Untamed Fate (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 2)

Savannah

The walls of Jaxson’s massive penthouse were closing in. I could barely breathe.

I have to get out of here. Now.

A quick scan of the room revealed his truck keys lying on the counter. When Jaxson turned to Sam, I grabbed them and headed for the door. “I’m going to grab the wolfsbane and my phone from Casey. I’ll call you when I’ve got it.”

I slipped though quickly and shut the door. Then I scurried down the hall and hit the button on the elevator, hoping the car was there already.

It was not.

Jaxson was looming over me in a second. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“You heard the woman—we need wolfsbane. I’m going to get it.” The elevator was taking way too long, so I hit the button again a couple times.

“How? You have no phone or wallet.” Jaxson stopped me from hitting the button again. “I’ll give you a ride.”

The way he said it sent chills up my spine. He was so close. His musky earth and pine scent addled my thoughts, and I couldn’t keep my eyes from tracing the contours of his muscles beneath his taut button-down. The heat of my body was flowing.

Damn, I wanted him.

I tore my eyes away and prayed for the elevator to hurry the hell up. “I need to be alone.”

Jaxson crossed his massive arms. “That’s not a good idea.”

Those arms.

I remembered him carrying me the night before. I’d never felt so safe. I wanted them around me again.

Shaking my head, I took a step back. “Alone is the antidote I need. Plus, Casey would be suspicious if you showed up with me asking for wolfsbane. I promise not to crash your ride.”

The elevator doors opened.

Jaxson was quiet, his expression torn.

“I need this, Jax.”

Sighing, he scrubbed a hand across his face and moved out of my way. “Fine, but I’m still sending a detail to follow you. My truck’s in the garage. Call me as soon you get your phone. And answer if I call.”

Clutching the keys in my sweaty palm, I darted into the elevator and pressed the button for the parking garage.

Jaxson’s hulking form appeared in front of the closing doors, his expression dark and menacing. “I’m serious, Savannah. I’ll hunt you down if I have to.”

His voice was practically a growl, and it stoked a wild heat inside me. A part of me wanted the beast to hunt me down, but that was…crazy. As the doors closed, I realized I was practically panting.

“Shit!” I cursed into the empty elevator as it descended.

When it came to Jaxson, my body was unpredictable, and it was only getting worse. His power over me was like a drug, and when I was around him, I went out of my mind. Some twisted part of me had wanted him to ram his hands between the doors and shove them open. To take me back to his apartment. Hell, to take me in the elevator.

I’d wanted to feel his dominance. His power.

I slammed my palm against the wall. This wasn’t me. I hadn’t ever wanted that from him, and I never would. It was some twisted instinct, like my over-tuned senses, that was part of the monster I’d become.

Screw that. It wasn’t going to be a part of me for long.

My chest strained, and I gritted my teeth, but I shoved the sensation down even as my fingernails began to itch. Now was not the time for a panic attack.

You’re not panicking.

I ignored the thought and searched the garage. Jaxson’s black truck was parked beside a Land Rover and a Lexus. Both probably his, I decided. He had nice wheels and gobs of cash, I had to give him that.

My fingers tingled with anticipation as I opened the door.

The bastard had taken my Gran Fury and stripped her to pieces less than two weeks ago. If I had any sense, I’d take his truck and get the hell of out Magic Side. Away from him, away from the sorcerer, away from all the bullshit. If I had to, I’d leave it in a ditch.

I sighed as I climbed into the cab.

If I lied to myself, I could almost believe that twenty-four hours ago, that plan would have worked. But not now.

Now I was being chased by a monster I couldn’t outrun. It was part of me.

The truck rumbled to life, and the tires screeched as I beelined for the exit. The garage door opened, and I squinted as I careened onto the bright street.

I hated Jaxson Laurent. For what I’d become. For the mess I was trapped in. For the power he had over me. For the heat he made me feel.

The truck listed a little too much as I took the corner fast.

Easy, tiger.

My mind began to clear as I headed toward the Indies and away from Jaxson. All I had to do was act normal until I could get the cure from Alia. It might kill me, but I had to try. I couldn’t live with a monster inside of me.

I let out a breath, feeling a modicum of relief as I passed the sign that marked the border of the Indies. Welcome to Indiana, it read, though someone had crossed out “Indiana” and replaced it with “Wild Side” in big yellow letters.

I pulled up in front of Aunt Laurel and Uncle Pete’s house and got out. It was just after seven a.m., and I was certain Casey would be sleeping.

