Moon Tortured (Sky Brooks Series Book 1) (46 page)

He leaned down, his face so close to mine that his lips brushed against me. Soft hands cupped under my jaw, cradling my face. Although I didn’t want to ever go near it again—I don’t think Josh felt the same way. He seemed to be drawn to it. His curiosity and intense intrigue couldn’t be overlooked. He was attracted to it, for no other reason that it was intense, enticing and strong.

When he spoke, I could feel his breath a warm breeze against my lips. “Okay. But I think one day you will want to explore it; and when you do, know that I am here to help you.”

“What part of her ‘no’ did you not understand, Josh? Don’t pressure her into dealing with things that she really should avoid,” Ethan’s stern voice urged as he walked into the room. His gaze fell to Josh’s hands where it remained until he’d dropped them from my face and it followed Josh until he had backed away toward the door. Ethan’s gaze moved in my direction, then cruised over to his brother and found its way back to me. “Thank you for saving Josh’s life.”

“No one in this pack should ever thank me for anything. I am still alive because of you all,” I admitted.

“We did not intervene to protect you,” he stated honestly. “If you were just a person that Demetrius desired, we would have never intervened. I wish I were ashamed, but it is our truth. Your death would have given them power that we could not allow them to have. That is the only reason we protected you.”

“I know. Despite the reason, it was my life that you protected. For that, I feel deeply obligated,” I admitted. If they hadn’t intervened, I surely would not have lasted this long against the vampires.

“An obligation is a debt, Skylar,” Ethan acknowledged in a neutral voice.

I shrugged. “I am indebted to your pack.”

“Choose your words carefully,” he warned.

I tried to decipher the meaning behind them. His face was blank and indiscernible, Josh’s appearance was similar. I had missed something. Any other time, I would have made a greater effort to figure it out, but I was too tired to try. “Should I not appreciate what you all have done? I would have died a torturous death if it weren’t for your pack. Is it wrong that I feel that I owe the pack a great deal?” I asked, unable to hide my confusion.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. When he opened them, he gave me the same look you give the town’s imbecile. Sighing, he said, “On behalf of the pack, I accept your debt. Understand that at some point, you will be asked to repay it.” He stated this in a reserved, professional voice as he stood to leave.

What the hell just happened?
I could see Josh shaking his head slowly out of the corner of my eye. He looked at me one last time before giving me a wry, forced smile, and then he left the room.

My eyes trailed Josh as he exited. At that moment, my brain decided to boot up and start functioning properly; then I realized what I had done. “Is being indebted to the Midwest Pack a stupid thing?” I asked.

Ethan’s lips pressed tightly together. “Being indebted to anyone is never wise. But there could be far worse things. I advise you that in the future, choose your words carefully and be cautious about whom you accumulate debts with.”

“Can I retract?” I asked

“No. Your debt has been accepted,” he stated with a complacent grin before he left.

Oddly, the newly acquired debt didn’t bother me. I felt truly obligated to Midwest Pack. I lay back on the bed, finally allowing myself to feel a certain level of relief that I hadn’t felt in so long. We knew where the gem was and the all-consuming sense of victory filled the house.

CHAPTER 15

I started pacing the moment they left the house that night. After a very angry exchange between Sebastian, Ethan and me, it was agreed that I stay behind. Or rather, I was forced to stay in the house by the two highest ranking control freaks. Sebastian made it very clear: “Skylar, it’s a simple extraction if things go as plan. However if it doesn’t, you in the vampires’ home with the gem is a bad combination. One we choose to avoid.”

I couldn’t argue with his logic. Yet, I wanted to be there when it all ended—no, I needed to be there. The desperation must have been sensed because our exchange ended with them leaving Dakota, the bear with less-than-human-like behavior, behind to make sure I complied.

