Gypsy Wolf (Strange Lake Falls Series Book 5) Page 6

  Lucas pulled her further away. “Are you okay?” He checked her arms and the cuts. They weren’t too deep. He wiped off the trail of blood and put pressure on the ones that were still bleeding.

  “I’m fine, Lucas. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

  He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. She had the most amazing mouth. “Of course I have to, you’re my mate, Diana.”

  She frowned. “Since when?”

  “Since the beginning. I’ve just been an idiot about the whole thing. I won’t be again. You are mine and I won’t let anyone take you from me.”

  “You may not have a choice in that.”

  “There are always choices.” He let her go and pulled Ox to the side.

  “If this doesn’t go my way, you take Diana and head to Alpha Ric’s.”

  “Alpha, I can’t leave you unprotected.” Ox shook his head.

  “She’s your alpha female to protect. I am entrusting you to see her safely away from here.”

  “Alpha—”

  “Step forward, Diana Rhapsody, Lucas Danvers, and Kilian Dorn,” Councilman Dolf ordered.

  Lucas held Diana’s hand as they stepped forward to hear the council’s verdict.

  *****

  Diana was shaking, she couldn’t get her breathing under control, and her wolf was growling with desire to tear into Kilian. She held onto Lucas, afraid to let go. If things did not go their way, Lucas would fight Kilian and could get killed. She didn’t want that. She couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to Lucas; it would devastate her.

  “The council has voted on whose claim is the more valid. Normally the first claim would be considered the legitimate claim, but there was not sexual component involved with that one. Since the second claim has a sexual element, it is more prominent. Since the two claims are both strong, the tie will be decided by a show of strength. The two challengers will face each other, one on one, no weapons. First you will fight in human form, then you will fight in wolf form. If at any time one of the challengers gives up their claim, the match will end. Avoid death, if possible; we have enough of a population problem without killing one another needlessly. Both challengers have two minutes to prepare.”

  “No.” Diana shook her head. “No, Lucas, you don’t have to do this for me.”

  He pulled her away from everyone and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I have to. As your mate, I will fight for my claim to hold you.”

  “We’re not really—”

  “Yes, we are. Ask your wolf, she should know I’m yours.”

  Diana sought her inner wolf. “He’s wrong, he has to be.” Her wolf answered, “He’s our mate. We will fight for him like he is about to fight for us. Be strong.”

  Lucas started to remove his shirt. She was desperate to keep him safe. “Please don’t do this.”

  He leaned down and kissed her deeply, uncaring that others were watching them. “You are mine and I won’t let anyone else take you from me.”

  Damn stubborn alpha. She shook her head at him.

  Chapter 15

  Lucas stepped forward to let the enforcers check him for weapons. A circle was drawn in the dirt. He stood on one side while Kilian stood opposite, also being checked for weapons. He watched as Kilian and Councilman Dolf exchanged a look. Lucas had no connections on the council, not since moving his pack to the United States. He had a bad feeling that the fight was being rigged.

  He glanced back at Diana, her beautiful face pale and fear in her eyes. “I’ll be fine. I have everything to fight for.”

  She smiled an encouraging smile. “Kick his ass for me.”

  Lucas nodded and smiled at her. He gave Ox one more look, then turned to face his opponent. It wasn’t like Lucas hadn’t fought before. He had faced numerous battles with other paranormals, back before the treaties were signed. He had also fought the previous alpha to take control of his current pack. Periodically throughout the years, some upstart lone wolf would challenge him for his pack. He always met each challenge and won. This time should be no different.

  The enforcers stepped back into the shadows of the forest. They would only come out at the end of the fight.

  Councilman Dolf stood. “Let the challenge begin!”

  *****

  Diana clasped her hands together tightly as she watched both Lucas and Kilian cross the outer line and enter the circle. They growled at one another but remained in human form. She felt helpless and hated it. Here she was, the most powerful soothsayer in the world, and she could do nothing to protect her mate.

