Tamed: A Huntress Spin-off Novel (25 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

His fingers smoothly ran down my neck and over my chest as goosebumps spread over my body. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as the feel of his hands gliding over my skin sent waves of pleasure crashing within me. He gave a satisfied smile as his red eyes watched my reaction, enjoying the affect he had on me.

His had found the outside of my thigh, gently moving over my skin as he leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I like watching you. I enjoy seeing what I can do to you.” He nipped my earlobe, and my breath hitched as pleasure shot within me.

The simplest touch made by him was an overwhelming sensation that dominated my body, sending me to that blissful state where I would remain until he touched me no more and I would come crashing back down again.

As his lips brushed against my neck, he kissed and nipped his way to my mouth. With my hands pressed against the back of his neck, I slipped my tongue in his mouth, and as our tongues met, my starving hunger to taste him melted away. Our bodies moved against each other and I felt it building; the need, the desperation to be satisfied until my insides exploded in pleasure.

****

I couldn’t see him, but I could hear him. His humming filled my ears as he walked about the room while I stared up at the ceiling, trapped in a daze and barely able to focus. My heart was pounding, vibrating through my chest with every beat as I tried to steady my breathing. I felt weak; so weak that I barely had any control over my limbs, and my stomach was beginning to ache with the same stabbing pains that I had to endure last night. I feared that I was withering away, but there was nothing that I could do. I was powerless against him. His allure was too strong to resist. He had a hold on me. Even though he wasn’t physically touching me, my body was aware of how near he was. It was as if our bodies were linked together, in tune with one another, and despite the growing pain, I was aching for his touch.

It took everything that I had to roll over on my side and bring my legs up to my stomach. I drew in a breath and wrapped my arm around my legs, hoping the pressure on my abdomen would relieve the ache.

There was a smile to Ambrose’s lips; one that filled his face with glee as he paced the floor. His eyes were casted down as he muttered something under his breath and snickered. His masterplan was going smoothly. He knew he had won the bottle. There was nothing or no one that could stop his sinister ways.

He then stopped and looked at me. “I can feel your distress. It’s making my body tingle.” His smile broadened as he closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. “What a rush.”

He took his time walking toward me. All of the excitement that once showed disappeared as it was replaced with a much more serious look. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized that he was deranged. He knelt on the bed, hovering over me. His fingers gently ran down my cheek before he gripped my shoulder and pushed me on my back. I whimpered as the pain strengthened, exploding throughout my body, torturing me within.

“It hurts, I know…but what pains you brings great joy to me. Soon, though, your suffering will come to an end.”

I opened my mouth to talk, but I couldn’t find the strength to do so. The pain was far greater than last night. Ambrose’s face became nothing but a blur as my eyes filled with tears.

“You look pale. Would you like some water before we continue? Maybe it will help a bit.”

He got off the bed, only to return a moment later with a glass of water in hand. He gripped my arm and pulled at me, and I cried out in pain as he forced me to sit up. I closed my eyes for a brief second as my head grew fuzzy with dizziness.

He cupped my chin. “Open your mouth.”

As my lips parted, I welcomed the cold drink as it filled my dry mouth and slid down my throat. He set the glass on the floor before he gripped the back of my knees. He leaned down and moved his face close to mine. His eyes, blazing with want, gazed into mine. My breath hitched as he brushed his lips on mine—a feeling I just couldn’t seem to get enough of as my heart accelerated.

“Now, I must satisfy my thirst for your body,” he whispered so seductively against my lips, then claimed them.

His lips were running so smoothly over mine, igniting the burning flame of lust within as his tongue slid into my mouth, and I could feel the coldness of his power pouring into me, taking from me, and claiming my soul a little at a time. He broke the kiss, and I gasped as he tilted me backward and I fell back on the bed. The sheet slid over my skin as he took his time pulling if off my body before climbing on top of me. He was like a cat who liked to take his time playing with its prey before going in for the kill, and his sex games were all it was…slowly killing me with sensuality.

****

Everything became a blur after a while as he came back for more repeatedly, and each time the sensations intensified, so did the ache that burdened my body. I was tortured by the pain, yet pleasured by his touch. I didn’t know how much more I could take. I couldn’t keep my body from shaking, and the hot flashes that spread through me were relentless. I was slowly slipping away. The damage was done, and as much as I would have liked to be hopeful, there was no saving me.

He pressed his hand to my sweaty forehead, his face glowing with happiness as he hovered over me. “You’re a fighter, it seems. Most of my victims are ready to be claimed by now, but no, not you, which means you have so much more to give me.” He then kissed my neck. “So I’ll keep taking until I have all of you.”

