Chapter 2
Anthony paced relentlessly across the marble floor of his study. He ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration and anger. He knew he’d lost his temper when he killed Arthur and now he’d also lost his leverage for binding Jewel to him as his mate… not that it would stop him.
He’d meant for the situation to remain calm… but when Arthur had brought up Anthony’s father, the werewolf part of him had lost it. Now he’d be forced to use coercion of a different kind on his runaway bride. The only problem was, he had to find her first.
Someone knocked on the door and Anthony stopped pacing long enough to straighten his hair and clothing. He was the alpha, and with that came a certain measure of decorum.
“Enter,” he called out in a cold voice.
The door opened and one of his wolves stepped in, closing the door behind him.
“What did you find?” Anthony asked.
The pack member looked very nervous and cleared his throat. “I stayed behind just like you ordered to see if the priest came back to the church. I wasn’t there long when all hell broke loose at the church and in the graveyard behind it. People were showing up right and left, most of them coming out of nowhere.” He paused and swallowed nervously before adding, “That’s when I noticed Jewel was with them.”
“Then where is she?” Anthony demanded as he closed the distance between them with rapid strides. “Why didn’t you bring her back with you?”
The wolf backed away with panic in his eyes knowing bringing bad news to their alpha was never a good thing. “I couldn’t,” he shuddered.
Anthony’s hand abruptly shot out and grabbed the subordinate by the throat, lifting him into the air. “You’re a werewolf. Why didn’t you just take her?”
“She was surrounded by weres… too many of them,” the wolf explained, lifting his hands to try and alleviate some of the pressure around his throat.
Anthony’s hand tightened and his eyes changed to an eerie golden color. His brother had finally returned from Italy, he was sure of it. “Did I or did I not teach you how to fight another pack on your own? My brother should have been no match for you.” It was a lie. The wolf would have been lying in a ditch somewhere had he dared to fight Andreas Valachi.
“Wasssssn’t wooolvvesssss,” the wolf rasped out while trying to breathe.
Anthony snapped his attention back to the man he was strangling and jerked his hand away, seeing he’d almost killed him. “Who was it?” he demanded with barely suppressed fury lacing his voice.
The wolf lay prone on the floor trying to catch his breath. He scrambled up to his hands and knees before dropping his forehead to the cold marble floor. He bared the back of his neck showing submission to his leader and wishing he’d run when he’d had a chance.
“Cats… I smelled cats,” he said after a few seconds, “Cougars and jaguars... lots of them.” He lifted his head and saw Anthony’s eyes narrow threateningly. Quickly he added, “There was a cougar shadowing her every step. The place was crawling with vampires as well. Part of the church blew up, then a cop car showed up.”
Anthony stood there trying to reign in his growing anger. However, the longer he stood there, the more pissed off he became. His plan to retrieve his fugitive mate had been botched repeatedly by either his own actions or the actions of his ignorant subordinates.
He signaled his personal guards closer. “Take him down to the basement where he can simmer in his failure.”
The wolf sat up on his knees with a pleading expression on his face. He’d heard stories about the basement and what it contained. Some of the werewolves that survived the torture still had the scars on their bodies to show for it. He whined pitifully when his arms were taken up by the guards and he was pulled to his feet.
The guards didn’t look at his face nor did they say anything comforting or derogatory. If they had their way, they would have let him run. To them, Miss Jewel had every reason to run away from their Alpha. She was unhappy and, despite Anthony’s best attempts, would never love him. Living like this, thriving off the misfortune of others was not the true werewolf way… it was the Mob way.
At one time, they had protected mankind from the evil that threatened to overtake the world. Now, with the exception of a few tribes located in across the United States and overseas, they were the evil. It was no wonder humans made movies depicting them like rabid dogs bent on causing death and destruction.
Anthony followed his guards down to the basement and smirked when the young werewolf whimpered quietly. The mansion basement had been converted into a large, underground torture chamber that covered several thousand square feet. Chains hung from the opposite wall with manacles attached to hold a person upright against the cold stone.
Off to the right was a table covered with whips and riding crops of various sizes. A cauldron where a fire was burning had a few irons sticking out of it used for branding purposes, which Anthony had rarely used. Finally, on the wall directly across from that was a row of cells that housed a few occupants.
