BloodSworn (24 page)

“I’m alive.”

Trina smiled, but her lips trembled. He might be alive, but
she didn’t know how. His face was red and blistered like someone had roasted
him over a spit.

“What happened?” She glanced at the exit to the warehouse. What
was left of her Aunt Kaye lay sprawled amidst the trash, a surprised expression
plastered on her face as if she’d never expected to find resistance.

“We need to leave before more people arrive.” Weston
struggled to sit, brushing away her questing hands.

Though he spoke the truth, the doctor in her hesitated to move
him without fully assessing his injuries. It boiled down to one thing…if they
stayed, they would all die. Against her better judgment, Trina offered him her
hand and hauled him to his feet. He staggered, remaining upright by sheer stubbornness.
 

Unsatisfied with letting him go without a peek, Trina peeled
down the collar of his shirt to reveal that the burns spilled half way down his
chest. “It looks like she tried to skin you alive.”

He blinked up at her, his eyes dazed in pain. “She nearly
succeeded.”

He took the hit meant for Merrick. It was only his magic
that prevented his animal from being ripped from him. Merrick had her blood,
but she wasn’t sure it would’ve been strong enough to prevent the loss of his
beast.

Trina owed him. “Thank you.”

He grunted, waving away her words as they shuffled down the alley,
picking up speed as they went. The fighting faded in the distance, but the
number of people they left behind haunted her.

She understood the necessity. With her gone, everyone would
be safer, the vampire would chase them instead, but it still felt wrong.

Dawn tinged the horizon. The street at the edge of town was abandoned
but morning traffic could be heard drawing near. The lonely road twisted off into
the distance, disappearing behind a line of trees and into the unknown.

Merrick stopped, and she’d been so focused on putting one
foot in front of the other that she nearly bumped into him. “We need to get off
the road and see if we picked up a tail before we go any farther. We can’t
continue to wander blindly.”

No one said a word as they entered the woods in single file.
The long night had given her a lot to process. People had died. It could very
easily have been Merrick. Maybe next time it would be.

She needed to decide if she could allow them to risk
themselves further to save her sister.  

Everyone halted, scattered about, lost in their own
thoughts. Drew dropped to the ground, his arm draped over his bent knees. Exhaustion
lined his face as he absently plucked random pieces of grass. “There are a few
abandoned lots near here, but they’re not very secure.”

Dorian nodded to the city. “Oz is to the west. They’ll
already have sent out patrols to scour the streets for us. The safest place
would be outside of the city limits.”

Trina let the men argue and sat next to the tree where Weston
leaned. Magic swirled in the air around her. Without the bindings swaddling
her, she didn’t know how to shut it off. Layers of magic grafted to her, weighing
her down.

Weston didn’t look much better.

His wolf hadn’t been able to heal the magical damage, and
Trina suspected that Weston had refused to call up his magic for help. She
picked at a scab on her palm until blood welled.

She stood and reached up to touch his face.

He neatly caught her wrist but didn’t say anything.

“If you want to stay with the group, you have to heal.
Either I do it or you must.”

“Or what?” Sweat darkened his hair, and Trina knew he was in
more pain than he let on.

“Or you stay behind.” She wasn’t going to budge. He was
injured, and they were going to be hunting vampires.

Not a good combination.

He gave a reluctant nod, but a couple of heartbeats passed before
he released her. Taking that as permission, she brought her palm up to his
face.

She expected a flash burn with all the magic clinging to
her.

There was not even a fizzle.

Apparently her body felt that she needed all of it.

Weston slumped against the tree, a breathless laugh
whooshing out of him.

She let her hand drop to her side, her fingers curling into
fists. “I never could cast worth a damn.”

Weston just shrugged. “It’ll heal eventually.”

Merrick walked over, slipping his hand into hers and pulled
her closer. “Dorian knows of a place a few miles cross-country. Can you make it?”

Trina fiddled with his fingers, unused to affection, a
slight blush of heat warming her cheeks. It took her a moment to figure out which
one of them he was addressing. Though Weston was in poor shape, she wasn’t in much
better condition. There was only one answer. “We’ll make it. How about you?”

Merrick leaned closer, resting his forehead against hers.
The darkening of his eyes reminded her of last night and what he’d felt like
under her. And his expression said what he would do again if he caught her
alone.

“As long as we’re together, I’m fine.” The deep tone said he
was remembering as well.

Her heart did a crazy pitter-patter before she could get her
libido under control. She drew away before she completely forgot they weren’t
alone. “We’re ready.”

The longer they waited, the more the danger increased.

“Does anyone have a plan?”

Drew groaned in complaint as he got to his feet. “Find a way
into Galloway Castle, slay the dragon and rescue the princess.”

 
Chapter Twenty-seven

T
rina
stepped out of the shower of Dorian’s bachelor pad. Bachelor being the key phrase.
The miniscule house was a beautiful, hand-built cabin for one. The only
separate rooms were the bathroom and a small loft above the kitchen for
storage.

