by Delta James
James smiled. Will was no alpha, but the two men had been friends through several boarding schools and colleges—not to mention many weekends of carnal debauchery.
“That might be far more relaxing than taking her home to Ravenscar. I fear my father might want to actually watch her being bred.”
James shuddered at the thought.
“Ewww. Much better to bring her home to my place where we can all lie in the sun and convince them that it’s not the worst thing in the world to have an arranged marriage, so to speak.”
If Shannon’s earlier response had been any indication, convincing her would consist mostly of keeping her well laid. He couldn’t remember ever having experienced the level of pleasure and closeness he’d felt with her. It hadn’t been even a half an hour and already his cock was hard as granite and a large knot was forming. As much as he had enjoyed his first time with her, he wanted desperately to be able to spend a great deal of time making love to her, not just enjoying the carnal delight that was his mate. But more than that, he wanted to experience burying his knot in her, then the sensual intimacy of the tie that followed.
James nodded as they took their seats in the great dining hall. The auction would begin after dinner. The women were to be auctioned off in reverse order of their worth. His Shannon would be last. For James, time seemed to slow to a crawl but at last dinner was cleared away and the auctioneer called for the opening bid on the first woman.
* * *
Riley nodded at Skylar, Darby, and Roz—women she had once aspired to be like and now called comrades. “It’s time, ladies.”
They crossed the small open field and concealed themselves behind a long forgotten and half destroyed wall. They moved in pairs around the house planting incendiary devices. If all went as planned, their escape would be easy as there would be no one left to follow. Ava had the detonator and as soon as all seven women were clear, she would set off the bombs. Between the structural damage and resulting fires, they hoped to completely destroy the house and hopefully all those within it.
* * *
Cameron was watching and saw the women as they began their assault on the house. He smiled as he watched them plant the bombs.
“Good girl, Riley. You take out as many of those bastards as you can.”
“Are they all out there?”
Cameron shook his head. “No, just the four I suspected—Roz, Riley, Skylar, and Darby.”
Jean-Michel nodded. “The blooded warriors. Remind me, Cameron, not to ever doubt your mate’s skill at this sort of thing.”
Declan said, “That means Ava and Maddie are where?”
Dylan nodded toward a clump of trees close to the road. “My guess is they have the vehicles stashed there.”
Griffin nodded. “The moment those bombs go off, they’ll get those engines started. You have to give it to them, they thought this out.”
Cameron smiled. “As I told you, Riley is good at this.”
They sat back as the women entered the house and were gone from sight.
Oliver shook his head. “I don’t think I ever understood until now what it is we ask of them when we ask them to wait.”
* * *
They were in the house. So far, so good. They carefully climbed the back staircase and Riley quietly and efficiently took out the man guarding the hall at the main stairs. They dragged his corpse into one of the unoccupied rooms.
Skylar, Roz, and Darby went after their designated targets while Riley kept watch.
* * *
Shannon shifted uncomfortably, trying to take the weight off her punished backside. Her thoughts drifted back to James. She relaxed as she recalled the way he seemed to be able to soothe her. But it wasn’t soothing she wanted, it was revenge.
She wanted to live long enough to extract it—wanted to feel deMoncada’s blood running through her fingers while she watched the light fade from his eyes. She wanted to find Catherine and ask her why she had forsaken her and taken up a new life... and as something not quite human, no less. Then, she just wanted peace—either to live in solitude or to die. Her body shivered. She wanted to believe it was from the chill in the air, but she knew it was from the pleasure she had experienced from James.
The door opened and a stunning blonde entered the room, placing a finger over her lips indicating Shannon should be silent. She crossed the room and quickly unshackled Shannon, unrolling a small bundle of clothing. It wasn’t much but it would cover her main body.
“Here, put these on. I’m Darby Gautier. I’m part of a team of women here to get you and the other two out. Are there any other prisoners here?”
“No,” Shannon whispered, afraid to trust the sound of her own voice. “Just the three of us to be sold but there’s an awful lot of men.”
Darby grinned at her. “Not to worry. We planted an awful lot of bombs and Riley, you met Riley once before—the redhead in Belfast?” Shannon nodded, tears filling her eyes. Riley had come for her as she promised. “Riley’s pretty damn good at this. Now let’s get you out of here.”
“Where to?”
“That’ll be up to each of you to decide, but right now, let’s get you all to the vehicles we’ve got waiting. Can you walk?”
“Walk? Girlfriend, I can fly.”
Darby giggled in spite of herself. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not funny, but just then you reminded me of your sister Catherine.”
Shannon said nothing and followed Darby. Darby cracked open the door and waited until Riley motioned the all clear. The two of them joined another redhead and one of the two other girls at the top of a back staircase.
“Sky, let’s start down. We can go slow and quiet and wait for them at the bottom of the stairs,” said Darby.
“Good thinking.”
They started down. Within moments the other kidnapped shifter accompanied by a beautiful brunette joined them, followed up by Riley.
Shannon hugged her. “You came.”
Riley nodded. “I said I would. Let’s get you out of here. You owe me a drink.”
