Embracing the Wolf - Book #2 (Anna Avery) Read online

  “Don’t care,” he said, and headed toward the next door. The three of us followed him and I caught a glimpse of the woman before the man slammed the door. Her head was down, her face slack.

  That could have been you. My inner voice said. I slid a glance at Adam but his eyes were on the next door. In the beginning Adam offered himself to me, but he was still mated to Eve. Had I given in, I would have become his mistress. I’d fought tooth and nail from lowering myself to that, but I had to wonder if Eve was still alive and Adam and I weren’t bonded, would I have eventually given in?

  I shook the thought away. I knew the reason I finally gave in to Adam was because we were each other’s other halves. We had been drawn toward each other from the first moment we laid eyes on each other. Had we not been chantes, there was no way I would have become the other woman. I knew that just as sure as I knew we were not going to find the vampires are this motel.

  So, I was right, and we didn’t find the vampires, but we found evidence of their presence in the form of two dead bodies. By the time we made it to Room 12 the stench of death was so strong, Wade didn’t bother with knocking. He kicked the door down only for us to find a man and a woman sprawled on the bed with two puncture wounds in their neck and wrists. With all of their blood gone, their complexions resembled a grayish, waxy hue. Their wide dead eyes stared up as though caught in the last moments of their death. Blood dotted the blankets and carpet like macabre confetti, and one of the women’s hands still clutched the sheets.

  “Vampires aren’t normally this stupid,” Wade said, walking around the bed to inspect the dead bodies.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “They kill to eat, right?”

  “Vampires don’t need to kill to eat,” Adam answered. “A few sips here and there will sustain them. What Wade means is that vampires don’t leave bodies with traces of vampire attacks out in the open for humans to find.”

  “Maybe it’s a message,” I said. “They knew we were coming, knew we would find these two.”

  “Perhaps,” Wade said, “but we already knew they wanted to kill you. What’s killing two humans and leaving them for us supposed to convey that we don’t already know?”

  I snorted. “You’re expecting me to explain vampire motives? Let’s just agree that they’re insane, and nothing they do makes sense.”

  Wade rested his arms on either side of the dead woman’s body and leaned down. In a swooping motion, he sniffed from her stomach all the way up to her matted blond hair. My lip curled up in disgust when he closed his eyes and remained poised over the woman. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one walked by and saw the four of us in a room with two dead people, much less Wade sniffing one of them.

  “We should—uh—leave before someone thinks we did this,” I said.

  Wade ignored me and said, “I would guess them to be dead for almost a day.”

  A thought occurred to me then. “The vision I had was right before the vampires appeared on our mountain last night. Maybe they picked up these two after the fight to feed off of and heal themselves.” I might have been reaching, but I didn’t want these two humans to be dead because the vampires were trying to send some cryptic message.

  “Makes sense,” Elle said, hugging her arms to her chest as she stared at the lifeless bodies. “Our best bet is finding who hired them. We find the employer, and we can find the vampires,” she added.

  “That means spending all night reading the wolves,” I said with a grimace. Of course I wanted to find the person responsible, but my visions were not guaranteed. I was still a little confused as to why it sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t.

  “Elle’s right,” Wade said, standing up. He withdrew his cell phone and began scrolling through his contacts list. “Anna, see if you can get a read on these two. I have to call someone to clean this up.”

  “We already know the vampires killed them,” I said. “Why do I need to read them?” Truth was, I wasn’t thrilled about touching a dead body—let alone two.

  Wade held his phone at his side and took a deep breath. “Because, you know as well as I do that visions tell more than who’s guilty. Maybe the vampires said something that will clue us into who is behind their being here.”

  I swallowed around the disgust and nodded. He was right, and finding answers was more important than my discomfort. I walked around the bed, the backs of my knees hitting the opposite mattress. With uneasy steps, I moved closer to the dead couple. They didn’t look older than their mid-twenties. As I looked upon them, I wondered if they had families, and a pang of hurt filled my chest. They would never know that these two died from a vicious vampire attack. I wasn’t sure how clean up worked in these situations. Would their families assume they were just missing, left to wonder where they were or what had happened, or did the clean-up crew have a witch or vampire on their payroll that could alter a human’s mind?