First, I sat on the bed doing my best impression of a kid who hadn’t gotten her way, pouting like a brat. Then I started to worry about their safety when several hours had passed and they hadn’t returned. I was sure a fight occurred, and my heart skipped at the thought of their impending danger. The carpet would soon be worn thin as I paced it neurotically.

Light footsteps in the hallway caught my attention. I listened closely; they weren’t Dakota’s. Despite being a were-animal, when in human form, he was clumsy and awkward. The steps were cautious and lithe as they ascended the stairs. The scent was familiar, but not quite memorable. I stood behind the door listening as they came closer. “Skylar,” whispered the Southern drawl from behind the closed door. It was Owen. When he opened the door, I stayed behind it, hidden.

“Skylar, we must go! You aren’t safe here. Demetrius is sending someone for you. They found the pack in their home,” he informed me.

“What happened to Sebastian―”

“They’re dead,” he interjected quickly. He grabbed my arm and we started running down the hall. They were all dead? Something just didn’t seem right. It’s not that I believed they were invincible, but for the strongest members of the pack to be taken out so quickly? It didn’t sit well with me. They had the element of surprise; I couldn’t conceive that the vamps could overtake all of them so soon. I came to a halt right before we reached the stairs.

“Owen, why are you here?” I asked suspiciously, backing away from him.

He lunged at me, his heavy body knocking me to the floor. “I was sent here to retrieve you,” he stated in a low growl. “Now be a good wolf and come with me,” he stated as he started to stand.

I helped him up by flipping him over my body. Then I kicked him in the ribs while he was on all fours sending him onto his back. When he attempted to get up, I jabbed my elbow into the bridge of his nose. Using my elbow as leverage, he pushed me away. I countered with a spin kick, connecting the side of my foot with his face. He fell, but didn’t stay down long. Enraged, he grabbed me by the face with vice-like force and pushed me back, sending me into the wall, hitting it with a thud.

Sliding on my back, I inched away from him. But he moved with cat-like stealth, perching over me, “Before I was the Southern Pack’s accountant, I was the Midwest’s Beta,” he stated through gritted teeth. His eyes changed to a light brown with ringlets of deep yellow, making them appear feline. “Your little bodyguard will not be able to help you; he’s indisposed at the moment. It’s just you and me kid. Do you really want to play this rough?” he snarled out angrily.

I continued sliding away from him. “Don’t make me hurt you,” he threatened. He yanked me up by my arms. When I pulled away, he grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me against the wall.

Leaning into me, he inhaled. “You have Ethan’s scent all over you. Has he had you yet? It doesn’t take him long to have his way with most females he comes in contact with,” his lips kinked into a display of avid disgust. He was incensed; so angry, he was trembling.

“Who was she?” This had nothing to do with Ethan’s indiscriminant sexual behavior. There was a
she
involved. You don’t see that level of contempt without it being personal.

He glared at me, his grip tightening, pressing harder into my throat. “Know that you meant nothing to him. They never do! You were just a simple conquest. Just because he can!” he snapped. He was slamming my back against the wall with each word. Each push harder, rougher, less controlled. A volcano on the brinks of erupting. I didn’t want to be there when lava spilled, destroying everything in its path.

Hard lines formed around his increasing ruddy face. “Chris was mine! He only wanted her because she was mine! He had to be Beta because the position was
mine!
” He was panting hard, his eyes frenetic, his face twisted into a nefarious scorn.

Oh, this is what were-crazy looks like.

When he jammed me into the wall again, I kneed him in the stomach. He went down to his knees hard.

I started to run but he recovered, grabbing my leg and yanking me toward him. My calf burned under his vice-like hold. I smashed the heel of my hand into his nose. It halted him for a moment but didn’t break his nose as I had hoped. But it was enough of a distraction to allow me to escape. I couldn’t take him in a fight. I ran. I leapt over the rails onto the first floor, landing awkwardly. I either twisted or broke something in my right foot. I wasn’t sure which, but the jagged pain that shot through me was definitely a sign of an injury. Owen’s footsteps pounded angrily behind me as I ran to the basement. I dashed into the cage, pulling the large metal bars closed behind me. Locked in, I couldn’t get out—but he couldn’t get in either.

