Jewel of Darkness (20 page)

“She belongs with me.” His body was rigid as he spoke but somehow he was keeping himself from yelling. Peri didn’t know if it was a good thing that Dalton could still think so clearly. Only moments ago he’d been hell bent on destroying anything and anyone around him. What was he calculating now that he was so calm? She’d learned from observing the other wolves that calculating coldness was scarier than a wolf that was losing control. The calculating enraged wolf was simply a ticking time bomb, and the Great Luna help anyone near him when he finally went off.

“It is her choice. You can’t force her to be with you.”

His eyes narrowed as his head tilted slightly. “Did she say that? Did she say she didn’t want to be with me?”

“She said she couldn’t be with you,” Peri admitted.

“
Couldn’t
doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want to. She needs me, Perizada. Her face, those―” He bit back a growl taking a deep breath before continuing, “She had bruises all over her face. She needs me and you took her from me.”

“I did what she requested. She’s been through hell, Dalton. She doesn’t need your possessive, overbearing crap. She doesn’t need to be bombarded with questions or coddled to death. She just needs—”

“ME.” Dalton still didn’t yell and yet the tone in his voice, the quiet seething quality, was just as effective as if he had screamed at the top of his lungs. “She needs me to take care of her. She needs me to chase away the nightmares that will wake her up in the middle of the night. She needs me to remind her when she looks in the mirror and only sees scars and bruises, that she’s beautiful. She needs me to hold her hand ― no words, no questions, just my presence ― so that she knows she’s not alone. She. Needs. Me. How am I supposed to take care of her if people keep taking her from me?”

“I’m not taking her from you,” Peri argued. She glanced at the other males in the room, looking for understanding, but all she got was accusatory glares. She should have known that even though Dalton had beaten the crap out of them, they’d still side with him. They understood how he felt because if it was their mate, they’d feel the exact same way. “She just needs a little time to process everything. Give her a little space and then when she’s ready I will take you to her.”

“What if she’s never ready?” The lost sound in his voice broke her heart. This was a man who just wanted to love the woman who he’d claimed as his own. This was a man who was desperate to take care of her, and yet he could do nothing other than feel the sting of her rejection.

“I’m sorry.” Peri didn’t know what else to say.

“Then bring her back to me.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Then your apology is nothing more than a sugarcoated lie to make yourself feel better.” He headed for the front door but stopped and turned to look at her. “I’ve kept him under control, but it is a very tenuous hold. It will not take much to set my beast lose. Do not come near me unless you are taking me to her. No one is dead this night, but I cannot promise that another encounter will end the same way.”

Lucian growled at the implied threat. “Your pain is understood, but you will not touch my mate.”

“Keep her away from me.” He was out the door before Lucian could respond.

“That. Is. It. THAT IS IT!” Peri screamed and in a flash, she disappeared. Reappearing outside, standing in front of Dalton, she stopped the large man in his tracks. The whole of the front lawn erupted in brilliant white light, sending the wolves inside scrambling out onto the front porch. They saw Peri thrust out her hands and power erupted from her palms, slamming into Dalton and sending him to his knees. “Come out, wolf,” she snarled at the beast inside of Dalton. She forced Dalton to phase, which took very little persuasion, as the beast was so close to the surface. “You have threatened me for the last time.”

The shaggy wolf made to lunge at Peri, but he didn’t have a chance. Peri made a fist with her outstretched hand. The wolf froze in mid-air. It hung there, flaying and snarling, with its teeth bared and saliva flying as it fought to free itself from Peri’s hold. She flung her hand toward the ground and the wolf slammed into the dirt. It yelped, snarling and growling even more. The wolf gained its feet and tore the ground trying to get at Peri’s throat, but still it was held captive in Peri’s invisible grip. Again she lifted her hand and again the wolf flew into the air. Again she brought it crashing down. She pinned Dalton on his side where he had fallen. All four legs kicked and scratched, but try as he might, he didn’t move an inch.

