Tortured Embrace Read online

  He spoke under his breath. “I can’t leave her.”

  Evangeline bit her lip. “I know you can’t. Please, Jason, just stand by the door.”

  When the doctor came around the bed, sitting at Serena’s hip, Jason shut his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath in from his nose, then moved to the door.

  Adam settled himself in the hallway, his back against the wall. She knew he couldn’t really watch his little sister being worked on. Jason, however, couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He stood staring into the room, taking up the entire doorframe. His imposing presence made even Evangeline nervous.

  Dr. Moros looked at Evangeline, then over his shoulder at Serena’s guard, muttering, “I might have to up my fee.”

  She smiled nervously, then turned her full attention on Serena.

  Easing the oversized jacket off of her, Evangeline bit down hard at the smell of dried blood permeating her senses.

  “Eva…” Adam called out sharply.

  She reassured him quick. “I’m fine.”

  “You sure?”

  Thanking the lovely people at the Transition Facility for Vampires, she answered, “Yep. Not breathing,” she said, awkwardly. And as fast as she could, helped Dr. Moros clean her wounds, while he injected her with an IV. Once Serena’s skin was fairly clean, she handed the good doctor various items he needed and arranged Serena’s position on the bed for him as needed. She was sure Dr. Moros wanted to touch her as little as possible with the sentinel standing only a few feet behind him.

  Every so often, she turned to check on Jason. He stood frozen in the same position, feet shoulder width apart, fists clenched at his sides. Several times she caught him trembling, especially when the doctor began stitching her leg. His low snarling made the doctor roll his eyes in frustration.

  “He can’t help it, George,” Evangeline told him, apologetically.

  “Right,” he replied, drily.

  Moros had barely finished when Serena came to. Evangeline moved swiftly, situating herself at Serena’s side again. She put a cool palm over her forehead and gripped her hand with the other. “You’re all right, honey.” The girl, or woman, as Serena was older than her, stared wide-eyed for a moment. She didn’t look like Adam at all. Only their lips were kind of similar. “You’re safe. You’re in the round house, and Adam’s just outside this door. Can you feel him?”

  Serena looked around nervously, her body trembling. Wide-eyed, she looked to Dr. Moros, bandaging her leg, then around the room. Evangeline thought she saw recognition flit across her face.

  “Yes, you’re home.” Evangeline smiled warmly. “You’re going to be okay.”

  Serena’s brown gaze met hers again, “Jason?” she whispered.

  Adam’s sister would feel the man’s overpowering emotion at the door. Evangeline heard Jason behind her.

  “I’m here,” he replied, tenderly.

  Before Serena could react, her body pitched forward, and she hugged herself tightly, screaming in pain. Evangeline grabbed for her shoulders as the doctor held onto her injured leg.

  The rest of the Fighters came bounding up the stairs, their pounding footsteps echoing noisily around them.

  Trying to keep her leg from bleeding out, Dr. Moros yelled, his face fuming, “If either one of you enters this room, I’m taking Serena out the window and away from here. I fucking mean it!”

  They tried to soothe her, attempting to pull her out of her crouched position to see what was the matter, but Serena wouldn’t let go, screaming harder now.

  The doctor reached for his bag; about to give her something to sedate her when Serena came up, clutching her lower abdomen, her wild eyes pierced Evangeline’s. “Please…save…save…” she whispered in a strained voice, then cried out in pain again.

  Evangeline stiffened. Comprehension dawned at the same moment blood poured out of the girl’s body.

  Serena was miscarrying.

  Evangeline shared a brief, shocked expression with Moros before racing to the door in a flash.

  “Get out!” she shouted to all the Fighters, but Jason was the one front and center. His forehead tight, hazel eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

  “What’s going on?” Jason asked eagerly.

  “You need to leave.”

  He looked to Evangeline, incredulously. “I’m not leaving her.”

  She saw Adam give her a questioning look over Jason’s shoulder. “Please,” she begged now, frantic.

