Tamed: A Huntress Spin-off Novel (26 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

My mind had stirred, pulling me out of my sleep as my awareness grew. The room was serene for once. No whispering voices and not one growl from a wolf that would awaken when the hurt became too excruciating to fight through. A peaceful serenity floated through the air, instead.

I opened my eyes, my sight still a blur and my limbs still incapacitated. I realized then that this was a permanent state and my body was gradually giving in.

Someone’s shadow hovered over me and a hand, as gentle as can be, found my face and glided down my cheek.

“You’re finally awake,” Eli said.

Yes, I was awake, but I wouldn’t mind drifting off again. I was hurting so bad. When would it end? Tears fell down the side of my face and into my ears
.
Eli wiped the tears from my eyes, and, as I squeezed them shut, the blurriness that clouded my vision had cleared. I opened my mouth to talk, but I was silenced by the pain that tore apart my body.

“What is it?” he asked.

He had to know that I wanted Hunter to turn me no matter what, even if it contributed to my death in the end.

“Wolf,” I choked out.

“A wolf.” His brows pinched together as he was not completely sure what I was trying to say, but little words were all I could manage.

“Turn me.”

“Oh, you heard us talking. We were waiting for you to wake up to see if you were okay with it. But I’m relieved you’re willing to turn. We can only hope that there aren’t any complications.” He exhaled. “That’s the only part we’re afraid of. Violet made a numbing tea for you, but you weren’t awake to drink it.”

We were then interrupted by Taylor, who came in and stood by the doorway. He didn’t seem pleased at all as he held a scowl to his face and moved away from the door and to the side as he gestured for someone to enter. “Silas.”

My heart dropped when Silas entered the bedroom. He stood in between Demetrius and Athena, and both of them were armed with weapons. There was a cut by his eye that had yet to heal itself. Guilt and sorrow showed on his face when he saw me.

Eli didn’t hesitate for one second. I heard him growl and he stormed over to him, punching him in the face. Silas knew it was coming, yet he did nothing to prevent it.

He spit the blood from his mouth. “What a day. I battle Ambrose, get punched in the face twice, and a dagger held to my throat when G.I. Jane, here, answers the door.”

Athena gave a satisfied smile.

“I’ll gladly punch you again,” Taylor said as his hands balled into fists and he glared his way.

I sighed. I was way too exhausted to handle any fighting

“What did you expect? You don’t get a warm greeting, especially not from me. You let Ambrose almost kill
my
girl, someone you
claimed
to love,” Eli said.

Demetrius chuckled. “Incubi don’t love.”

Silas turned to him, his body tense and his eyes like ice. “But I do.”

Demetrius’ mouth set in a hard line and he took a step forward. “But look what you did to her. You’re nothing but poison, and you may have a little good in you deep down, but the malevolent side overshadows it.”

I exhaled. “Stop.”

Athena pulled Silas away and stood in front of him to keep them from fighting. “Everyone stop. You’re stressing her out.”

They all stole a glance my way before backing off.

“Why are you here?” Eli asked.

“To help.”

“I think you’ve done enough,” Taylor said.

Silas sighed and shook his head. “Look, I’m aware that I messed up. I was lost. I didn’t know what to do. I told you it was complicated.” He looked at Demetrius in disdain. “I’m sure you already know.”

“We all know,” Eli said.

Silas’ eyes widened as he turned his focus on me. “And you’re okay with it? I mean, I need you to be because it’s the only way to kill Ambrose.”

My brows pinched together. What was he talking about? What did I need to be okay with? I sighed. They were keeping something from me, and I didn’t like it.

“She doesn’t know. We didn’t want to tell her yet because of the condition she is in, and, unfortunately, she does care for you. She’s not going to take it well,” Taylor said.

One of the many unbearable waves of pain came on so sudden, shredding my insides to pieces, and I cried out, my muscles tensing as I breathed through the pain. Taylor jumped on the bed the same time Eli ran to my aid, as they knew what was coming next. I could feel it rising in my throat as Taylor pushed me on my side and blood flew out of my mouth and into the bucket Eli was holding for me.

I took in a breath, wincing as I lied back down.

