Wolves’ Bane (11 page)

The forest was creepy, dark and dense, probably easy to get lost in, and although I’d been told there was magic protecting me, I couldn’t see or feel it. Being without Lance and Candy had me suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

I turned toward the house and changed course again, thinking to cut diagonally across the lawn.
It’ll be faster that way, anyway
. I picked up my pace.

The trees rustled behind me. A twig snapped, another cracked and the echo shattered my forced calm. My heart raced with fresh fear. And then a sound touched my ear like a whisper.

“
Morgan.”

I stopped dead and turned to face the dark forest.

“
Morgan,
” the voice whispered again.

Fear clenched my gut, twisting it. Tears pricked my eyes and goose bumps lined my flesh.

“
Morgan
.” My name, only my name, whispered in the wind.

I squinted into the darkness, straining to see beyond the dense line of trees.

“
Morgan
.”

Another snap of a branch had me turning on my heel, no longer curious or interested in discovering what lay beyond the protection of the property. With terror propelling me, I made it back to the house in less than a couple of minutes, the stitch in my side sending me down to my knees as I panted for air and looked fearfully over my shoulder at the forest line.

Something was out there, just as Cal had warned.

And it wanted me.

Chapter Sixteen

The Threat

Cal slid on his hand-wrap, then methodically began taping his wrist and knuckles, winding the tape with practiced ease. He was edgy and in a foul mood. Lance was out with the girls, jogging along the perimeter of the property as he liked to do and it had Cal anxious. He wasn’t keen on the idea of Morgan being out there so close to danger, even if the bastards couldn’t touch her—wouldn’t be able to get through the magical barrier. Why Lance couldn’t run on the treadmill, Cal would never understand.

But that was only part of the problem. The thought of suave Lance out there flirting with Morgan—as he was undoubtedly doing—had Cal even more riled up. It should have been him training with his Huntress, but after the night before, there was no way she would tolerate his direction. They needed some space from one another, and Lance was the next best choice when it came to training coaches. He wouldn’t let Morgan slack off.

Vibrating with pent-up stress, he needed an outlet. The punching bag always worked—that or drilling a few werewolves in a good ol’ fashioned ass-kicking. But the wolves were behaving, or at least biding their time. There hadn’t been any new reports of attacks since they had retrieved Morgan. That in itself had Cal worried. The wolves hadn’t slowed down in their attacks for years, always keeping the Hunters on high alert. But the guys out in the field—Jeremy and his team—had reported no movement, no human killings, no sightings. It was eerily odd and Cal didn’t like it. Lazarus was waiting for something.

He moved over to the bag and started with a few light punches, warming up his muscles, breaking in the bag. Unwittingly, his thoughts drifted to the night before, to Morgan’s lithe body as she undulated with her growing pleasure, to the feel of her pressing against his erection, to the softness of her lips and the wicked taste of her tongue. It was enough to drive him mad—his desire for her, to bond and make her his. He’d hardly slept all night, one fantasy playing into another as he imagined what it would be like to take her in every possible way. With a hard jab that sent the bag careening to the left, Cal pulled his thoughts away from the torment that was Morgan. There was no use dwelling anyway. She hated him. Again.

He grunted as he picked up his pace, moving around the bag and landing several hard punches in quick succession, then switching to combination shots—short and long jabs, hooks and then crosses. He kneed and kicked, jolting the bag in every direction. He was caught up in his workout, his body burning with adrenaline, his skin coated in sweat, blocking out any thought, any outside stimulus. It was only when his tattoo flared with warmth, burning him hotter than his workout that he realized Morgan was standing at the other end of the room. Watching him. Studying him.

He cocked an eyebrow in her direction, slowing only a fraction as he continued to pummel the bag. “You come to scream at me some more?”

She shook her head slowly, her gaze traveling down the length of him as she took a step closer. When her eyes returned to meet his, Cal realized something was wrong. She was pale and shaking.

He was at her side a second later, using his hands to feel for injury, scanning her body from head to toe, inspecting for any damage. “What happened?”

Morgan shook her head again and swallowed, waving him away as she moved to sit on the bench that lined the wall. “Something’s in the w-w-woods,” she stuttered.

“Did you see something out there?” Cal stared down at her, clenching and unclenching his fist. “I’m going to kill Lance. I told him not to run outside.”

Morgan coughed. “Could you…could you get me some water?”

He calmed his fury long enough to grab her a bottle of water from the pantry, as well as an energy bar. “Here,” he said as he handed them over. “You look like you’re about to pass out. Eat this.”

When Morgan opened her mouth to argue, Cal gave her a stern look and forced the bar into her hand. “Eat it.”

She pulled in a deep breath. “I’m fine.”

“Like hell you are. You’re as pale as death. What did you see?”