  Jason asked, “Why is she bleeding again? I can smell it.”

  Evangeline glanced back at the bed, thankful the doctor blocked their view.

  There was no way Jason or her mate could handle this. Getting angry now, she said, “I swear to God, I will bite you all. Get out!” She unleashed her fangs for emphasis, and pushed at Jason’s chest, but he wasn’t even looking at her. He gripped the doorjamb with two hands, her new strength having had the power to move him a little.

  Chest pumping, Jason’s expression lost all control, his breath coming out short, he called, “Serena, what’s happening? Talk to me!”

  Serena’s voice pleaded in between anguished wails, “Don’t die…don’t die…please…”

  Jason called out, “You’re not going to die, honey.”

  Serena thrashed on the bed, and they heard Dr. Moros curse under his breath. Evangeline needed to get the men out of the house before they caught on to what was really happening.

  Just then, Serena’s cries ceased, and the entire house became deathly quiet until she moaned, painfully, “Please don’t let the baby die!”

  Even a human could hear a pin drop at that very moment.

  Evangeline watched Serena’s words register on Jason’s face as it drained of all remaining color. She was reminded of the part in a movie where everything stands still and silent right before the big building blows up.

  Jason and Adam’s bodies contorted right before her eyes, and she saw Ramo grab for Adam, just as Nick and Alex helped Evangeline push Jason into the hallway.

  In a rush, she shouted at them, stepping back into the room as Jason morphed into a seven and half foot tall wolf man. “Her attacker is not in this room. Settle yourselves before you even think about coming in here.” With a determined thrust, she slammed the door in their faces.

  ****

  Jason had gone momentarily deaf. The room and all its occupants spun around him, making him nauseous. The horrible drumming in his ear picked up again as a sharp pain slashed through his head and he wondered briefly if he was having an aneurysm.

  Baby?

  His mind ran like he was fast-forwarding a DVR. Serena had been missing for over three months. Werewolves only carried for about six weeks. If she was pregnant, then it must be her abductor’s.

  Rape.

  Her cries for the baby she was carrying rang in his ears as though someone had just put the volume up in the room.

  Shaking his head, Jason shouted, “NO! NO! NO!” Fists punched the sides of the door as three pairs of hands pulled him out into the hallway. Heaving uncontrollably, his body rocked, shooting up and out, phasing into a black and gray werewolf.

  Evangeline yelled something at them and slammed the bedroom door. He looked around, aching to go back in, but he was blocked.

  Adam had turned too, his arms braced on the far wall, his snout hung low, panting as he attempted to restrain himself.

  “Don’t do it.” Ramo stood in front of him, with Alex and Nick at his sides. “You’ll fuck up the whole room if you go in there. Let them do their thing.”

  Without a single thought, Jason crouched low; his lips curling back over his fangs and growled ferociously in Ramo’s face, making the mirrors and scones in the hallway vibrate.

  Ramo wiped his face. “Point taken.” Moving himself in front of the closed bedroom door, he said, “Look, we’re prepared to fight you two…”

  Adam’s deep snarl resounded in the hall for their insubordination, but he remained still. He was letting his Fighters tell him what to
do, but his wolf side protested.

  Nick held up his hands to reason with them. “You guys know what’s best for her. Serena’s dealing with her own drama right now. She doesn’t need yours.”

  “A nice run might do you some good,” Alex drawled out.

  Fuck these guys. Jason slammed Nick and Alex to the wall to get through. The round house was built with all the rooms on each floor surrounding a swirling staircase set in the center of the house. The winding stairs were placed so one could see all three levels except for the basement from every floor. Foregoing the stairs, Jason leapt over the railing and down to the first floor, charging through the open doorway.

  He bounded toward the prairie, racing on all fours as fast and hard as he could. The wind in his ears now in sync with the echo of Serena’s cries.

  God. Not his Serena. Not his little one.

  How could this happen to one so pure, so precious?

