Once Bitten (10 page)

Why don’t you jump your werewolf’s
ass?
There was no
way she could picture herself jumping him as Beth had suggested. She’d thought
about it of course, but actually doing it was something else. There was too
much at stake, first of all, never mind her own feelings about pursuing a man
who had already said no.

We’re talking about you, not me.
Don’t get confused here. There’s no simmering attraction on my end.

I’m plenty confused. He’s hot
then he’s cold. He babbles on and on about rules.

Fuck the rules.
Of course that would be her
response. Beth was never one for doing what people told her to.

How did I know you’d say that?

What do you think friends are
for? It’s all about the peer pressure, baby.
Lila smirked. She needed to get off the subject before
Gabriel glanced over and saw what they were talking about.

We’re going over to Andrea’s in
a bit.

Looking for something?

Anything.

She saw
Gabriel glance over toward her when her phone vibrated yet again.
Be careful.

Will do. Make sure you are too.

Guessing
that the noise was distracting him from the movie, she clicked it over to
silent and just watched the screen when another message popped up.
Me? Always. You know I don’t play.

I don’t either.

Ha! You’re a fucking pussy
compared to my badass.

She was
trying not to laugh out loud and disturb Gabriel’s focus on the movie. Beth
always had a way of cheering her up.
Shut
the hell up.

Gotta go, babe. My ‘protector’
is wigging out. Can’t take a fucking joke, I swear. Be careful later.

Lila
hoped she wasn’t driving Kaleb insane.
Be
nice to him, he’s doing us a favor. Love you.

I’m always nice. Love you too.

Lila
put the phone back on the table and tried to watch the last couple minutes of
the movie. She had no idea what was going on and she didn’t care. It was an
action flick that she’d never really wanted to see to begin with, but it had
been the only thing on.

Gradually
she could feel the anxiety creeping up her spine again at the thought of going
over to Andrea’s. What would they find, if anything? Would someone be watching
the house waiting for someone to come looking for her? Would she be able to
handle going in there knowing that there was a possibility Andrea wouldn’t ever
be coming back?

She
shook her head, refusing to believe that. Lila knew Andrea better than she knew
herself. She was resourceful. She was cunning. She was patient. She wouldn’t
act rashly and get herself killed. She’d play her kidnappers like a fiddle and
get the hell out of there the first chance she got. That was Andrea. Andrea
refused to be a victim.

It
killed Lila that she just couldn’t go get her. What she wouldn’t give to jump
in her Jeep and tear off down the highway, screaming her name and hoping for a
response. She knew she was being ridiculous, but it was still hard to stop herself
from doing just that.

When
the credits starting rolling a minute later, Lila was on her feet.

“Yes,
we can go,” Gabriel said without her having to ask. “I’m going to get some
shoes on and then I’ll be ready.”

“I’ll
go get my boots.”

Lila
went into her bedroom and pulled her boots from the closet. She sat on her bed
while she tugged them on her feet and laced them up. There was no way she could
wear just her T-shirt out since the temperature had dropped into the low
forties, so she grabbed her thick black hoodie from her drawer and pulled it on
over her head. It would be more than enough to keep her warm for the small
amount of time they’d be outside.

She met
Gabriel in the living room less than two minutes later. He was standing by the
front door looking sexy as hell. But then again, she always liked a man in
jeans and the way his jeans sat on his hips was enough to make her pulse
quicken.

He was
wearing a navy sweatshirt himself. He hadn’t bothered to zip it up so it hung
open, showing his dark gray T-shirt underneath that clung loosely to his chest.

Hormones
, she told herself. It was
nothing but hormones that made her want to jump his bones. She couldn’t quite
put her finger on what it was that made her want to take Beth’s advice. Maybe
it was the way he looked at her like he could see right through her clothes.
Maybe it was the way he carried himself—like he could take on anyone right now
with one hand tied behind his back. His strength made her weak in the knees.

“Ready?”
Focus on the task at hand.

“Yes.”

Lila
picked up her cell phone from the coffee table and put it in the front pocket
of her hoodie. Gabriel had her keys in hand and he dropped them in her
outstretched hand as she walked past him out the door he held open for her.

“We
need to put the doors on your Jeep. We can’t be riding around town for everyone
to see,” he said when they were outside.

