TerrIIItory (11 page)

Chapter 20

Bethany was fuming!  Not only had Evander
not
come for her, but he’d had the audacity to send his pack to drag her back like some runaway puppy!  To make matters worse, his pack--in the process of retrieving her--had beaten up both Bobby and Marcus, and had
stabbed
Charin with some weird knife!  “I can’t believe you hurt her!” she hurled at Weston while massaging Charin’s shoulder.  “When I tell Evander how you’ve treated my pack, he’s gonna be pissed.”

Weston hid a wince, knowing his Alpha would gladly pound his face in just to soothe his mate.  “It was an accident.  I didn’t mean to hurt her, I wouldn’t have…”

“Well you did!” Bethany snapped, and then her tone softened.  “I’m so sorry, Charin.  Are you doing okay?”

Charin nodded, and it was strange.  She was always loud and boisterous.  Never afraid to speak her mind, or stand up for herself, it was odd that she’d suddenly grown…
timid?
  “Charin?”

Fear hit hard when Charin’s head slumped into Weston’s shoulder.  “Oh my God!”  Bethany’s breathing hitched.  “Is she still bleeding?  CLAY!”

“Holy shit!”  Mateo pulled himself forward to peer over the seat that separated them. “Did she faint?”

“Shit!”  Weston hissed.

Lincoln remained seated beside Bethany, completely unmoved by the events.

Clay quickly pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and parked before racing around to the passenger-side door.  He opened the door and reached for Charin.

“
Careful!
”  Weston growled.  “She’s my mate, so I suggest you watch where you place your fucking hands.”

“WHAT?”  Three voices chimed in unison as Clay, Mateo, and Bethany gaped at Weston.

Easing himself from the truck, Weston hoisted Charin higher into his arms to pull open the back door where he eyed Lincoln.  “Can you hold her, man?  I think me touching her has drained her.  It hurts like a bitch.”  Without waiting, Weston gently placed his mate onto Lincoln’s lap, ignoring the scarred shifter’s look of horror as he held his hands up, unsure where to place them.

“Don’t let her fall,” Weston hissed and closed the door, reclaiming his seat in the front as Clay raced around to get behind the wheel.

“What the fuck, bro!”  Mateo eyed Lincoln, then Weston.  “I coulda held her!”

“Fuck off!”  Weston snarled.  “Lincoln’s mated.  You’re not!”

Mateo laughed and eased back in his seat.  “Things are falling apart fast now!” he exclaimed with glee.  “First Link, then Kane, now
you!
  Shit, Clay.  We better hide.”

“Charin?”  Bethany leaned over to brush her fingers through her friend’s hair.  “Will she be alright, Clay?”

“Sure, Beth.  It’s just proximity to her mate immediately after he’s been stricken.  It’s nature’s way of forcing them to recognize their significance to each other.”  He beamed at the road. “It’ll hurt for Weston to touch her until they both recognize the claiming.  It’s like a zap to his wolf to get him to pay attention to her.  Charin will be sapped of energy with physical contact.  It forces Weston’s wolf to be compelled to care for her.  Hard for a male to ignore his female when she’s helpless and needs his protection.”

Mateo pulled himself forward in his seat again to smirk at Weston.  “I bet you’re balls are all sort of inflated right now aren’t they?”

The comment earned him a one-finger salute.

Clay eyed Bethany in the rearview mirror.  “We best get you home to Kane before things get messy in here.”

***

Mateo planted himself in the corner of Bethany’s room, arms crossed over his thick chest as he watched her.  Clearly, the poor guy was on guard duty, and resented the fact.

She couldn’t be annoyed by it, her thoughts were on Charin.  She hadn’t stirred the entire ride back to the house, and it had them all worried by the time they’d arrived.  No one more so than Weston.  He kept trying to take her from Lincoln even though Clay advised against it.  Mateo had to physically restrain him from taking a still unconscious Charin from Lincoln’s arms.

Mateo’s bellowed, “She’s trying to recharge, bro.  Let it the fuck go!  Do you wanna hurt her?” had been the only thing to keep Weston from taking her.

