Sleeping Phoenix

Chapter 1: Not Quite the First Meeting He Envisioned

Chapter 1

(Present Day) 

“Man this is bullshit,” Darius exclaimed while shoveling even more dirt out of the massive hole that was more like the size of a small lake. Speaking of lakes, Darius thought to himself. “Why are we stuck on new pack house construction detail while everyone else is at the lake?” 

“You know why Darius. We’re being punished, because of your dumb ass antics last night,” Daric yelled. “I’m truly the one who is here unfairly. If I had only gotten there a few minutes later then I wouldn’t be in this mess with you. Better yet, if I hadn’t come at all I’d be in the clear. This just proves no good deed goes unpunished. Like always, you make the mess and I clean it up.” Daric shoveled harder at that realization, because it couldn’t have been truer. They may be brothers, and they may be twins, identical twins; but that was where the similarities ended. Looking at the both of them you couldn’t tell them apart, even if you tried, since both of them had black hair cut short, strong square jaws that tapered off from high cheekbones, and grass green eyes. They both also stuck to the same diet and exercise regime giving them identical six pack abs the ladies drooled over. Of course being werewolves also helped in the physical aspect.

“Dude I’m your twin brother, and the younger sibling I might add, it’s my job to f**k s**t up and call on my older brother for help,” he laughed.

“I’m only five minutes older. Your argument is null and void at this point. What exactly happened last night anyways? You never did explain everything.” Daric didn’t really care at that point, but the monotony of putting the shovel in the ground, pulling the shovel out of the ground with dirt on it, tossing the dirt outside the hole you just created, and repeat over and over and over was killing him. 

“Oh yeah, so I was down at the quack-shack,” Darius began, “you know McGrady’s Mental Health Institution off the interstate a couple miles?” 

“I know the one Darius, I was there last night after everything went to s**t,” Daric retorted. 

“Right, so anyways, I go down there to see Helena, the Seeress that was locked up for being crazy, because she kept predicting a bunch of s**t nobody would listen to. The girl ended up in a lot of trouble that wasn’t her fault; but got blamed for it all because of her extensive knowledge of something she claimed to not be a part of. I broke in the back door and snuck up the service stairs to get to her room.”

“Whoa, whoa, why did you even break in at all? What were you doing going to see a Seeress?” 

“Well, I was kind of curious about my mate. I was hoping she’d be able to give me a clue as to her whereabouts or even WHEN I might meet her,” Darius admitted as he shoveled more dirt. 

“You had to know that was a stupid idea. You’ll meet her when the time is right man you can’t force these kinds of things. Otherwise, you welcome all sorts of bad mojo.” Daric couldn’t believe this! He was stuck doing this crap, because his erstwhile brother was impatient about finding his mate! He couldn’t help but repeat over and over in his head, “Unbelievable!” 

“Of course I knew it was stupid, but something told me I’d find some answers. I wasn’t completely wrong,” Darius continued. “Before I almost got caught shifting, in the building, I also tripped the silent alarm when I broke into the back door. That’s what let them know I was there. Once I made it to the basement that’s when I called you. Unfortunately, the guy who owns the hospital knows Gareth and called him instead of the cops.”   

“Really, well do tell what this great Seeress predicted that would satisfy your curiosity enough to convince yourself that dragging your brother into your mess was cool,” Darius growled.

“All she said was, ‘You’ll find your match if you follow the bird of fire.’ I took that to mean my mate.”

“Oh! Well of course that’s what she meant, how stupid of me to be so rude to you just a moment ago by not believing you! She damn near gave you coordinates to the one you’re searching for!” He held his arms out to the side, while shaking his arms up and down as if he were speaking to a complete i***t. Daric’s temper flared to life. Driving home even more just how much he couldn’t stand his brother. 

“Dude I’m sensing some hostilities right now and I don’t appreciate it,” Darius commented. 