“Why hasn’t she been turned yet? I assumed you guys would turn her,” Silas said.

“We are,” Athena said.

“Tell me…about Silas,” My voice worn out and cracking as I forced out the words.

“Not yet, okay? We need to get you better first,” Taylor said.

“Now.”

Silas moved toward me, only for Demetrius to shove him back. “Don’t you even think about it.”

I sighed. My frustration was growing. I was so incredibly sick of the tension, especially now when my body was hurting. “Let… him,” I said, attempting to yell, but it only left me breathless.

Silas moved toward me once more with a heated look to his face as he and Eli had a stare down. He tore his eyes away from Eli and sat beside me.

“I’m really sorry for everything. I will never forgive myself for what I did, and it’s okay if you hate me now. I deserve it. The only way I know how to make it up to you is by helping you kill Ambrose…and me.”

My heart twisted. Silas was good. I cared for him. I didn’t want to kill him. Everyone that I let in and let myself love always seemed to wind up dying because of me. I just couldn’t do it anymore.

“Not…you.”

He frowned. “You have to. Ambrose is my twin. We share the same blood. We’re automatically bonded, and if you kill one twin then you kill the other. You need the blood of one of the twins for the ritual to work.” He looked down and sighed. “I guess you can call it selfish, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to help you because that meant that I would ultimately help you kill myself. I didn’t feel ready. I realized back at the cabin that I was willing to die if that meant saving you from Ambrose. I really do love you. I know I shouldn’t, though. I’m glad you chose Eli over me, because he can give you everything that I’m not able to give you, even though I really wanted to.” His voice, filled with sorrow, had cracked, and he immediately cleared his throat.

Tears leaked out of my eyes, and I sucked in a deep breath, feeling the ache of my breaking heart. I felt a sense of embarrassment as I cried while everyone watched. Was it wrong to cry over him after what he did? Was it wrong to feel so deeply hurt because of what I was being forced to do? I wasn’t completely sure.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead, lingering for a moment, and I could feel his warm tears drip on my head before he pulled back and stood.

A sudden jolt of pain slammed into my heart. I gasped for breath and held my chest as the pain squeezed the life out of my heart and it spread down my arm.

Eli, frantic and worried, hovered over me. “Paige, what’s wrong?”

“It’s her heart. We shouldn’t have waited to turn her. I knew this was a mistake,” Taylor said.

“What if it’s too late?” Silas asked.

Fear numbed my insides at that thought. I didn’t want to die!

There was so much yelling as chaos burst to life around me. It was hard for me to breathe, and I was so incredibly afraid. My mind grew fuzzy and I could barely focus as the black shades began to cover my eyes. As I slowly slipped away, there was a sharp pain that pierced my neck, sending fire raging through my veins. It spread throughout my body. I screamed, and as the wrath of the venom took over, my body began to pulsate. I shut my eyes as I could no longer keep them open.

****

Painful spasms twisted through my muscles and I grunted in pain as my body arched off the bed. My skin burned with a fever as sweat poured off my body.

I felt a soft, wet, cold cloth press against my forehead, and it brought relief to my burning, hot skin.

“It’s okay. Be strong,” Chelsea soothed.

I tore my eyes open to see her standing over me, dipping the cloth in a bowl of cold water. With my nerves shot, my body shook from the pain. My panting turned into a scream as the spasms strengthened, tearing through my body like a tornado, destroying and poisoning my insides.

I squeezed on Eli’s hand, who knelt on the bed on the other side of me.

I closed my eyes and grunted. “I’m so tired.”

“No, don’t say that. Please, don’t give up,” Eli said. I heard him exhale. “Damn it, why did I wait to turn her?”

“Hey, she’s going to be just fine. You did the right thing. You didn’t get a say when you were turned. I made that decision for you, and you didn’t want it to be forced on her. You did well,” Athena said.

“Still, if she doesn’t make it, I will never forgive myself for not making that decision for her.”

Tears seeped out of my eyes, cooling my hot cheeks, and I bit down on my bottom lip so hard that I drew blood as I fought as much as my worn out body would let me. But I didn’t have much else to give. Still, I pushed forward, willing myself to stay strong.

