Operation Saving Daniel (Entangled Covet) (17 page)

At his back, a group of men fanned out, but she only had eyes for Daniel. He’d come for her. She caught his gaze, and her breath hitched. His eyes held an inhuman glow as he stared into hers, and she shook herself to break the spell.

There were maybe twenty men with Daniel, but Ethan had far more. If it came to a fight, how could Daniel win? Dread slowed her heartbeat until it thudded against her ribs. Then Jason emerged from the trees opposite; he had a gun in his hand, as did Stella, who stood at his side. Lissa had seen how ineffective bullets were, though maybe if they filled Ethan with enough holes he couldn’t recover.

Pushing herself up on her hands and knees, she did a quick review of the bits that hurt and decided nothing was broken. Finally, she managed to stagger to her feet, swaying until she locked the muscles of her legs and stood on her own. Then Daniel was beside her and she fell into his arms.

…

He’d had to hold her.

Inside Wolf was baying for blood. Ethan’s blood. But as Daniel’s arms wrapped around Lissa, a small measure of calm washed through him.

Later
.

Soon
, Wolf replied.

The drug burned a trail through his system, as though the power would explode. He wanted to rip Ethan limb from limb, sink his teeth into his throat so badly he could taste the blood on his tongue, harsh and metallic.

First, he needed to get Lissa and Julia to safety.

The sun was almost down now and soon the full moon would rise. Magic thrummed in the air as though it was a tangible thing only adding to the turmoil inside him. Soon Wolf would run free.

He hugged Lissa tight for a second, then another. This was likely the last time he would ever have her in his arms, touch her. But it had to end. He tried to put her from him, but she clung and he had to unpeel her fingers from around his neck. Wolf howled, raking his claws along the edges of Daniel’s consciousness, but he couldn’t be distracted now. Clamping down on his control, he turned to the men still holding Julia. A growl trickled from his throat and his lip curled up in a snarl. “Let her go.”

He growled again as they glanced toward Ethan. But the Alpha gave a slight nod and Julia was released. Her shirt was torn, and she hugged it tight around her. The front was soaked with blood, and the edges of a ragged claw mark peeked out over her left breast.

Ethan.

One more reason to kill him.

Julia took two tottering steps toward him and would have collapsed if Daniel hadn’t scooped her up before she hit the ground. He held her close for a moment, and felt Wolf reach out. With shock, Daniel realized his beast was already recognizing the wolf awakening in his sister. At least that meant she would survive the attack. He only hoped she wouldn’t come to regret that. He carried her to where Jason stood at the edge of the clearing. Lissa followed close behind.

He handed Julia into Jason’s arms. “Take the girls and get out of here.”

“We have silver bullets,” Jason said. “We can kill him.”

“You can’t kill all of them. Besides, it’s my job. Ethan decided that when he targeted me, when he killed my sister and threatened the people I love. This finishes tonight.”

Jason turned to the woman at his side. “You okay with this?” he asked Stella.

Stella’s gaze fixed on Ethan, her pistol still pointed at his chest, now she turned to Daniel. “You’re right—we can’t take all of them.” The gun dropped to her side. “Besides, this way the pack will continue.”

Daniel frowned. “And you want that?”

“Let’s just say, my bosses are interested. Kill him for me.”

Daniel nodded. “I’ll do my best.” Now all he needed was Lissa to agree.

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” Lissa said before he could speak again.

Daniel gave her a long look, which she returned, a frown forming between her brows as though she could sense the change in him. “What have you done?” she asked.

“What I needed to.”

Her frown deepened. She didn’t look like she was budging without an argument. “You stay, I stay.”

Not an option. “You don’t understand what I’ve become. Or what’s going to happen here.”

“Then tell me.”

He thought for a second. How to make her go? He reckoned only the brutal truth would work—nothing could be worse than his reality. Relaxing his control, he allowed a little of Wolf to seep out of his eyes, hating it when she took an instinctive step back.

“I’m going to kill Ethan,” he said. “I’m going to rip out his throat and I’m going to enjoy it, and once he’s dead, the pack will devour him. Do you want to see that?”