  Mate. Her mate. She was just getting used to the idea of him being her mate. She knew now she had started falling in love with Lucas when she first laid eyes on him. Now, she was facing the possibility that she might lose him. Her wolf growled. Save mate. She was in agreement with her wolf. They would do whatever it took to make sure that Lucas lived. Even if she had to sacrifice herself and go with Kilian. She would do it for him.

  She gasped when Kilian lunged forward and punched Lucas in the gut. Lucas bent over but managed to block the kick heading for his head. Lucas used Kilian’s momentum and jerked his foot, making Kilian lose his balance and fall onto his back. Lucas jumped onto Kilian’s chest and delivered several blows to his face.

  “Hit him hard!” Diana couldn’t stop herself from calling out. Councilman Dolf glared at her, but she ignored him.

  Ox chuckled next to her. “You’re a little bit violent, aren’t you, little wolf?”

  “You have no idea. I want to see Kilian bleed,” she snarled. Memories of him holding her down, touching her and hurting her when she was just a young teen, came pouring back. Her fear turned into anger. These councilmen would have forced her to submit to Kilian if Lucas had not stepped up with the second claim. She gave them all a disgusted look. They were a disgrace to the werewolf nation. No one should be forced to mate with another.

  Kilian must have heard her say that she wanted him to bleed, because he glared at her as he got back to his feet. “Shift to wolf!” Councilman Dolf yelled out.

  She wondered why they were shifting to wolf form so soon. While she was looking over at the council, she saw movement at the corner of her eye. When she turned back, Lucas was holding his side and there was blood. How did that happen?

  “Shift now or forfeit!” Councilman Dolf yelled out.

  She watched as Lucas winced as he shifted. He had a hard time of it. “What’s wrong?”

  Ox stepped forward. “I think he’s bleeding.”

  “How?”

  “Kilian must have had a knife.”

  “It shouldn’t affect his shifting, though. In fact, once he shifts to wolf, his wounds should lessen.”

  “Unless the knife was magically altered to slow a person’s healing ability.”

  A witch’s magic. Fear gripped her. This was all starting to remind her of the visions she had been having. She didn’t see much in the vision, but she heard chanting and wolves.

  She pulled Ox down and whispered in his ear. “Ox, is there anyone on the council that you know or trust?”

  “I know of them but not enough to trust. I do know one of the enforcers, though, we used to be in the same pack years ago. I trust him. Why?”

  “I’ve been having partial visions of something bad about to happen to the wolf nation. I couldn’t get a clear vision, I think, because I’m involved. I feel something is about to happen tonight. See if your friend has anyone that could be called in for backup.”

  “Diana, I can’t leave you unprotected.”

  “I’ll be fine right here until you get back. We need help, just in case.”

  He growled but then turned and walked off into the shadows where she had seen the enforcers retreat. She felt eyes on her, and when she looked around, she thought she saw glowing eyes, a lot of them. Fuck, this was going to turn really bad.

  She watched as Lucas continued his fight with Kilian in wolf form. He was moving slower than usual due to the non-healing
wound. She wanted to rush to his side and take care of him, but she couldn’t. Any interference by her, for any reason, would forfeit the match to Kilian.

  Movement in the woods had her inner wolf pacing back and forth in anxiousness. Her wolf wanted them to leave, she scented danger. Diana’s previous visions all featured glowing eyes; this was all so surreal.

  Come on, Lucas, take him down. Lucas took a swipe of claws from Kilian in the face. Lucas shoved him away with his head. Kilian was getting cocky. He lunged forward again when Lucas seemed to be breathing heavily. Lucas moved out of his way at the last minute and then turned the tables by making his own lunge straight for the throat. He pinned Kilian and sank his teeth in Kilian’s neck, drawing a little blood.

  “Call it!” Councilman Shamos yelled out.

