chapter 9

“What have you done!?” Screamed a shrill, angry voice.

The blood-curdling sound woke everyone at once, followed by the loud jangle of wind chimes as the bedroom door was jerked open.

Emily leapt from her bed—instantly wide awake. She scrambled through the door and into the hall, her only thought on getting to Amber to explain all that happened before her sister said or did something to make her own precarious situation worse. Her very life was in the hands of their hosts, whether she knew it or not. Emily needed to explain the situation before Amber opened her mouth to them.

A low, warning growl stopped her in her tracks less than halfway down the hall. William appeared from his bedroom doorway a moment later, blocking her path. His feet and chest were bare again, and his eyes were sparkling a predatory gold as they fixed on her, unblinking.

She backed away from him, uncertain.

Before she could think of a single thing to say, Paoli was lifting a kicking and fighting Amber into his arms further down the corridor. Paoli carried her back into the room, and left Emily alone in the hall with William, who was still watching her with a look that held such hunger, she wasn’t entirely sure what he might do. His gaze was hot and possessive, caressing the contours of her face and sliding down her body, making her extremely aware of how scantily-clad she was. When she heard Amber’s voice, she hadn’t bothered to grab clothes but had rushed headlong into the hallway in nothing more than an oversized tee-shirt and underwear.

William’s eyes returned to her face, and raw desire was stamped on his handsome features. He moved toward her and she quickly started backing away. The doorjamb to her lower back stopped her retreat and she was pinned between the door and William’s heavy body as he leaned against her.

“You are mine,” he said, his mouth mere inches from her own.

It was in no way a question.

His voice sounded deep and gravelly, as if the words were torn from the pit of the earth itself.

Her heart hammered strangely at his declaration. Her breath seemed to come in shallow pants.

With another low growl, his lips captured hers in a kiss that anything but gentle. It was hungry and full of need; a mad onslaught of desire. His arms wrapped around her, dragging her against him as he continued to ravish her mouth.

She froze for a second, having been taken completely by surprise. Then something in her answered his need, and she met his kiss with a heat of her own. His mouth was warm and dry, but hot and open, and invading hers with an expert tongue. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed herself against him, feeling his strength; his power all around her.

“We have a situation in here. Are you two coming or what?” Paoli’s voice called impatiently. His demanding tone washed over Emily like cold water. She stiffened in William’s arms as reality crashed in.

William tore his mouth away and pressed his face against the wall, hiding his expression. His breathing was as ragged as hers.

She had the suspicion he was fighting a battle she didn’t understand.

Finally, his arms released her, and he took a step away, though he continued to keep his face averted. “I’m sorry. It seems I may have overestimated my control where you’re concerned. Please get dressed before you go in there,” he said at last, his voice still sounding too deep.

She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she only nodded and headed back toward her room on wobbly legs to pull on pants. When she reentered the hallway, William was thankfully gone.

“Take me back!” Amber demanded loudly.

Those were the words that greeted Emily when she entered Amber’s room.

Paoli looked at Emily with undisguised censure. “Did it never occur to you to mention she didn’t want to be rescued?”

Emily just stared at him for a moment as words utterly failed her. How could she tell him her sister hated her, and had for years? How could she admit that to anyone, let alone a stranger?

Amber was propped up in the bed but struggling to rise.

If looks could kill, Emily would have been a puddle on the floor.

“You’re not well,” was all Emily could think to say, directing her attention to Amber and leaving Paoli’s question unanswered. What answer could she give, after all? “You need to rest.”

“I hate you. Brian’s dead because of you. So help me, Emily. I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done!” Amber’s voice was laced with venom that seemed to go right to Emily’s heart.

She swallowed hard, determined not to tear up.

She wouldn’t cry. Not this time. Amber’s hateful words were almost a staple of her personality. As children, they’d been close. But that was a long time ago.

“I couldn’t leave you like that,” Emily said defensively, though she sounded more pleading than anything. “I thought they were holding you against your will.”

“You never should have been there. I don’t want you in my life. It’s not like I haven’t made that clear by now. Leave me alone and become a nun or something. Do whatever perfect people do, and stay away from me,” Amber spat.

Emily took it in silence and made no outward sign the words bothered her.

Paoli gave Emily a look that bordered dangerously on pity and only served to make her feel even worse. “Remember, I warned you. With no outlet, the wolf’s rage might cause personality changes,” he said.

Emily gave a small, humorless laugh. “This isn’t a change from her normal, Paoli,” she said quietly.

“If she hadn’t been there,” William’s voice suddenly announced as he entered the room and crossed to Emily’s side. “I would have killed you. So, maybe you should suppress your nastiness and show a bit of gratitude instead.”

His voice was hard and full of authority.

Amber glared at him. “Go to hell. Brian’s dead because of her,” she snapped.

“Brian is dead because of me. Not her. You’re alive thanks to Emily,” William said, his voice low and dangerous. “I was there to kill you.”

“Who was Brian to you?” Paoli asked Amber.

She didn’t seem to have heard him. Her eyes were glued to William. “Why would you want to kill me?” She asked, and there was a definite note of nervousness in her tone.

“There’s an order of execution against you,” William said.

Amber paled. She stared at William for a long moment. “Are you the Executioner?” She whispered.

William gave a very slight nod.

“The Coven ordered my death?” She asked, her eyes wide and full of horror.

“They did. I can’t understand why Emily wants you spared. But we promised to try to help you,” William said. He glanced at Emily, who was standing at his elbow.

Emily reached out and brushed his fingers subtly in thanks.

A flash of surprise crossed his features. After the space of a heartbeat, he gently wove his fingers through hers without a word.

“Like William said, we promised to try,” Paoli interjected suddenly, breaking into the tension. He clapped loudly, then held out his arms and shrugged. “That’s all we can do.” He gave a loud sigh, as if that settled the matter. “Now, everyone get ready to go. We leave for the Coven tonight,” he announced, then left the room without a glance, as if not noticing the rush of surprise that ran through the room’s occupants at his pronouncement.

William followed him into the hallway. “You want to leave tonight?” He questioned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Nope,” Paoli said quickly, walking toward the stairs. William kept pace beside him. “But there aren’t any other options, are there?” He didn’t stop to wait for an answer, but went on to explain himself. “I thought we’d have a few days. I wasn’t expecting Emily’s sister to be like that.” He indicated the general direction of the bedroom with a wave of his arm. “Do you want a woman with that much hatred for your mate to be in the same house with her?”

William thought about it as he and Paoli made their way through the house. He considered the execution that wasn’t done, Amber’s behavior, and his own situation with Emily. “Not really,” he had to admit. “But going before the Coven won’t be easy.”

Paoli stopped when they reached the library and gave a bark of laughter before he dropped into his office chair and looked up at William. “We’re bringing them a human and a malfunctioning she-wolf who should be dead. We’ll be lucky if any of us walk out of there,” he said.

While said lightly, it was a true statement, and gave William pause. “Maybe we should leave Emily here.” It would be a mistake to take her before the Coven. They saw humans as having a single purpose on Earth.

Food.

“Maybe you should just stop fighting it and claim your damn mate,” Paoli returned smartly. “Before your wolf takes over and claims her without you there to gentle him.”

“You think I don’t want to?” William growled. “I can’t think of anything else since I laid eyes on her. Hell, since I first smelled her. But I have no right to force my kind of existence on her. Besides, you saw what happened to her sister when they tried to change her.”

Paoli hesitated. “That’s a valid point. I wonder why that happened,” he mused, clearly unperturbed by William’s agitation. “I’ve never heard or read about anything like it.”

“I don’t know.” William said, shaking his head unnecessarily. “But it’s not a risk I’m willing to take. And I don’t want her anywhere near the Coven. That’s just asking for trouble.”

Paoli rolled his eyes and snorted in derision. “Do you really think her loving sister will leave her out of this mess? And if the Coven learns a human knows as much as she does, they’ll send goons after her. It won’t end well, especially if we’re stuck there while she’s here, alone and unprotected.”

It was an idea William couldn’t even allow himself to think of. “If we just complete the execution, we wouldn’t have to go at all,” he considered aloud.

Paoli shook his head.

“Not true. I guarantee the wolves will complain to the Coven about their alpha being killed and a woman being stolen from their pack. Get that idea out of your mind,” Paoli said.

Just the thought of her being at the Coven was enough to make William’s chest tight. But her alone and unprotected was worse.

She had to go.

“I don’t like her being there, but I see your point,” he said grudgingly. She wouldn’t leave his side for a minute while they were there, he decided.

“I don’t like the idea of any of us being there,” Paoli said with complete sincerity. “And tell her not to bring that gun of hers. It’s sure to be noticed, and someone will be offended. The last thing we need is to give them an excuse.”