Charity Rising (Charity Series Book 2) (6 page)

Levi came and knelt by me, and I noticed at once, he looked pale. “Levi, are you al right?”

“Yeah. Your mom was heavily sedated, so the drugs are starting to get to me a little, but I’l be fine.” He turned to Raven. “Be ready. As soon

as I’m finished I want you to do your magic. I don’t want her to remember any of this, you got it?”

“I wil be ready. You just do your part. I wil take care of the rest.” There was cockiness to his tone.

Levi stood and went to stand in front of Raven, their chests touching as Levi towered over him, his jaw clenched tight. “If you so much as

touch her, you’re mine.”

“Break it up boys.” I barked, but then giggled.
The drugs made me do it, I swear.

Hector stepped between them and Levi turned reluctantly and came back to my side. “Are you ready?”

“Um, I think so.”

He took off his shirt and shoes, and after kissing me on the forehead, began to shift into his wolf form.

I fought the tears as I peered up at him, hairy and towering over me. I at once remembered the werewolf from
Van Helsing
and shuttered.

Then the image of the ravenous werewolf and his wild eyes came to me. Levi’s eyes were gentle, but I stil couldn’t shake the image. Raven,

sensing my alarm, came and knelt by me, taking my hand in his.

Levi growled.

Raven ignored him, of course. “Charity, look at me.”

I turned my head away from Levi and peered into Raven’s dark but gentle eyes. As I felt something at my neck, I cringed and held my breath,

squeezing my eyes tightly shut. Levi was breathing heavily as he ever so gently bit into the flesh on my shoulder above my bandage. I bit down on

my lower lip as I squeezed Raven’s hand. I started to turn and look at him, but Raven stopped me.

“Keep looking at me, Charity. It is almost over.”

I muffled a scream as his fangs sank deeper into my flesh. Doc had numbed the area, but I stil felt it. I also felt a trickle of blood escape

down my gown, but then, I could feel him licking my shoulder, an intimate gesture that instantly soothed, and, just like that, he let go.

It was over.

When I final y glanced over at Levi he was already his human self, shirt on, rol ing his sleeves up, and smiling down at me. He picked up a

wet rag from the side table and dabbed at the bite, wiping the last of the blood clean. The discomfort had already begun to subside. “See, nothing

to worry about. I took care of you just like I promised.” He swayed on his feet, but quickly regained his balance.

I instantly noticed he looked paler than before and began to worry.

Raven wasted no time, taking my face in his hands. “Now, Charity, this wil not hurt at al . Just look into my eyes and forget about everything

that has happened. Concentrate only on my eyes. You are forgetting about the details of the attack along with Levi biting you just now. You

remember none of it.”

His pupils shifted in a strange way, moving in and out so quickly I almost didn’t see it, and then, just like that, my scary memories were gone.

I was in a daze for a few minutes, and by the time I started to come out of it Raven had joined Levi at the foot of my bed. I was confused at

the sight before me. Levi didn’t fight him as Raven grabbed his head, tilted it to the side, and opened his mouth wide, exposing his sharp, ivory

fangs, and bit into Levi’s neck.

“What are you doing?!” Neither one noticed as I forced my way to the foot of the bed. “Raven, stop! Hector, make him stop!”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Charity.”

“No it’s not!” With my good arm I tried to pry Raven away until his hand shot up and clamped around my wrist, freezing it.

“It’s okay, Charity,” Levi said in a strained voice.

Raven kept drinking and drinking until Levi’s body began to tremble. It must’ve been painful.

“That’s enough! Raven, please, that’s enough!”

Raven released him, smirking and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Levi, on the other hand, looked weak and unsteady.

“Wil someone tel me what that was about, now, please?”

“Raven, release my wife’s wrist before I bite your arm off.” His voice was calm but threatening. I could tel he meant it.
That’s my Levi
.

Levi, with both hands around my waist, careful y helped me back into bed. “I promised to let Raven feed off me in return for helping erase

your memories.”

“You see,” Raven interrupted, “werewolf blood is more appealing to us than human blood. It’s richer and more satisfying and also harder to

come by, and I didn’t have time to feed beforehand.”

