Marked (The Pack) (37 page)

“You alright?” he asked.

I nodded against his chest.

“Good, I was afraid you’d be hurt, but you held your own.”

I leaned back from him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just couldn’t.”

He stepped away from me, his hand sliding down my arm to interlock with my fingers as he walked toward Myles pulling me along with him.

“Sorry, I couldn’t tell you before, Myles.”

“I understand.” Myles paused and glanced toward the werewolves we’d just fought. “What now?”

Eric pulled a small can from his back pocket. “They have to be burned.”

I grabbed the can. “Wait, if we put the parts near each other they could grow back together. We beat them. We won. Can’t we just let them go? I mean won’t they see we’ve won this fight and leave?”

Eric frowned. “They won’t stop. It’s Channing’s parents, Alexis.”

“But I thought they’d been talked to about what Channing was doing. I thought they were angry but understood.”

“I guess not.” Myles said.

Eric stared at the ground then shook his head and squeezed my hand. “There’s more to it than you know.”

“Then tell me.”

I couldn’t describe what I saw on his features, agony maybe. It was a look that made a feeling of dread start to unfurl in my stomach.

“You don’t understand what it means for you to be Lycernian and me Fenryrian. You don’t understand that Channing’s parents wouldn’t stop coming after you, EVER. This is the only way. It’s what they would have done to you… and to me. It’s why I came here.”

“I thought you came to visit, to check on me.”

Eric’s breath left him in a rush making a swishing sound as it passed his lips. “Alexis, I did come to check on you, to try and protect you. I knew they were coming. The council had forbidden them, but they were coming anyway. If they had killed you the council would likely have had them killed too.”

“For killing me,” I whispered.

He shook his head. “For going against the council.”

“But they came anyway. Even though they knew they’d die in the end,” I said softly. “Why were they focused on me when Channing brought this on herself by trying to kill me?”

“They had a lot at stake.”

“What? What did they have at stake?”

From his pocket Eric drew out a blue stoned necklace. I looked from the necklace to him.

“That’s Channing’s.”

“No, this one is mine.”

I could hardly get the words out. “What do you mean? You said you didn’t date her, didn’t want to. But, you had matching necklaces. Why?”

“We were matched. We were supposed to be mated, later. I still had training, but it was planned. I never agreed to it, never wanted it.”

From behind me I heard Myles mutter, “shit.” But I couldn’t turn to look at him because I couldn’t take my eyes off Eric.

“So she had every reason to want to kill me. You were promised to her.”

“I didn’t promise her anything,” he said sharply. “I didn’t want to be with her, be mated to her, ever. I told our parents that, but they’d never listen.”

“You know it doesn’t work like that,” Myles said.

I glanced back at him then at Eric. “You lied about it to me.”

“What was I going to tell you? I’m a werewolf and I’m promised to this other girl but everyday I want it to be you instead of her. I know I’m ultimately to blame for what happened to Channing.”

“Why can’t it be me?” I whispered.

“Alexis!” Myles voice was sharp.

Eric shook his head. “My council, my parents, aren’t going to promise me to a Lycernian, Alexis.”

I stared at the ground.

“I have to go,” Eric said. “Channing’s father was an important man, a local state senator in Louisiana. This is going to be a huge mess. No one can know I was here.”

My eyes burned and a knot swelled from my chest into my stomach. “It’s not fair.”

“It’s the way it is.”

Eric took the can from my hand and passed it to Myles. “I have to leave. I’m hoping they’re alone but if anybody finds out I was part of this I’ll be in a lot of trouble.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Eric turned and pulled me against his chest.

“I wish it could be different,” he whispered in my ear. He kissed my cheek, the side of my neck, and he was gone. Behind me there was a whooshing sound as Myles lit the accelerant and flames leapt across the two bodies.

“Wait.”

Eric turned back briefly to look at me from the kitchen door. Then he disappeared. I took a step after him, but Myles hand closed over my upper arm.

“Stop, Alexis.”

“No.” I shook him off and started to run. Myles caught me from behind, nearly tackling me, while wrapping both arms around me. He spun me around until I faced him.

“I’m going with him, Myles. I don’t care. I’ll become Fenryrian.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying, Alexis. You don’t know what it means to be Fenryrian. You don’t even know what it means to be Lycernian. The pack you were born to.”

“I don’t care except that it means I get to be with Eric.”

“Does it? Do you think his pack will automatically accept you and let you be with him?”

The tears I’d been battling spilled over and my shoulders shook with sobs. “This is wrong, Myles. Why does it have to be this way?”

“We’re two different packs and we have different ways. You don’t know the ways of either one so how can you possibly choose.”

“I choose Eric.”

Myles sighed and pulled me against his chest. “Alexis, he didn’t choose you.”

The truth made me sob even harder.

Chapter Thirty-Six

I sat on my bed staring past the pictures on the wall. Myles had been visiting a family friend a few hours away when Louise had called and sent him to check on me, knowing she wouldn’t make it until the next day. I didn’t know if Eric and I would have been able to fight off or kill the two werewolves that had attacked us and I was glad we hadn’t had to find out. Every time I closed my eyes the flames of the burning werewolves danced in the blackness. Then the image of Eric’s back disappearing through the door came racing into the picture out of the yellow and orange fingers of heat that had destroyed my enemies.

