The Half-Breed Who Found His Other Half (14 page)

Truth be told, Chantay couldn’t remember ever experiencing such agony. Not even when he’d taken the deadly shadow curse from Winter into his own body had he felt this pain. It was tearing both his soul and body apart, and only the hope that Isaac would keep his promise sustained him in this, his darkest hour.

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The elder’s voice startled him from his trance. “Can I talk to you for a moment, Chantay?” the werewolf asked.

The actual words might have been polite enough, but the tone clearly illustrated it wasn’t a plea, but a command. Frustrated with Wade, Chantay nodded, unwilling to pursue an argument while Isaac was sick. He reluctantly stepped outside the room, hoping this wouldn’t take long. Annabelle didn’t follow them, something Chantay was thankful for. Still, questions riddled Chantay’s mind. What could the elder possibly want to discuss with him, now of all times?

“Yes, Elder Wade? What did you wish to tell me?” he asked the wolf.

“Annabelle explained that you have no desire to leave my son. I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but as you can see, he’s in no condition to have his heart broken.”

Chantay rubbed his eyes tiredly. He really didn’t need this right now. He just wanted to crawl to Isaac’s side and hold the man.

Perhaps his love would bring Isaac back to him.

“I have no intention to discuss this with you, Elder Wade.

Whatever I say, you’ll still hate me and you’ll still be stuck in your prejudiced ways. I just want to remind you that I’m not your enemy here. I just want Isaac to be well again, that’s all.”

The werewolf frowned at him. “Can you stand by his side through this disaster? Will you be able to bear it if the healing process fails?

Even if the Sidhe do manage to mend his body, his mind might be too shattered to save.”

It was something Chantay had been secretly concerned about. The mind link should have been there, regardless of Isaac’s physical form.

But whenever Chantay attempted to access it, a strange barrier stopped him. And the oddest thing was that it felt foreign, as if it didn’t really belong to Isaac at all.

In the end, it was all down to Isaac’s strength and his own. No matter what anyone else said, Chantay knew that their bond was the
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key to bringing Isaac back, and he had every intention of returning to Isaac’s side as soon as possible.

“I have faith in Isaac,” Chantay told Kevin Wade. “I love him, and he knows it. For me, for us, he will come back.”

Kevin’s scowl seemed to grow even fiercer. “Who are you trying to fool? How many people have you
loved
before?” He said the word
loved
as if it tasted like poison on his lips. “I know all about you and your ways.”

Chantay had no idea what the wolf was talking about, but from what he could sense coming from the elder, Wade thought that he was indeed right and entitled to separate Isaac and Chantay.

“My ways?” Chantay repeated. “I don’t understand a word you’re saying, and I’m done arguing. If that was all you wanted to tell me, I’m wanted inside. My mate needs me.”

“Fine.” Kevin released an exasperated breath. “After all this, I’m willing to grant you the benefit of the doubt. But if I find out you slept around like before…”

Chantay eyed the elder wolf in disbelief. “Slept around?” He realized he sounded like a robot, just mimicking Kevin’s words, but he simply couldn’t handle the werewolf’s accusations as well as his own pain and Isaac’s agony.

“Don’t deny it,” the elder continued, undeterred. “I have reports that clearly state it.”

“After all this is over, after Isaac is fine and healed, I would like you to show me exactly who gave you those reports. I want them to say in my face that they know I was promiscuous. Until then, I have nothing further to discuss.”

All of a sudden, the elder got a strange look on his face. “I don’t remember who told me,” he whispered, sounding shocked.

Chantay would have laughed, but the strangeness of the situation made alarm bells ring in his head. There was something evil at work, something that had manipulated Kevin Wade’s natural dislike for magical creatures. Chantay had no idea how he knew that, or who
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would have an interest in setting Kevin Wade against him. But whatever the case, this person couldn’t have good intentions.

Shaking himself, he decided this conversation had gone on long enough. There was no point in trying to convince Kevin Wade of anything. Perhaps another time, Chantay would have tried to, but now, everything inside him, every atom within his body screamed to be at Isaac’s side. He had a feeling Isaac needed him more than ever.

