Opposites attract, p.27
Opposites Attract, page 27
Suddenly, a wolf flew through the air and knocked her father to the ground. She had no idea how it was possible, but those bright blue eyes were as familiar as her own heart. “Aden,” she whispered.
“No!” Ryker bellowed. He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her toward the house. Gwen ran out, the look of shock on her face brighter than the moon. She opened her mouth, but a man Carissa didn’t recognize ran up behind them.
“I don’t think so,” he said, and promptly swept Ryker’s feet from beneath him. The werewolf released her arm as he fell flat on his back.
“Damn you, Daniel,” he cursed, shifting seconds after he hit the ground, springing up and lunging at the man while Carissa ran toward Aden without looking back. She came to a skidding halt in front of him and her father. Clutching her stomach, she sucked in a breath, and prayed for a strong constitution to withstand the nausea suddenly burning in her gut.
Aden raised his wolf’s head to look at her. “Did they hurt you?”
Glaring at her father, Carissa waited long enough to answer to see the fear gather in his eyes, and then she waited a beat more for good measure. She shook her head. “No, they didn’t, but they kept drugging me, and he did threaten to kill my mother.” She pointed to the water, where they spotted an alligator about to climb onto the raft.
While they were distracted, her father shifted. Aden blinked as the man under his paws inflated, his bulk contorting and changing shape. The swiftness of the change threw her lover off and into the water. Carissa watched silently, her fear mounting, as her father gained his paws and stalked toward the sodden wolf. Past them, she saw the alligators abandon her mother, but because of her nana’s spell, they didn’t try for a furry meal.
Aden stood and shook out his fur, growling low in his throat as the elder wolf stepped closer. There was a noise behind her, and Carissa tore her eyes from the wolves by the water. Some of the pack was shifting, and she felt the fissures of power in the air, calling to her. Fire in her eyes, she turned her back on Aden and her father, barely wincing when she heard them snarl and barrel into each other. Gwen had aligned herself with the shifting pack members, but she didn’t look angry. Fists clutched at her sides, she looked everywhere but at her sister.
Shaking her head, Carissa turned away from Gwen and stared up at one of the unchanged wolves. “What’s your name?” She asked him, placing her hands on her hips.
The man rolled his eyes and flipped his mane of shaggy brown hair out of his face. He shrugged. “It’s Stephen. What’s it to ya?”
Carissa cocked her head to the side, flinching every time she heard the snap of jaws behind her. “Why are they shifting?” She spread her hands to encompass the rest of the pack.
For a moment, she didn’t think he would answer her, but he did. “They want to fight, and if it looks like your wolf is getting the better of our master, well, the fur is gonna fly.” He grinned wolfishly and turned to two of the wolves standing beside him. “Go after the vampire that has Ryker. Don’t come back without him in pieces.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Carissa’s jaw dropped. “No!” she yelled, the tenor of her voice stopping the wolves in their tracks. Her skin shimmered, and for a moment, Carissa felt her wolf rise to the surface. Something must have shown in her eyes, as everything suddenly became even clearer, taking on a grayish hue, and Stephen stepped back.
Eyes wide, dark with shock, he turned to his wolves and held up his hand. “Stop. Leave the vampire alone.” He turned worried eyes back to Carissa. “How the hell are you doing that? I know damn well you were just bitten. You can’t change yet.” The wolves surrounding them paced restlessly, a few edging closer to Ryker and the vampire.
Carissa shook her head, and said carefully, hiding her own surprise, “I think you’re wrong about that part. Now, I wonder how dangerous I could be, as new as I am, with this kind of power.” She let her voice drop off, her body slowly reverting to its complete human form.
Stephen’s eyes were wide. “Wolves, heel! We attack no one!” he snarled at the pack and nodded at Carissa. “You have my word. Regardless of what happens, we won’t attack.”
Carissa nodded as well. “Good.”
There was yet another growl, and the snapping of jaws behind her, and Carissa felt something wet splash the back of her leg. She looked down, the red spots causing her to spin around in surprise. She looked at her father and Aden, just in time to see her vampire–now wolf–with his back scratched and bloody, pin Garrett to the ground. “If you move, I will kill you,” Aden snarled.
