Charity Moon (32 page)

“That is funny,” he said with no trace of a smile. “Please do not try to escape again. There are nine of us in this house. Next time you might not be so lucky.”

“You call this lucky? I can’t move.”

“You will be a lot better after a good night’s sleep. Then tomorrow night, we will have some fun with your Levi and his friends.”

“You can’t win this, Raven, and I’m going to enjoy watching Levi smash you like a mosquito.”

“Oh, we will see about that.” He smiled and closed the door.

I didn’t sleep a wink, but when morning arrived I felt surprisingly good, physically anyway. I got up easily, and though every inch of me ached, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I went into the bathroom and washed my face. When I looked in the mirror I noted the wounds on my face were red and swollen, but that’s better than scabbed and bloody looking. Actually, I looked remarkably well for a girl who got the snot beat out of her by a redheaded, psycho leech. I had a good bit of blood on my shirt though. Then I was reminded, I grabbed my chain and pulled it out, sighing in relief as I noted my ring secured safely to it.

There was a knock at my door, causing me to jump in response.

“Yes.”

Selena opened the door and entered. “I brought you something to eat. I know you’re hungry.”

“Thanks.”

She turned to leave.

“Please don’t do this, Selena. There has to be another way to free your werewolves. We can kill the vampires. I killed one of them last night.”

“I heard about that. That’s quite impressive for a human and a woman on top of that.”

“Did you doubt I could do it?”

“No, not really, but there are nine of them, Charity. It’s suicide to even think it.”

“Please, Selena. If you could get word to my pack then they can come rescue us and kill the vampires.”

“It’s too risky. I can’t take chances with my pack, Charity. I’m sorry, but this way is safe for me.”

“No, Selena, please.” She turned and left the room without another word, closing the door behind her.

I looked at the food but was too distraught to eat, so I tiptoed quietly to the window and opened it.

“Stop,” Raven said, appearing behind me.
Okay, this guy was just plain creepy
.

I turned quickly in surprise. “You can’t stop me. It’s sunny outside.”

“It might hurt, but I
would
stop you.”

“You’re such a jerk.” I grabbed the window and slammed it shut.

“Well, I see you are feeling better this morning.”

“Listen, Raven, I know you have this bad boy thing going on here, but just between you and me, I’ve seen something in you that contradicts that. I’m asking you to please not do this to my pack. They’re good people. They don’t want to fight you. They just want to live in peace. Your brother attacked
them.
I’m begging you, please let them be.”

“I might be persuaded to leave if—you come with me to settle the score.”

“Absolutely not! I won’t do that to Levi. It would destroy him anyway. It would be for nothing.”

“Not for nothing, you would not watch him suffer.”

“You don’t understand, you said you loved someone once. We can’t be apart.” I felt the tears creeping up and swallowed trying to suppress them.

“Then I am sorry, Charity, but my plans will not change. Your Levi, and his elite, will die tonight.”

Tears flooded my eyes and leaked down my cheeks. “Please leave!”

He turned in a fluid move and left the room.

The day passed painfully slow and, on top of that, I was in desperate need of some lip balm. The tube I’d been carrying in my jeans pocket had long been empty, and I felt like someone trying to quit smoking cold turkey.

I was pacing about the room when Raven entered. “Selena has made the call and your pack of elite six are on their way to rescue you. But I cannot have you warning them, so, I am sorry to have to do this,” he said with a seductive grin as he approached me.

I backed up until I was against the bedpost. “What are you going to do?” I asked in alarm.

His hand rose in a blur and covered my mouth, stifling my scream—then my world went black yet again.

When my eyes finally opened, I was looking at the walls of the old house upside down. I soon realized Raven was holding me in his arms like a wet dishrag. I moaned as I lifted up to look at him.

“Oh good, you are awake. Now the fun can begin.”

He swung me up and set me on my feet. I stumbled forward and fell to my knees. Once I got my bearings, my eyes focused on Levi and the others spread about the large room, shirtless and wrapped in silver chains, clearly in pain. I could almost make out steam coming from their skin where the chains touched and the Wolfsbane burned.

“No!” I screamed, making a dash for Levi, but Raven grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to his side.

“The view will be much more enjoyable from here, Charity.” He nodded to the six vampires standing against the opposite wall. They then took the necessary steps to cross the large room, each one talking a stand in front of my werewolves, the largest one stopping in front of Levi.

I looked at Raven in horror as he gave the order for the torture to begin. The six vampires began beating my werewolves viciously, causing them to moan and growl in pain.

I turned to Raven with both hands over my ears. “Please, Raven, stop this! Please!” I begged, reaching for his shirt and grabbing it in my hands. “Please!”

“I am sorry, love, but this is just too much fun to watch. Do not worry, it will soon be over.” He smiled.