“Really!?! You’re sensing some hostilities? What gave me away? Was it my snarling demeanor or my overall lack of giving a s**t at this point,” Daric yelled spearing his shovel a little too hard into the ground. The impact of the shovel snapped it in two just as a large gust of air exploded right underneath them. The strong blast sent them flying out of the hole and on to their asses.  

“WHAT THE f**k WAS THAT!?!?” Darius yelled as he attempted to roll into a sitting position on the ground. He had a hard time breaking through the fog that was clouding his brain. 

“No clue. Maybe I hit some kind of pipe. . . f**k even I sound stupid to my own ears. I don’t know s**t about pipes,” Daric replied as he was gingerly sitting up just like his brother. 

“Should we look?” Darius asked. 

“I guess,” Daric said. So they both crawled to the edge of the hole and peered down to see the damage they had done. It took a second or two for the flying dirt and rubble to clear, but what they found left them both baffled. “A coffin? You mean to tell me a coffin caused that?” It seemed Darius was lost for words, because all he managed was a short shrug of his shoulders before throwing his legs over the side of the hole to lower himself back in. “I think we should probably call Gareth first before we move in. This is his land now after all and he’d probably want to know about this.” 

Darius finally found his words as he told his brother, “So call him. I’ll go see what it is.” 

“Fine, but if that thing blows don’t say I didn’t warn you bro.”

~*~

Darius could hear Daric clicking the buttons of his phone dialing their Alpha to apprise him of their situation. He wasn’t sure how much more trouble they’d be in for this, but he was pretty positive that whatever that box was wasn’t going to win them brownie points. How he saw it though, if they were already in trouble then he might as well satisfy his curiosity, so he jumped back in without a second thought. Once he reached the bottom again he swiped his hands against his dirty basketball shorts to try and get some of the dirt off. Not that it really mattered too much. 

“Gareth is on his way Darius, and he said to leave it alone until he gets here; which is a pretty big indicator to get out of the f*****g hole and away from that.” When his words didn’t seem to penetrate a still moving Darius he said louder, “Seriously dude I’m not taking the fall for you again. Get out of the hole. Gareth will be here any minute.” 

When all Daric got was a backwards wave from his brother he growled in frustration and gave into his curiosity, against his better judgment, and went back into the hole. He caught up to his brother just before he reached the . . . coffin? Box? Whatever it was. “Clearly you have a hearing impairment, because I told you we were ordered to wait for Gareth.”

“Clearly, you must not care, I mean, you are following me in here against orders,” Darius joked with a cocky grin. “I don’t know about you, but my instinct is off the charts. He can’t stand not knowing what’s in this box. Have you noticed there’s no scent coming off it? I feel like if this were some kind of coffin we just discovered it would carry the scent of death or at the very least formaldehyde . . . but nothing is coming from this box. Not even the smell of dirt. Smell it!”

“That’s gross. No I’m not going to smell the coffin!” But Daric couldn’t deny that Darius was right. This box was certainly a puzzle. He noticed the sides had intricate moldings carved into the side when he bent down to examine it. His hand brushed a portion of the wood and the lid popped open with a click. Both guys jumped back at the sudden movement of the box. 

“Should we open it?” Darius asked. 

“If you have to ask then probably not,” Daric answered but didn’t stop his brother when Darius pushed the lid slightly making it rest slant ways on top of the box. The contents certainly shocked him and if the comical face of his brother’s was any indication he was shocked too. 

“It’s, it’s, a woman.” Darius said as he moved to the other side of the box to get a closer look. She was gorgeous. Bright red hair fanned out around her heart shaped face, flawless alabaster skin that looked almost translucent, and curves all in the right places. “Is she dead?”

Daric reached in and just when he was about to touch her he heard behind him, “Did I, or did I not say to wait for me?” There was no mistaking that voice, and by his tone their Alpha did not sound happy.

