Half Truths (A Helheim Wolf Pack Tale) (32 page)

‘I
would like to put something into that luscious mouth of yours. Will you allow
me to do that?’

She
shook her head furiously.

He
frowned. ‘I’ll let you off the cross if you’ll let me. How does that sound?’ he
purred, still rimming her mouth with his fingertips. Being tied to this thing
was something she never wanted to experience ever again. If she had to suck
Connall’s cock to get off of it, she’d do it. ‘What’s it to be, Lover?’ he
asked, sucking on the finger he’d been touching her with.

It
was the lesser of two evils. Reluctantly she nodded; a wicked smile spreading
onto Connall’s lips at her admission.

He
untied her quickly, forcing her down onto her knees while he tore off the sweat
pants. With a hand behind her head, he forced her mouth down over his straining
penis, breaking her spirit as she took all of him into her mouth. Squeezing her
eyes tightly shut, she thought about being away from this place, about being
away from Connall and Marcus and their sadistic sexual fetishes. She would have
a new life in Antain’s pack. She wouldn’t have to live in constant fear that
she’d be made to do things she didn’t want to do. She would be free.

The
smell of blood brought her back to that horrible room along with a sting along
her back. Connall was still forcing her to take him into her mouth, jerking
with increasing amounts of force on her neck, but as she rolled her eyes up,
she saw the glint of her own knife being brought down onto her back.

‘Something
to remember me by, Lover,’ Connall hissed through his teeth. Leona knew exactly
what he was etching into her skin. It was the same thing he always carved into
the skin of his enemies: MINE.

She
knew in that moment that she would kill Connall when she had the chance.

‘Connall!’
Marcus barked from behind the bolted door. Connall’s thrusting stopped
suddenly. Pulling himself out of her mouth, he drew his sweatpants up onto his
hips again.

‘Marcus?’
he called back.

‘Meeting.’

‘Fuck,’
he hissed under his breath. Getting down onto his knees, Connall undid the
leather straps and pulled the gag from Leona’s mouth carefully. Picking up the
remnants of her clothing, he covered her lovingly, applying a little pressure
to the new “love cut” on her back. ‘I have to go, Lover. Think about what I
want from you before you leave. We may not have another chance before you go.’

Indi woke up slowly, blinking to get
used to the darkness that surrounded her. The thick dreamless sleep that had
dragged her under had finally spat her out the other end. Inhaling, she could
smell Rhett close by, but when she tried to sit up, she was pushed back down
onto the bed gently by the shoulder.

‘Lie down. You
need to rest,’ Rhett said from beside her. Her eyes found him staring down at
her with concern brushing his blue and green eyes. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Pass,’ she
replied. ‘Next question please.’ She was sure road kill felt better than she
did. ‘How do I look?’

Rhett’s eyes
roved over her face; a shadow darkening his gaze for a fleeting second. ‘Like
shit.’

She tried to
smile, but even that hurt. ‘What time is it?’

‘Nearly six.’

‘In the
morning?’

‘Evening. I just
got back from work.’

‘Why didn’t you
wake me up when you left?’ Indi asked frantically. She tried to sit up again,
but Rhett pushed her back down again. She frowned. ‘Jerry’s going to kill me.’

‘No, he’s not. I
told him you were sick, and that I’d check in on you on my way home.’

She swallowed.
‘You didn’t tell him I’d moved here, did you?’

Rhett shook his
head, sighed and peeled off his jacket. ‘No, that’s something you have to tell
him yourself, Ind,’ he said, throwing his jacket down onto the floor. The scent
of Rhett wrapped all around her then, cocooning her. She closed her eyes and
inhaled deeply; savouring the smell. Something vibrated deep down in her blood
whenever she was around him. It felt like a sense of belonging, like she’d
finally found her family.

But today was
different. Her bones ached suddenly, her hunger flaring to life. She blinked,
and her vision changed to red. The voice of her hunger burst free from the
darkness, demanding something sweet and warm as tribute for having to wait so
long.

‘Indi?’ Rhett
asked, placing his hand on her arm. Her eyes ratcheted to his face. He
swallowed thickly. ‘Indi?’ he said again. ‘Your eyes have—.’ He seemed to think
about that for a few moments. Cursing bitterly, he jumped off the bed, pulling at
something white on his arm. He marched across to the other side of the room.
When he finally looked at her again, his eyes were cold. ‘You need to feed.’

