The Gathering (28 page)

When Carmen came at her again, Rayna was
ready. Her nails dug into muscle tissue and a pained yelp
followed.

She ran on pure instinct then. Slashing and
digging her claws into Carmen when she was close enough to reach
her. When her hands were coated with blood, her body aching and
sore from being tossed around as if she weighed nothing, Judith
joined the fight. She’d shifted. Together they slashed, bit and
clawed at Carmen until she finally went to one knee. Judith lunged
and bit into the side of her neck.

Carmen’s howl echoed through the forest. It
caused Rayna’s own wolf to answer in return and that noise coming
from her human throat would have scared her any other day. Now, she
saw little point in fighting what she knew she was. She was a
werewolf. Dangerous. Deadly. And damned tired of getting beat down
by Carmen.

Finding the limb she’s dropped earlier, Rayna
lifted it and ran to where Carmen sat, bringing it down with a
punishing blow to the side of Carmen’s face.

She fell instantly.

Rayna took several steps backwards, her
breaths coming in gasps as she watched Carmen. She lay still for
long minutes, the first movement only being the hair on her body
rustling. Rayna thought at first it was the breeze causing it but
quickly saw it wasn’t. She was shifting.

When the naked body of Carmen lay at her
feet, Rayna dropped the limb and looked at Judith. Her friend was
bleeding, a large gash opened on her side. Blood was coating her
fur and dripping to the ground. “Are you all right, Judith?”

The wolf blinked before lowering her head in
an apparent nod. Rayna heaved a breath, trying to drag air into her
lungs before looking back at Carmen. “How bad is she hurt?”

Judith limped toward Carmen’s prone form,
sniffing at her face before backing away. A shake of Judith’s head
was all the answer she got. Rayna took a few cautious steps toward
her before leaning down and checking for a pulse. It was there,
strong and rapid. Rayna’s breath had returned to normal by the time
Carmen stirred.

She looked up, blinking at Rayna before
slowly crawling away. When she gained her feet, she swayed,
stumbling once before reaching out to grab a tree to steady
herself. A taunting smile crossed her face. “I guess now I can kill
you with my bare hands.”

Rayna stared at her, watching the slimy
substance that was always left behind after the shift slide down
her body. Naked and weak, Carmen still wanted to fight her. “Why
can’t you just let it go, Carmen?”

“Because he’s mine.”

“Garrett? You’re going to kill me just to
have him? He doesn’t even want you, Carmen. Killing me isn’t going
to accomplish anything but getting yourself killed.”

Carmen grinned. “Maybe but at least in our
deaths I’ll know he’s miserable.”

“If you loved him you wouldn’t want him to be
anything but happy.”

A harsh laugh erupted from Carmen. “Love
him?” She laughed harder before finding the strength to stand
without the support of the tree. “This has nothing to do with love,
you stupid girl.”

“Then what? If you don’t love him, then
why?”

A feral smile curved her lips. “This is about
power. Nothing more.” She took a step, swaying once before taking a
few more. “Garrett is pack leader. He marked me. That makes me pack
leader. I won’t be denied my place.”

Rayna looked to Carmen’s bare chest. The
marks left by Garrett were there, crossing one breast. “And what
about Garrett?”

“Garrett’s usefulness is limited to
controlling the pack and warming my bed.”

“And that’s enough for you?” Rayna asked.

“What more is there?”

Rayna had hated this woman for reasons too
many to count. She’d been a threat to her from the moment she met
her but now, as she looked at her, she only felt sorry for her.
Carmen knew nothing of love. Of how it felt to be held by someone
and feel safe and protected. To be cherished and cared for. Wanted.
Desired. Loved unconditionally.

“You’ll not be allowed back on the mountain,
Carmen. Regardless if I’m there, Garrett won’t let you go back.
He’ll protect the pack anyway he can even if that means killing you
to do so.”

“He’ll not succeed.” Carmen took a few steps,
testing her strength, Rayna thought, before straightening her spine
to stand her full height. “Shall we finish this?”

The fight with Carmen’s wolf was the first
Rayna had ever been in and facing the woman now wasn’t any less
daunting. Violence wasn’t something she’d ever had a need for.
Today looked like a first for many things.

