Chapter 17
Jade
My body was no longer my own. No matter how much I tried and fought against Bee’s magic, there was no use. I couldn’t do anything to break free from this hold. Was this what Cardan had experienced when his wolf was forced on him and then after his mind taken? Was this what Lucas had been put through too or had he been conscious? How hard had he fought it, knowing exactly what had happened to him?
My eyes stared straight ahead, even though I wanted to take in all of my surroundings. Bee stood on my left and Sheeva had disappeared. Damian was nowhere to be seen and now I wondered if he would actually make an appearance. I had been drugged again for us to leave the prison I had been held in. They hadn’t tried the bag over the head trick this time, too afraid they would mess up my makeup and hair.
Bee’s hand trembled against my arm but that was the only indication that she was nervous. My wolf senses were still gone but I wondered if they were back if I would be able to scent her anxiety in the air. I doubted it, Damian was too smart for that. My hand reached up and toyed with the curl laying over my shoulder. I fought it but it was no use. I was no longer in control.
Then I heard his voice and everything ceased to exist.
“She’s here? She’s safe?” Rafe’s voice was pained. I fought the control being held over my mind. I couldn’t see him but I knew he was close. We were at the edge of the woods but I didn’t know where. A group of men stood behind me and I knew that one of them was the guard that had watched over my cell daily. I didn’t know which, each of their eyes were bright gold now and they each had a similar build. I had zero allies here.
“Yes,” Another male answered Rafe. I didn’t recognize his voice. “She is safe and she wants to be here. Last I checked, she’s unmated and she never pledged to a pack. What makes you think we are holding her here?”
No.
I fought Bee’s control over my mind but all I could manage to get through was a blink and the jerk of my arm out of her grip. I watched out of the corner of my eye. She looked irritated but all she did was fold her arms over her chest.
“What kind of game are you playing?” Rafe’s voice raised an octave as they grew closer.
My lips twitched against their will into a smile. Rafe broke through the tree line and came to an abrupt stop. His eyes weren’t yellow this time. They were a deep chocolate brown. Not seeing his wolf so close to the surface had my heart doing a flip flop. What was he doing here? Was he here to save me?
“There is no game,” The other man followed, behind him came the rest of the Guardians, but then my heart broke. The last one to come through was Tracey but she didn’t look like the Tracey I had grown so close to in such a short period of time. Her eyes were hollow and her skin was pale. She no longer looked like the bronzed goddess I was used to. She looked worn out and exhausted, like she hadn’t slept in months. When her eyes met mine, they filled with tears.
The smile stayed on my lips even as I fought and pleaded inside of my head for Bee to let me go. It was no use. My heart broke inside of my chest. How my body wasn’t crying was beyond me. I had never felt such intense pain before.
One of the guards behind me stepped forward. “She is fair game. She was injured in the car accident and needed immediate attention. She chose to stay after what you did to her.”
Rafe clenched his jaw but he didn’t take his eyes off of me. I could see that he didn’t miss a thing, especially how much weight I had lost. My body moved against my will again and I found myself pressed against the chest of the man behind me. His hand snaked around my bare stomach and dipped into the waistband on my mini skirt. Nausea swirled in my gut at the touch. I fought Bee harder, I screamed inside of my head until my body jerked forward and I fell to my knees. Mav leapt forward and helped me up. But it was no use, Bee was back in control. She made me jerk my arm away and snarl at him. It hurt. Everything hurt. Fighting her was making everything worse. Pain lit up the back of my neck and I knew if I continued, she was going to knock me out or worse.
I knew she was giving me the luxury of allowing me to see my friends again but it hurt too badly. I wished she had just taken control completely. Seeing them like this was too much. It was all too much.
Coward.Nalia whispered.
Finally, some relief coursed through me. She was still here. That was something. That was one kind of win. It gave me the little hope I needed.
“I am fine here, Rafe.” My voice didn’t even sound like my own. I practically choked on the words.
“Tell me if you’re not safe, please, that’s the only way we can help you.” Rafe’s voice broke as all the Guardians lined up behind him. Mav wouldn’t look at me now. Tracey wouldn’t either.
I sighed but it sounded garbled.Good. Bee’s hold on me wasn’t as strong as she thought. “I told you that I am fine, Rafe. You can leave now.”
He smiled with all his teeth. “I don’t think we will. We accepted an invitation to be among this pack. I think we will stay for a little longer.” He looked at the man that hadn’t spoken since they broke through the woods. He was a big burly man with a thick black beard. I had never seen him before. “Your little witch looks tired, Travis.”
Bee’s hand went to mine immediately and I was whisked out of there before anything else could happen. The guards had gone through whatever portal she had conjured too. One of them swore.
“Do you know what you did, Bee?” The one behind me growled. My body sagged forward and finally, I had complete control over my limbs again. My legs shook as I felt like I was forced back into them.
Bee leaned forward and put her hands on her knees. “She isn’t like a typical wolf. She is stronger. My magic is depleted. Did you want her running to all of her friends?”
“Where’s Damian?” I managed to get out.
Bee ignored me as she continued to speak to the guards. She had portalled us into a small house. I wobbled over to the couch in the living room. My body collapsed and I closed my eyes. My entire body felt weak. Was it because I had fought her so hard mentally and now I had nothing left to make my body function?
“You’re right, but now they’re going to be suspicious.”
Bee collapsed on the couch beside me. “They were already suspicious. I don’t know this girl. How can I possibly portray her in the way her friends know her? It’s easier when I’m trying to fool strangers. This takes too much out of me.”
The blond man took a step toward us. He snarled. “Do you want your daughter to be punished? Must we replace you with a stronger witch?”
I could feel her tense beside me. No wonder she was here. I knew my parents would do the same. “Good luck finding someone more powerful than I am. Good luck finding someone you can blackmail. Every single coven in the United States is on lockdown. They know a threat is coming. The stones have told them of the darkness brewing.”