“Thank you, Levi. I know that was hard for you. Did it hurt?” I reached up to touch the two little wounds on his neck that were already

beginning to fade.

He shrugged. “My biting you hurt me more.”

I reassured him with a gentle kiss to the lips. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“And Raven, thank you for coming. It means a lot to me. I don’t remember any of the details.”

“You’re welcome, Charity, but I believe I owed you.”

“Wel , you don’t owe me anything anymore. You’re free.”

“I am afraid I wil never be free from you, Charity.”

Levi growled, but Raven laughed. “I believe it is time for me to go. Happy healing, Charity,” he murmured as he bowed, taking my hand and

kissing it. He turned, nodded to Levi, and then exited the room.

Once the door had ful y closed, Levi stumbled. “Hector!” I yel ed as Levi began to col apse. Hector caught him before he crashed to the floor,

picking him up and laying him gently in the recliner next to me, pul ing the lever and elevating his legs.

“What’s wrong with him?!”

“It’s al right, Mrs. Charity. It’s a combination of the drugs in your mother’s system and Raven taking a lot of blood. He’l be fine once he

sleeps it off. You get some sleep now. I’l stand guard, and tomorrow we’l get you out of here. You should be home by tomorrow afternoon.” He took up his usual protective stance at my door.

I glanced over at Levi sleeping peaceful y and smiled. I reached over and wiped his beautiful, wild hair out of his face with my good arm. At

that very moment I felt my connection symbol tingle, and I knew it had grown slightly.

“I love you so much,” I whispered, tracing my fingers along his perfectly sculpted and flawless face. Tears stung my eyes at the overwhelming

beauty of him.

Knowing sleep wouldn’t find me without him, I got up slowly, grabbed the blanket from the bed, and strol ed over to Levi spread about the

recliner. It was a big chair but somehow looked smal with him sprawled across it. I managed to squeeze in beside him and arranged the blanket

over us with my good arm. Though he seemed to be completely out, his arm came up and around me. “I missed you so much,” he whispered in his

sleep.

“Oh puppy, me too,” I whispered back. And once in the comfort of his arms, snuggled as close as I could possibly get, I smiled contently,

al owing the melody of his rhythmic heartbeat to sing me into a sound and peaceful sleep.

So much had happened in the week since our return home. We had Frank’s funeral. To my surprise, tons of people showed up. I hadn’t

known Frank to have that many friends, but soon I realized that most were there to support us.

Doc was making regular visits to the house, checking on our condition. Mom was stil puzzled about how she could’ve healed so fast. And of

course my shoulder and arm were healed, although it stil ached at times. I wondered if it would real y ever heal ful y.

Levi was more protective, if that were possible, along with Hector, especial y in light of the fact that silver nitrate was indeed the reason for

the attack, which brought on a new uncertainty.

Mom was mourning Frank’s absence. She couldn’t remember al the events of that day, but her loss was everywhere she looked. For days

she tried to remember what happened. She remembered fixing the picnic lunch, but nothing else until she woke up in the hospital on the morning

we left. Of course we never checked into the other hospital, instead Doc agreed to make house cal s, which seemed to satisfy her suspicions. To

my surprise, she didn’t real y question too much, just accepted everything we told her. Numb, however, was an emotion that had become a part of

her.

The time had come for me to step up. So I began taking care of her. It felt natural real y; making sure she had her medicines, helping her with

her baths, doing al the household chores, and I began to learn how to cook, which was a total y new experience for me, and to be honest, a scary

one. She’d always been a great cook. It seemed effortless for her. I mean al I had to do was fol ow the recipes, right?
Should be easy enough
.

Okay, so my first meal took me al afternoon, but I was happy with the end result. It looked good anyway. It smel ed good too, but I was afraid

to taste it. I decided, at the last minute, to invite Levi, Ashley, and Josh to be my guinea pigs. They graciously accepted.

I decorated the table with my mom’s white, linen tablecloth, set out the good dishes, and prayed for a miracle.

I was anxious as everyone took their seats. I mean, anyone can cook meatloaf, right?

“It looks delicious, babe,” Levi commented with a smile, kissing me on the forehead and taking his seat.

“Yes it does,” Ashley added, “I applaud you. Everything looks good.” She made a face. “What is that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“If it was, would I have asked?” She smirked.

