The Somber Call (The Ariane Trilogy Book 2) Page 4

  “Ari, you misunderstand me. I want you badly, but now isn't the time. You're not ready. Only when you can accept me, my pack, and our bond fully, can we join together. Because once we do, the mating will be complete, and we’ll be together…for life.”

  The enormity of his words, and what I wanted to do, slams into me. I want him, that much is certain, but do I want this life? I love him, but am I ready to give myself over to him and everything that means?

  We lie on the bed, facing each other; Rion's thumb rubbing the inside of my left wrist. “My mark would be here,” he says quietly.

  Reaching up, I trace the skin on his chest. “And my name would be here.” He nods.

  When the mate bond is complete, each person is marked with the other's name or paw print. If it's two wolves mating, then each will receive the other's paw print. If it's a wolf and a human, the human will receive the wolf's print, and the wolf will get the human's name.

  I love him. Almost losing him and watching Cace die made me realize how short life can be. But I'm not ready to be tied to him forever. My head is a jumbled mess. If I'm going to enter into a permanent bond with him, it will be when I'm thinking clearly, not mourning the loss of someone or debating where I want my life to go.

  “You've had a lot happen to you since we met. Anyone would be second-guessing things if they were in your position,” he says.

  “You're not.”

  “I've known my entire life that I'm a wolf. I was raised by other wolves in a pack environment. This is all I know. But you were thrown into this world. I shouldn't be pushing you to understand it so quickly. It's the mistake I've made from the start. Now I see it was a selfish one. I wanted you to be on the same page as me; however, it's not possible. Not yet anyway.”

  “I don't think it's selfish. You’re following your instincts. Maybe if I followed my heart more, I would be in a better place.”

  “You follow it more than you realize. You went into a rival pack's home to save your friends. You ran headfirst into a fight between wolves. And you asked a vampire to give you powers so you would be stronger and get an edge up on our enemies. That's instinct, Ari. That's you knowing what needs to be done and taking care of it.”

  “Yet, I'm not sure how to handle the aftermath of my decisions.”

  “Trust yourself. You’re smarter than you realize.” I hope he’s right, because I feel anything but.

  5

  I'm glad I talked to Rion, though I’m still unsure what to do. If I'm honest with myself, I want to be with him. I love him, and I've never fallen in love with any guy before. To let it all go and return to what normal life I had before him would probably be impossible, but is being with him dooming him to death? I wish I knew what to do.

  We're still lounging on my bed, him shirtless and me loving every second of it. How can a girl think when a guy as handsome as him is lying before her bare-chested and completely in love with her?

  “You're not playing fair,” I tell him.

  Moving quickly, he pins my arms above my head and hovers over me. “Fair? You haven't played fair from the start. It's always me chasing you. Never the other way around.” I never thought about that. He’s right.

  “It's not like I dragged you into my world of crazy teenagers, who like to pick on me, and have me counting the minutes every day until I can get out of there. Where boys are mean, and girls are catty. Where the smarter you are, the fewer friends you have. Where the jocks rule the school, along with their popular girlfriends.”

  He frowns. “I don't like that. I thought it was getting better.”

  “It is, but I'm still a loner. I have two great friends and that’s it. Now Bray and I aren't as tight as we used to be. How can my world be falling apart, but at the same time making me feel like I'm finally where I should be?”

  “And where's that?”

  I don't have to say it's with him. He can feel it clear as day. If I based my decision on my feelings alone, there’s no way I could walk away from Rion. There’s more to it, however.

  Settling his weight on me, he uses his arms to hold himself up slightly so he doesn't crush me. “Next time someone bothers you, I want a name.”

  “No way.” He'll sic the pack on them and then everyone will be afraid of me.

  “Fine. I'll follow you to class every day. Would that be better?”

  “You can't! They'd know you're not a student.”

  “I look like a senior in high school. Plus, I can be very persuasive when I want to be.” I roll my eyes. “This is the Ari I love. The feisty girl, full of attitude.”

