“Tania,” Ethan screamed as both brothers rushed down the steps.
“Too late.” Kaugh smirked as he threw open a dead bolt lock on a door at the end of the hall. Before they could stop him, he slipped through the opening and then slammed it closed behind him.
“No,” Latan cried, hearing the sound of locks thrown. He pulled furiously on the door, now locked from the other side. “Where do you think it goes?” he asked Ethan.
“Shit, this side of the house faces the creek. Maybe it somehow leads down to the water.”
“Come on,” Latan yelled, racing back up the stairs. He could hear the sounds of Ethan’s feet on the wooden steps. The sight of Marty Dyer’s body lying on the living room carpet didn’t even slow the men down. When they reached the clearing, Latan called for several of the pack’s wolves to follow him. They all raced down to the stream but could not find any sign of Kaugh, or Tania.
“I’m gonna break down that door and see where it goes.” Latan spared a glance for his brother and headed back to the house. Stopping at the wood pile outside, he grabbed up the ax and headed back to the basement. In the living room, he found two of his pack mates examining Marty Dyer.
“He’s alive, Latan. Do you want us to get rid of him?” Sortee asked.
He thought for a moment. “No, take him back to Remus. We may need to find out what he knows about Kaugh’s plans.” Turning, he motioned for Ethan to follow him, and they made their way back to the locked door where Kaugh had disappeared. It took less than five minutes for the two brothers to hack their way through the thin wood door.
“It’s a damn tunnel,” Ethan exclaimed.
Latan didn’t respond, just started walking down the darkened passage. About twenty minutes later, they reached the end, where they found another door locked from the outside. Angrily, Latan raised the ax and began to chop at the wood. It took longer this time, the door being twice as thick. Finally, he broke through and, with Ethan’s help, found himself standing near the stream, apparently some ways from the main house.
“Look.” Ethan pointed. “Tire tracks. He had himself a damn escape route.”
“Damn it,” Latan growled, throwing the ax to the ground. A feeling of fury rolled over him, and then calm settled. He looked at his brother. “I wanna talk to Dyer and see if he knows where Kaugh would take Tania.” Without waiting for a response, he started back up the narrow tunnel to the house.
* * * *
Kaugh looked down at the small black cat and smiled. “Didn’t you think I would remember you, little cat?” His attention returned to the road. “I missed you after they took you away. You were my shining glory until you shifted the first time.” He frowned down at the silent bundle of fur. “Then you made a fool out of me with your little puny body and soft sounds.” Slowing down, he glanced down the road to make sure there weren’t any cars visible and then turned onto the main highway. “I know a lot of people who would give big money to get their hands on you, Tania, but that would be too easy. You’ve screwed me over for the last time, little one. You cost me my new subjects, and that’s something I just can’t forgive. I don’t know how I’m gonna get my hands on Maddie again.”
Pulling over to the side of the road, he parked and reached for a case on the backseat. Glancing first in the rearview mirror, he reached into the bag and pulled out a filled syringe. Grinning, he leaned over and injected the contents into Tania’s hindquarters. “Okay, missy, now you’re stuck in that furry little body for at least twenty-four hours, and maybe longer, since the dosage was meant for a much larger wolf.”
Glancing around, he got back onto the highway and headed toward Kenyan. “I’m gonna drop you off at the vet’s tonight, little girl. Then, I’m gonna ask them to have you put down tomorrow.” Kaugh laughed and shook his head. “I just wish I could be there to watch you sweat all night, knowing that needle’s coming at you tomorrow, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
* * * *
“He caught her,” Maddie cried, and then collapsed into Remus’s arms.
“Shh, baby. It’s okay.” Remus cuddled her close and locked his gaze on Latan. “What happened?”
“We don’t really know. He carried her out over his arm, unconscious. There was a tunnel from the basement rooms that led to the stream. From the tracks on the ground, we know he had a car there, waiting.”
“You know for a fact she’s just unconscious? Can you sense her with your bond?” Remus sat down and placed Maddie on his lap.
“She unconscious,” Latan growled. “I won’t consider any other possibility.”