I was wrong.

The front door burst open, and my cousin stormed out. He was awake and looked like he was about to throw one down. Halfway through a string of curses, his gaze landed on Jaxson’s truck, and his face contorted. “What. The. Hell?”

“Good morning to you, too,” I said dryly as I strode up to his Rav4, which was parked in the driveway. It was locked. “Do you have the keys? I need my phone,” I said, but as I turned toward him, I stopped short. His lips were pressed in a fine line, and his face was red.

“You fucked him, didn’t you?”

I choked on my spit. “Excuse me?”

He pulled my phone out of his pocket and plodded down the front steps toward me. “I get it. Jaxson is a sexy beast. But next time”—he held my phone just out of my reach—’tell me when you’re leaving. Don’t just disappear.”

I took my phone and noticed that it was fully charged, with ten missed calls from Casey. “Thanks. And I’m sorry, it wasn’t—”

He held up a hand, motioning for me to shut up. “I don’t want to know, and I’d rather not imagine you and Jaxson doing the nasty. Though I’m sure it was hot.”

My cheeks blazed, which only seemed to confirm my cousin’s suspicions. It was absolutely mortifying. I hadn’t slept with the alpha-hole, but I assumed that the more I protested, the worse this situation would get. For the moment, he could believe what he wanted. The last thing I needed was him asking any questions I couldn’t answer, so I’d have to go with it.

“Have you eaten?” he asked as we headed up the stairs.

“Uhm, yeah.”

He smirked at me and chuckled as he ushered me inside. “Of course you have.”

I wanted to kick him, though I couldn’t help but smile because whatever he was thinking, I was sure—as he’d said earlier—it was hot.

We headed into the kitchen, and Casey poured himself a huge bowl of cereal. “Sorry about those jackasses last night. They aren’t usually like that. Tensions have been high with the pack. Your boy toy is holding one of our containers hostage at the port, and a lot of the guys are pissed.”

I crossed my arms and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Casey, let’s be clear. Those friends of yours are assholes. I don’t give a rat’s ass what pissed them off. They never get to talk to me that way again.”

He nodded. “Yeah, they know they did wrong. I was out of my mind with worry last night and took it out on them. They won’t say anything ever again. Just don’t, you know, add fuel to the fire.”

“Trust me, I want as little to do with Jaxson as possible.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, as he scooped spoonfuls of Count Chocula into his mouth.

I rolled my eyes.

He smashed the cereal down into the milk. “Look, I’m not judging you for wanting a slab of hunk. As mom always says, never get involved in other people’s business. I just want to be able to tell you I told you so when you come home complaining about fleas.”

I put my face in my hands, wondering how long I was going to be able to stand this. But it did provide an opening. Plopping down in the chair in front of him, I leaned forward and whispered, “Actually, Casey, on that note, I need some wolfsbane.”

He lifted a brow and stared at me while he chewed his kids’ cereal, clearly in a sugar shock. “Sure…I’ve got a stack of cannisters in the closet. You didn’t blast Jaxson again, did you?”

“No, I need wolfsbane extract.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You know that’s dangerous stuff in concentrate. What the hell do you need it for?”

I’d never been any good in drama class, and I silently prayed that Casey wouldn’t be discerning enough to tell that I was full of shit. Mindlessly scratching at a dent in the table, I said, “Things with Jaxson have really heated up, and I don’t like it. I found a potion-maker that can make me an anti–wolf attraction charm. But they need wolfsbane extract.”

I stole a glance at my cousin, expecting him to call me out on the lie, but he was still spooning cereal into his mouth and nodding.

“Good idea,” he mumbled. “If it works, can you get one made for me, too? That werewolf jammer keeps looking at me like she wants to eat me up. I don’t need to go down that road right now.”

Sam? Really?

I shook my head. “Great, I’ll let you know if it works. Can we get the extract now? I found an apothecary who will make the…charm for me this afternoon.”

“Give me five minutes. Then I’ll take you over to the shop and hook you up with some of our new batch.” He slid his bowl into the sink and disappeared.

That had gone more smoothly than I’d expected. In the future, if I ever needed to have him do my bidding, I just had to load him up on sugar cereal.

Forty minutes later, I pulled up behind Casey’s Rav4. He leaned out of his window and waved at the security guard, who laughed and pushed a button that opened a chain-link gate. The guard eyed me suspiciously as I passed through with Jaxson’s truck. Whatever.