All at once the stunned onlookers made to fly off the porch. What they intended to do when they reached the fighting pair, none ― save Lucian ― were exactly sure. He would rip apart the wolf that threatened his mate, of that he had no doubt. Peri took her free hand and threw it toward the house.

“Stop!” she yelled, still pulsing blazing white light. Each of them hit an invisible wall, solid as stone. Grunts and groans of pain came from the group. Costin fell on his butt. Lucian’s snarls exploded in Peri’s mind. She thought she might have heard the words
mine
and
threaten
somewhere in there, but she couldn’t be sure the sound was so guttural. “Stay where you are,” she yelled to the group. “This is between me and him.”

I’m sorry,
she whispered to her mate through their bond.
I know you are more than capable of protecting me, but I must do this one alone.

An enraged sound, resembling nothing at all human, was all she heard in response.

Dalton lay on the ground, still unable to move. His paralysis didn’t stop him from growling, however, and Peri was pretty sure what he would be saying if he could talk at that moment. For a third time, she lifted the wolf, and for a third time she slammed him down. Again, he snarled, scrabbling at the ground, trying to get to the fae. Again he was held in place.

“I can do this all day, wolf.” And she picked him up and slammed him down a fourth time. This time, a whimper escaped his muzzle.

Peri let her power subside, just enough that she wasn’t putting on a pyrotechnics show that the whole forest could see. She walked over to the wolf lying on the ground. He stared into her eyes. She saw malice there, but the growling had stopped. “You think you’re the only one here who cares about her?
I
was the one the Great Luna chose to find the healers.
I
was the one she chose to protect them. You think it doesn’t tear me up inside that I let Jewel get captured. You think I don’t see her face every night when I close my eyes to sleep. Each and every scar on that girls’ body, I feel myself. She got tortured because of me! And I will never,
ever
let myself forget it.

“Do you think I like running all over God’s creation trying to find these healers? Do you think I like being the ambassador to a bunch of whining, bullying, possessive, overbearing wolves, who get into pissing contests every time one of them gets his tail stepped on? New flash! I don’t! But I understand why the Great Luna chose me for this task and I understand how important it is. This is bigger than me and it’s damn sure bigger than you. So I’ll keep fighting to keep these girls safe, even if I have to kill every wolf in every pack on this earth to do so.”

All the light had faded from Peri now, but the air still thrummed around her. A thick tense silence filled the yard. No one moved. Except for Peri, whose chest was heaving, no one seemed to even be breathing. She bent down and put her hand on Dalton’s throat. The wolf remained perfectly still, continuing to stare at Peri.

“I should put you out of your misery right now and save your Alpha the trouble. There is one reason, and one reason only, that you are still breathing, wolf,” Peri sneered at him. “I looked into your mate’s eyes. I saw the brokenness inside. I don’t know what was done to her. But I’m guessing it was horrible, worse even than what Lorelle did to her. I know that her road to recovery will not be easy. And I know that she will not make it without you. She needs you. She may not realize it. She may not be willing to admit it, but she does. And we need her. Whatever the Great Luna’s plans may be, I’m certain they involve Jewel. So when she’s ready, and
only
when she’s ready, you are going to quit being a spoiled whiny animal, and you are going to stand up and be the man that she needs. You are going to help her heal.

“Now, here’s what’s going to happen next. I’m going to unbind you.
I’m
going inside to drink a well-deserved mug of hot chocolate, and
you
are going to get out of my sight. But remember this, and remember it well, if you die, she has no hope. If you surrender to the darkness, she has no hope. If you love her like you say you do, then you will not let that happen.

“NOW GO!” she bellowed, pointing out into the forest.

Dalton shot toward the trees like a missile. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the forest.

“I
s she okay?” Sally said as she, Costin, Peri, and Lucian settled at the dining room table. An hour had passed since Peri had it out with Dalton, and everyone was beginning to calm down and think rationally again ― well, everyone but Dalton. But then he probably wouldn’t be thinking rationally until Jewel was by his side.

