The next time I woke up, I was on the couch and someone was standing over me tending to the wound on my forehead. I had never met the person but he cleaned my wounds with expert precision and care. I tried to open my mouth to speak but he shook his head in a silent plea for me to be quiet. My body ached all over and my eyes threatened to close again but I forced myself to keep them open.
Once he was done cleaning me, he stood to his feet and cleared his throat. "She is awake."
There was a flurry of movements then I felt Darius' presence beside me. He squatted next to me and reached out a hand to softly stroke my hair out of my face. His touch was comforting and that was when I realized I was still in his living room. Everyone was pacing and it took me a second to realize I hadn't been out for so long.
Most of them were already healed and I knew it was because of their werewolf healing. I tried to sit up and although Darius tried to stop me, I ignored him and made my way into a sitting position. My ribs protested but I needed to sit up for the conversation I wanted to have. I was not going to take a dismissal for an answer.
"What the hell was that?" I croaked out. I didn't realize how dry my voice was.
Darius snapped his fingers and immediately Jared rushed to his side with a glass of water which he handed to me. I gulped the water down greedily and the relief I felt was instantaneous. Darius watched me carefully as I drank as if worried that something was going to happen to me from the water.
I placed the cup beside me and turned back to him. "Who was that?"
"That was an army controlled by Faye," he explained and I muttered a curse under my breath. "While you were out, we found this taped to one of the guards."
He held out a piece of paper in his hands and I snatched it out of his hands. The seal was already broken so I knew he had read it. I wasted no time in ripping it open and when my eyes glossed over the words, I was left more confused than before I started. I glanced up at Darius to be sure I had read the correct words but he remained impassive.
She had written:
'Dear brother,
Consider this a welcoming gift from me to you and Leindra. I am a bit hurt that I was not invited to see her. Then again, you always did have some sort of anger towards me even while we were growing up. I was the only one who was willing to challenge you.
It would have been wonderful for me to give you the body of your dead mate as a gift but alas, the element of surprise does not always work.
Not to fear, you will see me again and this time, I will not fail.
Love,
Faye.'
"Why does she want me dead?" I asked aloud but no one answered me. "I think I deserve an answer considering some psycho bitch wants to kill me and I don't even know who she is. This beef has nothing to do with me."
"It doesn't," Darius cut off my rant. "Don't take this the wrong way, Leindra, but she doesn't care about you. She wants to hurt me in any way possible and if that includes killing you then she will do it but don't worry, I will not let that happen. You have to move in with me though."
I laughed. I didn't know what else to do and I could not control myself as the laugh came bubbling out. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy but I couldn't help it. First, a crazy bitch attacked me because of him then he had the audacity to ask me to move in with him as if it were that simple.
"You have got to be joking, right?" I waited for someone to join in my laughter but no one did. "In case you just missed the memo, I was attacked in your house. What makes you think I would even consider staying here after this? I am much safer in my house than I am here. Grandma has a shotgun and I am an amazing marksman."
"Unless your grandmother has silver bullets then they will do nothing. Besides, how many wolves do you think you can kill alone? You could barely handle one in the hallway."
I knew Darius was pissed but I hated the way he was yelling at me. My head was already pounding and he was making it worse with everything that was happening. I crossed my arms over my chest and ignored him to which he ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
"I cannot protect you if you are not here. My men need to patrol the entire town and keep it safe while simultaneously keeping you safe. They are not indispensable, you need to be here and this is not going to be an argument. You can either come with me while we pack your things together or you can sit here while I bring your things to you. It is your choice."
"I am going with you but I am not coming back with you. I don't give a shit what you say." I stood to my feet so fast that I wobbled and if not for Darius reaching out to stabilize me with his arm around my waist, I would have fallen over.
He leaned into my ear to whisper. "We will see about that."
Although I maintained that I could walk, Darius kept his hand firmly wound around my waist and led me outside towards a garage that I did not know existed. My mouth fell open when I saw the array of cars there. He grabbed the keys to a black Aston Martin and if I wasn't so pissed at him then I would have complimented his car. He led me into the front seat and helped me with my seatbelt.
I thought we were going alone so I was shocked when Amy and Ian got into the back seat. I glanced at Amy through the rearview mirror hoping to get some answers from her but all she did was offer me a small smile of encouragement. I hated everything that was happening. I did not sign up for any of this and the last thing I wanted to do was be pulled into their family squabble.
The car ride to my house was quiet and tense and when we got there, Grandma was standing on the porch. Darius must have informed her that he was coming because she didn't blink once when she saw him. When she saw me, however, she took a step back. When I looked in the mirror, I saw how badly I was hurt. My nose was broken and my under eye had a dark purple color. I looked terrible.
If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! She pulled me into her arms tightly. I allowed myself to relax into her embrace and while she held me, the others made their way into the house. She pulled away and ran a finger down my cheek softly as if trying not to hurt me any more than I already was. "What happened to you, Leindra?" she asked. "This was never supposed to happen." "You can say that again."
She pulled me into the house and I saw Chris seated on the couch. He sat up straighter when he saw me and his eyes ran over my body. There were bruises on my upper arm to add to the ones on my face. I waited with bated breath to hear what he would say.
"You look like shit,â he said after a beat of silence and for the first time that day, I laughed a real laugh. I was relieved that someone was choosing to be honest with me. "Are you really leaving? Darius and his sister just asked for your room so they could pack up your stuff."
"I am not," I forced out through gritted teeth. "Darius is just a dick who does not know how to take no for an answer. Excuse me while-"
Grandma grabbed my upper arm to stop me and I saw an expression on her face that I had never seen before. She looked small and fragile and nothing like the fierce woman I had grown up to know.
"Please, Leindra," her voice was barely over a whisper. "If not for anything, then do it for me. There is nowhere safer for you than with Darius."
"Why?" she looked taken aback. "If you want me to stay with him so badly then you have to tell me everything. No more lies. You are not going to keep me in the dark like a child. If I am going to keep getting hurt then I deserve to know."