~*~ 

Gareth tried hard not to strangle the both of them as they started to make their excuses. He knew they were young and hadn’t even grown in to their immortality yet, but damn he was almost out of patience with the both of them. He held up his hand to silence them both, “I don’t want to hear it. In all my five hundred years I have lived on this planet I have never met more disobedient wolves. What could you possibly have misinterpreted about, ‘Stay away from the thing you found. I’ll be there in a second to check it out?’” His wolf side felt slightly appeased of his anger at their bowed heads and the oozing scent of shame. “I guess that second question was directed more towards you Daric since I didn’t give the orders to Darius. Speak,” he growled out. 

“I didn’t misinterpret anything.” Daric admitted. 

“So you openly admit to purposefully defying my orders?” Gareth asked. With nothing left to say Daric simply nodded with a slight glare towards his brother. “So what’s this emergency?” The looks the twins exchanged spoke volumes, but Gareth wasn’t quite sure what could be in the box. 

“Well, we think we stumbled upon a grave site Alpha,” Darius spoke up.   

“Grave site? That’s a coffin? Why didn’t you just say that,” Gareth asked as he walked up to the coffin, but stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes on her. Every nerve endings in his body went off as his eyes devoured every bit of the woman before him. She couldn’t be older than twenty-three or twenty-four years old. On closer inspection he started noticing weird things about the female. First were the dried blood tracks on her face in matching lines running from her eyes, nose, and mouth. He also noticed a black mark at her temple. 

He started thinking about it: this was a coffin so she’s dead, but the body was preserved, perfectly preserved. Almost as if she was a statue, not a corpse. Gareth had an unhealthy dose of despair and anger rush through him at the thought of this beautiful creature ceasing to exist. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant; but he had to know if this woman was alive, for his own sanity if nothing else. 

The first brush of skin against skin killed his hopes right there. She was freezing cold and her perfect skin as hard as marble. All of his life he had never seen anything like this. Gareth was contemplating moving the body to a more suitable burial spot when her eyes shot open and bright florescent purple eyes stared back at him. He couldn’t move from shock, but as quickly as they opened they shut making him question whether or not they opened at all. A quick glance at the other two guys, that seemed to have jumped out of their skin, confirmed he wasn’t crazy and that this woman did in fact just open her eyes. 

Shifting his focus back down to the now, apparently, alive female he watched in wonder as the almost invisible marble shell encasing her body seemed to deteriorate into dust. It was almost rolling off of her in a wave starting at her stomach and moving out in all directions. There seemed to be a force pulling at her while the shell fell to nothing, bit by bit as the shell fell away different body parts rose off the bottom of the box only to land back down with a quiet thud. Until, eventually, it was entirely gone. Gareth watched as the female’s head rolled up and back down ending her unveiling. Her skin transformed from a sickly white into a more healthy color. The sun kissed tones he saw implied that she spent many hours in the sun. Her brilliant bright red hair gained more luster and life. He was about to touch her again to try and wake her when her hand shot out like a light clutching Darius’s throat in a death grip.

~*~

I’m awake. I'm finally awake, Mila thought to herself as she felt the spell dissolve around her. A million sensations came rushing at her at once, but she managed to stay calm and found that the craziness calmed down rather quickly. It was then she sensed the presence of three males surrounding her. Their species was undeterminable at that moment, but that didn’t worry her. She’d just torch them if they decided to attack her, because for the first time in her life she felt truly powerful. She could feel her muscles were infused with more power than usual. Felt her fire, at the core of who she was, was blazing strong and hotter than she had ever felt it. There were no words adequate enough to describe the true feeling of immortality. 

That’s when she decided she wasn’t waiting for anything; she’ll just get the upper hand on them. Faster than she even knew she was capable of, Mila grabbed one of the males’ throats and squeezed hard before he, or his friends, could defend themselves. 

Coming to stand in the box, that put her slightly above the males around her, she pulled him up to eye level before sniffing his neck, “Wolf. You got lucky today sir,” she said then tossed him back down. Mila glided out of the box to the ground when she realized she was among her kind, well her family’s kind. She spun slowly in a complete circle taking in her surroundings. 

