CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY

CHAPTER 2

I SWALLOWED FORCING MY VOICE TO BE STEADY. " YOU WANT ME TO FIGHT FOR YOU?" "NOT JUST YOU," HE SAID. I COULD FEEL HIM TRYINGT O KEEP HIS VOICE STEADY ALSO. "YOU ARE THE STRONGEST ALPHA, A TRUE LEADER. THATS WHAT WE NEED. WHAT WE ALL NEED." HE SAID WORRIEDLY. HIS EYES WERE SO BRIGHT AS HE SPOKE I DIDNT KNOW WEATHER TO BE AFRAID OR FASCINATED."YOUR WHOLE PACK, AMELIA. WE NEED TO JOIN OUR PACKS IN ORDER TO WIN THIS WAR." IT FELT LIKE THE FLOOR HAD DROPPED OUT FROM UNDER ME AND I WAS FALLING. I WANTED TO BELIEVE WHAT HE WAS SAYING BECAUSE WE WERE THE TWO STONGEST PACKS. MY HEART WAS RACING AT THE THOUGHT OF RETURNING TO MY PACK. OF GETTING BACK TO EMMETT. I WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL IF I MADE A PACT WITH THEM. I DECIDED TO PLSY RELUCTANCE. "I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS POSSIBLE... "BUT IT IS!" JONAH LURCHED FORWARDAS IF TO GRAB MY HANDS, A MAD GLINT IN HIS EYES...

I LEAPED BSCKWARDS AND SHIFTED BACK INTO WOLF FORM AND SNAPPED AT HIS HAND TO WARN HIM. "I'M SORRY." HE SAID SHAKING HIS HEAD. "THERE IS SO MUCH YOU DON'T KNOW."

I SHIFTED BACK TO LET HIM EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT. HIS FACE WAS ETCHED WITH DEEP LINES. HAUNTED, FULL OF SECRETS.

"NO SUDDEN MOVES, JONAH." I TOOK SLOW STEPS TOWARD HIM, EXTENDING MY HAND, WARDING OFF ANOTHER APPROACH.

"I'M INTERESTED, BUT NOT CONVINCED THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE ASKING OF ME." "I DO." HE SAID AS HE LOOKED AWAY, ALMOST FLINCHING AT HIS OWN WORDS. "I'M ASKING YOU TO RISK EVERYTHING TO HELP SAVE US ALL." HE SAID LOOKING A LITTLE SADDENED AT THE THOUGHT OF EVEN HAVING TO ASK FOR MY HELP.

"AND WHY WOULD I DO THAT?" I ASKED. I ALREADY KNEW THE ANSWER. I'D RISK EVERYTHING TO SAVE EMMETT. WE WEREN'T FATED MATES, BUT WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME. I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO IF ONE OF US EVER FOUND OUR MATE... WOULD WE STILL BE ABLE TO CHOSE EACH OTHER OR WOULD IT BE TOO STRONG TO FIGHT? I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO HIM AND THE REST OF THE PACK.

JONAH STEPPED BACK AND EXTENDED HIS ARM, CLEARING MY PATH TO THE OPEN DOOR.

THE DOOR LED INTO A WIDE, WELL-LIT HALL. THE WALLS WERE HEWN FROM GLEAMING MARBLE, ITS SURFACES REFLECTING A GLIMMERING VEIL OF SUNLIGHT THAT SPILLED THROUGH THE WINDOWS.

WHERE AM I? THE STARTLING BEAUTY OF MY SURROUNDINGS DISTRACTED ME ENOUGH THAT I FAILED TO NOTICE THAT JONAH ANS I WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES IN THE HALL.

"HEADS UP." A DISTINCTLY SULLEN VOICE MADE ME JUMP. I TURNED BARELY MAINTAINING MY HUMAN FORM, BRISTLING WITH ANGER AT BEING CAUGHT OFF GUARD. I ALMOST SHIFTED AGAIN WHEN I SEEN WHO WAS THERE.

ELIJAH. I'D MET HIM TWICW AND BOTH TIMES WE'D BEEN FIGHTING. MY LIPS CURLED BACK SO I COULD SHOW HIM MY FANGS. LOOKING AT HIM I CLINCHED MY FISTS INFRONT OF ME. ELIJAH STARED BACK AT ME, NOSE STILL SLIGHTLY CROOKED FROM WHEN EMMETT HAD BROKEN IT. INSTEAD OF MARRING HIS GOOD LOOKS, IT HAD THE EFFECT OF MAKING HIM LOOK THAT MUCH MORE DANGEROUS. MY MUSCLES QUAKED AS I WATCHED HIM. THE SLIGHTEST TWITCH OF HIS FINGERS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DAGGER HE HAD ST HIS WAIST IS ALL IT TOOK. I SHIFTED AS I LEAPT, MY OUTRAGE TURNING INTO A HOWLING FRENZY WHEN I BARRELED INTO HIM.

STUPID. STUPID. STUPID. I HAD GOTTEN TWO KIND WORDS FROM JONAH AND WALKED RIGHT INTO AN AMBUSH.

