On the verge of panicking in this unknown environment and fearing the outcome of the battle, Sabine’s insides quaked in great heaves. Where the hell was Drew? He should be here by now. Her mouth was desert dry, and the synapses in her brain were frozen by fear. She could barely put a coherent thought together, much less try to find his scent trail.
At the unexpected tap of her chin, her eyes flew open to see the subject of her grim reverie grinning down at her. Drew’s face was illuminated by the faint glow shed by the pinpoint lights in the floor, highlighting the sickly yellow ring around his eye. She looked him over, hiding her anxiety as best as she could. He had a few half-healed cuts, which she knew had originally been much deeper by the width of the gashes.
“I hate you,” she informed him through numb lips.
He laughed. The whiteness of his teeth flashed in the dimness, the first genuine smile she’d seen on his usually austere visage. If she weren’t so terrified, she’d find the indentation in his left cheek charming.
“You look a little scared there, princess. You’re shivering.” He slid in beside her, shut them in and fastened a belt around her hips. He flicked open a blanket and wrapped it around her.
“I’m about to be launched into the sky. I have a lot to be scared of and you’re to blame.” Her accusation added to his amusement. A soft laugh slipped through his lips.
“What the heck do you have to be so happy about?”
“The rush from kicking some ass and I’m going home.” He let out a satisfied sigh. “It’s a small pleasure in the middle of all this much crap. We need to grab them when we can.” A hard glint flitted though his eyes.
Regretting that she’d shattered his mood, she changed the subject. “How much damage did…?” Sabine clamped her lips shut when the deep growl of the engine powering the machine increased. It was a threat as good as any issued by an irate wolf. She wanted to cower against Drew’s body, to hang on to something tangible. Instead, she pressed her spine to the solid piece of metal behind her to hold herself up.
“Let’s go collect your father and sisters.”
The vehicle lifted vertically. Sabine’s heart heaved into her throat. She shut her eyes and grabbed onto Drew’s bare thigh, her nails sinking into his sinew. One thing she didn’t really need was to see how high off the ground they were. Drew gently lifted her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. With gratitude, she gripped his hand and held on for all she was worth.
Her stomach lurched when they banked at a sharp angle and soared out of the valley like an angry bee.
When they didn’t plummet to their deaths as she’d expected, Sabine opened her eyes and took a tentative peek through the window. She marveled at what she saw. The trees below had shrunk to miniature shrubs, and the receding town looked toy-like in its smallness. The star-riddled sky above them was a blanket of blackness broken by puffy night-darkened clouds.
Suspended in the air, they seemed to be the only living things in the vast expanse of the sky. Gradually, her fear gave way to wonder as they flew amongst the stars. It was exhilarating in the most fearsome way.
She didn’t recognize anything from where she sat. How would they locate her family? If they were on foot, she’d have used familiar landmarks to find her way home.
“We’ll never find them,” she shouted over the din, her anxiety seeping though in her voice.
Drew sat back and smirked. “Yes, we will. I left a GPS locater to guide us in.”
“Modern gadgets,” she scoffed. She refused to reveal that she was impressed by his astuteness. His knowing grin revealed she hadn’t fooled him one bit. “It’s quite all right to appreciate my resourcefulness, you know, Sabine. I’m your mate.” His soft taunt against her ear dissipated some of her worry.
She turned to face Drew. “It could also be construed as deviousness. That’s not a trait to be proud of.” Amber-ringed brown eyes met hers.
His gaze heated. “Oh I don’t know about that. I’m going to have to be pretty slick to get you where I want you.”
There was no misinterpreting what he meant. She felt an answering heat rush through her body.
Sabine jumped when the door slid open revealing a man dressed in a drab one-piece garment. He seemed to walk on air and she let out a yelp. Sabine braved it and poked her head out to see that he stood on a bar attached to the underbelly of the beast hovering in the air. Madness.
“Where did he come from?” she squeaked.
“The cockpit.” Drew tried to keep his lips from twitching, but he lost the battle and grinned teasingly at her. “Luke, Sabine. Sabine, meet Luke Ambervane.”