Indi scooted off
the side of the mattress. ‘What was that smell?’ she asked, clinging to the
side of the bed now. Her legs felt like jelly.

‘Indi, get back
into bed. Please,’ Rhett told her, still not moving away from the wall. Indi
ignored him, letting go of the side of the bed and falling into an undignified
heap on the floor.

Rhett cursed
again, disappearing into the bathroom. He came back a minute later smelling
faintly of disinfectant. He hauled her up under the armpits, setting her back
onto the bed gently.

Indi licked her
lips, her hunger still raging inside her. ‘Rhett, what was that smell? I’ve
smelled it before.’

‘No doubt you
have,’ he said under his breath. He looked at her; the usual warmth back in his
bicoloured eyes. ‘I had a cut on my forearm. You could smell my blood.’

Her head swam.
‘I wanted to drink it,’ she admitted.

Rhett frowned. ‘I
know. But you can’t have anymore.’

‘Any
more
?’
she asked. Had she had some before? How could she have not remembered that?

Rhett grunted at
her. ‘Lay back, and I’ll tell you everything.’

Indi did as she
was told—partly because she felt weaker than she had before, and secondly
because Rhett was willingly giving her information.

Rhett tugged the
blanket up to her shoulders when she was finally settled. Propping himself up
beside her, he swung his arm across her shoulder. He sighed. ‘The night I saved
you from Nox was the night you died. I brought you back with my blood, Ind.’

She swallowed
down on her dry throat. ‘How much did I take?’

‘Enough to
nearly kill me. I still don’t know how I made it to the hospital without
killing anyone else on the road that night,’ he laughed softly, running his
free hand through his hair.

‘Why can’t I
have it again?’ Indi asked softly. Apart from the wolf in her apartment, she
hadn’t wanted to feed so badly since she’d become what she was.

Rhett rubbed his
hand through his head a few more times before blowing out a frustrated breath.
‘I think you’re addicted to it. You took so much of it that some form of
addiction would have had to have formed. If you have anymore—’ he broke off,
pressing the heel of his palm into his eye. ‘You could kill me if you have
anymore. Lycanthrope blood is very powerful, very potent. For vampires, it’s
like a drug. That’s the reason why half bloods are supposed to complete their
transformation on human blood.’

Indi was quiet
for a moment, taking it all in. She would kill Rhett if she fed from him?
Somehow that knowledge still didn’t stop her from wanting to do it.

‘Come on. We
have to get downstairs. We’re going to try to feed you differently tonight.’

‘What? How?’

‘Laithe has
agreed to let his wife feed you. You’ll be feeding directly from the vein
today. You need to build your strength up again. Maybe this has been the
problem all along.’

‘And if it
works? Will I always feed from her?’

Rhett shook his
head. ‘No. Laithe wouldn’t allow Natalie to be used like that. We’ll figure
something else out if everything goes well.’

‘And if it
doesn’t?’

‘It will. Come
on.’

Rhett helped her
out of bed, but as soon as her weight wasn’t being held by Rhett, her legs gave
out beneath her. Rhett hooked his arms under hers, pulling her up and holding
her against his chest.

‘I’ll carry
you,’ he murmured. Lowering her onto the bed, he wrapped his dressing gown
around her before picking her up and cradling her body to his chest.

Rhett tapped the
office door with his foot and it opened. Antain looked firstly at Rhett then at
Indi.

‘She’s weakening
quickly,’ Rhett said under his breath.

Antain’s
expression became pinched. ‘Perhaps Natalie is here just in time then.’

Rhett lowered
Indi into a wing chair facing the long leather couch along the wall. On the
couch sat Laithe and a human female. Indi could smell her fear almost
instantly. The woman clutched Laithe’s hand until her knuckles turned white.
Laithe was looking at his wife; anxiety etched onto his features. Her heart was
pounding the loudest out of all of them.

Natalie was
probably around Indi’s height with soft, brown hair and hazel eyes. She wasn’t
waif thin, but a healthy weight. Her fingernails were long; painted a deep
purple. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a button-up blouse that barely
covered her ample chest.

Rhett crouched
down beside Indi, taking her hand in his and drawing her eyes away from
Natalie. ‘Indi, you have to understand something before we do this, okay?’

