Taken by the Beast (13 page)

“She would have been Marcus’ mate. She’d luckily not been there during the massacre.”

“What do you mean
would have been
? Were they dating or something?”

Elijah looked at her and smiled. “No, I don’t think you could call it dating, actually.”

The look on his face told her he was amused by her simple comment. “Maybe you could enlighten me then,” she said, meeting his smile with a smirk.

“She was too young. Marcus was waiting.”

“Is she a werewolf?”

He hesitated for a moment. “She’s not a werewolf, but carries a similar gene.”

“Then I’m not the only one. So why did you have to drag me into this? I assume she knew you at least so you wouldn’t have to kidnap her.” She didn’t know why she said that, knowing it was just wrong.

“Because she belonged to Marcus,” Elijah said, his tone putting an end to the discussion.

“I feel like I go round and round in circles with you sometimes, Elijah.”

He didn’t react.

“Does she know we’re coming?”

“No.”

“Are you serious? So we’re just showing up and telling her ‘hey, this is Kayla, she’ll be your roommate while I go take care of some ass… jerks.’”

He only gave her a look at her quick correction.

She wasn’t sure why some part of her wanted to provoke him. All she knew was she was feeling under pressure. Going with him to confront Eric wasn’t a good idea. But being left behind without him just plain scared her.

“Where does she live?”

“Not too much farther. One thing; let
me
mention Marcus to her. I need to figure out how to do it.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want her to get her hopes up.”

“Because you aren’t sure it’s not a trap,” Kayla said.

“Either way, neither you nor I—nor Rachel if they ever found out about her—will be safe until they’re dead. They won’t give up their quest to breed and control the wolf pack. You and I play a role for them. I’m beginning to wonder actually how much more critical a role you play now that there’s the possibility that my brothers are alive. If that’s the case, they won’t need me to breed the pack, but they will need you.”

“I’m human. Can you stop using the word breed, please?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just the reality of things,” he said. They were on a residential street with huge trees and very old houses. Most were three stories tall and there was only one that looked like it had seen some renovation, from the outside at least. He parked the car in front of one of the homes and turned off the ignition. “We’re here.”

She reached a hand out to touch his. “What if it’s a trap? What if you don’t come back?”

He searched her eyes. She wondered if he could sense her fear now, her anxiety at being left behind.

“I will come back,” he said. “It won’t do you any good to worry; try to relax.”

She exhaled and shook her head. “Relax?”

“I’m sorry, Kayla.”

“Will they come after me if something happens to you?” Tears filled her eyes. “What will I do? What
should
I do?”

“No one’s going to hurt you and nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m going to come back and take care of you. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that if you’re dead!”

He reached forward, grabbed the back of her head, and pulled her to him. His mouth closed over hers in a kiss that wasn’t erotic, wasn’t even meant to be. He contained her within his grasp, his mouth. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and leave its stain across both their faces. His fingers softened their hold after a moment, caressed, then pulled her to his chest so his lips were on top of her head. “I’m coming back for you. Believe that.”

* * *

They walked up the long walk and took the seven or so steps to the front door. Elijah watched her, worried. She was scared. His words in the car had been real. He would come back for her, no matter what he had to do. Ever since Phillip had said the word breed aloud, Elijah hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the possibility. His feelings for Kayla had changed since the night at her apartment. He knew for a fact he wasn’t only protecting her out of a sense of duty. Not sure he ever had been. He would kill his enemy, their enemy, and he would return to claim her for his own. And he would rebuild his life with her. The thought of putting a baby in her belly did more than arouse him. Much more. He’d tracked her for years for a reason and this was it. He’d been unable to face this before, but now that he accepted it, a new and different need took hold. He would help her work through her feelings, help her understand the past, accept what was and what would be. He understood her conflicting emotions and didn’t blame her for them. He needed to be strong for her, guide her.

He rang the doorbell. He wondered how Rachel would react at seeing him. In the beginning, he’d checked in on her every few months, but he hadn’t been sure if it was helping her. She was young, barely twenty-two now. He hadn’t seen her in two years.