  “I love her, too, but she tends to go on the back burner when I'm upset.” There hasn’t been a lot I’ve loved about myself growing up. When I stand next to Paige, no one sees me. At least, not until Rion came into my life. But there was one thing I always had that I loved, and that was my personality. No matter what’s going on, I have that on my side.

  “So I've noticed,” he states.

  “Wait a second. You're trying to distract me with your manliness so I won't be sad and think about kicking you out.”

  “I never said I'd play fair when it came to you.” Wicked wolf. He goes stone-still. “Your mom's home.” Rion's car is parked out front. She had to have seen it.

  He jumps up like the bed is on fire, puts his shirt on, and we both throw on our shoes quickly. They got kicked off at some point while we lounged on the bed. Quick as a flash, I teleport us to the backyard, where we each take a seat in two of the white Adirondack chairs my parents have. We're smiling and having a fake conversation when my mom comes through the sliding door.

  “Orion,” she greets. “It's nice to see you again.” Her pitch-black hair is windblown from her car ride home. There’s no doubt she had the windows rolled down, enjoying the weather. It’s been slowly getting warmer.

  He stands and offers his hand. “You, too, Mrs. Sanderly.”

  “Would you like to stay for dinner? I've had stew cooking in the slow cooker all day and there's enough to feed the entire block.”

  “That's very kind of you to offer. I'd love to.”

  She smiles. I think he’s slowly winning her over. It helps that Rion is always polite when he's here. Little does she know, he spends his nights in the woods behind our house in wolf form.

  “Great,” she replies. “Dinner will be in about an hour.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I call out as she goes back inside, closing the sliding door behind her.

  “Psst,” we hear from the woods. Rion is immediately on his feet, his body blocking mine. “It's only me, wolf. You can put your claws away.” Ford.

  “Did you need to scare us like that?” I hiss as I walk toward the tree line.

  “I need Desmond.”

  My eyebrows furrow. “Why?”

  “Wake is sick. Something isn't right. He's shifted and I can't get him out of his wolf form. I’m usually pretty good at persuading shifters to change. Wake won’t listen. He's lying on my kitchen floor panting and unresponsive.”

  I move to snap my fingers, but Rion’s hand shoots out, stopping me. “You can't leave. Your mom is expecting us for dinner in an hour.”

  I'll fix this. Running inside, I tell my mom I forgot to give Paige something and let her know Rion and I are going to run to her place real quick. I assure her we’ll be back in time for dinner.

  Back outside, I find Rion alone but know Ford hasn’t left. I send them both a quick mental message that I’m going to try to get Wake to shift before bothering Desmond. I only want to involve him if absolutely necessary since I’m not sure how much bad blood is between the two of them. The pack doesn’t have warm feelings about Wake.

  Ford says he’ll meet us there then teleports home. Rion and I walk to the Jag and get in. Soon, we’re a few blocks from the house, pulling into the driveway of an abandoned house that’s been for sale for months. Rion parks the Jag around back, and I quickly take his hand in mine to teleport us to Ford's house.

  Landing in his
living room, I immediately run to the kitchen where I find Wake. His fur is snowy white and he’s panting hard. His eyes are shut like he’s sleeping.

  A moment before I bend down, Rion's arms are around me and he's pulling me back, growling in my ear. “You never run up to a hurt wolf. He might not recognize you and harm you.”

  “Did you forget I can heal myself? Unless Wake sits up and rips my head from my body, I'm good.”

  “He can!” his voice booms through the house. “Our jaws are our biggest defense!”

  I cock my head to the side, catching something else in his mind. He knows it, too, because his teeth clench. “You still can't forgive him?” I shout, unable to believe what he’s thinking. “Not after what he did to save us?”

  “He did that for you!” he shouts back. “Not me. Not Ford. But you.”

  “You've lost your mind.” I can’t believe he’s jealous.

  Rion’s eyes flash emerald green, letting me know his wolf wants to come out and play. “Have I? He's gone after someone's mate before. Why wouldn't he go after mine?”

