other, staring at an infant with those same brown eyes I cherished. “Can’t you see it, wolf?”

Aric didn’t answer. I kept talking. “I was wondering about the baby’s room…about what colors to use. I thought maybe pale yellow and light green—just in case she’s a girl. I don’t want to know what we’re having ahead of time, do you?” His skin shivered beneath me, I thought he was cold and readjusted my position on top of him. Warm blood streaked across my cheek when I rubbed his jaw. “I want him to have your grin, too. How cute would that look on a little person with no teeth?” He rumbled beneath me. Fear befell me until I realized he’d chuckled. I lifted myself slightly and gasped at what I saw. His bones were mending. They slid below his skin like pieces of a puzzle trying to meet. He must have been in agony, the healing occurring too fast even for a
were
.

Aric’s jaw clenched from the pain. He groaned and arched his back. Every muscle around him rippled so tight I feared they’d snap from his bones. “Come back to me,” he grunted.

I practically threw myself on him. “Keep…talking,” he stammered.

My words and emotions had helped, though I wasn’t quite sure how nor did I care. I spoke in a rush, telling him what a great father he’d be and how I couldn’t wait to hold our baby against my skin. I admitted that I’d dreamed of having a family with him and that I knew our child would love him.

Aric’s pain subsided, his breathing relaxed, and he continued to mend at an accelerated rate. When his body finally stilled, I wiped his face and body with my sweatshirt. I met his eyes when they opened. “We have to get out of here, wolf.”

I helped him prop himself on his elbows when he nodded. Good God, there wasn’t much room. Only warped and twisted metal remained of the SUV. Light poked through the shattered windows, and strips of fabric dangled above us like icicles.

“Can you
shift
us out?”

I shook my head. “Not through the metal and fiberglass. We’ll have to climb.” I winced from the shooting pain in my leg when I tried to move.

Aric scrambled to examine my ankle. “Shit. How bad is it?”

“I think it’s broken.” I wasn’t
were.
No way could he heal me.

He swore again. “You wouldn’t have been hurt if I’d kept my protection around you.”

I stroked his face. “You saved me from death.” I motioned to my foot. “
This
is nothing.”

Aric pressed me to him, growling when a barrage of angry fists pounded above our heads. What remained of the door was wrenched off. Liam stared back at us, bruised and bleeding. “Anara aligned with the Tribe!”

Aric snarled.
“What?”

Liam wiped the blood dripping into his eyes. “Koda and Gem were captured.” His head jerked behind him. “They’re coming for us—they’re coming for us now!”

Aric shoved the sweatshirt over my head and lifted me toward Liam. “Take Celia, she’s hurt.”

They carried me away, stumbling through the chunks of twisted metal and burning wreckage. Barreling down the ravine raced about twenty
weres,
in the form of rams and cougars. A witch holding a staff at her side rode the largest cougar like a stallion. That’s when I heard it—the echo of howling wolves.

Aric’s and Liam’s eyes fired to gold. I would have fallen from the shock if Aric hadn’t kept his hold. He yanked me to him, kissing me hard before shoving me into Liam’s arms. They locked eyes. “Protect her,” he said with quiet rage.

Liam nodded and lifted me into his arms.

“No, Aric!”

He cracked his neck from side to side and
changed,
tearing across the ground toward the oncoming army. The ferocious sounds of beasts colliding shook the earth as Liam darted into the woods.

Liam raced us through the thick pines, faster than I could have imagined. I wanted to beg him to let me go, to let me die with Aric. But I couldn’t. Aric had asked me to stay alive for our baby. He suffered to keep me safe. I couldn’t surrender to my emotions now.

My head pounded, knowing Aric would be torn to shreds. I wanted to make our enemy bleed, and when I heard the clamoring of hooves and sharp intakes of breath closing in, I knew I’d have my chance. The Tribe
weres
had maintained their beast forms to track and kill us more efficiently. Liam realized and
changed,
flipping me onto his back midstride.

I clung to the loose skin on his neck. As a wolf, he was in his element. His spirit soared and his animal side took over. The wind slapped me hard in the face as he sprinted deeper into the forest. Birds scattered and squawked above us, sensing the impending danger, and leaves rustled beneath his determined strides.

We quickly left the sound of hooves digging into the forest floor, but not the almost silent paws of the cougars. They were faster—and the witch made them more deadly. They closed in, working like a pack to take us down. Liam dodged the snap of fangs and the rake of multiple claws. I
shifted
us away each time they tried a collective tackle, but I was running out of breath and they’d proved impossible to evade.

I was surprised how calm my voice was when I spoke. “We can’t keep running, Liam. It’s time to fight.”

He whined in acknowledgment. I
shifted
us one last time, managing to surface behind them. I emerged as a tigress. The cougar closest to me became my prey. I snapped her neck before she sensed my presence. Liam dug his fangs into the
were
before him. No human would’ve believed a wolf could defeat a mountain lion so easily. Then again, no human knew Liam. He fought like a true Warrior, taking on the three that ganged up on him.

I couldn’t leap with my injured foot. That didn’t stop me from cleaving into the flesh of those who neared with all my fury and terror. I used my
shifting
ability to bury another cougar and sever his head, but when I tried to grab another, two others tackled me to the ground.

The witch spat chants of venom, forcing me to
change
back. I wouldn’t have believed it possible if I hadn’t heard the call of wolves grow stronger. A cougar in human form caught me favoring my right leg and kicked me hard in the ankle. I roared and head-butted him in the face.