Myles sat beside me on the bed now that the tears had stopped. He’d left me alone in my room long enough to let my parents out of the closet, but otherwise he’d stayed close. I knew it wasn’t because he was worried that I’d be upset. He was afraid I’d bolt, that I’d take off in search of Eric. Maybe I would have if he hadn’t been there. But in the end, Myles was right. Eric hadn’t asked me to go with him.

“You have gifts, talents that the Fenryrians want. They may try and get you to join them, but it doesn’t mean things will be what you want.” Myles said at last, obviously tired of the silence.

I twisted to glare at him. “Maybe I want to join them.”

“You’re not a killer.”

“Neither is Eric.”

Myles stood next to the dresser in my tiny room and seemed larger than I remembered. “You don’t know that.”

“I know I don’t want to lose him.”

“You need to think about this. If you go there, you leave all of us behind. Me, Louise, even your parents. Your aunt could be on the council in a few years. She’s an important member of the pack. She loses that when you go with them.

“They wouldn’t do that to her because of me.”

“Yes they would. They couldn’t trust her with you on the other side.”

“You don’t know that.” I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to me.

“My dad was removed from the council when my mom left us. He lost respect among the pack. He’ll never be allowed to be the leader he might have been. They won‘t risk him having a weakness for her that could later hurt our pack.” He paused before continuing. “If you go, you won’t get to be with Eric.”

“Even now that the mate they picked for him is gone? They won’t let him choose a mate? You’re saying they’ll pick someone else and it can’t be me. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

His eyes darkened. “Yes, they do match certain people together. If Eric is an important member of his pack and a lot is expected of him, he won’t get to choose who he’ll be with. They’ll match him for the good of the bloodlines of the pack.”

“Maybe Eric and I can get them to match us. You already said I have talents, that I’m strong.”

“You’re Lycernian.”

“I could choose to be one of them.”

“And you’re willing to help them hunt humans, infect them, kill them?”

“I helped kill tonight.”

Myles grabbed my shoulders. “In a battle for your life you helped kill. That’s completely different than killing innocent humans in a lust for blood and flesh. Besides, you still wouldn’t be Fenryrian blood line.”

I shook his hands away. “Get out. I’ve had enough of this.”

He stepped back and glanced toward the window. “Don’t try and leave.”

I ignored him and curled up on the bed closing my eyes. The door opened and shut. Myles was gone. I lay there for hours running every possible scenario through my mind that ended with me and Eric together. In the end I realized that one thing Myles had said was right. I didn’t know enough to make decisions. I didn’t know enough to come up with much of a plan. I bounced my head against the pillow in frustration. Inside I was empty with no hope, no plan. There had to be a way to bring the packs together, or at least get them to let me be with Eric, without my having to kill people. But I wouldn’t find that way here, in Chicago. I’d have to become part of the pack, in every sense of the word. I’d have to become strong, develop the skills everyone seemed so certain I had and show them that it could work. It was the only way.

Getting to my feet I went to the door and paused with my hand on the knob. In the living room I could hear Louise’s voice mixed with my mother’s. Occasionally, they were interrupted by Aaron. No one was happy and Myles was right about one more thing. Only I could make the decision that had to be made. I twisted the knob resolutely.

The talking stopped when I entered the room. I didn’t see Myles. He must have gone. My mother’s eyes were red rimmed and damp. I hated the thought that I was going to make her cry again. Louise simply sat there, expectantly, waiting for me to make a decision bigger than myself.

“I’m going to join the school with Aunt Louise.”

“No.”

I stopped, my argument stuck in my throat. Of the people I’d expected to object, Aaron wasn’t at the top of the list. One would think the stepdad would be glad to get rid of the weird daughter who’d only last night flung him in a closet to keep him from being eaten alive by vengeful werewolves.

Aaron got up from the sofa next to my mother and stood in front of me. “You can’t do this Alexis. Your mother needs you here. I need you here.”

“You don’t know me that well.”

His hand grasped my upper arm and he shook me slightly. “That’s not true. I know you enough to know you’re a young girl. You need your family with you. You’ve been through a lot. It’s traumatic and now is not the time to make these kinds of decisions.”

I smiled and covered his hand with mine. “I have to do this. I have to learn more about what I can do, about who I am.”

“You belong here.” My mother came to stand beside Aaron. “You can have an identity crisis in this house not rambling across the country.”

“I think we both know this isn’t your everyday, garden variety identity crisis, Mom.”

“You’re going to leave your family for this?”

I shook my head. “No, and please don’t take this wrong, Mom, because you know I love you, but this is my family now.”

She didn’t fall on the sofa in a fit of hysterics. I was so thankful, because I wasn’t one hundred percent certain I could have gone through with this decision if she had.

My mother only nodded slowly. As if what was happening had been expected, awaited, for some time. “You’ll come back.”

“Of course, and you and Aaron can take road trips to visit me where ever we are.”

“When will you go?” Mother turned to Louise.

“Sometime after lunch would be good.”

“Okay.”

Aaron stood by the sofa, quiet and angry.

“I’ll get my things together.”

My mom sighed. “I’ll make lunch.”

And just like that it was done.

In my room I carefully went through my clothes and folded them, putting piles in a suitcase. I wasn’t sure what I needed because I didn’t know what this school was like. Aunt Louise hadn’t mentioned tuition. I hoped if it cost money to go we could afford it.

***

At exactly two in the afternoon, life as I, Alexis Miller, knew it, officially ended. The back hatch of Louise’s SUV slammed and I climbed into the passenger seat waving to Aaron and my mother. They stood at the front door as if they were sending me off to camp. Except Aaron looked absolutely stricken. My mom just looked resigned.