I felt a tug at my chin. “Stop. You’re making yourself bleed. Let go,” Taylor said.

My teeth slid over my lip as I let go of my hold. As hours passed, time seemed to drag on and I was left suffering and forcing myself to go on when I all I wanted was to give in already. I felt trapped, forever swimming in a sea of scorching, hot lava, desperately wanting to be free of the hurt, but there was no way out. My mouth began to throb as an ache pulsated through my gums.

I heard a gasp. “Taylor, look,” Chelsea said.

Taylor hovered over me, opening my mouth more than it already was, and his eyes widened slightly before relief flooded his tired, worried face. “She has her fangs…it’s almost done.”

The spasms continued to rage on within, ripping and taking, twisting and turning as the pain the venom had brought refused to let me go.

When the pain slowly drifted away and my body was left numb, I lied still, too worn out to move my sore body. I panted and shut my eyes, feeling my frantic heart gradually slow to a steady beat. I had never been so incredibly happy in my life to finally be free of the torture.

I turned on my side, wincing from the soreness of my muscles, and pressed my cheek against Eli’s hand that still wrapped around my own. I let myself drift into a deep sleep, and everything around me grew farther away. Peace rained down on my brittle, beaten body, finally allowing my soul to roar victory over death’s cold grip.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Whispering that was once barely audible, had become so incredibly clear and easy to pick up on as I came to. Adrenaline buzzed through my veins. It was such a rush, and I felt so alive that I couldn’t stand to be in bed any longer. I craved the outdoors. I wanted so bad to be outside where the owls hooted and the moon shed its light on the night. I wanted to sprint through the woods and run up the mountains as the fresh air brushed against my skin. My insides vibrated as the sound of a whiny whimper exploded in my head.

My eyes popped open. What was that? It seemed like there was something alive inside of me. It was strange, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I had to ask. I sat up, surprised by the empty room that surrounded me. I furrowed my brow. The room was empty, yet the voices were still there, filling my ears as if they were right next to me; only there was no one in sight. It was Eli, Taylor, and Hunter. Eli and Taylor were laughing and joking about my defiant ways to Hunter, and how he was too soft to ever handle me.

I gasped. That’s right. Hunter bit me. He’s my alpha. It was slowly sinking in now. Everything had changed. The way I lived my life would change. My body changed. I would have to get used to the new me.

I got out of bed, opened the door, and stepped out in the hall. Eli, Taylor, and Hunter were at the end of the hall, far away from my door, and I gathered then that my ears were sensitive to sound. I rushed down the hall, eager to get to them. I needed Hunter. They saw me coming, and their smiles broadened from the sight of me.

“Your little puppet’s awake!” Taylor said to Hunter, grinning.

“Really? Puppet?” My brows rose.

“Yeah.” He pointed to Hunter then to me. “Master, puppet, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the other way around. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

“My roar will do all the work,” Hunter said.

“This is going to be very interesting,” I said.

There was a warm smile to Eli’s face as his hands found my waist and pulled me close. “You wear orange well.”

I brought my hand up to feel underneath my eye. I almost forgot. “My eyes.”

He nodded. “We match. It’s only temporary. Once your body adjusts completely your natural eye color will return.”

As he claimed my lips, a jolt of excitement exploded within and I heard it again in my head—the whimpering. Only this time, it had turned into a howl, and I could feel the vibration course throughout the rest of my body. A sudden urge to kiss him even more took over. Despite my deep want for him, I was afraid of what was going on inside my head.

I pushed him away and averted my gaze to Hunter. “There’s something inside me. I heard a whimper in my head, even a howl. I think I actually felt it…it made my body vibrate.”

“It’s okay. It’s only your wolf. You must have made her stir. What were you thinking about?” Hunter said.

“I had an urge to go outside all of a sudden, and that’s when it happened. Wait a minute, so you’re telling me that there’s another person in me?”

“The animal is in you. It stays hidden until you’re ready to take on wolf form, but certain things that would appeal to her or even anger you, which alarms her, will make her react and want to take on wolf form,” Hunter said.

“Don’t you know anything about mythology?” Eli asked.

