Forever - Kendric's POV

Forever - Kendric's POV
The woods seem to go on forever, but it’s probably the pressure to escape that is driving me wild. If we have one hiccup, those howls will be on top of us, along with those they belong to. I try not to fall or stumble, especially because Valeria is hot on my heels and not letting up.

We reach another stream, this one being much smaller than the one we used before. I’m not sure that it’ll work and come to a stop. She nudges my hindquarters with her head to keep moving. I wish I could talk to her through a pack bond or something.

It’s already well after dark and we’ve been doing this for hours. I’m tired and I know she has to be as well. 

The sad part is I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up.

I turn to cast her a quick look over my shoulder, yet she doesn’t seem to understand the way I’m pleading with my eyes. To go in this stream will do us no good. It’s too small and they’ll easily sniff us out and follow.

She nudges me again, this time much harder than before. Her black fur blends against my white in a startling contrast. As she keeps pushing, I remain frozen to the spot.

Finally, she shifts and pants as she tries to regain her footing. “We can’t stop here, Kendric. Can’t you hear them? If we stay here a second longer, then we’re done for.”

I shake my head no. Her gaze narrows as she studies me. “Are you saying no as in let them capture us or no, we need to find another route?”

I nod quickly at the second option. She looks at me and lets out a sigh. “This is so frustrating. If only we could talk as wolves.”

My head drops and I raise my brows. Oh yes, if only we could do that, but you won’t claim me!

I snicker to myself at my wolf’s words. He’s just as unhappy about this whole situation as I am.

Shaking her head, she shifts back and starts nudging me again to move. I give in and walk closer to the creek and jump over it in one swoop. She follows closely behind me and then, as soon as she lands on the bank, we take off running again.

The howls grow louder, causing me to panic. How can they be catching up to us this quickly?

Once I see there is a clear path ahead through the trees, I look behind us and notice a pack of wolves just on the other side of the bank, about to cross. There are men with them, and I recognize them instantly as dhampirs. Everything clicks.

No wonder they tracked us so fast.

I push harder to lead us to safety, but deep down, I know our time is ending. Valeria pushes just as hard as she keeps pace beside me.

Right as we think that maybe we’re pulling ahead, I come to a skidding stop at the edge of a cliff.

I look down at the ravine below. There’s a tiny stream at the bottom, but jumping is out of the question. There is no guarantee we’ll make it into that small amount of water, and even if we somehow miraculously made it, we could still die, because it’s probably not deep. I’m not willing to risk it.

Valeria shifts back into her human form and looks down at me. “They have caught us, haven't they? Shift back.”

As soon as I’m human, the words spill out. “What are you doing? We have a few seconds to run.”

“There’s nowhere to run, but I can do one thing. Bend down.”

I lean forward, uncertain of what she has planned, but as I glance at her mouth, I see fangs protruding over her bottom lip. She reaches up, grabbing the back of my neck when I don’t move the way she wants. I listen to her as she inhales sharply and then presses her mouth to the side of my throat.

I howl with joy that she’s finally going to mark me, but I wish it was in a moment of happiness. Not because we’re about to die.

Her fangs sink into flesh, causing me to gasp.

“Stop right there,” one of the dhampirs yells, but it’s too late.

She has marked me as hers, and now I get why. Images flood through my mind and I can see all of our lives together. Our bonding is the next step in ensuring we can defeat what is to come.

Bonded by midnight, the enemy will never win.

“No, she wasn’t supposed to claim him. Do you not see that just binds them even more? The master won’t be happy.” The other dhampir steps forward, looking disgruntled at us.

I hear them, but barely register what they are saying.

As Valeria finishes, she pulls back and licks her lips clean of my blood. “I fought with myself and wasn’t going to do it under these circumstances, but now I see. As a bonded pair, we’re stronger. We’re ensuring we will win.”

Suddenly, they swarm on top of us, pulling us apart and holding us tightly in their grasps.

The first dhampir smiles with a crooked grin. “It doesn’t matter. Bonded or not, you will still lose. The master won’t care. There are ways of undoing it.”

Valeria turns in his grasp, my blood still staining her mouth. “We are bonded, and you know what that means.”

His gaze narrows as he looks down at her. “This time, you two won’t survive. Have you forgotten about those lives where you didn’t quite make it? You two have never defeated him before, even when bonded, so you won’t this time either.”

She goes limp in his grasp, and I don’t understand why until I see the tiny dart sticking out of her neck. The next thing I know, I feel a tiny pinprick and then the world goes dark.

