by Becca Dale
Dropping his head against the back of the chair, Jake sighed. “So, you don’t know where she is, then.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What?” Jake sat up. “Where is she?”
“Asleep in my bed.”
“You slept with her?” Jake growled and lunged.
With a flick of his wrist, he shoved his scrawny brother back into the chair. “Settle down. She’s in rough shape. Kya sedated her.”
“She belongs with me.”
Jake’s possessive attitude angered him for reasons he couldn’t identify. “Nadi’s not going anywhere until she’s healthy enough to walk out on her own.” Despite the logic behind keeping her with him, the almost savage need to protect her unsettled him. He didn’t know the girl beyond the fact she’d risked a bullet to shield a stranger. Maybe he didn’t need to know anything more.
“Well?” Jake waited impatiently beside the door.
Ryan stepped past him, and his brother followed him down the hall to his room. The bed was empty.
Chapter Four
The white bitch crept down the hall, away from the voices of a stranger and the ebony god. Perhaps the mill owners had found her. Would they look for a barren female only to shoot her? Fear and nausea fought in her gut. Careful to leave the door open for escape, she slipped into an empty room and called forth her wolf. The change did not hurt to the extent it had when she shifted to human, but still, pain brought her to her belly. Her bones softened, and fur covered her bruised skin.
Run. Run. Run. The single thought swirled through her skull, demanding she flee despite her certainty the cabin provided a safe haven. Someone had bathed and fed her. Her stomach remained hollow, but she felt stronger and the bruises had faded to green, indicating a week or more of healing. If she ran, she’d be alone again, just as she’d been the majority of her life. If she stayed, would the big man turn her over to her family’s killers? She didn’t think so, but humans stuck together and did not often see beyond the surface.
Nudging the door wider with her nose, she cautiously eased from hiding. The outer room remained empty. On silent pads, she crept through the open lounge quarters and across the tile toward the door. An oddly familiar scent hung in the air and pushed panic closer to the surface. Her heart drummed, and a feeling too much like shame swelled in her stomach. Why should she suffer guilt for fleeing? She hadn’t asked for help, so she owed the striking human nothing.
“Stop. Don’t go, Nadi.”
The man’s deep voice rumbled low with comfort and command. Still, she did not turn, did not trust the stranger with him. Her paws slid on the smooth tile until she found purchase on a wide area rug. She hit the screen door at a run, and it swung against the house wall with the pop of a killer’s rifle. The sound barked in the otherwise silent morning, reminding her of the fate she’d left behind. Perhaps she could find the black wolf; he had to be close. His comforting scent marked the area inside the cabin and out. After leaping a small ravine, she turned to see if the men pursued her. The trees remained quiet, undisturbed by clumsy humans. Relief flowed through her, lifting a bit of the ache and rapidly growing fatigue. Whirling to run again, she jerked back and nearly fell into a trench.
The coal black wolf stood beside a smaller gray one with distinct golden eyes. They obstructed the deer path. To escape, she would have to take the hard way. She spun to do so, but the black wolf jumped to block escape. We won’t hurt you.
Easy to say. Hard to believe.
Let me help.
Why?
As he crept closer, the dusty smell of sage assailed her. She crouched, prepared to attack if necessary though she longed to lean against him, to submit before the power of such an obviously protective Alpha.
The great black beast nuzzled her ruff. No need for raised hackles. I owe you my life, Nadi.
The ebony human had called her the same. How had she not seen it before? Crouching lower, she bowed before the huge shifter, fear fading. What do you want of me, Alpha?
The right to keep you safe.
She peeked around his great shoulder at his scrawny companion. Who’s the coyote?
A laugh burst from him, unnaturally loud in the quiet woods. This skinny wolf is my little brother, Jake. He wants to meet you.
Why?
The thin one seemed familiar somehow. He stepped forward. Do you remember me?
The black wolf held him off with the turn of his broad shoulder. Now’s not the time.
Why? Are you afraid she’ll leave with me?