ELIJAH'S FINGERS TWISTED IN THE FUR AT MY CHEST, SHOVING ME AWAY SO MY FANGS SNAPPED JUST SHORT OF HIS THROAT. HE SPEWED CURSES AS HE WRITHED BENEATH ME. I STRUGGLED AMD GOT LOOSE FROM HIS GRASP, BUT BEFORE I COULD SINK MY TEETH INTO HIS FLESH SOMEONE ELSE SLAMMED INTO MY BACK. ARMS AND LEGS WRAPPED AROUND MY TORSO, CLINCHING TIGHTLY, REFUSING TO LET GO.

I SNARLED AND BUCKED, TWISTING HEAD AROUND AS I TRIED TO FREE MYSELF OF THIS NEW ASSAILANT. I COULDN'T GET A GOOD LOOK AT MY ATTACKER NOR COULD I MANAGE TO SINK MY TEETH INTO THE ARM LOCKED AROUND ME. A DEEP MASCULINE WHOOP AND THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER ONLY ENRAGED ME MORE. I CROW-HOPPED AND WHIRLED IN A CIRCLE, DESPERATE TO THROW HIM OFF.

THE LAUGHTER WAS COMING FROM ELIJAH, WHO'D JUMPED TO HIS FEET AND WAS WATCHING ME STUGGLE WITH A SATISFIED SMIRK ON HIS FACE.

"RIDE 'EM COWBOY! ONLY EIGHT SECONDS, JAKE, AND YOUR GOLDEN." HE SAID. "YOU'VE ALREADY MADE IT TO FIVE."

"STOP THIS!" JONAH LOOMED UP BETWEEN ME AND ELIJAH. "AMELIA, I GAVE YOU MY WORD. YOU AREN'T IN DANGER HERE. JAKE, GET OFF HER." I THRASHED AS THE RUMBLE OF JAKE'S LAUGHTER RIPPLED THROUGH MY BACK. "BUT JOHNAH THIS WAS ALMOST A NEW RECORD FOR ME." "WELCOME TO THE WOLF RODEO." ELIJAH SAID LAUGHING SO HARD HE'D BENT OVER, HANDS RESTING ON HIS KNEES SO HE WOULDN'T FALL OVER. "I SAID STOP." NOTHING IN JONAHS VOICE WAS AMUSED. I WAS SO STARTLED WHEN JAKE SLID OFF ME THAT I CONTINUED TO BUCK AND NEARLY TUMBLED OVER. "WHOA THERE, TUMBELINA." I TURNED AROUND TO FIND JAKE GRINNING AT ME. I HAD NO TROUBLE REMEMBERING HIM. HE HAD AMBUSHED EMMETT AND ME BEFORE OUTSIDE A RESTERAUNT AND AGAIN AT THE DOYLE ESTATE. SCOOPING UP EMMETT-UNCONSCIOUS AND A WOLF- AMD WHISKING HIM AWAY. I SHUDDERED BOTH AT THE MEMORY AND THE SICK DREAD OF NOT KNOWING WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO EMMETT.

UNLIKE ELIJAH. WHOSE GAZE HAD MADE ME CERTAIN HE WANTED TO STICK A KNIFE IN MY GUT AS MUCH AS I WANTED TO SINK MY TEETH INTO HIS THROAT, JAKE WAS WORKING HARD NOT TO LAUGH. WITH THAT EXPRESSION HE LOOKED BOYISHLY APPEALING, EVEN A LITTLE INNOCENT, BUT I REMEMBER TO WELL THE WAY HE COULD WEILD SWORDS. TWO SWORDS SHEATHED AT HIS WAIST AT THIS VERY MOMENT. I SNARLED AT HIM, BACKING AWAY SLOWLY.

"NOT A MORNING PERSON, ARE WE?" JAKE SMILED. "I PROMISE WE'LL GET YOU SOME BREAKFAST, LITTLE WOLFIE. YOU JUST CAN'T EAT ELIJAH. DEAL?"

"AMELIA." MONROE WAS WALKING TOWARD ME, SHAKING HIS HEAD. "WE AREN'T YOUR ENEMIES. PLEASE GIVE ME A CHANCE."

I MET HIS DARK EYES, WHICH HAD LOCKED ON ME, INTENSE AND A LITTLE FEARFUL. PULLING MY GAZE OFF JONAH, I GLANCED AT ELIJAH AND JAKE. THEY'D TAKEN FLANKING POSITIONS BEHIND JONAH, BUT NEITHER OF THEM HAD DRAWN A WEOPAN. CONFLICTING IMPULSES PARALIZED ME. ALL MY INSTINCTS WERE SCREAMING TO ATTACK, BUT THEY HAD ONLY ACTED DEFENSIVELY AND THEY WEREN'T TRYING TO HURT ME NOW. STILL UNEASY, I SHIFTED FORMS.

" I LIKE HER BETTER THIS WAY, DON'T YOU? JAKE MURMURED WITH A SIDEWAYS GLANCE AT ELIJAH, WHO ONLY GRUNTED.

"WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?" I POINTED AT JAKE AND ELIJAH AS I SPOKE TO JONAH. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID I WOULD BE SAFE WITH YOU." "THEY'RE MEMBERS OF MY TEAM." JONAH ANSWERED." AND YOU'LL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM. YOU CAN TRUST THEM JUST AS YOU CAN TRUST ME."NOW IT'S MY TURN TO LAUGH!"