Without limits ssion and.., p.109
Without Limits: A BWWM Collection of Passion and Desire, page 109
“Like I told you before, the spell only worked on the living. That’s why the cemetery that crossed over has no bodies in the graves. The dead remained in purgatory.”
“How convenient for you and your coven.”
“I don’t think I like your tone or where you’re going with this.”
He freed is fangs. “If you don’t like my tone, you’re definitely not going to like what happens next.”
“Lucas, no. Don’t…”
Before she could finish her sentence, he’d teleported behind her, wrapped his arms around her slender frame and pierced her neck with his fangs. Her blood poured into him. And since they were in dreamscape, her memories followed.
In his mind’s eyes he could see her fighting Dreya. He could feel her fear and pain as Dreya ripped her tongue from her mouth. That wasn’t the memory he sought. He fought through her subconscious until he found the memory he craved, the memory of her with his father.
He drank slower as the memory unfolded before his mind’s eye. His father had appeared in Jenna’s dreamscape the same as Lucas had. But, he’d been invited in. Once inside, he’d told her to tell him the real message the Goddess shared with her.
For a second, she’d pretended not to know what he meant by the ‘real’ message. Then he growled at her and told her that he knew she was lying. He told her he knew of the ruination the curse spoke of. He’d seen three of the four scrolls.
He knew why the Goddess of Vengeance had cursed his family. He knew the fate of the Bayne Brothers. And he knew that her coven was trying to pull one over on his family. He told her the only reason he hadn’t slaughtered her entire coven, was because of something she’d said that sparked his interest.
She asked what was it that she’d said to spark his interest. He told her he was intrigued by the way she’d described the Goddess when asked what the being looked like. All of the paintings described the Goddess as beautiful with pale skin and long blond hair. However, Jenna had described the creature as tan colored, with long brown hair and slanted eyes.
His father told her he’d only seen one drawing of her that way. And he’d seen that drawing on the back of the ancient scroll upon which the Bayne Brothers curse was written. His father told her that he believed the Goddess had visited her.
However, he didn’t believe that she told her the Bayne Brothers ruination was their mates. He wanted to know what the Goddess really said. Jenna had nodded and allowed him to sink his fangs into her wrist.
A new scene unfolded in Luc’s mind’s eye. It was the vision Jenna had showed his father. In the vision, Jenna looked to be about twelve or thirteen. The Goddess had indeed visited her.
And she looked nothing like the female depicted in the paintings Lucas had seen. She appeared to be of Asian descent. She looked sweet and innocent. However, flames flared in her red eyes, revealing her true nature.
Jenna had been afraid of her at first. That fear dissipated when the Goddess told her that she wasn’t there to hurt her. The Goddess told her that she wanted to make her coven stronger, more powerful.
She told her in order for her to do that, the Diondey Coven would have to do something for her. She told her to reveal this vision to her coven and let them know they must do exactly as she tells them. They must wait patiently and not rush.
In due time, they would be elevated to greatness. In due time, they would be a powerful coven and the rulers of a dead realm. But only if they were able to distract the Bayne Brothers from trying to figure out the curse.
The Goddess wanted the coven to distract them. To keep them from really understanding what the curse meant. If they could do that, she would make their coven great. After seeing that, His father freed his fangs from her wrist and stepped away from her.
As he wiped his mouth, he told her that she’d done well in coming to him with that instead of going to his sons. He told her that she was to keep the true message from his sons. That she was to figure out a way to prevent them from every learning the truth.
And that he also needed her coven to help him with something. Jenna had agreed, but in return, she wanted something. She didn’t want to rule like the rest of her coven. She wanted love. More specifically, she wanted Lucas to love her.
His father had said that he couldn’t force his son to love someone. He told her that his son had already found a mate and was wooing her. But if she helped him, together, they could ensure that his son saw her in a favorable light.
Jenna agreed and asked him what he needed help with. He told her that he first had to have her word that she must keep what he said to her a secret, even from his children. She agreed and told him she would place a blocker spell on that memory once they left dreamscape.
His father proceeded to tell her what he needed from her. But Lucas couldn’t hear a word he was saying. The image began to fade. The blocker spell Jenna had placed on that memory was pushing him out.
No matter how hard he pushed back, he couldn’t gain access to it. So, he searched for a different memory. The memory of his parents’ death. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to access that memory also.
Why had she placed a blocker spell on that one? Obviously, there was something there she didn’t want anyone to see. He felt her body go limp in his arms. Lucas freed his fangs from her neck. She stumbled away from him, nearly falling as she moved.
“Why are some of your memories blocked?”
“Lucas I can explain.”
“Why are they blocked?”
“To protect those who are in them.”
“Reveal them to me.”
“I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. Not without the help of my coven. And they’d never do that. They’d kill me before they let you know the truth.”
“And what is the truth? My father seemed to know.”
“I can say no more.”
“Tell me,” Lucas roared.
“I cannot,” Jenna cried, tears running down her cheeks. “The words won’t leave my lips. Magic prevents me from saying them.”
He wanted to rip her tongue out. He wanted to show her he could be just as savage as the female he loved. First, he needed those blocked memories.