My phone rang on the seat beside me. Jaxson himself. I answered and turned on the speaker.

“You didn’t call,” Jaxson said, his voice rough.

“I was busy, but I’m picking up the wolfsbane now.” I parked beside Casey in front of a three-story red brick factory. Plumes of smoke pumped out of the roof, and I frowned. Greenhouse gases much? This didn’t look like a shop.

Casey climbed out of his car and headed over to my window.

Jaxson grunted and continued, “Where are—”

“Hold that thought. My cousin is here.” I stashed the phone and unrolled the window as I smiled at Casey.

“Stay here. I’ll be back in a few minutes, ’kay?” my cousin said.

I nodded. “Be sure to get the strong stuff, just in case I need to douse Jaxson…you know, if he gets freaky.”

Casey laughed and disappeared through a door in the side of the building.

“You still there?” I asked the silent phone, wondering what the wolfsbane factory looked like inside.

“Yes.” Jaxson’s voice was even more strained than it was earlier, and I smiled, imagining the irritated look on his face.

“Where should I meet you?”

“My apartment.”

I scanned the parking lot, making sure the coast was clear. “All right. I’ll call when I’m headed your way.”

“Wait, what? Where are—”

“Got to go. Talk soon.” With that, I hung up and turned the phone on silent. Sliding out of the truck, I casually glanced around the building and slipped through the side door.

My feet stopped short as a mix of disbelief and shock snaked up my spine.

Before me, stretching the length of the building, were copper stills, steel vats, and tables manned by workers assembling parts. On either side of them stood floor-to-ceiling shelves with plastic shipping crates and an appalling array of arms—smoke bombs, grenades, cannisters, and boxes of what looked like ammunition.

It was an unholy cross between an industrial meth lab and a weapons manufacturing plant.

“Fuck,” I gasped, my eyes watering and my skin puckering with blisters, no doubt from the wolfsbane in the air.

Casey was speaking to a woman who handed him a couple of glass vials. He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes bugged out when they landed on me.

“What is that?” I croaked to a man who was clicking several plastic pieces into an oblong object. My skin burned, and my throat was beginning to swell.

The worker looked up at me and frowned. “Uh, a pipe bomb. Who are you?”

“Heyyy!” Casey slipped his arm around me and pulled me close. “I thought I told you to stay in the car.”

He glanced around wildly, looking totally suspicious.

I pushed him away and coughed. “What. The. Fuck. Casey?”

“Keep your voice down, and don’t freak out.” He ushered me to the door. “The last thing we need is for your magic to go haywire and blow us all up.”

My jaw slackened, and I stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely. This place would go up like a Roman candle if you detonated a burst of magic in here. Hence the reason I told you to stay in the car.”

He shoved me out the door, smiling awkwardly at the workers who were now staring at us. Once we were outside, he slammed the door. “Don’t say a word to Mom. She’ll have a fit if she knew you were here.”

My mind spun.

My family was involved in arms manufacturing. Jaxson had been right. And not just wolfsbane. Chemical weapons and shit.

“Casey, this place…it’s wrong.” I wheezed as I braced for a fit of coughing.

“Are you okay? What’s the matter with you?” he asked, his face a mask of concern.

I strode toward the truck, tucking my sleeves over my hands and hoping he wouldn’t notice the bright red blisters that covered them. It felt like someone was peeling my skin off with a red-hot knife.

“I’m fine. I’m just shocked,” I said as I sucked in fresh air.

It was a lie. I was more than shocked. Horrified.

Casey appeared beside me and handed me two glass vials of a beige liquid. “Don’t be. We produce this shit so people can protect themselves. This is no different than pepper spray or guns. You, of all people, should understand that.”

I clutched the vials of wolfsbane, feeling sick to my stomach. This wasn’t a mom-and-pop shop—this was a goddamned factory. My cousin was a nice guy, but how could I accept that he and his parents were involved in such evil?

“I don’t understand. This is wrong, Casey, and you of all people should see that.” I climbed into the truck and slammed the door.

As I drove past the guard’s booth, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Casey was standing beside his car with a tortured expression on his face.

Was this what my parents had been wrapped up in, too? Had they blown themselves up while manufacturing chemical weapons that killed werewolves?

I brushed aside the tear that slid down my cheek as I drove toward the Midway Dens. Here I’d thought that Jaxson and the pack were the monsters, but the sad truth that was beginning to surface was far worse.

Maybe the real monsters had been my family all along.