When I wake, I’m lying on the cold, hard stone flooring in a place I’m all too familiar with. 

In one of my last lives, when I was the mad dog, it seems like I was brought here, especially after they had me complete my mission. I was too feral for anyone to be around and placed in solitude until I could transition back and keep my wolf at bay.

Because of all the horrific things they made me do, I was basically nothing more than a savage. It could take hours, if not days or weeks, to get me back to normal between them. If they were closer together, it could take months.

I sit up and push myself against the wall, the coolness sending a shiver down my spine, but not in a good way.

Someone chuckles from nearby on the other side of the bars. It is the last voice I ever wanted to hear again.

“So, the mad dog lives. Did you truly think you escaped me?”

“I thought I killed you,” I snap.

“You should know from those dreams of yours that I will never truly die. Only you do because of that silly little curse that ties us together for the rest of our lives. I live on, while you take years to respawn and find your darling little mate. Without her, then you stand no chance. But who am I kidding? With her, you can’t stand against me either. You two always die at the stroke of midnight. What a shame.”

I heave out a deep breath and push myself more firmly against the wall. The drug is still in my system and making me woozy. “This time is different.”

“Oh?” He chides. “This time is different? You don’t say. From everything I have seen, it’s just like before, except for how your dear little wolf was treated. This time, I made sure you had a special treat. She was traumatized and broken, just for you.”

Without a second thought, I respond with the first thing that pops into my mind. “You killed her parents and placed her with Jackson, didn’t you?”

“It was a mere suggestion, Kendric. Micah was the one who thought Jackson would be an excellent mentor. I can’t help that he hated her father so much that the mere sight of her would send him into a frenzy. There is no telling what horrors your mate faced to be left with permanent scars. So sad, the pack wouldn’t do anything about it either.”

“It was all you. You did this to her.” I look toward the bars, squinting to see if he’ll ever show his face. In this life, he’s never once shown it.

Once again, I’m met with darkness and can’t see him. It’s probably over a speaker.

“Me? No, Jackson did that to her, along with Micah. Really, if you want to get to the root, you are at fault. If you would just behave like the obedient dog you are, then maybe I wouldn’t have to go through such extremes.”

Her screams fill the air, making me jump.

“Valeria?”

He chuckles again. “Yes, that is your mate, Valeria. Doesn’t she sound so lovely? Her screams send a tingle down my spine and all I want to do is make her do it again.”

Another shrill scream fills the air and tears line my eyes.

“What are you doing to her? Stop this. If you want an obedient dog, then torture me instead. I’ll do anything.”

Everything grows silent for a few seconds before he comes back. “Anything? Why Kendric, I didn’t know you’d do anything. That’s so unlike you. Normally, you are more about saving the packs instead of saving her.”

Though I knew there were times I had to do things that put her in danger in the past, he’s right. I chose the packs over saving her in some lives, though I tried to both. “This time is different.”

“I’ve heard that twice now, but still don’t understand how you mean it. You see, it could have multiple meanings and I can take it several different ways. Maybe you should be more specific, Kendric, and tell your owner how much you want to save her.”

I hear the flick of a lash before I hear her screams again. My eyes well with tears that pour down my cheeks. “No, Valeria.”

“How much do you want to save her? I don’t know how much more she can take from this. She’s holding up fairly well, but I’ve put so many new marks on her back that it looks like her old ones. I don’t know if they’ll ever be healed.” Another crack of lash. “Oh, that one was a good one.”

I hear her sobs in the background, causing me to stand and reach for the bars. Once my hand clasps around them, my skin burns from the contact. “Let her go.”

“That doesn’t sound very convincing. Moments ago, you told me you’d do anything. Now you are making demands. Such a pity.”

I hear the lash crack twice, followed by a soft thump.

“Valeria!”

“Calm down, Kendric. I didn’t kill her. She merely passed out from all the pain. I think that last whip might have done her in. There is so much blood and she smells so delectable. Maybe I should have a taste?” He chuckles under his breath, and right as he’s about to do something, I call out.

“No, I’ll do as I said. Whatever you want, you got it. I’m choosing to save her.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath before he blows it out. The way it rattles tells me I was right. He’s on a speaker somewhere and it’s coming from the ceiling. “Anything? So, you’ll choose her instead of saving the packs. My, my, Kendric, when did you switch teams?”

“I’ll burn this world to the ground to save her. Now, stop torturing her and use me.”

He bursts out laughing. “And use you I shall, because burning this world to the ground is exactly what I want you to do.”