He flashed Sabine a grin and a friendly nod in greeting. “Hey there. Ready, Drew?” the man asked as he handed him clothes similar to his own.
Drew grunted. “Not in a million years, but I’ve committed to doing this.” He pulled on the clothes and buckled on the oddest contraption. Sabine tried to make sense of it. She winced in sympathy for Drew when he grunted as the straps tightened between his thighs. The men then attached ropes to a device by the door and to themselves.
“Since I’m risking life and limb here, how about a kiss for luck?” Drew stared at her with a devilish glint in eyes, his hair billowing out behind him in the choppy breeze. Sabine shook her head. She wasn’t moving from where she was.
“See you soon, if I survive,” Drew said and stepped off into thin air.
Letting out a strangled shriek, Sabine instinctively reached out to stop him from falling. Peering over the edge, she caught Drew’s belly-churning slide down the ropes. They landed on the barely recognizable rocky formation above her little hideaway.
Sabine watched Drew slip into the cave and quickly reappear with her father in his arms. He strapped the lax lupine to himself, reattached the tether, and gave a signal. The whine of the automated winch signaled their climb.
Sabine whimpered, feeling useless as Drew and her father swung wildly in midair. To Sabine’s relief, Drew finally steadied himself by bracing his feet on the bar he’d leapt from moments before. Sabine scrambled back to give them room. After unhooking Balthazar, he passed him to her. Gratefully, she gathered her unconscious father into her arms and settled him across her lap to make him as comfortable as possible in the limited space available. Her father was safe. Unshed tears of relief burned her eyes, as she swaddled him in a blanket.
In short order, Ala popped into view, clinging to Luke like a limpet. Sabine grinned at her waxy face. Helped in by Luke, Ala crawled across the floor on shaky knees.
“I don’t know whether to be struck dumb with sheer horror or be amazed by what’s happened,” Ala gasped. She gave Sabine a tremulous grin, plopped herself down and wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders.
“I know exactly how you feel.” More than a little jittery herself, Sabine took comfort from the warm presence of Ala’s body. She gratefully took the blanket Sabine offered her.
Ishbel appeared next, her eyes shell-shocked, lips pinched and colorless. She scrambled in beside them. “I’m never, ever doing that again.”
“Where is the girl?” Sabine shifted as best she could to make room for Ishbel.
“She’s coming up next. She’s the lucky one being sedated, so she’ll be oblivious. We swung in the air like a pendulum. I might need something to settle my nerves myself.” Ishbel covered her pale face with her hands.
“Still think this was a good idea?” Sabine inquired, with a lack of sisterly sympathy.
“I’m not sure right now with my stomach doing somersaults. At the time it seemed like a great adventure,” Ishbel moaned, as Ala wrapped one end of the blanket around her.
All conversation ceased when Drew inched up in front of them, the unconscious girl bound to him. The men untied her and laid her on Ishbel’s lap. They covered her and retook their seats. Drew dropped a cloth bundle by her feet. Seeing the faded familiar print of her mother’s shawl, she looked askance at Drew.
“I figured you’d want your treasu
res.” He slammed the door shut and secured it.
In the distance, a howl resounded through the air. Goose bumps rose up on Sabine’s skin. She’d never heard a wolf-call so full of rage and promised reprisals bayed so vociferously.
Drew’s face lost its playfulness and a grim twist of his lips replaced his cocky grin. Sabine ached for Drew and could only imagine how difficult it was to stomach the thought of his sister in the hands of a wolf filled with such anger and hate.
Sabine looked at her own siblings, and love for them welled up inside her. The short time she’d been separated from Ishbel and Ala she’d felt disconnected. Drew had not had contact with his sister for several weeks.
Sabine reached up and squeezed his thigh in a gesture of comfort. “We’ll get her back, Drew. Anything you need from any of us you only have to ask.” Her sisters nodded in agreement.
His eyes glittered as he considered, then they cleared. “They’ve had her too long. Now I’ve raised the stakes. I’ll take your help and pray we won’t live to regret it.” He looked away, but not before Sabine caught a glimpse of the burden he carried.