The witch lifted her staff. “
Enough
. Hold the tigress, she needs to die.”

Two cougars fastened their arms around my legs while two more secured my arms. She pointed her staff toward my heart. An antique bottle filled with thick crimson fluid was fixed against the tip with wire. Her eyes dimmed to black as she began her sinister chant. I didn’t want those evil eyes to be the last thing I saw so I looked to where Liam continued to fight. Chunks of ripped fur hung from his back and blood gushed from the deep wound in his throat. It pained me to see him hurt and not be able to help. But I’d rather retain the image of his courage than my impending death.

I pushed back the ache in my throat.
I’ll be with you soon, Aric.

It was my last thought before the witch screamed the final curse. Thunder erupted. Lightning flashed. And yet I felt no pain. There was none to be felt. The curse never hit me.

It struck Liam, who lay dead at my feet.

Chapter Thirty-one

The howling of wolves silenced. I stumbled forward, angling my head to take in the naked and still form at my feet. I never realized how pretty Liam’s amber eyes were, probably because I’d always been distracted by his boyish charm and his noble heart. But there they were, staring up at me, devoid of any sparkle. Strangely enough, he seemed to be smiling. Maybe he was happy his pain had finally ended. And hadn’t he suffered in the last few moments of his life?

A flap of skin hung from his throat, spilling the remains of his lifeline. Deep gashes painted his thighs red. Chunks of muscle lay dangling from his arms and he’d lost two fingers.

I let out a laugh—then another, followed by another. The
weres
had released me before the witch cast the magical blow that stopped my friend’s heart forever. They stared back at me. Some scowled; others stepped away, unnerved and disgusted by my behavior. I laughed again. Oh yes, Liam’s pain was now over, but theirs, theirs was about to begin.

The witch pointed her staff at me. Most of the rich red fluid from the bottle tied to her staff had evaporated. What little remained reeked of blood and dark magic. She might as well have pointed a damn blade of grass. I exploded into a tigress and tore out her throat in one vicious snap.

My inner beast took over. I relaxed, falling deep within my mind, and watched her unleash our wrath. The pain in my ankle throbbed mercilessly yet my anger surpassed the trifling annoyance in my foot.

I tasted the blood of my enemies for Liam…and for his mate.

He wasn’t supposed to die. He’d found Allie. He was supposed to get married and make babies and be happy. Because that’s what someone like Liam deserved. He didn’t deserve to be shredded like meat and struck down like he was nothing. He was someone special. A true friend, a brother, and an honorable Warrior, a
were
with more courage than any of these goddamn Tribesmen could ever possess.

I’m not sure how long I fought. It didn’t matter. I never planned to win against an army of opponents. My intention was to fight until my last breath, just as I promised myself I would. I remember something hard beating relentlessly against my skull until the last blow claimed my vision.

—

It took a long while for me to gather my senses. My lids drooped like weighted steel. Unearthly growls rumbled around me, stirring me from a sleep I couldn’t seem to fully shake. I shivered, but not from fright. I’d prepared myself to die. After embracing something so final, what was there to fear?

I trembled against the creeping chill working its way across my bare arms while I lay curled in a ball. The heaviness lifted from my eyes yet I kept them shut, allowing my senses to soar into overdrive. The stench of blood and dark magic crawled against the floor like mist, seeking out its prey while misery and pain sang a mournful tune through bays and growls. Something bad was happening. I needed to assess my surroundings before whoever held me realized I was awake.

Fluid trickled from my ears and the dull ache in my head beat in time with my heart. My bones stiffened. I ached everywhere except in my injured ankle. I must have severed the nerves to lose so much sensation. The thought disturbed me, yet I pushed it aside and listened hard.

Something drizzled like water from an outside drain—
drip, glop, drip
—cutting through the threatening growls. I took a deep breath, scenting the air, and almost choked from a collection of
weres
surrounding me. Only the pure scent of water crashing over stones gave me hope.

Aric
.

He was alive. The increasing growls belonged to him, Koda, and the two Geminis. They’d survived and judging by the intensity behind their snarls, they were furious—and
hurt
.

My lids fluttered slowly, betraying me and alerting my captor. Ice water splashed across my face. I leapt into a crouch, ready to fight, hindered slightly by the long brown slip dress covering my body. It smelled of Makawee. I didn’t understand until my glare met Anara’s.

We faced each other in the Den’s large empty ballroom, which had hosted the gala months before. Anara tossed a pitcher carelessly aside. It rolled along the dark wood floor, colliding against one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up one wall. Moonlight beamed brightly against the glass. I’d lain unconscious for a long time.

My eyes swept along the vast openness, taking everything in. What the elegant room lacked in furniture, it made up tenfold in horror.

Martin and Makawee hung bound by their feet from two crystal chandeliers, gagged and naked. Makawee’s long white hair swung as she took sharp intakes of breath. She didn’t struggle to free herself and neither did Martin. They stared ahead in a trancelike state as blood dripped from their slashed throats and into the two pitchers beneath them.
Drip, glop, drip.

Anara kept them still and prevented them from healing, just like he had Bren. With no more effort than it took to glare, he held Aric and his Warriors against a wall with no windows, forcing them to maintain their beast forms. I leaned into my crouch and tried to
shift
my fingers. It didn’t work. The bastard constrained us all. He chuckled and gave me his back; it wasn’t like he had anything to fear. The wolves in human form surrounding us assured he’d stay safe.