  I get in his face. Well, I look up into it. I’m a solid six inches shorter than him. “It's not all about you, Rion!” Anger is rolling off of both of us in waves. I’m surprised Ford hasn’t butted in yet.

  “It never is, Ari!” Rion yells. “It's about you and your safety.”

  I throw my hands up. “If you don't move, I'm going to teleport around you. I'm checking on Wake, whether you like it or not.” He folds his arms and widens in stance.

  Fine. I snap my fingers, quickly put one hand on Wake as Rion spins in our direction, and snap again. Wake and I appear in the forest behind my house, but deep in it, not near the house. There's no one out here. No other wolves, and I'm not on anyone's territory. I had to get away from Rion so I could take a look at Wake. Not that I have any clue what I’m doing, but maybe I’ll be able to get him to shift. It’s worth a shot.

  “Wake,” I say gently, still crouching beside him. I nudge him. He doesn't stir. “Wake, come on. I need you to open your eyes.”

  Ford appears at my side. “If you don't get back there, your wolf is going to destroy my house, and I don't want him touching my stuff.”

  I don’t bother looking up. “Why didn't you just teleport him out of there? Take him home or something?”

  “Because I'm not that much of a jerk. Wake is his cousin, and regardless of what he says, you and I both know his hatred of Wake eased some after he went for help on our behalf. Although, Rion won’t admit to it. Now, bring Wake back, and I'll handle Orion.”

  “Fine,” I groan. In a flash, we’re back in the Outer Banks at Ford's home. My eyes immediately find Rion’s. “If you come near me, I'm going to move him again, but this time it will be where you can't reach me and Ford can't find me.”

  “I always know where you are,” Rion replies, and thumps the center of his chest where our connection lies.

  “We haven't tested how far that works yet. Australia sounds nice right about now.”

  He takes a step forward. “Don't you dare.”

  I stand, countering his move, putting myself between him and Wake. “Are you threatening me?”

  Ford whistles loudly. “Hey, paranormals! Remember why you're here!” Right. Freaking wolf and his way of making me forget everything else around me.

  I bend down by Wake's head and place my hand on the soft fur of his side. “Wake, it's Ari. Please get up.”

  “He's not eating,” Rion states.

  I look him over. Taking the tips of my fingers, I bring them over his side. Sure enough, his ribs are easily felt. They’re too prominent.

  “Has he eaten at all since he got here?” I ask Ford.

  “I don't know. I'm only here part of each day. He's a big boy. He can feed himself. There's food in the house.”

  Getting up, I walk over to the refrigerator, pulling the door open. There’s a bottle of ketchup, a bag of grapes, soy sauce, and a package of hot dogs. His taste in food is so odd. I also open the cabinets to find a can of ravioli, a box of macaroni and cheese, and strawberry jelly. This is one amazing assortment of food.

  “Are you serious right now?” I ask Ford. “He needs food.”

  “He can't eat when he's asleep.”

  “He's not asleep!” I yell. “He's malnourished. And did you ever think to ask if he wanted food? He's sad, all alone, and has no pack. You have to think, Ford!” I say, tapping the side of my head. How could he let him go without food?

  Ford stalks forward until he's standing before me, his grey eyes boring into mine. “I'm not a babysitter, Ariane. It's not my job to take care of him,” he seethes.

  “What happened between yesterday and today? You were all about having him here because he was alone like you.”

  “Everything can change in a day.” The anger coming from him is palpable.

  Rion steps forward and tries to come between us, but I grip Ford's hand in mine, teleporting us to the woods behind my house. Rion can look over Wake for a few minutes while I try to figure out why Ford is so angry. One problem at a time, and Rion will know better than me about Wake’s wolf.

  “What’s going on with you?” I ask Ford. “You couldn't see he was getting thinner?”

  “You didn't notice either.” I was only there for a short time last night. Ford has been with him longer.

  “Oh, come off of it. Don't put this on me.”

  “And don’t you do the same.”

  Turning, I start to pace. What is going on? Wake is starving. Ford doesn't care. Paige is acting like nothing ever happened last week. I can’t figure out if I’m staying or going regarding Rion. Everything is all screwed up.