“Something isn’t right,” Peri admitted. “She told me that she didn’t want to be with Dalton but there was no truth to her words. She was practically shaking with her need of him, but for some reason, she’s lying.”

“Did she tell you anything about what happened while she was with Volcan?” Sally asked.

Peri shook her head. “I asked her, but she isn’t ready to talk. Whatever happened, whatever he did to her, it was bad.”

Sally’s eyes filled with tears as she stared back at Peri. “Did you take her to the pixie realm with the others?”

She shook her head. “She didn’t want to be around anyone.”

“Where did you take her?” Elle asked as she and Sorin stepped into the room.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to divulge that information. Dalton doesn’t need any ammunition to rip into someone. And if you know the whereabouts of his mate, you become the perfect target for him.”

“Do you think she will come back to him?” Sally asked it as a question, but the look in her eyes said that she already knew the answer.

“No. I don’t think she has any intention of coming back at all.”

Just then they heard a howl, long and mournful, coming from somewhere deep in the forest.

Chapter 9

“I need. I need. I need. But I cannot have what I need. To have him would be to destroy him and I can’t let that happen. So the need in me begins to consume me. It whispers to me that I am alone. Even if I were to go to him, he wouldn’t want me. I rejected him, despite my need of him.” ~Jewel

J
ewel stared at nothing as she sat in her mother’s empty house. She hadn’t moved since Peri had flashed away. Moving took effort and she simply didn’t have any effort left in her. Her mind was full of his face — the look in his eyes when he’d seen her face and the fury that had taken hold of him just before Peri had whisked her away. Leaving him standing there was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life. It was harder than enduring the torture from either Lorelle or Volcan. She’d wanted nothing more than to run to him and to have his strong arms wrap her up in the shelter of his body, protecting her from anything and everything.

But what she wanted didn’t matter, not when it meant that the darkness would fill him until he was so far gone that the other wolves would have to put him down like a sick dog. It was going to kill something inside of her to walk away from Dalton Black. But she was going to do it anyway.

She finally moved when she heard the door that led to the garage open and close. “Mom,” she called out, not wanting to scare her.

Gem walked into the living room, her eyes taking in the state of her daughter. Jewel knew what she would see: a broken, beaten, lost girl. She would see that her eyes were void of life, her voice void of emotion, and her heart void of love. Gem met Jewel’s eyes and she could tell her mom was trying to hold back the tears. Gem hurried over to her and pulled her up so she could hug her. “I’ve missed you and I’ve been so worried. I knew what was in store for you but I couldn’t change it. I couldn’t alter a single thing.”

The hurt and sadness in her mother’s voice broke what little piece there was left of her heart. “I don’t blame you, mom,” she said, attempting to help ease her mother’s misplaced guilt. “Just because you can see things that might happen, doesn’t mean I expect you to alter them. If you didn’t have that ability, then life would continue on without us knowing, as it should. You are the one who taught me that.”

“Yes, but when it comes to your own child, it’s easy to want to throw out all the rules.” When she pulled back from the hug, Gem looked around Jewel and then turned back to look at the entry to the kitchen. “Where’s Dalton?”

“He’s not here.”

Gem’s eyes widened. “What do you mean he’s not here?”

“I mean, I asked Peri to take me away from him. You know that bond has been completely destroyed. There’s no reason for him to tie himself to me, not with Volcan’s claws dug so deeply into my body.” The suddenly frantic look on Gem’s face surprised her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

“It’s not supposed to happen like this. This can’t be. This is wrong. It’s wrong!” Her voice grew with each word.

“What do you mean?” The stirring of something other than despair was churning in Jewel’s gut. Her mother was rarely frazzled, and now she seemed practically panic stricken.

“When I saw what was to come, Dalton was by your side always. The only time he wasn’t there was your stent with Volcan.”