  “What are you waiting for?” Elle asked.

  I looked up at her and noticed her eyes shifted from me to the broken down door. Time was definitely of the essence in this case. I reached a hand out and clasped the woman’s wrist. Flakes of dried blood gathered around the puncture wounds. I ignored how cold she felt, as well as the bile rising in my throat.

  Within seconds, the present slipped away, and I was standing in the motel room from the past. The man and woman sat like zombies on the bed, their legs dangling over the edge. The vampire woman crawled onto the bed and drew the woman’s hair to the side to expose her throat. I stood so that I was facing the horrendous show head on.

  “If you’re watching, white wolf,” the vampire said, surprising me. “Their blood is on your paws.” And then she sunk her fangs into the woman’s throat. The woman didn’t scream or even flinch as the fangs drove into her flesh. A lone tear was the only sign that she was feeling anything. I watched it slip down her cheek until it splashed on her clasped hands.

  The female vampire withdrew her fangs, her mouth slick with a fresh coat of blood. She closed her eyes and let out a moan that sounded sexual. I cringed, backing up until my back hit the wall. Whatever reservations I might have had about being a werewolf, it could have been worse. I could have become one of these monsters. All in all, sprouting fur and paws was like winning the lottery in comparison.

  “We will leave a trail of bodies in our wake until you turn yourself in, Anna,” the vampire said. Her words sounded muffled as she spoke around the two large ivory daggers extending from her gums. When she struck the woman’s neck again, this time harder, I yelped. Taren joined in on the feat, lifting the woman’s wrist and burying his fangs in the soft skin there. Two more tears dripped from the woman’s eyes, falling soundlessly against her pale cheeks while her eyes stared forward.

  The worst part about having visions was that I couldn’t do anything. As much as I wanted to help the two humans, I couldn’t. They were already dead, and I was only here as a spectator, witnessing their savage deaths—helpless. No, not completely helpless; I could help these two by tracking down the monsters and running a stake through their hearts.

  A soft whooshing of air was my signal that the vision was ending. I kept my eyes locked on the two vampires and their feast, allowing all of the emotions I was feeling to surface.

  “I’m going to kill you,” I whispered the promise, not that the vampires could hear me.

  I blinked, and I was back in the present. Same motel room, except the two humans were now dead, and the vampires were gone. Nausea swam through my stomach, and I curled my lips inward to keep from vomiting. It didn’t help though; I could feel it rising in my throat. I turned and ran toward the small bathroom, making it just in time to puke into the dingy toilet. I wasn’t sure if the vision caused the sickness, or I was just disgusted by what I saw. Either way, I hugged the cool porcelain until I expelled everything in my stomach.

  A warm hand rubbed my back while another drew my hair away from my face. I knew it was Adam, but I couldn’t acknowledge him while on the verge o
f spewing again. Just having him there, trying to comfort me, helped settle my unease.

  When I sure I wouldn’t throw up anymore, I stood, turned on the faucet, and cupped my hands underneath to take a drink.

  “Did you see anything useful?” Wade asked.

  A rumble reverberated up Adam’s throat. “She’s sick,” he growled. “Give her some time before you start interrogating her.”

  I splashed water on my face and curled my fingers around the sink’s edge. Looking up, I found three pairs of eyes watching me through the mirror. My thoughts volleyed between keeping the information to myself and telling them. In the end, I decided telling them the truth was for the best.

  “They plan to keep killing until I turn myself into them,” I said. “They knew I might be watching and made sure to say that so I knew the repercussions.” I hung my head and closed my eyes as the last waves of nausea left my body. “I’m going to do it,” I added.

  The room was quiet for a couple moments until Elle spoke up.

  “You’re going to do what?”

  I looked up again, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “I’m going to turn myself over to them.”

  “Like hell you are,” Adam said.

  “Anna, don’t be stupid,” Elle added.

  “That’s what they want you to do,” Wade said.

  I gave a humorless laugh, knowing this is what telling them the truth would get me. It’s not like I expected them to be like, “Yeah, we think that’s a great idea.”

