A Place to Call Home (Hollow Crest Wolf Pack Book 3) Page 17

  The pressure inside of me built until I couldn’t take it anymore. I threw my head back and released an animalistic scream as everything inside me exploded. Every molecule of my existence tore apart as my very soul shattered.

  I felt myself drifting away, being pulled slowly by a current I couldn’t see. I fought against it as I was drawn further from my pack mates. Their crumpled forms didn’t move as I let out a silent scream, voiceless without a body. I clutched at the fading threads of our bond, scrambling to keep ahold of them. The warm glow of the magic that bound us together was visible to me in this form as thin gold threads. I wrapped myself in them and pulled as hard as I could to get away from the force trying to separate us.

  I wasn’t willing to leave my wolves. Not yet. We still needed our happy ending, and I wasn’t going to leave this earth until I knew they were safe.

  Magic coiled around me and drew me back together. Red tendrils wound throughout my limbs as my body solidified back into my human form. My bones ached, and the air was cold against my hot skin, but the pressure and the stabbing pain were gone.

  The chanting trailed off, and Dr. Green shouted orders, but my brain was too exhausted to even comprehend them. My body laid limp on the table, and I could barely keep my eyes open enough to see a small part of the scene in front of me. Dr. Green placed a cool hand against my hot flesh, and I growled under my breath in warning. It was a pitifully weak sound that Dr. Green found more amusing than threatening. My restraints were gone, but I didn’t have enough control over my body to even twitch one of my fingers.

  “You did well,” Dr. Green murmured with a pleased look. “The others didn’t last nearly as long.”

  I wanted nothing more than to rip that smug look right off his face.

  “You’ll be pleased to hear that I anticipate your pack mates will make a full recovery after a few days of rest,” Dr. Green told me as he clinically examined my body, moving my limbs as if I were nothing but a doll.

  My eyes burned with hate. He might have me weak and helpless now, but I’d find a way to get to him. No one was perfect, and he’d let down his guard eventually. I gave him a feral snarl as he drew blood from me yet again.

  “Well?” one of the witches asked impatiently. My brain was too tired even to try to put a name to her blurry face.

  “I’ll need to run some more tests,” Dr. Green told her dismissively. “Your part in this is done.”

  The witch snorted. “For now.”

  The room quieted as the others left. Dr. Green loosened my restraints, and I tried to lunge for him. My body failed me, and instead of ripping out his throat as I wanted, I merely flopped to the floor.

  “None of that,” he murmured.

  I felt a small stab of pain as he injected me with something, but the pain was barely noticeable compared to what I’d already been through today. He motioned for someone to come closer, but all I could see before I passed out again was a black pair of boots.

  **

  When I opened my eyes again, I was wrapped in a strong pair of arms. Wyatt’s scent surrounded me, and I inhaled. The warmth of his body was pressed up against my back as he held me close.

  “Thank god.”

  Raw emotion exuded from his voice as he spoke. “I was so worried.”

  “Is she awake?” Kannon’s voice called from a distance.

  I groaned but was still unable to form words.

  Wyatt smoothed my hair back, and I was surprised by how affectionate his touch was. He’d always been a little standoffish towards me and reluctant to get close.

  “She’s waking up,” Wyatt assured Kannon.

  “The others?” I finally managed to croak out.

  “Fine,” Wyatt assured me. “They drained us of our magic, but it wasn’t as bad as the last time. How do you feel?”

  I could see the concern on his face as his eyes searched mine. “I feel…different,” my voice trembled as I struggled to speak.

  “It’s okay,” Wyatt murmured to me as he held me close to him. “Just relax and try to rest.”

  I did as he suggested and closed my eyes. Wyatt’s touch was gentle as he rubbed my back, and I let myself experience this moment.

  I was alive.

  Dr. Green had done his worst, and I had survived. Triumph warred with worry inside of me. Yes, I had lived through the procedure, but something was wrong. My body felt almost foreign to me like I no longer belonged inside of it. My muscles were still sore, and I could feel an ache in my bones, but that was muted by the hunger that was slowly unfurling inside of me.

