Page 40 of Fated to Them

“Now, why would you want to do that?” Eli asks, his breath fanning the side of my neck before he runs his nose from my ear lobe to the crook of my neck. I shiver, my hands trembling slightly.

His arm snakes around my waist, pulling me closer.

“You came here for a reason, and now I want to hear what it is,” he says, his hand moving under my top and brushing against my stomach.

I gasp as sparks rush everywhere. His hand moves, my skin igniting at the pleasurable feel of his hands on my body, yet that doesn’t make me fear them any less. Something in my gut is telling me something is seriously off.

“I spoke to Sam,” I whisper so low I don’t think they’ve heard me.

Eli steps back, his hands leaving my body, and I turn around to face them.

“And what did Sam have to say?” Cyrus asks, stepping closer, and I flinch away from the venom in his words.

“That you did something, that you were there…”

Shit, I have no idea what I am asking, but by the look on their faces, they know something. Though I don’t understand the distaste and anger they hod for Sam; it makes no sense. I know they like me, they’ve made that extremely clear, but their possessiveness makes me squirm.

Cyrus looks to Eli before muttering something under his breath, too low for me to hear.

“We will explain when we get to Soya City,” Eli says.

I shake my head. I still have no intentions of leaving with them.

“I’m not going to Soya City with you. One of you did something, one of you bit me. I want to know what happened. Why Sam won’t talk to me anymore,” I tell them.

“You are because you don’t have a choice. And secondly, Eli didn’t bite you. He marked you. There is a difference.”

“If it involves teeth, it’s biting,” I spit back sarcastically.

“No, Addie, there is a very big difference, one we can’t explain right now. So, come inside.”

“I am not going anywhere with you,” I tell them, turning back to my car when I find my feet leaving the ground as arms wrap around my waist, tugging me back. I scream, thrashing around, trying to escape them, every cell in my body telling me to run.

I should never have come here, I think to myself.

“Calm down. We won’t hurt you, Addie,” Cyrus says, grabbing my face.

His words wash over me, suddenly feeling rational before I see his eyes turn red, and I feel my heart rate pick up so fast I am surprised it doesn’t leap from my chest. I kick him away, and he growls.

Wait, he just growled… growled like a predator.

I scream, adrenaline kicking in. I have no idea what is going on, but one thing I do know is they aren’t like me; no, they are monsters. Goosebumps rise on my skin as fear makes me lash out. I throw my head back, Eli grunting as my head connects with his face.

His arms slip from my waist as I hit the ground before getting up and running from them, heading for the road. Cyrus suddenly materializes in front of me, making me skid on the dirt road as I come to a halt. I hear the most horrendous noise, like flesh tearing and bones breaking, making me scream as I look back toward the car only to see a monster of a wolf, its teeth gleaming under the moonlight, sharp and pointy, threatening to rip my flesh to pieces.

Cyrus has his arms out, like he is trying to herd me, and I dart off in the other direction only to be knocked to the ground from behind, knocking the air from my lungs as I hit the ground with an oomph. I freeze, my blood running cold, as I see paws on either side of my face. As I try to get up, a wet nose sniffs the back of my neck as it growls, making my hair stand on end, freezing me on the spot. I feel its tongue roll over my neck, and I spin, rolling on my back, wishing I remained on my stomach so I wouldn’t see it as it kills me.

Only it doesn’t attack, instead dropping, resting its body on mine and pressing its nose to my chin and sniffing me. Its black eyes are watching my face when Cyrus moves to stand above me. He pats the wolf, and it licks his wrist.

“Eli lets you up, you don’t run,” Cyrus says, watching me.

My eyes snap to the wolf in confusion, my eyebrows furrowing as it whines at me, nudging my cheek with its nose.

“The wolf is Eli, Addie. He is a werewolf,” Cyrus says.

My brain is trying to function, trying to grasp the words that have just spewed from his mouth. Werewolf? My mind drifts back to every horror movie I’ve ever watched, and panic sets in.

“Addie?” Cyrus asks.