  The rage inside him threatened to crumble Jason to the ground. He hoped to God no one else was out tonight. He’d murder the first person he saw.

  Fuck!

  Visions of some unknown piece of shit pushing over her as she tried to fight him off blurred his sight, and he skidded to a halt. Angling back, he let out the howl demanding to be freed. A few nearby birds took flight, flying out as far from the raging beast as possible.

  Hunching over again, he paced around, not bothering to collect his bearings, but to focus on the whys. His ever-racing mind came to one conclusion.

  He was to blame. He was a fucking curse!

  Jason thought of his poor mother, retired in Florida and blissfully away from her son. The constant reminder that Jason was a product of rape didn’t have to weigh her down anymore.

  As soon as his mother had shared the story of his origin, he offered to buy her a house in Naples, something she’d always wanted. The reason for his cold and isolated upbringing was now clear. His mother despised him.

  He couldn’t blame her though. Jason didn’t look anything like his mother, so she’d had to endure raising a son on her own who resembled her rapist. He was surprised she hadn’t left sooner.

  From the day he found out about his wretched father, Jason, always subdued, became almost mute, speaking in low tones and only when he had to. His head bent low at all times, as though someone would recognize him as a rapist’s son.

  And now…his beautiful Serena suffered his mother’s same fate. He was a goddamn curse.

  Her abduction had to have something to do with the Fighters and by extension, him. His very existence was to blame. He should leave town and leave her in peace, but he knew it wasn’t possible. If anything he would protect her even more, shadow her every move till the day one of them met their maker. But he would do so at a distance. Allowing them to get any closer was disaster waiting to happen.

  Jason was aware she’d felt something for him before her disappearance, now though, he was sure she would hate him, hate him for not being there, hate him for not keeping his promise to her all those years ago, hate him for just being a man.

  Good. It was better for her if she despised him too. No one else needed to endure the cloud he came under.

  Before he appointed himself her silent protector, he needed answers because shit was about to go down, and the bastard that hurt her was going to pay.

  Chapter Six

  Serena slept amazingly peacefully, dreaming her body no longer burned in perpetual agony. She dreamed she actually lay on a bed and not a rock hard floor. Relieved God had finally taken her out of her misery, she delved further into the imaginary comforter, letting its warmth surround her.

  A jolt stabbed through her heart.

  If she was dead, then her baby was too.

  Disgrace, the likes of which she’d never experience engulfed her. A sickening pain twisted her gut as a horrible sadness washed over her. Why couldn’t she have hung on for the baby? In her selfish need to leave the world, she’d taken her unborn child as well.

  A far off voice called to Serena and her heart leapt. She didn’t think she’d ever hear that voice again. Although, if this was heaven, then Jason’s voice was sure to be her commentator.

  “Serena…”

  Opening her eyes to face the afterlife, her gaze was met by a large ceiling fan, circling slowly over her. Tilting her head to the side, she squinted at the furnishings in the dark bedroom, a very familiar bedroom.

  “You were having a bad dream. How do you feel?” the soft voice asked from the corner of the room.

  Swinging her head around, her eyes fell on Jason’s large silhouette sitting on the floor with his back to the wall by the window, his knees bent. The room was dimly lit from an outside lamppost illuminating the street where she grew up.

  She was alive and in her parents’ home.

  “Jason?” she called out, her throat scratchy and dry.

  “Yes, it’s me,” his voice said in the darkness. “You should go back to sleep. You need rest.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she ached to see his face clearer and shook her head. “You found me.” She breathed in heavily. “I knew you would find me.”

  Her savior said nothing, but she could feel his searing gaze. She stared, dazedly at his large dark form, barely trusting she was out of danger. The sound of his measured breaths was a kind of euphoria, easing the hurt away. She let the peace fill her for a blind moment until the memories came rushing back.

  Gripping the sheets at her chest, every horrid detail hit her at once, the last of which resounding in the forefront of her mind.