When a hand landed on her shoulder, she reacted out of pure instinct by grabbing the assailant’s hand and twisting it, just stopping herself before it broke. She spun around until she was at his back with his arm lodged between them. She pulled up on his hand enough to move him a couple of steps, which almost knocked his shoulder out of it’s socket. She forced his face down onto the lid of the box that rested slightly askew. “Not a good idea love,” Mila practically growled. “What year is it?” 

She didn’t necessarily ask the guy she had pinned down, the question was put out there for anyone to answer, but the guy under her answered just the same, “Two thousand- twenty,” he grunted. Mila felt like she was drowning. Two hundred years! She’s been asleep for over two hundred years! She felt the passage of time while she had been in the box, but she never would have guessed two hundred years. 

“What’s the date,” she whispered but wasn’t sure they heard her because the breeze picked up in that moment almost as if to carry her question away. 

“March 31, 2020,” the other guy identical to the one she still had pinned down answered this time. When she glanced at the third guy who had remained anonymous through all of this she ceased to breathe or think. It was almost like the world came to a standstill the moment their eyes met and held. Damn, but he was gorgeous with dark dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes that seemed to see more than she wanted, and handsome sculptured features she could stare at forever. There was a whisper in the back of her mind that he was someone significant to her, but she couldn’t quite figure it out.

~*~ 

Gareth knew the moment their eyes locked that she was the one he was created for. She was the other half he has spent that last five hundred years waiting to find. His mate! 

*Mine* his instinct screamed at him and he couldn’t agree more. She was his, all his. He should have been angry she got the jump on him and his men, but all he wanted to do was praise her for being strong and brave and beautiful and sexy and bleeding! Wait! What? He thought as he got a better look at her now that she was out of the box. A rage unlike any other consumed him at the thought of her being hurt and he couldn’t help thinking how ridiculous that was considering he didn’t even know her name. At the same time, it didn’t matter to him. Name or no name, she was his and he’d be damned if ANYONE harmed a hair on her head from here on out. Who the hell locked her in a box and buried her? Who harmed her before putting her in the box? Why was she wearing clothes that could be dated back to the 17th century? Questions after questions were running through his mind until the soft cadence of her voice broke him out of his reverie. 

“March 31st?” His mystery mate asked Daric that’s when he noticed her inflected accent denoted European British origins that suggested she wasn’t from this area originally and she certainly wasn’t from this time; which only made even more questions run through his head. 

“Two hundred years,” she spoke to herself in obvious shock. “Oh Gods! Serena. My home. What could have happened since then?” Gareth couldn’t help but think it was cute that she spoke to herself, but what she said was what really got his attention. Where is her home? Who’s Serena? 

“Not to break into your rant or anything, but my arm and shoulder really hurts! I never meant to hurt or scare you I was just going to ask your name,” Darius said. That snapped her back to the present. She seemed to think it over for a minute before slowly letting Darius back up. She stepped back several steps, distancing herself from Darius while his back was still to her. 

“My apologies. Being locked in a box for two hundred years seemed to have stolen my manners,” Gareth’s mysterious mate answered. He could barely control himself at that revelation. Who did this to her? He did know one thing though; he would find out and kill them. 

“No problem, darlin’,” Darius crooned with a smile. That landed him with a fierce growl from Gareth. Letting him know very quickly where that continued conversation would get him. His reaction to Darius got her attention on him again though.

Gareth finally found the courage to speak saying, “What’s your name?” He smiled when he saw the shiver run through her at his voice. Good, he thought, she’s beginning to recognize me. 

“Mila, my name is Mila,” she answered. 

“Well, Mila,” Gareth said with a smile pausing to savor her name on his lips, “Can you tell me how you came to be in that box?” She shook her head. “No? As in you don’t know?” He asked.