“I was aware of the powers, but I didn’t actually know the wolf lived within me like it was an actual person. The damn thing started whining. I was a little alarmed.”

“You just need to adjust. Give it time,” Eli said.

Taylor burst into laughter. “Remember when granny used to jump out of the closet in a wolf costume before telling us her wolf stories. She would scare the shit out of us.”

“How can I forget? She made me pee my pants one time.”

They all laughed, and I smiled.

“I remember,” Taylor said, then he sighed before grinning. “The memories.”

“Were they actual wolf stories?” Hunter asked.

“Not a chance. She would put her own twists on
Little
Red Riding Hood
.”

“Oh, you’ll have to tell me some of her stories sometime,” Hunter said.

“So, there’s something very important we have to do today,” Eli said.

I frowned. Ambrose and Silas. If I killed Ambrose, Silas died as well. My heart felt heavy. I wished there was a way to save Silas. He wasn’t the bad one, really.

“Where is Silas?” I asked.

“Don’t worry that little heart of yours. He didn’t leave,” Taylor said.

“Did Ambrose show while I was asleep?”

“No. Silas said he wouldn’t after you had been infected with the venom, because it stopped your death. He couldn’t claim you,” Eli said.

“I have to see him before I…” I froze. I couldn’t go on. I had yet to accept what needed to be done.

With concern on his face, Taylor reached for my arm and pulled me in for a hug. I was still getting used to the affection of others. I guess three years or more of pushing people away and just not getting enough affection would do that to me. I hated it, yet embraced it. I hated it, because I always found myself wanting to cry, and I embraced it, because I craved it. It felt nice to feel the love of someone and to know that they really did care.

“Please, I’m begging you, don’t let the grief take you when it’s over. I don’t want to lose you again. We’re just getting to a good place.”

That was what I was afraid of. I knew that if the misery of his death was too strong to overcome, I would only drown myself in the only medicine that I had come to love. I realized, though, as he was begging me to not turn to alcohol, that it was a mistake for me to think that I had to carry the burden of what happened all by myself. I saw now that talking about it, even though it was painful, would have helped. Keeping it in and forcing myself to bury the memories only made me hurt so much more. I had to find a way to open up. I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

“I don’t want to lose myself,” I said.

My chin quivered and my eyes blurred with tears.

“You have us. We’re here, always, even if you push us away,” Taylor said.

“We’ll just push back,” Eli said.

“Yeah. Besides, you can’t push me away. We’re a pack now. You’re stuck with me forever…if you choose to be, that is,” Hunter said.

“Thanks, guys. I have to see Silas,” I said.

“He’s been outside on the back patio for a while. He said he wanted to be left alone. I think he’s trying to come to terms with his death,” Taylor said.

My heart sank. “I know the feeling.”

I started down the hall, sighing as sorrow settled in the pit of my stomach.

“Do you want me to come along? Just in case you need support? That’s part of my job, you know, as an alpha,” Hunter said.

“No; I think I’ll be okay.”

Was I going to be okay, though? I wasn’t so sure. How was I going to look him in the eye, knowing what I had to do? I hated it.

I made it a point to walk down the staircase as slow as I could, because each step I took brought me closer to the one person that I needed to see, yet wanted to avoid. As I reached the kitchen, I pushed the swinging door and walked inside, gasping as Violet, with a smile to her face and tea in her hand, stood before me.

“I knew you were coming down. I made you some tea.”

I would be lying if I said this wasn’t strange, but I guess you never quite know what you’re going to get with a half witch.

I took the tea. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, she’s weird like that, but you’ll get used to it,” Athena said.

Violet scowled and poked her tongue out at Athena. “I’m not weird; I’m just intuitive.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Athena smirked before biting into her apple. My eyes widened as a red liquid ran down her chin, and she quickly scooped it up with her finger and put her finger in her mouth.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s a blood apple. Vi makes them,” Athena said.

“I used to eat the hell out of them when I was a vampire,” Lucas said with a sad smile to his face.

Athena went behind Lucas, wrapping her arms around him. “One day you’ll be able to eat all the blood apples you desire.” She puckered her lips, waiting for him to bring his lips down to hers, but he gave his cheek instead.