They made it to the bottom of the stairs.
“Stay close,” said Roz. “There’s a short open space but see those trees? The minute we hit them, our friends blow this house. Hopefully we’ll get them all, but if not, we’ll have time to get away.”
Riley nodded. “You’re all to get in the van. Our friends Ava and Maddie will get you to our rendezvous point. If no one comes out, we’ll be right behind you. If they do, we’ll ensure they can’t follow you.”
Shannon touched her arm. “Let me stay with you. I can fight.”
Riley smiled. “You’ve been through enough. We’ve got this. Trust me—those three,” she said, indicating Roz, Skylar, and Darby, “once did some serious damage to a bunch of Serbian mutts who thought they’d raid their home... didn’t work out too well for the Serbs.”
Darby hooked her arm around Riley. “And this one has been flying under the radar, kicking ass, taking names, and getting women out for a few years. Let us do what we’re good at. Ava and Maddie might need you. But go, rest. We’ve got you.”
They began to cross the open field as swiftly as they could. As they reached the copse of trees, they heard a lone howl immediately before the explosives were set off by Ava. All of the women noticed as Shannon shuddered in response to the call. The six women who had come together to liberate those deMoncada had thought to sell for a high profit exchanged a brief glance before helping the women into the van.
They closed the door and watched as Ava and Maddie sped off into the night. They turned to watch the house continue to experience explosions here and there and begin to tumble in on itself as it started to burn.
They saw several men run from the house toward their position. Before they could get close, the women heard gunfire and watched as those who would have pursued them were either cut down or ran back toward the estate for cover.
“No,” wailed Riley as she saw deMoncada’s private helicopter take flight... no doub
t with the bastard aboard.
“Don’t worry, Riley, we’ll get him. He may have escaped this firestorm, but he won’t escape what’s coming,” said Skylar.
“So, what do you think, girls? Do we wait for them to come here or do we head back to the rendezvous and wait for them there?”
Roz smiled. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m kind of glad they’re here.”
“So, you like getting your ass beat?” teased Skylar.
“No, but that was unavoidable the minute we planned that party with ulterior motives.”
“Explain to me again, why I adore Jean-Michel? Like Ava said about Declan, he’s going to be so pissed on a variety of levels, all of which are so going to get me spanked. I just hope he doesn’t use his belt. Jesus, I hate that.”
Both Skylar and Roz nodded and then all three looked at Riley.
“I’m such a model of good behavior, no one has ever taken a belt to my lily white behind.”
“I’m taking bets,” said Roz, “that by this time next week, our friend Riley here will not be able to make that claim to fame.”
All four women double-checked to ensure that none of those who had escaped the inferno the house had become were crossing the field toward their position. Once they were assured that was the case, they all got into the SUV and sped after the van to return to the warehouse.
* * *
Nothing was said by those in the van as they drove through the night.
They turned into the warehouse area and pulled up to the door of the large unit they were using as a kind of staging ground for what they had accomplished that night.
“You wanted to leave, right?” Maddie asked Shannon.
“Yes. There was just this one man. He had planned to buy me and he thought we would be friends or mates or some such crap. Bastard. Why do you ask? You can’t possibly think I enjoyed what was done to me.”
“Of course not,” said Ava.
“Then why the meaningful glance between all of you?”
Ava turned to Maddie. “I’m shifter-born; you’re not. You’re the writer and better with words. This one is yours.”
Shannon glanced sharply at Ava before turning to Maddie. “They turned you too?” she asked.
“No, I chose to turn when I found Griffin. He is my fated mate. I wanted to be able to be one with him in all things.”
“You must be joking. You were human and gave that up... so some guy doesn’t have to worry about biting you when he fucks you? And...” Shannon suddenly noticed the prominent alpha marks on both women. “You let them do that to you?”
“Let really isn’t the right word...”
“So, like turning you, it’s done without your agreement? What? Do they just hold you down and rip a part of your neck out?”
“It’s not like that at all,” said Maddie. “I wanted Griffin to mark me as his. I wear his mark proudly.”
“Then you’re as sick as deMoncada. I take it my sister wears the mark of this DeMedici bastard proudly as well?” Shannon asked sarcastically.
“She does. Marco loves your sister, adores her...”
“Fucks her whenever he wants, breeds her, forces some gross distension of his cock inside her...”
“I think that’s a mutual thing,” interjected Ava, causing Shannon to growl at her.
“Shannon, Ava, you’re upsetting the other girls. Shannon, all of those who came after you are mated to alpha males who rule their packs. They are part of a coalition of wolves who have taken on deMoncada as well as the Ruling Council to put an end to what has been going on.”
“They’ve done a lousy job,” said Shannon bitterly.
“But these men that you’re mated to, they’re going to force us to go back to where we came from? Shannon was snatched off the street. My father sold me to deMoncada. I won’t go back. I won’t,” said the dark-haired female.
“My Declan is turned.”
“Who would, or could, do that to a human alpha male?” said the other woman with tawny blonde hair.
