66. Anna

66

Anna

It was a full thirty minutes after I'd returned to the apartment that there was a shimmer in the air. "It's clear," I said in a low voice and moved to the television. I picked a music channel with angry chick rock to play just in case the guards could hear through the door, which I doubted.

"If you're here to trick me, I won't think twice about shoving a knife through your heart," I told her.

"I expect nothing less. I assume from your get-up that Kenzi is here?"

"My outfit is none of your business. Tell me what the hell is going on."

"Very well. The short version is that unlike the other pack witches, I did not ask for sanctuary and protection. I was taken nearly three years ago. I've never been to this godforsaken mountain in my life. I was taken by another witch with a spell much like what happened with Amaya, only I wasn't killed. I've been used ever since, and when Emerson learned that my magic isn't all that strong, abused."

"Why didn't you say anything to the other witches?"

"There's a listening device on my person. It feeds straight into security. If I mention anything about my kidnapping to anyone, Emerson is immediately notified."

Quickly, I backed up and looked at the door. "So you're risking both of our lives?"

"It doesn't work around you. I hacked into the feed a couple of weeks ago and listened to my conversations when you were around. Dead silence. As far as I can tell, the guards didn't think anything strange about it. They just assumed I stopped talking. You're a null."

It was a good story. Convenient? I couldn't tell if she was lying or not. "What do you want from me?"

"I have information about Emerson. Important information. I know you're working on an escape plan. Involve me, get me out of here, and I'll tell you everything that I know."

"What makes you think I'm working on an escape plan?"

Janelle smiled grimly. "Because no one in their right mind chooses to be here."

Risk. Everywhere I looked, there was more risk. This wasn't just my freedom. I suspected that if Emerson couldn't have me, he would kill me. Future plans be damned.

The witch could be just another plant, like all the employees and patrons in the bar.

Closing my eyes, I tried to think through all scenarios. Once again, I was a child, going over every possible thing that could go wrong with a plan. Weighing the risks. Sometimes deciding it was worth getting caught.

And I'd always gotten caught.

But I wasn't a child anymore. Grabbing a piece of paper, I scribbled on it and held it up to her. "Use your glamour. Be here at midnight. I'll meet you, but I don't know how long it will take me. It could be several hours. Will your glamour last that long?"

"It'll have to, although I may not have the power to help you if you need it."

"If all goes well, I won't need it." Before she could grab it, I ripped it to pieces and took it to the bathroom. The witch didn't say a word as I flushed it down the toilet.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Don't thank me yet. Just because you're there doesn't mean I'm going to be able to take you with me. You should go. I've got a run to prepare for."

"A run?" Her eyes widened. "Your wolf? You're letting her out for the escape?"

"She's stronger than you think."

It was midnight when I met Kenzi by the door. She glanced at my jeans and T-shirt and made a show of looking behind me. "I notice you have guards with you everywhere you go.

Don't tell me you're still trying to make your way back to Jax."

"I don't plan my whole life around a man, Kenzi. Maybe you should think about doing the same," I told her quietly.

"You don't have guards now. Hoping to run? Oh, wouldn't that be delightful? I would love to chase you down."

I stared out into the woods. "Where would I go? Besides, just because you don't see the guards doesn't mean they aren't there. You want to do this run? Prove that you were the better choice all along? Or you just want to call it a night?"

A slow smile spread on her face. "We're not complete animals. Let's stroll for a little bit. I love chatting. I especially love telling you that I'm right. Because I am. The right choice."

Since Kenzi wasn't in any hurry to run, I started to stroll, and she fell into step next to me.

If Emerson was concerned about me going off alone, he would have joined us. That made me think he was out there lurking somewhere. "What did Jax do to the mating bond?"

"Wondered why it's gone dead and silent?" She snickered. "He traveled to the Darkwyn coven and had them rip it out of him. It wasn't a pleasant journey, nor a pleasant spell. The lengths that man went to get away from you."

I snarled. "Careful, Kenzi. Just because the human chose you doesn't mean the wolf ever will. I like to think he's smarter than that."

"Oh, but his wolf has come to adore me. When we fuck…oh, his wolf is right beneath the skin. He's positively feral with me. Complains that he used to treat you like glass. Poor little abused Anna. Could break at any minute."

Stopping short, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I would not let her get to me.

"Ever think he's just trying to fuck me out of his system? Has he called my name instead of yours?"

I must have struck a chord because Kenzi's eyes glowed silver. "He doesn't even think of you."

"Oh, I bet he does. Has he fucked you in the dining room yet? In the shower? He really liked it against the wall next to the bed. Got a lot more force."

"Shut up, you bitch." Kenzi back handed me into a tree. Straightening, I spit out the blood and stared at her. I felt my wolf rising to the surface.

I had just one more thing to say to her. "If you were his first choice, he would have mated with you from the very beginning. Instead, he strung you along until he found his real mate.

You're second best, Kenzi. You always were, and you always will be."

Petty. I hadn't even realized I could be this petty. I hadn't even realized that there was this much bitterness in me. I certainly hadn't realized I could stoop this low, but I couldn't stop the words from pouring out of my mouth.

She started to shift, but I was faster. My wolf landed on all fours and launched itself at her before she could finish. Her howl of pain rose up from the trees as we tumbled down the hill, and by the time we hit the bottom, she was full wolf.

Fuck. She was huge. I had no idea that Kenzi's wolf was this big. She was almost as big as Jax, and now that she was furious, her power ripped through her. Her paw slammed into me, and I saw stars as I stumbled.

My wolf whimpered, and inside, even I whimpered. This was not a fight that I was going to win, and we'd barely gotten started. Still, I turned and attacked. I managed to draw blood just as her fangs ripped into my shoulder. She picked me up and flung me like I was a rag doll.

Pain seared through me, and panic set in. My wolf shuddered.

Hurt. Scared. Help.

Suddenly, before I could stop her, she started to shift.

Oh, God. No, no, no. I tried to grab control, but she'd slipped beyond me. My bones shifted in pain, and something thorny scratched against my bare skin. In a span of a heartbeat, I became a naked, shivering human.

Kenzi didn't stop. She didn't even hesitate. She bore down on me with the same fury as before. I tried to curl my body into a ball but it was too late.

Her fangs bit into my side, and she tore flesh.

This was it. I was going to die.