~*~ 

“No. No, as in I don’t know you well enough to tell you that,” Mila said to the gorgeous stranger in front of her. Noting all of their strange accents she couldn't help but wonder if everyone spoke like that now. 

“Allow me to rectify the situation, I am Gareth,” the handsome man said pointing to himself. “That is Daric,” he pointed to the one closest to him, “And that’s Darius.” That time he pointed to the man she had attacked. 

“Hello,” she said by way of a greeting. “I do apologize again for attacking you, but I really must go.” She went to tuck her hair behind her ear when she graved a sore spot. She flinched in pain and was shocked, when she opened her eyes; the man named Gareth was standing way too close for comfort. She couldn’t help but think he moved incredibly fast. Before she knew what was happening Gareth had her chin in between his thumb and forefinger turning her head to the side to sniff her. Uncontrollable shivers coursed through them both at the brief contact that almost had her begging for more. 

“We must get you to a healer,” Gareth exclaimed to her shock. 

“Why? I’m perfectly fine. Anything still bleeding will eventually heal itself. Apparently, they all didn’t have time to fix before the . . . incident,” Mila said as calmly as possible without going into hysterics again.

“No you are not fine! This cut at your temple can only mean one thing, Ghouls,” he spat. 

She reached back up and rubbed the cut again. Her hand came back with the infamous black ooze. Oh yeah, she did get cut by their arrow that night. “Really, there’s nothing to worry about,” she began. 

“The hell there isn’t,” Gareth interrupted forcefully before turning his head to address his oddly dressed men, “Leave us. Go wait by my car.” What’s a car? Mila thought in true bewilderment at his demeanor and comments. 

“Excuse me, but I think I can determine for myself if I’m well or not, sir.” She retorted.

“Obviously not if you were going to leave this unchecked,” he bellowed. He was acting almost like he cared. Not the type of care that strangers sometime employ in emergencies, but the type of care that implies familiarity. There was also an undertow of worry there as well. Although that can be explained away by the fact that he obviously didn’t know what Mila was; otherwise he would have known she was impervious to the virus and wouldn’t turn. Plus, having a Ghoul loose on your property wasn’t exactly safe, especially if that property was supposed to hold people. 

“Look,” she began, but was interrupted again when he placed both of his hands on her upper arms and shook her slightly.  

“No, you look; I’m getting you to a healer. I’m not losing you after I have finally found you!” He stated. 

“Found me? What are you talking about I just met you,” Mila screamed back in exasperation. She watched a battle rage behind those beautiful blue eyes as he tried to make a decision. In that moment she knew her emotions flared into her eyes turning the natural jade green into the majestic purple of her Phoenix. 

He seemed to make a decision when he asked, “What are you?” 

“I don’t understand the question,” Mila mumbled. 

“What immortal species are you? I’ve come across my fair share of creatures, but none with eyes like that. What are you?” 

“I’m . . .,” Mila began but stopped when she realized she was about to tell this perfect stranger her guarded secrets. A very delicious man with an unnaturally succulent smell she wanted to taste. When Mila found herself leaning towards him she froze and nearly combusted on the spot. What is wrong with me, she thought. She didn’t know this man. “That isn’t any of your concern,” she finally answered. 

“Oh, but I think it is,” he said smoothly as he stepped even closer until their bodies were flush against each other. “You see I have vested interest in your person so it’s my job to make sure you’re cared for.” 

“And why would you care about a stranger you found locked in a box? For all you know, I was put in there for a terrible crime I committed. I could have murdered children for unnatural rituals used to destroy the world.” 

“Call it old fashioned gentleman’s hospitality. You are obviously in a strange position and I just so happen to be available to help. Besides if you were put in the box out of punishment I think whoever imprisoned you didn’t put much thought behind it.” 