A heavy silence fell over the enclosure. Sabine didn’t know what to say to lighten the mood. She sat there with the weight of her father on her lap, the steadfast presence of her sisters beside her, and remembered what she was, what she sprang from.
She was a Silverwolf, warriors who were always on the front line of the battles in times past, when they fought to secure the right to exist.
The remnants of their once large pack may not be battle-hardened, but the instinct to fight was ingrained. In them he gained skill that couldn’t be manufactured. He had the stealth and the means to hide himself from those he hunted at his disposal. The Silverwolves’ word was gold, and they would see this through.
Chapter Fourteen
Sabine let out a shaky relieved sigh when the aircraft finally set down in a lit clearing. They’d been in the air for far too long and her stomach was raw from the anxiety she’d experienced after she’d come down from the adrenaline high of her family’s rescue.
Bright beacons atop tall poles created a wide circle of artificial light around them with an eye-searing brilliance. Sabine blinked and squinted against the glare. The tension coming off her sisters was palpable. She rubbed her cheek against their shoulders and the small gesture seemed to comfort them. Ishbel and Ala smiled back at her, lips quivering with the same uncertainty she felt.
The door of the craft slid open and a gust of wind fluttered the tendrils of hair surrounding her face. Sabine drew in the sharp tang of pine. The scent wafting by her had a foreignness to it. The thinness of the air told her they’d landed at a much higher elevation than her former home.
Drew jumped out, shedding the garment he wore. He lifted his head and breathed in deeply before he let out a long emotion-filled howl.
It resounded with the joy of his homecoming, grief for his missing sister, and a summons to his pack. Answering howls preceded the flood of spoor filling her nostrils. The familial Lunedare scent was prevalent in the air.
The rhythmic thud of paws and feet hitting the ground alerted her to the approach of his pack running towards them. Most came as weres, but others came in human form. They milled around Drew. The wolves rubbed their sleek pelts on his legs. Other pack members slapped his back or drew him into hugs. Then the gathered Lunedares faced the sky and bayed to welcome their alpha home.
Sabine blinked back the tears burning her eyes. There was nothing more evocative or revealing as a were family’s song. Entwined in the melody was their reaffirmation of their allegiance to Drew. The cadence of their voices rose and fell, telling of what had transpired in Drew’s absence, the births, deaths, personal triumphs and failures.
Sabine listened and learned. The last soaring note of the Lunedares’ refrain revealed their personal creeds and the strength of the Lunedare clan.
Sabine gulped. What had her father gotten her into? Taking care of her pack was easy, but by becoming Drew’s helpmate, the wellbeing of these weres was now her responsibility as well.
In all her life, Sabine hadn’t known a mere fraction of this many people. The thought of meeting them all and leading by Drew’s side, if only until they retrieved his sister, scared her spitless. Something akin to panic welled up inside her. Sweat dampened her skin. The embarrassing stench of her own insecurities reached her sensitive nose.
Drew’s head turned in her direction. A slight frown creased his brow as he stared at her. He extricated himself from his clan mates, leaned into the aircraft, and slid his hands under Balthazar’s body. “Here, let me take him.”
Sabine reluctantly relinquished her hold on her father. Drew gently lifted Balthazar from her lap and deposited him in a pole stretcher supported by two men. He did the same to the unconscious human. “Rafe, go on ahead with them. Tell Greta we’ll be up in a minute.”
Drew helped Ishbel and Ala to the ground.
Finally, he lifted Sabine out and set her down to face the intense, unwavering scrutiny of his family. They stared at her with avid curiosity. Sabine wanted to squirm. She held herself in physical and emotional check, willing her body not to react, dampening the anxiety-filled scent she exuded. It wouldn’t do for her to cower in fear the first time Drew’s pack set eyes on her. She pulled herself upright and met the gazes fixed on her. All they saw was what she wanted them to see, a façade of cool confidence, though she quivered internally.
Drew pulled her body back against his torso and rested his hands possessively on her shoulders. “My mate, Sabine.”