With my dad’s blood boiling in my veins, and with no thought of my own well-being, I rushed at the large vampire, slamming into him with all my force, only moving him slightly. I reached for Levi. If I could just get his chains off, he could shift and rip that vampire’s head off. The large vampire grabbed me by the back of the neck and flung me across the room. I slid and smacked hard against the wooden floor. I heard Levi growl a menacing growl. I lifted my head slightly and locked eyes with him. He was growling angrily, his eyes turning a deep yellow. He was trying to shift. His teeth shot out and snapped at the vampire, only missing him by an inch, but before I could get hopeful, the vampire began beating him again.

Up until that moment it’s always been Levi rescuing
me
from danger—from the forest—from Frank’s unwanted advances—from Wesley’s delusional plots, but all at once I realized that I alone had the power to set
him
free, and I was willing to sacrifice my own life to spare his.

I got to my feet and ran quickly to Raven. “Okay, I’ll go with you! Just please stop!”

He smiled in victory. “Stop!” Raven commanded, and the room went silent. “Well, Levi, it looks as if you will not be dying tonight after all. Your wife here has agreed to leave with me in order to save you and your precious elite.”

“No, Charity!” Levi growled through his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth and pooling in the floor.

“I have to. It’s the only way to save you,” I cried. When I tried to go to him Raven stopped me.

“I have to admit, Levi, I never thought I would covet any possession of a werewolf’s, but Charity is quite a fascinating woman. I find the idea of getting to know her very appealing.”

Levi growled and shook the chains wildly. “If you touch her I will make you regret it.”

“You are in no position to make threats I’m afraid.”

“I want to say goodbye,” I cried, looking up at Raven.

“Of course, my love. I would not deny you that.”

I rushed over to Levi and fell to my knees in front of him, taking his face in my hands. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and I wiped them away with my thumbs.

“Know this, I love you with my entire heart, and I will love you until I draw my last breath.” I touched my hand to his chest, tracing the tattoo that was his gift to me.

As his gaze met mine I knew the image of his sad eyes would haunt me until, by mercy alone, my heart stopped beating.

“Charity, don’t. We can take the pain. Please don’t do this. You’re breaking my heart.”

“Don’t say that,” I cried. “Please don’t say that. They’ll kill you.”

All of a sudden his expression lightened and his face turned hopeful. “Maybe there’s another way.”

I looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“The Farmer’s Cry.”

As I thought about what he was implying, I wiped my tears and smiled. I stood and turned to face Raven. “Raven, I’ve changed my mind. I won’t be leaving here with you after all. You see, I love my husband, and I could never be with anyone else. And I’m sorry that I have to do this.”

He looked at me with a bewildered expression as I inserted my fingers in my mouth and whistled the loudest Farmer’s Cry in history. The sound echoed off the walls of the old house and made it even louder. Raven cringed and the werewolves howled. I even heard Selena’s werewolves in the basement below us.

“What was that?” he asked me in astonishment once the vibrating sounds quieted.

“That was the call that’s gonna bring the werewolves to your door. I figure you’ve got about one minute or less until this place is surrounded. Once you hear the growling it’ll be too late.”

“You are bluffing.” But his expression was wary.

“Am I? I guess we’ll know soon enough. But nine vampires against twenty werewolves, it doesn’t sound too good. I’ve had to use the call before to break up a fight. They know it and they heard it. They’re wolves after all. I only wish I had remembered it earlier.” I smirked at him.

“Raven paced about the room angrily, his hands balled into fists. He looked at Levi, “You realize this is not over, not by a long shot. Besides your death, there is now something else I want from you.” His gaze quickly shifted to mine and there was fire in his dark eyes. “Let us go!” he yelled angrily, and all the vampires disappeared quickly out the back.

I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and rushed to Levi, reaching around him and feeling into his back pocket until I found his phone.

“Charity, what are you doing?” Levi asked, his voice pained.

“Calling for help.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “What? They’re too far away to have heard that.”

I hit Hector on speed dial. “Hector, it’s Charity. I—”

I froze as I felt a cold hand wrap around my neck. Raven lifted me to my feet and pulled me against him so that I was facing Levi.

“That was very clever, Charity. Too bad it didn’t work.”

“Well, maybe that didn’t, but this did.” I held up the phone for him to see.

“Nice try, but you did not have time to give him our location.”

“No, but I did!” I heard a voice behind me say. We all turned to see Selena standing in the doorway holding my cell phone in the air, followed by howling in the distance.

Raven and Levi locked eyes, and even in pain Levi smirked at him.

“You think you have beaten me, young alpha, but I still hold your precious bride in my hands, and I think I will give her a final farewell. Let us see how much you love her when she is one of us.”  He pulled my hair to the side, tilted my head back, and opened his mouth wide, exposing his sharp fangs.

“No!” Levi cried, reaching for me.

“Raven,” I said in a pleading voice, “remember what you said about God? What if you’re right?”
I knew he wasn’t, but I hope he couldn’t tell that.
“Please don’t condemn my soul to hell. Please.” My voice was gentle, but shaky. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, anticipating the pain that would soon come.

He froze for a brief moment right before his teeth brushed against my neck, then his lips. His kiss was gentle as he whispered in my ear, “We will meet again, my love, that I promise you.” Then I felt a breeze, and just like that, he was gone.