Fanged Fury (The Adventures of Sydney Sedrick Book 3) (23 page)

I shook my head and turned toward the back wall of the store where her fireball was aimed. The flames were out, but the books and magazines lining the wall of wooden bookshelves were covered with a thick layer of wet, black soot.

Turning back to confront my attacker, I held the end of my hair out so she could see the damage she’d caused, I sniffed the ends and smelled the repulsive odor of singed hair and growled at her.

“Do you mind not damaging me and my store every time you get irritated?”

My heart was pounding. The demon scared the heck out of me.

“I apologize for damaging your store. Do you realize we wouldn’t argue about anything if those damned men weren’t involved?”

Shaking my head, I stomped over to the storeroom and grabbed empty boxes to put the damaged material in, along with bleach water and a few rags. Nothing got the smell of fire and smoke out like the power of bleach.

Warm water mixed with bleach sloshed over the sides of the bucket onto the floor as I exited the storeroom. I gave an inward groan at the bigger mess I had created. No matter, I needed to mop anyway.

“Selected, I’m only trying to help you see in your time of blindness. I come from a hostile relationship where my mate was so hungry for power he betrayed me and sold me into the contract I now am obligated to fulfill.”

Dumping the ruined books into the box sitting on the floor, I turned to gaze at the demon I thought I could be friends with one day.

“You said he didn’t know where you’ve been all this time, and now you’re saying he’s the one who put you here in this reality? Figure your story out and let me know when you have it down straight. I’m sick of being lied to all the time, by everyone.” I took the rag from the bucket of water and began wiping the top shelf. I was so furious, I struggled not to soak the rag with the water and douse her with it. She’d be mortified.

It would take hundreds of dollars to replace what she’d ruined. I’d have to check to see what damage the store’s insurance would cover. I hoped the agency wouldn’t look into the cause too closely, because I didn’t know how many times they’d accept the made up stories about why the store was always getting trashed. Not all of them could be explained in human terms, like the wood floor being split down the center of the store because a big blue demon got mad and stomped his foot. No human had the strength to do such a thing, and Wisconsin didn’t experience earthquakes.

The flames in the fireplace roared and the flame tips licked the stone top. Kasdeya was growing agitated again.

“I will have you know, human, I told you the truth from the start. Rage and my father joined in a coup together against me, because I’m a lowly woman in their eyes. They felt I had more worth in being sold then keeping around. In their ploy for power, they sold me to the Dark Lord to do with as he pleased. My father was already indebted to him so my dear, beloved ex concocted the idea to use me as a bartering tool.”

Continuing to clean, I asked, “So, if it was Rage’s idea to sell you to the Devil himself, how’d he not know where you were assigned?” I wasn’t sure I believed a word she said.

“The Dark Lord doesn’t owe anyone in my home. But he does here, in yours. King Alexander was recalling a favor he’d given the Dark Lord. The king needed to replace one of his precious Judges gone rogue.” She clicked her silver nails together before continuing. “Rage was at the Dark Lord’s door, offering me up on a silver platter at the right time. The Dark Lord took the offer. Once the deal was sealed with my blood, to relieve my father of his debt and to provide Rage with a legion of minions at his disposal, I found myself here, serving the king.”

I dropped the rag into the bucket then dumped the next shelf’s ruined books into the box and said, “But that still doesn’t explain why Rage had to look for you.”

Kasdeya came close to me, as in nose-to-nose close.

I cringed inside, but tried my hardest not to let her see me flinch. When she picked up the box of sopping wet reading material—which must have weighed close to a hundred pounds—she went through the front door without a word.

When she returned, I had finished wiping the second shelf off and was ready to start the next one down. I went into the storeroom for another box and she followed me to the doorway.

Leaning against the wooden frame, she said, “The Dark Lord doesn’t care to give details of his dealings, especially since he used me to settle a debt with a vampire in this reality. It doesn’t look good to his followers if he owes a debt, especially to a vampire. He wouldn’t have given Rage or my father my location unless they came up with something he’d want worth the information. So, it taking this long for Rage to find me tells me Rage didn’t get his information from the Dark Lord. He sent out his minions to find me. It’s been a while since I’ve been gone, making me believe he must have used a lot of resources in his search.”

Her smile wasn’t one of sadness. The sneering lift of her lip told me she’d hoped Rage had overtaxed himself in his search for her.

She moved out of my way when I headed toward the door of the storeroom. If she hadn’t, I was in the mood to push her with the box in my arms, which I’m sure would have ended in another fight. I just wanted her out of my store.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than harass me about my love life?”

