Wounded: Book 8 (A Rylee Adamson Novel) (26 page)

There was no argument Erik or Doran were able to come up with. Erik helped me to my feet. “Go get some rest, Rylee. You need it. We all do. When Liam gets here, we’ll make a plan.”

With India sound asleep in my arms, I headed for the door. “We have to draw the packs to us. You think we can do that?”

Erik nodded, his face grim as he clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I know we can. You see, if you haven’t already figured out, demons love chaos. And you, more so than anyone I’ve every met in my life, have a knack for chaos.”

Doran let out a snort and I glared at him. He did nothing but wink and blow me a kiss. “Your uncle is right. You and chaos….” He smacked his hands together as if he were going to clap for me.

Much as I hated to admit it, they had valid points. Frowning, I headed for my old room, the one I’d shared with Liam. Doran agreed to keep an eye out for Liam, the wolves, Pamela and Berget.

I gave India Pam’s room, and Frank and Kyle went off talking still about some sort of electronic thing that was of no interest to me. There was a bathroom attached to the bedroom and I made good use of it, running the shower as hot as I could. The dirt, sweat, blood, and sea salt washed from me and down the drain. I let the water pour over me, wishing it could wash away the feeling I was going to lose someone very close to me. India’s words echoed in my head.

They are always with you, the ones you love. They never leave you; they fight for you even after they’re gone.

The thing was, I didn’t think I could lose anyone else and not lose myself. Too much had been taken from me already. Another loss and I wouldn’t be strong enough to fight Orion.

Another loss and I wasn’t sure I would care what happened to this world and those in it.

Chapter 18

GETTING OUT OF the castle was one thing. Getting past the big bastard on the outskirts was going to be entirely different. Pamela was out cold, so there was no way he could shift and carry her.

“Alex, don’t move,” Liam said as he took in the giant standing directly in front of the tree line. Sure, the giant was a mile away, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t come after them.

“I is standing still,” Alex whispered out the corner of his mouth.

There were not a lot of options; he couldn’t leave Pamela and he couldn’t do the distracting of the giant himself. “Alex, you think you can tease the giant, make him run away so we can get past him?”

Alex cocked his head to one side and put a claw tip to his muzzle. “Perhaps.”

Liam knew he shouldn’t laugh, but it was just such a classic Alex move. “Perhaps? That’s the best you’ve got?”

Snickering, Alex swaggered out. “I will rescue boss this time. Rylee loves boss, but I will rescue him this time.” With no more than that, Alex set off at full tilt toward the giant. Liam held his breath as the giant took note of the werewolf running toward him.

“Bad dog!” the giant roared out and stumbled toward Alex and it was then Liam saw the giant was hurt. The oversized supernatural tried to take a few steps, but then fell to his knees, and from there, to his belly. A ripple of earth burst out around him. Nothing else after that but heavy breathing and the odd groan of pain escaping his mouth.

Liam took a chance, knowing he held Pamela’s life in his hands, but also knowing if someone could kill a giant, then they were in serious trouble.

Alex was barking and yipping at the giant’s face, trying to get him back up until he saw Liam. “He’s no fun. Pooped out.”

The wounds on the giant were enormous and they weren’t healing. There were great gouges on his thighs and back where chunks of flesh had been stripped away, bruises littered his face and it looked like his nose had been broken. The ground shook around them with a heavy footstep and the giant at their feet rolled his eyes toward them.

“Demon giant coming.”

“Alex, time to go.” He hoisted Pamela in his arms even more and took off at a flat out run, Alex right beside him. They were deep within the forest when a high-pitched scream ripped the air, followed by the gurgle of a creature’s last breath. Liam had no doubt it would be the original giant who breathed his last.

At the far edge of the forest where the road met the tree line, they finally stopped. Not because they were out of breath, but because there was a car parked there, waiting for them.

The door flicked open and Doran leaned across. “Thought you could use a ride.”

Liam slid in. Alex was not content with just getting into the back seat. He climbed over top of him and Pamela, drawing an ‘ooph’ out of her. She sat up, her eyes ringed with dark circles. “Are we out?”

“Yeah, we’re out, you did good.”

She smiled and closed her eyes.

Alex spun in circles in the back seat at rapid speed before flopping down. “Time to sleep.”

Doran put the car in drive. “Rylee made it with everyone except Berget.”

“I saw her. She isn’t well and won’t be coming to London. She said to tell you she loved you.”

