Chapter 33 – Retribution

--------------------------------

            “NO!” Xiu’s legs couldn’t carry him fast enough toward the edge as he watched Emma and Calvin disappear into the darkness.  His heart stopped as he instinctively knew he would never make it in time to save anyone. 

            Ming and Deng rushed to stop Xiu before their beta could go over the cliff, bodily slamming into their friend, crashing to safety and away from the edge.    Ming was out of his pelt in less than 2 seconds, trying to keep Xiu from doing anything rash.  “Don’t!  There’s nothing you can do.  You can’t save them.”

            Heart in his throat, pain in his heart, the screaming of agony in his head, Xiu felt his entire world crash around him and didn’t give a damn about it.  All he knew was that he had failed and his sister had paid the price. 

            “Xiu,” Deng grabbed his Beta Leader’s shoulder and gave it a firm shake.  They weren’t out of danger yet and they couldn’t afford to slack.  “Xiu, come on.  We need you to focus.”

            “Have a heart,” Jie said quietly as he shifted out of his pelt, having dealt with the last of the jackals.  “Give him a moment.” 

            “We may not have a moment,” Deng said as he faced the woods again.  They were trapped by the cliff if more enemies showed up.  The rain and winds weren’t in their favor right now.  Even without the extra senses, it wasn’t hard to feel the movements in woods.  The night was far from over and the full moon hasn’t even reached its peak yet.

            “Come on Xiu,” Ming said quietly by his friend.  “I know it hurts and I can’t imagine what you’re going through.  But the pack is in danger and we need to get back to the inn and Ella.  You have another sister that’s counting on you.”

            Xiu took a breath and forced back the pain.  Ming was right.  He can grieve later.  Right now; the pack was more important.  “I need…. I need to transmit the news.”

            “I’ll do it,” Jie offered.  It’d be cruel to make Xiu do it.

            “No,” Xiu shook his head, grateful to his friend.  “It’s got to come from me.  Kai won’t accept it if it doesn’t come from me.”  And he needed his brother to stay with Ella.  They’ve already lost too much tonight and he wasn’t about to lose more.  Shifting into his black wolf, Xiu raised his head to the moon and placed all the pain and sorrow in his heart into the howl that ran long and loud into the night. 

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            Wes turned, startled by the sudden call that rang across the valley.  It wasn’t the words in the message but the emotions behind it that arrested his attention.

            “What is it?” Fei asked, never lowering her weapon.  She squinted into the rain-fogged night, trying to see into the darkness. 

            Kristen stayed silent, shifting a little closer to Fei as the wail hung in the air like a death knoll. 

            “Friend or foe?” Fei wanted to know.

            Shifting out of his pelt, Wes met her troubled eyes.  “Friend but…” 

            “What does it say?”

            He shook his head, trying to push back at the insistent pull from the moon.  He haven’t felt the pull this strong since his first shift and Fei’s distractingly sweet scent wasn’t helping any.  “The message doesn’t make sense to me; it’s probably Beta Code.”

            “What’s Beta Code?” Kristen wanted to know as she averted her eyes.

            Fei didn’t though, she was openly watching Wes as he search the air.  “Beta Code delivers a message fast without extra explanation.  Like football play calls.  Only a beta in our pack would know what the code meant.”

            “Whatever it is, can’t be good,” Wes looking toward where the message came from.  “There was way too much pain in it.”

            Exchanging quick glances, Kristen nodded, “Then I think we need to get a move on. “

            “Yeah,” Wes agreed grimly, resisting the pull of the hidden moon.  “Let’s go.”

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            Pets paused in getting into the car that Nick and Bass were ushering her and Bernice into urgently.  The howl that rang across the valley had a familiar ring to it; almost as if she recognized the sender – and the pain she felt in that voice. 

            “What is it?” Bernice asked, leaning slightly on her mate.  Her head was clear of the drugs but her body still felt some of the effect, an strange pressure she couldn’t ease. 

            Nick traded glances with his brothers as he helped Nicie into the car, reluctant to release his hold on her.  None of them said a damn word.  There wasn’t much to say. 

            Wayne looked at the other betas, trying to decipher the unspoken words there.  He didn’t know the codes yet, too new to have been given all the run down.  But he recognized the tone in the message: something had gone terribly wrong.

            “Guys?” Pets looked at their unresponsive face, already knowing that answer to her question.  “Is everything okay?”