She glanced down
at him. ‘What?’

‘Wolves are
very,
very
protective of their mates. What Laithe is allowing is going
to be very hard on him. When you begin feeding, he’ll do everything in his
power to get to you so he can tear you apart.’ Indi glanced at Laithe. His
acid-green eyes were fixed on her. Rhett saw this. ‘But Laithe understands that
this is for the good of the pack,’ he added, glaring at Laithe. Laithe’s eyes
ratcheted to Rhett before dropping. He nodded.

Rhett’s thumb
stroked the back of her hand. ‘You must be gentle with her, Indi. Take only her
wrist, and don’t cause her any pain. Okay?’ Indi nodded, looking back at
Natalie. Rhett glanced at Laithe. ‘Are you ready?’

He nodded
stiffly, turning to Natalie and kissing her deeply—marking her as his wordlessly.
Laithe turned back to face Indi, his wolf’s acid-green eyes boring into her,
the unspoken warning loud and clear. Raising her chin, she acknowledged his
threat.

Laithe stood up
and took up position near the door. Rhett kissed Indi’s forehead as he stood,
walking over to Laithe where Antain was already standing.

‘Ready?’ Antain
asked Rhett. He nodded sharply. They looped their arms through Laithe’s,
spreading their legs wider to prepare for the onslaught of power that Laithe
was going to put out in the struggle.

Natalie slid
from the sofa to stand beside Indi, offering her wrist out in front of her.
Indi just stared at it before Rhett murmured soft words of encouragement. She
wrapped her fingers around Natalie’s wrist. Laithe’s wife shuddered and sucked
in a hissing breath.

‘Natalie?’
Laithe asked frantically, pulling against Antain and Rhett. Rhett’s neck
muscles bulged into thick cords as he struggled to maintain his grip on
Laithe’s upper arm.

‘It’s fine,
Laithe,’ Natalie said a heartbeat later. ‘Her skin is really cold. I was caught
by surprise, that’s all. Don’t worry, Love. I know what I’ve agreed to.’

Laithe stopped
pulling against Rhett and Antain then—his eyes locked on Natalie.

‘I love you,’ he
said fiercely.

Natalie smiled
weakly. ‘I love you, too.’

Slowly, Indi
brought Natalie’s wrist to her nose. She inhaled the scent of her blood and her
jaw began to ache. Her fangs slowly ran down from her gums, punching out from
her mouth. Natalie whimpered. Indi lowered her mouth over the vein in Natalie’s
wrist, feeling her fangs slide into her skin easily. Blood welled, and a noise
like a purr vibrated through the room.

Indi began to
drink from the wound. Natalie—who had been holding her body taunt—suddenly
relaxed and a little moan escaped her lips. Indi opened her eyes to see
Natalie’s face lax with an expression of utter bliss on her face. Indi focused
on the thrum of Natalie’s pulse, pushing blood into her mouth. Indi swallowed
heated mouthful after heated mouthful; the blood trickling down her throat and
igniting little chemical reactions within her body.

She was suddenly
more aware of everything and everyone in the room. She could hear Laithe
gnashing his teeth while Antain and Rhett grunted with the effort of holding
him back. Natalie’s waves of fear turned into lust, and when Indi looked up at
her, her hooded eyes were drilling into Indi’s.

A primal, raw
scream broke through the blood haze Indi was swimming in. Her eyes found the
three wolves. Laithe’s neck and face were red as he strained against Rhett and
Antain. His eyes were acid-green; rage bubbling in them. Veins on his neck and
forehead were pulsating.

‘Enough, Indi.
Stop now,’ Rhett said, imploring her with his eyes, still struggling to contain
Laithe. Indi shook her head. She didn’t want to stop. She wanted more. For the
first time since she’d had her first drink, she felt strong.

‘Stop!’ Rhett
yelled.

His voice
reverberated around her skull, and she had to obey.

Disengaging her
fangs, Indi dropped Natalie’s wrist. Laithe was already at his wife’s side;
holding her up as he led her back to the couch. Natalie’s expression was still
like that of a crack user after a hit. Her eyes were closed lightly, her
breathing deep and even. Indi felt her blood rushing around her body, filling
in the missing holes of her hunger; her skin warm once more.