by S. K. Yule
There was even lesser of a chance that when they found Krista, she’d be unscathed. Rogues were notorious abusers of women, and Kish hoped that they hadn’t had time to do much damage to Brady’s sister since they’d captured her.
Kish let the silver wolf take him to the ground and maintain the ilusion that he had overpowered him. He panted heavily as if in distress. Distress was the furthest thing on his mind. He counted the seconds until he could take his anger out on the little prick standing over him. That opportunity came only moments later when Brady stepped up behind the other rogue and put him in a choke hold.
An instant later, Kish had the silver wolf by the neck. The wolf struggled and yelped in fear. He warred with himself about kiling the rogue. Maybe he could be saved. Maybe he should render him unconscious and send him to Sanctuary, but then he shifted to human form. He tightened the choke hold to accommodate the smaler human neck, and the rogue lashed out over and over.
“I’m going to fucking take my time with that little bitch of yours when I get my hands on her. I’m going to ride her until she’s broken.” The rogue spit the hateful words at him.
He gave him a good smack to the head and puled him up to face him. “Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, pup?”
Kish barely noticed the struggle going on between Brady and the other rogue, knowing Brady would never let the rogue escape with his sister at stake. He watched the change of emotions flicker over the pup’s face. Anger, hatred, realization, fear. He didn’t miss the way the pup’s eyes widened when he finaly realized Kish was partialy changed, when he finaly realized exactly how fucked he was.
“Yeah. You’re fuckity fuck fucked. Too bad you didn’t realize who you were messing with before you put this pathetic attempt at a trade in motion.”
“Your rules mean nothing to us. They are ridiculous.”
“They aren’t just my rules.” Kish gave the pup a good shake. “They are lycan rules. And lycan rules say you are supposed to protect our women, not hurt them. You are a lycan. Whether you like it or not, those rules apply to you.”
“I don’t go by your rules,” the pup sneered.
“You have two choices, son. Reformation at Sanctuary or die.”
“I wil never folow your rules. And I wil do as I please to any woman I find. It’s my right as a predator. Al humans should fear us. We are superior to them. Especialy women.”
The pup bit down hard on Kish’s hand and caught him off guard. When the rogue broke loose from his hold and ran, Kish knew the outcome was going to be dire. Before the rogue got ten feet away, Kish leapt into the air and kicked him in the lower back, sending him sprawling to the ground with a loud thud.
He placed his knee between the center of his shoulders and wrapped his arm around his throat once again.
Kish was saddened by what he had to do next, but he had no choice. He snapped the rogue’s neck and let his limp body fal back to the ground. He’d given him a chance, but he’d heard the truth in the pup’s words. The souless, black eyes that had stared at him in defiance were devoid of emotion, devoid of compassion, devoid of any trace of humanity. Yet the loss of one of his own was hard, especialy with their already-dwindling numbers.
He turned to face the other rogue stil being held by Brady.
“How about you? You have a change of heart on your outlook of our laws?” Kish looked down at the dead rogue’s body and back with a raised brow.
“You fucking asshole!”
Kish smacked the rogue hard. “Where’s the girl?”
The rogue spit on him, and Kish returned the insult with a fist to the nose. The rogue yelped in pain.
“You have one more chance to do this the easy way, and then things are going to get messy, bloody, and painful real fast for you.” Kish stared down into the pup’s face, hoping beyond hope that he could save this one.
He didn’t detect the complete lack of soul and compassion in these eyes like he had in the other pup.
This one stil had a chance to change. But would he choose to do so?
For several moments, the rogue stared back defiantly, but finaly, that glimmer of hope shined brighter. “Fine! I didn’t want to do this to begin with.
I only did it because my brother wanted to.”
“Son of a bitch,” Kish muttered.
“Christ,” Brady said.
Kish felt bad for the pup. He’d obviously had a very bad role model. Hel, it wouldn’t have taken much longer until this rogue would have been as lost as his brother.
“We have to bury him,” the pup whispered.
“After we get some things settled, I’l take care of your brother,” Kish said.
“Wait,” Brady said. “I want to know if either of you pricks touched my sister.”
Fury burned in Brady’s eyes, and for the pup’s sake, Kish hoped he had the right answer because if this one had touched Krista, he would meet the same fate as his brother had only at Brady’s hands. While Kish would be saddened by yet another loss to his species, he’d alow Brady to take his rightful vengeance.
The pup swalowed hard, looked at his brother’s body, Kish, then Brady. “Mike. H-he did some stuff to her, but he didn’t rape her. There wasn’t time.”
Brady punched the pup in the face, and he dropped to his knees. Brady bent and covered the pup’s throat with one hand and began squeezing.
“What did you do?” Brady said through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t do anything. I swear it.” The pup choked.
“I’ve done a lot of stuff, but I’ve never harmed a woman. I just couldn’t do it. Mike said I was a weak fag for it.”
The pup’s face started to turn blue and tears ran down his cheeks. Finaly, Brady released him, and he gulped for air over and over, reminding Kish of a fish out of water.