Mila was sure he’d help her alright, but she knew none of it would be gentlemanly. When this man spoke all she could think about was mating. Not the boring coupling she had overheard women speaking of with their husbands, but dirty animal s*x that makes a girl question whether it was unnatural to be doing such things. “Well, I hate to break it to you, sir, but I don’t need your help. In fact, I request you let the issue drop and leave me be; because I guarantee if you don’t do as I ask, you will regret it. Wolf or not, you will find yourself in a very compromising position: bleeding on the floor or stranded without the girl you proclaim to be helping. Just a warning, Gareth, you won’t like the end results if you cross me.” 

Instead of acting out in anger at her apparent threat Gareth only smiled an indulgent smile and ran his finger down the side of her face. “As amusing as that little tête à tête was, now I think would be a good time to go see the healer. The virus spreads at different rates in different people so I would like to have that looked at sooner rather than later,” he began pulling on her arm as if to bring her with him. Mila was having none of that.

“Excuse me; did you not just hear me? I clearly just expressed my dissatisfaction with the idea of seeing a healer about my cut. And as such,” she said while yanking her arm out of his grip getting a fierce growl in reaction from Gareth, “I shall not be accompanying you to your healer. I have far too much to deal with already than to listen to the drivel that will spew from their mouth. Everyone knows, it is common knowledge, that once the virus is administered it’s basically a death sentence. So really there’s no need dragging me to someone who will say the same thing. The safest thing for you to do i-”

“The safest thing for ME to do? Sweetheart, you’re the one faced with a lifetime of being a vicious scavenger and you’re warning me about safety?” 

“Yes as a matter of fact! What you see is what you get. So unless in the past two hundred years that I have been absent someone has created a new cure to the virus then what’s the point?” Mila yelled. 

“The point is I won’t stop until I get what I want; which is, for you to see the healer and stave off the virus. So you might as well do as I ask because, like I said I get what I want. . . Wait what do you mean created a NEW cure? You know of an actual cure? That’s perfect! What is it, we’ll do that instead,” Gareth argued. 

Mila slipped and she knew it. Now she was going to have to back track, “Slip of the tongue, I didn’t mean new, I meant just one in general,” she stammered. 

~*~

Gareth stared at his beautiful mate and knew she was hiding something. It was obvious in her tone and the way she was fidgeting in his arms; which she hadn’t noticed him place around her waist a few moments ago when they were yelling. Gods, but she felt amazing there. “No, you meant new. What are you hiding m . . . m-female,” he corrected when he was about to say mate and give himself away. 

~*~

Now it was Mila’s turn to be suspicious, “You weren’t going to call me female. What were you going to call me?” For a one scary moment Mila had an unsettling feeling this wolf was going to call her the dreaded four letter word, mate. Some of his behavior could be explained with that circumstance, but she refused to believe that fate would strap her with a whole new set of complications after everything that has already happened. Not that she didn’t want forever with her fated other half, but she had a sneaking suspicion that her life was only going to get more complicated before it got easier. So the idea of having a hormonal wolf chasing after her to mate was not something she even wanted to contemplate any time soon. 

“Nothing, don’t change the subject,” Gareth said. Mila did the only thing she could think of to deal with the situation; she went into denial.  

“I wasn’t changing the subject merely expanding on it.” Ignoring the issue completely. 

“Or in other words: change the subject. You know what this is? A waste of time. We’re going to the healers and then later when I know you’re safe at the pack house we’ll discuss all of your secrets.”

“Excuse me? Pack house? I’m not going to your pack house and I sure as hell am NOT going to the DAMNED HEALERS!” Mila practically screeched. 

There was a pronounced silence between the two of them until Gareth growled, “Wanna bet,” before bending at the waist and throwing Mila over his shoulder.

Mila was too shocked for words at being man-handled by the i***t throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of grain. At first, all she did was stare at his back upside down in shock at his audacity. Who did he think he was? His first jostle of her person to try and find a more comfortable position to carry her knocked some sense back into her. Mila went crazy. With a swift upward thrust of her elbow she nailed Gareth in the back of the head. Because of the suddenness and unexpectedness of her actions it sent him tumbling into the dirt with her underneath him. 

