They went for several feet before they shifted into wolf form too, both of them tearing off their clothes and fur rippling over their bodies.
They ran and ran.
For Dana, it was glorious. She hadn’t ever run like this, not as a wolf. She was the wind. She was the grass and sky and air. She was home.
* * *
“Hold your fire!” Avery yelled. “I know that wolf. It’s Randall!”
The four wolves halted just behind the gate, sitting back on their haunches, their tongues hanging out.
The SF agents didn’t fire, all looking at Avery for confirmation, still aiming their tranquilizer guns.
Cole shifted first. He stretched his neck as he stood up.
Avery looked away deliberately. “Can we get some blankets down here?”
Cole laughed at him, clearly not the least bit embarrassed by his nakedness. He sauntered towards Avery.
Avery couldn’t help looking at him. Jesus, was the guy’s dick bruised? Could dicks get bruised?
Luckily an agent with a blanket basically tackled Cole at that point, draping the blanket over his shoulders.
Avery ran for the other wolves, who were also shifting now that the blankets were available.
Dana stood up, pulling the blanket tight over her body.
“Gray,” Avery said. His voice cracked.
She smiled at him. “Brooks.”
He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly. “You’re okay.”
“Well, I can’t breathe,” she managed, “but yeah.”
He loosened his grip, grinning at her, looking into her eyes. He wanted to kiss her. Her lips were right there, and they were just a little bit parted, and her hair was a little tangled, and her cheeks were red, and she was beautiful.
He let go over her instead, jamming his hands into his pockets. “Uh, it’s good to see you.”
“You too, Brooks.”
He stole a glance at her.
She was still smiling.
Damn it. She wasn’t an alpha anymore, was she? So, if he was still attracted to her, that meant… He turned around.
Cole was glaring at him. “You’re welcome.”
Avery gave him a confused look.
“I said I’d get her out, and I did,” said Cole.
“Right,” said Avery. “Thanks.”
Dana huddled into her blanket. “Who are the other wolves?”
“The girl’s Marissa,” said Cole. “She’s one of Jimmy’s brides. I don’t know the boy, but trust me, it was safer for both of them to be away from that bastard.”
“Brides?” said Avery.
“Yeah,” said Cole. “He’s usually got about five or ten teenage girls he’s sleeping with. He calls them brides. It’s twisted.” He looked around. “So, uh, it’s been fun, but I’m not sticking around here, because you guys are going to lock me up, aren’t you?”
He started to pull the blanket off of his shoulders.
And a spasm went through him.
It went through Dana too. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she lost her grip on her blanket.
Avery grabbed it and kept it from falling. “Gray?”
“Jimmy,” she murmured.
Cole echoed her. “Jimmy. Father.” He lurched on his feet, turning back towards the gate.
Dana pushed at Avery. “Jimmy.” She reached out in the direction of the farm.
Avery looked around at the other agents. “What the hell?”
Dana struggled, wriggling out of his arms. “Jimmy!” she screamed. She took off at a run for the farm.
“They’re being called,” said the teenage boy, hugging his blanket tight. “He’s calling them.”
“They’ll go right back to him,” said the girl.
“Fuck,” said Avery. Alphas could call their betas. He knew this shit. “Tranq them!”
* * *
“I’m sorry I’m only getting back to you now,” said Rusty. “But I wasn’t exactly conscious.”
Avery stood over the bed of a truck, where both Dana and Cole were lying, still asleep, both wrapped in blankets. The tranqs hadn’t worn off yet. “Yeah, well, things have been weird out here, too. What’s going on with Jimmy? Can I talk to him?”
“I don’t think so,” said Rusty. “Jimmy’s convinced that you guys coordinated that escape.”
“Gray’s escape?”
“Yeah,” said Rusty. “I don’t know that I think it was coordinated. I think it was my fault. I trusted my brother too much. I should have realized that he wouldn’t be loyal to the family, not when that woman is around.”
“Wait,” said Avery. “I’m confused. What’s going on?”
“Jimmy doesn’t feel as if you held up your part of the bargain. He feels that since you took Dana Gray out, you’re no longer trustworthy. He says you’ve betrayed his trust, and he doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Avery massaged the bridge of his nose. “Well, that’s great. That’s just great.”
“I’m frustrated too, Mr. Brooks. But I’m more worried than frustrated. I never wanted us to hold Ms. Gray hostage, but I have to admit that it put us in a less vulnerable position. Please, I’m begging you, don’t take any offensive action against us yet. Give me some time with my father.”
Avery sighed, looking down at Dana’s sleeping form. “We’re not ready to take any kind of action at this moment.”
“Good.”
“Look, Rusty, we didn’t have anything to do with what Cole did.”
“Except for the fact you sent him in here.”
“Except for that.” Avery felt defeated.
“A girl named Marissa and my younger brother Seth are both missing. Are they with you?”
“Yes,” said Avery.
“Did they come out with Cole?”
“They did.”
“Damn it,” said Rusty. “He’s not going to like that.”