A chill spread over my body as his breath tickled my neck. Just as he was about to kiss my lips, he paused, his brows pinching together. “Something is wrong.”

“Paige!” It was Eli. His voice echoed throughout the room, and even with the distance between us, I felt an urge to go to him.

“Paige, you have to wake up!” The distress in his voice worried me. I could hear the panic and the desperation as he begged me to come back to him.

I wanted to go to him. “Eli,” I whispered.

Ambrose’s face turned into stone as his venomous eyes glared down at me. “No; don’t listen to him. Stay with me!” His fingers dug into my skin as he gripped my arms so tight. It was a welcoming distraction from the pain that ripped through my insides. “Paige,” he said through clenched teeth, but I wasn’t listening to him anymore.

My focus was on Eli. Darkness began to slither over my eyesight until the room faded out of sight and I could see Ambrose no more. I felt a light weight on my shoulders as my body shook back and forth. The taste of copper filled my mouth.

“Paige,” Eli said.

I felt a light tap on my cheek, and I groaned, forcing my eyes to open. Eli’s worried, tired face filled my sight. I felt warmth trickle from my nose. I could barely keep my eyes open. The pain was far more excruciating than in my dream. It felt like a million sharp knives were ripping through my flesh all at once.

“Silas is going to help us.”

I burst into tears. I couldn’t stand it. I just wanted the ache and pain to stop. I felt bile rise in my throat. I brought my hand up to my mouth as the bile spilled out of my mouth, but as I looked down, I saw red dripping from my hand and realized that it wasn’t vomit at all. It was blood. My breathing sped up as panic flowed through me.

Eli’s lips parted, taking in a sharp breath as he stared wide-eyed at the blood. “Oh, Paige.” His voice was laced with sadness.

“Eli, you have to get her out of here. He’s waking up!” Silas yelled.

“I don’t feel well,” I said.

“I know,” he said softly.

He grunted as he scooped me up into his arms, and his legs shook from the weakness in his body. I could hear the struggle behind Eli. A fight between brothers. As Eli turned to walk to the bedroom door, I saw Ambrose punching Silas in the stomach. I heard the painful grunts that escaped Silas’ body. I gasped as he struck Silas in the chest, his claw slicing into his skin so deep, running them across his chest, shredding his flesh as blood poured out of him.

I looked behind me while Eli took me farther away. Somehow, Silas managed to get a hit in. Ambrose had just caught himself from falling when Silas stabbed him in the heart, his claws sliding all the way through and coming out of his back.

Eli began to run, picking up speed as we made it outside. I rested my head on his chest and squeezed my eyes shut, a whimper escaping from my throat as I breathed through the pain. That was all I could do. There was no helping me through this. Ambrose took too much from me. Death was, indeed, in the air as I struggled to stay alive, fighting against the inevitable.

****

Everyone crowded around me as we entered Bram Manor. Their worried faces stared in horror as Eli pushed past them to get to the staircase.

“What the hell happened? We thought you guys were upstairs this whole time,” Athena said.

Their feet stomped on the staircase as they followed behind him, keeping up the pace.

The blood was coming again. I could feel it rise up into my throat, spilling out of my mouth and soaking Eli’s shirt.

“Oh, man, Eli. This is really bad,” Kyle said.

“Chelsea, you need to call Taylor and tell him to come here right now.” His voice shook with sadness.

“She’s not going to make it, is she?” Chelsea asked, her voice weak with sorrow.

Silence filled the air for a moment before he finally spoke, and when he did, it was a torturous, miserable voice. “No.”

I heard him sniffle as he stormed through the hallway and entered the first bedroom he saw. He placed me in bed. The soft mattress felt good to lie on, but it didn’t do much to soothe my discomfort. He pulled the covers over me, and then kneeled beside me. I closed my eyes as he ran his hand over my hair.

“Silas did this, didn’t he?” Athena said.

“She wouldn’t kill him unless she saw that he was evil, so I went along with her to protect her. Ambrose, an enemy from my past, attacked me. Silas is his twin, and he was in on the plan to get revenge against me, only Ambrose’s plan revolved around taking Paige’s soul.” He exhaled. “They took us. They chained me up and injected me with something laced with ash leaves. I was so weak that it was a struggle to lift my own damn arms. He fed off her and made me watch as she suffered. He targeted her because he found out that I loved her. This is all my fault,” Eli cried.

