Every time my eyes would close, I wanted to give in and let sleep take me. I needed my rest to gain my strength, but I couldn’t let my guard down, not when every time I closed my eyes I could feel the darkness moving closer. Of course, it’s not like I could fight anyone off being tied up with wolfsbane anyway. Still, I had to stay vigilant. If anything, I had to keep the darkness at bay.
A car door slams outside, and my pulse spikes. I can’t sense how many wolves are around, but I can hear them. Unfortunately, it means that all of them are black wolves. If they have a whole pack that outnumbers the royals, then we’re in a lot of trouble.
Footsteps sound through the house, moving closer to the room I’m in. It was the first time I noticed another chair in the room and more wolfsbane-soaked ropes. The door bursts open, and the man who came in earlier to talk to Soren strolls in with a woman over his shoulder. But it’s not just any woman.
“Dany,” I shriek, jerking against the ropes. “What is she doing here?” I can’t see her face, but I can smell her blood.
The man drops Dany in the chair across from me and slips on a pair of gloves before tying her up. Smiling, he winks at me. “She’s my mate, or soon will be.” He tilts Dany’s head back, exposing the bite mark on her neck where her blood slowly oozes out. The guy stands, his eyes glowing as he grazes them over Dany’s body.
I can feel the darkness around him, just like I can with Soren. They are pure evil.
The guy turns his evil grin my way and heads for the door.
“Where’s Stark?” I ask. Tears burn behind my eyes because I know he would’ve fought to the death before he let anyone take Dany.
He stops, his shoulders shaking with laughter when he faces me. “Stark’s with my sister. I don’t think it’ll be hard turning him to our side. From what I can tell, he’s quite enjoying himself. It won’t be long before you two do the same.” He casts a glance in Dany’s direction before shutting the door.
“Dany,” I shout. “Wake up.”
Dany’s body jerks, and she coughs, her head lolling from side to side. I can see the blood on her lips from where that bastard forced it down her throat.
“Dany,” I call out again.
She groans but then snaps awake, her eyes wild as she looks around. Her tongue slides across her lips, and she gags, spitting out the blood with force. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch and his sister.” Dany’s eyes soften when she gets a good look at me. “What did they do to you?”
I shake my head. “Nothing I can’t handle. What happened to you and Stark?”
Dany huffs. “We were on our way home from Vegas when we got another call. So, Stark and I figured we might as well take it. More money, right? Anyway, we meet the woman, and then we’re ambushed. I’d never seen these wolves before.”
“How many were there?” I ask.
She closes her eyes in concentration. “Um, five, I think. Four men and one woman. But when the van stopped, I heard more.” Dany’s gaze meets mine. “And that’s not all. I heard something a little disturbing.”
I already know what she’s going to say. “Does it have to do with Soren?”
Her mouth gapes. “So it’s true? He’s really alive?”
“Yep,” I huff. “We’ve already had our reunion. It turns out his line has been touched by the Dark Luna, just like ours has from the Great Luna.” Silence fills the room as I let that sink in with her. “Do you know what they plan on doing with us?” I’m curious to see what she knows.
Dany averts her gaze, her teeth clenching so hard that the sound makes me shudder. “I think I heard enough in the van on the way here.” She nods toward the door. “Saul, the asshole who thinks he’s my mate, explained everything. His whore of a sister was practically dry humping Stark in the backseat on the way here.”
My stomach drops. “Is he going to give in, Dany?”
She hangs her head, her voice smaller than a whisper. “I don’t know.” A tear falls down her cheek and lands on the rotten wood floor. “We stayed hidden for decades only to fall prey to the worst of the worst. We’re dealing with some pretty dark magic here.” Dany lifts her head and turns to me. “I always thought the stories your grandmother told us about the Dark Luna were just scary tales.”
“So did I,” I utter back. “But they’re very real. The more of their blood they force down our throats, the harder it’s going to be to resist.”
Dany scoffs. “I can already feel that cocksucker in my head.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “It’s hard to block him out.”
“Why don’t you give him a glimpse into his future. Envision ripping off his dick and smacking him in the face with it. That’ll serve him right.”
A smile lights up her face. “Done. Hopefully, Saul saw it.”
Having Dany around gives me a burst of strength I didn’t know I had. “We can block them out, Dany. I know we can. They may have the Dark Luna’s blood in them, but we have the Great Luna in us.”
Dany nods. “Let’s do it. That dickless turd isn’t going to get past the wall I put up.”
“The same goes for Soren.” I close my eyes and conjure up the thickest wall I can muster. Soren tries to push past it, but there’s a force that tosses him out.
Dany gasps. “Holy shit. Did you feel that energy? I didn’t know I had it in me.”
“I think it was the Great Luna.”
Her eyes widen. “Wow. What do we do now?”
Was it the Great Luna giving us the extra strength? I don’t know, but I’d like to think it was. However, blocking out Soren won’t stop him from forcing the mate bond on me or making me drink his blood.
“The full moon is six days away,” Dany points out. “If Stark gives in, there’s no way we can escape.”
Taking in a deep breath, I let it slowly release from my lungs. “We have to be strong and pray to the Great Luna that she helps us resist the darkness.”