Without giving the werewolf elder a reply, Chantay slipped back into his mate’s room. He saw Winter leaning over Isaac, a soft glow emanating from his hands. It was quiet, but a tension seemed to be building, as if something was about to happen. Was Chantay the only one who felt it? No one else seemed to realize it, appearing to be completely focused on their task. And while Chantay felt grateful for their dedication, he feared that it might not be enough.

He approached the bed just as Isaac’s eyes suddenly shot open. At first, excitement coursed through Chantay, together with hope that this meant his lover was on the mend. But that hope turned into shock and horror when all of a sudden, Isaac lunged toward Winter, jaws snapping angrily at the Sidhe prince. Corbin had been right next to his mate, so he pulled Winter back just seconds before Isaac’s canines could embed themselves in Winter’s jugular, but it was a very near miss.

Chaos exploded in the room. All of a sudden, there were guards everywhere, mostly Sidhe, but shifters as well. There were guns pointed at Isaac, ready to take him down. Elder Wade burst into the room, his own weapon drawn. Much to Chantay’s dismay, even Isaac’s father seemed intent on getting rid of him.

“Take it down,” someone shouted.

“Please stop,” Annabelle was saying, but it seemed unclear as to whether she was addressing the guards or Isaac. Her voice was lost amidst all the others, and at one point, Chantay couldn’t even spot her anymore.

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Isaac’s father was, however, much more assertive. “Don’t kill him,” Elder Wade ordered. “He’s still my son.”

There was so much pain in the wolf’s voice, as if he’d resigned himself to losing Isaac. Sadly, Chantay could see why the situation might have looked hopeless for the other man. There didn’t seem to be any sign of recognition in Isaac, any clue that Isaac was in that twisted beast at all.

But Chantay still felt his mate, deep inside, and he refused to believe the half wolf would leave him. “Isaac!” he shouted. “No.

Stop!”

He pushed himself in front of Winter just as Isaac lunged toward the Sidhe prince again. Isaac moved so fast that Chantay didn’t even see him coming. Bullets whizzed past the half wolf, missing him as if by miracle. Honestly, Chantay didn’t know what would have happened had he not placed himself between Winter and the attacking Isaac, but as it was, he became the one receiving the brunt of Isaac’s attack.

Isaac’s claws, oddly sticking out of his hooves, raked over Chantay’s chest. Isaac’s strong momentum made him crash into Chantay, and they both fell to the floor, Isaac’s larger bulk on top of Chantay.

Chantay knew he had just seconds before his mate would kill him, be killed himself, or both. He could tell that Isaac’s intention had originally been to delve his canines into his jugular, or rather into that of his target, Winter. But when on top of Chantay, the beast hesitated.

Chantay thought he saw a spark of recognition in Isaac’s eyes and found his chance. In spite of the pain, he pushed forward and tested their connection one last time.

“Isaac, it’s me,”
he whispered, tears blurring his vision.
“Don’t
you recognize me anymore? Don’t you remember how good we were
together?”

The half wolf, half ram seemed to tremble, as if struck by an unbearable force. Even as the scent of his own blood reached
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Chantay’s nostrils, he smiled and reached to caress Isaac’s strange face. Yes, his mate might look like a monster, but right then and there, for a brief moment, his eyes were exactly the ones Chantay had fallen in love with. Beautiful, honest, confused, and so very warm. In that gaze, Chantay saw Isaac attempting to make his way back. But there was a force there, trying to keep them parted. Chantay knew he could be more powerful. He had to, for Isaac’s sake, for his own.

Suddenly, new resolve coursed through him, more powerful than the pain, fueled by his love for Isaac. He now remembered what Isaac had told him once, that the warlocks had planned an assassination against an important figure here. Somehow, their plan had included destroying Isaac’s mind and body, perhaps somehow forcing him into doing this. Because in his heart, Chantay knew Isaac would never attack Winter of his own accord.

He had trusted his mate to the Sidhe healer’s magic. He had believed that the fae could help Isaac. But in reality, he was the only one who could reach out to the half wolf. Whatever this strange curse was, their bond was the only thing that could defeat it.

