The Calling

Chapter 22 ~ Shannon Taylor

I run towards the fastest exit, the rear side door to the school which leads out to the parking lot. There, waiting in the parking lot is Ethan on his Bike. He was smiling until he saw the look on my face. Then in millisecond, he's off his bike and at my side.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is someone following you?"

"I'm fine and I don't think anyone is following me, but I just found out that my art teacher is a White Witch. She knows I am a Witch but she doesn't have all of the pieces figured out yet, she thinks I have contacts."

"Shit... OK, well we still have the upper hand. Let's get you out of here. Please tell me that you have decided to come to the Pack house."

"Yes, Ethan. My answer is yes. I wasn't sure until that encounter with Mrs. Lea. She scared me at first, and she is supposed to be one of the good Witches. She warned me and said that without some formal lessons I could be dangerous. What if I was the one who set my house on fire as a kid, and killed my parents?"

"You were only one when the fire broke out, far too young to use magic. Let's get going. I need to drop you off at your house, I have a Pack meeting tonight and I need to go with Lucas to support him. I'll be back later to get you, so make sure that you're packed and ready. You'll be safe, I still have some of my warriors watching you until I get there."

Once he knows I'm safely sitting on the bike, and with my arms around him, he takes off and heads towards my house. He insists that I let him in the house to check for danger. After he's satisfied, he pulls me in close, to kiss me. I kiss him back and start pulling his shirt up so I can touch him. He lets out a deep moan, almost like a growl but I can tell it's sexual. Then he says,

"You have no idea how much I want you right now, I can tell that you want me too which is making me even more crazy for you, but I need to have a clear head tonight incase things go south at this meeting. But once it's done, I promise that I won't stop you from ripping my clothes off. In fact, you might have a hard time keeping my hands off you."

"Promise?"

"Yes, definitely. Now lock this door behind me and don't open it until I get here, OK."

I just nod at him and do as he says. Man, I have to learn to control myself around him. What is wrong with me?

I finish packing in no time. It feels like hours have past while I'm waiting for Ethan. What is taking so long? Maybe I'll take a nap, that will kill some time and give me some energy for later... wink, wink.

I'm suddenly woken by some noise; it's loud and it's in my house! What the hell is going on? I start go down the stairs and find complete strangers fighting in my house. Some of them in human form, others in Wolf form. I can see someone lying dead on the floor by the couch. Someone starts coming up the stairs for me and yells,

"Run Shannon! Call Ethan!"

Then his throat is ripped open by some older looking guy with crazy blue eyes. I scream. He grabs his ears and his eyes roll back in his head for a second, but before I could run away. Someone hits me hard on the head and everything goes dark."

When I wake this time, it's not in my house, and it's certainly not at Ethan's penthouse. I think I'm in some kind of basement. Its dark, musty and I can hear water dripping from somewhere. There is one single light in the room, and its hanging over me. I can see that I'm lying on a damp cobble stone floor. I try to move, but I can't. I suddenly realize that I'm all tied up. All I could think of doing is calling for Ethan.

"Ethan! Ethan! Save me!"

Next thing I hear is someone laughing, and then from my peripheral vision I can see some movement from the corner of the room. It's dark, but I can still make out the silhouette of someone sitting in a chair. They get up from their chair and come towards me and into the light. I can now make out his face, it's the same man with the crazy eyes from my house.

"What do you want from me!?"

"I am going to mark you and make you mine. Then you will bare my pups. But first I have to force the bond and there is only one way to do that. You will not call out for Ethan any more, he is no longer your mate, I AM!"

WTF?! Please be a dream, a really, really bad dream. The next thing I know is that he yelling,

"Bring me my mate!"

From somewhere behind me, a door opens and then I hear someone falling down some stairs. I'm sure it's a woman. I can hear her crying and begging. The crazy man drags her in front of me and tells me that she's, his mate. Before I even get the chance to look at her face, he slits her throat and drops her body onto the cobble floor. He then lets out a blood curdling howl before he looks back at me.

"That was painful, more than I expected it to be. But now that I am unmated, I will be able to claim you. I can force the bond, but only with a full moon. Luckily, we won't have long to wait. Tomorrow night we will mate and I will mark you as mine. Sleep well."

Then he leaves me, on the floor with his mate's corpse next to me. Oh my god... Ethan, where are you? You said I would be safe. Now, I'm scared and alone. The only thing that I am thankful for is not having to see this poor dead woman's face.