A savage snarl ripped through the quiet morning. The alpha attempted to intimidate the smaller gray. Nadi’s mine to care for as I see fit. Don’t question me.
I’ll question whenever and whatever I please. I don’t answer to you or anyone else, brother, and until I hear her ask for your protection, I’ll watch over her. Not you.
The two circled one another, hackles raised, growls forceful and vicious. The black wolf rolled the smaller animal to its back. A burn marred the inside of his thin hind leg. NAE—Crib N, Bitch A, Pup E. Her mother’s fifth and final live birth, her baby brother. Images of the scrawny wolf as she had last seen him rushed to fill her mind. The kick which rolled him away from their mother when he tried to protect her from the death shot, the blow to the side of his head, the lifted rifle, and the ache that filled her heart when a bullet grazed his shoulder before he disappeared from her life.
Years of repressed grief burst free in a flash of unbound anger. She leapt forward. Teeth bared, she hit his attacker hard enough to shove him away. Spinning, she crouched low over her brother’s skinny form. He rolled free and rose to stand behind her, but she could not focus beyond the massive animal in front of her. Terror clenched her gut. She had failed to protect the youngest before. She would not do so again. Don’t touch him.
The tension grew, but the dark wolf did not pounce. Back down, Nadi. Be calm.
I won’t let you hurt him.
A nudge ruffled the fur of her hackles as the scrawny wolf leaned against her. He won’t hurt me, Stinky. He’s all talk, no bite.
She looked over her shoulder at the silly grin on his face. She hadn’t known wolves could smile, had never seen a happy expression among those at the mill. The tightness in her chest eased, but her nose burned with unexpected emotion and apprehension did not ease fully. We thought you were dead.
Yeah, I figured the same about you. He sat back on his haunches; the unspoken question rang loud between them.
They dragged Mother’s body to the bone pile. A few days after you left, they sold the three of us to another breeder, claiming our sisters were just reaching the age of estrus, even though it was a lie. I lost count of how many places we landed over the years, but we were always kept under close surveillance, locked up too tight to escape. At the last one Gray tried to shift rather than stand for an inferior being. The guard killed her while the change pain held her in its grip. Sable and I were returned to the mill where we were born shortly after that. When we both failed to go into heat for the fourth cycle, they tied her and rubbed her with the scent of a female wolf in estrus. They put male after male to her, hoping she would conceive. She cried and called for me while those animals raped her, but I couldn’t help, couldn’t—
A shudder rushed through her, and nausea rose. Stumbling, she hurried to the bushes and gagged, her stomach rolling at the memory of Gray’s screams before she was shot down; Sable tied, tail high, and forced to accept the seed of dogs and wolves.
Strong arms circled her, pulling her against a broad, naked chest. The earthy scent of the ebony god soothed her. “Shh, Nadi. No one will harm you here. I won’t allow it.”
The steady beat of his heart and the stroke of his hands on her fur slowly weakened the images.
“It’s all right now, Stinky.” A tall lanky man settled next to her, his hand gentle as he petted her head. Tears shimmered on his lashes.
She crawled from the stranger’s embrace onto her brother’s lap and curl
ed into him with a whimper, calling forth her human form before she continued the story. The other man did not leave, merely waited for her sobs to quiet. “I have no idea why I was spared her fate at first, but after they failed to breed our sister, they put males in my pen but left me untied. When I would not accept the wolves, the handlers grew more and more agitated. Eventually, they used syringes on me, forcing me to take unknown seed only for my body to reject it every time. They intended to shoot me. Said I was worthless.”
A large hand settled on her back, warming her despite the shivers racing through her. “Such bastards deserve to be gutted.”
The giant spoke so calmly of death that a different kind of chill raced over her. She snuggled closer to her brother’s chest, her lips beside his ear so only he would hear. “Don’t leave me again.”
Chapter Five
Ryan watched calmly, rather than howl and rage, as the fragile, beautiful woman strolled to the beat up, open Jeep. When Jake opened the car door for her to climb in, beer cans and candy wrappers tumbled to the ground.