The door opened and Rachel stood with her hand on the doorknob, looking at him. Her mouth fell open.

“Oh, my God! Elijah!” she said, immediately placing herself in his embrace.

Elijah didn’t miss Kayla’s upraised eyebrows at this easy intimacy between them.

“Rachel,” he said, hugging her tightly before separating, looking at her. “You’ve grown up.” Rachel stood 5′ 2″ tall, same wide eyes looking up at him like she used to when she was a kid. He’d always been like a big brother to her and that hadn’t changed over the years. “It’s good to see you.”

Rachel smiled, then turned to Kayla. “Hi,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Kayla, this is Rachel. Rachel, Kayla.” Elijah put a hand at Kayla’s low back as she extended her hand into Rachel’s.

“Nice to meet you,” Kayla said. Elijah felt the slight change in emotion from Kayla. She was sizing Rachel up. Competition? That made him smile.

“Come in,” Rachel said. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Elijah and he’s never brought a girlfriend before.” She smiled a warm, wide smile at Kayla.

“Oh, I’m not…we just…”

They walked inside and Rachel closed and locked the door behind them. “I can’t believe it. Come in, sit down. Let me get some coffee on, or something else? What would you like?” They walked down the hallway, passed the living and dining rooms, and went into the kitchen with her. The house was old but cozy. It seemed entirely too big for her to be living here alone.

“If you have a soda, I’d love one,” Kayla said.

Rachel took one from the fridge and handed it over. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

“Coffee would be great for me,” Elijah said.

“I haven’t seen you in two years, Elijah,” Rachel began. “Why the surprise visit? What’s going on?”

She’d never been one to beat around the bush.

“Phillip found us a couple of days ago,” Elijah said, noting the fact that Rachel’s face paled. “There’s a new player I didn’t know about. I’m going after them tonight and need a safe place to keep Kayla.”

“How did they find you?”

“There was an incident a few weeks back,” Elijah began, not wanting to go into details of that night.

“I heard about that, actually,” Rachel said, looking at Kayla. “Are you all right?”

“Well, considering everything that’s happened over the last weeks, I’m remarkably still standing. Although once this is over, I’m sure everything will come crashing down, but for now, I’m ok. I think.”

Elijah noted how her hand shook when she brought her drink to her mouth. “Rachel, can we run a bath for Kayla?”

“Of course,” Rachel put her coffee down and left the two in the kitchen.

Elijah took Kayla’s hand. “It’ll help you relax.”

She pulled her hand away and concentrated on twisting the lid of her soda. “I don’t want to relax. I want to go home. I want this to be over. I want my life back.”

“You know that’s not reality anymore. The sooner you accept that, the better it will be for you.”

She looked at him, her eyes tired as she rubbed her hand over her face.

“You’ll feel better after a bath, I promise.”

“Stop making promises, damn it!” she said, yanking her hand free for the second time.

Elijah contained his emotions, knowing to be patient with her. This was a lot to take in. But he also needed her to remain calm.

“Bath is ready,” Rachel said from inside.

“I’ll come get you in a little bit, Kayla,” Elijah called out.

* * *

“Come on, I think you’ll fit my clothes,” Rachel said, taking Kayla’s hand and walking with her up two flights of stairs to the third floor. “Here,” Rachel said. “It’s the only room up here. Bathroom isn’t new, but it should work.” They walked into the bedroom and Kayla looked around. It had the slanted ceilings she imagined it would from the shape of the house. A large bed took up the center, a bookcase one wall. A dresser was set against another wall and a bench stood against the foot of the bed. There was one window where yellowed lace curtains hung. The scent was that of an unused room that hadn’t been aired for a while. Rachel opened the window wider.

“I’m usually alone so no one’s used this room for a while. I imagine you’ll be staying?” She didn’t sound like she was waiting for an answer. “Anyhow, here,” she said, leading Kayla into the bathroom. “I hope you like bubbles. Jasmine is my favorite scent,” she smiled.

“It’s fine. Thanks.”