A shot of pain slid across Doran’s face. “I knew it was a temporary fix, but I’d hoped it would last a little longer.”

Liam nodded, not needing to say anything, noticing Doran chose not to acknowledge the younger vampire’s affections. A few days was all he had left and he wasn’t going to waste it worrying about Berget’s madness and lack of a love life.

No, he had far bigger things to worry about.

I thought I was dreaming when Liam’s hands slid around my naked body, pulling me tight against the length of him. I whispered his name and buried my hands in his hair and tugged him to me, as if I could disappear in his arms.

Tender and sweet, there was an ache of longing in the way he made love to me. Every touch lingered, as if he would imprint himself on me, every kiss held a breath of hesitation to make it last, every brush of his skin on mine left the sweet burn of emotions trailing along my nerve endings.

It felt too much like a goodbye for my liking, and it scared me. “Liam—”

“Just let me love you.”

Such a simple request and yet, it was so damn hard. Loving him and letting him love me wasn’t the issue. My fears were the issue. India had seen a death of someone close to me. I was afraid the secret he held so close was that he knew he was going to die. That I was going to lose him.

He fell asleep in my arms and I couldn’t stay. For the first time in a long time, I ran from him. Dressing quickly, I made a straight shot for the pond.

Emotions rolled through me, fear and love, grief and confusion. Why was I so certain that it was Liam India had referred to?

I didn’t want to answer my own question, though I knew the answer all too well.

Pamela found me, but she said nothing. She just stepped beside me and stared into the dreary night with me.

She shivered and I handed her my coat. “Here. I’m too hot anyway.” That was the truth; I was sweating profusely, a flush of heat I couldn’t seem to escape even now that I was outside.

“Rylee, do you remember when Giselle said the darkness would make a bid for me?” Pamela’s voice was soft and uncertain and my problems were swept away.

“Yes, I do.”

“What if I’m not strong enough to hold out?”

Shit, I wasn’t the only one facing fears and staring down the inevitable. Some days it was far too easy to forget that.

“Pamela.” I slid an arm over her shoulders and tucked her tight against me. “You will hold out. Because you don’t give in, and you don’t give up. Giselle warned you so you would be prepared, not scared.”

Of that, I had no doubt. I didn’t worry about Pamela switching sides. If it had been Milly I’d been talking to, that would be a totally different conversation. But not Pamela.

“How can you know for sure?”

I turned her to face me, looking straight into her eyes. “Because I know you, and I know your heart. You faced down a dragon to protect me; you’ve faced down enemies that would make grown men weep with fear, all for protecting those you love. You can’t corrupt that, it’s too pure.”

A tear slipped down her face. “I don’t ever want to lose my family, you all mean too much to me.”

That I understood all too well. When you loved people, you had something to lose. I hugged her tight and she clung to me as soft sobs rippled through her. “It will turn out in the end, Pam, it always does. Maybe not how we envisioned, but it always turns out. And if it isn’t okay, if something is still not good, then it isn’t the end.”

She sniffled and pulled away from me. “Okay.”

“You feel better now?”

A smile briefly touched her lips. “Yes, I do.”

“Then go get some sleep. It’ll be dawn soon.”

She handed me back my jacket and I slid it on, my own fears and worries buried for the moment under hers.

But with her gone, they came back full force.

Love made people strong, but it also gave their enemies leverage. That was what I was afraid of more than anything else. I knew I needed to hang onto the love in order to face the demons; I had to put away my anger and fear. But it was so fucking hard.

Orion knew my weakness; hell, he had already exploited it. He would tear those I loved from me, torture and kill them. My own pain, my own death I could deal with. But not those I loved.

Taking my own advice to Pamela, I headed back inside. Being exhausted wouldn’t help me face down Orion.

Liam was awake when I got back to the room, and he gave me a tired smile. “Have a good walk?”

I shrugged and he crooked a finger at me. With his help (not that I needed it), I slid out of my clothes.

The tang of my tight muscles under the insistence of his strong fingers kept my mind from dwelling on anything too serious. Or so I thought, until the words poured out of me.

“Orion saved my life, killed the entire coven to keep me safe. Because he wants something I have.”

Liam’s fingers faltered, then started up again. “He won’t take you. I won’t let him.”

I smiled to myself at his confidence, but the smile slipped as I spoke. “I know. But what the hell could I have that he wants enough to keep me alive? I’m the only threat to him not succeeding with his stupid-ass plan to take the world for his own. It doesn’t make sense.”