“Hey, don’t you ever think that. It’s not your fault. What matters now is that you got her away from him, and now we can find a way to save her,” Kyle said.

“Why wouldn’t you come to us? We could’ve helped so that this wouldn’t have happened,” Athena said.

“She didn’t want to scare him off. I thought I could protect her. I had no idea Ambrose was waiting for us, and I sure the hell didn’t know that Silas was his twin.”

“How did you escape?” Demetrius asked.

“Turns out, Paige was right; Silas is good. He actually did fall in love with her, and that changed his mind about the revenge plan. I think he’s lost. I think he’s stuck between being loyal to his twin and wanting to protect the one that he loves. He left the room so that he wouldn’t see her suffer, but he couldn’t stay away. He unchained me and fought Ambrose off while I got her out of there.”

“He fed off her, which means he was bonded to her as well. He couldn’t claim her…he’ll be coming for her,” Demetrius said.

“We need to break the bond,” Eli said.

“She isn’t in any shape to carry out a ritual. She isn’t strong enough. I’ll get my amethysts. If we place them around the bed it will keep him from claiming her,” Violet said.

Eli stood. “Wait, Vi. You looked into her future, didn’t you?”

“I see death, but it can change. Like I’ve always told you, though, it’s up to you to change it,” Violet said.

I cried out as a shooting pain so unbelievably powerful and deep tore through my stomach, spreading to my chest and arms. The pain was like waves crashing to the shore, some of them far stronger than the others were, and I had a hard time tolerating the stronger ones.

“I want it to stop,” I said, breathless yet barely able to even get the words out.

Eli shushed me and climbed in bed beside me; our noses touched as he pressed his forehead against mine.

His fingers found my hair once more, gently massaging my head. “Just try to relax.”

Having him so close was the comfort that I needed, but I had a hard time relaxing. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to make me comfortable until the time came, and knowing that left my heart sinking deep into my stomach.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The world was spinning. Even with my eyes closed, it was never ending. I thought back to when I was a little girl playing outside with Tessa and Sean. They were playing tag and running circles around me as I looked up, and with my arms outstretched, I spun around while leaves from the trees fell all around me. The crisp breeze brought a fresh smell to the air as fall quickly approached. When I fell, the trees that towered over me, continued to move without me. It was amazing how my head, sick with lightheadedness, could trigger the most precious memory of my childhood as I lay dying.

I heard talking, hushed voices swirling around the room, careful not to be too loud in fear of disturbing me, but the aches and pains were disturbing enough. My mind had stirred from my sleep a little while ago and I quickly gathered that I passed out from the pain, but I had yet to open my eyes. I was too tired to do so. With my arm wrapped around my stomach, I whimpered as my body shook in agony. As a sharp pain stabbed through my abdomen, spreading to other parts of my body, I tore my eyes open, crying out as my tears soaked my cheeks.

“Make it go away,” I cried.

A hand brushed against my hair. “It’s okay,” Taylor’s soft voice filled my ears.

He was finally here. He must have come when I was still unconscious.

I panted and balled my hand, squeezing the life out of the covers as I fought through the torment.

“Hey, do you need anything?” Taylor asked, his voice shaking with sorrow.

I looked up at Taylor’s miserable face staring back at me. He sniffled. His cheeks were wet with tears, and his eyes were puffy and red.

“It just hurts so badly,” I cried.

I heard a growl. “I can’t handle this. I don’t want her suffering anymore.”

“It’s going to be okay. Violet is making her potion. It should be done shortly. It will numb her pain,” Lucas said.

I rolled on my back and looked down at the end of the bed where Eli paced the crowded room. His worn out face sagged with grief as he raked his hand through his hair. He was restless and helpless, suffering along with me as he was forced to watch me slowly slip away from him.

“Tell him to leave, Taylor,” I grumbled.

Eli stopped pacing and scowled my way. “I’m not leaving you.”

“It’s okay if you do.”

“I’m fine!” he said in a stern voice.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I didn’t have the strength to fight him on it.

Oh no. It was coming. The blood. I could feel the pressure building in my chest as it made its way up my throat. I winced as I tried to sit up, but I was too weak to do it on my own. I grabbed Taylor’s arm to pull myself up, but it was too late. Blood came spilling from my mouth, soaking my face, neck, and hair, but it didn’t stop. The blood just kept coming. I gasped for breath, hearing the gurgle in my throat. Realizing then that I was choking, Taylor gasped and pulled me on my side as more blood fell from my mouth. He hit on my back as I coughed, yet tried to catch my breath all at once. I rested my head on the bed and shut my eyes as I panted.