Now, pacing in front of the bed, Bethany nibbled her lip.  She’d showered and changed out of her damp clothes, thankful for the button up dress Swan loaned her.

“It’ll be alright, Beth.”  Mateo uncrossed his arms and dropped into a chair by the dresser, lacing his fingers behind his head.  “You don’t have to look like you’re going to the gallows.”

“I’m worried for Charin, not myself.”  She’d drug her friend into this, and she’d been hurt.  Guilt hit hard, followed by anger and then regret.  If Evander hadn’t been so sickened by what she’d become, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Don’t worry about her,” Mateo smirked.  “Weston will take care of her.”  The typically jovial shifter sobered, dropping his arms to lean forward and brace his elbows on his knees as a swath of black hair fell into his eyes.  He jerked his head to clear the hair from his vision.  “He’s been waiting for her a long time.  It’s as if one day both Evander and Weston snapped out of a haze and decided they wanted to settle down.  Not just any female would do.  They have both been seeking their true mates.”  He shook his head with a snort. “I can’t believe they found you.”

She watched the play of emotion on Mat’s face, the self-reflection.  “And what of you and Swan?  Are you true mates?”

Sadness filled his eyes.  “No.  She’s not my
one
, but she is the one I want.”

“It’s why you don’t claim her?”  Bethany guessed.

“I wouldn’t hurt her like that.”  He focused on the floor.  “If I claimed her and my true mate came along, where would that leave Swan?”  He shook his head.  “I love her too much to put her in that positon.”

Bethany watched him closely before finally declaring.  “You’re a good man, Mateo.”  She sighed loudly. “Now if only you could rub off some of that goodness onto Evander.”

“He’s a good man, Beth.  You just have to give him a shot.”

She tried to blink back her emotion at the memory of his rejection, when suddenly the door crashed open and Bethany jumped, startled.  Her head jerked up and tear-filled eyes locked on Kane.

Chapter 21

Evander’s rage was barely checked.  At critical mass, he couldn’t stop himself from his rough handling of Royce.  The vampire had graciously agreed to hang around until Bethany was brought back to the compound, and while Evander should have been grateful, he was too angry with himself to be gentle with his friend.  Everything was one big cluster-fuck!

Barron, having sensed his brother’s agitation upon entry into the house, had assumed Royce was an enemy.  The vampire and Alpha had been seconds away from fighting before Evander had been able to stop the battle with the admission that Bethany had run from his crass handling of her revelation.  Barron laughed at Evander’s predicament, and it only served to enrage him further.  Evander wanted Barron and Royce gone.  He didn’t want visitors now, and certainly not the most powerful vampire in the North West or a crazy-ass Alpha, who was trying to work his way back into civilization.  No, he wanted to be alone with his pack and his mate.

Entering the room, he saw Bethany jump and her tear-filled eyes jerked to his.  His anger faltered.  His wolf wanted to go to her, to console and hold her, and he would. But first, he was determined to have Royce remedy whatever it was that was ailing his mate.

Dragging Royce behind him, he frowned at Mateo then motioned with his head for the man to leave.  Mateo nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind him to give the trio privacy.

Evander shoved Royce forward, and turned steely eyes on Bethany.  They simply stared at each other for long moments.  Again, his expression softened when he took in her fearful eyes and scented her distress.

“Well,
that
was uncalled for!”  Royce drew both their attention as he straightened his clothing and smirked at Evander.  His gaze slowly turned to touch on Bethany.

Bethany chuffed a watery-eyed, humorless laugh even as Evander turned to Royce and fisted the vampire’s shirt again and growled.  “Something is wrong with my mate.  Something you fucking bloodsuckers did to her. 
Fix it
!”

Bethany’s heart stopped, and she couldn’t suppress the startled gasp that slipped past her lips as hope flooded her and clogged her throat. 
Mate?  Fix it?  He…he wants to help? 
Tears breached and slid down her cheeks.

Royce was motionless a moment, until his haughty gaze dropped to eye the fist twisted in his shirt.  “If you don’t mind.”

Evander released him.

“Now then, lovely.” Royce took a step toward Bethany, but Evander’s hand on his chest kept him in place.