  Ben was dead, and she had lost the baby.

  Tears flooded her eyes as she moaned in grief. Sinking into the mattress, she drove her hands over her face, her body jerking with every cry.

  A warm hand covered her forearm. Jason’s voice fought for control. “I’m…I’m so sorry.”

  Dropping her hands, Serena rose up off the bed and threw her arms over his shoulders, her sobs buried deep in his neck.

  Stiffening, Jason knelt beside her, his arms frozen at his sides. It was the first time she’d ever held him, their only contact having been a light touch on the back or a graze of an elbow.

  “Please, Jason. Don’t do this to me now,” she implored, her body wracking with grief. “I need you to hold me.”

  He inhaled sharply, thick arms sliding tenderly around her torso, warm and oh so wonderful. He held her for an eternity, letting her cry for all she’d lost, all she’d been through. She cried until there was nothing left in her and lay spent in his arms. As her breathing slowed, she felt his moist shirt at her cheek from her tears and squeezed him tighter to her, loving the way his hard body felt against her. Then she’d lose it again, weeping quietly once more.

  And all the while, he held her.

  Suddenly, the embrace wasn’t about the horror she’d been through, but centered totally on them.

  Jason’s hold grew tighter and tighter, and she felt peace again, filling her, attempting to mold together the remnants of her decaying life. Their bodies had become one, clinging for all they were worth and their bittersweet reunion. Serena never wanted to let go.

  A hand came up to grasp a knot of hair, and she heard Jason’s deep intake of her scent and realized she was clean. Her hair had been washed, her skin no longer grimy, but smooth and warm.

  Serena’s voice shook. “Do you know about the…?” She couldn’t get the word baby out. The thought of her weak body not being able to protect her child was too much.

  There was silence before he answered, then she felt him nod at her shoulder. He pulled back to look her in the eye, and it was the first time in over three months she felt a ration of joy. Serena gripped his face with trembling hands, ran her fingers through his long hair, down his neck. His strong features were clearer now he was so close, closer than he’s ever been before. She stared at the glossy whites of his eyes, wanting to lose herself in his gold flecks.

  Jason’s hand covered her cheek. “Who…You have to…” He cleared his th
roat. “Who was it?” Biting down on his molars, he waited for her to respond, his agonizing gaze hard on her.

  “Witches,” she said, still not believing she was in her family home, clean and warm and staring into the eyes that had given her strength to endure those long months.

  Glaring, he waited for her to go on, placing both hands on either side of her hips on the bed.

  Relaying the horrid details of her capture was inevitable. She wasn’t quite sure she was ready to talk about it, but knowing the Fighters, they’d want to know immediately.

  “Can you…?” Jason uttered, his eyes roaming all over her face. He swallowed hard, his jaw flexing on the right side of his cheek.

  As much as she wanted to just bury herself in his arms again, she also knew this was something he needed as well. It occurred to her Jason and her brother must have thought the very worst of her disappearance. Of course they’d want to know immediately what had happened to her and who was responsible.

  She nodded slowly. There was a great deal to tell. She’d have to start from the beginning. His presence must have given her strength; otherwise, there was no way she’d be able to talk about everything so soon. “It happened when I was leaving work.” Looking away, the memory of that day became clearer. “Two witches put a spell on me to control my mind. Kind of like how a vampire compels. At the same time, they stuck a serum in my arm to keep me from phasing. After I got into the car I blacked out and woke up in this dark room, like an old cellar.” It sort of helped to talk about it, but she’d rather be holding him again.

  “Do you want me to get your brother?” Jason asked when she hesitated.

  Shaking her head, she said, “I’d rather just tell this once, okay. I know the rest of the guys need to know, but I don’t want to be there when they find out.”

  Jason bent his head low to catch her eye. “Would you prefer talking to Evangeline?”

  “Who?”

  “Your brother’s mate.”

  Serena’s brows shot up. “Mate? The vampire who took care of me?” Lord! What else had she missed?