The kitchen, dining room, living area and bedroom were all
open. She heard Merrick and Dorian in there discussing what to do next, and she
hurried.

If it were up to them, she’d be holed up someplace far away
while they tried to rescue her sister. The idea would’ve had a certain appeal
if it wasn’t for the fact that instinct told her if she didn’t go with them,
she would never see any of them again.

She dressed, smiling when she remembered how Merrick had checked
the tiny bathroom for threats. He turned in a circle twice, able to touch two
of the walls without moving. It didn’t satisfy him. He even checked under the
sink as if expecting trolls to jump out and whisk her away.

She understood the sentiment. The longer she was away from
him, the more she feared he’d be taken from her. She toweled her hair when she
noticed something that stopped her cold.

Two toothbrushes in the cup by the sink.

Though they had more power and talent than an average witch,
mages like Dorian were considered lower class. Regulations forbid a fully
graduated witch to mate with them to preserve the breeding and keep the violent
mages from getting involved with things that didn’t concern them…like
politics and laws.

She reached out with a shaky hand and touched the pink one.
Her sister. She didn’t question the knowledge. Dorian’s assistance made more
sense now. He was using her.    

That was fine, she was using him as well. They both wanted
her sister alive, but part of Trina wondered what he was willing to risk to get
Eden back.

* * *

The shower had turned off, and Merrick would give anything
to walk through that door and join Trina. Instead, he forced himself to turn
away from temptation and paced the confines of the cabin again, searching and
finding so many defensive weaknesses that Beast growled.

If they were attacked, the house would fall. They couldn’t remain
here any longer than necessary. He faced Dorian, “If we re-bind her powers,
would she be safer?”

“Don’t you think you should ask me my opinion?” Trina’s
voice carried no inflection, but he knew she was remembering the last time,
when her family had taken the decision away from her. She toweled her hair, and
the slight curl to the strands fascinated him. The vivid colors came to life as
the lanks dried, luring him closer with the silent invitation to touch. Dressed
in the same t-shirt and jeans as last night shouldn’t have made him think of
sex, but it did. She couldn’t have looked sexier if she wore lingerie.

Part of him relaxed to see her, Beast calming at her
presence. He hadn’t realized how much he’d worried about her leaving him until
then. Cleanliness clung to her despite the exhausted slump to her shoulders and
the circles under her eyes. He resisted the need to re-mark her with his scent.

He would’ve walked toward her, but she avoided meeting his
gaze. It pissed him off that she thought he would betray her. “If you were
honest with yourself, you’d admit that you’ve wondered the same thing. If you
had to choose between your life and your power, could you make the decision?”

Trina’s head snapped up, a frown between her eyes. “Of
course. I lived most of my life without my damned power. My concern is what if
my magic is the only thing that could save us? Can we take the risk of not
being able to access it?”

“She’s right.” Dorian stepped between them as if he were
afraid she’d strike Merrick, or Merrick would kiss her silly. “If you remove
her abilities, you could be removing her last line of defense.”

Trina lifted her chin, and Merrick braced for an attack. Her
ire found another target though, and she shot her next question to Dorian. “You’re
sleeping with my sister. Do you plan to use me to trade for her?”

Merrick stilled at Trina’s blunt question, and things fell
into place. He now understood the witches’ willingness to help when they had
tossed her away so many years ago.

Dorian appeared startled. “Your sister would neuter me if I
tried. She might anyway for even allowing you to go into the castle.”

Merrick’s opinion of her sister rose slightly. He walked
toward Trina, not once taking his gaze from hers. It was time she learned that
in allowing him to claim her, she’d given him certain rights to her future. He
wasn’t letting go of any of them. “You aren’t alone anymore.”

 “I can’t trade myself for my sister, but I can’t just leave
her behind to be killed either.” Trina had a stranglehold on the towel,
twisting it over and over until he wanted to take her in his arms and soothe
her. “The coven might be in poor shape, but if the vampires got their hands on
me, they would start killing people willy-nilly. Witches would be one of the
first targets, so their magic would no longer be a threat.

“What if we burn out my magic? Then no one would be able to
use it. They would know as soon as they smelled or tasted my blood. Would that
avert the war?”

Dorian shook his head. “First, I’m not sure that’s even
possible. Your power is tied to your blood. If we remove the magic, it could
damage the blood enough that it might no longer be able to sustain life.”

Weston rolled over on the bed where he’d been resting. “The
vampires won’t forgive or forget that the Leo here killed one of theirs on pack
land.”

Merrick snarled. “The vampire attacked first. I was
defending my mate.”

Dorian shrugged. “Weston’s right. It will be your word
against the King’s. You invited the vampires into your territory. You broke the
peace when you killed him.”

“He violated the peace when he entered my house uninvited.”

“Did he? We discussed this before. How did the vampire pass
a few dozen trained soldiers without notice? He had to have inside help.” Trina
wandered over to the window, pulling back the curtain.

Merrick’s gaze trailed up her body when a shadow flickered from
beyond her.