Taylor brushed the hair from my face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize until I was too late. You need to be cleaned up.”

“No, I’m okay. I just want to sleep. I’m so tired, Taylor.”

“You can’t stay in your blood,” Taylor said.

“I’ll do it. Everyone is going to have to leave, though. I need to undress her,” Eli said.

“I’ll get her clothes,” Chelsea said.

“Her bag is in my room,” Eli told her.

Taylor stood up from the bed. “I’ll be waiting outside the door. Yell when it’s safe to enter.”

Eli pulled the covers from my body and gently pushed me on my back. I grumbled and forced my heavy eyes to open. I pushed his hand away as he unbuttoned my pants.

“No. Leave me alone.”

I didn’t want to be bothered. I was hurting too bad.

“You’re covered in blood. You can sleep after I get you cleaned up.”

“I’m dead, anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Don’t you say that!”

It was true. He knew, only he refused to accept it. I stopped fighting and let him undress me. I tried to remain impassive and not wince as much while he took my clothes off as gentle as he could, but even the slightest movement affected me. I was simply falling apart as the longest hours of my life slowly ticked by.

He left me for a moment while he went to the bathroom and turned on the water. I groaned as he lifted me from the bed and took me to the bathroom, carefully placing me in the tub. The hot water soothed my cold, shivering body, and I relaxed as much as my body would allow me to.

He dripped the rag in the water and began cleaning the blood from my face and neck, turning the water pink.

“I was waiting for you to wake up. I have a present for you.”

“A death present?”

He scowled. “Would you stop that?”

“You’re giving me a present because I’m dying…it just doesn’t feel too good.”

“It’s not a death present. I was actually planning to give you the gift before, but Silas needed to be dealt with. I want you to see it just in case you…” He trailed off and rinsed the rag.

“I die. See, death present.”

“Hush your lips and take the damn present.”

I took in a deep breath and got lost in thought for a moment. Death was eventually going to claim me, and it had triggered one particular thought that was eating at me.

My eyes found Eli. “Do you think I’ll go to heaven?”

His brows furrowed. “Yeah, of course. Why would you ask that?”

My chin quivered as tears fell from my eyes. “I don’t know if God forgave me.”

“Well, what did you do?”

The events of that night came storming through my head, so I pushed them down; refused to feel the sorrow, because I was already in enough pain as it was. I sighed.

“I killed my best friend. I was drag racing with Sean, and Tessa was in the passenger seat of my car. I lost control of the vehicle and crashed into an oncoming car.”

His face sagged with sorrow. “Oh, Paige. So that’s why you’re…” He trailed off. He exhaled then spoke once more. “What happened that night was just an accident.”

I looked away from his gaze as I felt my insides drowning with grief. “She wanted me to stop racing. She hated it, and I didn’t listen to her. I killed her,” I cried.

Eli pressed his hand to my cheek. “It was a mistake. You were young and you weren’t thinking as wisely because of that. People make mistakes all the time. Don’t let the guilt burden you, please. You’re letting it destroy you, and Tessa wouldn’t have wanted to see you like this. Let it go.”

I nodded. “If I survive, then I promise you, I will try. I can’t live like this anymore. I need peace.”

“And I’ll help you get there.”

I gasped and grabbed onto the sides of the tub as the same pain that came on so incredibly intense and deep tore through my abdomen once more, and the ache and pain that continued to torment me throughout the rest of my body grew stronger. Eli’s hand ran over my hair as an attempt to comfort me. My breathing grew heavier as I squeezed my eyes shut and fought through it as much as I could, waiting for the pain to weaken once more. I knew it was coming. The blood. I was beginning to see the pattern. The pain that was constant came on stronger, and as it weakened, spitting up blood soon followed. The pressure was building as it made its way up my chest.

“It’s coming,” I said.

Eli helped me lean over the side of the tub, and the blood came spilling from my mouth.

He exhaled and wiped the blood from my mouth with the rag. “I hate seeing you like this.”

And I hated feeling like this, but it would only end when my heart gave in and couldn’t take anymore.

I held my head and took in deep breaths. I felt like I was going to pass out. “I don’t feel good.”

“Okay. Bear with me while I wash you.”

He moved as quickly as he could, washing my hair then my body, to get me out of the tub just in case I were to fall unconscious. My body shivered from the chill that remained constant as I lied on the bed and sucked in deep breaths, fighting with my head to stay awake. He dressed me in sweatpants and a black tank top.

