Second Chance (Enduring Kiss) (16 page)

I looked at him in the eye trying to school my features. I
could not lie to him, but I certainly did not want to show him how afraid I was.

"Yes
," I said without breaking eye contact.

His gray eyes sparkled with triumph.

"Tell me who did it Rebecca?" He smiled knowingly.

"Why do you care so much
Dawson? Logan was an asshole."

It was the first time I had ever cursed
, but it was an apt description of the man. Evil would have been even better. I wanted to keep Dawson talking. Not only to give Drake more time to find me, but also because I wanted to know what Dawson's problem was.

I immediately knew my curse was a mistake when Dawson grey eyes smold
ered. So fast, it was a blur, the back of his hand connected with my cheek. My head whipped to the left and I felt wetness at the corner of my mouth. I licked the blood away as the wound began to heal.

"Watch your mouth pup." Dawson seethed. "Now, tell me who killed him."

I turned my head making eye contact again, not hiding my disgust for him any longer. He growled, but I didn't back down.

"Me,
" I spit. "I killed him." I was sick and tired of this bull.

Dawson smiled showing off his sharp white teeth. "I had an idea that you were the one
, but I wanted to hear you say it. You will be punished by pack law. The sentence for murdering our Master vampire is death. As for your question, I care about making the person who murdered my best friend pay. He was a great man with great vision."

My mouth gaped open. "A great ma
n? He was a monster!" I yelled.

I was
slapped again for my sharp tongue. I saw it coming and kept my neck stiff as his hand made contact with my cheek. I smiled at his look of shock. The Enduring Kiss had made me strong and with enough focus, my head had not even budged. I licked the blood off my lip again keeping my smile.

"Don't fuck with me Rebecc
a. I know you've performed the Kiss, but it won't save you when I rip off your head."

I tried to hide my fear at his words
, but failed. He sniffed the air and sighed.

"I can smell your fear and taste it on my tongue." He licked his lips and grinned. "Now tell me who helped you. I know you couldn't have killed Logan without a few guards to help time it perfectly."

I tried blanking my features. I remembered what Nathaniel told me. My face was an open book most of the time, but I refused to give him the names and I sure as heck wasn't going to show him my fear again. Giving him blank dead eyes, I stared at him without a word.

He lifted his hand to slap me again
, but thought better of it and balled his fist for a punch instead. He didn't get the chance. Just as his arm reared back, a crash sounded behind him as Drake burst through the door. Dawson turned toward Drake, his roar of anger echoed throughout the small room.

"Touch her Dawson and
I will kill you." Drake raged.

His body shook with fury
. With his eyes so bright, if I had not known better I would have thought he was about to shift.

"You have no business here Evans. She has admitted to Logan's murder and she
will be punished by pack law."

I looked behi
nd the men and saw the hall filled with guards. They were looking at me, but their faces were unreadable.

"Rebecca is now my One and according to both of our laws
, you can't touch her without my permission."

Drake didn't get to finish if he had more to say. Dawson lunged for him
, grabbing hold of Drake's shirt. He twisted around and slammed Drake against the wall. Drake kicked him in the stomach sending him flying across the room.

Dawson crashed into the wall. Concrete chunks fell on top of him
, but he got back up charging at Drake again.

Drake stepped one foot forward and just as Dawson reached him
, Drake punched him in the nose. Blood spurted across the room. I turned my face away as some of it reached me.

When I turned back
, Dawson was flat on his back while Drake had his booted foot against his neck holding him down. Drake was breathing hard his fists at his sides trembling. I could tell he was only a breath away from killing Dawson.

"
Drake," I called out softly.

He turned and I gasped at the hatred in his eyes. At the sight of my fear
, his face calmed and his eyes soften.

"Are you alright
?" He asked.

I nodded and smiled gently glad that I could calm him a little. Stephen pushed his way in the room. He went straight toward the werewolf lying bloodied on the floor. He searched Dawson's pockets until he found the keys to the handcuffs. Stephen hurried over and unlocked me. I winced and rubbed at my sore wrists. Drake growled and pressed his boot down harder enlisting a choking sound from Dawson.

"I'm fine," I quickly said trying to sooth him.

Stephen patted my shoulder and moved to the two werewo
lves. He looked down at Dawson.

"Challenge." He spoke loud and clear
, so all could hear.

There were a few gasped
, but no one spoke. Dawson, still positioned on the floor growled, but did not speak either.

Drake flicked his wrist and four guards came in, including the twins. Once Drake moved away
, the guards grabbed Dawson and led him from the room.

Immediately
strong arms surrounded me and lifted me from the chair. I snuggled into Drake's chest and breathed in his scent. I had known he would send someone for me or have to wait until night fall, but I was surprised he was there himself so soon.

I lifted my face from his chest to look up i
nto those beautiful baby blues.

"How are you here?"

His concerned gaze softened at my question. "The Kiss gave me more than just extra strength to stay awake during daylight hours. I can walk in the sun without much problem at all. I could feel a small drain, but not enough to keep me from you."

I was stunned and he chuckled at my expression.

I leaned up and wiped the smile off his face with a passionate kiss. He groaned as I plunged my tongue into his mouth. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pushed my body against his, rubbing the hard bulge I felt against my stomach.