A few werewolves moved among the shadows readying more devices for a special guest who Anthony had been fortunate enough to obtain a couple weeks ago. They stopped and watched with curiosity when their alpha entered the chamber with his guards and a new wolf to discipline.
Anthony stood back as his guards shackled the wolf to the wall and waved them out of the way when they were done.
“What would you have us do, Lord Anthony?” the oldest werewolf asked.
“I want you to make sure to teach this one a lesson, Boris,” Anthony answered. “He failed to bring back my bride and he must learn that failure is not tolerated.”
Boris looked over at the boy and inwardly sighed. “He is only a boy.”
“Then he will learn early,” Anthony’s voice lacked emotion.
Boris lifted a scarred hand and waved two of the other werewolves over. They approached and ripped the back of the young wolf’s shirt open. Boris lifted one of the whips, a cat o’ nine tails, and cracked it in the air. The shackled wolf flinched making Anthony smirk.
Boris positioned himself about five feet behind the young one and snapped the whip forward. The young wolf screamed at the bite of the whip across his back. The screaming continued as Boris continued to strike the once unmarred skin. Finally, he stopped and another werewolf stepped forward with a large bowl of salt. More agonizing cries followed when the salt was thrown on the bleeding wounds.
The young wolf slumped against the wall believing the torture was over, only to scream again when the beating began anew… only this time two more whips joined it.
Anthony lifted his right hand so he could get a better look at it and frowned when he saw he would have to trim his nails again. Shrugging, he turned away from the beating and approached the cell furthest away from everything at the far end of the basement. A smile appeared on his face when the heavy chains rattled.
The man inside was suddenly on his feet and straining against the bonds trying to reach Anthony.
Anthony’s bad mood suddenly evaporated seeing the proud male inside. His smile widened as he thought of a way to get Jewel back into his arms and away from the cougars she had sought shelter with.
“I’m glad I only shot you once Micah… I may have a use for you yet.”
*****
Tabatha looked around the apartment she shared with Kriss and shivered. Usually she didn’t mind being alone but for many reasons, tonight it was very hard to handle. She looked out the window whenever she heard a noise thinking Kriss had come back. She’d thought she was fine when Envy and Devon dropped her off at home on their way to Chad’s, but now she realized just how much she needed the company.
Envy had asked her if she’d wanted to go with them just in case Envy needed a tag team effort to handle her brother. But, Tabby had thought maybe Kriss would have come home soon and she wanted to ask him what happened, so she’d turned her down… now she wished she hadn’t.
Thinking about Kriss led her to thoughts of Dean and how he’d acted at the church. She could still see the look on his face when he’d seen Kane.
Tabatha shook her head when the picture of Kane popped into her mind in a vain attempt to not think about him. Seeing him laying there dying had pulled at something deep in her heart and soul. She didn’t understand why but, the thought of him dying made her want to curl up in a ball.
“Get a hold of yourself,” she whispered to break the silence. “What you need is a distraction.”
Picking up the phone she decided to call Jason at work to catch up and see if anything unusual had happened since Kriss flew her all the way to Florida.
The phone rang three times before it was picked up.
“Forest Preserve, Officer Fox speaking,” a sexy voice recited.
“Hey Jason, it’s Tabby.” she smiled for the first time since walking in the front door.
“Tabby?” Jason cried and she heard something topple over, probably the chair because he was usually leaning it back in it at a dangerous angle on two legs. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Kriss kinda kidnapped me and Envy and took us to Florida for a few days.” Tabby answered. “I just got home and thought I’d call and see what I missed.”
Jason sighed, “Other than the normal weird stuff, you didn’t miss a lot. The only exciting thing that happened is the other night we got a call from a real whack job.”
Tabby smirked and sat down on her sofa. “Do tell!”
“Jacob and me were just sitting around, it was a slow night, and the phone rang. I picked it up and this guy was talking about seeing a jaguar chasing a cougar through downtown with a cell phone strapped to one of its legs.”
Tabatha couldn’t help it and started laughing. If she’d been in Jason’s shoes a couple weeks ago, she would have thought the same thing. “Oh damn,” she exclaimed.