            Bass answered with a quick, “No.”

            “Let’s get back to the inn before moonrise,” Nick ordered as he shut the door to the car and shifted into his wolf.  The night was about to get a lot uglier. 

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            Simon’s head came up as the howl reached him and he paused his evisceration of the jackal he had trapped between his grizzly bear and a big elm tree.  A father knew his son’s voice and even without the message, he heard the agony.  His steely blue eyes went dark for a moment, his pain so deep it pierced the cold armor of the untouchable Alpha.  He let out a roar of anguish that echoed through the whole valley, setting off car alarms and alerting even the normals to the dangers outside their spectrum.

            The pack followed suit with cries of sorrow and anger as the attack was renewed with fever pitch.  It didn’t matter what the cause or reason, pack was pack.  And you don’t mess with pack.    

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            Lily Tien Chen turned at the howl and shifted out of her white wolf, her glittering blue eyes flickered in pain as she lost control of herself for a moment.  She prayed for a moment that the message she heard was wrong, that she had somehow garbled it in the fight.  But then the roar came… so full of pain and rage and she knew. 

            Her little girl was gone. 

            And for the first time since the death of her True Mate, Lily wept.

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            Kai’s head snapped up as the first howl reached him.  He’d recognize the voice anywhere but the message…   He didn’t react, trying desperately not to.  But the roar and chain of howls that followed made it undeniable.   His face was stoic; holding himself perfectly still, as if carved from stone. 

            “What is it?” Ella asked as she struggled to stand, watching her brother’s unmoving face.  The bandages around her middle was stiff with thickness and the one at her shoulder was hindering her movements.    

            Jing was watching her mate with concern as her hands slowed in packing away the first aid kit, not liking the way Kai wasn’t reacting.  It reminded her too much of Nick when he didn’t want to share bad news.  “Kai…”

            Chun frown, listening to the message that was being passed along the howls.  “What is that?”

            Sam ran into the living room, shifting out of his pelt as he entered, skidding to a halt.  “I can’t find Fei.  Is it…”

            Kai silenced him with one hand and shook his head.  He took a breath, forcing the tightness in his chest down, and looked his sister in the eye.  “Ella…” his voice broke with that one word and he felt his throat close.  He thought he could do this – but he couldn’t. 

            He just wasn’t strong enough for this. 

            Ella could see it, knew what it was, but she needed it said.  It wasn’t real until someone said it.  Turning to Chun, “What did the message say?”

            He didn’t need to understand the message to know it now and Chun saw no need to make it worse.  “Ella, maybe…”          

            Turning to Sam, “What did the message say?” she repeated in that tone that was to be obeyed. 

            Sam swallowed the fear in his heart and nodded his head in understanding.  He’d want to know for sure if it were him.  “The message was: the ghost has vanished.  I don’t know what that m…” He stopped, seeing the stricken look on Ella’s face. 

            Lips quivering and eyes filling, Ella leaned against the wall and told herself to take a breath for she had forgotten how to breathe.  It didn’t take a genius to connect the ghost reference.  Every inch of her hurt from the inside out, as if every cell in her body suddenly expanded and had nowhere to go.  She choked on her own breath trying to contain the pain. 

            Grabbing at her quickly, Chun held her tight as if trying to keep her from shattering.  “Let it out,” he whispered urgently, “Just let it out.  You don’t have to be strong.  You don’t have to do this alone.”  Pressing her face into his shoulder, Ella let out a muffled scream of sheer and utter devastation – it hurt to hear it. 

            Jing felt her eyes tear but she pushed back the pain as she reached for Kai, not sure how she could help when he looked so completely broken by the news.  “Kai?”  But he didn’t react, merely sat staring into nothingness – as if someone had stolen all the life in him.  When he didn’t even react when she touched his face, she felt a fusion of alarm go off in her.  “Kai?  Kai, please say something?” 

            Lost in his own pain, Kai couldn’t even register his mate’s voice. 

            The roar that reverberated through the valley suddenly arrested their attention.  And answering howls and roars brought them all to their feet, Kai included. 

            Feeling the sudden fear, Jing held tightly to Kai’s arm.  “What was that?”  She had felt almost a compulsory urge to obey even though she didn’t know it said. 

