Chapter Ten
2483 Words
Chapter Ten
Brody came to in the woods, his clothes were the same as they had been the afternoon before when he’d... when he’d argued with Sarina. What the hell had gotten into him? Recalling the argument, he couldn’t believe he’d stood there and berated her about not hunting down the man who’d tricked her into sleeping with him, not once, but twice. Not to mention, this same man had purposefully tried to impregnate his Sarina in hopes of holding the children over her head so she’d do what he wanted.
Looking around, he noticed that night had fallen, making the woods an eerie place to be. Fog covered the ground so that wisps of cotton air hovered over the damp underbrush. A chill ran over his skin as the sounds of the night picked up. The thought of changing crossed his mind, but without a source of food and water, he’d be stuck as a werewolf with no clothes, especially if he needed to change back quickly.
Still, when the woman from his nightmares came walking towards him, he wasn’t sure he really cared about clothes. Growling low in his throat, Brody bared his teeth, even as she pulled at his most basic s****l desires.
“So moody,” she said, her face grinning as she all but glided toward him. She was tall, fitting her beautiful frame into a blood-red dress with a slit up the thigh that left an open and noticeable invitation. “I like my men moody. My dogs too, for that matter. Do you know why I chose you, Brody?”
Her accent sounded Russian in origin, although he wasn’t positive. Her dark hair was nearly black, especially at night with just the moon to light his way. He could smell the perfume she’d sprayed on her body and as she drew closer, the s****l ardor she put off made it hard for him to concentrate.
“What do you want from me?” said Brody.
“Oh, well that’s a loaded question for sure,” she laughed. Her hand reached out and slid up his arm. “For starters, I would very much enjoy you in my bed, although I don’t doubt I’d have to work a little for it. As for the rest, you’ll learn in time. I want to thank you for entertaining me in your mind.”
“Did I have a choice?” Brody snapped, only to have her nails rake over his skin, slicing his flesh open. Cursing, he stripped a piece of his shirt off and tied it around the wounds. “You’re a mad woman.”
“No,” she smiled. “I’m not mad in the least. In fact, I’m rather very giddy. You’ve given me life again and for that I am extremely grateful.”
“What do you mean, given you life again?”
“I was killed a while back... some very bad dealings, trust me. Ever since then I’ve been looking for a way back and you gave me one. It was quite the undertaking and thanks to Dankar and Fenris, it was made a possibility to me. You can imagine my shock when I ended up in your mind. I do like a playground though and you gave me a fascinating one. You have some serious pent up s****l energy buzzing around in there, especially for the woman who must be your mate.”
“Don’t touch her,” Brody said, earning him a solid slap to his face.
“You don’t rule here, dog. You’ll be smart to remember that. Fenris, my lover, doesn’t even rule here, despite the reprieve I’ve had to have.”
“You’re Lilith,” Brody said, remembering the stories he’d heard from Romeo and Amanda about the woman who’d sided with Penelope’s uncle to try and steal Amanda’s powers. Apparently to hear him tell it, she was also quite infatuated with Romeo.
“So, someone’s been telling stories. Why don’t you tell me what you know?”
When Brody resisted, she upped the pain by breaking his thumbs.
“Now, how about we start again. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been in the loop on things here. Tell me about Romeo and his w***e. Surely they’ve started a family, lived their lives. I want to know everything.”
“Go to hell,” Brody growled.
“Oh, honey. I’ve already been there,” said Lilith, smiling. Her hand, impossibly strong, squeezed his windpipe so that he couldn’t breathe. “Now, I won’t ask again. Fail to answer me this time and I’ll simply snap your neck and leave you where you lie. There are plenty of dogs around here who will tell me what I want to know for far less hassle.”
Sarina and the twins flashed through Brody’s mind. They’d be defenseless if she killed him. Reluctantly, Brody told her what he knew, keeping things as vague as possible. “Romeo married Amanda Walker-Traverse and they have five children. Two sets of twins and a son in the middle. They live in Mabel Traverse’s mansion that she left to Amanda upon her death. They’ve been attacked by Fenris.”
“Well, well. My little pup got busy while I was gone. I’ll have to make him pay for that,” she grinned. “Now, where is Fenris?”