Morgan shook her head, then took a sip of the water and a tentative bite of the bar. Grimacing, she moved to set the bar down on the bench, but a warning growl from Cal had her taking a larger bite.

“Where’s Lance and Candy?”

Morgan swallowed the piece she was chewing and cleared her throat. “Lance and Candy are still running. I got a cramp.”

His fury exploded again and he paced a short circuit in front of her. “And what? He left you behind? That son of a bitch, I’m going to—”

Morgan stood and laid her hand on his forearm, her touch instantly stilling him. “It’s okay, Cal. I wasn’t far from the house. Nothing attacked me. I just heard something.”

He snorted. “Yeah, something that scared the shit out of you.”

Morgan sighed as she lowered herself back to the bench. “Something was calling my name.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I was standing by the forest, and I heard some noises and when I turned around something called my name.”

His gut clenched and he ran his hand over his mouth. “Are you sure?” The wolves didn’t usually come out during the day. Being the evil beasts that they were, they were weakened by the sun. The monsters hunted in the darkness of night.

Morgan gave a humorless laugh and took another sip of her water. “Either that, or I’m going nuts.”

Cal slowly began to unravel the tape from his left hand. “I’ve got to get a team together and check this out. Where did you hear it?”

Morgan waved her hand up. “I guess it was on the east side, right around where I was yesterday when you found me.”

He nodded. “I think you should go and lie down for a bit. Your color looks better, but all the same, you should get some rest.”

Morgan scowled at him. “I’m not a child. I was just a little freaked out that’s all.” She laid the rest of the energy bar on the bench and stood. “I’m going to do some training.”

“Like hell you are,” he growled.

“Are you two at it again?” Lance’s teasing drawl had them both jerking their heads toward the door. “You guys need to get a room.”

Cal stormed over to him, one fist raised as if to punch, the other aiming to grip Lance’s shirt. Lance saw it coming and ducked under Cal, easily moving closer to Morgan. Cal spun to face him, his anger boiling over at the loss of a target. “What the fuck were you thinking? Why would you leave Morgan alone out there?”

Lance frowned as he tilted his head to the side and scanned Morgan slowly from head to toe. “Why? She looks fine. Nothing’s going to happen to her, Cal. She’s protected, remember?”

Cal took two steps toward him, his fist raised again. “Something called her name, Lance.”

Lance’s eyebrows shot up as he looked from Cal to Morgan. “No shit?”

Morgan rested her hand on Lance’s arm and Cal’s temperature rose even higher, his attention riveted to that hand.

“It’s okay, Lance. It wasn’t your fault.”

Cal jerked his gaze back to Lance. “Like hell it wasn’t.”

Lance raised his hands in defense. “Whoa there, Cal. I mean, yes, it’s very disconcerting that something was in the woods this morning.” He turned to Morgan and gave one of his usual lopsided grins. “The beasts don’t usually venture out during the day.” When he turned back to Cal, the smile was gone. “It couldn’t have been Lazarus. He wouldn’t risk it. He’s too weak this time of day.”

“That’s exactly why I’m so pissed. That boundary is only protection against werewolves. Not humans. What if someone else is after her?”

Lance shook his head, his expression one of utter disbelief. “Oh, come on. What or who would even know she’s here?”

Cal unclenched his fist and began to remove the tape that still bound his right hand. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

“I want to come,” Morgan piped up, meeting his look of warning without flinching.

“No,” Cal said as he tossed the last of the wrappings in the garbage. He quickly grabbed his hoodie from the rack behind him and pulled it on. “No fucking way, Morgan. You stay here.”

Morgan clenched her jaw and glared at Cal, folding her arms. “I’m supposed to be the Huntress. Shouldn’t I be allowed to hunt with you?”

Cal shook his head, not believing they were actually having this conversation. “You’re not a Huntress
yet
,” he snapped.

Lance laid his hand on Morgan’s shoulder and gave her another wry smile when she looked over at him. “Listen hon, it’s not safe. Cal’s right. You should stay here with Candy. Why don’t you go upstairs and get some real breakfast,” he said, rolling his eyes toward what was left of the energy bar.

Cal’s stomach churned when Morgan’s scowl dissolved into a defeated smile for Lance.

“Do me a favor and keep this quiet,” he added. “I don’t want Candy to get freaked out, okay?”

Morgan nodded and with one last angry look at Cal, she headed out the door. He knew she was doing it to spite him—she would never have agreed so easily if it was just the two of them.

Once she was gone, Cal’s anger flared again and he charged Lance, lashing him with a surprise upper cut to the jaw. It was a cheap blow, but Cal didn’t care—Lance had it coming.

The shot knocked Lance back a few steps, staggering him as his head rolled to the side. Once he regained his footing, he swung around, his hands raised to defend, not to counterattack.

“You son of a bitch. I trusted you.” Cal lunged again.