“Enough with that shit!”  Evander turned a softer gaze on Bethany.  “Tell him,” he prodded gently.

Sucking in a breath and drying her tears with her hands Bethany spoke to Royce, but kept her eyes locked on Evander.  She couldn’t stop staring at him; she had to see his expression when he heard the truth.  Was he accepting her? 
Would
he accept her?  Had she read him wrong? 

“The first time I marked Kane, I…” Her throat convulsed as she swallowed.  “I’d never marked anyone before.  I thought the b-blood lust was normal.”  Her lip trembled as her eyes turned pleading. “It’s not, is it?”

Holding her gaze, Evander slowly shook his head, his expression one of concern.

“I was getting antsy to bite you again.  I thought it was,” she dropped her eyes for a moment, “
sexual
.  But when I marked you the second time, I realized that, while I
did
want you, mostly I needed your…your
blood
.  I’d been…”  She shook her head and closed her eyes.

“Beth?” Kane prodded tenderly.

She kept her eyes closed as humiliation washed over her.  “I’d been
hungry
.”

Royce tilted his head to the side, studying her, as he inched closer.  “Kane.” His eyes widened as he crept still closer to Bethany.  “Does her blood do anything for you?  You’ve tasted it.  How is she?”

Kane rubbed a strong hand over the back of his neck.  “Fucking delicious.”  He looked sheepish. “She tastes like candy.”

The admission had Bethany looking up at her mate.

Royce’s fingers rubbed together quickly and his eyes turned red.  “Fucking delicious,” he repeated quietly to himself, as if in contemplation.  He was just steps from Bethany now, and she didn’t like the way he was eyeing her.  “Mind if I…um,” he licked his lips and stepped closer.  “May I?”

Bethany jerked back and wrapped her hands around her throat as Evander grabbed Royce by the back of the shirt and sent him sailing across the room.

A loud crack sounded as the force of Royce’s body dented the wall.  Plaster rained down on him as he shook his head and blinked, his eyes turning normal once again.  “Slightly out of line.  Understood.”

“Slightly?”  Kane challenged as he planted his big body in front of Bethany, effectively shielding her from Royce’s view.

Standing, Royce dusted debris from his shoulders.  “I’ve never had candy flavored…” his words died as he licked his lips again.

“I didn’t ask you up here for free fucking samples.  I want to know what’s wrong with
my
mate
and how to fix it.  Her wolf is there, just under the surface.  My wolf can sense her, so I don’t understand why she’s not healing.  I’ve marked her.  Her wolf knows she’s safe, knows she’s mine!  What the fuck is going on?”

Royce eyed Bethany curiously.  “May I see your wounds?”

Bethany looked to Evander and, when he nodded, she inched her sleeve up revealing multiple bite wounds.

Royce looked at Evander before he stepped closer to get a better look, his brows spearing down at the sight of her wounds.  “Hmmm.  Do you have one that’s worse than the others?  One that hasn’t healed at all?”

Again Bethany looked at Evander.

“Do you, Beth?” He asked worriedly.

She nodded her response.

“I’ll need to see it.”  Royce drew her attention back to him.

Unsure whether she wanted to show them, Bethany fidgeted nervously.

It was Evander who broke the silence.  “Baby, we can’t help you if you don’t let us.”

Baby
?  She was growing to like this endearment.  It made her feel special, like she was his.

Swallowing hard, she lifted shaky hands and began undoing the buttons of her dress.  She didn’t look up as she peeled the top away.  Not even Evander’s rolling growl could capture her attention.  She wasn’t sure if he liked what he saw, was annoyed that she’d stripped in front of Royce, or was furious with the angry bite to her breast.  It was bad, and in an extremely intimate location.  The wound on the swell of her left breast sat just above the lacey cup of her bra.  She wrapped her arms self-consciously around her soft belly to shield herself.

“Shit!”  Royce hissed, inching closer.

Evander’s hand slammed into the wall of his friend’s chest, but his fury receded slightly at the intent look on Royce’s face.

“It’s infected.”  Royce shoved Evander’s hand off his chest and walked closer still until he was towering over Bethany.

