Jamie wouldn’t let me sleep. She rushed over to my side where I laid behind the couch and shook my shoulder. “You’re hurt. You might have a concussion and if you sleep you can slip into a coma.”
“That’s ok.” I kept my eyes closed because the magic high was back and everything looked very bright to the point it burned.
Jamie sighed and then yelled, “Dad!”
“Shh! No don’t call him.” I really wish Caleb wasn’t home but Jamie sounded sure he was there and a second later I was sure he was there too. I could feel his presence before he entered the room. For some odd reason I could always feel him when he was near, it never happened with other werewolves either. I couldn’t explain it. “Let me die in peace.”
“What happened?” Caleb’s deep voice asked softly. “Jamie, go get me some towels and the kit.” He took her place and kneeled beside me. “Open your eyes, Evangeline.” He used his alpha demanding voice that I didn’t have the strength to deny.
“What color are my eyes?” I could make out all his features but the brightness still burned.
“Black, but not like a vampires, there’s a light behind them.”
“It’s the magic. A vampire has flat solid back eyes that cover the whole eyeball.” I knew only my iris were black because the pupil swelled to max capacity due to the magic. I saw something like it happen before back at the village. “The Coven wants me dragged back home to face sentencing for killing that witch. I tried to go home and the coast wasn’t clear.”
He leaned in closer and sniffed. “You shifted didn’t you?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” I was lying on his floor naked. “No one will know.” He didn’t like me shifting because there was a chance I’d be found out and as a lone wolf I didn’t have the protection of a pack. Any wolf could give me trouble without fear of retaliation from an alpha. “I don’t want to involve you and Jamie. Help me get home and forget you ever saw me.” I had to try and give it a shot. Caleb was as stubborn as they came and in the true alpha sense everything had to be his way.
“No.” he looked at me with hard blue eyes and other than that his expression stayed masked. He never gave away his thoughts. Jamie stepped back into the room and handed her father the large box containing first aid materials.
“You’re purple everywhere.” Jamie said with a frown and scrunched nose.
“The fight was bad and I was thrown into a tree. I don’t have open wounds.” I eyed Caleb digging through his supplies. I hurt everywhere and didn’t like the idea of being touched right now.
“Your cheek is busted open, your knuckles are skinned bare, and that’s just what I can see.” Caleb said and if I didn’t know better it sounded sarcastic. “Jamie, go call Jake and tell him to get here now.” He waited until his daughter was gone before looking at me again. “It’s not safe here.”
I held on to the knot of the blanket and used my other hand to brace my weight in order sit up. “What do you mean?”
“The Coven knows you helped me and my address isn’t hard to find. At the compound you’ll be safe.”
“No, Caleb—”
“I’m not taking you home to die and if I leave you alone that’s what’s going to happen. Now isn’t the time to be stubborn.” He touched his finger tips to my scraped knuckles.
I stared at his hand; it was easier than facing his expression. I didn’t trust my reactions because my body was on overload, everything felt intense and electrifying at the same time. “I don’t want you to get in any trouble for helping me.”
“I can handle it.”
“Caleb….I need you to stop touching my hand.” I knew he was trying to be nice and comforting but the long strokes of his fingers felt very sexual. I wasn’t good at dealing with sexual things. I’ve only been with one man and until the damn magic high, that man was the only one to bring out these feelings.
He wasn’t catching on. “I can’t help you if I can’t touch you.”
“It’s small cuts and scratches. Really, I’m fine. What I need is clothes. What would really help is if you leave….to my place and grab something from my closet.” I inched back using my butt and hands.
“Are you all right?” he was really concerned and I tried not to feel like a bitch for shooing him away.
“Yes.”
Thankfully Jamie stepped back into the room. “Jake’s on his way. I want to go with Evie.” She crossed her arms and dished out attitude, she was still pissed with her father for what happened that morning.
Caleb chose to ignore her attitude. “I was taking you anyway. I don’t want to take any risks by leaving you alone.” He probably wanted to ship Jamie back home with her mother fearing she might be in danger again because of his supernatural life. “Stay here while I go to Evangeline’s.” he always called me by my full name.
Jamie sat next to me on the floor. “With dad gone that means I’m in charge.” She joked with a smile.
“That would mean your dad is in charge and he isn’t. I just need a little bit of help then I’m out of here.” I couldn’t become dependent on Caleb and his help; I didn’t belong to his pack. I was considered a vampire, I wasn’t fully turned but to everyone else I was a vampire and our kind shouldn’t be friendly with an alpha werewolf.
“He didn’t tell you did he? Why he’s extra paranoid? He’s been getting threats and some property belonging to the pack was burned. I overheard him talking to Jake and Jared and they think it’s the Coven coming after them for getting rid of that witch’s body. They want dad to tell them where you are. They want you bad, Evie.” She explained in a hush voice, rushing every word to make sure she got it out before her father showed up.
“What?” I stopped myself from cursing. “How long has this been happening?”
“I think the last month. I’ve been telling dad to tell you.” That explained what she meant earlier when she told Caleb he should ask for my help.
That also explained why Caleb wanted to get to the compound so bad. “Shit.” I pushed the pain out of my mind and stood up. “I pissed off two witches today and they aren’t giving up.” I rushed to the window and looked out; nothing looked out of the ordinary and that meant nothing. I opened the closet by the front door and found only a jacket inside. It must’ve been Caleb’s because it was pretty big and fit down to my thigh. “We have to go now.” I glanced at a mirror and saw my eyes were still black, my magic wouldn’t be too helpful if I found another fight right now. I grabbed Caleb’s keys in one hand and Jamie in the other.
Jamie was safely in the car when I felt it, the burst of air when magic was being used. I went flying to the concrete ground. I winced and started seeing white stars of pain. It was Miranda; she straddled my chest and gripped my neck with both hands.
They were Coven witches and that meant they still had to follow rules. She was here because Rex used too much magic to come after me again, he needed to recharge. They put that rule in place because like with other drugs you could become addicted to the power the magic gave you.
I didn’t have to follow the rules anymore but my next move was going to make coming down awful later. I laid my hands on her shoulders and voiced the command to send her flying back. With magic a lot of the commands and spells were in Latin. You could think them but they worked faster when you actually said the words.
Next thing I knew someone was pulling me from the ground. I glanced back and found Caleb urging me to the car. “She’s not that easy to get rid of.” I looked behind him and saw that the Charleston’s were back inside their home and the street was empty. I pushed the car keys into his hand. “Go. I’ll hold her off and meet you later.”
I saw the torment in his face. He didn’t want to leave me to suffer but at the same time Jamie was also in danger and she came first.
“Hey.” Miranda walked closer, dusting her jeans off. “I will gladly let the alpha and his daughter go, as long as I get you.”
“You always were a little slow.” I did get some satisfaction te
lling her that. “I’m not going anywhere.” I looked back at Caleb. “Go. This will be a piece of cake.”
The warrior inside of him wanted to stay and battle only it wasn’t his fight. He had to think smart above anything else. Caleb took the keys. In seconds they were driving down the street. Miranda honored her word and waited until they were gone to start back in on me. It was going to be one long day.