Chapter 41 Forty One
DANIKA
My head feels like it's about to explode. Letting out a groan, I try to move my limbs only to find that they have been tied up. Panic instantly grips me. I force my eyes open, but it's too dark in here.
An intense scent of iron, sweat, and damp earth hits my nose, thick enough to make me gag.
There's something that has been tied around my head to obstruct my vision. Voices drift towards me from a distance, and I strain my ear to listen.
"...she's the one, isn't she? The tribrid's mate," someone says, and my heart sinks.
Have I...been kidnapped?
Oh no... no, please.
Where am I? How is Kaziel supposed to find me now?
At the sound of approaching footsteps, I close my eyes, staying as still as I can. Suddenly the object on my head is ripped off, and a hand collides with my face, sending a painful sting across my cheek.
"Wake up," a throaty voice orders, and I try not to whimper, opening my eyes to see a bulky figure with glowing red eyes crouching in front of me.
"What do you want?" I ask, my voice shaky.
"Well, your mate killed one of us. We're going to lure him here and kill him. And you will be a pretty little bait," he drawls, and nausea rolls through me.
"What are you talking about?" I rasp, my voice hoarse from the dryness in my throat.
The man grins, flashing sharp fangs that glint under the faint stream of light filtering through the cracks in the room. "You've got balls, I'll give you that," he drawls, crouching until we're eye level. "Breaking you will give me a certain... satisfaction."
My stomach knots, but I refuse to flinch.
"Does the name Riley ring a bell?" he asks, and I freeze.
Riley. The vampire who'd tried to blackmail me weeks ago. The one Kaziel had actually said he would get rid of.
Oh, god.
"He—he tried to blackmail me," I stammer, my mind racing, "and when I didn't—"
"You don't look sorry," the man cuts in coldly, his hand striking across my face again, harder this time. The sting spreads through my skin, more painful than the first time, but I just stare at him, my jaw clenched.
He expects me to cry or beg. But I won't fall apart so easily.
I've been bullied before. I've been shoved into lockers, mocked, and called names that stripped away every ounce of dignity I had.
Hits like these are nothing compared to that.
So I lift my chin, blood pooling at the corner of my lip, and glare right back at him.
His expression shifts, his irritation fading into surprise, and it gives me the tiniest spark of pride.
He grabs my chin, his fingers digging into my flesh.
"You are really Kaziel's bitch," he spits, the foul smell of his mouth causing my stomach to riot.
I tilt my head away from him, disgusted. Did a rat die in there?
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he growls, smacking me on the chest with the back of his hand. I grit my teeth against the pain, anger flaring in my insides.
How dare he touch me?
A strange fire ignites deep inside of me, my body trembling.
"Stop glaring at me, bitch!" He roars, grabbing me by the throat. The heat in my body grows and grows until it feels like I've been thrown into a furnace.
"Get your filthy hands off me!" I scream at him, my chest heaving. His expression falters, and he stumbles backwards, releasing me.
Then suddenly, he throws his head backwards and laughs hard. His gaze then drops to the swell of my boobs, his eyes darkening.
Without warning, he lunges at me and yanks at my shirt, ripping the buttons off. I freeze, staring down at my exposed tits.
Fear gives way to an overwhelming rage. Before I can figure out what I'm doing, a burst of strength jams into every muscle in my body, and I rip the chains apart, lunging for his eyes.
My fingers digging into his eye sockets, claws sinking further. He's screaming as he tries to push me off him. But I don't budge. Animalistic growls rumble from my chest as I tear him apart without hesitation.
And by the time I'm back to my senses, his eyes are bottomless pools of red. He's lying on the floor, unmoving, and my hands...my hands are covered in…
I let out a startled cry, scrambling backwards.
Is he dead?
Oh my god.
Did I...did I kill him?
I don't have time to dwell on these questions because that's when the pain hits. I scream, twitching and jerking as my bone shifts and breaks apart, reshaping itself. It feels like it goes on forever.