“Tell me about it,” Jason said with a chuckle. “Jacob and I are taking bets on whether or not there will be any text messages on it when they find the critter.”
“Are you sure you’re not drinking any of Kat’s specialties?” she asked around her laughter.
“I do not drink on the job!” Jason exclaimed and Tabatha heard Jacob’s laughter in the background. “So when are you coming back to work?”
Tabatha shrugged, “I don’t know yet. I need a few more days and I got the vacation days to burn.”
“That’s cool, we miss you though. It’s just not the same without having a pretty face to brighten up the place. All I have now is Jacob, and he isn’t much to look at.”
“I’ve missed you guys too,” Tabatha said, and she meant it. “We’ll get together in the next couple of days.”
Jason was quiet for a moment and Tabatha instinctively knew what was coming. “How’s Envy?”
“She’s doing good too. Like me, she just needed a few days away.” She bit her lower lip when there were several seconds of silence.
“Is it true?” Jason asked.
“Is what true?” Tabatha inquired trying to sound clueless.
“Is Envy really dating Devon Santos?” Jason’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone a little tighter.
Tabatha sighed, she knew this was going to hurt Jason in a big way, but to a certain extent it was partially his fault. Someone that cute should never be so hung up on the one girl who thought of him as a best friend and brother.
“Yeah, it’s true.” Tabatha said softly. “I know she didn’t mean to hurt you. She does love you… ya know.”
Jason exhaled softly and Tabatha felt sorry for him. He’d chased after Envy for so long that she was the only girl he’d ever looked at. Now she was beyond his reach but Tabatha wasn’t about to tell him. That was Envy’s job.
“I know she didn’t,” Jason said after a minute. “I guess I should have gotten a clue when she didn’t even notice that I was flirting with her.”
“She noticed, Jason,” Tabatha said. “She just thought it would put a strain on your friendship.”
Jason hummed, “Yeah, I guess it probably would have but you can’t blame a guy for dreaming, right?”
“I can blame you for a lot of things,” Tabatha heard Jacob say in the background.
“You shut the hell up,” Jason growled playfully and Tabatha heard him slam the chair legs down in their right position. “Tabatha, I’ll call you later. The child here has decided to start throwing paper wads at me.”
Tabatha giggled and nodded her head, “All right, I’ll talk to you later.”
She hung up the phone and sat there for a moment before putting the phone back on the charger. Looking around the apartment again, it didn’t seem quite so lonely now. Jason would need her friendship now more than ever and being needed helped to make her feel more stable.
Standing up and stretching her arms over her head, she walked down the hall to her room. She got undressed and slipped into a pair of boy shorts and a tank top before sinking down into the cool, familiar softness of her bed.
This time she didn’t try to stop the scene from playing out in her mind as she drifted off to sleep. After all, she needed to decipher it and it wouldn’t go away until she did… so why fight it? She sank into the darkness of sleep still staring across the church and into Kane’s eyes.
*****
Jewel paced the expanse of Steven’s bedroom. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had taken to biting her nails, something she hadn’t done since she was a child.
“This is my fault,” she said softly trying to blink away the image of her father crucified above the alter of the same church he'd attended for most of his life. How many times had he prayed right there below where he’d died? She’d known Anthony was twisted but that was sadistic.
Steven watched the woman pace back and forth and could even see her lips moving soundlessly as she ranted within her mind. He reached out a hand and laid it on her arm soothingly in an attempt to calm her down. “Jewel, none of this is your fault.”
She narrowed her eyes on his hand then glared up at him. “You’re partly right. It’s just as much your fault as it is mine. And now that Daddy is dead, I don’t have to marry Anthony anymore and I definitely don’t have to stay married to you.”
Jewel turned away from him so his hand would fall. The last thing she needed right now was to be absolved of her sins… she was guilty as hell. She’d given Anthony the nails to crucify her own father.
Steven wouldn’t admit it but her words stung him deeply. He responded the only way he knew how at this point since she obviously didn’t want to hear words of encouragement or kindness.
“Do you honestly think Anthony will stop coming after you just because he killed your father?” Steven yelled. He knew he was right and that she wasn’t going to listen to a damn word of it.
