Page 18 of Blood Lust
I went to stand up, Jen holding my elbows to steady me. “Let me go. I’ll manage,” I said weakly.
“Let me help you back to bed. The shaman has a mixture he spelled that will help your stomach and give you enough strength to function.”
“I don’t want shit,” I said, stumbling back to the queen-sized bed. “I want my guys.”
“Listen,” I finally met Jen’s familiar face. Her long, dark hair highlighted her now icy blue irises. “You can fight us all you want. You’re a vamp, it’s normal, but trust me when I say that we are here to help. You all are in pretty bad shape without us.”
I leaned back into the pillows and stared at her flawless, tanned skin. “Why?” I asked her. “Why would you give two shits about me now? Why did you keep all of this from me, knowing the crappy life I had with my drunk of a mom?”
Jen’s eyes darkened with sorrow. “You weren’t ready, Ellie. You would have never believed a word I said.”
“You don’t know that.” I rubbed my forehead with clammy hands. I looked into the new wolf eyes she had apparently developed after she and her family ditched me in Oregon. “You havenoidea how I would’ve taken any of it, but you just sat back and didn’t even give me a chance.” I stopped and studied her guilty expression, “Did you know the Banners were vampires? That Braden—the first vamp to approach me—was a fucking vampire, Jen? How the hell can you play that shit off and just leave me vulnerable to them?”
She took a chair and pulled it up next to my bed. “The Banners are known to all supernaturals. Some trust them, some don’t. My dad knew you’d be safe with them, other than that, I didn’t want to leave you with them. I was worried about you being alone and learning about this all the hard way, but I had no choice. The pack called my dad and our family away, we had to follow the call.” She let out a breath. “I don’t know how to say this without hurting you more, but our loyalty has always been to the pack first.”
“What about yourloyaltyto the Life Bloods? I heard that’s why you all were around, to keep me safe.” I shook my head and laughed in disgust. “How the hell did you all think I was safe with vampires who wanted my blood for their own power?”
She looked at me in disbelief. “You and I both know the Four immortals were fated to be bonded with you. If we thought they were there to take you, we would have taken you with us as soon as they got to town; instead, fate stepped in and moved us out of the way so you and the Banners could bond.” She eyed me, “I can see it hasn’t been easy, but all of us sense the power all of you have—the love that the Four have for you and the intense protectiveness they carry in their blood for you. If we’d stayed, we would have prevented the bond.”
“I’m done talking about this. Got it. You all left becausefatewas pulling the strings, and it’s obvious you were smart to get out of the way of my guys and me. Forgive me if I’m having a hard time trusting you as a friend, and it’s not the new vampire instincts in me either. You lived a life of lies around me. You all knew exactly what and who I was. It’s going to take me a little time to get over the fact that our friendship was a fucking lie.”
Jen stood up. “The alpha who saved you and your vampires has your guys downstairs, and if you’re feeling up to it, he would like to have you present when he goes over the details of how the shaman is going to help all of you out.” Her angry face softened, “We need the five of you to end this war. Knowing that an ancient witch is after your offspring with the vampires has forced us to join forces and end all of this once and for all.”
“The alpha? Isn’t your dad the alpha?”
Jen’s cheeks tinted pink, “He’s not the alpha of this pack anymore, which happens to be the only pack that can help you. Zane is our alpha now. He’s younger, stronger, and he has taken my dad’s place in leading the North American wolf shifters.”
I forced myself out of bed and looked down at the cotton tee I was wearing. “I need some damn clothes,” I said, looking at a door to my left, hoping it was the closet. “Please tell me I have something to wear after I practically tore all my clothes to shreds while going on a vampire killing spree.”
Jen beat me to a chest of drawers. She pulled out a pair of leggings and tossed them over to me. “I really think you need to drink that mixture to get rid of the serum that’s slowing you down and making you sick.”
“I’m not taking anything to bring back any cravings of my guys right now.” I eyed her while pulling up the tight black leggings. “I almost killed them. If this shit is what it takes to keep me from going after my guys, then I’m not taking anything to bring back the crazed vampire that witch turned me into.”
“That’s what the shaman is going to help fix too. The mixture will not give you that power back.” She grinned, “trust me, we’re not taking chances with one of the strongest newborns we’ve all ever come across.”
“Fine. Just get me down to my guys. Besides,” I glanced over at her when she opened the door, “why are you here, and they’re not?”
“We—they—don’t trust themselves around you right now. The shaman has them in a relaxed state of mind, and their blood is still processing the life-blood Cole had stored up. They said you don’t go after them when that blood is in their system.”
We walked side by side down to the lower level of the house. “Apparently not. I didn’t have any desire to drink from Braden after Cole injected my blood into him.”
“That’s what the guys said. They want to be sure they don’t attract you somehow.” She softly laughed. “Funny that the strongest immortals in existence need wolves to protect them from themselves. Never thought the day would come.”
I stopped, forcing her to bring her smug face to mine. “Fuck you and your wolves, Jen. That’s a bullshit statement coming from someone who wants to ally herself with the ones who are going to kill a fucking witch and take down that bastard Enzo once and for all. You’re lucky—”
“Jen, go fetch the drink for Elle,” a smooth and low voice that had a pull I couldn’t explain ordered. I watched my bitch ex-bestie’s cheeks flush red, and her eyes become entranced by the voice.
I looked over the banister, and a dark-skinned dude with the same eye color as Jen’s flashed a smile that hit me in the chest. I blinked a few times, wondering why the hell I was drawn to this strikingly handsome guy like I was when I was first around my vampires.
Shit, this isn’t good!
Jen’s face fell when he and I locked gazes and stared at each other like long lost lovers who had been reunited.
“Bren!” Jen screeched. “What the hell?”
“Wow. First time I ever heard her cuss. New Jen,” I tried to say under my breath.
Failed.
