Dark Lies (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 3)

Savannah

The first order of business, once Sam brought me new clothes, was to clean up and wash off the blood and gravel and the greasy touch of the chewing-tobacco-scented biker that covered my body. The shower burned my tattered skin but felt divine, all the same, soothing more of my poor, hammered bones and muscles. I had to be careful with my left arm. The fracture was already knitting together, but it still hurt like hell.

I’ve gotta stop getting my ass kicked by life.

Eh, Wolfie said, we give as good as we get. And tomorrow, we’re gonna make some bikers pay.

With a huge breath, I shut off the shower and stepped out.

I dried off with one of Jaxson’s plush, luxurious towels, then wiped the foggy mirror. So many scars, but at least they were already healing.

All except one.

It had torn open, though the skin at the surface was knitting back together a little. I rummaged in Jaxson’s bathroom but couldn’t find any Band-Aids. Not surprising for a werewolf with super-healing. I dabbed it with some toilet paper, then pulled on the clothes Sam had lent me for the umpteenth time. The bedrock of our relationship was literally built on hand-me-downs at this point, and I owed her majorly.

Jaxson was sitting by himself when I stepped out of the bathroom.

Shit.

Sam was also famous for leaving us alone in awkward situations, the evil genius.

I pulled my damp hair behind me, unsure of how I wanted to play things. “I’d better hit the hay.”

Every nerve in my body instantly wanted his hands running over me, but I was stretched too thin. I could barely face what I was. How could I face the bond we were supposed to share?

Didn’t I get a choice at all?

He put down his whiskey and stiffened. “Fuck. You’re still bleeding.”

I followed his eyes to my chest. A bit of blood from my shoulder was seeping into my T-shirt, blooming like a rose.

My hand went to my knife wound, which had bled through the wad of paper that I’d strapped under my bra. “Yeah, that’s old. It’s just taking a long time to heal.”

“You’re a werewolf. Everything should heal.”

“I know,” I snapped. “It’s from the Soul Knife. The damn thing is cursed. I tried drinking a couple of Uncle Pete’s potions, but it just keeps splitting back open.”

“Let me see,” he said as he stood and approached.

“It’s fine.” I turned to go back to the bathroom, but he put his arm out, blocking my escape.

My heartbeat went double-time as he bent his head low. “I want to see.”

I froze, my back to the wall. A sharp no hung on my lips, but it wouldn’t come out. Instead, I just breathed in slowly, letting his scent roll over my tongue. A quake passed through my body.

It was a command, firm but gentle. And although he wasn’t using his alpha voodoo on me, just his proximity made we want to obey. That deep scent of forest and the taste of snow clouded every ability I had to think.

You’re safe, my wolf said. It’s time to stop fighting.

I took a deep breath and held it. Hesitantly, I reached down and grabbed the hem of my shirt, then slowly pulled it up over my head.

Jaxson’s breath caught, and I could feel the tension vibrating off his body.

I dropped the T-shirt on the floor.

His eyes traced over my bare skin before settling on my wound. Everywhere they’d touched burned with warmth and desire.

He reached up, and I wanted him to run his hands across every inch of me. But instead, he simply traced a single finger along the edge of the wound, like he was caressing me with a feather. “This looks bad.”

I tipped my chin up and gave him half a smile as I tried not to flinch. “It’s from an evil magic knife. Who would have guessed?”

He breathed in sharply, and his eyes fogged. “Your blood. It smells…wild. Exotic. Powerful. No wonder everyone is after it.”

I swallowed hard, not wanting to have to think about that aspect.

Jaxson stared at the red droplets pooling on my skin as if my blood were the only thing in the world. Hell, he looked like he was going to lick it up. The thought of his tongue dancing across my skin sent a flush of moisture to my center that I was certain he could smell, but I didn’t care. He could know exactly what was on my mind.

Jaxson cleared his throat abruptly and looked away. “I have something that might help.”

I bet he does, my cheeky wolf interjected.

Blushing, I scooped up my borrowed shirt and held it awkwardly against my chest. “You already tried to heal me once, in Forks. It fixed everything but this.”

An almost uncontrollable desire welled up in me. Lying in bed alone at night, I’d relived that moment over and over—the heat of his magic surging through every inch of my body. I’d practically throw myself in front of a bus to feel that way again. Clearly, leaping out of a van hadn’t done enough damage to warrant it.

“Not that,” he whispered, his eyes twinkling as if he could read my mind. To my disappointment, Jaxson stepped back and dug a little jar out of a drawer. I stayed put, leaning against the wall, as he grabbed a cloth from the bathroom and dampened the corner.

My breath caught as he reached out and hooked his finger under my bra strap, where it crossed the bloody scar. “May I?”