A glimpse of fur.

Something was in the forest.

Of course there would be wildlife, but that didn’t lessen the
sudden burst of knowing.

 “Trina, move away from the window.” Merrick kept his voice
calm when all he wanted to do was drag her safely behind him.

He inhaled, tasting a whiff of something very familiar on
his tongue that raised his hackles. There was a pack of wolves circling the
cabin. He was afraid to move for fear that they would reach her before he could.

Trina instantly flattened her back against the wall, a look
of resignation on her face. “They found us?”

“Wolves.” The adrenaline coursing through him ramped up as
her expression changed to determination.

“Yours?” Trina cast a hopeful glance at Merrick and Weston.

A lone howl rose before either spoke, and other wolves quickly
picked up the challenging call.

Trina winced and backed away from the window. “I guess not.”

Merrick tracked them by sound, distinguishing at least five
separate wolves. Weston stood, checking his weapons. Drew fingered his
switchblade and walked toward the kitchen, rummaging through the knife
population.

“Whatever you hear, I want you to stay inside.” Merrick
walked up to her and crushed her to him.

“What? No.” Trina shoved at his chest. She started strapping
on weapons, glaring at him as if daring him to say a word. Pride filled him at
his little warrior.

Damned if she didn’t scared him shitless.

Merrick gave into the desire to taste her. He caught her
around the waist, and thrust his tongue into her mouth, growling at the way she
kissed him back with such abandon.

Pissed off that he couldn’t finish what they started, he
tore away from her and marched toward the door, nearly ripping it off the hinges.
Beast was outraged, demanding that he fuck first then fight.

The next wolf’s howl had him snarling, one thing on his mind.

Get rid of the threat and finish what Trina had started with
that clever tongue of hers.

* * *

Trina hurried to catch up with Merrick when Dorian caught
her arm. “You’re a witch. That’s pack out there. You’re too important to
endanger yourself unnecessarily.”

She shrugged off his hold, stepping closer to Weston and the
door. They couldn’t ask her to let Merrick go out there alone.

He wasn’t invincible.

Far from it.

“He’s right. You’ll only be a distraction to him.”

She hesitated. She knew Weston spoke the truth, and cursed
him for it. “So help me, if anything happens to him, I’ll make both your lives
a living hell.” She pulled her knife, but didn’t venture beyond the cabin. It
helped ease her fear to see that Weston held his gun loosely against his leg.

If there was trouble, they would handle it.

Four wolves paced in front of Merrick. These animals were
more compact, nothing like Weston’s graceful timber wolf. They operated with a
pack mentality instead of his single-minded intelligence.

The lead wolf broke from the tree line. When another tried
to follow, she whirled and took a vicious bite at his throat. The animal
yipped, falling back to the rest of the pack. Trina had a sinking feeling she
knew that wolf. “Judith.”

As she shifted, magic fell from the animal like shedding
water. Muscles stretched, joints popped and skin smoothed out. The wolf reared
back, legs becoming arms before finally shaping into the form of a human she
recognized.

Completely unaffected by her nakedness, Judith walked toward
Merrick. “I need to talk to you.”

The sight of that perfect body so near her man had Trina’s
hackles rising. It didn’t matter that Merrick didn’t react. She had the right
to protect what was hers. Without thought, she sent the blade tumbling through
air.

It came to rest between Judith’s feet, halting her on the
spot. When Judith’s eyes met hers, Trina saw past the burning jealousy. Despite
the shift, Judith’s body was littered with bruises, some swollen enough that Trina
suspected broken bones.

Although she knew she should offer aid, she couldn’t force
the words past her lips. The most she could do was toss the towel she’d used to
dry her hair at the other woman.

Judith didn’t acknowledge her in any way, but she did wrap
the towel around herself. No doubt not out of any modesty, but what would
appease Merrick the most. The she-wolf turned toward Merrick, but stayed where
she stood. “It’s about your pet.”

“What happened?”

“Victor tracked the amulet back to me.”

“I figured as much.” Merrick crossed his arms as if he
hadn’t just learned who was behind the number of attempts on his life. “I’ve
been waiting for a direct challenge from you for weeks.”

Outrage bit Trina on the ass, and she played a hunch. “And
Merrick’s shooting?”

Judith shrugged as if it was a minor thing. “I gave his
location to a hunter. Merrick knows how to handle himself, but he needed to
learn he’s not invincible. The pack is getting too large for one person to hold,
and he’s too damned stubborn to take help. I wasn’t aware that the hunters had used
silver bullets until after the ambush. They died for their part in that mess.”

“You tried to have him killed.”

“If I wanted him dead, I would’ve challenged him.” Judith
glared at Trina. “Things were changing and then your arrival ruined everything.
He started paying closer attention, guarding against possible threats. All that
mattered was you.”

Weston stepped out of the cabin. “So you had to stop it.”

“Damn right. I gave information to the vampire, and a way
into the Den if he would take her and leave the territory. Solved two problems
with one shot by getting rid of them both.”