“Are you and your brother the only two involved in this pathetic scheme?” Kish asked.
“Yes,” he said hoarsely while rubbing his throat.
“What do you want to do with him?” Brady asked Kish.
“If he’s wiling to reform, we can take him to the shelter. We’l get Georgia and leave him in there until we can arrange for someone to pick him up from Sanctuary. Of course, this is al riding on if he’l give us your sister’s location, and that she’s recovered unharmed.”
“I’m wiling.”
“What is your name, pup?” Kish looked at the rogue and doubted he was much more than eighteen or nineteen years old.
“Wade.”
“Wel, Wade, today might be your one chance at a decent life.” Kish motioned in front of him. “Start walking.”
“What about my brother?”
“I told you he’d be taken care of. I keep my word.
If you ever learn one thing in life, boy, learn that a man’s word is worth its weight in gold.”
Wade seemed as if he wanted to argue, but after a few moments, his shoulders sagged in defeat and he started walking in the direction Kish had motioned.
“Once we get to the shelter, you go and get your sister. Let me know when you have her. If she’s safe, the pup lives and gets to go to Sanctuary as promised. Otherwise . . . wel, let’s hope for Wade’s sake there is no otherwise.”
“There isn’t! I swear. When we left her, she was fine.”
Brady cuffed him on the back of the head none too gently. “You better fucking hope so.”
Chapter Sixteen
Georgia paced back and forth. She’d bumped in to so many things at this point she was sure both of her legs were covered in bruises. Her stomach was upset with worry for Kish. Had Brady made it to him in time? Was he okay? Would he come back for her?
She remembered the key code for the door, but there was no way in hel she was going to try to find her way back to Kish’s by herself unless there was no other choice.
She’d decided to give him until morning, wel, midmorning, considering the late hour they’d made it to the shelter. After that, al bets were off. She wasn’t sitting out
here for days by herself wondering what had happened. Besides, she had to make sure Lucy was taken care of and get in touch with Henry and Joey or they’d be worried sick over her.
As the minutes turned into hours, her upset stomach turned into one big knot of nerves. The thought of losing Kish was heartbreaking. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life without him. She’d known him for such a short amount of time, yet it felt like a lifetime. Was that how it worked when fate intervened and sent you your soul mate? She couldn’t deny her attraction to him, the way her body responded to him, the way her heart fluttered in joy for him.
The logical side of her brain told her that the chemistry between them would wear off, but her heart, her soul, knew the truth. Kish was made for her, as she had been for him. She’d never believed she could feel a connection this strong for someone until it had actualy happened. Yet there were so many things that could potentialy keep them apart.
She snorted. “You mean the fact that he’s a lycan?”
It would take her some time to accept the fact that he was a werewolf. Her mind, once again, fought against the idea that things such as lycans existed. At times, she expected to wake up and find that this was al a dream. But it wasn’t, and she would figure out a way to understand it, to embrace it. If she didn’t, there would be no hope for her and Kish.
She would take this one step at a time. She’d work on the acceptance and understanding first.
Those two things would have to be resolved before she could come close to contemplating the next step.
Becoming what Kish was. She shut the door on that subject as soon as it had entered her mind. The thought of it terrified her, but she was certain it was because she hadn’t a clue about lycans or what being one entailed.
She swung around when the click of the door alerted her to someone’s presence. Her heart beat in frantic jumps of anticipation. “Who’s there?”
When big, familiar arms came around her, she flung herself against him. “Kish!”
He chuckled. “I’m happy to see you too, sweetheart.”
He dipped his head down and took her lips in a kiss that ended too soon, a kiss that made her long for more.
An unfamiliar scent hit her and she frowned.
“Who’s with you?”
“Brady, and something else we found in the woods.”
“The name’s Wade.”
“Don’t talk to her. You aren’t good enough to do so,” Brady’s voice came in a menacingly hushed tone.
“What happened? Is everything okay now?”
“Wade is going to stay here until Brady finds his sister. If she’s okay, I’m going to make arrangements to get him some help.”
“Is he hurt?”
“Yeah, but not in the way you think. His problems are al mental at this point.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “Why don’t you help Brady find his sister? I’l be okay.”
“No. I’m not leaving you at the house by yourself until I know this mess is cleaned up.” Kish cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb over her skin.
“Come on. I’m taking you home.”
“Oh. You’re taking me back to Henry and Joey then?”
“No, I meant I’m taking you home to my house.”
Kish bent and brushed his lips over hers. “My home is your home.”
She smiled and hugged him to her. She squeaked in alarm when he scooped her up. “Kish!”
“The snow is stil deep, sweetheart. I’m carrying you.”
She wanted to argue, but the warmth of his chest as she pressed against him halted her tongue. Maybe being carried wasn’t such a bad idea after al.
“I want to know as soon as you find your sister,”
Kish caled over his shoulder after taking a few steps.
“Wil do,” Brady answered.
“Thank you for helping Kish, Brady,” Georgia said.
“Don’t thank me. I don’t deserve it after what I almost did,” he muttered in response.