When Carmen came at her, Rayna raised her arm
and swung. To her surprise, her claws were still out. She slashed a
deep gash across Carmen’s shoulder before she was knocked away.

Carmen’s blows were powerful enough to leave
Rayna dazed, her vision blurring before returning to normal. The
fact she was fighting a naked woman who, even though weak, still
gave better than she got didn’t escape her. The entire scene would
have been amusing had she not known at any minute, Carmen could
gain the upper hand and kill her.

They traveled the length of the clearing and
back again before Carmen grabbed her by both arms, lifted her and
tossed her across the clearing. She landed in a bed of pine
needles, her breath coming in short gasps.

Next to her head lay the limb Carmen had
taken from her earlier. She grabbed it, intent on making a club out
of it again and climbed to her feet. When Carmen jumped at her,
Rayna screamed and swung.

The blow knocked Carmen across the
clearing.

Adrenaline was rushing through her system;
the wolf howled inside her head and instinctively, Rayna rushed
across the clearing and brought the club down again. She hit her
twice more before Carmen grabbed it and yanked it from her
hands.

Rayna fell, her head hitting the ground hard
enough to daze her. When Carmen grabbed her by the hair, Rayna
turned her upper body and raised her hand, claws extended. They
sank into Carmen’s stomach.

A warm gush of blood ran down both hands as
Carmen screamed. Rayna dug deeper, digging her fingers into the
tender flesh and didn’t stop until Carmen’s body went rigid, her
eyes becoming unfocused.

When she slumped forward, Rayna jerked her
hands away and rolled.

Rayna stared wide-eyed at Carmen. Her
gurgling, blood filled cries caused the hair on Rayna’s body to
stand on end. She crawled to her feet and put as much distance as
she could between them before her knees gave out. She watched as
spasms wracked Carmen’s body, her cries dying to nothing before she
finally stopped moving.

The silence was deafening.

“She’s dead.”

Rayna stared at Carmen’s body, her eyes
burning with unshed tears, before looking up at Chad. He’d rushed
into the clearing moments ago causing Rayna’s heart to slam against
her rib cage and weaken her to the point of exhaustion. He was
followed by shifters. Two wolves and a lion, all of them on four
legs. They stood to the edge of the clearing, quietly watching as
Chad checked on Carmen.

Chad stood and moved to where Judith lay,
checking her for a pulse. In the dazed aftermath of Carmen’s
attack, Rayna had forgotten her friend. Seeing her now, back in
human form and bleeding, caused a pang of guilt to tighten Rayna’s
chest. How could she have forgotten? Chad’s heavy sigh, and the
look of relief that covered his face, let Rayna know her friend
would be okay. The gash in her side would take time to heal but her
injuries weren’t life threatening.

One of the wolves moved toward her and stood
by her side. She wasn’t sure who it was but knew it was one of her
pack. He smelled familiar. The streaks of gray in his fur led her
to believe it was Henry but she wasn’t sure. She swallowed to
moisten her throat. “Is Garrett okay?”

“He is.” Chad removed his jacket, laying it
over Judith’s prone form before turning his head to look at her. He
offered her a smile but it looked strained. “He was making sure we
all made it into the forest last I saw him. I’m sure he’ll be along
any moment now.”

They sat in silence for long minutes. Rayna’s
fears and doubt resurfaced. Was this the part where she found out
Carmen had been telling the truth? That Garrett was helping Victor
in exchange for Breed Leader status?

The sound of rustling bushes and feet hitting
the ground drew their attention. Three wolves burst into the
clearing. Two were upright in the form most Alphas preferred and
the third, a massive four-legged beast, came straight to her. It
was Garrett. She knew without asking. Her pulse leaped and her wolf
stirred. She tried to smile but failed. He walked toward her,
nuzzling the side of her face before licking the cheek Carmen’s
claws had cut.

“I want to go home.” He made a sound, not
exactly a growl but close. He turned to look at Chad.

“If you can find a way to the parking lot
without having to go straight through the park,” Chad said, “I’ll
get you all out of here.”

Gavin, still in wolf form stepped forward.
“We’ll stay. We haven’t fed and we’ll not all fit into your car.”
He looked to Garrett, lowering his head slightly. “If you think its
safe, of course.”

