Forced to burrow deep within the earth during daylight hours, he crafted himself a shelter of broken tree limbs and leaves. Gone were the comforts of home. This was how he lived now, like an animal, a vicious predator in the woods.
But at night, when the scorching sun was set and the pain slightly subsided, he found remnants of his logic. He was not yet completely gone. Perhaps tonight was his last night and tomorrow the beast would win. Perhaps he would slip further into the darkness and when he woke, it would not only be the carcasses of small prey like rabbits, deer, and foxes that greeted him but the bodies of women. He feared becoming all the evil he kept tethered inside as the binds to his sanity gradually weakened and his mind unraveled with each passing day.
The risks had been ingrained in him since boyhood, and there would be no escaping the call. He prayed for acceptance, but his heart crumbled each time he considered never again holding his sweet Abilene.
Having not ingested actual food in weeks, his system was starved and his mind suffered. He was surviving on small game, a sad excuse for the blood his body needed, the blood that called to him now, the only blood he wanted—his mate’s.
Shutting his eyes, he rose from the stream and inhaled deeply. Clara’s hot, thick, rich, pumping, life-giving blood lured his mind, and all other worries disappeared. He would take her gently, aligning his body with hers as he sank his fangs deep and drank from her vein. In return, he would give her the gift of eternal life.
The happy vision cleaved apart with the sharp memory of his wife. He stumbled, unsure how he allowed the fantasy to get so far. He could not want such things. Yet, his yearning was rooted in a place with little choice.
His off-kilter steps took him on a clumsy path through the woods until he spotted Clara’s house in the distance. His palms scraped against the rough tree bark and his claws gouged the surface when his need intensified.
Her scent laced the wind as if delivered to him by the grace of God. She lured him without effort or intention. And his soul recognized her as his other half, no matter how much his heart and mind objected.
He snarled as he shuffled toward the house, set on stopping only when his mouth drank from her vein. When he reached the home, the gate was locked. Sharpened claws jiggled the latch, and his senses alerted him of the scent of a nearby male. A predatory growl rumbled low and threatening from his chest.
“Well, you’re a sight.”
Jonas snarled in the direction of the voice, and the male held up a hand. “Settle yourself, Father. I’m here to help you.”
He squinted at the male emerging from the shadows. He approached calmly and stepped into the light cast from the overhead lamps, signaling he had no interest in attacking Jonas. But, despite the male’s peaceful gestures, Jonas had a duty to guard his mate against all threats, including other males, and he knew his mate was unprotected.
A vision of a child flashed in his mind. A baby nursing from Abilene’s breast. Two children. Identical boys. Young men, still awkward and not quite filled out. Visions flashed through his mind until he finally recognized the male before him as his son.
“Cain?” His unused voice rasped like gravel over glass.
“Yes, Father. Remember me?”
The memories slipped in and out of his mind, frustrating Jonas at his loss of cognitive control. “Why are you here?” he snapped.
“I explained it to you yesterday and the day before that. I’m here to help you.”
He searched his memory but found no recollections of such talks. The need to claim his mate loomed in his mind, distracting him from the male’s point.
Cain sent out a sharp whistle. “Over here! I can’t let you inside until I’m certain you’ll behave.”
Jonas growled. “You have no right to keep me from her—”
“Relax. I’m here to assist you.”
“Assist me in what?”
“That is up to you. Have you decided how you wish to proceed?”
He would claim his mate!
His indecisive mind jerked and he looked back at his son with accusation burning his eyes. “You would betray your mother so?”
“I’m here for Mother. She asked me to do this.”
He didn’t want to choose another over his beloved Abilene. Yet, in the battle of mind versus soul, his soul would surely win. His soul was created to outlive all of creation and time. And now, even his sweet Abilene was against him.
The realization that no one was on his side could have dropped him to his knees, but rather it allowed his fortitude to be swallowed by sorrow and he forced his outrage into indignation. “Then you betray me!”