Carissa looked at her father, noting that he, at least, had noticed her show of power moments before, and the fear in his gaze was a tangible thing. He nodded in agreement. “I won’t go anywhere,” he growled.
Without questioning Garrett’s words, Aden rose up and leapt toward the water, shifting effortlessly as he dove in. He swam toward the raft, and Carissa thanked God for Eleanor’s spell as the alligators once again gave him a wide berth. Without climbing onto the floating structure, he gently picked up Carissa’s unconscious mother, and swam back to shore with her over his shoulder.
Aden placed her on the ground and shifted back to wolf form before he levered his lower half from the bayou. Teresa’s eyes fluttered open, and she scrambled back at the sight of him.
Carissa ran to her side and knelt beside her. “Mom! Calm down. That wolf isn’t like the rest.”
Teresa eyed her daughter skeptically. “Are you sure?”
Carissa took her mom’s arm and helped her to her feet. “Positive.”
She looked around, noticing the pack moving closer. Ryker and Aden’s friend were nowhere to be seen.
Her father, dressed in torn jeans and human again, laughed, claiming her attention. “You won’t be able to leave without a fight.”
Stephen stepped forward, about to speak, but Aden moved in front of her father and growled, “I never believed otherwise, but you might be interested in what I have to say, first.” Then he addressed the pack, “If you attempt to harm any of us, I will kill your Pack Master.”
Stephen stepped back and held up his hands. “No worries here, wolf-bro.”
Aden acknowledged him with a nod as he turned back to Garrett, and she spotted the man Ryker had called Daniel at the edge of the trees. His clothes were torn, but he looked all right otherwise, and he carried a pair of jeans over one arm. Aden ran toward him, and in a short time, stood back in place as a man.
He smirked at Carissa’s father, who seemed to be gaining some courage back. Garrett made to move away, but Aden showed his fangs. “Just try and get away. I dare you.”
Her father stumbled back a step. “You’re the bloodsucker!”
A grumble moved through the pack at the implication of his words, but Stephen’s order held them in place. Aden inclined his head. “Indeed, I am, but you already knew all about me, didn’t you? That’s why you kidnapped Carissa. You knew about my past, and you’ve been working with the Vampire Council for, what, two hundred years now?”
Her father’s eyes flew wide. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Aden laughed. “Sure you don’t… Garrett.”
Everyone stared, and Garrett’s face turned white. “How do—”
“I know your name? Well, I found a little list, and after some searching, I discovered why the Vampire Council wants you dead.”
Carissa walked over and placed her hand on Aden’s arm. The tension was palpable. “The vampires want him dead?”
Aden nodded. “They want the whole pack dead, actually, but only those capable of shifting at will. They want the rest to use as Enforcers and daytime bodyguards. The Vampire Council wants to rule, well, everything. They believe vampires are superior, and they know if your pack sides with the humans, and brings the other lycans and shifters into the mix, the Vampire Council won’t stand a chance.”
Garrett cocked his head to the side. “What’s your stake in this?”
Aden put his arm around Carissa’s waist. “I’m in love with your daughter, and I don’t want to see the world enslaved by vampires any more than you do.”
Carissa beamed at him, letting her love for him fill her eyes. Her heart leapt as she pressed a trembling hand over the life growing in her womb. She couldn’t wait to tell him. Garrett looked back and forth between the two of them, and Carissa could see the war in his eyes. On the one hand, what he wanted most was the preservation of his species, and on the other, she knew he hated vampires with a passion. Yes, he’d worked with them, but in the short time she’d known him, Carissa already knew he did nothing if it wasn’t for his own personal gain.
Finally, Garrett sighed and looked at her. “Do you feel the same about him?” he asked.
Carissa turned her gaze to Aden. “Yes,” she whispered.
“But you can’t mate with him.”
“Actually,” Aden spoke up, “she can. You see, because I was already a supernatural being, my body never died when I became a vampire.”
Garrett shook his head. “That’s not possible.”