Jewel shrugged. “So he won’t be by my side. How can that small detail be so worrisome?”

“There is nothing small about a life being removed from your future. It can change everything and in this case it changes more than just your outcome. There will be a domino effect. Many will suffer.” Gem narrowed her eyes on her daughter and her lips grew tight across her face. “Do you love him? Was the bond the only thing that tied you to him?”

“I—” Jewel began and then stopped. She pressed her hand to her chest as if that could make the ache there go away. “I think I do. But I don’t want to. Mom, if he stays with me, Volcan has ensured that it will ultimately end him. The darkness will take over his soul and he will become feral. I don’t want that for him. It would absolutely devastate me to see that happen to him, especially if I’m the cause.”

“Volcan is the cause of it all, not you!”

“I could have fought harder. I could have done anything but allowed him to give me his blood and turn me into his personal witch maker. I should have—”

“You should have done exactly what you did,” Gem cut her off. “You are an eighteen-year-old, human girl who has been pulled into a supernatural world. Dangers that you couldn’t even fathom have been dropped in your lap and, for whatever reason, the Fates have made you the bearer of most of that danger. You have a purpose, Jewel, and it wasn’t to die at the hands of that evil man nor was it to sacrifice your purpose. You did exactly what you could.”

Jewel wanted to believe her mom, but she still felt that maybe she could have done something different, something better. Gem was wringing her hands and pacing as she muttered under her breath. Jewel had only seen her like that a handful of times and never as bad as she was right now.

When her mother finally stopped, Gem turned slowly and faced her. “You have to go back to him.” Jewel started to shake her head but Gem kept going. “If you and Dalton are not together, a lot of people are going to die. There are things in life that are absolutes. They should not be altered, and if they are, it’s detrimental to the course of history. The absolutes have to remain. They are all that stands between evil and the rest of the world.”

“I don’t understand how that’s possible,” Jewel frowned. “How can my relationship with Dalton keep evil at bay when I am a walking blood bank of evil? How can we prevent the fall of everything good when the good in both of us is being slowly taken over? It makes no sense!” Jewel wanted it to make sense. Though there was a part of her that felt like being with Dalton was too dangerous, there was an even bigger part that hoped her mother’s reasoning was sound. Maybe if she
had
to be with Dalton, she wouldn’t feel guilty for choosing him despite the risks.

“Yes, the good in both of you is fighting a battle to overcome the darkness inside. But there is a reason the Great Luna created true mates. Yes,” ― Gem nodded at Jewel’s wide eyes ― “I know the history of the wolves. But that’s not the point right now. The point is, she created true mates because they are stronger together than apart. Where one is weak, the other is strong; where one is temperamental, the other is constant and so on and so forth. There is a risk with you two being together—”

“Exactly,” Jewel started.

“BUT,” Gem interrupted, snapping the word loudly at her daughter, “the risk is greater if you are apart.”

“What risk? What will happen?” Jewel asked, her own teeth snapping together as she felt a headache coming on.

“Think, Jewel. You are the genius here. Use all that knowledge in your brain and figure it out.”

“Forgive me if the only information I have on werewolves and the like is from fictional romance novels.”

Gem crossed her arms in front of her and leaned her shoulder against the wall. “What part of you’re stronger together do you not get?”

Jewel was the one pacing now. Her face hurt, her stomach hurt, and she was exhausted. But if her mom was arguing this vehemently, then maybe it
was
life or death. If Volcan hadn’t put the spell on her, then she could understand how she could make Dalton stronger. But right now she was going to literally make him weaker.

“Okay, call me stupid, but I just don’t see how I can make him stronger? I’m what will weaken him.”

“Well isn’t someone just a tad self-absorbed?” Gem tsked at her. “Did you ever think that perhaps the reason you need to stay together is because
he
makes
you
stronger?

Jewel’s blood turned to ice. She just couldn’t catch a break. So if she’s with Dalton, she destroys him. If she’s not with Dalton, she destroys the world. Can someone say between a rock and a freaking slab of marble?