  Two of the enforcers stepped forward and halted Lucas from making the kill. Lucas and Kilian shifted back to human form, both bleeding and bruised. Lucas’s shift was shaky. There was definitely something blocking the magic of his shift, or at least making it drag out. Once they were both in human form, the enforcers pulled them to stand before the council. Kilian was barely standing, needing one of the enforcers to hold him up. The council members conferred, and there seemed to be some arguing back and forth. All of a sudden, Councilman Dolf stormed off into shadows of the woods. What was that about?

  Councilman Shamos stepped forward. “Let it be recorded that Councilman Dolf refused to make the declaration. The winner of the challenge is Lucas Danvers. Danvers’ claim is the primary claim and the council recognizes this mating as a good mating.”

  Just as Lucas turned toward her with a smile, Councilman Dolf emerged from the shadows. “The council has been compromised and I am going to clean house.”

  Shamos glared at him. “You and what army?”

  “Mine.”

  The glowing eyes she had seen in the dark moved forward and they found themselves surrounded by over a dozen lone wolves. Oh shit.

  Chapter 16

  Lucas turned to Diana. “Run!”

  There was no way in hell she would leave her mate to face all these rogue wolves. She would fight by his side. She stepped forward only to be stopped by her father, who grabbed her from behind. She struggled to get loose. She stomped on his foot hard, then elbowed him in the gut. Her father gasped and let her go. She turned to face the man who had treated her like she was nothing her whole life.

  “You little bitch. You should have been the one to die instead of your mother. At least she was a full gypsy and had powers. What can you do?”

  “I can beat the shit out of you.” She threw a hard punch right in his face and knocked him backward. The force of her punch stunned him.

  “How?”

  She circled him keeping her eyes on him. “What? You think because I can’t shift to wolf I’m weak? You are wrong. It’s because I can’t shift to my wolf that I’m stronger in my human form.” She jumped and spun in a swift back kick, knocking him to the ground.

  “Also, the commune required the soothsayers to all take a form of self-defense in case anyone attacked us.” She kicked him in the balls, hard. His eyes rolled back and he passed out. Her victory was short-lived, though, as Kilian tackled her from behind. He knocked the wind out of her.

  “You’re mine, Diana, and it’s time I prove that to you once and for all.” He punched her in the face.

  Everything was blurry and dizzy after that. She felt her body being lifted and thrown over something hard; her face was bouncing back and forth, which made the dizziness worse. Her wolf was howling mad.

  Once she was able to get her bearings again, she looked up to find herself being carried over Kilian’s shoulder. He had taken her into the woods, though she could still hear the fighting going on back at the clearing, so they hadn’t gone too far yet.

  She started pounding at his back. “Let me go!”

  “Never, Diana! I am never letting you go!”

  She called on her wolf to extend her claws and went for the cuts on his side where Lucas had already struck him hard. Diana managed to deepen the wounds and he started to bleed heavily. He flung her down to the ground.

  “You little bitch! I will remove your claws for that!” Kilian looked down at his cuts. “Damn, I’ll have to shift several times for these to heel. I don’t have time for this.” He looked at her and she could see that things were going to get worse.

  “Why didn’t you just forget about me?”

  He snorted as he searched the surrounding area. “Your father wanted me to take you when you were six. Did you know that? I was the one that told him that you were too young. You didn’t even have access to your powers. I needed a proper soothsayer. All the others were already hidden away in the commune.”

  “So it was just because I was a soothsayer that you took me as payment for my father’s debts?”

  “It’s because you were born a soothsayer that I sought out your father and maneuvered him into become indebted to me. It was so easy, your father is not a strong wolf or a strong man. He caved quickly to the vices of gambling. When you finally became of age to start receiving your powers, I arranged that meeting for us through your father. If it had not been for you, he would have met his fate years ago at the bottom of the ravine. I kept him alive in case he proved to be useful.”

  “Why do you want a soothsayer?”

  “It’s part of Dolf’s plan.”

  “Councilman Dolf?”

