Ember's Curse (Prime Wolf) (16 page)

I watched as he clapped Nathan on the back good heartedly. "Should be respecting yer elders, ya should," he said, pushing his long red hair out of his face. The hand he used to do this with just happened to be the same one that was holding his grog. The jug slammed up against his forehead, with a thud. It cracked down the middle and poured out over his face, drenching his white dress shirt.

"You're seriously cracked, Rum Pot. I'm older than you by at least a decade," Nathan said with a chuckle. "You'd remember that and quite a few other things too, if you sobered up every once in a while."

The pirate looked at Nathan like he had just sprouted two fire breathing heads and said, "Now, why'd I be doing something as foolish as that?"

I had to stop myself from laughing at the scene unfolding in front of me. I studied Korbin for a few seconds, trying to understand why Harper had somehow found this guy desirable. I never really took a good enough look at him before. But I guess if you could get passed his drunkenness and see behind the thick red tangle of hair that always seemed to hide his face, one could actually consider him attractive.

Korbin threw down his ruined and now empty jug. "Never ye mind! Back to the party is where I be headin’. If the lot of ya had half a mind, ye'd be followin’. This island’s ripe with spirits when the night falls upon it, and not the wondrously delicious kind!" He then turned around and lumbered off without saying another word.

"Well that was interesting," Milo said. He picked up the remains of the fractured jug and tipped it over. The small amount that had survived drained out of it and fell in rivulets to the sand. "Ol’ Rum Pot might be a drunkard but he has the right idea. Let's get to the party. I'm getting pretty thirsty myself."

***

The walk from the forest to the pack house didn't take very long at all. I kind of wished it would have taken longer, though. I wasn't in the mood to deal with Sylvia and Tommy's matchmaking attempts.

We all began the slight climb up the grassy hill that would lead us to the enormous front deck that wrapped around the ten room, two story log cabin. It was lit up like a beacon against the backdrop of the pitch-blackness of the night.

The music was blaring in our ears now that we were right on top of it. I hoped my ears would grow accustomed to the loud noise soon because I was well on my way to developing a massive headache. And then, as if aware of the second I had arrived, Sylvia came barging out of the main house’s opened front doors. Her face was pinched up into a scowl and she threw a feral look directly at me.

"Tommy, she has finally arrived," she yelled back into the house. The way she said it gnawed at me. It was the falsely sweet tone of her voice that plucked on my last nerve. The one she used in front of important visiting guests. Well, the ones she deemed important anyway. Everyone else was blessed to suffer her true personality. A selfish, cruel, heifer wolf is what she truly was.

"And she has brought guests," she said, looking Harper, Collin, Brady, and Milo, up and down with distaste as we stepped onto the deck.

She came at me like a viper as soon as I was in arms reach. She grabbed me hard by my bicep and pulled me to her, whispering harshly into my ear, "What in the hell took you so long?" I tried to answer but she just kept on talking over me. "Your soon to be fiancé almost left twice. Twice! If it wasn't for my considerable talent at wooing the opposite sex, you would have ruined everything!"

I heard a shuffling behind me and thick hot breaths bathed the top of my head. I knew who it was immediately. "I suggest you take your hands of her...now," Collin’s voice growled out. He didn't yell; he didn't have to. His mere towering presence was enough to make his point. Or it least it should have been. Nevertheless, Sylvia always fell back on her rank and the lack of repercussions it allotted her. So, instead of letting my arm go, she just grabbed it tighter. That was a big mistake on her part. Before Collin had a chance to protest, Harper reached over my shoulder and with barely any effort at all, she yanked Sylvia off the porch and tossed her into the yard. Sylvia landed hard on her ass and a "whoosh” escaped from between her lips from having the wind knocked right out of her. The expression on her face was comical. But I didn't dare laugh. I looked at Harper who casually stood in front of me with her arms crossed. I could only image what she saw in my eyes. Part worry, part disbelief, I would assume. And then she said something that blew me away, "She started it."

I felt myself being surrounded. I looked back and saw Milo and the rest of our traveling companions step in a protective line around us. When I faced forward again I knew why. Tommy was piling out of the house with his second in command right behind him. He looked at his wife sitting in the middle of the yard and then looked back at me and my group. "You!" he said, stabbing the air with his finger in my direction. "Come with me."

I took a step toward the door and Collin’s arm flew in front of my chest, stopping me.

"She isn't going anywhere without me," Collin announced.

Tommy tried to stare Collin down. His mouth fell into a frown and a low growl rumbled in his chest. If I didn't stop this play of dominance now there was no doubt in my mind that it would end in bloodshed or even death. I stepped between their stare down and broke eye contact for them. This way there would be no winner or loser in their little battle between Alpha wolves.

"I will come with you, Tommy." I said, looking up into Collin’s eyes. His gorgeous blues were clouded over with anger, but soften up when he settled them on me. "But my mate is coming with me."

"You better count me in too," Harper said, sounding bored by it all.

"We will all go," Collin said, brooking no argument.

Tommy threw up his hands and turned, storming back into the house. "Fine! The whole fucking world can come!" he yelled.

***

I felt like a teenager waiting for the principal to lay out my punishment for skipping school, or vandalizing the school gym, as I sat in Tommy's den. I swear there was never a dull moment in my life. A quiet convent was sounding pretty nice right about now.

That's out of the question, my love. How on earth would I be able to ravish your body behind the sanctity of God’s walls?

You just be quiet! I can't believe you let Harper throw Sylvia over the railing. She could have broken her stubborn head!
I was left inwardly smiling at that possibility.