She swallowed, the blood draining from her face. “Not particularly. But I can take it.”

He clenched his fists and tried another approach. “Unlike Ethan, I’m no fighter. If I don’t focus totally on this, I will die, and you’re a distraction I don’t need. I can’t do this with you watching.” From the uncertainty in her eyes, he knew he was getting through to her, and he pushed on. “You might be okay seeing Ethan die. But what about me? Can you watch me bleed and know it might be your fault?”

“That’s cruel, Danny.”

“But true.” Just a little more. “I’ve accepted this is my life but you have no place here. You can only make me weak. And weakness will kill me.”

Pain flashed in her eyes. “So it’s over between us.”

“Not necessarily,” he lied. “I’ll find you afterward.” He wouldn’t, but no need to tell her that.

She gnawed on her lower lip but then nodded. “I’ll go. But you better be okay and you’d better come find me.”

Instead of triumph, despair filled him to overflowing. He wanted to hug her one last time, but that would give him away and he might never find the strength to let her go. Besides, time was nearly up. The moon was calling to them. All around he could sense the restless movements of the pack.

He turned to Jason. “Go.”

Jason spoke briefly to Stella, and then they turned and headed back the way they had come, disappearing into the darkness of the forest. Lissa hesitated, her gaze never leaving him, and he kept his expression blank.

A wolf howled, and his own wolf answered. Lissa flinched as though she sensed something, then wrapping her arms around her middle, she searched his face one last time. Finding no answers, she turned and trailed slowly after her brother.

And his heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

It was for the best. It had to be. At least she was safe—that’s what he had set out to do. He turned back to Ethan. Time for the fun to start. Why didn’t he feel anything but empty?

He no longer even remembered what he was fighting for.

Or cared whether he lived or died.

…

As they entered the cover of the trees, Lissa glanced back. Daniel stood in the center of a group but looked so alone, despair stamped on every line of his body.

She walked on for a few more minutes, before stopping abruptly. This was wrong. With a certainty she’d never experienced in her whole life, she knew she couldn’t leave him. She had to go back.

Up ahead of her, Jason also halted and turned to her, Julia still in his arms, a question on his face.

“I can’t go,” Lissa said.

“Of course you can. You heard him. It’s what he wants.”

“He was lying.”

Jason gritted his teeth. “No way am I letting you go back there.”

Julia wriggled in his arms and he glanced down. “She’s right.”

“No, she’s not fucking right.” His tone was laced with frustration.

“She is. She has to go back. For Daniel.”

“Shit, then I go with her.”

“You can’t,” Lissa said. “You promised to take care of Julia.” She glanced around. Stella had vanished and they were alone. Jason couldn’t follow her now, not while he was carrying Julia, and he wouldn’t leave Julia alone in a forest full of werewolves.

Without waiting for him to say anything further, she whirled around and ran back the way they had come. She skidded to a halt at the tree line, trying to make sense of the scene in front of her. There were more wolves than people now, but Daniel and Ethan were still in human form. They stood at the far end of the clearing, close to the throne, facing each other.

At that moment, Ethan gave an incredulous laugh, and Lissa edged around the clearing so she could hear what they said.

“You think you can fight me?” Ethan asked.

Daniel seemed to grow taller. The air became thick with tension, and a wild, musky scent drifted across the clearing. He turned slightly and she saw that his eyes had changed, gone wild.

“Well, well,” Ethan murmured. “It looks like someone has been hiding something.” A knife appeared in his hand and he lunged toward Daniel, plunging the blade into his stomach and twisting it viciously.

A small cry escaped her. She slammed her fist over her mouth as Daniel collapsed to his knees. Lissa made to run toward him, but hands grabbed her from behind and held her back. “Don’t be an idiot.” A voice spoke close to her ear. She struggled, but the hands were inhumanely strong.

“The blade is silver,” Ethan was saying. “I’m sorry it had to end this way. You could have been great if only you’d accepted what you were and your place in the pack.”

Lissa fought against the hands holding her, needing to get to Daniel’s side. Then she went still as he raised his head and stared at Ethan. A cold smile curved his lips through the grimace of pain. “Silver can’t harm me.”