            “A call to arms,” Kai answered quietly, feeling his mind come back to his body, forcing him to feel the physical pain of loss.  “Father is wants all intruders wiped; total annihilation.” 

            “Tonight?” Chun asked urgently.

            “Tonight,” Kai confirmed with a nod.  He still felt heavy with loss, his eyes so dead that they looked like hollows on his face.  “Full pack.”

            “Except you,” Chun replied sternly.  The others stared.  “You go out there the way you are right now and you’ll get yourself killed.”  He watched Kai’s eyes, so full of pain and didn’t even see a flicker of response.  Kai didn’t care anymore – was hurting too badly to care about anything, even his own life.  “You really think that’s what Emma would have wanted for you?”

            Jing felt cold.  So cold she could literally throw up.  She looked at Kai’s dead eyes and saw nothing of the man that had infuriated her, , scolded her…. and protected her.  It was as if he  was gone…. and the thought scared her like nothing else could.  Taking a breath, she grabbed Kai by the shoulder, forcing him to look at her, really, really look at her.   When there was no reaction, she pulled back and slapped him as hard as she could with a clap that resounded through the room.  He blinked at her, barely moving as he stared back at her.  “WAKE UP!” she screamed into his face.  She pulled back and tried again, only he caught her hand before it could connect.   “You’re not the only one that lost her.  And she’s not the only one that needs you!”

            Kai stared at her, as if his mind was trying to register her voice and words. 

            “Kai!” Jing shoved him in the shoulder.  “We’re still here,” glancing at Ella on the ground, looking at her brother with a face full of tears.  “We still need you.”  She stared at him, watching him watching her.  “I still need you.”  She just wanted a reaction; any reaction.  Something to tell her that he was still there.  “I’m your mate.  You’re suppose to protect me; help me through my first change.  You need to be here and be…”

            “She said we’re going to have beautiful babies,” Kai said quietly, almost reflectively.  “She already knew.”

            Jing didn’t even know how to react.

            Leaning in close, Kai took a moment to breath in his mate’s scent and take comfort in her presence to ground himself before he kissed her on the lips and held her tightly.  “I’ll be back for your first change; I promise.”  He looked at her slightly dumbfounded face.  “And it took you long enough to acknowledge the fact that you’re mine.”

            “You…”

            “Take care of Ella,” he instructed and turned to his sister, kneeling to her.  “I’m sorry for just now; I needed a moment,” reminding himself that she was still there.  “I’m going to get those bastard and I’m going to make sure they pay.”

            Ella shed another tear.  “Kai, I…” she didn’t even know how to tell him; didn’t know how he’d react.  “I don’t have my visions anymore.”

            There a loaded and painful pause.  “You’re my sister.  You’ve always only ever been my sister.”  He touched her head gently, a warm touch he seldom ever allowed.  “I’m always going to protect you.  I’m sorry if I’ve ever gave you doubt otherwise.”  She acknowledged it with a nod and he gave her a rare hug before turning to Chun – though he knew where the man stood with his sister, he didn’t acknowledge it, now wasn’t the time.  “Secure the inn and protect these two.  You’re still not official so you don’t have to…”

            “I’m coming,” Chun replied quietly, offering Ella only silent conviction. 

            Kai nodded and looked at his sister and Jing.  “You guys going to be okay on your own?”

            Jing gave him a look of annoyance, relieved and resigned at the same time.  “Get going; we’ll be here when you get back.”

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            The night air was saturated in violence and the deep rooted sense of retribution.  The wolves were out for blood and the cougars and jaguars were there to back them.  Those that hadn’t understood why the normally calm and conservative Simon Chen had been elected Alpha of such a thriving pack saw that night the power behind the man.  There was no mercy, no leniency, no give whatsoever; nothing but razor sharp determination and desire for complete and total destruction.  Simon lead his pack through town then upward into the northern woods, chasing the enemy into hunting grounds.  The fury of the Alpha spurred his pack on as he shifted effortlessly from one predator to another, covering a range of dangerous animals no one wanted to cross paths with – showing off the truly frightening power of a Pure. 

            The hyenas learned quickly that there was simply nowhere to run.  Even with the wind and the rain hindering the hunt, the wolves were in no way slowed as ran down their quarries, they didn’t even bother to stalk their prey.   They weren’t interested in hiding their intent, or even bother with subtly.  They wanted their enemy to know they were coming; and that there would be no escape.  To know that that this ends here, tonight; with their death. 