  I turned to face them. “They’re not going to stop, and I can’t let any more innocents die on my account. The quickest way to end all of this is to kill them, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” I pushed past the three of them, gave one last look to the dead couple on the bed, and left the room.

  “We need to talk about this,” Adam said as we got out of Wade’s SUV. A large group of werewolves were clustered around the yard. In our absence, Joe and Asher had made sure the wolfy games continued.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, pushing through the crowd. As I passed bodies, I realized everyone was looking at me, some with amusement, others with worry or pity. What the heck is going on?

  Adam curled his fingers around my bicep to stop me. I knew this wasn’t easy, his heart was in the right place, but the vampires wanted me—not him. I kept seeing the dead humans’ eyes staring lifelessly. I knew if I didn’t give myself up, those wouldn’t be the last dead eyes I saw.

  “Anna Avery,” a female voice boomed through the crowd.

  Adam stopped trying to talk to me, and all the surrounding wolves grew quiet. The crowd parted as Chloe walked toward me, a smirk on her face. Her eyes were bright with an elation I didn’t understand. When she stopped in front of me, she placed on hand on her cocked hip and smiled wide at me. My eyes wandered to the surrounding faces, and again I saw looks of anxiousness.

  “What the hell do you want?” I asked, crossing my arms.

  “Chloe,” Adam said, his voice hard. “Now is not the time.”

  “Oh, I think now is the perfect time,” Chloe said. Looking at me, she said, “Anna Avery, I challenge you.”

  Gasps rang out around the yard, while some people cheered. It took me a moment to understand what she was saying.

  “You want to … fight me … for Adam?” I couldn’t help the breathy laugh leaving my lips. My mind went through stages of shock, disbelief, and then understanding. Chloe was really challenging me to fight, and knowing her, it would be to the death. I stared at her with wide eyes, waiting for her to say it was a joke. Unfortunately, wolves did not joke about fights or politics. The gleam in her eye made sense now; she already expected to win, expected to get Adam. The emotion that hit me in that moment was indescribable, something akin to rage but much, much stronger. I had never been more pissed than I was right that minute.

  “Not for Adam,” Chloe said, “to claim my rightful spot.” Her eyes trailed over Adam, and my body literally shook with my anger. “Though, he’s not a bad prize either.”

  Adam stepped in front of me, his hands fisted at his sides. “You touch her, and I’ll kill you. I don’t care what clan you’re from. I’ll go to war with your family before I’ll let you challenge my Chante.”

  A body pressed against my right side, but I couldn’t look anywhere but at Chloe. My wolf was just beneath the surface, ready to maul her and turn her creamy skin into pretty ribbons of flesh.

  Chloe rolled her eyes at Adam’s threat. “You know very well you cannot interfere with an official challenge, Everwood, no matter who your family is.” Her eyes slid to me, a devious glint reflecting in her eyes. “What does it feel like to know your mate doesn’t even think you can defeat me?” she said to me.

  I rushed forward, ready to tear her apart. Strong arms banded around my waist and held me back. I kicked and thrashed against my captor’s arms, screaming for them to let me go. What really drove my fury over the edge was when Chloe threw her head back and laughed.

  “You’ll get your chance,” a man said against my ear. “Don’t let her make you look like a fool.”

  I don’t know why, but those words helped calm me down. I stopped fighting and sagged against the arms holding me for a moment before standing on my own and looking up at the person holding me. My mouth opened in surprise as I realized I was in Anthony’s arms.

  I smacked his hands. “Let go of me.” He obliged, but not before rubbing a small path against my stomach. I cringed and stepped away from him and toward Adam. I caught Sawyer’s eyes in the crowd. His face was white as his eyes zeroed in on my face. I moved my gaze to other faces, and they all looked the same. Everyone already assumed Chloe would beat me, and that pissed me off more. Okay, so maybe I was a young werewolf, and she was from a respectable clan, but a little bit of assurance would have been nice.

  “If you go through with this,” Adam said. “I will step down as the alpha of Everwood. Females cannot be alphas of their own pack. What will you do then, Chloe?”