“Jewel, you are a catalyst to many things. You are not the only one of your kind that will be challenged, but you are the first. You cannot walk through the fire alone. When the smoke and heat overwhelm you, you need to have someone by your side who can carry you out. Please.” She paused and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Please, go back to him.”

“We aren’t even mates.” The defeated sound in her voice, that even she heard, was a sign that her mother was finally getting through to her.

“But you were. And now you can still be mates because you choose to be.”

Jewel closed her eyes and felt a small spark of hope, but she wasn’t about to fan the flame, not yet. “I’m tired. I need a shower and then a hot bath and then sleep. Can we talk about a possible reunion tomorrow?” Gem opened her mouth to speak but Jewel stopped her. “He’s intense, mom. He’s going to freak over all the bruises. He’s going to want me to answer questions and he’s going to want to touch me. I just can’t handle it tonight.”

After several minutes her mom gave a single nod.

“I’m sorry to push you. It’s only because I love you, Jewel. I love you in a way that you won’t understand until you have a child. But it’s the type of love that sometimes has to be tough. Please never doubt my love for you.” Gem gave her one more hug before returning to the kitchen.

Jewel knew that her mom loved her — she didn’t doubt it for a second. She moved down the hall to her old bedroom. It was weird being back. Everything seemed so normal, which was absurd after all she’d been through. There was no more normal, not for her or any of the other gypsy healers.

Most of her clothes were still there so she sifted through the drawers and found a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, bra, and underwear. Arms full, she headed for the bathroom.

The shower had been nice, but the bath was heaven. The hot water soothed her aching body and as the pain eased a bit, she was able to think a little clearer. All of her mother’s words replayed in her mind, and Jewel pushed away the emotions and focused on the facts.

“A single strand is weaker than a braid. A braid might survive friction or fire, where a single strand would be destroyed,” she talked out loud as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Sure, she understood the concept of two being stronger than one. She just didn’t quite see how it pertained to her and Dalton. How was he going to keep her from causing whatever catastrophic thing her mom was talking about? Was there no one else who could be the one to help her? Did she want someone else?

“Seriously, Jewel,” she growled at herself. “It doesn’t take a genius to answer that question.” No, she didn’t want another at her side. Of that, she was sure. Jewel just hoped that the cost of being with Dalton wasn’t too high.

“So is that my choice?” she asked herself. After several heartbeats, she wiped away the tears that had fallen. “Yes, I’m going to go back to him. I must go back to him.”

She stood up from the bath and reached for her towel. Her eyes were drawn up to her form in the mirror and she gasped at the sight of her naked body. Jewel had to think about how long it had been since she’d seen herself in a mirror. Not just her face, but all of her. The scars stood out in contrast, jagged and rough, to the rest of her smooth, unmarred skin.

As she stepped out of the bath she turned and looked over her shoulder to see her back. Her knees buckled and she had to catch herself on the wall to keep from falling to the floor. The bond had been completely demolished. There was no trace of it left between her and Dalton and yet there, on her lower back reaching from hip to hip, were the markings she remembered him talking about while she’d been in a coma:
“There is another way that mates lay claim to one another; we gain markings. The males of our species have tattoo like markings on their body indicating their rank and place in the pack. When we find our true mate, those markings change. My markings have changed. They now climb up my neck and down my right arm. You too will have markings that match mine somewhere on your body.”

Her hand trembled as she reached back and ran a finger across the tattoo like shape that indeed matched the ones on Dalton’s neck. Why hadn’t they disappeared when Volcan destroyed the bond? What did it mean that they were still there? Had Dalton’s remained unchanged?

So many questions, so many unknowns. If for no other reason than to gain answers, she had to go back to him.

G
em dialed the number that was scrawled across the small piece of paper. She had found it on her table after the strange group of visitors had left so many weeks ago. Along with the number, there was a message: