He made a sharp turn, searching the side street. At first, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Adam didn’t realize how much he was holding out hope that she had just let her phone run out of battery and was mingling downtown, coffee in hand, until he was met with an empty street.
No, he realized a heartbeat later. Not empty.
A stray sunbeam managed to break through the shadows of the side street, glancing off of a pile of mangled metal pieces lying in the middle of the empty road. Adam broke into a jog, heading straight for it.
Crouching down next to it, it didn’t take a puzzle-master to recognize what he was looking at. It was the broken remains of what used to be a cell phone.
Evangeline’s cell phone.
He immediately reached for his own. It didn’t matter that it had barely been an hour since she’d been taken. Evangeline was gone, and she was most likely at the mercy of a shifter who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Forty-eight hours be damned. Officer Wright called it in.
Whatever Maddox gave her, whatever he dosed her with… it was some powerful stuff.
The sedative had been another one of Colt’s ideas. He even went out to get it himself, returning less than twenty minutes later with a bag of powder and a guarantee that it would calm Evangeline down long enough for Maddox to spirit her away.
Because Colt was gone and back so quickly, Maddox suspected the powder came from someone in the Bumptown. He made a point not to ask what exactly it was; despite a hint of bitterness that whispered out when he sniffed at it, it seemed as innocent as baking powder.
Yeah. It definitely wasn’t.
Not only did it work way faster than he expected, but it knocked Evangeline on her ass. If Maddox hadn’t been there to load her into the truck, she would’ve dropped to the sidewalk.
She didn’t even twitch the entire drive out of Grayson. Maddox floored it as soon as they crossed city lines, heading straight for pack land. He didn’t want to risk Evangeline waking up before they got to the cabin.
Turned out that was a pointless worry. The day had slipped by him, it was closing in on sunset, and Evangeline seemed as if she’d be sleeping forever.
Maddox knew he probably should leave her to it. Though she appeared to be peaceful, it wouldn’t last. He accepted that. Finding him hovering over her when she finally woke back up would probably make it all worse.
He tried to leave after he assured himself for the countless time that she was still breathing. His wolf wasn’t having it. Claws shot out, a snarl ripping out of him as his two halves battled over their next move. Spit sprayed the floor. Maddox left a gouge along the wooden doorjamb.
His wolf won.
Deep down, Maddox admitted that he didn’t fight his beast as much as he could have. So long as his wolf had its mate in its sight, it was content to wait for Maddox to let it out again.
So, with his wolf caged, Maddox struggled to keep from going feral. The longer Evangeline’s eyes stayed closed, the harder it was.
He paced the length of the room, careful to make sure to keep at least a good five feet between him and the edge of the wooden bed frame at all times. As soon as he had laid Evangeline out in the center of the oversized bed, he covered her with a thin sheet then backed off. He had to touch her to carry her inside but that was it. When he placed his hands on her again, he wanted it to be because Evangeline let him.
If she was anything like the mate he remembered, staying on the opposite side of the room wasn’t just smart. It was essential. Maddox didn’t know exactly how she was going to react—nothing had gone the way it was supposed to since they let him out of the Cage—but odds were that it wasn’t going to be all that positive.
While she was still out, Maddox spent hours planning what he would do when she came to again. How he would grovel if he needed to, beg if he had to, anything to make Evangeline see that she had nothing to fear. That he had no other choice.
He hadn’t. To a human, this was definitely kidnapping. Paras didn’t see things in black and white like the do-gooder Ants did. Especially when it came to shifters, it was all about instinct. The mating instinct was almost undeniable. He wasn’t about to climb on top of his poor mate and start rutting on her—he had more control over his animalistic urges than that—but there was no right or wrong when it came to being with his mate.
Evangeline was a human. There was a pretty good chance that she wasn’t going to see it the same way as he did.
There was still some light left outside, but night was quickly creeping in when his ears pricked. He heard her breathing change, the deep pulls turning shallow as she struggled to resurface again. Her legs stretched, toes pointed, the sheet beneath her rustling as she twisted, going from her back to her side.
Maddox froze, then quickly backed into the corner. Because if he didn’t? He wasn’t sure he could stop himself from rushing toward her and that just wouldn’t end well at all.
He crossed his arms over his chest, heart racing, fangs lengthening, and he waited.
It took longer than he liked for Evangeline to fully return to consciousness. So in tune with every move she made, desperate for her to look at him, to realize he was standing right there, Maddox could tell when it finally hit her that something wasn’t right.
That something was off.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Evangeline flipped so that she was laying on her back again. She didn’t see him right away. Her eyes were open, though, big, green eyes staring up at the ceiling as she let out a soft moan.
His hackles rose. The growl was out before he could swallow it.
Evangeline turned toward the sound. Letting out a squeak of surprise, she lifted her head enough to spy him lurking in the corner of the room.
Her mouth dropped. She took a deep breath—
Maddox leapt forward, dashing toward her, closing the gap between them before she could even fill her lungs. He held his hands out, pleading. “Don’t scream. Please don’t scream.”
She strangled the scream, turning it into a panicked gasp. Her eyes darted his way, shooting to his left, his right, taking in the room that had to be entirely unfamiliar. She saw the door.
He’d throw himself in front of it before he let her get to it. One glance at his face, and she could tell.
Evangeline struggled to find the right words. “What is… what are you—”
“It’s just you and me here. You’re safe, I swear it. I had to take you with me. You’ll understand if you just give me a chance to explain.”
She trembled. Terror mixed with pure disbelief as she stared up at him. A spark of recognition filled her wild green eyes. For a second, he had hope, when she said softly, “Wait. I know you. You’re the guy from Mugs.”
Shoulders sagging, Maddox nodded.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That’s where I was… but where am I now? Where did you take me?”
“Listen, I can explain.”
She didn’t want to hear it. “I was drinking coffee. It’s the last thing I remember. I couldn’t have blacked out again… there was no headache. How did I get here?”
“You didn’t black out,” Maddox told her. He didn’t know what she meant by headaches or blacking out, but he didn’t want Evangeline to think there was something wrong with her. “It was me. I just needed you calm.”
“Calm?” Her voice rose so high on that one syllable, the pitch could’ve shattered glass. “Calm? I am not calm. You can’t expect me to be calm. Where am I? Who are you? What the hell is going on?”
Then, as if just realizing that she was laying in an unknown male’s bed, Evangeline’s back went ramrod straight as she jerked upright, pulling herself in a sitting position. The sheet pooled around her waist. Her attention dropped to her chest.
Relief pulsed off of her for a split second as she realized that she still had on the pale pink v-neck tee that she’d be wearing when she went to the coffee shop.
The relief didn’t last, though.
Shoving her hair out of her face, Evangeline looked over at him, shock plus confusion—and a heavy dose of pure accusation—twisting her pretty face into a look he never wanted to see her shoot his way again.
She swallowed roughly. Her voice, normally so throaty and enticing, was emotionless when she spoke again.
“I don’t remember getting here. I never would’ve come. I know there’s no way in hell I’d agree to go anywhere with a stranger, let alone end up in his bed. What… what did you do to me?”
He opened his mouth.
She wasn’t done. Her eyes widened, her bottom lip trembling. “Make me calm, you said. It was the coffee, wasn’t it? You… you drugged me? Why? Why would you do that?”
Because I had to.
You’re safe.
You’re with me.
Because I love you.
I missed you.
And I need you to remember me.
Any one of those statements would have expressed his thoughts and emotions and motivations in that very moment—except that’s not what Maddox said.
He took a deep breath, old habits leading him to pull her scent into his lungs. A lifetime of being able to control a situation by using his nose meant he was trying to pick up on strong emotions she never would confess to.
Was she angry? Sad? Scared?
One breath was all it took. If he hadn’t been locked down tight already, the punch of attraction coupled with the certainty that this woman was absolutely, undeniably his mate might have caused him to go feral. He had to have this woman and only his ironclad control kept him from joining his mate on the bed.
Instead, Maddox backed away from her, savoring her scent.
Vanilla.
For the first time since he found her again, Evangeline smelled like vanilla.
There were so many things he could have said to her. What came out of his mouth was—
“You smell… different.”
Oh, fuck. He couldn’t help it. Couldn’t stop his reaction, either. Already he felt the blood rushing to his groin. He thought the erection he got in the coffee shop was bad? Maddox was just about to sprout a third leg.
And she was glaring at him.
Well, at least she wasn’t trying to scream again.
He understood why as soon as she retorted. Reining in her fear and confusion, Evangeline was fucking pissed.
“I’m sorry,” she snapped, angrily kneading the edge of the sheet. She looked like, if she could get her hands around his throat, she’d be strangling him. “Guess it didn’t occur to me to refresh my perfume when I left the house this morning. Never expected I’d go out for a cup of coffee and end up abducted. Silly me.”
“That’s not what I meant. You smell like you now.”
She blinked up at him. Fury faded just enough for incredulousness to slip in. Evangeline looked like she thought he was nuts.
And maybe he was.
Because he was smiling.
That last comment she made? The sarcastic retort that almost seemed out of place considering he’d done just what she accused him of? Maddox had abducted her. He’d stolen her away from her home, her friends, her family, and her life, tucking her in a secluded cabin with just him.
And he was smiling because a comment like that was quintessential Evangeline.
She was spooked.
She probably hated him.
That was okay. She was still Evangeline. Still his mate.
Good thing that, as often as he used to piss her off, she could never stay mad at him for long.
16
This… this couldn’t be happening.
It was one thing to be secretly attracted to a man she meant a couple of times. In some ways, he was everything that Adam was not. Dark—tanned, rugged skin, black sunglasses, dark brown unruly hair—where Adam was fair. Big. Visibly dangerous.
Adam was as law-abiding as they come. A freaking cop. This guy looked like he’d done some serious time. And, since abducting a woman was one hell of a crime, it looked like he’d be doing a lot more.
If she got out of this in one piece. If she managed to live long enough to testify against him.
Keep calm. Don’t agitate him. Guy already looked like he was on the edge and that was before the way she smelled seemed to set him off. Don’t give him a reason to decide you’re not worth it.
Maybe she shouldn’t have snapped back at him. She didn’t know him. She didn’t know what he was capable of—
Well. No. That wasn’t right. Her dark stranger was obviously capable of drugging her and grabbing her off the street in broad daylight.
If he could do that and not show any remorse when she threw it back at him…
Evangeline struggled to stay calm. Don’t piss off the big, scary man, she told herself firmly. If only he’d take off those damn sunglasses. She wished he would. They covered his eyes and half of his rugged face, making it impossible for her to get any idea of what he was thinking.
She wasn't sure that he was.
The man she’d innocently had coffee with last Friday had kidnapped her. Drugged her first, then brought her to this place. No denying that.
But why? She didn’t know. And he didn’t look like he was about to tell her.
Thank God Adam was a cop. He called her so frequently, constantly checking in. How long would it take before he realized that something had happened to her? That she was missing?
It couldn’t be long. She had faith that Adam would find her, too. He loved her—he was always telling her that he loved her. Nothing would stop him from coming after her.
She just had to survive long enough to give Adam a chance to track her down.
Don’t set off the unpredictable stranger… she could do that.
Right?
In a slow, careful voice, she said softly, “Who else am I supposed to smell like?”
The smile slid off of his face.
He was going to kill Colt.
Take her, he said. She’s your mate, he said. Once she’s with you, the bond will snap back.
Horse shit.
Who was this woman in front of him? It was Evangeline. Of course it was. But the Evangeline he knew—the woman he mated, then married—had never gentled her voice around him. She said what she was thinking when she was thinking of it.
He expected screaming. Ranting. Fury. If she picked up the lamp on the desk and heaved it at him, he was prepared to duck; he already made a mental note that he’d probably have to replace it after they left the cabin.
This woman was acting super weird. Not like his Angie at all. He’d done what no Para was allowed to do: he’d run off with his mate. And, instead of shouting bloody murder, she obeyed him—actually did something she’d never do, and obeyed him—when he begged her not to scream. Now, she sounded like she was just commenting on the weather or something.
No. No, no, no.
He had a plan.
A good plan.
Why did his fucking plans never work?
Maddox cleared his throat. He purposely kept the distance between them. “I’m sure you have questions.”
“You could say that.”
A hint of fire. He felt hope, only to have that dashed when Evangeline seemed to remember herself. She pulled the sheet up again, as if trying to shield herself from him.
Protect herself.
Shit.
Maddox backpedaled, swallowing his snarl as he reached up, yanking the obnoxious collar of another turtleneck that seemed eager to strangle him. It wasn’t a game. This was his life. His future was at stake.
He had to fix this. Short of releasing Evangeline—because, if he did that, he was sure he’d never set eyes on her again—Maddox desperately needed to do something that would prove to her that he wasn’t a threat.
If that meant giving her space, then that would be what he did.
For tonight, at least.
“I’ll answer them all, I promise. Just not tonight. Not now.” Maddox pulled the keys out of his pocket
. “It’s late. You’ve had a scare. I don’t blame you—“
“Blame me?”
He continued as if she hadn’t interrupted. “—but I think it’s best that I leave you be for a bit. I won’t go far. My room is the next one over. I’ll be right there if you need anything.”
Her eyebrows rose. “After all the trouble you went through to get me here, you’re just gonna leave me all alone? Not that I want you near me, but I could walk out of here and you would never know.”
“Yeah, not quite.” Maddox showed her the ring of keys. “I’m going to lock you in. If you need me, shout. I’ll hear you, and I can assure you that, where we are, nobody else will.”
Evangeline paled. In her eyes, he could just about see the visions of her grand escape going up in smoke.
“So I’m a prisoner, is that it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You’re locking me in. What, so I can’t get out?”
“More like I figure you’ll get used to this room easier if I’m not in here with you. This way, you know you’re alone, even if you can’t leave just yet.” When she just stared at him in open disbelief, he shrugged. “And, okay, maybe because I feel better having you somewhere where I know you’re safe.”
“But how do I know I’m safe?”
Maddox set his jaw. “One day you’ll understand how deeply you just cut at me. You’re upset, and I’m sorry. But, I swear to you, Angie, you’ve never been safer than you are here with me.”
It was a slip. He didn’t mean to use that name. Not yet. Not when she wouldn’t have any clue what it meant between them.
She caught it. Her fingers clenched the sheet, bunching the material tight. “What did you call me?” she whispered.
Maddox had two choices: deny it or own it. He went with the latter because, hell, he’d already fucked this up as bad as he possibly could. “I called you by your name.”
“You don’t know my name!” The words exploded out of her like bullets from a gun. Whatever Maddox had done, he’d broken through her icy and careful shell. She picked up a pillow and chucked it across the room. “You don’t know anything about me!”
Hungry Like a Wolf (Claws Clause Book 1) Page 15
