Wolves’ Bane (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Payback

“Serves you right.” I laughed as I raised my head to look at Cal. He was snoring like a madman, so deeply asleep that I hesitated to wake him. But I had only wanted to prove a point, not knock him out for the night. I had other plans for him.

I sat up and straddled him, amazed at how hard he was even in such a deep slumber. I could only guess what he was dreaming about, but I hoped it was me. I lowered myself onto his penis, loving how well he fit inside me, stretching me out and making me feel full and complete. His eyes fluttered and his heartbeat kicked up. I could feel him struggling to wake, but the spell I had on him was too strong—stronger than any of the ones he had put on me.

It was strange really, how easily I’d adapted to these new powers—an ability to cast spells just downloaded into me because of our bonding. Knowledge and skill that he had gained over the years, transferred into me with no effort at all. I was eager to discuss the nuances of building spells, explore the power I now had. I was excited by a lot of things and all of them included Cal by my side.

Or in this case, under me.

I traced another symbol over his stomach, knowing instinctively which one would send him deeper into dreamland and which would have him fully awake. And I wanted him awake right now.
Very awake.

His eyes slid open, then grew wide as I slowly began to ride him.

“Hey,” he murmured, his dazed and confused look clouding over with desire.

“Payback is a bitch, isn’t it?” I smiled wickedly.

Cal moaned as I rolled my hips, pushing myself down his full length. He touched my breasts, his hands molding to them like they were made for him. Bringing his finger and thumb together, he slowly rolled my nipples until they were hard and throbbing. He moved his hands to my butt, pushing me forward so that my breasts were in line with his mouth, then darted his tongue out to continue his teasing and stroking of my nipples, revving me up, pumping my pleasure to the extreme. He flipped me and I was more than happy to give him back the control. I liked his hard thrusts and his deep pounding and he didn’t disappoint. As wave upon wave of my orgasm crashed over me, he, too, bellowed his own climax, thrusting fiercely into me until he had wrung every last spasm from my body. He pulled himself away and lay down at my side, flat on his stomach, his head turned toward me and his arm rested across my waist.

“That wasn’t playing fair,” he panted, his lips curling into a sly smile.

“You started it.” I laughed as I rolled over, forcing him up to curl behind me. I liked feeling him there. My protector wrapped around my body like a glove that was made for me. In the afterglow of my climax, I wanted to say all of the things I was feeling. Elation, satisfaction, loyalty and the promise of love. I’d never expected the bonding between me and Cal to amount to such overwhelming feelings of finding a home in someone. Someone I never wanted to be apart from. I wasn’t sure if he still wanted to keep me at a distance. I guessed with his actions over the past few hours that he wanted anything but. I couldn’t fathom how we wouldn’t fall head over heels if the bonding worked the same for both of us.

I opened my mouth to spill it all out—my hopes, my wishes, my dreams for us—but hesitated and cocked my head to the side. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cal, his eyes closed and his breathing calm. He was asleep, again, but this time not of my doing. I sighed my resignation. I could wait to tell him what I was feeling. I nuzzled closer to him and closed my eyes, blissfully falling into dreams of love, belonging and contentment.

Cal jerked awake just as the muted light of dawn began to spill into the bedroom.
Shit.
He adjusted his body, his mind still foggy, horror and guilt seeping in as he realized that he hadn’t just fallen asleep, he had crashed for the night. And worse, he had crashed with Morgan in his arms.

Slowly, with deliberate moves, he extracted himself from her warm and inviting body. Despite the fact that his cock was hard and throbbing for her once again, he knew that he had to get out before she woke up and expected more from him than he could give.

He gently rolled to the side of the bed and got up, quickly moving to close the heavy drapes and block the sun out. He needed her to stay asleep for as long as possible.

He pulled on his clothes and fought against his instinct to stay, the intensity of which was frightening. He’d expected the physical attraction, it had been there before, he didn’t need the bonding for that. It was the emotional attachment he couldn’t abide or understand. This seething, burning need to be by her side at every moment. It would explain why Andrew was so loath to be apart from Kelly, even though she could only speak to him through their mental link. All the same, it took every ounce of Cal’s power to walk out of that room and shut the door behind him, and even more strength to walk down the hall.

His instinct did not coincide with the plan, and he desperately needed to speak to Kelly himself. He knew it was early, too early for normal people to be awake, but he wanted confirmation that he was doing the right thing because his body was telling him different.

Cal rapped on the door to Kelly and Andrew’s room. Although Kelly was wired up to machines, Andrew always slept in the room on a cot in the corner.

He raised his hand to knock again, louder if necessary, when a sleepy-eyed Andrew cracked it open and peered out.

“Cal?” Andrew’s eyes grew wide.

Cal nodded as he ran his hand through his hair, suddenly feeling like an ass for intruding. “Yeah, sorry, Andy, I know it’s early, but I really have to speak with Kelly.”