I have no control over what Harper does. But I have to say, I'm glad she did it. Sylvia was out of line,
he said smugly.

You are not Sylvia’s Alpha. She doesn't have to follow your orders!

And that my love, is where you're wrong.

I took a sideways glance at my infuriating mate. The confident look on his face made me want to punch him square in the nose. But that would have to wait until later. Until we didn't have my Alpha waiting to rip my damn head off.

Tommy walked into the room. He pulled the double doors closed and made his way over to us. The den was spacious, large enough to fit two stories of bookshelves that reached all the way to the ceiling. There was a comfortable sitting area with several wing-backed chairs and a couple overstuffed couches that our group was currently taking full advantage of. That area alone was bigger than my apartment. Tommy walked by everyone without so much as a side-glance, and stepped onto the plush cream and tan colored carpet that separated his personal space from all the rest. He then sat in front of us behind a huge desk.

Tommy folded his hands, one over the other and leaned forward.

"I'll get straight to the point," Tommy began. "Not only did you disrespect my orders by showing up to this party late," he said, leaning even harder on the desk, "You also brought non-pack members with you."

"I wasn't aware that I couldn't bring a few gue—"

"I'm not finished!" he said, slamming his hand down.

I squeezed Collin’s leg under the table. I could feel the telltale muscle roll caused by another uncontrollable shift.

Think of puppies and kittens...cute and adorable bunnies even, but somehow calm down.

"Not only did that vampire bitch friend of yours attack my mate, but you have the nerve to tell me, at your engagement party, that you just happen to now be mated?"

"You need to watch who you call a bitch, Mutt. I have no problems with sucking you dry,” Harper said, standing up from across the room.

I waved my hand at her to sit back down and be quiet but she remained standing.

"You might have to take this idiot’s abuse but I don't," she said, standing her ground.

"That’s it!" I said, voiced raised. "Everyone but Collin get your asses out of here!"

Nathan set his cup of coffee down on the silver tray that was heaped with refreshments. He reached over and slapped Brady on the back. "You heard her, let's go."

Surprisingly, Harper turned and left without saying another word. Nathan and Brady followed right behind the pissed vampire. Milo, on the other hand, "Sir?" he said with a nod at Collin.

"Go. Keep an eye on our little group. If anything happens, like a crazed vampire tossing people around, come back and let me know."

"Not a problem," he said.

I heard a little chirp of a bark come from the front of Milo's jacket. "Mojo says she'll help, too."

I laughed. "I feel safer already," I said to his retreating back.

"Now that we got rid of your band of circus freaks, we can discuss just how close you are to being excommunicated."

I looked up at him and studied his face. His dark brown eyes held no sympathy, and his lean face remained neutral.

"I'm listening."

"Good. Now, tell me who this friend of yours is," he said, sitting back into his chair.

"I'm her mate, Wolf."

Tommy shook his head. "I'm trying to figure out how that can even be a possibility. Especially if you take in account that I, as her Alpha, never sanctioned nor do I remember presiding over this said union."

Collin shrugged, "Our bonding didn't require your assistance apparently."

Tommy's head swung to me so fast I thought it might twist off. "Did he say bonding...He is your prime mate?"

"Yes," I said, "that is correct."

He looked away. "Not good," he whispered. "Evidently we're going to have to move my plans up a little bit."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Collin demanded, shifting in his seat.

Tommy reached in his desk drawer and pulled out a gun. He pointed it at my head. "Move one inch and she's dead. And just in case you’re wondering, the gun’s loaded with silver."

Chapter 14

Tommy stood up from his chair and walked around the desk. He held the gun steady so his aim on me never wavered. A sense of foreboding blanketed me and I knew somehow that my chances of leaving here unharmed, and with Collin, were slim. He started moving towards the bookcase about ten feet or so, off to the left us. He pulled one of the older looking books forward and the shelf slid back and over. It revealed a dark passageway.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked the deranged Alpha. I always knew that there was something off about my cousin, but I never knew that I had anything to truly fear from him.

"If you would have just married Logan as planned," he said, shaking his head. He looked a little crazed and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"I don't even know who Logan is," I said confused.

We heard voices coming out of the passageway. Tommy turned his head for a split second toward the noise. Collin lifted himself out of his chair to attack, but Tommy saw him and fired off a shot into the wall right next to my head.

"Try that again and next time her brains will be painting the wall."

"All right, I won't move," Collin said, slowly sinking back down into his chair.

I'm sorry, my love. Are you okay?

I'm alright. Let's just stay calm and do as he says. But keep an eye out for an opening. Oh, and one more thing, forget everything I said about him being my Alpha. If you get a chance...he's all yours.

That’s music to my ears, Kitten.

Given the severity of our current situation, from here on out I had to choose my words and actions carefully. So I was going to let him call the shots...for now.

"All right, you have us. So what's next? Why go to this extreme over me finding my true mate?"

"I guess there's no harm in telling you now," he said with a cocky grin.

"You were my pot sweetener in a deal I'm trying to work out with some important clients of mine. I guess you could say that you caught the eye of the wrong guy, a person who can do tremendous things for me."

"So I'm nothing but a bargaining chip to you?" Real pain trembled through my voice as I realized that this whole time, the pack and me meant nothing to him. That crazed look in his eyes could only be quenched by power. And he would use his own flesh and blood to get it.

"They do say that the most obvious answer is the right one." A voice with barely suppressed hostility said, coming from the passageway. I recognized it immediately; it was Sylvia's.