Lance knocked Cal’s next shot away and pounded a few quick jabs into his shoulder. “Oh yeah, you’re really keeping things tamped down, aren’t you? No problem keeping
your
emotions in check, huh, buddy?”

Cal flinched at the sarcasm and took another swipe, too angry to heed the underlying message. “You don’t understand what I’m feeling.”

“I may not understand what it feels like to have found my Huntress, but I do understand how badly you’re fucking things up with her. You’re acting like an ass, man.”

Cal growled as he launched himself again, his one fist easily deflected while the other hit home.

Lance groaned as he bent over double, sucking in a deep breath and holding his left hand out to stop another attack. “Listen, Cal,” he gasped. “You can beat the shit out of me or we can go and check this out. It’s up to you.” He pulled himself halfway up, his hand still cradling his midsection. “But if it were me, I’d rather use my energy to fight the real enemy.”

Cal lowered his fists slightly as Lance’s words sank in, and his anger deflated. “Shit.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have left her. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t see the harm in her turning back toward the house. She hadn’t made it very far before she got a cramp.” Lance rolled his shoulder as he straightened himself out. “I screwed up, okay? But she’s not hurt, and she can’t be too scared if she’s willing to go out there and search for whatever spooked her.”

Cal lowered his fists completely, releasing his anger along with the movement. “Yeah, I guess.”

Lance slapped his palms together, rubbing them vigorously. “Okay. So, let’s get a hunting party together and go find the motherfucker stalking our woods.”

Cal nodded and he headed toward the weapons cabinet. “Go get Ken, James and Phenton. I’ll get the weapons together.”

Lance nodded then left without another word. Cal busied himself with the task at hand, his mind shuffling the conflicting emotions he felt. Fear for Morgan, anger at her stubbornness, confusion at her sudden need to be involved. He would never claim to understand women, but this one was surely going to drive him mad.

Chapter Seventeen

Attacked

There was something about a man wearing a hoodie—with the hood up—that got me all hot and bothered, even if that man was a stubborn jackass. I watched from my bedroom window as Cal and his team of Hunters entered the woods, right around the place I had heard my name called.

I’d decided to bypass the chatty Candy and the mouthwatering smell coming from the dining room and instead snagged an apple from the kitchen on my way to my room. The low rumble of several men laughing while Candy yammered on about something made me think that I’d be peppered with questions if I stepped foot in the dining room and I wasn’t in the mood to chat. I didn’t think I could keep my promise to Lance not to tell Candy what was going on. I was strung too tightly for that.

As much as Cal pissed me off with his macho-man attitude, I did like that he’d been ready to kick Lance’s ass. I liked feeling his concern, his fear rolling off him while he was tending to me. But at the same time, there was something else eating at me. I was tired of just sitting around. Some part of my old self was truly rising, demanding that I take action. Maybe I was a Huntress after all—maybe there was something genetically marking me, demanding that I act like the hero instead of the damsel.

Watching Cal and the group head out without me had me pissed off. I wanted to be part of the action. Even worse, I knew that Cal would never agree to let me run outside again after today and I didn’t like feeling like a caged animal.

You’re not a Huntress yet.
I let out a frustrated sigh as Cal’s words rolled through my mind. I finished off my apple and threw the core into the garbage.

Maybe I should bond with him, get that strength and power, and then he’ll stop thinking he can tell me what I can or can’t do
.

Or maybe he just said that to piss you off enough to change your mind.

Cal and the men disappeared from sight and I turned in disgust from the window. “Great,” I muttered. “Now I’m stuck here all day.”

The weight of defeat came crushing down on me. I grabbed the remote control off the bedside table and slumped down onto the bed. I wasn’t in the mood to socialize. If I was stuck inside all day I might as well make it a total washout and indulge in some mindless movie watching.

Moments after flicking on the TV, my phone buzzed to life and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Shit.
I scrambled to pick it up. “Hello.”

“Mor…I…need…Morgan?”

I stood from the bed and quickly moved to the window. The static was so bad on the line that I couldn’t even make out who it was. “Hello?”

“Mor…please…help…Mor—”

My heart leapt and I raced out of the room, all the while chanting hello into the phone, hoping I would get a clear signal as I neared the back of the house. As I broke free of the back doors and walked a few steps into the yard, the line cleared.

“Morgan, I need your help.”

“Jimmy?” I whispered, my disbelief nearly knocking me to the ground.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“I-I-I watched you die,” I stammered.

“I’m not dead.”

Fear prickled at my skin, running down the length of me and leaving goose bumps in its wake. Something was very wrong. “Are you okay?”

A cool laugh echoed over the line. “Okay? Well, that’s a matter of perspective.”

Definitely very wrong. I turned in the direction that Cal and the guys had gone, then spun again toward the house. I needed someone’s help—I needed someone else to talk to Jimmy.

“What happened?”