Andrew frowned and opened the door wider, motioning for him to enter. “Sure, sure. Is everything okay?”

He walked in and headed for Kelly’s bed. She looked the same as she always did, eyes closed, seeming in peaceful sleep, machines breathing and beeping around her.

“No, Andy, everything is definitely not okay,” Cal mumbled as he reached down to take Kelly’s limp hand. “There’s a problem with Morgan.”

Andrew moved to the other side of the bed, his frown deepening. “What do you mean?”

Cal rubbed his hand over his face, scrubbing down his eyes and mouth before meeting Andrew’s concerned gaze. “I need to know for sure. I need Kelly to tell me if she sees Morgan betray us. Otherwise…” He paused as he licked his lips, his heart thudding painfully. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to call the plan off.”

Andrew nodded. “She’s getting to you?”

Cal barked a humorless laugh. “Getting to me? I can’t stand to be away from her. I can’t bear the thought of Lance touching her, talking to her, being with her when I can’t.” He pointed toward the door. “It took everything in my power to leave her side this morning. And yes, I know, I shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but I couldn’t stay away. She’s bewitched me, mind, body and soul.” He lowered his hand back down to rest on the bed. “So I need to know for sure. I need Kelly to tell me.”

Andrew sighed. “Well, she has been seeing things a little more clearly since the two of you bonded. I’ll try to wake her up and see if there’s anything specific she can tell us, but no promises, okay?”

Cal released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Thank you.”

Andrew closed his eyes as his fingers trailed along Kelly’s arm and down to her hand where he intertwined his fingers with hers. Cal stood watching helplessly, feeling like an intruder on the intimacy of the couple’s only way to communicate. He felt bad for Andrew and he missed talking to Kelly—really talking to her—but with this curse came the possibility for the Order to regain control, to see what lay ahead and spin it to their advantage. It suddenly made Cal feel like he was demanding too much. Wanting a normal relationship with Morgan, to be able to love her without risk when Kelly and Andrew had lost all normalcy with their bond. They had accepted it, embraced it even, all in the name of their vows. What sacrifices had he made for the Order?

When Andrew opened his eyes his expression told Cal everything. Cal lowered his head and sucked in a deep breath.

“She can’t see the battle clearly, Cal, but she can see that Morgan will land a fatal blow to one of the beasts, possibly Lazarus.”

Cal’s heart leapt at Andrew’s words, and he looked up at the man hopefully, only to be crushed with his next.

“She will also betray us.”

“Is Kelly sure?” Cal whispered as he ran his thumb along Kelly’s palm, his heart crushing in on itself.

“Yes, she’s sure.”

“How sure?”

“She’s one hundred percent sure, Cal. Morgan will betray the Order. What Kelly’s not sure about is how or when.”

With those words, Cal’s heart felt like it came to a screeching halt, unable to bear the weight of such sadness, such disappointment, such anger that he thought it might never recover. He dropped Kelly’s hand and made for the door.

“Cal,” Andrew pleaded, for what Cal didn’t know, but the tone was enough to stop him in his tracks.

“You’re telling me that there’s good chance I’ll have to kill her. If she is his bride, then I’ll have to end her life.”

“Yes, just as you vowed you would when you joined the Order.”

Cal snorted as he turned to face Andrew. “Joined? Like I had a choice.” He ran his finger along his tattoo. “I vowed because that was the only option. I’m a Hunter. I’m a protector and you’re telling me that I might have to kill the only one I was born to protect.”

Andrew nodded, his eyes shadowed by sadness. “We all make sacrifices.”

“Would you be able to kill Kelly?”

“Yes. If I knew I must. For the Order. For the future. It’s our responsibility.” He shook his head. “We don’t know enough about what’s going to happen to do anything but stick to the plan with Morgan. She must fight Lazarus on the night of the lunar eclipse, and if necessary, you will have to kill her on that night as well. You are a Hunter, Cal, and with that comes the responsibility to do the right thing. The hard thing.”

Cal’s temper flared as Andrew’s words rolled in his head.
The right thing. The hard thing.
He couldn’t understand the unfairness of it all. Why was he the one to carry this burden? Why did it have to be Morgan,
his
Huntress? Why did he have to lose both his mother
and
his destined mate? It was as if fate had decreed that there would be no happiness for him. That he didn’t deserve even a moment of bliss beyond what he’d already had with Morgan.

As Cal’s glare met Andrew’s, his anger ebbed away. Andrew had seen his own fair share of shitty luck and bad circumstances, and there he was standing by his vows.

“She’d want me to end her life, Cal.” His hand strayed back to Kelly’s limp one. “She’d want me to kill her rather than let her betray us.”