He pulled the knife from the wound and tossed it to the floor. Rising slowly, he stripped off his T-shirt. A ragged gash marred his stomach but as she stared, the wound knit together.

“You lied,” Ethan said. “The experiments worked?”

“I lied.” Daniel straightened, wiped the blood from his belly with his bunched up T-shirt, and dropped it to the floor. He stood up tall. “Ethan Stone, I challenge you by claw and tooth.”

The words sounded like some sort of ritual.

“I accept that challenge,” Ethan replied. “To the death.”

Lissa wriggled. “You can let me go. I’m not going to do anything.”

The man loosened his grip but kept a hand on her arm. “I’m Joe,” he said. “Daniel’s friend. If things go bad, I’ll get you out of here.”

She didn’t want to think about things going bad, or people being eaten. But she nodded. Joe released her and she stepped away, her heart beating fast. “Can he win?” she asked.

“If he can bring himself to kill. I’ve never felt such raw power, but he’s held it in check for so long, I don’t know.”

The two men were stripping, and suddenly she understood what that meant. “They fight as wolves?”

“Yes. Now, quiet.”

For a second they stood facing each other, both naked. The full moon rose above the trees, and a sigh ran through the surrounding pack as magic rippled through the air. Then Daniel and Ethan were gone.

“If Daniel loses, be ready to run,” Joe said. “I can hold my human form long enough to get you away, but don’t linger.” She could hear the strain in his voice and gave him a quick sideways glance. His eyes had turned feral.

She nodded and turned back to the center of the clearing where two huge wolves faced each other, both magnificent and equally sized. Daniel’s wolf was a deep golden, Ethan’s midnight black. It seemed appropriate. Light verses the dark.

Daniel
had
to win.

The two wolves began to circle. Up until that point, their audience had been silent, but now they threw back their heads and howled. An answering shiver ran through her as though the call woke something deep inside her that strained to be free.

Inside the circle, Ethan came to a halt. He stared at Daniel, stiff-legged, his muzzle drawn back in a snarl revealing long white canines, sharp as daggers. Then he crouched back on his haunches and leaped in a blur of speed. Daniel went down under the force of the blow but rolled to his feet and shook himself.

“Fight,” Lissa urged under her breath.

For a minute, it appeared as if he wouldn’t. He stood unmoving, watching as Ethan prowled around him. Lissa’s gaze flicked between the two wolves, waiting for Ethan’s next move, silently praying that Daniel would fight back. She saw the moment Ethan’s muscles tensed as he readied himself to leap again. Her gaze flew back to Daniel. Resolve hardened his eyes. He leaped forward at the same time as Ethan, and the two wolves slammed into each other in midair.

They crashed to the ground in a snarling mass of teeth and fur and rolled, jaws snapping to get a hold. Their movements were so fast Lissa found it impossible to distinguish one from the other.

Finally, they parted, only to repeat the whole process over and over with neither gaining an advantage. They both panted heavily now.

Equal in size and strength, it was obvious that Ethan was the more experienced fighter, but Lissa suspected he was overconfident. Daniel seemed to be playing a waiting game, always letting Ethan make the first move before countering with one of his own.

Ethan managed to gain a grip on Daniel’s shoulder, his teeth sank in, and the sharp acrid scent of fresh blood filled the air.

Nausea churned in her stomach. He had to fight. He could do it but he appeared to have lost the will. Without giving herself time to think, she ran out of the trees and into the clearing toward the fighting wolves. The pack parted before her so she reached the edge of the circle unhindered.

“Daniel!”

The golden wolf looked up and went still.

“Fight, goddamn it. Fight for me!”

He shook himself. Then throwing back his head, Daniel roared his fury. Her presence seemed to awaken the rage inside him, and he thrashed his whole body until Ethan was tossed from side to side. The black wolf’s grip loosened and he was flung across the circle. He came to his feet immediately, the blood dripping from his jaws.

Daniel tossed her another glance and growled. But this time she wasn’t budging. He stalked around the circle, his whole being radiating menace as though he had at last grasped this was a fight to the death, and Ethan meant business.