“Okay, bro, she’s unconscious. How can we help?” Remus wiped the tears from Maddie’s face and kissed the top of her head.
“I had the men bring Marty back here. I need him awake so I can ask him some questions.” Latan’s hands fisted at his side.
Remus sighed and glanced at Tehran. “The doc pulled a tranquilizer dart out of his side. According to him, it’ll be hours before we’re able to bring him around.”
“Damn it, wake him anyway. I don’t care if it kills him.” Ethan slammed his hand on the table, knocking a glass onto the floor.
“No matter how much I want to be able to help, there’s no way I can bring him around for at least six hours. There’s nothing I have that can neutralize the medication they used.” Tehran paced in the large kitchen.
“In six hours, she could be anywhere,” Latan moaned. “What are we gonna do, Ethan?”
“I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do,” Remus said. “Taynor, get some men on each of the roads out of this county. Get at least two up to that hotel where they’ve been staying.” He looked around the room. “Lanicor, go down to their office and see if anybody shows up there.”
Maddie pushed away from Remus’s arms and stood by his chair. “Tehran, you go sit with Marty and do whatever you can to speed things along. If nothing else, you’ll be there the second he starts to come around. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to that sweet girl.”
“But—” Tehran began.
“You heard the Alpha Femm. Get to it.” Remus punctuated his command with a hearty growl. He turned to Koril. “Did you bring all the data from Kaugh’s lab?”
“Yes, Alpha. There were two computers and a rack of disks. We brought those, plus all the vials in the fridge. We thought they could be used to create some kind of vaccine against the inhibitor.”
“Excellent, now take some men and destroy the place. I don’t want anything left but a hole in the ground.”
“Right away.” Koril glanced at Brenner and nodded, and then the two men left by the back door.
“Okay, gentlemen,” Remus stood and walked toward the door, “put your heads together. Where would Kaugh take an unconscious cat that wouldn’t look suspicious to the other people around him?”
Chapter 8
Tania blinked and turned her head in a half circle. Where am I? Still in her feline form, her gaze took in the bars in front of her. Trapped in a long rectangular cage, there seemed to be only one way out. She struggled closer to the opening and peered out.
“So, you’re finally awake.” Kaugh’s face appeared on the other side of her prison door.
“Hsssssss!” Every hair on her body stood up as she backed farther into the safety of her cell.
“Don’t hiss at me, you stupid cat.” Kaugh laughed. “Your time’s almost up, little girl. I wanted you to spend the night at the animal hospital contemplating your early demise, but I guess the dosage I gave you was too much.” He pulled up a chair and sat down. “Bet you never thought your last home on this Earth would be a pet taxi.” He chuckled. “Don’t bother trying to shift. I’ve given you a second dose of the inhibitor.” Kaugh leaned in close. “I’m gonna take you to the local vet and have them put you down like a stray, feral cat. And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
Tania froze, unable to believe what she’d heard. A pet taxi isn’t very strong. I should be able
to break it. She closed her eyes and concentrated on searching for her inner magic. I can’t shift! What about the bond? Latan? Ethan? Can you hear me? Please, somebody, I need help. Her legs slid out from under her as Kaugh picked up the carrier. Her small body rolled back and forth as he made his way across the room.
“Time to go, little kitten.” He whistled as he walked out the door.
The small cat braced herself as she swayed back and forth. The only chance I’ll have to get free is when they transfer me to a cage. I’m gonna have to be ready to move.
* * * *
Mali sighed as he watched the woman he loved more than anything sleeping on the bed beside him. His body tensed as a familiar tingling began in his stomach, followed by a painful clenching of his muscles. Yes, he cried inside, watching his human limbs form. He raised a trembling hand to cup his mate’s cheek, needing to feel her skin against his own. “Sunshine, wake up.”
Melissa turned toward his body, her face snuggling into his caressing palm. After a moment, her eyes fluttered open, and then widened in shock when they focused on his face. “You’re back,” she murmured. “Are you really here? I’m not dreaming?”