“It took you long enough, boy.” An older were stepped out from the crowd, his approval obvious in his wide grin.
The grizzled giant lumbered over to Sabine, plucked her off the ground, and pulled her into a suffocating hug. “Welcome, niece. I’m Gustav, uncle to this reprobate you’ve tied yourself to.” He dipped his head and bared his neck, acknowledging her as his alpha’s mate.
Sabine sniffed his skin, memorizing his scent, and bared her own neck to Drew’s uncle as a sign of her respect.
“She’s not one of us.” The statement rang out, silencing the low murmurs of welcome. The milling crowd parted and a beautiful woman stalked forward.
All Sabine could think was, this were was everything she was not. Sleek, smooth, and polished like a gem, she carried herself with the self-assurance of a woman well aware of her of sensual appeal.
She shot Sabine a scathing glare before she fixed her eyes on Drew. “She is not fit to be your mate.”
A throaty rumble preceded Drew’s harsh reprimand. “You’re out of line, Jules. Acknowledge my mate.”
“This backward savage you’ve thrust upon us?” the angry woman scoffed, as she turned to face the Lunedares, her hand swept out drawing all eyes to Sabine. “We’re straddling a fine line here, living as weres, but embracing enough of the modern world to blend in. She is a danger to us. The woman we’re expected to obey as Drew’s helpmate is an ignorant child.”
Jules turned to face Sabine, eyes glittering triumphantly. “It’s not too late. He can set her aside. She doesn’t carry Drew’s scent on her or his mate’s mark.” She preened, thrusting out her breasts. She slid her hand down the lush curve of her hip. “Our alpha would be better off with someone who understands the ways and needs of our pack.”
“What made you think this is a democracy?” Drew growled. The rest of crowd shifted back to form a circle around them, leaving Jules to face their alpha’s displeasure on her own.
Uncertainty flickered across Jules’ face. Her gaze shifted to a were standing apart from the throng. The malice in his expression took Sabine by surprise. He’d be one to watch in the future.
“It’s not, but the novelty of this feral girl has apparently skewed your judgment,” Jules spat rashly.
Behind her, Drew tensed to spring. Sabine clamped her hand over his taut thigh to stop him asserting his dominance. She had to show her detractors she was fit to stand beside their a
lpha. The barely perceptible relaxing of his muscles gave her leave to handle Jules as she chose.
The sharp insults found their mark at the heart of her doubts about living among the Lunedares. Worse yet, it hit a sore point between her and Drew. She couldn’t bring herself to accept Drew’s mark. Pride before a fall, she supposed.
Yet to have such an intimate matter brought up by a virtual stranger irked her to no end.
Sabine stiffened her spine. She’d be damned if she’d allow a few barbs from this haughty bitch shatter her self-worth. Despite the slur against her and her family, Sabine maintained her serene expression. She stepped away from Drew and took stock of her adversary.
The challenge couldn’t go unanswered. Pack politics demanded it, and her pride wouldn’t allow her not to take up the gauntlet Jules had tossed down publicly. Drew could sanction Jules later, after she took a tuft or two out of her hide.
“If I’m not a suitable mate for your alpha, then just who did you have in mind? Yourself…perhaps?” Sabine took her time to do a slow perusal of the woman. “Maybe he considered you and found you wanting. Your charms are umm…a bit overblown.”
Temper flashed in Jules’s eyes. “He’s enjoyed my lush curves more than once. And he kept coming back for more.” Jules ran her hand over her breast, down the slim length of her torso to splay her fingers over her hip. “Maybe that’s why he hasn’t taken a bite out of you yet? His tastes run to the sophisticated. A country bumpkin like you couldn’t possibly cater to his needs.”
The pain Sabine felt imagining Drew and Jules locked in an intimate embrace surprised her. “Yes he’s taken what you’ve offered, as any red-blooded were would. You were one of many, as he was to you. Even now, you carry the musk of other men on you. That would make you a little shopworn, in my unsophisticated opinion.”
Her Wanted Wolf Page 13
