Ember's Curse (Prime Wolf) (22 page)

My wolf roared through me and I threw my head back and savored its release. "Is that all you got?" I challenged. I shifted my foot and pushed off, turning my body into a weapon. With my claws out, I twirled like a tornado.

When I finished spinning, I looked back at them. A small smile crept over my face as I watched their two heads, and a few other body parts, roll across the floor.

Chapter 19

I staggered away from the blood that slowly pooled out from underneath the dead vampires. The thick goo also painted the walls like a certifiably insane or death crazed Michelangelo might have. There was a severed arm wedged between the bars of one of the empty cells. It hung there limp and weeping. The vampire it belonged to lay dead underneath it, his own blood dripped over his face, covering it in a glistening red. A thick splinter of wood stuck out from a wound in his chest, which was the weapon that I had used to deliver the killing blow.

Collin gently pulled me from my thoughts and the gruesome scene before us. His eyes were blue again, not even a hint of red remained. Thank God. I'd seen enough of that color to last a lifetime.

"We actually pulled it off. There's not even one of those bastards left standing," he said, putting his arm around me. I leaned against the comfort of his body. My ankle was still in the process of healing and now that the rush of magic had subsided, I could feel the stabbing pain that came along with it. My ribs were the first to mend, so thankfully, my breathing wasn't as labored as it had been only minutes ago.

"Yes, my love. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless I suppose."

I wasn't happy about what we had just done. The slower gate in my steps and the hunch of my shoulders proving that, but I was satisfied with the fact that Collin and I were fortunate enough to have lived through it all. Killing in the name of defense was still murder, and it left me with a queasy feeling in my gut.

***

We climbed the narrow steps that lead back to Tommy’s den. The bulbs flickered as we passed them, probably caused by the residual magic surrounding us. I could see the back of the bookcase as we rounded the corner near the top. I took those final steps with a little more pep; I was anxious to put the underground compound behind me. The shelf pulled out with ease. Collin pushed it aside and light spilled into the passageway. I blinked several times to try to acclimate my eyes to the brightness. The room was empty when we walked into it. There were logs in the fireplace that had been burned down to just embers. They shone a bright red. I was so sick of the color red. After today, it would always remind me of death.

"Do you think Harper and Milo were able to get the prisoners off the island safely?" I asked, looking around the abandoned room.

"We can easily find out." Collin reached over and picked up the phone. He quickly dialed a number from memory then leaned against the desk to wait. "Hey man, you guys make it into town safely?" He listened for a while, nodding his head occasionally. "Glad to hear it. Do me a favor and check on Tegan. Tell her we're safe. See you soon."

"Everyone's okay then?" I asked hopefully.

"They’re all safe and sound at my place," he explained. He took my hand and released a heavy breath as his thumb absently stroked my fingers. It was a comforting touch. "There's something else."

My muscled tensed up and I searched his face. "What is it?" I asked.

"Nathan and Brady are missing. Milo said he searched Nathan's house and even went as far as to check Haven. But they came up empty."

"Tyson must have taken them," I said, staring down at my bloodstained feet. "We have to find them."

Collin placed his hands on my shoulders and leaned down low enough to stare me in the eyes.

"We will," he assured me. The corners of his lips tipped down and he wiped away the stray tear that escaped from my eye. "But we have to get you home first."

I shook my head. I barely had the energy to accomplish such a simple task. "There's no time for that. Who knows what they are doing to them. We can rest later."

"You're going to rest now," he said, swinging me up into his arms. "Harper and a small group of my men are already out looking for them. There's nothing more we can do. So for now, we go home and recoup. We're no good to anyone in our condition."

I had no choice but to go along with his plan. The lack of rest, food, and all the fighting, left me barely able to keep my eyes open. "You gave Milo your truck. How are we getting home?"

Collin walked us out of the den and into the great room, where just a few nights before, the whole pack had gathered to celebrate my engagement to the enemy. If only they knew what had really gone down that night. I had a feeling that some of them had an idea of the betrayer Tommy had become. Werewolves have great instincts after all.

"There's an Adelphi helicopter in a clearing a few miles from here. My men already secured this house and will be waiting to take us home." He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine.

"Just close your eyes and sleep, we've done all we can for now."

***

The sound of giant blades beating against the air jogged me from my deep sleep. I woke up belted into my seat with the top half of my body leaning against Collin. A searing pain pierced my stomach and I heaved forward, grabbing my knees. I gulped in several mouthfuls of air, but my lungs didn't seem to want to accommodate my efforts. Instead, they constricted and burned.

Collin reached over to unfasten my buckle. He fumbled with the catch, cursing under his breath. When he finally unfastened the clip, he lifted me onto his lap.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked with a gentle voice.

Pain racked my body so I had to force out a reply, "I think I need to feed."

He reached his arm around me to unbutton his shirt. He shrugged it off one arm at a time. When he finished, I was repositioned into a more upright position. He was making it easier for me to reach his neck.

"Feed from me," he urged.

I shook my head against him and groaned. I didn't want to hurt him. I had never done this before, so I had no clue how much control I would have over my vampire self. What if I lost it and accidentally drained him?

"I want to do this for you. Let me be the one to ease your pain," he said, pulling my face closer. My lips pressed up against him and I could feel a thumping pulse flutter underneath his skin. My tongue flicked out, tasting the salt and sweetness of him. It made me want to bite down hard; to take every bit of him into me that I possibly could. Somehow, I just knew that he would be the perfect filler of my needs. My ambrosia.