When it finally stops, my body doesn't feel the same. I can smell everything. My vision is strange. Almost like I'm an animal.
I bring my hand to my line of eyesight, terrified to find a huge paw instead. Realization hits me like a grenade to the fucking chest.
I am a werewolf.
I stare at what I've done, the blood drying on my claws. My claws.
Oh, god...
Panic claws at my throat, and I bolt, crashing through the door. The hinges rip off with a metallic shriek, and I stumble into a corridor that reeks of mildew and blood. My paws pound against the concrete as I run.
I don't know where I'm going, only that I have to get away.
‘Don't be afraid.’
The voice comes from inside me.
I freeze, halting.
Who said that?
‘My name's Amber,’ the voice says again. ‘I'm your wolf. You don't have to fight me. Just breathe.’
My wolf?
‘We're one, Danika. You're safe now. But we need to move.’
Before I can respond, a door ahead bursts open and three vampires step out, snarling. My muscles tense instinctively.
‘Let me handle this,’ Amber says.
And just like that, I'm gone. My consciousness blurs at the edges as something wild takes over. We lunge forward, and I barely register the sound of bones cracking, screams cutting short, and the splash of blood.
When the last one falls, Amber growls softly. ‘Now we run.’
We tear down the hallway, through a rusted gate, and out into the open night. Cold air caresses my fur, the city looming ahead.
I don't stop running until my lungs burn. My paws ache, my body trembling from exhaustion.
All of a sudden, my limbs come to a grinding halt when I see a figure in my path.
A tall, elderly man stands at the mouth of an alley, his coat billowing in the wind. A jagged scar runs across his jaw, pale against his tanned skin.
I lower myself, growling.
He only smiles. "Easy, little one. I won't hurt you."
His voice is deep and almost gentle. But something about it makes my hackles rise.
"Come to me," he says softly, his eyes glinting a bright silver. "You've grown so beautifully... my baby girl."
I freeze. What?
He takes one step closer, and then, in a blink, he's gone. The alley is empty again.
I stagger deeper into the shadows, my breathing ragged. My stomach clenches painfully with hunger. The scent of hot dog, fried meat, and smoke makes my head spin.
But I can't risk being seen like this.
We find shelter behind a dumpster in a narrow alley, the city's noise muffled by walls on either side. I curl into myself, my tail tucked.
‘Amber,’ I whisper inside my mind, ‘I don't know how to turn back.’
‘Mate can help us,’ she replies, and I stiffen.
Does he even know I’m missing? How am I supposed to reach him now?
Can I summon him? Is it possible?
I’m so hungry.
I close my eyes, mentally reaching for him. I think about his dimpled smile, his soft hair, his blue eyes, and the sound of his voice. The way he calls me…
“Dove?”
My eyes pop open, and if I wasn’t a wolf at the moment, I would’ve burst into tears.
It’s him.
It’s really him.
He’s standing there dressed in black formal clothes like the first time I saw him. But his eyes are red-rimmed, his chest heaving. Even his hair is messy, as though he’d been taking his frustration out on the poor beautiful strands.
“It is you,” he breathes, his voice breaking off on a sob, which instantly rips my heart in two.
He takes another step towards me, and I’m suddenly hit with the strong urge to run and hide.
‘It’s okay, mate won’t hurt us,’ Amber tells me.
Kaziel slowly goes down on one knee, a tear rolling down his cheek. Then he holds his hands out towards me.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Come to me,” he says, his voice shaky.
Slowly, I move towards him, carefully.
And once I’m close enough, he wraps his arms around me, stroking my fur.
He lets out another sob, which sinks deep into my bones.
“I thought I… I thought I lost you,” he croaks. He's shaking so much. I want to hug him so bad.
I want to tell him I’m okay. But I’m an animal right now.
“You are so adorable,” he suddenly blurts, and suddenly, I’m hit with a wave of embarrassment.
I tap my paw on his thigh, peering up at him because I still can’t fucking shift!