“All
right,” she said. She agreed with him. They’d stick out like a sore thumb out
in the open like that. When she walked to the shed that stood a few feet from
the house, he followed. She unlocked the padlock with the key on her keychain
and stepped back as he went inside ahead of her.

He had
both doors in his arms before she got the chance to pick one up.

“I can
carry one,” she said, closing the shed up as he stepped out.

“I got
it.”

While
he put the doors back on their hinges, she pulled up the soft top and fastened
it down.

They
got into the Jeep a few minutes later and when she was about to crank the
vehicle over, Gabriel stopped her by putting his hand on her arm. “Wait.”

“What
is it?”

For a
moment she thought that he had changed his mind about going, but then he said, “There
are a few things we need to go over first.”

“Like
what?”

“First,
we’re in and out. I don’t want to draw attention from human neighbors or anyone
else that may be close by.”

“In and
out,” she dutifully repeated, nodding her head. If he wanted to go all military
commander that was fine with her. Just as long as he wasn’t changing his mind.

“Second,
you need to stay close to me. We don’t know if we’ll run into anyone, which is
unlikely, but all the same. I don’t want you wandering off.”

“Easy
enough.” She was itching to turn the keys in the ignition, her fingers ready
for when he gave the go ahead.

“Third,
if we do run into anyone and something happens, you run. Let me deal with the
situation. Don’t get involved. I don’t want you risking your life like you did
last night. If something happens to me, I want you to go straight to the bar
and get Kaleb. Do you understand?”

Lila
suppressed her desire to salute him and instead gave a curt nod. “Understood.”

“Good.
Let’s go.”

With
that she turned over the engine and pulled away from the house.

Chapter Five

They
drove around the neighborhood and past the townhouse twice before Gabriel felt
sure enough that there wasn’t anyone watching the house. He instructed Lila to
park the car down the street from Andrea’s and together they walked around the
back of the townhouses.

There
weren’t many lights on in the neighborhood. Thankfully, Andrea lived in an
older part of town. It was filled with a geriatric population that had lived
there since the development was new and had probably gone to bed at least an
hour before.

They
walked along the common gravel drive that separated the houses from their
garages to Andrea’s back door. The townhouse was dark and Gabriel listened for
even the smallest hint of movement. When he heard none, he motioned for Lila to
go ahead and unlock the door with the spare key she had picked up from under a
nearby planter.

Gabriel
stepped inside the small kitchen first with Lila right behind him. She closed
the door but when she went to turn on the kitchen light, Gabriel stopped her by
putting his hand over her much smaller one.

“No.
Nothing to draw attention,” he warned her.

They
started in the living room since that’s where Declan said they had taken Andrea
by surprise.

The
small night light that was plugged in gave off enough light for them to be able
to see the room. It wasn’t necessary for him, but he hadn’t thought about Lila
when they left or he would’ve thought to bring a flashlight for her to see by
instead of making her stumble around in the dark.

“I can
tell he tried to clean up, but he didn’t put anything back where it belongs.
Andrea would never leave these things out.”

The
ironing board was leaning against the living room wall. The iron was unplugged
and sitting on the coffee table, otherwise everything seemed immaculate to
Gabriel. Even though the furniture was old and worn, the room was clean and
orderly. She had even recently dusted. The lingering scent of furniture polish
still hung in the air.

“There’s
nothing in here that doesn’t belong to her,” Lila said softly as she fingered
the small splinters of wood on the front door from where it had been kicked in.
“Can you smell them?”

“Yes.
It’s faint, but it’s here.” It was just as Declan had said. Three warlocks and
one very frightened female.

“What
do you smell?” she asked, turning to face him.

He didn’t
want to tell her, afraid it would upset her, but he couldn’t lie to her either.
“The warlocks we faced at the gas station and Andrea.”

“The
same three?”

“Yes.”

“Dammit,”
she cursed, shaking her head.

“What
is it?”

“The
damn Jeep.”

He had
no idea what the Jeep had to do with it. “What about it?”

“Could
they have run the tags?”

“I
suppose it’s possible, but then they—”

“We
never got a chance to change the title over. It was Andrea’s Jeep up until a
couple of weeks ago.”