She didn’t agree, but thought it a good idea to keep that opinion to herself at the moment. Emotions were stil too raw for that particular conversation.
She sighed as she snuggled against Kish. Brady folowed them out, and the beep of the key code told her Wade had been effectively imprisoned. While she thought that caling the police to deal with Wade would be a good idea, she was pretty sure that wasn’t an option in this situation. She’d ask Kish about it later.
“I’l take care of Mike,” Brady murmured.
“No, I’l take care of him later,” Kish said.
“Mike?” she asked somewhat dazedly as she felt herself drifting to sleep pressed against Kish’s warmth.
“Nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart.”
That was the last thing she remembered before faling asleep.
“Wake up, sweetheart.”
Georgia slowly came out of a deep sleep. She was stil groggy and stretched. When she did so, her hand encountered Kish’s chest, and her toes, Lucy.
“Hi, you two. I don’t remember much after leaving the shelter. I must have falen asleep on you.” She smiled. She was in a nice, soft bed.
“Your friend is on the phone. Henry, I think. He’d like to talk to you.”
“What time is it?”
“About noon,” Kish said.
His fingers came to her face and gently stroked her cheek. She leaned into the caress, relishing the feel of his warm skin.
“Oh! Noon. Henry and Joey must be worried out of their minds. I told them I’d cal them this morning.”
She pushed the covers off and scurried to get out of bed, but her foot got tangled in the sheets. She careened toward the floor, but was caught by strong hands.
“Careful,” Kish whispered next to her ear.
Shivers slid deliciously down her spine. His breath was warm against her lobe and she ached to kiss him.
He helped her to her feet and she made her way to the living room to take the phone cal.
“Hi, Henry.”
“Hi, Henry? Georgia, we were worried sick about you. You said you’d cal this morning.”
Joey was muttering something in the background about people who were never on time, but she ignored him.
“I’m sorry. Some things have come up here, though, and I got sidetracked.” She wished she’d had some time to come up with a story that was close to the truth that she could tel her friends.
While she hadn’t asked Kish, she was certain that teling others about the existence of lycans was not something done lightly. She’d never do anything that involved Kish’s secret without talking to him first.
“Hold on a minute, Henry.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand. “Are we going to be able to get into town to get Henry and Joey today?”
“Yes. We can leave right away if you like. I’d prefer if you could convince them to stay at my place for at least another day or two to make sure the roads down are safe enough to travel on.”
She nodded. “Henry, we are coming to pick you and Joey up. I’l be ready to go in a half hour. Kish says we can al stay here until the roads are safe. I’l see you soon. Okay?”
“Okay. See you in a couple of hours.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
When she turned to thank Kish for his hospitality, the words were lost when his hard mouth came down on hers. Her hand went around his neck, and his traveled down and around to cup her ass. His tongue dove inside her mouth, and she moaned when his taste hit her. He eased her back until she came into contact with the kitchen counter where he promptly picked her up and deposited her.
His fingers glided up her sides then around to her breasts. She puled her hands from around his neck and used them to support herself on the counter as she leaned back. He slipped one hand under the hem of her shirt and groaned when he cupped one bare breast.
“You are so soft.” He flicked her peaked nipple.
“You are so responsive to my touch. And I can’t tel you how hap
py I am that you don’t have a bra on.”
She moaned as he roled the tip of her nipple between his fingers before gently plucking it then kneading her breast. She reached one hand in front of her and found his hard cock straining against denim.
“I don’t think I’m the only responsive one,” she said hoarsely.
He growled, pushed her shirt up, dipped his head, and sucked a nipple deep into his mouth. She cried out and curled her fingers through his short hair to hold him against her. Heat rushed and pooled low in her bely. The fury of want for this man tumbled tumultuously inside her, threatening to rip her to shreds if she didn’t have him inside her soon.
His hands trailed down to the tops of her thighs while his mouth, lips, and tongue continued assaulting her breasts and nipples in the most delicious way. His long fingers splayed across the insides of her knees and pushed her legs apart so he could step between them and drag her against him.
She rubbed against his hard cock, and even through the fabric of their clothes, the friction on her clit drove her insane with need. His mouth slammed down on hers once again, and he thrust against her in unison with the each stroke of his tongue. The pressure built inside her with each shove of his hips, and her fingers found his back where her nails dug into the hard muscles through his shirt. She had a nearly uncontrolable urge to rip it off him, but instead found the hem of the fabric and shoved her hands underneath.
His skin was smooth, flawless, and covered a beautifuly sculpted back. As she stroked him, she felt the edge of scars on his right side. Her heart stuttered. What had happened to him to cause scarring over so much of his body? She explored further and caressed the scars with care. How he must have suffered. She shivered, and he immediately straightened. The sudden retreat of his hands, body, and mouth made her want to cry out in frustration of the loss.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything about them. I know they are ugly, but—”
“I don’t think they are ugly, Kish.”
“Impossible.”
“I wasn’t thinking they were ugly. I was upset at the thought of how much you must have suffered.