“I’m here, and I’m not gonna leave you again.” His arms slid around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. “I love you, Sunshine. I wanna spend my life with you. We can have a family together. You’ll never want for anything, and I’ll protect you for the rest of your life.”
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Mali? Why didn’t you tell me what you are?”
He lowered his eyes, ashamed of the way he’d handled their relationship. “Part of it was because Remus asked me to wait. He said it would be easier on you to hear about us from someone you loved and trusted.”
Her hand came up to stroke his face. “I love and trust you. Don’t you know that?”
“I wanted to believe that, more than you know. No one ever loved me before, and I guess I didn’t know how to react. I’ve been so afraid of scaring you off.”
Melissa took a deep breath. “I’m not afraid of you, Mali. I love you, very much. I wanna be with you always, but I need to ask some questions.”
“Of course. What do you wanna know?” His arms tightened, and he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
“Ariane said I was your mate. What does that mean?”
“You’re the other half of my heart. All shifters have someone, somewhere, that’s their perfect complement. Without that person, the shifter feels like something’s always missing. I knew the minute we met at Michael’s reception, and I scented you, that you were the missing piece of my soul. The feeling will only grow stronger once we mate.”
“Uh, don’t wanna throw a monkey wrench into your explanation, but we’ve already mated, several times, if I remember correctly.”
He chuckled. “Different kind of mating, Sunshine. Although it does involve sex, it’s more than that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Once you agree to be my mate forever, we’ll make love. During the peak of our passion, I’ll bite you on the shoulder and take in a little bit of your blood at the same time I inject an enzyme into your system. That will tie my scent to you for life.”
“Wait… You’re gonna bite me? That’s just so weird.” She giggled, sounding a little hysterical.
Mali buried his face in her neck and growled. “Not weird, but very erotic. You’ll really like the way it feels, and the small scar it leaves becomes an erogenous zone.”
She pushed back and gazed into his eyes. “For real?”
“Oh, yeah,” he replied, kissing the tip of her nose.
“I won’t… I mean, it can’t… There’s no way I can.” Her face turned beet red.
“No, Sunshine. You won’t turn into a wolf after I bite you. That’s only in the movies.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.
“Don’t be, it’s a valid concern. I understand. There is more, though.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“Once I inject the enzyme, several things can happen, at least, that’s the theory. I don’t know anyone else whose mate was human, so everything is speculation.” He paused and thought about his words. “A psychic connection, or bond, will form between our minds once we’ve mated.”
“You’ll be able to read my mind?” she asked, eyes widening.
“It goes both ways, Sunshine. You’ll be able to read mine as well. We’ll always know what the other is feeling. There’s also a chance your senses will get a boost. You could end up with better vision, or hearing. We won’t really know until after the mating.”
Melissa thought for a moment. “What about our children? Will they be wolves?”
“It’s possible, because they’ll be half wolf. They’ll have the shifter gene, but it may take mating with a full-blooded shifter to bring out their wolf. That’s how Michael and Maddie found theirs. Their father was a half-breed and their mother human. Neither of them found their wolves until after they had a full-blooded shifter’s DNA introduced into their system. That’s why you won’t turn into a wolf after I bite you. You don’t already have wolf DNA inside you.”
Melissa was quiet for a minute, running her hand up and down Mali’s arm. Finally, her gaze moved up to meet his. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“What? What do you mean?” He didn’t want to take a chance on misunderstanding what she wanted.
“I’m ready for you to make me your mate.” She leaned over and kissed his lips. “I love you, Mali. I wanna be your wife, I mean, mate, more than anything.”
He hooked his finger in her belt loop and pulled their hips together and then used a finger to raise her face. “I want you to be my mate, and my wife. Will you marry me, Melissa?”
“Yes,” she cried. “I love you so much.”
She moaned into his mouth as their lips met for a brief, sweet kiss. He savored her softness as he licked at her mouth, his tongue tracing her lips then licking them open. Gentle kisses grew into deeper ones, their lips parting, tongues tangling together. Her hands were warm, sliding up his chest before her arms wrapped around his neck.