Gwen moved forward, then, and Carissa saw why her hands had been clenched. In loose fingers, she held a small purple-capped pregnancy test—the one Carissa had hidden in her jeans pocket. Her sister held the little wand out to their father, and Carissa bit her lip, her eyes flicking warily between the two men. Garrett took the object, turning it over to see the pink plus sign. Aden stiffened beside her, and she watched his mouth drop open, eyes wide with wonder. Her father’s hand shook as he leveled his gaze on Gwen’s. “What’s this?”
Her sister smiled a genuine smile for the first time in days. “It’s not mine. I found it hidden in her room.”
Garrett dropped the test and stared at Carissa in shock. “You’re pregnant? Is it Ryker’s?”
“No.” Carissa shook her head emphatically. “This baby is Aden’s.”
“How can you be sure?”
Carissa rolled her eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I just met Ryker a few days ago, I absolutely detest him, and Aden is the only man I’ve been with since Ryan died. There’s no possible way this child could belong to anyone else.”
Garrett glared at Aden. “There’s no backing out now, boy.”
Her vampire cleared his throat. “No sir,” he said quietly, his voice hushed as he gazed at Carissa with starry eyes. “I love your daughter more than anything. I’m not going anywhere—especially not now.”
Garrett considered, smiling wolfishly. “Then the ceremony must go on. Prove your love for my daughter, and take responsibility for what you’ve done. Speak the ritual words before the pack and its Master.” It was clear he didn’t think Aden would follow through, but it was his jaw that dropped when Aden nodded, and took both of Carissa’s hands in his.
Warmth filled her heart as she smiled at him. “I’ll go first, since you don’t know the words,” she said softly. She gripped his hands tighter and looked deep into his lightly glowing eyes. “I take you, all of you, with my heart, my blood, and my body. I take you in the light of the moon, under the witnessing stars, as my other half. I choose my mate. Aden.”
A golden glow bloomed over the region of his heart, and he smiled as he repeated her words. “I take you, all of you, with my heart, my blood, and my body. I take you in the light of the moon, under the witnessing stars, as my other half. I choose my mate.”
Suddenly Ryker came barreling out of the woods. “No!” he screamed, pulling a stake from the pocket of his jeans. “You bitch!” Ryker lunged at Carissa, but Aden twisted, placing himself in front of her and the angry werewolf. He still had hold of Carissa’s hand as the piece of wood plunged deep into his chest. Silence filled the air. Even the crickets ceased their music as Aden’s knees hit the ground. And Carissa never let go. Blood seeped from the wound around the spear of wood as he fell backwards, every movement a slow-motion capture of fear and despair. He raised their joined hands to Carissa’s tear-stained cheeks.
“Carissa,” he whispered, and the answering bonds surrounded her heart, filling her with warmth and love, even as the other half of her soul took his last, shuddering breath.
The ritual was complete, and Aden was dead.
The scream lodged in her throat, coming out as a choking sob as Aden’s limp hands fell from her grasp. Grief clouded her eyes as she watched the pack surge forward, led by Daniel. They wrestled Ryker to the ground, pinning him down and doing their best to prevent him from shifting.
Daniel focused his attention on Garrett. “What do you want to do with him?”
The Pack Master was shaking. His eyes tracked the blood over the ground, his gaze locking on Carissa’s. Sympathy lit his eyes—she knew what he saw—as he took in the blood staining her dress. The blood of the man who held her heart, and the father of the baby she harbored in her womb. And for the first time since he’d ordered her kidnapping, she saw compassion on his face.
He reached out with trembling fingers and touched his daughter on the shoulder. “Carissa?”
Ignoring Garrett, she turned to Daniel, her face streaked with tears, the gray glow of her wolf’s power clouding her vision. “Kill him,” she growled.
Garrett nodded to the pack, and they drug Ryker from the clearing as he screamed and pled for mercy. They disappeared into the trees and then there was nothing but silence.
Daniel rushed to Aden’s side and spoke hastily to Carissa. “Listen carefully, and you may be able to save him.” He placed both of his hands around the portion of the stake protruding from Aden’s body. “I’m going to pull this out and try to get him breathing. With that first breath, there is something you need to do.”
