Werewolf Rage Book #2 in the Taming The Wolf Series (20 page)

Ava shrugged and leaned on one hip.
“Yeah,
for them
. Hurry up big boy. We’ve got things to do,” she said and glanced over Cyrus’s head to the back yard that opened up into some kind of farm. Cyrus hurried and began shoveling in more food as fast as he could as she watched three hybrids wander in to the back yard, their ears up in alert. The gun shots must have brought them running.

She could kick herself for not bringing more ammo and looked down at the knife in her hand.
It was sharp but so were hybrid claws. And there was a whole pack of them now wandering anxiously around the house.

“Do you know if Braxton keeps any weapons here at the house?” she asked Cyrus as he finished the last of the eggs.

He glanced up at her and shook his head. “I have no idea,” he said quietly, turning around in his seat to see what she was looking at. His face paled and his shoulders stiffened at the sight of the hybrids walking toward the sliding glass door.

She walked over to the door and pulled the drapes over the window to block their human like stares.
“This is where back up would come in handy,” she said walking toward the front of the house. She moved quickly to the old fashioned living room and the couch that had to be at least thirty years old. She stared out the large bay window at the empty front yard. They could run for it, but there was no telling what hybrid was lurking around the corner. And in Cyrus’s condition he’d never make it. He was just too weak and emaciated.

She noticed a movement in the trees and watched as Cole came into view.
She held up her hand and motioned him forward. The shotgun he had would take out the hybrids easily if he knew how to hit a moving target. She frowned, not having much faith in Cole’s ability.

She felt Cyrus come up behind her. Too close.
She stiffened automatically and moved away, glaring at him.

Cyrus looked at her, want
and need on his face as he stared at her. “Ava, please,” he whispered, holding a hand out to her.

Ava glared at his hand and shook her head violently.
“Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever touch me again,” she whispered furiously, stepping back as she heard the sound of gun fire. She plastered her face to the window and felt a sense of relief as Cole walked slowly toward the house, firing the gun as the hybrids came into view. She counted six shots and grinned, taking back every bad thing she’d ever thought of Cole. He wasn’t such bad back up after all.

She ran to the front door and pulled it open, motioning for Cyrus to hurry.
“Come on Cyrus, let’s get out of here. Your mom has been missing you,” she said, trying to motivate him to move faster.

Cyrus paused and stared at her sickly, shaking his head.
“What are you doing Ava? Why did you come for me?” he asked brokenly.

Ava paused as she heard the sound of Cole getting closer.
“It was the right thing to do. I needed to end this part of my life before I can start living again. Now I can turn my back on Paskell completely free from you,” she said wonderingly as she realized it was true.

She really could start over again now, knowing that Cyrus was okay and with his mom.
That and knowing that Braxton wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else ever again. The town of Paskell could heal now. They all could.

Cyrus must have sen
sed the sudden lightening of her soul, because his face crumpled as he stared at his feet in misery. “Nothing has turned out the way I wanted it too. You have to understand that Ava. I had to avenge you. But instead, I’ve lost you,” he said, his eyes clouded and filled with agony.

Ava nodded her head
slowly. “I understand,” she said softly and then turned with a smile as Cole walked through the door.

He looked her over carefully and then glanced at Cyrus, shaking his head at his condition and weakness.
“You ok Ava?” he asked, being careful to stay out of knife range.

Ava shrugged with a lighthearted grin.
“Never better. Do me a favor and throw Cyrus over your shoulder. We need to head out and he’s too weak to run.”

Cole nodded and without ceremony grabbed Cyrus and flipped him over his shoulder,
ignoring Cyrus’s protests. “I’ll take Braxton’s car back to my truck and then we can drive back to the plane. I don’t want to have to carry Cyrus all the way back to my house.”

Ava nodded and walked out the door, turning back when she heard Cole clear his throat.
“Ava? Um, Braxton and his men? Where are they? What did you do to them?” he asked looking back into the house.

Ava pointed down the hallway.
“Their bodies are all in the last room on the right. You’ll have to call someone in town and let them know there will be funerals tomorrow.”

Cole shook his head and smiled
. “Holy crap Ava, you put Uma to shame. Let’s go then,” he said and hurried out the door to the side of the house.

Ava kept her knife at the ready, swiveling her head continuously as she watched for stray hybrids.
Cole opened the door to a sleek Mercedes and dumped Cyrus in the back seat before running around to the driver’s side.

Ava started to re
lax and shook her head in consternation. It had been too easy. If she could walk in with a gun and a knife and take down Braxton, what was this world coming too? She thought with a shake of her head, just as a growl sounded right behind her. She whirled around, just as a searing pain ripped down her back.