“My father knew that my mate wasn’t my ruination, yet, he and my mother insisted I leave her. They insisted I not find love.”
“They wanted you to find love. Just not with your mate. Your parents wanted you and me to be together.”
“There’s only one female I want. Only one I’ve ever wanted and her name is Dreya Odili.”
“You’d choose a soul snatcher over an oracle?”
“Every day and twice on Sundays?”
A sarcastic chuckled escaped her lips. “You’re a fool. But damn it, I love you. And I’m sorry for what’s going to happen now.”
“What the hell are you talking abo…” A sharp pain sliced through his chest.
He stared down and lifted his shirt. Blood was pouring from a wound in his stomach. He raised is eyes to Jenna.
“How did you…”
“It wasn’t me. It’s my coven.” Her expression was sad. “You tried to tap into forbidden memories. Memories that are connected to the High Council in my coven. You know too much for them to let you live.” She wiped her eyes. “I’m so sorry Lucas. I never wanted you to die. I only wanted you to love me.”
Lucas could feel his vampire retreating, unable to stay with the amount of blood he was losing.
“Why couldn’t you just love me,” Jenna shouted. “Why couldn’t you let her go. None of my love spells worked on you. Even with the collar around her neck, you still loved her, still wanted her. You remained true to that evil bitch for one hundred years. You are pathetic Lucas. And your brothers will know just how pathetic, when I tell them you came to my room and tried to kill me. I’ll tell them my coven had no choice but to defend me. I hope you’re hurting.”
He was. Lucas dropped to his knees. He wasn’t strong enough to keep them in the dreamscape. His hold on her subconscious was weakening. She smiled and waved at him as her image faded from his mind’s eyes.
“Die painfully, love,” she told him. “Your mate will die soon. Here’s a truth for you before you die. She was never your ruination. The curse calls her something else. To bad you’ll never know what that is. Goodbye.”
Darkness claimed him. But only briefly. He opened his eyes and was greeted by pain that damn near took his breath away. He stared down at the dagger in his stomach.
“It’s a pity you have to die.”
He raised his eyes to find Jenna’s mother and sister standing in front of him. Her mother, Victoria, had her fingers wrapped around the hilt of the dagger. The bitch had stabbed him. Her sister, Piper, was helping Jenna from the bed.
“I told my daughter you’d never get over your mate. You silly boy. You have no idea what your curse really is. You have no idea what’s really going on around you. And you never will. Luckily for my people, your mate will die when you die.”
She twisted the dagger. Lucas roared from the pain slicing through him. Burning hot agony radiated from his stomach outward. Every inch of him felt like it was on fire. Blood poured from the side of his mouth.
Though he was in pain, all he could think of was Dreya. If he died, she died. She didn’t deserve to die. She’d only done one thing wrong. And that was fall in love with him. Pain and death was what he deserved.
But, he had to live. For her. And he would. He called on his wolf. The dormant creature only emerged during the full moon. Well, there was that one time, ten years ago, when his beast had broken free.
His wolf had forced a shift on a moonless night. To this day, Lucas had no idea how the creature had done it. That night, his beast had tried to free Dreya. No matter how hard Lucas had fought to gain control, he hadn’t been able to.
Even when the wolf had attacked his brothers when they tried to stop him from gnawing through the bars. Lucas had simply been a bystander. He could feel his beast’s anger over the way his mate was being treated.
He could feel his beast’s pain when his brothers had tased him. Yet, he could do nothing but watch. Lucas had no control over his wolf. But, he needed him now. He pleaded with his beast.
“Come on wolf. I need you.”
Nothing. All he felt was pain.
“Please, beast. Not for me. For her.”
He felt his beast stir. Hope bloomed inside him as Victoria pulled the knife out of him.
“If we die, she dies. You don’t want that, do you?”
A loud growl reverberated through his skull yet went unheard by the witches who were trying to kill him. He watched Victoria raised the dagger again. This time, she was aiming for his heart.
“Save her,” Lucas said to his beast. “Save Dreya.”
For Dreya, his beast roared.
The dagger pierced his skin as he began to shift.
Chapter Seven
For Dreya.
Dreya’s eyes popped open at the sound of a deep, almost animalistic voice. She searched her room. She was the only one there. Her sister had yet to return home. So where had that voice come from?
Dreya sat up in bed and rubbed her chest. Her chest was hurting. Why? She pulled her shirt down and stared at a bruise on her chest. That was new. It was also starting to bleed.
Must save Dreya.
She looked behind her. Nothing was there. Was she starting to hear voices? Had she gone completely insane and not realized it?
Hurt her too much already. Must not die. Must not let her die.
Wait. She’d heard those exact words before. And she knew that voice. Ten years ago, she been awakened out of her sleep by a loud roar. She’d woken up and stared into the glowing green eyes of a wolf.
She’d known it was a shifter by it’s glowing eyes. She’d known it was Lucas because she could hear its voice in her head. She’d been around plenty of shifters, none of which she could communicate with telepathically.
With Lucas’ wolf, she could hear his thoughts, feel his pain. Lucas had told her that his wolf was dormant. That it never emerged unless the moon was full. On that night, his beast had emerged. For her.