Mali threaded the fingers of one hand through her hair, while the other roamed down her stomach and over the swell of her hip. Grinding his erection against her denim-covered mound, he licked the roof of her mouth, enjoying the soft groans vibrating against his chest. Bringing his hand up, he swiftly undid the buttons of her blouse and pushed it off her shoulders. He cupped her breast, his fingers teasing the nipple through the white silk fabric of her bra. “You’re so responsive,” he whispered, watching the nipple harden beneath his fingers.
Removing his hand from her hair, Mali undid her jeans and shoved them roughly down her hips, taking her panties with them. Worshiping his mate, he kissed every inch of the hot, silken skin as he undressed her. Throwing her clothes to the floor, he moved back up her body, trailing his tongue between her breasts as he inhaled her sweet scent. Flipping open the front fastening of her bra, he peeled it from her body and dropped it over the side of the bed.
He groaned, watching Melissa lick her lips, and then buried his face in her neck. His lips found a sensitive spot, his tongue coming out to lick the silky area, wanting to taste more of her skin.
Melissa’s hands slid down to his shoulders, her fingers drawing little circles on his heated skin. Her hands stroked the hair on his chest and stomach. “I love the way your hairy chest feels against my skin,” she groaned. His cock throbbed as her fingers crept to his waist and then stopped, her face blushing, her eyes dropping.
“Touch me,” he whispered, guiding her hand down to where his erection pushed out at her. Melissa grabbed his cock and started stroking slowly, her fingers sliding along his shaft. “Suck me,” Mali begged, and then froze when her hand stilled.
Mali groaned in pleasure when she rubbed her cheek against his throbbing cock. She lapped at the distended head before exploring him thoroughly, her tongue tracing the veins and dippin
g into the slit. He could hear animalistic growls and, with a start, realized they were coming from his own throat. Melissa moved farther down and ran her tongue over his testicles before sucking them into the heat of her mouth.
“Enough,” he growled as his hands swept slowly down the silky length of her body and pulled her up. “I don’t wanna come that way. I wanna be buried in your sweet pussy.” His mouth moved to her shoulders and then back up her throat to her mouth, his lips catching hers in a fierce, hard kiss. One hand stroked down her back and cupped her ass as she burrowed closer. He licked and nibbled at her neck and then kissed her again, coaxing her tongue into his mouth. His tongue stroked along her lower lip before thrusting deep into her mouth to taste her essence.
The feel of her breasts against his chest excited him, the points of her nipples digging into his skin. He ran a fingertip down the valley between her breasts before closing one large hand gently around the large globe. His thumb ran over the nipple before his fingers began fondling and pinching. Bending, he took the small nub into his mouth and suckled, his teeth closing around the hardened tip. His heart pounded against her chest in rhythm with hers. Her small cries of pleasure fed his soul.
Mali laid her back on the bed, settling his larger body over hers and pushing her legs far apart. He planted a kiss at the top of her dark curls, his fingers tangling in the silky hair. “You’re already wet for me,” he moaned. His hand smoothed up her leg, the flat of his tongue sweeping through her pussy before it zeroed in on her clit. Flicking his tongue across the tiny button, he trailed his finger through her cream and down to her puckered opening. Her fingers clenched in his hair when he took her clit between his lips and sucked.
“Mali,” she cried out, her legs trembling on each side of his shoulders when his finger breached her sphincter muscle and sank into the forbidden opening.
“I need my cock in you, now!” He crawled up her body and plunged into her fiery heat. His hips began thrusting slow and deep, his mate wiggling beneath him. Groaning, he pulled out and lightly smacked her thigh. “Get on your hands and knees, Sunshine.” Scooting back, he helped her turn over and positioned her on the bed. Moving up between her spread legs, Mali dragged his tongue up the curve of her spine. He lifted his hips and aimed his cock at the tight, dripping entrance before him. Slowly, he guided his shaft back inside her. His eyes slid closed, and he thrust upward, her sheath tight and hot around him. Writhing beneath him, she made a groaning sound deep in her throat.
Martine, Missy - Changing Their Wolfen Heritage [A Wolfen Heritage 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 23