She screamed in pain as she flipped the knife to her other hand, swiveling to catch the hybrid just as it brought it’s jaws down on her arm, knocking the knife from her hand.
The hybrid bit down on her arm, pulling her with him as it backed away from the car just as Cole’s roar erupted.

Ava was faintly aware of Cole rushing around the car toward her and that Cyrus had pushed the car door open.
She gasped as the tearing of skin and muscle along with the gravel tearing up her stomach clouded her mind with agony.

Cole jumped on the animal and the hybrid released her arm.
She leaned on her side ignoring the sounds of struggle and the whine of death as Cole twisted the hybrid’s neck so forcefully she could hear the snapping of bones.

Cole leaned over her gasping from exertion and tilted her head up so he could study her face.
“It’s no gunshot to the shoulder. You’ll be fine. Now hop in the car and stop acting like a girl,” he ordered, making her grit her teeth and glare at him. But he’d accomplished what he’d wanted to. She pushed the cloud of pain away and stumbled to the car falling heavily into the passenger side and shutting the door with a groan as she stared out the window. She saw a few moving bodies racing toward them from the forest, but there was no way they could get to her now. She was safe.

Cole slammed his car door and then they were racing away, down a gravel driveway, sending up plumes of dust in the air.

“You’ll have to change into your wolf form to take care of that,” Cole said lightly.

Ava looked down at the bloody mess her arm was and looked away quickly.
He was right. She didn’t even want to think about how many stitches she would need to close up the wound. Cole stopped the car and pulled off his t-shirt handing it to her. “Wrap it in this. You’re going to get weak from blood loss if you don’t,” he said quietly.

Ava nodded and wrapped her arm as tightly as she could, not even telling him about the slice down her back.
She could feel the blood drenching the back of her shirt and she leaned her head back tiredly and closed her eyes. She was alive. Cyrus was alive. Cole was alive. It was finished.

When they reached Cole’s house, he
picked her up, swearing at the blood all over her back and ran to his house with her in his arms.

He
laid her on his kitchen table and tore her shirt away from her body as he turned her on her side. She felt a faint touch on her hair and knew automatically it was Cyrus. She winced and jerked away.

“Ava honey, we need you to change into your wolf form.
Now.
This isn’t good. It’s so deep, he’s sliced through muscle. I can see your bone on your arm and on your back. I know it’s been awhile. Are you up to it? If not, I’m flying you to the nearest hospital,” Cole said, his voice harsh with worry.

Ava nodded her head silently.
Even as a wolf, she’d need a few days of recuperation. She moved to get off the table and Cole had her in his arms, gently laying her on the floor. She closed her eyes and remembered the beautiful wolf inside of her. She pushed everything else aside, the pain, the worry and jerked and shivered as she transformed slowly into her wolf form.

Cole sighed in relief.
“Thank heaven. Cyrus, grab the door for me, so I can get her in my truck,” he barked out.

Ava closed her eyes and fell into a tired sleep as Cole’s strong arms carried her gently back out into the sun.

An hour later, she woke up, whining in pain and blinked her eyes clear as Cole again carried her out of the plane and toward a waiting car. He slipped into the back this time, with her still in his arms. Someone attempted to take her from him, but his arms tightened and he yelled at whoever it was who had dared to touch her. She closed her eyes again and drifted back into unconscious. It was better that way, it didn’t hurt so much.

Ava woke up and stretched.
She glanced down at herself and smiled in relief. She had changed back into her human form. She stared at her blood covered arms and touched the healed, pink skin where the hybrid had bitten her. She reached behind her, feeling past the torn fabric to her back where she’d been sliced so viciously. Sore, but closed up. She smiled in relief.

She glanced around and saw that she was back in her old room at the
Carlston’s house. She frowned grimly and glanced out her window. It was still night. Good. She’d take a quick shower and be on her way.

She walked on weak legs to her bathroom and saw that all of her favorite lotions and shampoo and conditioner
were back in place. It was as if she’d never left.

Ava turned on the water and ignored the implication.
She scrubbed her sore body with a bar of soap twice and then went to work on her hair. When she was done, she took her time blow drying her waves straight and even going so far as to put on some make up. She looked at herself, pleased with the results. The woman who looked back at her in the mirror was no longer dead inside. She was alive and there was even a small light of hope lurking toward the back. She smiled gently at the woman in the mirror and nodded her head as if they were meeting each other for the first time. And maybe they were. Gone was the innocent girl. Now she was a strong, hard woman. She had a future and she wanted to get started on it.

She walked to her closet and smiled at all the new clothes someone had picked out for her.
All of them still had the tags sticking off of them. Ava made a
tsking
sound at such a waste of money. It was a new day and a new life though and she wanted to look good, so she picked a long feminine skirt that reminded her of her old life and a basic black tank top to go with it. A little mix of the old and the new together. She scanned the assortment of shoes placed so carefully on the shoe rack and chose a pair of flirty high heel sandals. They weren’t practical, but she was in a mood.