Kasdeya followed me back to the bookshelf and waited for me to fill the box with more ruined books. Maybe she felt guilty for damaging my store’s goods?

“I told you, Sydney. I only want to help you see how Blake truly loves you and would never do such traitorous things as Rage has done to me. Sydney, I never saw it coming. I was in love, or so I thought. I thought he was, too.” Her words slowed and she averted her gaze to the flames in the fireplace.

I filled the box and gave it a kick, hoping she’d carry it out to the dumpster in the alley next to the building, the same alley where I’d been bitten by the rogue wolf, when my Selected powers had been trigged.

When my entire life had changed.

She didn’t take the hint.

“I think it would be best if you didn’t interfere with Blake and me, and I’ll do the same with relationships in your life. Deal?”

“I feel pity for you, Selected. You are so blinded by your own fears. You do not see what is standing right before you. I only hope your vision and heart clears before it is too late.”

She picked up the last box and carried it out. I waited to hear the jangling sound of the door chimes signaling her return, but it never came.

To my relief, Kasdeya didn’t come back to debate more on love and life.

I stood next to the clean, but empty, bookshelf and let out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Life sucked, and she had a good point. Actually, she had a few good points.

Blake loved me.

I knew I had at least started to fall in love with him.

So what was my problem?

The problem was the prophecy. The bit about spilling blood of my blood upon the birth of my child with a wolf sat in my gut like sharp-cornered bricks. Plus, I didn’t know how the vampires would react once they found out I’d shacked up with a wolf.

Would they kill me or my family, or would they go after Morris, Blake, and their pack to make sure the wolves never fulfilled their prophecy?

Chapter 16

I pulled into the long driveway of the wolves’ den and parked close to the entrance. One of the younger pack members answered the door with a wide, toothy smile. Her warm welcome made me feel at ease as I followed her down the corridor to the dining hall.

I thought Morris wanted to meet with me in private, in his office where he could block out the other wolves from hearing what he had to say.

Morris and Blake’s mother, Adaira, sat at the dining table along the side of the room having a private meal together.

When I entered, Morris motioned for me to take the seat opposite his half-human, half-werewolf wife. I’d met Blake’s mother a few times, and liked her more with every encounter. She was a loving mother and able to think with reason instead of letting her wolf rise, demanding to fight everything and everyone around her, like her male counterparts tended to do.

“Sydney, honey, we had an extra plate set for you. You must be starving.” Adaira smiled as she spread butter on a dinner roll. The sight of the butter melting on the warm bread made my insides cramp. I hadn’t eaten dinner after work. There wasn’t enough time to even stop at home to change before the meeting.

“Thank you, I will.” I grabbed a plate, dished up an individual-sized pile of warm veggies, then grabbed two rolls and the dish with butter on it. I spread the butter on a roll, tore a chunk off, and stuck it into my mouth. The taste of cinnamon was a pleasant surprise and made the bread divine. I studied the butter on the small glass platter and saw the tiny brown speckles mixed within.

I’d have to tell Aunt Judith to see if we could make cinnamon butter for the house.

Morris wiped his chin and dabbed the corners of his mouth before he spoke. “Sydney, I brought you here because we need to talk about the trouble we’re having with the Mobile, Alabama, wolf pack. They want proof we’re keeping watch over you and that we’ve a handle on the rogues in the city.”

I nodded and swallowed another wad of delicious bread. I could have sat there all night just eating the bread and nothing else, it was that good.

“We’ve talked about it before, Morris. I said I’d do whatever you needed to help the pack and I meant it. I know I haven’t gone rogue hunting with Blake, but I will, don’t worry.” I didn’t know if that’s all he wanted to talk about, but from the sideways glance Morris and Adaira shared, I knew there was more to the summons.

“Sydney, we’ve spoken and all agree. If you were to move in with us, here, at the den, the Mobile pack would leave us be. I’m sorry to burden you with this. I know you feel we involve you too much in our problems—”

A ruckus occurring outside the door of the dining room hall interrupted Adaira.

I couldn’t have been more pleased when Blake and Matt strutted into the hall and approached us at the table.

The scars on my hip from Matt’s branding seared me with an uncomfortable burn as his eyes raked me from head to toe. The Mobile wolf did nothing to hide his physical appreciation at the sight of me. Blake stepped toward the wolf and shoved Matt away from me while puffing his chest out to almost double its normal size.

“You will not unclothe my mate with your eyes again, or I will consider your disrespect as a direct challenge. Do you understand your place, or do you have to be shown?”