“That
would bring them straight to her door,” he said, inwardly cursing himself. He
hadn’t thought about them having the connections to run tag numbers.

“Where
did she go from this room? Upstairs?” Lila asked, already walking past him
toward the steps that were in the dining room of the old row home.

He
trailed behind her, letting her lead the way. “That’s what Declan thought.”

“Makes
sense since Andrea keeps her gun in her bedroom. If strangers were barging in
her front door that was probably the first place she would go. I know I would,”
she commented, climbing the stairs.

Gabriel
didn’t have a hard time imagining Lila shooting someone. With the way she had
charged into the fight the night before, he seriously doubted she was the kind
of woman who would just give up and lay down without a fight. Apparently it was
a family trait.

He
stopped behind her when she stood in the doorway of the bedroom. Although the
street lights outside were dim, it cast enough light in the tiny room for her
to see by. Her eyes scanned the room. He watched as she took a deep breath and
tried to shake out her trembling hands.

When
she finally went into the room he stayed in the doorway watching her as she
looked around. The smell of bleach was still in the air from where Declan had
scrubbed Cole’s blood from the faded flowered wallpaper. Gabriel could see a
small area of the paper that was lighter than the rest. It was a shame the
bastard hadn’t bled out in his opinion.

“The
bedside drawer is still open,” Lila observed, going over to peer inside. “The
gun’s gone.”

Gabriel
walked over to where she stood and looked into the drawer. There was a thin
book of inspirational sayings and an extra loaded clip lying in the drawer.

She
looked up at him, puzzled. “Why would they take the gun?”

“I don’t
know. It’s not on the floor anywhere? Maybe she dropped it in the struggle,” he
suggested, getting to his knees to help her look.

He was
feeling around beneath the nightstand when she sat up from where she had been
looking underneath Andrea’s bed. She was holding something small in her hand.

“This
isn’t hers.”

“Let me
see it,” he said, holding out his hand to take the item. She placed a thin
braid in his hand and looked at him expectantly. The hair on the back of his
neck stood up when he looked over the braid. He knew exactly what it was, he
just didn’t know how to take the discovery.

To be
sure, he held the once bracelet to his nose and inhaled. His face flickered
with an array of emotions—confusion, disbelief, and finally, anger—when he
identified the smells. It couldn’t be. But there it was, staring him in the
face.

“Fae,”
he growled, pushing the bracelet deep into the pocket of his jeans.

“Fae?
What the hell are fae?”

“Fairies.”

“Like
Tinkerbelle?”

He
snorted. “They’re nothing like that. They’re primitive, reclusive, and violent.
They’re dangerous.”

“But I
thought you said it was the warlocks who took her?” She was confused, but he
didn’t have the time to explain it to her. Not while they were still inside
Andrea’s house.

“It’s
time to go,” he said, grasping her elbow and leading her from the bedroom.

“Why?
We’re not done yet.” She was digging in her heels, but they had to move out
now. No way would someone not come looking for this. It was only a matter of
time before someone came back and he had no intention of being there when they
did.

“We’ve
been here long enough. You found something and now it’s time to go,” he told
her in a voice that sounded calmer than he felt.

“Wait,
Gabriel. Tell me. Tell me about the bracelet.”

 
He was tempted to just throw her over his
shoulder and carry her out of the house, but seeing the desperation in her eyes
he stopped and sighed. Thirty seconds to tell her enough to satisfy her
curiosity wouldn’t hurt anything.

“It’s a
bainise
bracelet. A wedding bracelet
similar to a wedding ring. This one was worn by a warlock. They’re made only by
the fae and usually worn only by the fae. The fae who made this bound herself
to a warlock.”

He knew
what that meant and it wasn’t sitting well. With the explanation she had craved
given, he turned and this time when he led her from the room, she followed.

“So a fae
is married to a warlock? What’s the big deal about that?” she asked as she
followed behind him down the steps.

“We don’t
interbreed!” he said, turning to look at her when they reached the bottom
landing of the stairs. He wasn’t going to take any more chances of stopping to
talk to her. She could walk and talk if she wanted to know things.

“I
still don’t get it.”

“Werewolves
breed with werewolves, shifters breed with shifters, and fae breed with fae.
The races—the different factions of the Netherworld—don’t usually interbreed.
It’s seen as a betrayal and the council have a lot of rules that go with it.
The child could be rejected by the council and no parent wants that.”