Chest heaving with anticipation, I nodded.

Gently, he pulled the strap to the side and down around my shoulder. Goose bumps rippled over my skin. I didn’t want him to be gentle like this. It was absolute torture.

I’d just survived throwing myself from a van at sixty miles an hour. I wanted him to rip my bra off then and there. To grab both breasts with his hands and ram his lips against mine.

But he didn’t. He made me wait.

Without a word, he lightly dabbed the blood away from the open gash.

“Ow.” I protested flatly, but the truth was, each touch sent shivers of ecstasy down my spine. With each press, my anticipation heightened.

Jaxson discarded the cloth, then opened the small jar, releasing a strong scent of ginger and spices that I couldn’t place. “I use this for stubborn wounds. We should probably visit a curse diviner, but maybe this will help.”

He scooped a little out with his fingers and traced them over the laceration. Electricity and heat and pain followed his touch, and I gritted my teeth even as I savored the moment.

“There.”

The sudden absence of his touch was more painful than the wound itself.

I realized my eyes were closed, and I opened them to meet his. They glistened in the dim room with a golden light of their own.

Pushing myself off the wall, I stepped up so that we were mere inches apart, letting sparks of magic dance in the space between us.

His hands brushed my skin, his touch agonizingly soft. Inviting. I relaxed into it, savoring every motion. He was a savage beast, and yet his touch could be so tender.

Suddenly, it wasn’t.

With a swift motion, he grabbed my waist and jerked my body against his. My gasp was cut short as his other hand gripped the back of my head, and his mouth devoured mine.

His kisses were violent and hungry, and I met each one with the same savage intensity.

I moaned with delight, needing more.

He pressed me hard against the wall as desire wrapped around us like waves in the sea.

“Ow, fuck!” I gasped as pain shot through my shoulder.

Jaxson stepped back instantly, his eyes clear and alert. I looked down to find that blood was pouring from my wound.

He reached to touch it. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

I winced. The damn thing—a goodbye present from Dragan. But had it really been goodbye?

I snatched the cloth from the floor and pressed it to my shoulder as a chill worked over my skin.

The ghost of the she-wolf had taunted me that Dragan was still out there. You think you’re free? Dragan is coming for you. You won’t escape.

A shiver ran through me as I recalled Dragan’s twisted face after I’d severed his soul in the Dreamlands. His final words echoed through my mind: I will have my vengeance!

Was that what all this was really about?

I trembled.

“What’s the matter?” Jaxson asked. “Are you okay?

I shook my head as I checked on my still-bleeding wound. “I think the bikers aren’t acting on their own. I’m almost certain Dragan is behind this.”

Jaxson tensed. “How? I thought you cut out his soul with the Soul Knife before you killed Kahanov.”

Another shudder rocked my body as I recalled the gruesome moment and Dragan’s howling, ethereal face. “He possessed Kahanov. Maybe I didn’t kill him—maybe I just set him free. Could he possess someone else?”

“I don’t know. How certain of this are you? Why do you think it’s him and not just bikers working on their own to get your blood?”

I bit my lip. “Something someone said during the abduction. That he was coming for me.”

He studied my face, and I prayed he wasn’t going to press me about the source. I wasn’t quite ready to confront the fact that I was either batshit crazy or seeing dead people. Or both.

Jaxson shook his head. “This is fucked, but it’s nothing we can’t deal with. Tomorrow, we’re going to crack some skulls and find out who the hell is behind these attacks—whether it’s Dragan or agents of the Dark Wolf God, or just freaks out for blood. We’ll get our answers and shut this down. But until then, you need your sleep.”

He turned to leave, and my stomach sank a little. Moments before, I was ready to have him throw me into bed, but the certainty of that moment had gone. The memories of everything that had happened in the past few weeks left me feeling tainted, and he seemed to sense that I didn’t know what I wanted.

I was too tired, too weary to think. The adrenaline of the attack had faded, as had the euphoria of being in Jaxson’s arms. All that was left was the sword hanging over my head.

My heart leapt a little as he paused at the door. “I’ll be sleeping on the couch. You’re safe, Savy.”

I nodded. “Goodnight.”

But doubt twisted in my gut. If ghosts were haunting me, bikers hunting me, and Dragan out there still, was there anywhere I would ever be safe again?

Harden up, Wolfie whispered in my mind. Are you a predator or prey?

A shiver of her strength worked through me, and I tightened my fist as a fragment of my earlier resolve came back.

I wasn’t going to live in fear. I wasn’t going to let other people fight my battles, whether it was Harlow or Tony or Jaxson. I was going to hunt. I was going to get answers. And if Dragan was truly behind this, I would bring him down and send him back to hell, where he belonged.