Blake’s and Matt’s eyes changed to their battle hues and I shot to my feet. I didn’t want to get in the way if they decided to get into another physical altercation.

Blake’s mother screamed as Matt lunged toward Blake. Morris’ face half-shifted into his wolf form as he leapt over the dining table. He caught Matt in the middle of him swinging his arm before his fist could connect with Blake’s jaw.

“Get off of him, Dad. It’s my fight he wants, so it will be me he gets.” Blake crouched lower to the floor and spaced his legs shoulder-width apart while positioning his arms in readiness for grappling.

The sound of Morris’ growl echoed against the dark wood paneling of the dining hall’s walls as he swung Matt around by his arm and leg. Morris had generated so much energy that when he released Matt, the momentum sent the southern wolf streaming through the air until his head and back struck hard against the far wall. The sound of splintering wood pierced the room as Matt crumpled to the ground.

He didn’t get up.

Adaira’s sharp intake of breath brought my attention to her as she rounded the dining table and went to check on Matt. Morris and Blake blocked her path and she struggled to move through them.

Morris’ face changed back to his human one and said, “He’s a wolf, my love. No need to spoil him with your healing. He needs to learn the hard way he shouldn’t attack the heir to our pack, especially not here in the den with all the wolves to see.”

I looked to the entrance of the hall and spied a good twenty wolves standing there in silence. They stood sentinel, waiting for a signal to enter the fight and protect their leaders. They must have either heard the yelling and wood splintering, or they heard through their communication bond a fight had broken out and their heir was in danger. Morris and Blake had a lot of backup, should they choose to exercise it.

Adaira narrowed her eyes at both Morris and Blake and left the room in silent grace. I admired her for not causing a scene to further escalate the situation. The men knew how she felt about what had just happened. She’d earned great respect among the pack, and I could see why. The wolves put their heads down in deference as she passed. She wasn’t done. Her dignity wouldn’t allow her to embarrass herself in front of them or to yell at her husband and son in their presence. They would hear about it later. Until that time came to pass, she’d make them tiptoe on eggshells until she let them have it. Blake had once told me of her ability to control the entire pack with nothing but a narrowed gaze.

The claw marks of Matt’s brand on my hip began to burn until they reached a white-hot pitch. My flesh felt so hot, I felt the need to check to see if blisters were forming, but I knew they weren’t.

I had to get to Matt. He was the only one who could soothe the pain.

Blake and Morris stood apart from the wolf still crumpled against the far wall of the dining hall. Neither paid me any mind. I stepped to the side to get around their muscular frames and made a dash for it.

I was able to get to Matt before they could stop me. I knew they’d try from the growly curses they let out as I reached the Mobile wolf.

Just as I reached down to touch Matt’s shoulder, I heard Blake’s voice split the air. “Sydney, no!”

I’d never heard Blake’s voice laced with so much fear.

Before I could think about what I was about to do, Matt rolled toward me with a wicked smile filled with jagged, bloodstained teeth.

I felt the color drain from my face as the threat of losing consciousness became overwhelming.

Rogue.

Matt placed a hand around my neck like a vise and drew my face frighteningly close to his and yelled out to Blake, “If you want her to live, you’ll complete the bond. Otherwise, the Selected line dies here, tonight.”

I couldn’t look at Blake because Matt’s hand wouldn’t let go of my head. His mouth was filling with foamy saliva and the stench of his breath grew rancid.

Blake’s footsteps came closer to us. I heard the hesitation in his step. My wolf wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t know either.

“Unhand her, you vile piece of—”

“Son,” Morris interrupted. “I think the Mobile wolf isn’t going to let this end any other way. Sydney’s life is in the balance. Think well on your next actions.”

Matt curled his fingers inward so his fingernails began to pierce through the flesh on my neck.

A booming voice filled the room. “Morris, thank you for having your wolf call me. I appreciate you allowing us to assist you in this matter.”

At the sound of the man’s voice, I closed my eyes for a brief moment in relief.

Kieran.

“And here I thought she was relatively safe being at your home, Blake.” Daire’s words didn’t hide his view of Blake’s incompetence, but I was glad to know he was there, too.

Matt’s eyes bulged as he realized an ancient, powerful vampire had entered the dining hall, and then they narrowed to angry slits.

“Wrong move, wolf,” he said as he rose his free hand into the air.

“No!” I heard someone shouting. The voice sounded a lot like Daire’s, but I couldn’t be sure.

Matt swiped his clawed hand in a downward fashion across my neck and then just above the bend in my arm.