She walked back to the bathroom mirror to check her appearance and smiled.
She liked what she saw. She glanced around the room, and ignored the suitcase. She didn’t want to take anything with her from Paskell. She wanted a clean start. She walked over to her dresser and scanned her weapons she’d brought with her. Everything was there including the shotgun Cole had used. She grabbed her Beretta and her concealable holster. She adjusted her waistband and clipped the holster in place. She picked up her purse and threw in a knife and the bear spray, leaving the rest of the weapons where they were for now.

She walked out of her room feeling lighter of heart than she’d ever felt in her life.
She skipped down the stairs and walked into the dark kitchen, flipping on the light. She took everything she needed for blueberry pancakes out of the fridge and got to work. Within ten minutes she was pouring batter onto a hot skillet. She smiled at the smell of sizzling butter and blueberries.
Heaven
.

She was surprised at how ravenous she was and turned to look for bacon.

“Feeling better?”

Ava turned around and smiled cautiously at Cyrus who was leaning in the doorway, his hands in his pockets and a worried frown on his face.

Ava nodded her head and put the bacon down so she could flip the pancakes.
“Never better. Would you like some pancakes? I made enough batter for ten people,” she said with a laugh as she opened the package of bacon and put a few slices in a pan and turned it up to medium high.

Cyrus cleared his throat and walked slowly toward her as if she’d turn and run away from him.
“I would love some,” he said quietly sitting down on a stool at the counter and stared at her thoughtfully.

Ava nodded her head and grabbed another plate.
“You look like you’re feeling better too,” she said looking him over.

Cyrus nodded his head slowly. “I’m fine,” he said cryptically and leaned his arms on the counter.
She could still see the faint silvery lines of claw marks and she looked away. She didn’t want to think about hybrids today.

She checked the pancakes and then put three on a plate, handing them to Cyrus as the smell of sizzling bacon filled the kitchen.
She sighed happily and slid the syrup across the counter to Cyrus before she poured more batter on the hot griddle.

Soon, she was sitting across from Cyrus, digging in to her breakfast with gusto.
She hadn’t felt hungry in months, but now she felt like she could eat a horse.

She stood up and went to the fridge and grabbed a gallon of milk, pouring herself a large glass.
“Want some?” she asked raising her eyebrows at Cyrus. He nodded absently and she poured him a glass too.

When she was done eating, she rubbed her stomach and stood up.

“I’ll take care of the dishes since you cooked,” Cyrus said quickly as she began to clear the counter.

“Oh,
nice
,” she said with a small smile and headed for the doorway.

“Wait.
Ava
please
. Can we talk?” Cyrus said, sorrow pulsing all around him like a neon light.

Ava sighed impatiently but knew she should get this over with.
The sooner the better. She turned around and walked back to the counter to sit down.

“And what would you like to talk about Cyrus?” she asked in a polite voice.

Cyrus stared at her as if she’d slapped him and shook his head, swallowing heavily. He pushed his plate away and ran his hands through his now neatly trimmed hair.

“You and me Ava.
I want to talk about us,” he said softly, staring deep into her eyes.

Ava’s eyebrows went up a little in interest.
“I don’t mean to state the obvious Cyrus, but there is no you and me anymore. You made sure of that. Remember?” she asked as a wash of color crept up his neck.

“I did what I had to do to protect you Ava.
But it’s over now. It’s all over. We can get back to our lives. We can move past this now and we can. . .” he stopped, his throat working up and down as he stared at her helplessly. “We can get married now,” he said pulling her engagement ring out of his pocket and pushing it across the kitchen counter toward her.

Ava stared at the ring as if it were a snake and tore her gaze away from it to look at Cyrus again.
“Look, I don’t want this to be awkward, but it looks like I’m going to have to be blunt since you’re not getting it,” she said with a small shake of her head. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to center herself. “I don’t want to be cruel, but you’re forgetting a couple important things. So let me walk you through it. You broke up with me which sent me into withdrawals. I know, I know, I was medicated for most of it, but regardless when I woke up I was dead inside. You killed something inside of me that I’ll never get back again. You did that to me
knowing
exactly what you were doing and what it would do to me. Next item. You chose revenge over love. I
begged
you to stay with me. If you had listened to me, not only would I still be the same girl I used to be, but your father would be alive along with a few other people. I know, that one’s hard, but facts are facts,” she said pausing as Cyrus closed his eyes in pain and his chest started moving quickly up and down.