The second his brother ran around to the driver’s side, Ryan stepped forward and placed his hand near Nadi’s where she gripped the windowless frame. “You don’t have to go, you know.”
Big eyes flashed upward before she looked away again. “He’s all the family I have.”
Her cheeks were too prominent on her thin face, the bones in her wrist too fine. He bumped her fingers with his and bent close. “Who will take care of you?”
She pulled away.
Jake leaned across and buckled her seatbelt. “I’ve got this. You don’t have to protect the whole world, bro.”
“I’m not worried about the world.” Stepping back, he glared at his little brother and waited until the Jeep disappeared up the narrow road leading to Jake’s cabin in the hills. Once they were out of sight, he jerked his phone from his pocket and dialed Kya.
His sister’s laugh greeted him. “What now? Did your patient turn on you?”
“She left.”
“What?” Irritation echoed in Kya’s voice. “She can’t take care of herself, yet. She just came out of heavy sedation. Where was your head?”
“Not sure, but I wish I’d put my foot up Jake’s ass.”
“Jake? What did our goofy boy do this time?”
“He took her.”
“And you let him?” Kya’s sigh twisted the knife of worry deeper. “I swear the man can barely take care of himself most days.”
“Yeah, well, her choice.”
“I can’t believe that. No woman in her right mind would choose our scrawny coyote over you. For entertainment’s sake maybe, but nothing else.”
“He’s blood.” Ryan dropped into a chair on the front porch and fought down his wolf. He needed to run, to snarl against the injustice of finding the shifter who’d haunted him only to have her ripped from his home by a man he considered family.
“Really. Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’d never noticed it before, but Jake has the same brand inside his back leg.”
“Are you sure they’re not just from the same mill?”
“Positive. Nadi says they’re from the same litter.”
“And what do you want me to do about it?”
“I need you to talk to her. Take Lynx with you. No way can anyone resist my darling niece.”
“And what exactly should I tell her? ‘You have to go back. Ryan looks intimidating, but he’s too sweet to hurt a cockroach?’”
“Think it would work?”
Kya laughed. “Not unless the bastards at the mill knocked her about the head more than I thought.” Once her humor faded, the silence on the other end lasted too long before she spoke again. “We both saw her scars. Can you blame her for being leery?”
“No. But as much as I love Jake, he’s never been the protective type.”
“Maybe she needs someone who couldn’t hurt her even if he tried.”
He couldn’t hold back a growl. “You do remember he’s biologically related, right?”
“Which makes him doubly safe. You should show her there’s comfort in your strength.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard from your mouth.”
“Why? I used to be afraid until I realized Ja would never allow anyone to harm me.”
He snorted. “You’ve never been afraid of anything in your life.”
“Except losing my mate. Make yourself invaluable, brother dear, and your Nadi will forget about everything else. Guaranteed.”
The line went dead before he could respond, but there was nothing else to say. He didn’t want to push Nadi, but he couldn’t watch her simply drive off into the mountains without him either. Dropping his cell on the side table, he stripped and allowed his wolf to come. Pain ripped through him. He leaned into it then pushed it off before he leaped from the porch and headed after the only woman who’d ever stirred his animal soul.
***
Fidgeting with the unfamiliar clothing that never failed to leave her feeling suffocated, the white bitch watched the black wolf prowl the tree line. His dark coat blurred him into the shadows as it had every night for the past week, but she could smell him. She longed to run to him, to allow him to roll her beneath his massive chest and drive away the horrors haunting her sleep.
“I thought you were asleep.”
She spun toward the door with a yelp. “You scared me, Jake.”
Her lanky brother strolled into the room and sat on the edge of her bed. “Talk to me.”
“Talking won’t make the nightmares go away.”
“Probably not, but neither will pacing in front of the window.” He grinned and patted the mattress beside him. “Come on, what do you have to lose?”
“Pride, self-respect….”