“The last I knew, he’d left his caves, which are far to the Northwest of us.”
“Excellent,” she said, smiling. “I should tell you that when I finally free you, you’re going to be freezing cold. The temperature dropped drastically last night and without me inside of you, you’ll be subjected to the harsh elements. I want to say before I go though, that it was most enjoyable being inside your head. You have some interesting fantasies in there. You should tell your mate... she may be more into them than you think.”
“Wait!” Brody shouted, only to find himself alone in the pitch black of the woods, his body already shaking from hypothermia.
>>
“You’re sure he went this way?” Jason asked, walking with his sister.
“No,” she said. “I’m sure that he’s been screwed up since he killed that black magician Fenris had working for him. That’s what I know. I know that somewhere out here my mate is in trouble. I can feel it.”
“Alright,” Jason said, holding his hands up. “I’m not trying to be a d**k. I’m just trying to help.”
“I know,” Sarina sighed. “Thank you for coming along. I appreciate the company.”
“I wouldn’t leave you to do this alone,” Jason said, touching her arm. “No matter how much I b***h when we’re home.”
Sarina looked at her twin then and knew that no matter what, he’d always have her back. “When did you grow up?”
“Sometime last week,” he grinned. “I think I found my mate.”
“Seriously?”
“You remember Patricia Cursey?”
“The little fiery red head from school?”
“Yeah. She came into her breeding season this year. She flew under my radar forever, until I stopped by the café a couple weeks ago. She was waitressing and I sat in her section. Wow, is all I have to say about her. She took my breath away and I haven’t gotten it back yet.”
“Does she know how you feel?”
“Pretty sure she does,” Jason smiled.
“Christ almighty,” Sarina moaned. “We have to stay chaste as if our lives depended on it and you get to gallivant all over creation, screwing whoever you like.”
“Gallivant? Who even says that anymore?”
“Screw you Jay. I’m a mother. I have to sound smart.”
“My nephews are in trouble already,” Jason laughed. Then he stuck an arm out, stopping Sarina in her tracks.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s not good. Can’t you feel that... that darkness?”
“No,” Sarina said.
“It’s tugging at me, like... like liquid sex.”
“Jesus—”
“I’m serious,” Jason said, his eyes widening.
“Tell me more,” Sarina said.
“It’s feral, all heat and action. There’s absolutely nothing soft in it. It’s female in nature and whoever she is, she wants nothing soft in return. No romance for her. She’s seeking someone, someone like me, but different.”
“Hello, Romeo,” came a sultry voice from the darkness.
“I’m not Romeo,” Jason answered. “He’s my father, but if I can help you in some way...”
“Oh, yes, I see now.” The disembodied voice was louder now.
Jason and Sarina watched a beautifully stunning woman step out into the light of the moon. “You have the look of your father. All brawn, very little brains. Who is the little tramp with you?”
“She’s not a tramp. She’s my twin, Sarina.”
“So, my little mongrel was telling me the truth.”
“You’re her,” Sarina said, her body starting the change she hadn’t attempted in months, let alone without the full moon. Suddenly her body contorted in breath stealing pain as the woman lifted her into the air.
“Don’t even think about it girl,” the woman seethed. “Unless you want your mate to die in these woods. Put your wolf away or I’ll do it for you.”
When she was dropped back to the forest floor, Sarina whimpered as she became her human self again. “What do you want with us?”
“I want nothing to do with you,” she spat at Sarina. “You, on the other hand,” she purred at Jason, winding her body around him in a blatantly s****l move. Her hand reached for his crotch, rubbing against his already bulging c**k. “You and I could find some time to enjoy each other. You do look so much like your father. Tell me, do you rule like him as well?”
“My father still rules,” Jason said, his hand sliding up to cup the woman’s breast. “I won’t take over the Delta pack, until he chooses to step down.”
“What if he’s disgraced and forced out?” she purred, her tongue darting into his ear.
“There’s nothing that can disgrace my father,” he said with a grin. “He’s the best alpha I’ve ever known.”
Sarina watched their interplay with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Jason, we need to find Brody and get him back home before Mom and Dad start to worry.”
“Now, now,” the woman groaned. “Why don’t you go find Brody and let your brother stay here with me? I’ve got things to do that he can be a great help to me with.”