“Anything,” Carissa whispered.
“You are his mate, bound by heart and blood. Cut your palm – your wolf will allow you to heal, so there will be no lasting damage.” He waited until she secured a knife from her father and slit her hand open. The rest of the wolves slowly circled them while Carissa’s mother and sister wept in the background.
“Okay,” Daniel continued, “when I pull this out, press your scored palm to the wound – quickly before it closes.” He removed the stake with a wet, sticky, squelching sound. “Cover it completely. Now link yourself to him through each bond you have. His bite, your wolves, and your hearts.”
Daniel pressed his hands against Aden’s chest, pumping up and down, simulating life. Carissa focused her gaze on her vampire’s face, the links at the forefront of her mind.
The bite: It didn’t burn, but was more like static ice upon her skin. One pinprick tingled and then the other. The tingle followed a glowing path through her body, through her veins, and into him. The minute the connection reached his fangs, a golden glow surrounded his body, and the crowd gasped.
Carissa took a deep breath, her focus never wavering.
The wolf: Her inner beast howled in pain, the sound echoing from her lips in a mournful pitch that caused even the birds to cease their tweeting. Her energy reached for her mate, the power of the wolf undulating under her skin, doing its best to connect with his. When it found that slight sign of life, the golden glow turned blue.
Carissa trembled, the last link blooming before her inner eye.
The heart: Her heart raced, keeping pace with the greatest racehorses that ever lived, and it took considerable concentration to calm it down. She inhaled deeply, regulating her breathing, drawing in the night air, and exhaling the tension. When her heartbeat slowed, as if it were at rest, the glow turned red.
Aden’s heart stuttered, stopped, and finally beat weakly. He took a gasping breath. “Carissa! Shift!” Daniel commanded.
She didn’t even think about the fact that it was two nights from the full moon. She didn’t think of her pregnancy, or what such a change could do to her. She trusted in her wolf and the power she’d been feeling for days. Her bones burned with the glorious pain of the first shift. Her eyes glowed in the darkness, a bright gray replacing her normal vibrant green against the inky black of the night sky. Fur sprouted as she gave her wolf the freedom of the moon’s light.
Carissa howled as she stood over Aden, a paw on his wound instead of her hand. His back arched as if lightning struck his body. She returned to human form, barely noticing her sister cover her nakedness with a robe. Aden’s body shook, causing him to thrash about, and it took all Carissa’s concentration to hold her position.
“True love heals,” Daniel whispered.
Then, as he stopped moving, Carissa felt the steady rise and fall of Aden’s chest. The wound beneath her hand closed, the healing pace about as fast as molasses rolling uphill in winter. Once finished, however, healthy color returned to his pallid skin. His eyes flickered open, and he looked up at her with love and pain in his unfocused gaze.
“Man, dying is a bitch!”
Leaving his grandson and his mate with the Pack Master, Daniel cursed as he ran through the trees in search of Ryker and the rest of the pack. The werewolf was the last person he expected to find in the middle of Louisiana, and he had a bad feeling that if he didn’t step in, Garrett’s followers wouldn’t actually kill the traitor. He was right. Breaking through the trees into a clearing, the lycan rushed him, growling and spitting foul saliva through the air. The other werewolves were nowhere to be found.
Daniel leapt back, drawing the wolf toward the trees at his back. Ryker wasn’t the biggest werewolf, or the strongest, but he knew the lycan learned plenty of tricks from Jasmine, his vampire lover. He’d be sneaky, and as Daniel withdrew a knife from his boot, he knew Ryker would be difficult to kill. Daniel backed out of the clearing as the snarling beast stalked closer.
Jaws snapping, Ryker bounded to the side, leaping to propel himself off the trunk of a tree, landing against the vampire’s shoulder and knocking him to the ground. The knife flew from loosened fingers, lost amongst the leaves and debris that surrounded them. Ryker growled low in his throat, attempting to mash his teeth around Daniel’s arm, but the vampire rolled across the ground, kicking out. His foot connected with Ryker’s back leg, drawing a yelp of pain.