Garrett made another sound deep in his chest
and nodded his head before looking at Chad. His friend was still
hovering over Judith. Gavin crossed the clearing, leaning down and
lifting Chad’s jacket to see the gash in her side. “She’ll be
fine.” He looked up at Chad. “The healing will not take long.”

Chad looked relieved. He exhaled deeply, his
shoulders moving with the action. When he turned back to face them,
he said, “Well, one of you wolves find us a path and we’ll get out
of here. I’m with Rayna. I’m ready to go home.”

* * * *

The drive back to Chad’s house seemed to take
ages. Rayna knew without being told they were all in a bit of
shock. There wasn’t a one of them not covered in blood. Judith was
in the worst shape. Chad insisted on taking her to a hospital but
they couldn’t risk it. Rayna assured him she would heal. Her wounds
were probably already closed.

When they reached the house, Chad drove
around to the back door. He carried Judith inside and Rayna waited
with Garrett inside the car. The wolf was still present. She looked
at him, his fur coated with blood and matted, and sighed. “Are you
going to shift out here or inside the house?”

He tilted his head at her before looking
around Chad’s backyard. There were trees but not enough cover to
hide a shifting werewolf. She wasn’t sure how Chad would feel
getting his house coated in werewolf slime but they had little
choice.

Getting out of the car, Rayna looked at the
surrounding houses before motioning for Garrett to follow. He’d run
into the house and through the kitchen by the time she came in and
shut the door.

She could hear voices and followed them to
the living room. Chad was there with Judith. He was talking to
Garrett…or she thought he was. When she heard the sound of whimpers
she traced the sound to a small, wiry haired dog. It was cowering
near the sofa.

“Stop scaring the dog, Garrett.”

“Which one are you talking to?” Chad asked.
“They’re both named Garrett.” He grinned at her before picking
Judith up. “I’m going to help her get cleaned up. You’re welcome to
use the guestroom and the bath.”

When he left, Rayna turned to Garrett… her
mate, and grinned. “He named his dog after you?”

Garrett bared his teeth and growled before
walking away, down the hall. She laughed and followed him into the
bathroom. He was already shifting when she shut the door behind
her.

She turned on the shower before stripping her
torn clothes off. Garrett was sitting on the floor, his head
lowered. They were both beaten, bloodied and tired.

Helping him into the shower, they washed each
other until every trace of what The Collective—and Carmen— had put
them through was removed. Rayna dried them both, wrapped towels
around them, and stumbled with Garrett to a bedroom at the end of
the hall, collapsing on the bed.

They lay in a heap of limbs for long minutes
before Garrett finally stirred. “I love you.”

Rayna slid closer to him. “And I love you.”
She buried her face against his chest, taking in the clean scent of
his flesh. The entire day played again in her minds eye. The battle
with Carmen, and her death by her hand, was what weighed most
heavily on her conscience.

Garrett must have known what she was
thinking. His arms closed around her, his breath warm against her
face. “It was either her or you.”

“I know.” Rayna knew thoughts of Carmen would
plague her. She’d never taken a life. Although Carmen would have
killed her without flinching, Rayna would never have imagined it.
Everyone deserved to live. Even Carmen. As ruthless as the woman
was, who was she to say who lived and died? “Does the pain go
away?”

Garrett kissed her cheek. “No. It isn’t as
strong after a while but you never forget.” He sighed, his arms
tightening around her. “I promise you, you’ll never be in that
situation again. I should have been there.”

Rayna looked at him, reached a hand up to
caress his face. “You can’t always protect me, Garrett.”

“I can,” he said. “I will.”

He meant it. Rayna could see the truth of his
words on his face. She’d never have to take another life, not as
long as he was there.

She also knew Carmen’s words had all been
lies. Garrett didn’t sell her out to be a Breed Leader. She should
never have doubted him. Guilt filled her with remorse for even
thinking he’d be untrue to her.

Leaning up, she kissed him. If felt as if
weeks had gone by without him when it had only been days. Her need
to reassure herself he was there, that they were both safe,
overpowered her need for sleep. She pulled the towels from their
bodies and stroked Garrett until he was hard and thick in her hand
before rolling him to his back and straddling his hips.