            Kai took to the night, howling for his betas as he, Chun and Sam came sweeping down from the North like raining furies.  Nick, Bass, Wayne, and Mickey send Pets and Bernice into the inn in a hurry and raced to joined their betas lead in moving into the woods with the wind at their backs.  The wolves that had chased their friends back to sanctuary join them as they began their downward swing into the woods, back lite by the raging storm howling overhead. 

            Xiu heard his father’s call to arms from the Southeast.  Forcing down his pain and letting his father’s rage fuel his own as he began his hunt toward the village.  With every step he felt his own wrath grow; feeling the injustice of it all.  Emma was an innocent; she never asked for any of this.  And yet, she always ended up paying the price.  It wasn’t fair.  It wasn’t right.  And as her brother, Xiu was no longer going to stand for it.  He called for his brethren as he, Jie, Ming and Deng sweep in from the East side, picking up other wolves as they went on the attack.  Each step, each battle fed their memories of loss and pain and grew with their fury.  The hyenas that were caught up in their sweep, unable to pick up the scent with the wind moving in the opposite direction, were met with deadly force. 

            The cougars and jaguars swept in from the west, heading both north and south to cut off any retreat that might have been left to the fleeing hyenas still trying to outrun their fate.  Spurred on by their own impotent fury at having their territories invaded, the big cats were given their own reason for retaliation.  And they were more than willing to help their allies in a fight. 

            As the moon crest over the sky, playing a quick game of peek-a-boo between the fast rolling clouds that continue to flood the valley, the Three River Wolves dealt a swift and complete execution to their enemy, leaving no one to spread tales of what occurred in those woods.  Before the full moon reached its peak, the hyenas were no more. 

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

            Emma came awake in shock, coughing freezing water from her labored lungs.  She jerked about a moment, completely disorientated and verging on panic.  The rain and river water soaked her to the bones and it took a moment for her to registered how cold she was and begin to shiver uncontrollably from head to toe.  Terrified and more than a little shell-shocked,  she looked around for something to ground her.

            And found herself tied to a tree with rope.  Confused now, she instinctively shrugged helplessly for a moment before training and reason kicked in. 

            Taking a breath, she forced herself to focus… and found Calvin chained to a stake on the ground a hundred feet away.  and bleeding from more than a few wounds, Calvin looked worse for wear and unconscious.   And very, very familiar. 

            Turning slowly, Emma recognized more than just a few things from the set up around her.  The tight rope around her torso and legs.  The gashes of wounds at her side that she can’t quite feel yet but was obviously going to hurt like hell later.  The dark chains around Calvin’s ankle that could hold a human but not a shifter.  The storm overhead and the almost full moon… 

            The dawning horrible sense of déjà vu. 

            The soft growl from the left told her everything else she needed to know as she slowly turned her head.  The brown wolf was small, wiry like a cage fighter.  The rain matted its fur and outline the leaned muscles of a runner that didn’t fight but could if he had to.  The tuffs of darker brown-black fur around his neck and jaw made him appear deceptively smaller, blending him into the dark woods behind him.  His flashing yellow eyes was the only part of him that appeared clearly in the rain.

            She flinched instinctively when the brown wolf leapt toward her, sharp jaw snapping at her a second.  Even knowing her fate wasn’t at an end here yet, she couldn’t help the small cry of fear that escaped her lips as she shut her eyes and turned from the attacking wolf. 

            “I’m not to hurt you,” was the next thing she heard when she felt not teeth on her.  “I should actually be thanking you.  You’ve managed to make things a lot easier on me.” 

            Opening her eyes slowly, Emma turned to face the rather mild manner looking man crouching next to her now… completely .  He was making a bit of an effort to keep himself at least somewhat modest; a habit Emma’s noticed that the North Thumberland guys seem to have as well.  “Why…. Why are you doing this?” she pulled against the bounds.  This guys knew better than the mercenaries; her hands were looped around the same ropes that kept her against the tree.  There was literally no slack for her to use. 

            “I’m sorry,” he looked sincere as he tugged gently at the ropes, loosening the ones that were digging into her arm, rubbing the delicate skin there raw.  She had enough wounds on her already to not need more.  “You have only Calvin to blame for this misfortune.”

            “What does he have to do with this?” even though she already knew.  It wasn’t hard to guess.