“You’re not as helpless as I was led to believe,” he stated in that pronounced Southern drawl that I had grown to hate. He slinked down the stairs slowly, keeping his eyes on me the entire time.

“And you’re a bigger ass than I could ever imagine,” I snapped between breaths.

He pounced around the cage rattling it. The first time he did it, I jumped. Standing in the middle of the cage, I watched as crazy, anger and malcontent fused together, creating the enraged person standing in front of me. It was the only thing separating me from my brush with his insanity.

When he rattled the cage again, I didn’t move. He could be as mad as his lanky frame would allow, but he wasn’t getting in the cage. A look of satisfaction danced across his face. He started punching numbers into the key pad. “Remember I used to be part of this pack. They were probably too stupid to change the code when I left. ” The access light must not have changed colors because he pressed in more numbers, and the look of triumph vanished from his face.

“Guess they aren’t stupid.”

“Shut up!”

“What? No more good ol’ Southern hospitality? Where’s it hiding, in the same place with your integrity and pride?”

He roared.

“Impressive. Now can you try to sound like a lion?” Antagonizing him was stupid, but I noticed that when he was distracted or angry he didn’t function well. If I kept him distracted enough he wouldn’t be able to try to figure out the code.

His fingers worked frantically punching in a series of numbers as he rambled on. The access code must not have lit up because he slammed his fist into it. “That’s not going to open it," I pointed out.

Returning his attention to the keypad, he punched in more numbers. “I am going to kill Josh first; make Ethan watch. Then I will squeeze the life out of Chris right before I kill him, giving him just enough time to mourn their deaths,” he hissed.

I chortled. “You can kill Chris if you want, but it won’t bother Ethan. He threatened to do so not less than three weeks ago. He threatened her after he kissed her passionately in front of everyone. They’re very hot together. I wonder what they were like when they actually loved each other.” He stopped abruptly and stared at me, disgusted. Ethan not only took Chris from him, his words not mine, but cared so little for her that he would kill her. “And his brother? He’d prefer death than to live without him. Killing him after murdering his brother would be an act of kindness, not vengeance. Didn’t really think this through, did you?”

Now he was just punching numbers into the keypad without thinking. Nearly trembling with anger he spoke in a callused tone, “He’s a self-absorbed bastard, but everyone ignores it because he’s Sebastian’s golden boy, his future successor. Everyone’s so enamored by his charm and wit they won’t see him for what he really is.”

“What is he, a simple-minded were-animal who betrayed his pack to help Demetrius? Is he a dishonorable man who abandoned his obligation to his pack because of jealousy and revenge? Oh, my bad, that’s you.”

His eyes were blazing with fury. Swift hands darted through the bars to grab me. I moved just in time to get out of his reach. He rattled the cage, his fist beating against it brutally as he made sonorous roars that resounded through the room. I cringed until the sound came to an abrupt end. “Yes, the cage can be unlocked by rattling it real hard and yelling at it. Keep doing that; I’m sure that’ll work.”

Gaining control of his anger, he stared at me with a long haunting gaze. But his appearance had lost all remnants of humanity. It was raw, animalistic, stripped down to his purest primal form. “I would have killed you. If I had been the Alpha, and
you
were this big of a risk to my pack, I would have killed you as you slept here in our bed,” he asserted.

“Your ability to kill someone in cold blood, who has entrusted you with their life, is impressive only in your warped mind. Ethan didn’t take your position. He relieved you of a job you didn’t deserve.” I shot back.

Who would have thought that type of iniquity lurked behind the sweet Southern drawl? I shook my head. “You know what Demetrius plans to do with me and you are okay with that? They’ll be stronger than the were-animals. Are you prepared to be responsible for that?” I asked, revolted.