Rachel put a hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be ok. Elijah’s a good guy, I promise.”

“People keep making promises,” Kayla said, looking into her strange eyes. One was blue, a clear sky blue and the other, palest brown.

“I’ll get you some clothes.”

* * *

A few moments later, Rachel walked into the living room where Elijah waited. “She’s scared.”

“I know.” They sat on the couch. “They want her because she carries the gene.”

“How did you find her?”

“I knew of her father and did some investigating. Her mother had taken her away when her father was killed and Kayla never knew a thing. I’d been staying close, a part of me knowing what I had to do to rebuild my family, I suppose. The incident you heard about was her boyfriend getting ready to gang-rape her with some of his friends. I couldn’t leave her behind with the bodies, Phillip would have figured it out, so I took her with me. She was beginning to trust me when they found us two nights ago. She’d come across my research and I didn’t have a chance to explain it to her.” Elijah considered how much more to tell her. “Listen, Rachel, there’s a chance Marcus and Collin are alive.”

“What?” Her whole demeanor changed; she became that little girl again.

“I don’t want to get your hopes up; I’m not sure it isn’t bait, a trap. Eric Maddox helped us to escape and I’m trying to piece it all together. I know he wanted Phillip dead, but then he couldn’t take a chance I’d run with Kayla. Telling me my brothers were alive would ensure my returning to find and free them.”

“Marcus is alive?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Rachel, I won’t know until I go and find out for myself. I’m going to leave tonight, but I need you to keep Kayla hidden here with you.”

“What if it is a trap and you don’t come back?”

“I can’t allow that possibility,” he said. “Would you mind giving us a little time alone together? I need to make sure she’s ok before I leave.”

“Sure, I need to run to the store anyway,” Rachel said, standing.

“Thank you.”

“If he’s alive, bring him home.”

He nodded. Rachel gathered her purse and left.

Chapter Thirteen

Kayla lay in the tub, eyes closed, listening to the sound of bubbles in water. It was all too much to process. Everything she’d learned about herself, her father. What she’d witnessed in her apartment and at the lab. The thought that she was now hunted by these men who would use her to breed a new pack of werewolves chilled her.

A panic that had been building finally seized her and she opened her eyes. She needed to get out of here, that was all there was to it. They were only three flights up and she’d noticed the fire escapes on the other houses. She climbed out of the tub and reached for the towel Rachel had left her. She was leaving. Wrapping herself in the towel, she went into the bedroom and to the window. She leaned her head out. The ladder reached almost all the way to the ground floor. This was probably her best option. She turned to get dressed, slipping on the skirt and blouse Rachel had left her. She opened the window wider and swung one leg out, tentatively feeling for the rung of the ladder as she reached for it with her right hand. Once she had it, she shifted her weight and brought her other hand out, then her leg. Looking neither up nor down but concentrating on her feet, she took the first step, then the second. She’d always been afraid of heights and looking up was somehow worse than down. This was only three floors; she could do it.

She didn’t notice the rusted state of the next rung and when she set her foot down, it creaked beneath her weight, giving a little at first before the whole ladder rolled noisily down to the second floor. She screamed and sealed her eyes shut, gripping the ladder tight, jolted when it suddenly stopped.

“Breathe,” she said to herself. She could do this. She had no choice but to do this.

The ladder shook and she opened her eyes to find Elijah on it, climbing down much more swiftly than she had. He reached down and one hand closed around her arm.

“Let go of the ladder, Kayla,” he said, his voice remarkably calm.

Her hand was sweaty, slippery already, and she did as he said. As soon as she did, he lifted her, gave her a look that told her how much trouble she was in and, pressing her to his chest, climbed back up and into the open window. Once inside, he closed the window and sat her shaking on the bed.

“Are you all right?” he asked after a few moments of pacing.

She nodded.

“Do you have any idea how stupid that was?” he asked, closing the space between them. “You could have gotten killed!”

She looked at him, nodding, crying. She wasn’t sure if the tears were of relief or fear of the punishment she knew would soon follow.