Page 20 of Blood Lust
“Don’t worry,” Logan finally spoke up. “You’re ours, Ellie. It will be all of our blood mixed in together, and Shane will use his shaman charms, and the bond will just serve to help us all get along and become a merged force.”
“That’s what you misunderstand,” Shane said. “The blood will merge you—the bond can only be completed in the way your bond was tied to the Life Blood.”
“I have to fuck them?” I blurted out. “Hell no. Find another way. I’m not in.”
“Trust me,” a voice that sent shivers tingling up my spine spoke out. “You’ll be all in, and so will the Four. All they’ll want is you happy and fed.”
I glanced over to two icy blue wolf eyes that were set into the face of a caramel-skinned god. “What?”
“You can only feed on our blood anyway. You’ll see.” He winked, smirked and rubbed his hands together. “Hey, Shane, let’s get this blood merge going. I’m hungry, and Elle looks like she can use a juice of energy.” He looked back at me, “After the ritual, you’ll be feeling more yourself again. And don’t worry about the rest, that shit comes in time.” He looked over at Zane and grinned, “I think Jen took off and is looking for the closest cliff. She just realized her dad was wrong. We’re not the three she is to be mated to.”
“I knew it,” Bren said as he entered the room. “We were to be mated to a Life Blood. You assholes owe me a hundred bucks.”
This couldn’t have been happening. I was so damn sick and tired of my fucking life changing into something more intense with every month that had ticked away since I met my vampires. Now wolves? What did fate think I was, a piece of ass for any supernatural that had ultimate power?
Oh. Hell. No.
Chapter Eleven
Jen raged into the room, walked up to Zane, and slapped him so hard the sound resonated through the room. Zane’s eyes grew fierce as he stood up and towered over her, and Jen flared up, ready to take the robust wolf shifter on.
“You need to calm down,” he ordered through his teeth. “If you don’t, you’ll be the first female wolf I’ve ever…”
“Ever what, Zane?” Jen snarled. “Lied to? Screwed over? This is unbelievable, she’s not even a shifter!”
“Watch your tone, Jennifer. Zane is your alpha,” Jon’s voice came from my right, but I didn’t look at him.
“Looks like maybe now you can relate to how shitty it feels to find out an entire relationship was a complete lie,” I said.
“This isnothinglike that.” Jen spun around, and her icy wolf gaze fell on me. “You’re a Life Blood, period. A Life Blood who had her life turned upside down by a freak witch, which resulted in needing the help ofmypack, and that’s it.”
I folded my arms and glared back at her. My vamps were too stoned out to speak up, and that was annoying in and of itself. “Looks like it’s all a big damn lie, Jen. Get over it. I had to.”
“Get over it?” She looked at me in disbelief, “Zane, Bren, and Nakia are mine—not yours.”
I let out a breath, I wasn’t going to get into it with her like this. It was bad enough I was dealing with being face-to-face with her at all much less taking her packboyfriends—or whatever the fuck they were—away from her.
Shaman Shane walked into the center of the room, carrying an ancient-looking stone bowl. “Let’s begin the blood ritual, and start the merge,” he said in a subdued voice.
The three wolf guys stood, and Jen sat as Zane shot her a silent command with his onyx black eyes. I turned away from the group and looked at my vampires. I watched their demeanor as they absently stood, and something felt off to me immediately.
The usual dominance that emitted from my guys wasn’t there. They were following commands too easily for who I knew they really were.
“Let’s do this,” Zac looked at me and extended a hand.
I almost took it, but when all eyes fell on me, my temperament changed entirely. “No,” I said, staring directly at the shaman. “I don’t trust any of this.”
“Elle,” Jon stood, and the man that used to be like a father to me approached me. “I know this is all very sudden, but you can trust us. It’s the only way.”
I hated feeling like this toward the man I never dreamt I’d argue with—or never trust. “I’m sure you can understand why I don’t even trustyou, Jon. Everything changed between us the day you skipped town and took my best friend with you. Then, I find out you’ve all been living a secret supernatural life. I’m sure you can understand why I can’t just blindly trust any of you.”
“Ellie,” Cole’s voice was weaker than it should have been given the situation. “Stop fighting everyone. It’s the only way we can fight this witch and force her to reverse the curse.”
I shook my head. “Isn’t that what the shaman is here for?” I looked at Shane, “You’re supposed to reverse this curse.”
“That is exactly what I’m trying to do.” He sighed. “Listen, I don’t work with black magic, not even to reverse a curse. I’m sorry, but going anywhere near the darkness can have horrible repercussions for me. It can change me if I’m not strong enough, andthisparticular dark magic is very old.”
“Fair enough. I don’t want to turn you into some evil shaman. But,” I looked back at my guys who stood numbly and silently waiting, “I want Cole, Zac, Logan, and Braden in their right minds before we do any of this.”