“What’s this about Marissa being a bride?”
Rusty let out a frustrated laugh. “Cole told you that.”
“So, it’s true? Jimmy has relations with underage girls.”
“No, no. Not consummated, no. They’re called brides because they’re intended. There’s no sexual contact until the girls are eighteen.”
“Really.” Avery wasn’t sure he was convinced. This Jimmy guy did not seem like a particularly lawful person.
“Ask her,” said Rusty. “Ask Marissa, she’ll tell you.”
“Even if there’s no sexual contact, Rusty, that’s still… worrisome. We’re talking about things that might be more serious than the SF, here. We’re talking breaking the law.”
“N-no,” said Rusty. “There’s nothing against the law going on here. I swear to you, it’s unconventional, but it’s not exploitative. Look, Avery, I’m going to be in touch with you. Please, please wait to do anything until you hear from me. Okay?”
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything.”
“Please.” Rusty hung up.
Avery put his phone in his pocket. Everything was going to hell. They were never going to get those wolves off that farm, were they?
He gazed down at Dana. Fuck it all, she still looked really good to him. He was still attracted to her, and she wasn’t an alpha. That meant everything he felt was real, didn’t it?
Or was it just something residual?
Did he only feel it because she’d been in danger?
He reached down and stroked her cheek.
Damn it.
* * *
Dana began to wake up. Her muscles were sore, but she felt more comfortable than she thought made any sense, considering she was trapped inside a concrete room, chained to the wall.
Her eyes fluttered open.
She wasn’t in the punishment room. The events of the morning came back to her. Cole freeing her. Running. Suddenly, being able to think of nothing except wanting to be close to Jimmy.
She was lying in a bed in a room som
ewhere. It looked remarkably similar to the apartments in headquarters back home. But the color schemes were different, and the light fixtures weren’t the same.
She sat up, pushing aside the covers.
She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but the shirt was on backwards. She wandered out of the bedroom, tucking her arms inside the shirt and turning it.
“Gray?”
She emerged into a living room. Avery was sitting on the couch.
“Did you dress me or something?”
He laughed. “Maybe. Sorry if I got it wrong. I was trying not to be…”
“Be what?” She grinned at him.
“You know, you were all naked. And your body was unresponsive. I didn’t want to be creepy.”
She laughed. “You were turned on.”
“No,” he said. He got up off the couch. “How you feeling?”
“Like I was hit by a truck.”
“The tranqs will do that,” he said. “Or so I hear.”
She made a face. “Believe me, it was an experience I hoped I wouldn’t have to duplicate. Where are we, anyway?”
“We’re in the southern branch of the SF. They gave us a few of their unused apartments to bunk down in.”
She looked around. “Okay.” That explained why everything looked both similar and different.
“Gray…” He hugged her.
She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. It felt wonderful to have his arms around her. So comforting. So nice. There was nothing comforting about touching Cole Randall. He was all danger and fear and excitement. Avery was good. Completely good. “I missed you,” she mumbled into his chest.
“What was that?” He pulled back.
“I missed you.”
He cupped her cheek with one hand. “Shit, Gray, you scared me to fucking death.”
“I’m okay.”
“I should never have let you go in there alone.”
“You couldn’t have known.”
The pad of his thumb brushed over her cheekbone. “I’m only glad you’re out of there, safe and sound.”
She gazed into his eyes.
His face dipped lower.
Then he kissed her, and she slammed her eyes shut.
Pleasure oozed through her, gushy, warm, and sweet. She molded her body into his, deepening the kiss.
Avery made a low noise in the back of his throat, his hands splaying over her back, holding her in place.
For several minutes, they kissed like that. Slow and sweet, exploring each other’s mouths.
Dana thought again about how different it was than kissing Cole. How Avery felt so warm and wonderful to her, when Cole made her feel out of control.
Avery broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, Gray.”
She giggled. “You think we should start calling each other by our first names?”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Dana.”
She giggled again.
He put his arm around her and led her over to the couch. They sat down together, and she curled into him, loving how easily her body fit into his.
“So,” she said. “You’re being awfully friendly.”
“Am I?” He rested his chin on top of her head.
She traced a pattern into his chest with her forefinger. “Does this mean something? I guess you know I’m not an alpha anymore.”
“Shit, Gray, let’s not do that right now.”
“Do what?’
“Talk about all that alpha-bond wolf stuff.”
“It’s only that—”
“I’m still confused,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on kissing you like that. I wasn’t planning on holding you. Now that I’m doing it, I’m glad I’m doing it, but I don’t know what the fuck’s going on.”
She bit down on her lip. “Oh.”
He leaned his head back against the couch. “Come on, Gray, cut me a little slack here. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“Yeah, but you sent Cole in after me.” She untangled herself from his grasp. “I thought you hated him.”
“I was desperate,” he said. “He said he knew what was going on inside that place. I wanted you out of there and safe. Besides, I didn’t mind risking his life. I felt like I possibly had something to gain, and pretty much nothing to lose.”