  “Yes. I would have come for you sooner, but Dolf had me recruiting.”

  “Recruiting who? For what?”

  He snarled. “You’ll learn in time. Let’s just say he’s going to clean house with the old establishment. Now, enough talk. I need to get you back to my location.” He reached to try to grab her arm.

  Diana kicked his hand. She was aiming for his head, but he moved back at the last minute to avoid a direct hit. She jumped up to her feet and sprinted away from him. As long as he remained in human form, she might have a chance to outrun him. She had always been known for her swiftness.

  “Get back here now!” He pursued her through the woods.

  She glanced back to see how close he was to her, which proved to be a mistake, as she lost her footing and went down. He landed on top of her, keeping her pinned down.

  “Get off of me!”

  “I will claim what should have been mine and mine alone.” He held both her wrists in one large hand while using the other to rip at her shirt and jeans.

  “You can rape me, but I will never belong to you. I would rather die!” She spit on his face, making him mad enough to stop and slap her face.

  “You think you are better than me? You are a lesser, weaker wolf. You can’t even shift. You should be honored that I would want to take you as my mate.” He used his claws to scratch her cheek. “I will show you how to respect your master.”

  Diana panicked, desperately trying to free her hands. He had her trapped under him and was much heavier than her, just like before. She felt his hand returning to her pants. All her teenage nightmares were coming back to her. No no no. Usually she directed her electric power through her hands but if she focused hard enough— She felt the current generating through her whole body. Kilian jerked back, anger suffusing his face.

  “If I have to knock you out first, I will,” he threatened. Just as he pulled a fist back to strike her, his weight disappeared from her and she could breathe again.

  Chapter 17

  Lucas had never known fear like he felt when he watched helplessly from across the clearing as Kilian hit Diana and carried her off into the woods. Two of Dolf’s lone wolves were blocking his way. He managed to get one off his back, and then another came at him with a knife. He twisted at the last minute, using the male’s momentum against him, and redirected the knife into the other male. He threw the body to the ground. He took two steps in the direction Kilian had gone when another wolf attacked him.

  “I don’t have time for this!” he growled. Lucas looked around for
Ox to see if he was able to go after Diana. The air around him stilled unnaturally. What the hell was going on now?

  He watched as vampires, a lot of them, poured out of the shadows. They took on the lone wolves and soon the small uprising was crushed. Dolf, however, managed to escape with a few of his followers. Two council members were dead, including the only female on the council.

  Lucas finally spotted Ox. “How did you get vampires to come?”

  Ox came over to him. “Diana told me to go for help, but my enforcer friend and I couldn’t find a local werewolf pack near here. That was probably why Dolf chose this new location.”

  “Then who brought the vampires?”

  “I did.” Roxanne walked forward from the shadows with her mate Connor. “Adrian Belliveau flew us out here to help. He knew of a local vampire clan that he could call upon for assistance.”

  “Thanks for coming. I’m sorry, but I need to go after my mate.” He didn’t hesitate to shift to wolf and raced into the woods. He just hoped he could get there in time. Hold on, baby, I’m coming for you.

  *****

  Diana blinked staring up at the dark shadow that had tossed Kilian into the nearby trees like a he weighed nothing. If Kilian wasn’t dead from the impact, he would certainly be in a lot of pain.

  “Miss Rhapsody?” The shadow came closer and her eyes finally adjusted. Her savior was a vampire.

  “Who are you?”

  He bent to give her a hand up. She swayed, so he gently took her elbow to steady her.

  “My name is Viscount Stefano Durante, the master vampire in this area and friend of Adrian Belliveau. He asked me to assist your friends who came to help you with the werewolf council.”

  “My friends? Did Roxanne come here? I told her not to, it’s too dangerous.”

  Stefano smiled. “She was very determined to protect you.”

  A growl from the side caught both of them off guard. They turned to see Kilian back on his feet in wolf form. He charged them, but was intercepted by another wolf.