I guess one little sip couldn't hurt,
said a voice inside my head. The voice sounded strangely like my own. My fangs began to pulse and ache, and before I could stop myself, they sank deep into Collin’s neck. He grabbed hold of the back of my head with a groan. I wrapped my leg around his waist and pressed myself up against his hard length, pinning him under me. It fulfilled my sexual hunger for him and the need to keep him still while I drank.

With his free hand, he pushed my ass down against him. Heat exploded from between my legs and built up with every one of his delicious thrusts. "My God, that feels so good," Collin said, still holding my mouth to his open wound. "Suck harder."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I gulped down a few more mouthfuls, savoring every last drop. A persistent tingle knotted up in my belly. It was like my instincts were telling me that I had taken enough, a personal alarm system to keep me from killing my prey. So with a pout, I forced myself to pull away. Collin reached for me. His head was leaning heavy against the back of his chair. The puncture wounds at his neck were already healing and his coloring was good.

My first real feeding had been a success. I looked down at the plain green shirt hugging my body. It hung long enough to reach the bottom of my knees. I hadn't noticed it before, but then again, I hadn't been in any condition to.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. He looked just fine. There was a tiny amount of blood smudged on his skin where I had fed, but other than that, he sat there dazed with a goofy smile on his face.

"We are definitely doing that again soon...and often," he said with a glint of promise and lust in his eyes.

I gazed out the window at familiar land. I had run through the forests and drank from the streams we were now flying over.

"You have a house in the prime's territory?" I questioned.

He nodded his head, "I have one in every pack territory."

I tried to estimate how many packs there were in the world. My eyes widened at the number. "There are at least two hundred claimed territories, Collin. Surely you’re not suggesting that you have as many homes," I chuckled.

"I suppose you have a castle in Scotland as well," I jested.

He reached around my waist to refasten my buckle. "We will be landing soon." A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth and before he spoke again, he wet his lips. "The Adelphi's main facility is located in Scotland."

He was serious. "It's in a castle, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yes, my curious Kitten. It's in a castle."

"We are set for landing," the pilot announced.

"Are you ready for a hot bath and a warm bed?” Collin asked me. His fingers crawled up my leg and my heart began to beat faster the farther up they traveled. "We can finish what we started."

I stifled a moan. His offer was so tempting and not altogether impossible, but finding Nathan and Brady had to be dealt with first.

"Right after we find our men." I looked deep into is glorious blues and my expression softened. "Then I'm all yours, Pookie.”

His forehead pinched up in a frown and disgust washed over his face. "Pookie?" he questioned.

"Keep calling me kitten and I will keep calling you worse things than that. It's all a part of your training."

He leaned in until his mouth was almost touching mine and whispered softly against it, "Good luck with that.”

Chapter 20

I hopped out of the helicopter’s open hatch and pushed my way through the thick winds churning and beating against me from its blades. My hair slapped against my face like tiny whips stinging me. I scraped it back and held the long strands captive in my grip until I was far enough away for the wind to die down. I took in long, deep mouthfuls of air that was full of familiar scents; the nutty aroma of Fir trees, the clean crisp smell of grass spurting out from damp soil. I could taste the mildly humid scent of water rushing in a stream somewhere in the distance. My muscles relaxed for the first time in days. This was my land and it pulled at me like a siren’s call.

Several people came rushing from the house to greet us. Some of their faces were unfamiliar but others I recognized from my time locked up in the cells. It seemed like forever since I'd seen them last, but in reality, it had only been a handful of hours.

Leading the group, pumping his arms and legs as hard as he could, little Dane ran toward us. His face was beet red from the effort. The boy’s eyes were as big as saucers, and they were glued on me. I held my arms out to him and he barreled right into them. After holding him for a second, I set him in front of me.

"Hi Dane, I see you're doing well."

He bobbed a dirt smudged chin up and down. "I got to shift today," he said, hopping from one foot to the other. "Sadie says my wolf is huge!" he said holding his arms far apart; he looked so proud and happy. Seeing such an innocent smile helped in making things a little more bearable for me.

"I knew you were a special wolf," I said, getting back to my feet.

"Glad to see you made it out safe," said a soft voice. I turned to see who it belonged to. The female cop from earlier walked up and stood in front of me. I had to tip my head down so I could get a good look at her. She was out of the filthy clothes the Gatherers had put her in, and was now wearing a very comfortable looking pair of jeans with a black lace tank top that showed off a very impressive six-pack. Her black hair was still pulled back tight from her face, slanting her gigantic eyes. But this time it wasn't knotted up and dirty. It was clean and damp from a fresh wash.

"Yeah," I said, glancing at everyone. "I wish I could say the same for Brady and Nathan." My fists clenched at the thought of them being at the mercy of Tyson. The desire to search for them rode me hard. "I never got your name," I said absently.

"Sadie," she said, offering me her hand. I took it in mine and after a firm shake, turned to leave. I hesitated for a moment then glanced back. "Thanks for being so good to the cub. I appreciate it."

"Hang on!" Sadie said, falling in behind me. "I'd like to help find the others, if that’s cool with you."

I shrugged in answer. I was too tired to do anything else and who was I to stop her from trying to be useful?

I waded through the group of wolves waiting to welcome us. All of them were reaching over one another trying to pat me on the back or arm, anywhere they could reach. It made me feel a little bit uncomfortable, but I smiled and nodded at them all as I hurried by.