            “Did you know he killed a woman back in North Thumberland?”

            Forcing herself to calm, Emma relied on her usual seer’s shield when dealing with men.  “You mean the girl that thought she was his true mate?”  she watched him with steady eyes as the mild mannered man turned stormy with rage.  But unlike most men she’s be in contact with, this one contained himself, going icy cold with his anger.  She nodded to herself, “You knew her,” and mostly likely loved her. 

            “He told you about her, did he?”

            “No,” she didn’t see any reason to lie.  “He doesn’t say anything about anyone from back there.”

            “Then how did you…”

            “You don’t know who I am, do you?” maybe there was still a chance to thwart the path. 

            The man shook himself, divesting himself of any regrets or hesitation.  “No; and I don’t care,” he stood and walked over to Calvin.  “All I know is he cared nothing about Genie even though she loved him more than her own life.  And yet he took a dive off a cliff and waterfall to save you.”  He stared at her  as if trying to discover what was it about her that would inspire such sacrifice in his rival.  After a moment, he lifted a pouch and withdrew a vial.

            “What’s that?” she had a horrible feeling.

            “It’s an anti-inhibitor,” he explained to her as he popped the top and poured it down an unconscious Calvin’s throat, causing him to choke awake.  “It’s derived from the herbs used in the mating rituals. Much more effective though; and much more potent.”

            Emma shook her head in denial at what it meant – there was no avoiding fate.  “You’re doing this in retribution for a mistake?”

            “A mistake?  A mistakes?!?” his face was gray with fury.  “He killed her and he didn’t even have the decency to stick around and face the consequences.”

            “It wasn’t his fault.” 

            Shifter eyes like burnt gold rounded on her.  “WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!?  Who the hell do you think you are!” 

            “Leave her out of this, Nylon,” Calvin choked out as he turned and coughed the rest of the river water and other concoctions out of his lungs.  “She’s got nothing to do with this.”

            “I beg to defer,” Nylon replied, cold as ice.  He was watching Emma was renewed interest.  “She became part of this the minute she got involved with you.”

            “She’s innocent!” Calvin insisted as he struggled to get up, every movement pulling at his half healed wounds across his chest and legs. 

            “Innocent people die all the time, Calvin,” Nylon argued indifferently, “You should know that better than anyone.”

            “You don’t want to do this, Nylon.  There are more at stake here then you know,” Calvin begged, shaking his head like a wet dog as if trying to clear his head.  “Please don’t do this!”

            “I’m afraid it’s not longer up to me,” Nylon said as he backed away from the pair.  He looked at Emma with glittering eyes, “Your fate was sealed the moment you crossed his path.”

            Emma shook her head slowly at him.  “Our fates are what we make of them.”

            “Tell that to the Moon,” he said determinedly before he looked at Calvin again.  “The Alpha sends his regards.”

            Calvin’s eyes were feverish bright with barely suppressed rage as he stared back, “Tell him I’ll see him in hell.”

            Nylon stared for a long moment as if assessing something before he nodded and gave them one last glanced and shifted back into his fur and took off, pushing hard to get out of pack territory as the full moon rises overhead.  He would have to get out of the valley before he had a safe place to run on this very dangerous night. 

            Shivering hard enough to rattle her teeth from both the rain that continued to fall and the fear of the inevitable, Emma started to struggle with her bonds.  Even having seen what's to come, she still struggled with it – she had to get out of there. 

            "Emma…" Calvin's voice was weak from pain.  "Emma, you need to go."  The chain rattled.  "Can you get put of that on your own?"

            "No," she answered, her voice taking on the tone of her fears.  "I don't… (pant)  I'm…. (pant) I'm trapped."  Her voice hitched and she felt herself shiver uncontrollably but no longer feeling the cold.  She was scared; terrified even.  Fate was hard to accept sometimes. 

            The chains rattled harder as Calvin struggled with it.  He looked at the full moon, fear dancing across his already shifted eyes.  "Emma, you have to get out of here right now.  I'm…. I don't think I can control this."  If he shifted, he could lose control.  But if he didn’t, he couldn’t get out of the chains.  There was no winning here. 

            Her bottom lip quivered as she pulled at the ropes.  "I know…"  And felt the first real tear fall from her eyes, mingling with the rain that continued to fall.  She fought, twisting as best she could, feeling the rope burn as it pulled against her wound, bleeding her of strength.  The scent of her own blood choked her as she struggled against both her rising panic and the ropes that bound her.        