Cal nodded as he closed his eyes briefly, collecting himself before turning toward the door. “I don’t think Morgan is going to see things the same way.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rejected

“Son of a bitch,” I hissed as I scrambled out of bed. There was no way I was going to let him take off for another day without any explanation. I was halfway to the door, intent on trailing after him when I realized that I was still completely naked. By the time I found one of Cal’s oversized T-shirts and made it out into the hall it was too late. Cal was already gone.

Shit, shit, shit!

I ducked back into the room and headed straight for the bathroom.

It didn’t take me long to wash up and pull on some more appropriate clothing. I was in the process of lacing my running shoes when I heard the unmistakable sound of someone thudding down the hall and my heart leapt. Was he coming back?

I rushed for the door and threw it open, darting my head out only to see Cal’s hulking form headed toward the staircase.

“Aren’t you at least going to say goodbye this time?” I hedged my tone, trying desperately to keep my anger in check and give him the benefit of the doubt.

He froze in place, his shoulders hunching like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I’ve got things to do.”

His cold words hit me like a brick and I stepped fully out into the hall. With his back still to me, I felt the sting of his rejection even more.

“Don’t you think I deserve an explanation? I mean, you
are
my Hunter. You should be the one training with me. You said so yourself.”

Cal’s massive back shuddered as he took a deep breath. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Another hit. This one made my legs wobble. I took a step back and wrapped my arms around my waist. “Cal? What about last night? Didn’t that mean anything?” I hated that I sounded like a cliché. The silly woman who wanted more from a one-night stand. He made me feel like a discarded fling when I knew that our bond meant so much more.

“Nothing more than what my body needs from a female.”

“What?” I croaked, the word almost not coming out.

But he didn’t say anything more. Instead, he continued down the hall and disappeared around the corner without once looking back at me. I stared in disbelief as the air seemed to withdraw from around me and my lungs ceased to breathe. I lay my hand over my heart as tears budded in my eyes. What had just happened?

I staggered back into the room, closing the door behind me, then crumpled into a heap on the floor, my body wracked with sobs as my heart shattered. He was supposed to be with me. Every fiber in my body screamed for him to come back. Bonding had done more than gift me with amazing powers and incredible strength—it had also embedded this undeniable urge to be with Cal, touching him, tasting him, talking with him.

My stomach lurched and I pushed myself up, making it to the bathroom only moments before I vomited, heaving everything out of my stomach.
What’s wrong with me? What did I do? Why won’t anyone love me? You’re pathetic. You’re a loser. You have nothing to give.
The old childhood mantra circled in my thoughts, taking me down into the deepest pit of depression.

I lay on the cold tile of the bathroom floor for what seemed like hours. Numb. Heartbroken. Defeated. It wasn’t until I saw the bright light from the fully risen sun battling its way through the drapes that I forced myself to stand. The mirror confirmed I looked as shitty as I felt.

I splashed some water on my face, all the while replaying the night before. What had I done to upset him? Where had he gone so early in the morning? The only thing down in the direction that he had come from was Kelly’s room.

I shook my head as I braced myself against the countertop. He’d left me twice. His words confirmed what I didn’t want to admit. He used my body, got satisfaction, but wanted nothing more, just as he had warned. No attachments. No possibility of love.
Why are you so surprised?
He didn’t want to fall victim to his emotions, or be ruled by his heart. He didn’t want to own up to the feeling that the bond created. He was doing this on purpose, keeping me at a distance so he didn’t develop feelings for me.

Well, I wouldn’t go along with that. I raised my head to stare at myself in the mirror, my eyes red-rimmed and my face pale. I was not some whore to be used and discarded whenever he got an itch. I would do without him if that was all he wanted. I’d already gotten what I needed from him. Power. Magic. Strength.

Overlaying my anguish was a new feeling—not quite anger, but close. It was a feeling of empowerment. I wasn’t the little girl sobbing because my mother had, once again, passed out in her own vomit on the kitchen floor, having been too drunk to even cook dinner or acknowledge my existence. I wasn’t the same Morgan who’d cried myself to sleep for weeks after Jimmy had betrayed me, after he’d used me the same way Cal had used me. No, I wasn’t that girl anymore.

I was a Huntress. Powerful, strong. And there was one man who
did
want me around. Lance was waiting for me in the training room and I wouldn’t disappoint him. I would let my grief and my anger fuel my training. I would use it to kick the ever-living shit out of that werewolf bastard, and then I would leave this fucked-up place behind me. I didn’t need any man, despite what the legacy demanded. I hadn’t taken any vows to the Order and I didn’t need to abide by their laws.

With newfound determination, I quickly changed into my training clothes and made my way downstairs. To hell with Cal and his
reasons
. If he didn’t see me as being fit to love, then he was a crazy bastard. I deserved better and if he dared to come to me again looking for a quickie, he’d better be prepared for a fight, because I was not interested in slaking his needs any longer.