The jagged slices in my flesh felt like scorching hot branding irons were being pressed into me as warm liquid pumped out of my wounds. He finally let go of me and pushed himself up into a crouched position, ready to fight the group of Others who stood before him.

All the energy in my body seeped out as I slid to the floor, unable to hold myself up any longer.

Michael and Brianna sprinted into the room. My heart clenched at that moment when my little sister’s eyes met mine while taking in the rest of the room. Michael began to transform into a wolf while standing right next to her.

Brianna shrieked and moved away from him while clutching at her chest.

My vision was clouding and I felt my consciousness slip away. I was grateful. Between the burning brand on my hip from Matt’s mark, and the clawed flesh where he gouged me, I needed a reprieve from the pain. I welcomed the darkness as sounds of a battle broke out in front of me.

I opened my eyes when a man’s screams pierced my eardrums.

Daire sidestepped to complete a circle around Matt, while Michael, Blake, Morris, and Kieran filled the rest of space around the Mobile wolf.

Matt spit his words out with vengeance. “My father will kill all of you. This pack was supposed to fulfill the prophecy and, yet, here you stand, giving the Selected a choice? She should be locked in a wolf den and taken over and over again until she becomes with child. You are all fools to live like this, in this city, alongside vampires. The Moon Goddess will repay my pack for fulfilling her wishes.”

Through hazy vision, I watched Brianna’s face pale as Morris and Blake began to transform into their wolves She shook her head, then glanced in my direction and locked gazes with me. She rushed over to me, then tilted my head to face her while putting pressure with her hand on the wound at my neck.

She brushed the hair from my eyes and I turned my head back to the battle going on in the hall. I grabbed her hand and squeezed her when I heard a sob escape her.

“Sydney, what is going on?” She began to rock me back and forth trying to comfort me.

“Brianna, we have a lot to talk about, but we’ll do that later. Right now, we have to make sure our boys are safe.” My voice sounded strange, sort of sickeningly bubbly.

I slowly climbed to my feet in time to see Matt take a swipe at Michael with his elongated claws. Brianna shrieked and dashed over to her boyfriend, now fully in wolf form.

A moment of pride toward Brianna filled my heart. Despite not knowing werewolves existed, she still knew to follow her heart, and she loved Michael, apparently unconditionally.

Matt leered at me as he headed toward Michael and Brianna. Half hunched over, I quickened my pace to cover the length of the hall to get to them when Daire stepped in my way.

“Not today, my love.” He put a strong arm around my waist in time to keep me standing. A wave of wooziness washed over me. I was losing a lot of blood, fast.

Matt ran at my sister and Michael. I screamed, or tried to but my mouth filled with blood. Matt leapt into the air toward them and finished his own transformation into a wolf. His wolf form was larger than Michael’s, but not as large as Blake.

Morris and Blake charged toward Matt as he continued his advance on Michael and Brianna. He began to run at top speed, taking another jump into the air, gaining momentum to strike out at Michael.

Brianna put her hands up, as if to shield Michael from the blow.

But Matt never made impact with either of them. He bounced off an invisible barrier protecting my sister and her wolf boyfriend, who even now I could she was petting like a beloved pet as she realized they were safe.

I glanced into Daire’s eyes in question.

Daire shook his head and said, “Don’t look at me, Sydney. Your sister seems to have been hiding something of her own, yes?”

“What are you talking about?” The pain from the wounds in my neck and arm pulsated, making it difficult to speak and catch my breath, having to spit the blood out of my mouth as it continued to ooze inside from the clawed wound on my neck.

Daire laughed. “Your sister is a witch, and from the strength of the shield spell she just cast, I’d say she’s quite a powerful one at that.”

My attention turned back to the fight in time to see Matt circling around my sister. His attention focused on the pair inside of the shield. He never saw Blake coming.

Blake rammed the Mobile wolf with his head toward the pack-sized dining room furniture. Blake didn’t give Matt time to recover from the assault. With a low growl toward me, Blake stepped over Matt’s wolf form and opened his jaw to reveal a row of razor-sharp teeth.

The crack of Matt’s spine being broken under the force of Blake’s canines pierced the air.

Blake howled toward the ceiling and stepped back from the lifeless form of the wolf. Then I watched in amazement as Blake, Morris, and Michael all began to shift.

The lights went out, and I blissfully floated back to oblivion.

My last thought before I fully blacked out was,
Am I dying?

Obnoxious beeping sounds brought my consciousness out from the blackness.

Opening my eyes, I spied a pale woman with a white, knee-length lab coat leaning over me with a stethoscope.

“What are you doing?”