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I inhale putting myself between her and Casen. “Hello, Shadow,” I whisper, and her eyes flash, her lips tugging up wickedly.
ChapterFourteen
Stepping closer to Casen, I grab his arm, shoving him toward the door. Her eyes watch me, calculatingly, tracking my every movement.
“You aren’t going back down into the basement. No one will hurt you ever again.”
Her eyes flick to the hall then back at me. Her rate spiking.
“Do you recognize me?” I repeat, needing to hear her say it despite knowing the answer.
“Should I? You are like the rest of them!” she snaps. I shake my head, holding my hands out to her.
“No, I want to help you. Help Temperance. I’m your mate, Shadow!”
“Lies!” she hisses, taking a step on the old spring couch as she shifts her weight.
“You may fool Nova but I won’t be fooled. I won’t let you have them!” she screams before she is lunging at me, a wild anger in her eyes
She lands on top of me, her teeth sharp as razors tear through my neck. She gasps, ripping them out, and tingles rush over my entire body. I gasp, feeling the toxins of her venom course through me when she sits on me thinking she has killed me, not realizing she just marked me. Turning her gaze to Casen, she gets up, staring at Casen while I choke on her bite my own blood, fighting it and healing me painfully slowly. She snarls, taking a step toward Casen.
“Woah, calm down. I’m not here to hurt you!” he says backing up as she steps over my body, stalking him.
“Temperance… I mean Shadow… Whatever your bloody name is. I’m Casen, Casen is a friend!” She nods her head slowly.
“See… friend…” Casen points at himself, then points at me as I slowly get to my feet.
“And Eziah, he is your mate!”
She snarls and he holds his hand out jumping back. “Woah, woah, woah,” he screeches when she tries to slash him with her claws.
“Friend, Casen is friend!” he tells her.
“No, Casen is dead!” she snarls and lunges at him, but I grab her around the middle, hauling her back. She thrashes, knocking us both to the ground. She lands on top of me and twists in my grip, she snarls and tries to bite me, only to stop.
“You’re alive…” she mumbles and her eyes flicker oddly as she twitches in my grip, fur grows up her arms, changing like a chameleon from black to white. I know Nova is trying to fight her for control. I watch horrified as her skin ripples and twists, teeth lengthening and shortening, claws piercing my arms and retracting. When she screams in frustration, and clutches her hair.
“No, no, I won’t go back, I won’t go back, Nova! You can’t make me!” she screams, ripping handfuls of hair from her scalp. My heart races watching her carve herself up with her claws, blood streaks down her face when she suddenly bites herself.
I stare at her watching the venom streak through her veins, shooting up her arm, and panic slivers through me when her face falls slack, her entire body becomes immobilized, stiff as if she is paralyzed and frozen in time.
“No!” I choke and my hands latch onto her hips just as she falls on top of me, and my power burns hot in my palms as it shoots through her, takes it, absorbing it. Just as her tiny body crashes against mine, and I see Casen coming up behind her, a fry pan in his hand when she suddenly gasps and sits up in alarm.
“No,” I mouth to him, sensing something is changed within her when she inhales deeply, like she was taking a breath of fresh air for the very first time. Her head turns in one direction then the next, her breathing becoming harsher and her chest rises and falls heavily as panic sets in.
“Nova?” she whispers when Casen exhales behind her, and she twists to look at him. Casen’s eyes go to me, and he puts down the fry pan. Her hands on my chest tremble, and I feel her fear loud and clear when I grip her hands, see it in her body language. Her head snaps down to me, her eyes widening in horror.
“It’s okay, Temperance, we won’t hurt you,” I try to tell her. I can feel her pulling on her wolf through the bond, feeling her as if we are the same person, connected in ways I can’t explain.
“Do you know who I am?” I ask her, and she blinks, her eyes darting to my neck where her wolf Shadow bit me.
She puts her fingers to her neck, touching the area where Malachi left his mark.
“No, no. You lie! You lie. Nova, she told me. She told me not to believe you all, that you all claim to be my mate,” she yells at me.
“You hurt her. You hurt her!” she screams, but I shake my head, trying to get her to understand I am not one of Satish’s pack members. “You hurt me!” she says, shoving off me and running for the door.
I snatch her ankle, growling in frustration, and she trips, falling face down on the ground with a thud. She grunts, and I move, crawling up her body and pinning her thrashing frame as she screams for Nova to save her. And she pleads for me to not hurt her. She presses her knees against my chest trying to shove me off, but she is much too weak, much too small against my crushing weight and large frame.