  “Wyatt,” I whispered. “I’m hungry.”

  Wyatt stiffened before letting out a heavy breath. “Yeah, of course. Pierce warned us about this.”

  “Pierce?” I said blankly. “When was he here?”

  Wyatt let out a breath. “He’s come to check on you a couple of times. Last time he was in here, he thought that you were past the worst of it.”

  I licked my dry lips and froze when I tasted the distinct taste of blood. “Wyatt,” I said nervously. “What happened to me?”

  Wyatt sat up so he could look me in the eyes and smooth my hair back. “Nothing’s changed,” he assured me. “You’re still a member of this pack, and our feelings for you are just as strong as ever.”

  Instead of calming me, his words made me go into a full panic. “Something’s changed,” I insisted. “Otherwise you wouldn’t need to tell me that I’m still a part of the pack.”

  Wyatt didn’t answer right away, but I didn’t need him to. I knew what was different, I just didn’t want to admit it. I couldn’t. Someone else was going to have to say the words that would change my life forever.

  Silence echoed around me, and I saw regret in Wyatt’s eyes. “Dr. Green succeeded in changing your human part to…something else.”

  “Lamia,” I whispered. “I’m lamia.” I sat up in alarm. “Can I still shift? I can’t lose that part of me!”

  “Probably,” Wyatt told me, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from darting away from mine.

  My heart sank, and I closed my eyes. Hunger burned inside me, but I ignored it for now. I forced myself to remember what had happened during the procedure. I remembered the pain, but my mind fought me when I tried to focus on my memory of what happened after that. Flashes of Blaine and another lamia holding me down came to me, but I dug deeper. I remembered Grayson and the others shouting. Finally, the memory I wanted to bury the most came back to me. Pierce holding up his wrist, dripping with blood, telling me to drink. The euphoria that came from indulging my hunger.

  Tears slipped from my eyes. “How can you say nothing’s changed?” I whispered.

  Wyatt stroked my hair. “Because going on a special diet doesn’t change who you are. You’re still the feisty little wolf that stole our hearts.”

  I gave Wyatt a sad smile. “Yours too?”

  “Mine,” Wyatt said with a nod. “You’ve had it for a while.”

  I took a deep breath. “Did Pierce say when this hunger will go away?” It burned inside me with an intensity that was getting more and more difficult to ignore. I could feel Wyatt’s warmth and sense the blood flowing through his body. It called to me with a temptation that I fought to refuse.

  “When you feed,” Wyatt said quietly. “Only blood will satisfy you for now.”

  “Just for now?”

  Wyatt looked uncomfortable. “Pierce said that, with time, some of them can learn to feed without taking blood.”

  “I can’t imagine that,” I told him honestly.

  The door to the jail clicked open, and Dr. Green strode in. My eyes burned with hate, and I snarled at him, but he just laughed.

  “You’re looking hungry,” he taunted me. “Pierce has been giving you his blood, but I think its time you fed on your own.”

  I grimaced when I realized the taste of blood that lingered in my mouth was from Pierce. “I don’t want to,” I said defiantly.

  “We’ve given you one of your pack mates,” Dr.
Green said with a smirk. “Wouldn’t you prefer that over a helpless human?”

  I glared at him. “I want you to undo this. Turn me back.”

  “There’s no going back,” Dr. Green told me sternly. “This is what you are now. Accept it.”

  “It’s okay, Lori,” Wyatt said as he turned my face to his. “I’m volunteering for this.”

  “It’s not safe,” I insisted. I didn’t trust myself to have control, not when this hunger was burning through me like this.

  “Let her have the rest of her pack,” Dr. Green instructed the lamia who had accompanied him.

  The cages unlocked and the lamia shoved my pack mates into confinement with Wyatt and me.

  “I’m the strongest right now,” Wyatt announced to the others.

  The guys all looked at each other, but no one voiced an objection to what Wyatt said. He did look like he was in the best shape out of all of them.

  “I’m the only one who hasn’t been taken back to the lab for a procedure,” Wyatt explained to me.