Maddie grinned. “Oh, this one is all yours, Ava.”
“That would be me,” said Ava. “We were having a rather good time in bed and I bit him by mistake.”
The look of shock and disgust on Shannon’s face registered with Ava as she watched her in the rearview mirror.
“Then you’re as bad as the rest of them,” said Shannon.
The van pulled into the warehouse and Ava and Maddie helped Nichole, the dark-haired hostage, and Juliet, the tawny-haired one, out of the van. Shannon refused their help and moved away from the group.
The women inside the warehouse heard the SUV pull up shortly after they did. The overhead door opened and it pulled in, but the sight that greeted those in the SUV was not what they expected.
Chapter Eleven
James crouched behind cover, watching Shannon leave. That damn redheaded avenger person. Who did she think she was? She had his mate. Shannon didn’t need saving; he’d already done that. And who the fuck was shooting at him? He couldn’t even begin to describe the pain that clenched his gut as he saw Shannon run away from him. He called to her—howled his pain to the sky and she ran anyway. She had to have heard him. Why had she run?
“Shit, that was too close. Who the fuck is shooting at us? Do you think it was your mate?” asked Will—one of the few that like James had escaped the fiery inferno that had become the manor house.
James shook his head. He didn’t think it was Shannon. The shots had come from a slightly different direction, but he had no idea who it might be.
“DeMoncada?” James asked.
“Got away clean in his helicopter. Left his men and the rest of us behind to die. Cold-hearted bastard.”
James nodded. “He’s got a lot to answer for... including the return of my mate. I paid for her. I have no doubt he’s already taken the amount from our accounts.”
Will grinned. “Yeah, that’s not a phone call I envy you. I may not have had one of the winning bids, but at least I didn’t pay for a mate who is now on the lam.”
“Well, I’ll just tell him I mean to track her down and will not rest until I have marked and claimed her.”
“I’d offer to help, but my father had made it clear that if I didn’t bring home a mate from the auction, he would be sending out inquiries on my behalf. God, I hope we at least like each other.”
“Will, do you believe in fated mates?”
“You mean the whole destined to be together? Can sense each other’s presence? Can call to one another so that they don’t just hear you but feel you in their bones?” laughed Will.
James nodded and turned to look his friend in the eye. “Yes. Don’t let him marry you to just anyone. And don’t keep fucking around. Go find your fated mate. They exist, Will.”
Will looked at his friend incredulously. “You were called to her?”
“Yes. It’s the reason I paid a half million dollars to ensure no one else touched her. I wanted to kill deMoncada before for what he did to her. I plan to track them both down. And when I find him, I mean to kill him.”
“And when you find her?”
James smiled ruefully. “Somehow I have to convince a woman who’s had her whole world torn apart, been held hostage for over a year, been abused and then subjected to being sold at auction that the guy who bought her is her fated mate and that we belong together. No big deal, right?”
“I like your odds for killing deMoncada better. Seriously, if I can help, let me know. Fated mate, huh?”
James chuckled. “Proof that karma’s a bitch.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Think about it. Who would think a guy like me who didn’t believe in fated mates would be forced to go to an auction to buy a mate at his father’s behest and find a turned girl in a cage is the one fate has determined he claim? He gets to pay a small fortune for a mate who, as I think about it, very likely has no knowledge of fated mates, hates his guts, and wants to kill everyone that has
had anything to do with what’s happened to her. You have to admit it’s a rather cosmic clusterfuck.”
“Well, you always did like a challenge.”
James shook his head, smiling. “I think all those immature, irresponsible, and unkind things I’ve done in my life are about to come home to roost.”
“So, what’s our next move?”
“Our?”
“Sure,” said Will with a grin. “You don’t really think I’m going to let you go off by yourself and have all the fun, do you? Besides, you’re what passes for my best friend.” He stopped for a moment and got serious, something rare for him. “Seriously, James. If you feel called to this woman and she’s out there, I know you aren’t going to stop until you find her. You may have paid for her, but deMoncada will be after her as well. And she can’t go home. She isn’t human anymore. So, I guess it’s up to you and me to go find and save your fated mate. Who knows, maybe I’ll find my own somewhere along the way.”
* * *
“They got away clean,” said Dylan.
“And they know we’re here,” said Oliver, smiling. “If I know my beloved mate, she will be looking to make a deal to keep from feeling my belt across her backside.”
“That’s all well and good, gentlemen, but where the hell are they going?” said Griffin.
Jean-Michel grinned. “If I were a betting man, and we all know I am, I would say a warehouse down by the waterfront. One of my men found a link in Darby’s cache that led to the website where they rented it.”
“Then I suggest we get there to ensure they don’t decide to try and put some distance between them and us,” said Declan.
* * *
When the SUV containing Riley, Darby, Roz, and Skylar entered the warehouse, they found that Shannon had separated from the others and was holding one of the guns they had left there. She motioned for them to get out of the SUV.
“Move away from the vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them,” Shannon said levelly.
“Take it easy, Shannon...” started Riley, trying to establish some kind of rapport with the woman.