I reached my hand out, struggling to hold my arm up, and he grabbed my hand, helping me to sit up. I groaned, feeling the ache worsen as I moved about. My body swayed back and forth, and I closed my heavy eyes for a moment. Eli gripped my shoulder to keep me from falling. He ran the towel through my hair, soaking up the excess water.

“I could try to brush your hair, but you don’t seem up for it. Only if you want me to.”

I looked up at him and gave a weak smile as my heart warmed with love. He was taking care of me. I loved him that much more.

I leaned forward and rested my head on him. “I’m okay. Thank you for taking care of me.”

His hand ran over my hair, and I closed my eyes; my tense body seemed to relax a bit from his touch. “I always will.”

I sat up and he helped me get settled in bed. It wasn’t until I laid my head on my pillow did I feel how absolutely wrecked I was. The fatigue that I felt when I was moving about was only a taste of what was to come when I let myself rest.

Eli grabbed a pile of sketch papers cut down into rectangles and he gave it to me. “It’s kind of like a book.” He shrugged and smiled.

The sketch on the front was of me. I was lying in his bed, lost in a peaceful sleep.

“Flip through the pages fast. The sketches are what make the story.”

As I flipped through the pages, I saw the story begin to gradually unfold. I was fast asleep and Eli came to sit beside me on the edge of the bed. With a warm smile, his hand touched mine and my sleepy eyes slowly opened. A beaming smile touched my lips. I then sat up and pressed my lips to his, and as I did just that, hearts grew and burst above our heads. Oh, it was amazing. My heart swelled as tears touched my eyes.

“I love it.”

He beamed and brushed the tears from my face. “You’re crying.”

“It’s so sweet. I really don’t deserve you.”

“What happened doesn’t matter anymore. It never changed the way that I felt about you. You chose me.”

As he leaned down to kiss me, it was interrupted by a pain stabbing through my abdomen. I gasped and pressed my hand to my stomach, wanting the pain to end.  As I lay paralyzed, I held my breath, though it did nothing to relieve me of the hurt, and I was left whimpering as tears wet my cheeks. My eyesight had blurred and I began to pant. My head and ears began to pulsate with every beat of my frantic heart. I could barely focus. The spinning in my head had only worsened.

Eli’s hand touched my cheek. “Paige, keep fighting.”

But I couldn’t. The darkness was coming. It was sliding over my eyes, pulling me under, dragging me to the land of unconsciousness.

****

I could barely see a thing as I came to. My head ached and throbbed as I shut my eyes once more and groaned. I tried to lift my arm to cradle my head, but found that my weakness left me paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. That’s when I heard it; the voices, so worried and sad as they filled the room. It was Taylor and Eli.

“I don’t know if you or even she will agree to this solution, but I’m desperate to save her, and it’s her only chance at survival,” Eli said.

“I’m pretty sure I know where this is going,” Taylor said.

“Violet said that our actions could change the outcome. She sees Paige dying right now, but if Hunter turns her, she could be saved.”

Taylor exhaled. “I know. I was actually thinking the same thing.”

Me, a wolf? A supernatural? An animal that couldn’t help but to turn on the full moon and feed off humans? I couldn’t picture it at all. It seemed so strange to think that I could ever be a werewolf. Yet, if that meant that I would survive this torture and spare Eli and everyone else the heartbreak, then I was willing to turn. I wasn’t ready to die just yet, and I sure as hell wasn’t ready to leave Eli.

“I say wolf because it’s easier to hide when she’s around your dad. We wouldn’t have to worry about her urge to feed on him until the full moon, and of course she’ll have to learn to control her temper,” Eli said.

“With that, though, comes a complication. Her body is weak and she might not be able to withstand the changing process. There’s always that possibility that it will only worsen her condition and wind up killing her faster,” Taylor said.

“Taylor, I’m so incredibly afraid of turning to wolf venom in order to save her. I know the damage it could do, but I’m more afraid of losing her. If turning her into a wolf is my only shot at saving her then I’m going to take it. To hell with the complication. If I lose her, knowing that I didn’t do everything in my power to keep her alive, then I will never forgive myself. Please, don’t fight me on this.” He was desperate and pleading.

“I’m not ready to lose my sister.” His voice, laced with sorrow, had cracked and I heard him exhale.

I could feel the fatigue taking over, but it was unwelcome—a burden at the moment.
No, please don’t take me.
I had to hear the final decision, so I fought the hold the darkness had on me as much as I could, but there was nothing left in me. There was no strength left to give. My mind begged me to shut off. In the end, I was forced to give in as I felt my body surrender and sink into a deep sleep.