  I nodded in understanding. “I don’t want to feed off you,” I told him as I held back my tears. I despised what it was that I had become, and the thought of one of my pack mates becoming a victim made me physically ill.

  Wyatt smiled at me. “You won’t hurt me.”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stop, even if I mentally prepared myself for it.

  Grayson knelt at my side. “This is different than feeding from a human,” he informed me. “We’re already a part of you.”

  Kannon nodded in agreement. “Pierce told us what to expect, and we’re ready to take care of you. You’ll never go hungry.”

  I blinked away the tears that were starting to form in my eyes. “That’s not fair to you. You deserve a real female, not a freak like me.”

  Corey chuckled and smoothed my hair back. “I love the freaky parts of you just as much as I love the wolfy ones.”

  I scowled at Corey’s light-hearted tone. Since when was he Mr. Cheery?

  “This will just make our bond tighter,” Grayson offered me. “And we all agreed that we’d rather have you feed on us than anyone else.”

  “You already talked about it?” I asked curiously.

  “Pierce explained what happened and told us how we’d be able to assist in your transition,” Wyatt said plainly. “We’re fully prepared to help you through this.”

  “And Pierce thinks it’s safe?” I asked doubtfully.

  “All of us will be here until you get used to it,” Grayson explained. “We won’t let you hurt anyone.”

  I relaxed at his assurance. The hunger was starting to become overwhelming, and I honestly preferred the thought of feeding off my guys more than a stranger. It did seem intimate, and if I opened the pack bond between us while we fed, the experience would probably be even more intense.

  Wyatt sat behind me and pulled me close so that I was leaning up against him. He held his wrist in front of my mouth. “Pierce said it would be better for you to feed from the wrist until you got better at this.”

  Kannon sat next to Wyatt and took his other arm. “I’m going to monitor his pulse to make sure you don’t take too much,” he explained.

  I kissed Wyatt’s wrist and almost shook with the desire to sink my teeth into him. My eyes met Grayson’s, and I lowered mine in shame. I hated for him to see how much of a bloodsucker I was.

  “It’s okay, Lori,” Grayson assured me. “There’s not one part of you that I don’t love.”

  Wyatt extended his wrist to me, and I started salivating. I huddled over in pain as fangs forced themselves out of my gums, and the taste of my own blood pushed me over the edge. I pounced on Wyatt and sank my teeth into his wrist. Blood exploded into my mouth, and I groaned in relief. This was what I needed to make the pain go away.

  The bond between Wyatt and I opened. The sudden influx of his thoughts and emotions broke me out of my trance, and I sucked on his wound.

  His awareness exploded into mine. I could feel his surprise, but also his curiosity. Wyatt was always thinking clinically and logically, but I wanted to go deeper than that. I wanted to see what was underneath the organized, methodical layer he presented to the world.

  What I saw in Wyatt surprised me. As I took in his life force, I felt his vulnerability and his desire to be loved. Corey had hurt him deeply when he pulled away from their twin bond. Wyatt had cut himself off from all of his emotions and put up a shield to protect himself.

  I exposed myself to him and let Wyatt see how scared and confused I was underneath everything. I showed him how much the love and acceptance that this pack had given me had changed me for the better. Wyatt responded by sending me a strong wave of love, revealing how much he cared for me and how he didn’t want to hold himself apart anymore.

  Someone tugged on Wyatt’s wrist, causing the warm flow of energy to slow and I pulled it back to me. Wyatt was filling up the empty part inside of me, and I needed more.

  I hissed when Wyatt was abruptly yanked away from me, and two other males held me down. It took a couple of seconds for me to come back to myself and realize what happened.

  “Oh my god,” I said in horror. “Wyatt? Are you okay?” My mouth was wet with blood, and his wound dripped.

  “Yeah,” he said with a groan.

  Corey and Grayson let me go and I sat up in a panic, checking Wyatt over. “Are you sure? Do you feel faint?”

  Wyatt gave me a weak smile. “I’m fine, Lori. I just need a second.”

  “Did I take too much?” I asked worriedly.

  Wyatt shook his head. “This is more like an afterglow.”