“He killed my father… I was dancing with the devil because I wanted father safe and alive. If Anthony dares to come near me now, I’ll blow his damn head off.” Jewel felt so strange. It was like she was perfectly calm on the outside, but shaking like crazy on the inside.
She’d cried for hours but the anger had finally sobered her up. She’d shed enough tears. Now it was time to take back her life. She had formed a plan to set a trap for Anthony and she prayed Steven was right… that Anthony would come for her, because she’d be ready for him.
“I can’t let you leave,” Steven informed her. If she wasn’t going to protect herself, then as her mate… he would have to do it for her. He watched her red rimmed eyes turn and lock with his.
“Then you’re no better than Anthony and I will hate you for the rest of my life,” she said stubbornly. She wanted Steven to get mad at her, to throw her out and wash his hands of her. If he did that… then maybe Anthony wouldn’t kill him the same way he had her daddy. She didn’t want to be the blame for any more horrible deaths unless it was Anthony’s… she’d gladly take the blame for his.
Steven glared at her for a minute then flung open the door and stood aside. “Go ahead then. I’m offering to save your ass and you want to go all gung ho? Go on, and let’s see how far you get against something you don’t have the slightest idea of how to kill.” Steven smiled wickedly at her, “Just so you know, the movies are nothing but a bunch of bull.”
“I guess you’d know!” Jewel yelled back and took a few steps forward. Why was he still trying to save her? Didn’t he understand she would just get him killed?
Steven closed his eyes and looked away. “Yeah, I would know… wouldn’t I?” he mocked then looked back as Jewel tried to dart past him. Panicking, Steven caught her around the waist and pulled her closer, “Damn it, wait!” he conceded.
Jewel started to squirm against him so he pulled her tighter to his chest. “If you want to set him up then fine, but you can’t do it alone. Let us help you.”
Jewel pushed against his chest leaning back so she could look up at him. “Why? So you can be hung on a cross too?” She wanted to scream as the vision made its way into her mind’s eye. “I don’t want that to happen.”
She wasn’t sure what she felt for Steven but the thought of him dyeing like that was making her feel like she’d been stabbed in the chest. “If you let me go now, then he’ll have no reason to come after you.” She gripped the front of his shirt in her small hands. “You’ll be safe… and alive.”
“He’ll come after me anyway,” Steven informed her then traced his finger over the mating mark he’d given her. He smiled gently when he felt her shiver at his touch. “Like I said, this is real life. If you go back to him and he sees that mating mark, he’ll come after me regardless of what you say or do.”
Jewel leaned against the solid warmth he was offering and closed her eyes. She felt her anger fade in the safety of his arms and wanted to stomp her foot in frustration. The sadness of losing her father was starting to settle in again but she wouldn’t cry.
Steven wrapped Jewel in a reassuring hug. He couldn’t blame her for the way she was acting. If Anthony had just killed his father, then no force in this world or the next would be able to hold him back.
“Look, how about this?” he asked leaning back from her a bit and tilting her face up to his. “We’re having a meeting in the morning and everyone is going to be there. We’ll help you think of something better than just turning yourself over to him. Either way, with us you’ll have an army beside you. Without us, you’ll be facing an army of werewolves and no matter what you do… Anthony will have you.” He caressed her cheek as he searched her eyes, “And I don’t want Anthony to have you.”
Jewel lowered her head back to Steven’s chest and took a deep, shuddering breath. He was right. She didn’t want to be anywhere near that monster after wh at he’d done. She pressed her ear to Steven’s chest listening to his strong and steady heartbeat. How many times had he saved her from vampires, from Anthony, and now from her foolish self?
“Will you hold me tonight?” Jewel whispered knowing if he let go of her, the horror of the last couple hours would come back to haunt her. She looked up at him and locked her gaze with his steady one. Her lips parted in wonder as a streak of heat shot down through the center of her body.
How could he calm her rage and make her feel like she was on fire at the same time? She quickly looked away not wanting him to read her confusion.
Without answering, Steven lifted her in his arms, kicked the door closed with his foot, and strolled back across the room setting her on the edge of the bed. Pulling her shoes off, he quickly got rid of his own and laid down with her. He heard Jewel’s quick intake of breath as he pulled her against him so he could spoon his body around hers. It would still take time… but he would be damned if he let Jewel go that easily.