“Fine. It’s mashed potatoes.”

“It’s a little chunky,” she said, putting a glob on her plate.

“Shut up and eat,” I snapped.

Mom bounded down the stairs and shocked us al .
I think I’m going to have to talk to Doc about her medications.
She pul ed up the empty

chair and took a seat. “Oh, Charity, it looks divine.” She heaped food on her plate and began to eat.

Everyone else was now a little reluctant. Maybe it was the green beans. I real y didn’t think they were supposed to be hard. But what did I

know.

I studied al the faces before me as each one took their first bite. I tel you it was torture, plain and simple. I didn’t like what I saw.

“Wel , it’s definitely like nothing I’ve ever tasted before,” Levi politely commented. But his smile was apologetic.

I threw my hands up in the air. “Great! I suck at cooking!”

“No!” Ashley butted in, “it’s not terrible, just—not done. How long did you cook the potatoes?”

“Huh?”

“You did cook the potatoes before you mashed them, didn’t you?”

“Oh, so that’s why it was such a pain. I wondered.”

“Good grief, Charity.”

I turned to glare at Levi as an odd crunching sound came from his lips. “Charity,” Levi asked, “What’s in this meatloaf?”

“Um, hamburger meat, bread crumbs, chopped onions, some kind of seasoning I found in the cabinet, and ketchup, oh—and an egg.”

“Oh!” everyone said in unison.

“Am I missing something?”

“Charity, did you even read the recipe?” Ashley asked.

“Yes I did.”

“And what did it say about the egg?”

“It cal ed for one egg, lightly beaten.”

“And how did you beat the egg, exactly?”

“I dropped it in the pan with the rest of the ingredients and beat the snot out of it with my hands. Was that wrong?”

“Including the shel ?”

“Umm.”

Everyone at the table burst into shril ing laughter. I didn’t get the joke, but their laughter was contagious, and soon al of us were doubled

over, laughing hysterical y. Al except my mother, who was in the process of cleaning her plate.
That’s my girl.

Okay, so not everyone’s cut out for cooking, but I, for one, was not a quitter. Needless to say we ordered in pizza. But my experience wasn’t

a total failure. I’d say I definitely learned what
not
to do to meatloaf, anyway. And when the recipe cal s for an egg, remove the shel first.
Even if they
do leave that bit of information out.

My alarm meter sounded as I observed that Ashley took only a few bites of her pizza. Levi and I exchanged concerned glances but said

nothing.

After I had Mom tucked comfortably in her bed, we al cuddled up on the sofa and settled into a movie in the den. I let Ashley make the

popcorn.

The next night I invited the gang from school over to try my second attempt. Ashley, Stacy, Delaney, Missy, and Toby arrived on time and in

humorous moods. It’s not often Levi and I spend a night apart, but there
is
a time just for friends, and I thought this was one of them, not to mention he declined my offer—chicken. And I have to admit Ashley’s eating was becoming a bit of a concern and I needed an excuse to observe her more

closely.

This time I decided to try beef stroganoff—should be simple, right?

“So, Charity, what’s this—lasagna?” Toby asked.

“No! Why does it look like lasagna?”

“The way my mom makes it.”

“No,” Stacy interjected, “it’s Hamburger Helper.”

“No, it’s Chinese,” Delaney added.

“Chinese!” I snapped. “Don’t you psychos know food? It’s beef stroganoff.”

“Ohhh,” they al said in unison.

“It smel s weird,” Toby said. “Are you sure it’s beef stroganoff? Maybe it’s Chili Mac.”

“Oh for Dummy’s sake! It’s beef stroganoff! Now shut up and eat!”

“Gee, you’re so touchy about your cooking.”

“Yeah wel , you weren’t here last night.”

“What happened last night?”

Ashley laughed. “A disaster, that’s what.”

“Wel , not tonight. I fol owed the recipe very closely.”

But I guess not closely enough, since each face turned distorted as they took their first bite. Yikes! It was definitely too salty.

“Crikey! I real y rot at this!”

“Don’t beat yourself up too badly, Charity,” Toby began, “not everybody can cook. Take my mom for instance. I’ve grown up on Chef