Jake chuckled. “I’ve found there’s only two ways to get rid of recurring dreams if I can’t tell anyone about them.”
Sinking down beside him, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“Running or sex.”
“I’ll pass on the sex—not really what it’s cracked up to be from what I’ve seen.”
He glanced toward the window. “You know he’s out there, waiting for you to come to him.”
“Who?”
Her brother laughed outright at her boldfaced stupidity. “He doesn’t bite and he’s worried. It would help me out a great deal if you’d talk to him.”
“No. I—”
“At least go outside so he can see you’re getting stronger. Give him a run for his money.”
She stood and eased the curtain aside far enough to watch without being seen. Strips of light and dark danced with the pacing alpha. “And if he catches me?”
“Would that be so bad?”
No? Yes! Maybe? I don’t know! “He’s intimidating.”
“Can be, but if you don’t cut him some slack pretty soon, he’s going to self-destruct…and probably take it out on me. His restraint so far’s been impressive, but it won’t last much longer. He works two jobs and hangs outside here the rest of the time. I don’t think he’s slept since you moved in with me.”
Watching him prowl the perimeter made her antsy to shift and stretch her legs. “Two jobs?”
“Lawyer by day, security guard by night.”
She turned, lifting an eyebrow. “Lawyer?”
“Yeah. Why does that surprise you?”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t look like the suit-and-tie type.”
“He’s actually pretty good at it. Most of what he does is pro bono though, so he doesn’t make much money beyond what Grant pays him for his work at the Sanctuary.”
“Why would he work for nothing?”
“Because he cares.” Jake rose and stood beside her at the window. “I told him I didn’t want him near you…figured I should play the brother card at least once. But now, after watching him nearly implode these past few days, I’m wondering if I made the right decision.”
“What if
I had wanted to stay with him?”
Jake grinned. “I could have blustered all I wanted. You would still be in his bed.”
“I was never in his bed…not with him anyway.”
“I know. He wouldn’t take advantage of you. In fact, he could have an endless line of women, but since most of them come to him from rough situations, he tends to sleep alone.”
She didn’t quite know what to say or even think. Moving the curtain aside a bit farther, she stared into the darkness. Still at last, he sat on his haunches, his sleek coat gleaming in the faint glow from the yard light. His eyes seemed to bore into her, delving into her secrets.
“Stinky?”
A smile lifted her heart at the stupid nickname. “Yes?”
“If you cave, I don’t want details, okay?”
Laughing she nudged him with her shoulder. “Not a problem.”
Ryan watched her at the window. The light behind her confirmed she hadn’t gone to bed. Why didn’t Jake make her rest? If her room wasn’t dark before eleven, he’d go in there and tuck her in himself. Restlessness prowled though his veins. Even across the yard, her delicate fragrance, much like wild violets, teased his nose. The sour smell of fear had faded but hadn’t disappeared. The curtain fell, hiding her from view, but the light did not go out even though he waited an age. Damn it, Jake. Make her sleep already.
Make who sleep? Her voice whispered through his mind.
He studied her in wolf form. Glorious did not begin to describe her. What are you doing out here? Her ribs no longer played peek-a-boo from beneath her fur, and the savage, hungry look had gone.
I live here, remember?
You should be in bed. My bed. The unbidden thought crashed through him as it had again and again since she’d left. Why are you traipsing around trying to catch your death?
She laughed. Jake said I should show you I’m getting better. I thought we could go for a run.
You’re too weak.
I won’t get any stronger lying around.
True. Still, he did not want to push her. He moved closer. Her breathing seemed agitated, and the quickstep rhythm of her heartbeat matched his own. Was she winded from walking across the yard, or did her body react to him the same way his responded to hers? He circled her slowly, seeking answers. The scent of arousal came to him then, rich, musky, and so feminine his cock ached. She shifted away, tail down. She could not hide the smell of desire, but all her other signals screamed she wasn’t ready. Shoving aside his own needs, he spun toward the trees. All right, gorgeous, we’ll run.