She gasped and smacked his arm. “Lucas Christianson!”

“Woman, don’t you even come over here wanting a kiss after your feeding. Go brush them teeth and get the blood out of your mouth then we’ll kiss.”

She laughed then grabbed him and kissed him up and down his cheek. “Just for you, because you like my blood breath so much.”

Violet took a blood apple out of the wicker basket on the counter and handed it to me. “You can have one on the full moon when you crave blood. Trust me, they’re delicious. In my world, I made beautiful trees of different colors, where little fruits that look like cherries grow into blood apples when you pick them from the trees,” Violet said.

I scoffed as the thought of me ingesting blood invaded my mind.

“Yeah, we’ll see. You have a world?”

She nodded. “Yeah. That’s where all the vampires live to get away from the hunters. There’s a portal inside the waterfall where you enter. I’ll have to take you sometime.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

I was a tad bit afraid to go, but her world did seem like it would be an interesting sight to see.

Demetrius nodded a greeting my way. “Paige, it’s nice to see you up and about.”

“How are you feeling?” Chelsea asked.

She sat at the breakfast bar with Kyle.

“So much better,” I said.

“You must be starving. We saved you a dinner plate,” Kyle said.

“Yes, you must eat. We need you strong for the ritual. The power of the moon can sure wear a person out,” Violet said.

“Okay, yeah, I’ll eat. I’m going to talk to Silas first.”

The sadness in my voice brought a frown to their faces.

“It’s unfortunate, you know, with Silas,” Kyle said.

I nodded, feeling the pain wear me down.

“Just remember, he had evil intentions before you managed to steal his heart,” Demetrius said.

“Spoken like a true hunter. Your disdain for him is a little too heavy at the moment,” Athena said.

“You’ll be fine, Paige. I know this because I’ve seen. It’s going to hurt, but you will heal,” Violet said.

I nodded and forced a smile. She continued to catch me off guard with her sudden facts of the future.

She laughed, amusement glowing in her eyes, and I could see her fangs peek out from behind her lips. “You’ll warm up to me the more you’re around. I’ll be seeing a lot of you now that you and Hunter are pack mates.”

“Yes. There are definitely a lot of things that I’ll have to warm up to.”

I took in a breath as butterflies filled my stomach. I was nervous to see him. I walked out on the patio, and Silas immediately turned to look at me. A warm smile covered the misery that he once showed. I noticed that he looked paler than usual, but I didn’t comment. I thought it was the worry of what was to come.

“You look beautiful. Your wolf really makes your skin glow.”

I forced a smile and looked away. The guilt of what I had to do made me crack under his gaze. Still, as I saw him, I couldn’t find it in my heart to loathe him.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“How I can’t find it in myself to hate you, and it baffles me because I think the natural emotion I should feel is hatred.”

“Please, hate me.”

“I can’t, Silas. I don’t see you as the monster. I see you as the monster’s little puppet. He was stronger than you were, because he was driven by hatred and revenge, and-”

“And I was weak, because a part of my heart wasn’t as cold as it should have been,” he cut in.

“No, you’re not weak. Only the strong allow themselves to love. He’s your twin. It’s natural to have that unconditional loyalty to him.”

As he walked to me, the misery that was once washed away by my presence had returned. “I need you to hate me. I don’t want you to hesitate when the time comes. I can’t have you stop the ritual because you can’t kill me. I deserve it, and he deserves it. I need him gone, because even though you’re a wolf, that won’t stop him from attacking you again. You may be too strong for him to take your soul now, but he does have claws that are lethal. It’s easier for him to kill you than it is for you to kill him, remember? You can only injure him in a fight. Promise me that you’ll go through with it.” His eyes were heavy with sorrow of what was to come, yet they were begging me to go through with killing him.

There was an ache in my chest that drowned my heart in sorrow. “I promise.” My voice shook as I forced myself to say those two painful words.

“I have something for you,” Silas said.

He went inside his pocket and pulled out a sterling silver heart locket with a cluster of diamonds on the front, and on the back, he had five claw marks engraved.

“So you can remember me when I’m gone.”