Bethany’s head jerked up.  “Infected?”  She knew it was bad, because unlike the others this one hadn’t even started to heal. All the other wounds, while not having healed fully, were at least closed up, but this one wouldn’t even scab over.

“It’s not that kind of infected, Bethany.”  Royce stepped back to frown at Evander.  “They’ve used venom to keep this wound open.  It’ll never heal with the venom in there.  It has to come out.”

“Will that heal her?” Evander sounded hopeful.

“No.  Not that alone.”  Royce licked his lips and eyed the wound again.  “The venom has to come out, and then she needs to feed.”

Evander placed himself in front of Bethany.  “Feed?  That doesn’t sound like you mean steak and a cold beer.”

“I don’t.” Royce shook his head.  “She needs blood, Kane.  It’s part of why she’s not healing.  She’s starving.”  Royce peeled off his long, dark jacket.  “They must have realized what she was.   A mere human female wouldn’t require this.  They did it to keep her wolf at bay, to keep her weak so she couldn’t fight them.  If left too long, it can cause changes.”  Royce’s eyes met hers. “She’s becoming one of us.”

“Fuck!”

Bethany flinched at Evander’s expletive. 
Is he disgusted by me? 
“E-Evander?”

Evander turned at Bethany’s plea, and his heart squeezed at the uncertainty he read on her face.  He hadn’t had a chance to be alone with her since Weston brought her back. And they still hadn’t discussed his exit after she’d confided in him, or why she’d left, though he had a good idea.  It was his fault.  He hadn’t been there when she’d needed him.  He’d failed to support her, to prove that she mattered, and she’d left him for it.  In the hours after she’d left he’d realized what a mistake it had been to just rush out of the room to find Royce.  He should have comforted her first, should have assured her that everything was going to be okay,
and then
he should have gone for Royce.  Part of him even knew that he should offer her that now, but the fact that she’d run from him had his nerves on edge, and
that
needed to be addressed before all else.  She would not be leaving again!

“Don’t run from me again.”  The words were spoken plainly, but carried the full weight of Evander’s Alpha authority.

Bethany’s breath left her in a whoosh and her jaw dropped open.  “Excuse me?”  Delicate brows speared down in anger.

“You heard me.”

It had been his fault that she’d run, and she certainly wasn’t going to let him make her feel guilty about it, or put the weight of it on her.  “I only ran because of
your
failure to communicate.”  She glared at him pointedly.

“Well,” he crossed thick arms over his chest.  “I’m communicating now.” He dipped his head to pin her with dark eyes.  “Don’t leave again, Beth.  I won’t send my Beta for you.  Next time, you’ll deal with me.”

Ha!
  Was that supposed to intimidate her?  Hell, she half-considered storming out just to show him she wouldn’t be ordered around.  Instead, she let his authoritative air wash over her.  One of the benefits of being the Alpha’s mate was the ability to stand her ground.  Had she been any other wolf, her failure to cower and lower her eyes or show throat would have been considered a challenge, but she knew Evander’s wolf merely watched their exchange lazily.  He knew there was no challenge here, and even if there were, it’d be sexual in nature.

“Bethany!”  Evander warned on a low rumble.

“Where would I go?” she challenged.  Charin was still here, somewhere in the compound.  No doubt dealing with a pig-headed male of her own, which meant that the other two of Bethany’s pack mates were somewhere in the area.  If she wanted, it’d be easy to spring Charin and be on her way with her pack.  Evander must have known it too, because for the briefest of moments, she saw worry flash across his handsome features before it was quickly hidden behind the mask of his anger.  Truth was, she not only needed to stay…she
wanted
to.

Bethany finally sighed in defeat, giving up her anger.  “I can’t leave, Evander.  Where would I go?  I can’t go back home.  Not like this.”  She swept a hand down her body.  “I don’t even know what I am.  I need Royce…” her voice faded when Evander’s body tensed and a growl escaped him.

“I need Royce to help
you
,” she hurried on quickly, “fix what’s wrong with me!  I can’t fix this, and Royce is the only one who seems to know what’s going on.”

Evander watched her somberly for long moments before finally nodding and speaking to Royce.  He kept his gaze on Bethany.  “How do we get the venom out?”

“There’s only one way.”