Mila smacked the ground hard when her makeshift captor fell. “s**t,” Gareth grunted. “Are you alright?” His hands wandered from her head to her shoulders and lower checking her for injuries. 

“I’m fine,” Mila answered as she shot the heel of her hand up into his nose making it bleed profusely. She scrambled up and away as Gareth rolled off of her. “I told you, love. Either you were going to end up bleeding on the ground or left empty handed. I guess you’re going to experience both.” 

Just when Mila presented her back to Gareth and began walking away she heard, “Guess again,” right before being taken back down to the ground. 

“Let go of me! I don’t know who you think you are, but you have no idea who you’re messing with,” Mila knew she was all talk. Because for all his crazy behavior she didn’t think she could bring herself to actually kill him. It was something she didn’t understand, but she knew for sure that she had to get away from him. 

They rolled in the dirt for several minutes as they both fought for dominance. “Umm, Alpha do you need some help,” Darius asked from above them as they continued to roll around. 

~*~

“No,” Gareth yelled in frustration. “I’ve got this under control.” However, with his focus off the delicious creature under him, fighting him for all she’s worth, left a big opening for her retaliation. With another grunt of pain Mila nailed him square in the jaw with a one-two-punch with those deceptively dainty fists. He had to admit her spunk turned him on to the point he was afraid it might never calm down, but the hits were not something he was going to tolerate much longer. 

“Are you sure? No disrespect, Alpha, but you look like you could use some help,” Darius continued from above them. 

Mila landed another hit to his still sore and bleeding nose before he finally gave up being careful. As he finally got a strong hold on her wrists, he pinned them above her head, Gareth commanded, “Son of a- , Darius get the f**k down here I’m through playing nice!” 

“This is nice,” Mila asked in exasperation. “Funny I would call this accosting someone; but being locked up for two hundred years certainly could make the meaning of words change I suppose.” 

“Baby, I’m a fully matured male wolf shifter, the strongest immortal species on the planet. Don’t you think I could’ve overpowered you if I wanted?” Gareth mocked. “I was trying to avoid hurting you.” 

~*~

“Really? So this was just to give me false hope then?” She asked, although she knew what he said was true. She could tell from the beginning the only reason she got any hits in was because he was trying to avoid her getting hurt. But, damn if it didn’t bother her. The one named Darius arrived just in time to hear her say to Gareth, “Why are you so bloody set on this? You don’t know me. How did I get so lucky to get saddled with a crazed shifter like you? Is it that a female under you must be struggling for it to be enjoyable?” Mila could cut the tension with the knife at her comment. 

Gareth got really close to her face growling playfully, “No, I can’t say that I’ve had problems with the ladies, and I certainly don’t have a problem finding them willing.” For some odd reason that statement made Mila unbelievably angry. The thought of this man spending time with any other female in bed enraged her. “But I must say getting my ass handed to me by such a sexy female has done odd things to my sanity.” Mila and Gareth both heard Darius release the breath he had obviously been holding as the conversation progressed, but now that he knew his Alpha wasn’t offended and hell bent on redemption of some sort he could relax. 

“Alpha, what would you like me to do,” Darius asked.

“Well, Darius,” Gareth began without breaking eye contact with Mila, “I’d like for you to come grab her hands while I get up so we can take this stubborn woman to Monica.” 

Mila was beyond furious and ready to make him bleed some more, both of them for that matter. It didn’t matter that she knew the guy kneeling on the ground taking ahold of her wrists was merely taking orders. He kind of didn’t have a choice. That fact didn’t stop her from kicking her legs up, forcing her body to flip backwards, and over Darius’s crouched back when Gareth was off of her completely. To give the guy holding her credit he didn’t release her wrists; unfortunately, for him, that put her in the perfect position to lock her arm around his neck effectively cutting off his air. “Now, here’s how it’s really going to go,” Mila addressed Gareth. “If I’m correct, this young man hasn’t come into his immortality yet. So if I apply just the right amount of pressure I could cut off his air supply and he’d be dead in seconds. I don’t want to hurt anyone, much less kill them, but I have some overdue plans I need to take care of and you are preventing me from doing that. What’s going to happen next is you’re going to move out of my way and Darius, I believe his name is, and I are going to go for a walk. When I’m clear from your lands, and believe me I’ll know, then I’ll let him go. If you pursue us, he’ll die. Understand?” 

