Page 86 of Red's Beast

With her hands useless, she cannot control the tendrils and they dissolve. She starts to chant, but I get on top of her to push her back into the dirt. She throws me off and as my gaze locks with my Grandmother's on the other side of her, she slowly collapses to the ground.

Grandmother, no.

As I rush to her side, the witch rises from the ground. "You think rendering my hands useless will stop me? I can still cast magic."

I nudge Grandmother with my nose.Please, Grandmother. Get up. I need you.

Her eyes barely open and then close. I feel her push through the pack bond, and it surprises me because she rarely uses it and I normally don’t.Lillian, you know what to do. Finish this.

But Grandmother, I don’t want to lose you.

I hear her faint chuckle as the bond slowly closes. It looks like I'm on my own, but what am I supposed to do when I'm weak? My wolf may be here, but my alpha abilities haven’t surfaced.

Weak. That word has haunted me all my life. I was too weak to save myself from that family. Too weak to save the beast. Now, I'm too weak to finish the one thing I need to end.

Natalia laughs again. "Oh, poor Lillian. No family, no mate, and now no Grandmother. If you had just finished mating Corbin,then things wouldn't be this way. All is not lost, though. You bear his mark. All you need to do is return the mating mark."

I shift into my human form and gaze up at her. Slowly, I reach up toward my neck and feel the mark on my neck. With all the commotion, I had completely forgotten about it. "No."

"Yes, my dear, Lillian. So, what will you do? You don't have to suffer, and your Grandmother can be saved if you choose now. Finish the mating with Corbin or lose everything."

I stare at my Grandmother's lifeless body, but how can I just accept the hand I've been given? To mate with Corbin means the beast will never be free, and I'm already halfway bonded to him as it is. Will I still be able to break the curse like this?

"Tick tock, Lillian. You're running out of time." Natalia glances down at Grandmother's body with a deep sigh. "It looks like she'll die at any moment. Come on dear. What do you choose?"

My mind is filled with jumbled thoughts, and it always comes down to my choice. Though I hate that it has come down to this, it is now clear what I must do.

With a newfound strength, I stand up and look at the witch eye to eye. "I choose to save them all."

She looks perplexed for a moment before she bursts out laughing. "Save them all? Whatever do you mean?"

"My Grandmother will live, the curse will be lifted, and Corbin can live somewhere far away from me. I have a mate and I choose him, my destiny."

Natalia mutters something low under her breath. I watch and wait, unsure of what is happening. "Oh, dear. I was afraid of this, but you've left me no choice. You see, I can't have you breaking that curse. The beast needs to suffer for the choices he made all those years ago. He has to suffer for what his family line did to me.”

Vines creep out of the ground and go to where Corbin lies. They wrap around him as more wrap around my legs to hold me in place. Natalia watches with amusement as I struggle against their hold.

"What is the meaning of this?"

She turns, her hands not quite moving correctly. "Oh, I'm bringing your mate to you so you can finish what was started. The binding words have already been uttered, and this is your fate, even if I must force it upon you."

"Force?" I try to jerk away from the vines, but they wrap tighter, going further up my body until I can no longer move. Corbin is coming closer and there is nowhere for me to go.

Once he is in front of me, his neck is shoved up to my mouth, right against my lips. "I will never do this, Natalia."

"Oh, I know. That is why you'll have some help." Vines begin to work their way between my lips and part them before trying to get between my teeth. "It looks like you need it."

I fight them for as long as I can, but eventually they succeed and shove my mouth wide open. I can feel Corbin's skin slide across my lips as they push his body further toward me. Once his neck is firmly in my mouth, I refuse to shut it, so the vines quickly go to work to push my jaws together.

"Quit being so dramatic. You can't win this because I've already won. The beast is gone, and you'll never find him, so you might as well give in."

My eyes dart around, not wanting to believe her words. But he is no longer where he once stood. He’s truly gone.

Beast?

Though my canines aren’t out, I can still feel my teeth pierce the first layer of his skin and right as I know that all hope is lost; I see my Grandmother behind Natalia. She lunges and wraps her teeth around the back of her throat, pulling her to the ground.

The vines stop and return to the ground as I fall forward onto Corbin. I quickly push myself upright and look at his neck. There are two rows of my teeth, where they started to break skin, but the bite isn’t complete. Sighing with relief, I look over at Grandmother, who has her jaws firmly around the witch's neck.

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