  Corey smirked at him. “So, you’re saying it was good?”

  “The best I’d ever had,” Wyatt said as he closed his eyes.

  I looked between both of them in confusion. “We were told it’s very pleasurable,” Kannon told me. “That’s why more than one of us has to be here. Wyatt wouldn’t have wanted you to stop.”

  I backed away from Wyatt in horror as he winced and pressed on his wound. “Wyatt!” I called in dismay. “I’m so sorry!”

  I pressed myself into a corner of the room, and tears flowed down my cheeks. “It’s okay, Lori,” Wyatt said gently. “I’m fine.”

  Wyatt wrapped his bleeding wrist with a gauze bandage and that’s when I realized he had a large pile of them beside him. That made me even more distraught. He had known I was going to hurt him, and he’d still let me do it.

  “Lori,” Kannon said softly as he took a step towards me.

  “Stay back!” I shouted in panic. I couldn’t let myself hurt any of them. Not again.

  The thought of losing control like that horrified me. What if I hadn’t stopped? What if I’d bit him again? I could have seriously harmed him. My entire body shook as I wrapped my arms around myself.

  What had I become?

  Chapter 31

  Lori

  I paced back and forth in my cell. The lamia had removed Wyatt after I refused to let him near me again. They’d tried to keep Grayson in here with me, but had decided against it when I attacked them when they tried. Dr. Green had decided to move the other guys away from me until I calmed down.

  Being alone meant the guys were safe from me, but I ached with loneliness. I always had Kannon or one of the other guys with me, and the lack of their presence was painful. The part of me that was a wolf craved the rest of my pack, but I was too afraid to let them near my lamia side.

  It hadn’t even been a full day since I’d fed on Wyatt, but the hunger was back and fraying my nerves. It was a constant craving that left me feeling like a drug addict seeking a high.

  "You have a visitor," Blaine called cheerfully as he walked into the jail with someone else following close behind.

  My eyes widened when Mr. Reaven stepped out from behind Blaine. What the hell was he doing here?

  "I'm here to get what I was promised," Mr. Reaven said with a leer at me.

  Blaine chuckled. "That's ri
ght." He turned to me. "Lori, did you know that Baracus recruited Roger Reaven to help him destroy your life? That was before we even got involved, of course."

  I paled at the mention of my former pack master. "He's dead," I whispered.

  "True," Blaine laughed. "Her pack mates ripped Baracus apart after he shot one of them," he told Mr. Reaven conversationally.

  Mr. Reaven looked confused. "Pack mates?"

  "This is fun," Blaine said with a smile. "Yes, Lori and her friends are wolf shifters. Baracus was her old pack master, out for revenge."

  Mr. Reaven paled, and I finally saw fear start creeping inside him. We both knew that if Blaine was telling him all of this, then he wasn't walking out of the room alive.

  "You're …wolves?" Mr. Reaven choked out. "Monsters?"

  "They're not that bad," Blaine told him. "Honestly, we're a lot worse than they are. Can you guess what I am?"

  Mr. Reaven recoiled and tried to make a run for the door, but he tripped over his own feet, fell to the ground, and then tried to scramble away. Blaine laughed as if that were the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

  "Blaine!" Pierce called out sharply as he came into the room, followed by several other lamia.

  "Pierce," Blaine said lazily. "Stefan said we can dispose of him now."

  They both looked at Mr. Reaven, and Pierce sighed. "There's no need to waste the blood. Take him downstairs with you so you can share."

  Blaine grinned and advanced on Mr. Reaven, making him whimper in fear. "Where's the fun in that?" Blaine murmured. "I think Lori might be hungry."

  Blaine pulled out a knife and swiped a blade across Mr. Reaven's palm faster than I could track. "What do you think, Lori?" he asked as he held up Mr. Reaven's bleeding hand. "Does this seem tempting?"

  Pierce rolled his eyes. "Stefan has her on a strict diet."

  Blaine chuckled. "Lighten up," he teased Pierce. "She'll have a better chance of living through this if she's fed well. You know that."

  "At least compel him for her," one of the other lamia suggested. "The first one is always difficult."