Drake's hands gripped my butt,
pulling me tighter and grinding himself against me. I could feel myself getting wet as tingles shot down my spine. My nipples hardened to tight peaks against his chest. I moaned and sucked on his tongue seeking more.

A throat clearing had me pulling back gasping for breath.
We both turned and saw Rachel smiling at us.

"We have to go now if you want to watch the challenge."

Neither of us wanted to miss the challenge. We hurried off with Rachel. Before we walked outside, I turned to Drake.

"Are you sure about going outside in the sunlight?"

"Yes, it'll be alright. It's late afternoon and coming here earlier was a breeze."

I nodded and we went out. I noticed Drake hesitate
, but he kept walking, his eyes squinting in the afternoon sun. He pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses and put them on. Grinning he looked over at me.

"See, I'm fine."

I smiled back at him grabbing his hand and lacing my fingers with his. I was ecstatic that we would be able share the extra time together, but I sobered thinking of the upcoming challenge. I hoped Stephen would win.

The pack
gathered at the edge of the woods and we made our way to the front of the group. Stephen and Dawson had already changed into wolf form. It was amazing how closely they resembled each other. Although Dawson had been sporting a bleached blond look in human form, his wolf was his natural color, a deep brown.

Stephen also had a brown coat. The only difference was that Stephen had a more red tone. He was also a little smaller which made me uneasy.

If it went badly and Dawson won, I knew Drake would be inconsolable and that would be bad for Dawson. As much as I hated the act of violence and death, I knew it was necessary. Just like when I had to end Logan's life.

Someone had to die in the challenge; those
were the rules. I hoped Stephen would be one that walked out of those woods in the end.

Rachel stood on the other side of me and grabbed my hand. I
did not look at her, but I squeezed her hand tightly. One of the guards stood between Dawson and Stephen. He raised his hand to silence everyone and I noticed he was one of the twins. Adam, I thought.

"We all know the rules
, but I have to say them out loud," Adam began.  "Pack Master Greg Dawson has been challenge by Master Evan's head guard Stephen Hayes. They have already shifted into their wolf form and when I give the signal they will run through these woods.”

“
I will sound the horn at three minutes and their challenge will begin. There are guards stationed throughout these woods. Each guard is marked with red ties and will see that no one helps or interferes. The wolf that walks out will be the winner and our Pack Master. The loser will be no more."

Adam held up one of the re
d ties. The two wolves watched him ready to sprint. As soon as the piece of fabric left Adam's fingers, they were off. I noticed Stephen didn't take off as fast as Dawson and I turned to ask Drake.

"He's conserving his energy for the figh
t. The run isn't as important."

I nodded. That made since.

It was not long before Adam blew the horn. We could not see the wolves anymore, but we could hear them when they came together.

The growls and snarls seemed much closer than they actually were. I squeezed Rachel and Drake's fingers hard at every whimper. The only sound to come fr
om the pack was our heartbeats.

I wondered which o
nes were Dawson's supporters. Were they going to be a problem if Stephen won? There hadn't been that many challenges in the past, but usually there was a good reason and the pack had stuck together. I hoped that was the case again.

My attention focused back on the woods as more and more whimpers of pain pierced the coming night. The sun was setting as one last howl wen
t out. Then silence.

We all waited holding our breath. It seemed like time slowed
, but finally there was movement at the entrance to trees. A brown wolf was moving slowly forward. I could tell he was hurt. He had a pronounced limp on his right side, and as he got closer, I could see his hair matted with blood. The blood kept us from seeing who he was.

When the wolf finally
emerged from the tree line, he knelt down and shifted to his human form. Howls filled the night air in respect for our new Pack Master.

Pack Master Stephen Hayes.

Chapter 11

"Alright
Ms. Barns, your interview has been scheduled for tomorrow at ten o'clock pm. Don't forget about what I told you. Fill your savings account. Try to put at least twenty five percent in there every pay check."

"Thank you so much Rebecca. And please, it's Mary." The beautiful dark haired vampire said smiling.

"Thank you Mary and don't forget, try not to show your fangs too much at the interview."

Mary blushed and gave a closed lip smile. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay with me, but sometimes humans get scared easily. They know about you, but there's no sense in throwing it in their faces.”

“Let me know how it goes,
" I said standing up. Mary shook my hand enthusiastically and left my office. She was going to do just fine, I thought.

"Becky! What are you still doing in h
ere? We have to get you ready."

I looked up at Susan's voice
and smiled.

"I'm coming Sukey.
I just finished my last client," I said stacking a few folders and putting them away.

Susan growled at the new nickname. "Well hurry up. We've go
t a mating ceremony to get to."

Susan walked over and grabbed my arm
and pulling me out the door. I laughed and followed her up stairs and into my old room. I had only stayed in the room one night, but it was a memorable time.

"Okay
girls, she's finally here. Let's get her ready!" Susan exclaimed.

Rache
l and Jessica squealed. I loved them to death, but really, did they have to be so giddy? I rolled my eyes. I could understand, though. Thinking of mating with Drake was making me feel little giddy myself.

After peeling of my clothes
, I put on the fluffy robe they had waiting for me and sat down at the vanity. The girls chatted as they brushed through my long hair, and I thought about how everything had worked out so well.