She stood up and stared at the man she had handed her soul to so many months ago.
She was taking what was left of it back. “I want you to know that I forgive you. I’m a big believer in forgiving and forgetting. Now I’m going to start on the forgetting you part. Take care Cyrus. I really do wish you all the best,” she said softly and walked out of the room.

She walked to the entra
nce way, ignoring the harsh growling sounds coming from the kitchen. She scowled as the unmistakable sound of someone punching a hole in the wall filled the quiet house.

She kept walking and groaned to herself when she saw her father was standing in front of the door.
She paused and frowned, not prepared for this confrontation.

“Hi Dad,” she said coming to a stop three feet away.

Harry stared at her for a charged moment, not moving toward her. “I want to thank you on behalf of the people of Paskell for saving Cyrus and taking out Braxton. We can all sleep easily at night now that he’s not alive,” he said gravely.

Ava’s face cleared and her shoulders relaxed.
“Oh think nothing of it. It was my pleasure,” she said with a wry smile.

Harry nodded and ran his hand through his hair.
“I don’t know how things got so crazy and out of control. I don’t know how I went from having a loving and close relationship with my daughter to
this
,” he said, gesturing to her. “You’re a stranger to me now Ava. It tears me up. Every single day, it rips my heart out knowing that you’re not here at home with me.
Why Ava?
Why did you leave me? Why are you walking away
again
?” he asked, his voice pleading and low.

Ava bit her lip and sighed.
“I’m sorry you’re hurt Dad. I’m sorry that this is the way things are now. But this is all I have left. I have to take the few fragments of myself that remain and find a new life.
A new me
. Your daughter, the girl you loved, she doesn’t exist anymore. So I’m going to plant what’s left and see what grows,” she said softly.

He only nodded.

“I’ll send you an email in a few months,” she said. “We’ll keep in touch. I might come back to visit in a few years.
Maybe.
Or better yet, you and Perry can take a trip and come see me wherever I am. That would probably be best. Being here . . ., it brings back sad memories for me. It hurts me to be here,” she said gently, wanting him to understand. If he could just understand it would be easier for him to say goodbye.

Harry shook his head as if he didn’t understand anything she was saying.
“That’s such a pile of crap Ava! Cyrus is alive.
You
saved him. You can stay and start your family now with him. Perry is pregnant Ava. We were married a month after you left as you know from the email I sent you. You’re going to be a big sister. You’re
my
daughter. This is your home. We can be safe here now.”

Ava stared at him as if he were insane.
“
Safe?
What a joke. This whole town is just one disaster after another waiting to happen. How much do you want to bet that the few remaining hybrids from Tanner’s Landing start reproducing and find their way here and start attacking people again. Do you know how many times I’ve been attacked by hybrids?” she demanded angrily. “This town is a death trap. Geeze, if the hybrids don’t get you, then giving your heart away to a man just to have him crush your soul will finish you off. I’m done Dad. Don’t ask me again,” furious that he’d been able to get under her skin.

Harry stared at her as all hope left his face and his shoulders slumped in acceptance.
“Fine Ava. Fine. Your mind’s made up. There’s nothing I can say that will change your mind. Wait here, and I’ll drive you to the nearest airport,” he said and walked away quickly.

Ava sighed, running her hands through her hair and sensed Cyrus behind her.

“I love you Ava,” he said quietly.

Ava turned around feeling a lick of fury glide through her.
“And that makes everything okay?
I love you Ava?
Sorry, but I don’t believe that. You chose pride over me. I hope it keeps you warm at night,” she bit out wanting to smash her own fist through a wall.

Cyrus winced and stepped forward.
“It’s all true. You’re right Ava. I was stupid and thoughtless and I gave in to the animal side of me. I hate it when people do that. I despise people who are ruled by their beast. And I did it in the worst way. I’m sorry. I’ll beg you if I have to. I’ll get down on my knees if you’ll please . . .,
please
just stay so we can work past this,” he pleaded.

Ava licked her lips and looked at the ceiling.
Anywhere but at Cyrus’s tortured face. “
I . . . Don’t . . . Love . . . You . . . Anymore
,” she said so slowly and so exaggerated that it was like she was slicing him with a knife with every word, “You took too much of my heart. You took it all. And when you threw me away, you left me with nothing to hold on to. Do you know how many times I thought about just ending it?” she said walking toward him.

Cyrus looked poleaxed at her admission and reached his hand out to her.

“I hate you,” she said softly.

Cyrus jerked back, blinking in shock. “Then
why
? Why did you save me?”

Ava smiled gently, “Maybe so you could live the rest of your life knowing that you threw away the one woman who would have loved you more than anyone else ever could.
I hope you’re memories are hell,” she said and stepped forward, slapping him as hard in the face as she could.

“That’s
enough
Ava!” her father bit out angrily.