When Sarina took Jason’s hand, she found herself hurling through the woods, her body slamming hard against a tall, thick spruce tree. The woman was standing in front of her within seconds, “I said to go find your dog. I’ll see that your brother makes it home just fine.”
“I won’t leave him,” Sarina moaned, her body fighting to stand.
“Then you’ll foolishly waste your life here,” the woman said, grabbing Sarina’s windpipe and squeezing it.
>>
Brody could feel Sarina choking, as if she was inside his body. Unlike the woman who’d been inside his head, this was a sort of out of body experience. He’d changed into his wolf the moment the woman left him to ward off the freezing wind and was now close to the border where the woods ran into Delta pack territory.
Racing toward the feeling, Brody saw them with his eyes first. The woman was holding Sarina, who looked pretty mangled, in the air, her hand around his mate’s windpipe. Jason, who had also changed, was charging the woman, his growl echoing in the distance. Brody watched the woman catch Jason in midair and snap his neck, dropping his body where it landed. Already in midair his own self, Brody was unable to stop his momentum and slammed into the woman, knocking her back. Standing guard over Sarina, who was weeping silently under his large body, Brody growled at the woman.
“Well, well,” the woman smirked. “Aren’t you the protective one? Perhaps I was too hasty in sending you on your way. Would you like to come back to me?”
His growl intensified, but he stayed where he was, until the woman simply turned and walked away. Turning, he changed, kneeling by Sarina, whose weeping turned to sobs that wracked her body. Jason lay in the grass, his body having changed back to that of a man. Brody piled leaves up to cover his nakedness and sat holding the woman who’d been closest to him.
“We need to get you both home,” Brody said after nearly two hours of waiting. His heart hurt for her, but he knew sitting here would do little to solve anyone’s problems. Standing, Brody helped Sarina to her feet and then stooped to pick up Jason’s body.
As soon as they made it to the Traverse mansion, Brody watched Amanda step off the porch and crumple to the ground, Romeo and Sarina’s other siblings coming slowly out as well. It took everyone close to two hours to get Sarina and Amanda to lie down. Shawna, Sarina’s younger sister, made a poultice for Sarina’s throat, which she spread over her once she’d fallen asleep.
“Tell me everything,” Romeo demanded.
“It was Lilith,” Brody said, rushing to explain. “I know you killed her here, but she found a way to come back. Apparently, from what she said, she’d been working with Dankar for years to find a portal to come back. When I killed him, I became her portal. She used my mind and body to move from the depths of hell to Earth. Sarina wouldn’t leave Jason once Lilith found them. She wanted to do more with Jason than he would have wanted and Sarina wouldn’t leave him. So Lilith started choking her. Jason changed and charged her. She just reached out, caught him in midair and snapped his neck. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that, especially to a beta wolf. I was already in the air and thankfully I knocked her away from Sarina. She wouldn’t fight me as a wolf and finally left. It took me hours to get Sarina up and moving so we could bring Jason home.”
“That b***h will pay for this,” Romeo said, his own emotions coming to the surface. “There is no other alpha to take my place now. Wade is an Omega and Joshua is too young, even if he were to come into alpha powers. I’m afraid she has done what Fenris only dreamed of doing. The Traverse alpha line died with Jason.”
“What about Sarina?” Brody asked. “She is as much alpha material as Jason was.”
“She’s a breeder,” Romeo said, as if that ended the conversation.
“She’s more than that,” Brody argued. “She can and will lead when given the opportunity.”
“She ran off and mated with you after two days. She got kidnapped twice, and she nearly died tonight.”
Frustrated, Brody added, “Jason did none of those things and he did die tonight. Mistakes don’t make a bad leader. Not owning up to them makes a bad leader.”
“Don’t you dare speak of my son as if you knew him,” Romeo growled. “Just because you seduced my daughter and mated with her, doesn’t make you family.”
Brody couldn’t have been more hurt if someone had snapped his neck that night. Angry, he left the mansion, taking his sons with him and headed home. He knew Sarina would rest well there and he’d see about her recovery in the morning. Tonight he needed the solace and isolated quiet of their home. He tucked the twins into his bed and sat in the rocker recliner, thinking.
- Writer