Its voice had filled her mind. He’d told her how sorry he was for the way his skin-form had treated her. She’d found it strange that he didn’t consider him and Lucas to be one. Instead, he thought of them as separate beings.
He considered the vampire part of him to be vile, but said if the creature could help him free her, he was willing to work with it. That was when Dreya realized why Lucas’ soul felt so strong.
Why she was always tempted to get just a tiny taste of the soul that dwelled inside of him. It was strong because there wasn’t one soul inside of him. There was three. She’d never heard of such a thing happening.
But, it was happening in Lucas and his brothers. And right now, one of those souls were reaching out to her. His wolf needed her. Dreya jumped from her bed and raced to her window. A crescent moon sat high in the sky.
There wasn’t a full moon tonight, yet, Lucas had shifted. This could be a trap to lure her back to her cell. She would expect something like that from Lucas. Not from his wolf. The pain in her chest intensified followed by a dug ache in her side.
Must not die. Must live. For Dreya.
His words sounded pained. He was dying. There was no way she was about to let that happen.
“Where are you?” Dreya called out. Silence. “Where are you? I can help.”
Dreya weak right now. Dreya needs to stay away. Get strong. Live.
Damn. Why couldn’t Lucas be more like his beast?
“Tell me where you are right now wolf?” No answer. The pain in her side grew stronger. “I can feel your pain. Literally. We can fight together. We can both live.”
Together?
“Yes, wolf. Together.”
I am in Jenna’s hospital room. She wants us dead.
“I’m coming for you.”
She should’ve killed that bitch when she had the chance.
It had never been hard for her to find Lucas, thanks to their mating bond. Finding him in his wolf form was just as easy. She focused on his voice and followed it back to the Island. It only took her a little over seven minutes to race there. The wards that protected the Immortal Haven from intruders were up. She needed to get past them.
Password is BayneEternity, her wolf told her.
He sounded more pained than before. Dreya raced over to the electric fence and punched the password into the keypad. The gate began to open, causing the guards on the other side of it to face her.
“It’s her,” one of them yelled.
Dreya gave him the finger then sped past them. She was inside the hospital before he could fire a shot. She followed the sound of her wolf’s voice to the top floor, where she found a room with Jenna’s name on the door.
She kicked the door open and stepped into chaos. Gruesome chaos. Blood was everywhere. A female she recognized as Jenna’s sister was lying in a puddle of her own blood. Her throat had been ripped open.
Two males were dead in the corner of the room. They too were missing part of their throat. The three dead bodies were all she found. Where was her wolf? Dreya followed a trail of blood to the far side of the room. The sound of sirens filled the air. She had to hurry.
The window of the room had been broken. Blood stained the curtains. Dreya peeked her head out the window. There was a landing below. There was her wolf. Battling a coven of witches. Dreya leapt from the window and landed behind her wolf.
My mate, you came.
“You will not die here,” Dreya said aloud, before facing two large males. They rushed forward, mumbling spells as they ran. She could move faster than they could spell cast. Dreya raced forward.
She leapt into the air and grabbed the first witch by the neck. Twist. Snap. By the time she landed on her feet, he was falling to the ground. Dead. The other witch turned to her, shock evident in his eyes.
He raised his hand and pushed outward, in her direction as he mumbled a spell. She ducked, dodged then raced forward and punched him in the throat, knocking the air from him. She released her claws and swiped them across his neck, going deep.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his throat. He’d be dead in three, two, one… okay, maybe not. He was taking too long. She sliced again and continued slicing until his head was no longer attached to his body.
She looked up and searched for her mate. The other four bodies were on the ground. Damn, she’d only killed two. And her wolf had killed four. Impressive. She needed to up her game. Dreya watched the wolf stalk an older female into the corner of the landing.
“Who is she?” Dreya asked as she approached her wolf whose fur was matted with blood. Deep cuts decorated his body.
She is Jenn’s mother. Her daughter escaped. She won’t tell me where she is.
“Where’s your daughter?”
The female’s eyes widened. “You can talk to that beast?”
“Of course, I can. He’s my mate.”
“But you shouldn’t be able too talk to it. Oh no. The Goddess was right.”
“Right about what?”
“The curse. It’s already coming to pass. I must kill him. And I must kill you.”
The psychotic female lunged for her. Her wolf raised up on his hind legs and pressed his paws against the female’s chest, sending her hurtling over the side of the building. Dreya walked to the edge and stared over.
The female landed on an ambulance. There was a good chance she was dead. There was only one way to be sure. She had to go check. A whimper drew her attention back to her wolf. Fuck. He was hurt. She rushed to him and caught him before he could fall over. Sirens were still blaring.
Dreya must leave. Before brothers arrive.
“I can’t leave you like this.”
Brothers will enslave Dreya again. Victoria told me that her coven has spies everywhere. I do not know who to trust. You are not safe here.
“If I’m not safe here, neither are you. Shift back to your skin-form so I can carry you out of here.” She wasn’t strong enough yet to carry a huge wolf, who was taller than her, out of the hospital.