She guessed that made sense. Avery didn’t give a flying fuck about what happened to Cole. He’d said numerous times that he wanted to kill him. But Avery was wrong. There had been things to lose. Avery hadn’t banked on the idea that while she and Cole were trapped in there, they’d be intimate—or at least what passed for intimacy between the two of them.
As far as Dana was concerned, Cole was nothing more than a dangerous addiction she had. She wanted him, but she knew it wasn’t good for her. She hugged her knees to her chest. “Where is Cole?”
“He’s locked up in a cell a couple floors down,” said Avery.
“Oh, of course he is.”
Avery cocked his head. “I don’t think you should see him.”
“I wasn’t going to go see him,” she said. Avery was right. She shouldn’t see Cole. He was bad for her. Toxic.
“Good.” Avery got up off the couch. “You hungry? I had some pizza delivered last night, and there’s some in the refrigerator.”
“Starving, actually,” she said. “I didn’t get to eat my oatmeal this morning.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“That’s what they fed me at the farm,” she said, getting up off the couch as well. “Oatmeal.”
Avery went into the kitchen. It was set up exactly the same as the apartments in their own headquarters, sectioned off from the living room with a breakfast bar. He opened up the refrigerator and took out a pizza box.
She sat down at one of the stools at the bar. “Man, they don’t have a toaster oven, do they?”
Avery looked around. “Nope.”
“Someone really needs to tell them about the joys of leftover pizza in a toaster oven.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Yeah, they do. You want me to put it in the microwave?”
She made a face. “No way. It’ll be all soggy. I’d rather eat it cold, thank you.”
“You got it.” He got a plate out of the cabinet and plopped two pieces on it.
“Three pieces, please. I am very hungry.”
He laughed, getting her another piece. Then he handed her the plate.
She picked up a slice and took a bite. After she swallowed, she said, “You’re really not interested in talking about much, are you?”
Avery turned from putting the pizza box back in the fridge. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you don’t want to talk about the fact that I’m not an alpha and what that means for us. And you got all weird when I brought up Cole.”
Avery shut the refrigerator door. He stood there, holding onto the handle, his head bowed, not looking at her. “Maybe the two things are a little related.”
That felt ominous. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to do this right now. I want to be glad that you’re back. I want to be happy to see you. I don’t want…”
She set down her slice of cold pizza. “Brooks, what’s wrong?”
He turned on her. “Maybe there can’t be an ‘us’ if he’s around, okay?”
She looked into her plate.
“I thought that you were attracted to him because you were mated to him,” he said. “But that isn’t true, is it?”
She toyed with the edge of the plate, moving it around. “Why do you say that?” Had she done something? Said something? How had she given away what she and Cole had done on that farm?
Anyway, it was hardly her fault. She’d been imprisoned both times. Cole had come in and… forced her. Seduced her. Something. She hadn’t meant for it to happen. And she hated it. All of it. It made her feel dirty and disgusted—especially since it had aroused her so much.
“Let’s dro
p it for now,” said Avery. “Let’s try to go back to…”
“To cuddling on the couch?” She picked up the slice of pizza. “Too much tension now.”
“Well, you should have thought of that before you fucked Randall and let him go that night with Hollis.”
She dropped the pizza and looked up at him.
His face was hard.
“Brooks, wait a second—”
She was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing.
He dug his cell phone out of his pocket. “Brooks here,” he answered. “Right, okay, I’ll be there.” He hung up the phone and went to the door. “They need me back at the gate. I’ve got to go,” he threw over his shoulder.
“O-okay.”
“You eat. Get some rest.” He left the apartment and shut the door behind himself.
Dana stared down at her pizza, a knot forming in her stomach. Avery knew that she’d let Cole go. He knew that she’d freed a murderer. That was bad.
How did he know?
At least he hadn’t reported it to anyone, like Ursula. If her boss knew, she could end up in real trouble.
What was it about Cole?
Why did he keep getting her into scrapes like this? He was ruining her life. Piece by piece, he was taking it apart.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
when Cole was seventeen…
Cole didn’t go back to the farm after the party. He knew that Jimmy would be angry at him for not coming home, but he also knew that it was unlikely anyone from the farm would risk going into the outside world to look for him. He figured he was safe. For now, anyway.
He and the guys basically stayed up all night the night of the party. After that, Cole spent one night with Adam and the other night with Chase.
While he was there, he ended up watching a lot of television.
Television was forbidden at the farm, and so Cole rarely got to watch it. He was mesmerized by the people on the screen, by the stories, the action. He even liked the commercials.
And it was through the commercials that he was reminded of something.
He saw a PSA for the Sullivan Foundation.
Cole knew about the SF, of course. Its agents were the boogeymen of his childhood nightmares. The way they told it on the farm, the SF came in and ripped families apart. They took kids away from their mothers. They forced everyone to go through a terrible ordeal that removed them from their pack, severing all connections with their family. As a little kid, Cole had gotten the distinct impression that it hurt very badly.
Bad Moon Rising (Cole and Dana) Page 19