            “Come on… Come on….” She strained harder, watching the rope turn red as it soaked up more blood than rain.  She couldn’t even feel the pain anymore as she fought against the bonds. 

            The howl came broken, raw from shifting vocal cords as it morphed.  It was a painful sound, so full of angst and terror – fear for her.   Like in her dreams and visions, she knew she would never make it.  He was literally transforming before her very eyes; the wolf breaking open the human flesh that tried to tame it.  The rumbling growl grew deeper as his chest expanded and his body shifted and broke out of his torn wet clothes. 

            The chains that his human self couldn’t budge, snapped like dried twig with a sickening clank as Calvin lost his battle to his Shifter.  It started the gasp of surprise from Emma, arresting the wolf’s attention.  He stared at her with glowing eyes vacant of the human intelligence, and then growled low and dark.  The wolf was in charge now; gone was the man that had begged her to run. 

            Emma turned her head, unable to watch as the shifter drew closer with a menacing growl, a predator with the scent of his pray in his nose.  She prayed; prayed that the end would come quickly and painlessly, that she wouldn’t disgrace herself by screaming.  She didn’t want that to be in his memories when the drug wore off and the man within finally surfaced again.  It wasn’t his fault… and she didn’t blame him.  If anything, she felt pity for the gentle, kind soul that had to go through this… twice. 

            She felt more than heard his approach, the silent steps of a hunter.  Tensing with very real fear, she bit her lip hard to keep from making a sound as she felt the warm breath drift over her cheek before she felt the canine teeth against her skin.  The sound of the straining growl sent shivers up her spine. 

            The sudden crack of wood startled her and she turned to see him much too close.  Eyes like burnt ambers held steady on hers as the wolf slowly receded and Calvin’s face appeared once more, panting for breath.  She looked up when chips of woods touched down on her shoulder and saw that he had imbedded his claws into the tree next to her head, a feeble effort to keep the deadly sharp ends away from her.  He was fighting it…. He was actually fighting the Moon.

            “How are you…”

            “Run,” he growled with great difficulty, his voice shifting between animal and human. 

            Because she’s not stupid, Emma started to move… and forgot she was still tied to the tree.  “I can’t…”  She pulled against the ropes harder, bleeding the wounds at her side.  “Help me.”

            Calvin suddenly roared in her ear, his control slipping a moment as he caught the scent of her blood that overwhelmed his senses.  He surge forward suddenly, jaw opening to snap at her neck.  Emma screamed in reaction and flinched just as he jerked his head away and nipped the edge of her shoulder without breaking skin before planting his sharp canine teeth into his own forearm, tearing flesh. 

            The exertion to defy his instinct takes a horrific physical toll – even without the wounds.  He was literally crying in agony. 

            And Emma cried too as she watch him struggle, cried for his pains, barely in control but wrestling the reigns from some greater force.  She couldn’t imagine the kind of absolute will power it took to resist, not only the moon, but the drugs that coursed through his system. 

            It took three tries on his part but he finally cut through the ropes with his half formed claws.  Shoving Emma away from him as he did, trying to hold back the animal that threatened her as he crawled away.  Calvin could barely stay above the pull of the moon, threating to drown his human side.  “Go,” he clawed at the ground, anything to keep the shifter at bay.  “Hurry!”

            Moving like a slug through gelatin, Emma scrabbled on hands and knees and barely got three feet when she heard the wolf again.  Calvin cried out in terror as his whole body morphed and he was pulled under by the shifter; snuff out the very human side that had been desperately trying to escape. She knew it was inevitable but she still made an effort to move even as she felt the wolf turn and gave chase.

            He landed on her back, crushing her under him as he growled his warning at her.  But she wouldn’t, couldn’t, stop struggling and shrieked when his teeth clamped around the back of her neck, drawing blood from the tender skin. 

            And then… nothing.

To be continued….

------------------------------------------------

Author’s Note:  I had hope to finish this story before the end of the year but as usual, life got in the way. This has been a very roller coaster like year for me and there’s been a lot of changes to my life right now.  I truly apologize for the long delays between chapter but I’m trying my best.  I will finish this story and not leave it dangling; I promise.  Merry Christmas everyone, and I hope everyone has a Happy New Year.