~*~

Gareth was blown away. He didn’t really know how to react. That fluorescent purple was back in her eyes and her calm demeanor could only mean she meant business. Damn, but he still couldn’t bring himself to be mad that she effectively manipulated him and threatened to kill one of his pack members. “Look, sweetheart,” he said trying to placate her as he began moving towards her, but stopped when she presented her hand from behind Darius; which was on fire! Not many species could manipulate fire. A few subspecies of demons could, as well as very powerful sorceresses, but Gareth could smell neither on her. The mystery plot thickened.

“No! No more, sweetheart this and baby that! Which, by the way, is an odd term to call someone considering I’m not an infant, but a fully grown woman. One more step and I turn him to ash,” she growled. 

It was then that Gareth realized he wholly underestimated his gorgeous mate; apparently she had more up her sleeve than he gave her credit for. “I’m sorry. I never meant to scare you or mess up quite as badly as I have. I was only trying to help,” he spoke in what he hoped was a calm voice, even though he was riddled with anxieties at the thought of truly f*****g this up before even getting to know her. 

“Do NOT lie to me. You knew what you were doing. I refuse to believe such concession,” Mila spat. 

“Umm, I really can’t breathe,” Darius wheezed out. 

“That’s the point love. I’m kind of holding you hostage,” Mila replied sarcastically. “I’m not an evil person, in fact my purpose in life is to save people, not hurt them. But do not misunderstand me, I will do what I see fit to survive. Too much has been sacrificed for me to allow anyone to get in my way. So Gareth, I suggest you move.” 

“I can’t let you go,” Gareth began.

“Very well,” Mila spoke with a heart-breaking tone. “Don’t I say I didn’t warn y-” she started before her hand distinguished and she collapsed to the ground in a heap. 

Gareth panicked. Before he took his next breath he was on the ground next to Mila touching her and shaking her trying to get her back to consciousness, “Mila, wake up. Wake up honey.” Gareth glanced up and saw Daric standing there with an empty syringe and a terrified look on his face; he knew instantly that he made a huge mistake. 

~*~

The look on his Alpha’s face could only mean one thing; he just knocked out Gareth’s mate. Granted it was to save his twin, but there were just so many things he didn’t take into consideration. Of course, he would never choose some random female over his brother, but still he should’ve known better. He was utterly and truly f****d. 

“WHAT THE f**k DID YOU DO?” Gareth yelled as he charged Daric with a look of total rage on his face. Daric could tell the Alpha’s wolf was close to the surface and the God’s knew he’d never stand a chance against Gareth.  

“Nothing life threatening Alpha, I swear,” Daric tried to explain when Gareth’s hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed while he lifted him off the ground, “I just gave her a sedative to knock her out. I found a kit in the trunk of your car,” he whimpered further. 

The Kits were used to bring down any creature from demons to ghouls, vampires, and all others in between. Gareth had some recollection of strong tranquilizers being in there as well, for those they wanted to keep alive for questioning. He also knew that too much could kill certain species as effectively as cutting off their heads. “How much did you give her,” he roared in anger. 

“The whole syringe, I’m not sure how much was in it I just reacted,” he answered truthfully.

“You better hope she doesn’t die, because if she does you’ll be digging out your own grave instead of a basement,” he warned menacingly. 

Daric had never been more scared in his life at the look in his Alpha’s eyes, because they spoke of retribution and not being fully immortal yet meant he didn’t stand a chance.