“Well,
that’s just stupid. Not to mention it means that eventually everyone will be inbred.
Haven’t you ever seen
Deliverance
?”

“I don’t
think you’ll have to worry about us plucking banjos any time soon.” When they
came to the back door, he turned to her. “The fact that there’s a union—an
alliance—between two factions doesn’t bode well, especially those factions.”

“An
alliance? You think that they’re working together?” she asked him.

Rubbing
his eyes with his large hand, he sighed. “There are a few possibilities, but I
think that it’s likely. A person from each faction binding themselves together
would be considered an unapproved alliance by the Council. It’s a pretty good
indication that they are working together.”

“Okay,”
she said, taking a deep breath.

“Let’s
go,” he said, opening the door for them.

Lila
pulled the door shut and locked it behind them before pocketing Andrea’s spare
key. Their shoes crunched on the gravel as they headed back to the Jeep. When
he saw her almost jogging to keep up with his long strides, he slowed.

They
were halfway to the Jeep when he stopped suddenly, his nose perking up as he
sniffed the wind, instantly alert. The stench was unmistakable. His arm came
out, stopping Lila in her tracks. The smell of the warlock was coming from one
direction—the direction of the Jeep.

* * * *

Lila
wasn’t prepared when Gabriel grabbed her arm and pushed her behind his hulking
body.

“Go!”
He yelled at her as the warlock appeared around the side of one of the garages.
It was one of the same warlocks who had been at the gas station the night
before. The sneer he wore now was the same one he wore the night before.

She
wouldn’t go and leave Gabriel there to fend for himself, as much as he had
wanted her to do just that. Two against one were much better odds, even against
an ill-tempered warlock. It took her a second to process what the warlock was
doing, but that second was all he needed to act.

Even
though there was no one there, Lila felt a hand grip her ankle and she fell
back. The warlock had her and he used his power. She screamed as he dragged her
across the sharp gravel faster than Gabriel was able to grab her. She dug her
fingers into the ground, but to no avail. There was no stopping the momentum.

Gabriel
launched himself at the warlock as soon as Lila was out of his reach but wasn’t
fast enough to get to him before she was in his grasp. Her body was picked up
off the ground and her back pressed against the warlock. His strong arm wrapped
around her neck in an instant, pinning her to him.

Gabriel
came to an abrupt stop when the warlock began squeezing his arm against her
throat, cutting off her oxygen. She clawed at his arm, digging into his skin,
but he didn’t flinch even as the flesh gave way.

“Come
closer and the witch dies.” Lila knew Gabriel had heard him, even though the
warlock spoke in low tones next to her ear.

“I’ll
fucking kill you if you hurt her,” Gabriel told him, his brown eyes blazing in
rage. His muscles tight, he looked ready to jump as soon as the opportunity
presented itself. She worried that the warlock saw the same thing that she did.
If that were the case, she doubted an opportunity would ever present itself. It
would be up to her to get out of the predicament she was in now.

“Give
me the
bainise
bracelet.”

“I don’t
know what you’re talking about.”

“The
bainise
bracelet you have in your
pocket, dog. Don’t think that I don’t know it’s there. You can’t hide my own
magic from me,” he spat.

Lila
saw the flicker of emotion in Gabriel’s face. She knew he didn’t want to give
up the bracelet, but he wasn’t willing to forfeit her life. She was gasping,
the warlock completely cutting off her air. She didn’t know how long she was
going to be able to hold on before passing out.

“And
you’ll release her?”

The
warlock loosened his grip enough for her to suck in a few shallow breaths to
prove he would. She didn’t believe for a second the warlock would let her go,
but she didn’t know what choice Gabriel had except to give him the bracelet.

“I
will.”

Gabriel’s
hesitation was enough to make the warlock tighten his grip on her throat and he
lifted her body from the ground. The air was robbed from her already starved
lungs. The warlock’s blood covered her fingers and hands, his flesh embedded
beneath nails as she tore at his skin. She kicked back, each time hitting
nothing but air.

She
jerked her elbow back and buried it in his gut. The warlock grunted in pain but
only tightened his grip on her throat. She could feel herself turning blue, her
vision blurring.