Another cool laugh. “That’s an interesting question, Morgan. But you should know what happened by now. Haven’t they told you what happens when a human has been bitten by a werewolf? Haven’t your protectors brought you up to speed on the history of our kind?”

Our kind?
A cold sweat broke on my brow and my heart thundered. I swallowed the fear threatening to choke me, all the while scanning the tree line, praying Cal would return. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t be a stupid bitch,” he snarled “My master wants you. You’re his to claim.”

I took a step toward the house, my breaths coming in short gasps. “Jimmy, where are you?”

“Another interesting question.” Another laugh, followed by a crack over the line. A crack that was echoed in the forest beside me. I jerked my gaze toward the noise.

A scream died in my throat as Jimmy emerged from the forest. I lowered the phone, then dropped it completely as my fingers suddenly lost the ability to work properly.

He was smiling maniacally, his face distorted by his crazed expression. “Hello, Morgan,” he drawled as he moved toward me.

I took a step back, my eyes locked on the horror that was once Jimmy. “You d-d-d-died.” I stuttered as I swept my gaze toward his neck. The wound that should have been there was gone, but the blood that coated him was not. His clothes were dirty and ripped, his face, arms and hands covered in deep cuts and bruises. Worse were his eyes, once a warm brown, now filled with blood, red and cold with hatred.

“Yes, I did. And then I was reborn.”

I took another step back, a tremor of terror sliding down my body. “What do you mean?”

Jimmy lifted one gnarled hand for me to stop moving. I noticed the claws. “Oh come on, Morgan. Have your Hunters truly not explained things to you?” He rolled his grotesque eyes, the smile dissolving from his face to be replaced by a scowl. “I was bitten by a werewolf,” he growled. “And now I will become one.” He raised his hand and twisted it to show me its gross disproportion to the rest of his body, the long claws caked with blood, the sprouting hairs lining his wrist. “I am already becoming.”

I gasped. “Oh god, Jimmy, this is my fault.”

“Yes, it is.” His voice rumbled with anger as he took another step toward me, now only a few feet away. The smell of decay twisted my stomach.

He reeked of rotting flesh, of dirty animal, of death. I realized with growing horror that he’d crossed the boundary of the forest. Whatever protective magic Cal thought he’d created wasn’t working on Jimmy. Reflexively I took another step backward, but he was on me in a minute, smashing his fist into my jaw so hard that it snapped my head back and made my eyesight blur. I crumpled down, but he caught me, cradling me in one arm.

“Yes, it is your fault, you stupid bitch. And if the master didn’t want you so badly, I would rip your skin from your bones. I would eat your body, feast on your tender flesh.” He nestled his rotting mouth next to my ear, licking the lobe. “And I would have you again—fuck you until you screamed.” He chuckled cruelly.

As my vision began to clear, I fought to keep myself from vomiting, fought to keep my heart from leaping right out of my chest. Where was Cal? Where were the others? I struggled to break free but Jimmy held me tight, tsking as he turned me around and forced my back to his chest, his impossibly strong arm locking me against him.

“Oh no, Morgan, you’re not getting away from me that easily. My master wants you and I will not displease him.” A shudder ran through him, as if the very thought had him terrified. He dragged me toward the edge of the forest. “The king must be obeyed. He will be so pleased when I bring his bride to him.”

Panic ripped through me and I screeched as I slammed my head backward, smashing my skull into his nose with all of my strength. The satisfying crunch was momentarily lost when my vision swam again and my stomach lurched. He grunted but didn’t release his hold. Instead he gripped my neck, cutting off my air, choking away the scream that lay on my lips. I clawed at his hand, desperate for release as his deformed fingers dug into my flesh. I knew he wouldn’t kill me—his fear of Lazarus’s wrath was palpable—but it wouldn’t do me much good if he knocked me out either.

I slammed my head back again, but he anticipated my move and tensed his grip on my neck, forcing me to stop as he clenched tighter. My eyes watered and my lungs screamed for air. I scanned the tree line on the other side of the property, the side that Cal and the others had gone, but there was nothing there—only the darkness of the forest and an endless stretch of trees.

“There’s no one here to help you, Morgan,” he hissed as he squeezed his arm around my abdomen, crushing my ribs, my deflated lungs burning even more. “You’d have had a better chance if you’d been bonded—would’ve been able to kill me quite easily. Too late for that.” He chuckled as he dragged me farther. “And King Lazarus will be very pleased you won’t have the stink of that Hunter all over you.”

With my eyes locked on the opposite side of the forest, I made one last attempt to break free, lifting my leg in an awkward angle to kick out his knee. But my kick fell short of its mark and lacked any kind of power, my body as deflated as my lungs, crying for air. Tears burned my eyes. It was no use.

I was trapped. I was beaten.

From the corner of my swimming vision I saw the forest and knew, once he got me in there, I’d be lost forever.