  “I talked to Paige,” Ford states, reading my mind.

  I stop in my tracks. “What?”

  “She was upset the last time I saw her, so when you went home, I visited her. We talked for a while. I helped her see the bigger picture. I also may have bitten her.”

  “You what?” I scream. Ford lunges forward, placing his hand over my mouth. I forgot someone might be able to hear me if I yell. Yes, we’re in the middle of the woods, but you never know. He removes his hand.

  “She was upset. All I did was give her a little jolt of vampire juice. I didn’t drink from her or transfer any of my powers. After she came around, she perked right up.” He shrugs.

  “You're unbelievable!” I hiss.

  “I know, right? I do love me sometimes.” Ugh! This freaking vampire!

  “I want to scream at you right now. I’m so angry. You can’t go around biting my friends. And so help me, if you ever drink from one of them, I’ll spend the rest of my life finding ways to torture you.”

  His thought floats to me. “You already do that.” I don’t think it’s one he meant to send. Is he talking about his feelings for me?

  I shake my head free of the thought. “Why can’t you help Wake?”

  He steps closer, his boots crunching on fallen sticks. We’re almost touching. “Did it cross your mind that maybe he doesn't want to live? It's not easy killing a wolf, but one thing is for certain: they need food to live. Whether they hunt for it or cook it on the stove, they need to eat to survive.”

  “He's trying to kill himself?” Oh, no. I can’t let that happen. Wake has a good heart. He’s just in a tough situation right now. He must not think anyone cares about him. Ford doesn’t reply. “You're getting on my last nerve, vampire.”

  “And you've been riding mine since we met.”

  “Ugh!” I scream, not caring who hears me, and snap myself back to his home.

  As soon as I’m there, I find Wake and Rion in wolf form, squaring off in Ford's dining room. Dining chairs are knocked over. The table is splintered into a hundred pieces. Even the crimson painted walls have claw marks down them. Seriously? We were gone for two minutes.

  “What’s going on?” I yell, causing both their heads to snap to me. “Wake, I thought you were dying. And Orion, why are you fighting him? You know he's wea
ker.”

  He sends a message to me in a vicious tone. “Precisely.”

  Screw it. I’m pulling out the big guns. No one plays fair. Why should I? “If you kill him, I'll never forgive you.”

  He pauses. Those emerald eyes hold mine and flash blue. “You don't mean that.”

  “How many things do I say that I don’t mean?”

  He quickly shifts back into a human. His shifter magic keeping his jeans, black T-shirt, and black, military-style boots in place. Wake pads around the leveled dining room toward us.

  I block Rion. “You need to shift back,” I tell Wake's white wolf. “I'm not playing with you. I want to talk to you. If you won't, I'm taking you into the woods and making you hunt. I'll even find a squirrel for you to eat if I have to, but you’re not dying on me, and you’re certainly not going to continue this fight with Rion.”

  6

  “He can't shift back until he's eaten,” Rion tells me in a defeated tone.

  I turn back to him. “Why were you in wolf form? What happened?”

  “He woke up while you were gone, and my wolf came out. He recognized Wake as a threat who went after our mate.”

  “He didn't go after me! He helped me! He’s one of yours, Rion. He’s your blood.”

  “You can say that until you're blue in the face, but my wolf no longer recognizes him as one of the pack.”

  I start pacing the length of the room. “I can't deal with this,” I mutter. “We have to get back to dinner with my parents. Wake is on the verge of death, and Rion is jealous for no good reason. Who knows where Ford is?”

  “I'm right here,” he states from his place, leaning against the wall.

  “When did you get here? You know what? Never mind.” I stomp over to Wake and grip him by the scruff. With one snap, we're at the tree line of the forest behind my house. “Stay here. I'm going to go inside to find you something to eat. If you move one paw, I will hunt you down, and it won't be pretty. Do you understand me?”

  He snorts as if he’s laughing at me. Intolerable wolves and their attitudes.