Page 20 of Witchblood

His words churned in my head, processing slowly. “What night? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I couldn’t recall ever having met him before. Who could have forgotten a man like him? He could have stepped off a movie set with his perfect features. He also still smelled like fresh bread, cinnamon-sugar, and alpha. I would have remembered him. “We met for the first time at your bakery.”

“No. It was a late summer evening over a year ago. I was visiting your pack in preparation for taking over this territory. A dozen alphas were attending the Volkov, hoping for territories. There had been a festival that day. We all gorged on hogs and lavender lemonade. Everyone whispered of thewitchchild,wondering if we’d catch a glimpse of the child shifter who’d given the Volkov such a headache over the years.Many had been nervous about drinking the lemonade as they heard it was thewitchchild’screation and feared it was enchanted. It wasn’t enchanted, but it was spiked with liquor, which made the boisterous group even louder.”

My heart began to speed up.

“The woods in the direction toward your little home were off limits. Many of the Alphas snickered like school children about sneaking away to catch a glimpse. But the Volkov made it clear not to cross the line, and I wouldn’t have, if you hadn’t cried out.”

I shuddered, trying to shove back the rising memories of that night. It had begun benign enough. Life was beginning to settle down after Felix had told me of his latest plans to marry. My rejection of him and his subsequent beating had only served in severing our ties completely.Apahad promised to keep him away. There was a grand festival planned. New territories to carve out, and alphas to decide on. I thought it meant he was sending Felix away to be an alpha of another territory. Only Felix would have made a horrible alpha. But it wasn’t my decision. Thankfully I hadn’t seen Felix in days.

Apahad asked me to prepare enough lavender to make endless lemonade. Since I always had a fresh store it was an easy task. He’d even picked up the supply of herb himself. He’d been in a good mood. Smiled down at me with his pale brown eyes filled with kindness.Apadidn’t look like one of the scariest men on the planet. He looked like a normal early-twenty-something guy. Handsome, but unremarkably so. He didn’t stand out, nor did he really fade into the background. He smiled and others smiled with him. He snarled and wolves cowered, but mostly I just hid. Sometimes I pushed his buttons. But I was growing out of that stage which seemed to please him.

“Promise you’ll stay out of the woods tonight,”Apahad said. “In a few days I’ll introduce you to some of the alphas, but for tonight no running.”

He never introduced me to alphas, so I found that an odd statement. Usually I just avoided these sorts of events. Too much testosterone and wolf stupidity. “I won’t run tonight,” I promised.

He’d nodded, accepting my word and leaving. I threw myself into the task of making scones for the morning when everyone would be hung over and begging for relief. The scones had a bit of magic to settle stomachs and break down left over alcohol. It was something I always did for the morning after these festivals.Apa’s pack loved to party, but not all were stable enough to endure the bluster of outsiders. Calming food often bridged the growing unease. So I set myself to the task.

Felix stumbled in just after I’d finally finished and headed to bed. I could smell the booze on him before he climbed into my bed. It wasn’t uncommon. But he wasn’t welcome. “That bitch better give me kids,” he grumbled as he tore at my clothes. “Not worth marrying her if she doesn’t give me babies.”

I pushed him away. “Off. Get out! We’re done.Apapromised you’d stay away.”

Felix hit me. Not a slap but a full punch that sent me flying off the bed and into the wall. I sank to the floor stunned, blinking back stars. Books clattered to the floor around me, knocked off the intricately carved shelves due to the force of the blow.

“You’re mine. Not theirs. No matter what my father says. His tests and trials don’t mean shit.” He reached over, and lifted me up by my hair. I must of have passed out for a minute because when next I came to I was nude, lying on my stomach with him on my back.

“Get off!” I screamed at him. Panic filling my senses. I couldn’t do this again. “You said you’re marrying another. You don’t need me.”

“You’re mine!” He growled at me, pressing me into the bed with his weight. “You will always be mine. They can’t have you. You’ve forgotten that you are mine. But I’ll help you remember.”

I’d thought of a thousand ways to kill him and a thousand ways to die as he raped me. I thought ofApalooking so happy that evening. I thought of the first time Felix had made love to me. I thought about how I wished I’d never met him. It wasn’t the first time he’d raped and beaten me, but it was the last. He’d left me broken and bleeding; returned to the party to drink with men he thought he could intimidate simply because he was the son of the Volkov. Would he jeer and tell them how he’d violated me? Was I just a big joke to them all?

I’d crawled from my home, dragging myself through dirt, to try to reach the garden. It would hurt to drain it of life, but I had no choice. I vowed that once I healed and found myself safe, I would create the largest garden the earth had ever longed for, filled with wilds of all types and the critters that loved them. I promised I wouldn’t run that night, and I couldn’t have even if I wanted to.

I never made it to the garden.

Chapter 9

“You were barely conscious when I found you. Bleeding. I had to strain to hear your heart beat.” Liam shut his eyes. “The scent of you still draws me. Honey and lavender fading into the wind as death threatened to steal you.”

“I was trying to reach the garden.” I’d never intended anyone to be hurt.

“And instead you called to me, and I found you. Do you remember what you said?”

Barely. “I asked if you were a spirit of dark or light.”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t remember his face from that night. It had been so dark and my vision tainted with blood. I’d thought it a dream. Felix had tried to kill me. I knew that now. He’d hit me hard enough that I should have died. He knew I wasn’t a wolf and didn’t have the fast healing weres did. I should have known better, broken it off sooner. Run before he knew I was considering leaving.

Live and learn. But live was the important part. What had Liam said that night? He would be light or dark for me, whatever I needed. It sounded so romantic and sappy I was sure I’d made it up. He was a stranger. I hadn’t even known his name. Yet I had responded with, “then kiss me and share your spirit.”

A smile tugged the corners of Liam’s lips when I spoke the words out loud. “You do remember.”

My heart leapt into my throat. Fear racing through me. No one knew I could do that. Other than Hugo the vampire and that unknown stranger I thought I’d dreamt of that night. Not unknown.

Liam. Fuck.

Was this all a ploy for revenge? For taking his strength without really getting his consent? He hadn’t known what I was asking. Hell, I hadn’t known. I had only read of it before. Never thought I’d have to steal the spirit of another to heal myself. But my body knew it was dying and my soul acted instinctively.