“Come back to me,”
Chantay sent out.
“Don’t let them win.

You’re stronger than this. We are stronger. And remember what you
promised. Come back, Isaac. I’m waiting.”

* * * *

Isaac’s flesh was being consumed by two conflicting forces, and in all the senseless agony, he could not even make sense of what his body was doing. He seemed to be watching himself from a distance, as if he weren’t really the one within that destroyed, wrecked shell of a creature.

Following the commands of the force urging him on, Isaac lunged forward, intent on killing. But then, his claws touched skin familiar to him, and he landed on a body he’d once held in his arms.

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Isaac tried to shake away the chains of confusion and pain holding him tightly. What was he doing? Oh, God. He was hurting Chantay.

Chantay, his mate.

He needed to find a way out of this prison, out of Tyrell’s hold.

The wolf and the ram within him were still fighting, refusing to cooperate. Isaac wished that someone could at least kill him, anything rather than to continue hurting his mate.

And then, all of a sudden, a wave of warmth swept over him, so powerful it silenced the agony inside him. Sweet words reached out to him, Chantay’s voice now crystal clear and so very calming.
“Come
back, Isaac. I’m waiting.”

There was no trace of disgust, fear, or accusation in Chantay’s tone. There was only love, Chantay’s heart and soul poured into a couple of phrases that made all the difference in the world. A part of Isaac had feared Chantay would hate him once he saw him like this, but no such thing happened. Chantay’s hands were warm and gentle as they touched Isaac’s fur-fleece.
“I love you, Isaac,”
the half fae said.
“I know you can hear me. You can beat this. We can do it
together.”

Out of the blue, Tyrell’s form manifested, right there in front of Isaac. He smirked at Isaac, looking as arrogant as ever. “Do you really think your pathetic little mate can defeat me? I cheated death itself.”

But Isaac saw the doubt in Tyrell and sensed the emotion come from Chantay. All of a sudden, he found that he could move again.

The sounds of the battle between his two beasts started to dim. “You might have cheated death,” he replied, “but you have yet to win against the true bond between mates.”

Deep in his heart, Isaac found a serenity he hadn’t known he could even experience. He opened his mind and his soul and the next thing he knew, Chantay was standing next to him. “Isaac? What’s going on? What’s this all about?”

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Isaac took Chantay’s hand and squeezed it. “This is Tyrell, the warlock you warned me about. He had an interesting plan of making me kill Winter.”

“And you’ll do it, too.” Tyrell frowned at him, as if in deep concentration. “Kill him.”

Isaac felt the warlock’s magic trying to trap him again, but he found a new strength within him. The terror, uncertainty, and doubt were gone as if they’d never been there at all. The self-loathing and fear of rejection that Tyrell had exploited had disappeared like ice melting in front of the warm rays of the sun, unable to withstand the truth of Chantay’s love. “You can’t control me anymore,” Isaac said.

Sharing a smile with Chantay, Isaac closed his eyes and willed Tyrell out of his mind. He sensed his mate’s power join in. Tyrell tried to fight them, but this was no longer the warlock’s turf.

Together, Isaac and Chantay pushed Tyrell out, and Isaac watched him fall into the same ravine he himself had collapsed into maybe hours earlier.

And then, all was quiet. The wolf and the ram tentatively approached each other, no longer at war. Isaac turned toward his mate and beamed at him. “I love you, too, Chantay. So very much.”

He leaned over to kiss his mate, but their lips never touched. All of a sudden, he found himself thrust back into reality, with Chantay no longer by his side, but under him. He blinked, realizing that he once again smelled the metallic scent of Chantay’s blood. While he’d been lost in his mental realm with his mate, he had not realized just how close he’d come to killing Chantay.
Fuck.
He was a monster.

Chantay just gave him a dazzling smile, pointing to the place where his shirt had been ripped apart by claws. There were no wounds marring Chantay’s creamy skin.

“I’m fine, Isaac,” Chantay said. “I healed.”

“You shouldn’t have had to heal in the first place,” Isaac replied, torn between disbelief, gratitude, and anger at himself. He should
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have been stronger. He should have fought Tyrell. It never should have come to this.