  Chloe blew out a breath and pursed her lips. “If you’re the type of man who could abandon his pack, then I wouldn’t want you as a mate anyway. I’m sure there are more than a few willing fellas here that would take your spot.”

  “I won’t pledge myself to you,” Elle said, stepping forward.

  “Me either,” Joe added.

  “Or me,” Sawyer said, making his way through the crowd.

  This went on until almost every wolf in our pack vowed not to pledge himself or herself to Chloe. Out of twenty-five wolves, only five did not speak up. I didn’t hold their silence against them. From what I heard, changing packs was scary.

  “If a challenge is won, the winner owns the loser’s pack.” We turned our heads to see Maggie Everwood stepping through the crowd. Today, she wore a sage green pantsuit, and her blond hair was pinned up in its usual spot. “While it’s nice you all love and respect Adam and … Anna,” she said, coating my name with the disgust she felt for me. “You cannot deny a new alpha. That is our way.”

  “But I can,” Adam said. “You’ve stooped pretty low, but I never thought you would do this,” he said to his mother.

  Her eyes moved back and forth, a sign she was embarrassed her son had talked back to her. “Adam, I only want what’s best for you, and this … mutt … is not it.”

  “How dare you spout off what’s best for me,” Adam said. “You thought Eve was best for me, and she ended up killing innocent humans. Had it not been for us, she would have revealed our secret to the humans. I think it’s safe to say, you don’t know what’s best for me.”

  Maggie’s lips thinned, and her eyes squinted. “You will not talk to me like that. I will not argue over that wretched woman.”

  I wasn’t sure if she was talking about Eve or me. When her eyes flicked to me I got my answer.

  “Stop,” I said loud enough so my voice would carry. I stepped in front of Adam so that I was only a couple feet away from Chloe and Maggie. I fisted my hands and took
a couple deep breaths, eyeing Chloe with derision.

  “I accept,” I said, lifting my chin.

  More gasps and sounds of surprise echoed through the crowd. Chloe laughed as though she couldn’t hold in her excitement any longer. She wouldn’t be laughing for long.

  “I swear you have a death wish,” Elle said. “First, you almost hand yourself over to the Leaders when they accuse you of Eve’s murders. Then, you jumped out of my car to go fight Eve. Just an hour ago you said you were going to give yourself to the vampires, and now this?” She worked her long red hair into a sloppy ponytail as she paced the kitchen floor. When she stopped, she placed her hands on her hips and stared at me.

  “Do you realize what you just agreed to, Anna?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Pinning you for the allotted time is not going to satisfy her, Anna. She’s not going to stop until your heart does.”

  “Anna, you don’t have to do this,” Adam said. He sat at the table with me, along with Wade and Sawyer. No matter whose face I met, their eyes showed the same thing—worry. I didn’t know what was worse, being challenged, or no one having any faith in me.

  “I can do it,” I said, not for the first time.

  “I can have her killed in a half an hour,” Wade said. “I know people. No Chloe, no challenge.” He shrugged as though he was discussing the weather instead of having someone murdered. Even if that someone was Chloe.

  I propped my elbows on the table and rested my head in my hands. Closing my eyes, I tried to drown out their constant babbling about how stupid I was, or the many ways I could get out of the challenge. Right before I exploded on them, a voice saved me.

  “I can’t believe you guys.” I lifted my head to find Anthony leaning against the doorframe. He shook his head as his eyes circled around the room.

  “Instead of encouraging, Anna, you’re all scaring the hell out of her. You all treat her like a helpless child instead of the brave woman she is. When Adam was shot at the ceremony, it was Anna who leapt from the stage to hunt the attacker down, and when the vampires attacked in the forest, it was Anna who saved Wade.” Anthony snorted and walked farther into the room. “If you weren’t all flapping your gums, you’d see just how freaked out and pissed Anna really is. She doesn’t need you all breathing down her back.” He paused for a moment, meeting Adam’s eyes. “If she were any other wolf in your pack, you would not belittle her. You would be lifting her up with words of encouragement, getting her pumped for the fight. Did you ever stop to think how embarrassing it might be for Anna not to have your support, brother?” His eyes met mine, and for a few lingering moments we just stared at each other.