Safe? They had a biker gang looking for them. They weren’t safe anywhere. Tranquility engulfed her, as if someone had placed that soft blanket over her, and she just wanted to cuddle into it and stare into a warm fire while a storm raged outside.
“Good girl. You know Gage and I would never allow anything or anyone to hurt you or Rylee. She is just across the street with my best enforcers guarding her. If she needs you, Mom will let us know.”
Avery took a deep breath, and the tension left her.
“Did you compel her?” Gage walked past her and closed the door after he was sure Evelyn and Rylee were safely inside Sam’s house.
“No.” He gave her a meaningful stare. “Not yet, but that doesn’t mean I won’t though. If she can’t break through this nonsense in her head, then I will help her out.”
“What?” Avery turned and faced Sam. “What are you talking about?”
Sam stepped closer to her. “Why did you leave without letting me at least see to your aftercare? That was intense back there, and I’m sure it affected you.”
“What? I asked you first.” Avery almost laughed. Did people really do that? Sure, she’d read about it, but people didn’t really do aftercare. She’d looked around on a few websites, and most of them were full of men that wanted a weak woman to boss around.
“You didn’t allow me to make sure all of your needs were met, or even make sure you got home okay. Your car isn’t roadworthy.” He crowded into her space and towered over her. “Did you walk home?”
She glanced over at Gage, wondering if she’d get any help from the softhearted brother. He stood with his legs planted far apart and his arms crossed over his chest.
“Sorry, darlin’, he’s not going to help you out here.” Sam recaptured her attention again with his baritone voice that had an animalistic growl to it.
“Sorry. I thought we were done. You were in the shower, and Gage was gone.”
“No, I was breaking up a brawl, and you know it.” Gage didn’t sound any happier than Sam was. What was the big deal anyways? Ladies went home all the time, and the men didn’t follow her home all butthurt that they didn’t get to wash her up.
Sam’s breath was hot on her face. He was seriously in her bubble and not letting her have any avenue of escape. “I was getting some hot soapy water and a washcloth to take care of you, and you ran away.”
“I didn’t run away. I—I had to come home.” She mumbled the lame excuse. She couldn’t put into words her fear that she was letting Rylee down by staying out so late.
“You had to come home?” Sam said slowly as if he was trying to understand her.
Gage leaned against the doorframe. “She’s terrified, but not of us or what we did.”
“I know. We are going to dig into these feelings you struggle with. We’re not like the assholes that fuck a girl and then leave her there without any aftercare.” The promise in Sam’s tone made Avery shiver.
Avery backed up a step. It was hard enough to fight off Sam, but add in Gage, and the war was lost. Gage would tear down her already weak walls with his charm, and then Sam would run her over.
“Look, Avery. I wanted to wait a little longer to give you time to adjust. I didn’t plan for this to happen tonight, but with the shit that’s gone on, this is as good of a time as any.”
“What?”
Sam took several steps, closing in on the distance she’d created moments ago, and touched where he’d bitten her. It tingled, and she gasped as pleasure filled her. Before her knees buckled, Gage was behind her and had his arms around her.
“How did you do that? Who are you?” Avery rested her head against Gage and pushed her breast harder into Gage’s hand. Her nipples were so sensitive she nearly came from the heat of his hand seeping through her shirt and bra.
“Your body recognizes mine as its mate. Our mating bond is new, and our bodies crave one another.”
“What are you talking about? Why don’t you ever answer my questions?”
Sam drew in a deep breath. “I’ve put it off thinking of a way to soften the blow for you. I’m so used to just changing memories so people forget, that I’m not used to telling people much about us. I could give you a long speech, or I could just show you. I wanted to do this slower, but, well, here goes.”
Avery watched as Sam’s eyes glowed again. She gasped in a breath. “What are you? How can you do that?”
“I am a Lycan Alpha, and Gage here is my littermate. Normally, he’d be the pack Beta, but we both had too much Alpha blood. He’s sort of an Alpha without a pack, so he helps with this one. The pack is too large for one Lycan to run alone anyways.”
Avery burst out laughing. This was a joke, right? “Okay, seriously Sam. How did you do that with your eyes?”
Gage’s grip tightened on her as he stared at Sam. “Just do it.”
Sam nodded. “Well, at least Rylee isn’t going to hear anything.”
“Yeah.” Gage stroked his hands up and down her arms. “I’m not sure she can handle any more shocks, even though you put her out for that so-called therapist.”
Sam’s body started to melt. His face elongated, and fur grew out of his skin. Right before her eyes, his body blurred and morphed from a man into a giant wolf. It wasn’t real. No, she was seeing things. She shook her head, and then she back-kicked as hard as she could and nailed Gage right in the balls.
“Fuck.” Gage bent over, cupping his nuts in his hands, and his breath wheezed out of his chest. “Son of a bitch, that fucking hurt.”
Absolute terror blinded her for a moment. She was back at the scene of her old apartment when the biker men turned into dogs. They attacked the guys firing at Collin until they were shot. Then, unbelievably, they turned back into men. Sam and Gage were one of them. She’d been in the lion’s den all along.
Fight or flight hit her hard, and she had to get to Rylee and run. She couldn’t spare a glance at either of them as she ran in stark terror. Thank God, the front door was still unlocked after Gage closed it. She pulled open the door and leapt off the porch. Thankfully, she was wearing flat shoes, so she could put all of her energy into running instead of keeping her balance. She could hear heavy breathing right behind her. “Rylee,” she screamed.
She put on a burst of speed and her lungs screamed as she puffed for air, but Gage ran beside her, not even out of breath. His hands gripped her, and she let out a piercing, terror-filled scream. “Help me!”
“Get her in the house,” Sam said quietly from behind her as Gage held her. Sam gazed at her with his dark eyes. The compassion brimming in them did little to calm her down. “Avery, I know you’re frightened, but it’s going to be okay.
“No. I want my baby. Give me my baby! Help me. Someone help me!” She screamed in hysterical cries.
Sam stood before her once again with glowing eyes. “Avery, calm down. No one is going to hurt you or Rylee.” At his command, her body relaxed. The fear ran out of her like water ran off the side of a fountain. “I didn’t want to do this, love. I’m so sorry, but if Rylee hears you, it will scare her.”
Sam picked her up as porch lights came on. “What’s going on out here?” Marvin Ogden yelled from his front door. Avery could see the shotgun in his hand as he stood in the shadow of his doorway.
“Sorry Marvin,” Gage called. “Rylee had a nasty episode, and Avery fell while trying to catch her. We’ve taken care of it.”
“Gage?” Marvin stepped outside to get a better look.
“Yes, sir. It’s me.” Gage waved at him, and Marvin lowered his gun. Avery wanted to scream, but Sam had somehow paralyzed her voice. Marvin wouldn’t see her even if she could wave. Sam held her in the darkest area of her yard to hide both her and his nakedness.
“Okay. Well, goodnight then, boys.”
With that farewell, her only hope of rescue went back into the house. Tears streamed down her face. She’d really gotten herself into a mess this time.
Chapter Ten
Sam held her clo
se to him as Marvin went back into the house. Gage talked to the other human neighbors that had come out to investigate Avery’s screams, and one by one, they went back into their homes.
He stroked her arms to help keep her fear under control. He hated that she was so frightened, but there was no easy way to bring her into their lives. He couldn’t step out with so many humans around. Sure, he could tamper with their memory, but miss one and rumors started. Putting out little fires, especially in a tense time like this, was exhausting. Their enemies could use her as a way to get to them if they didn’t keep her and Rylee closely protected.
Then there were the humans after her. The information they’d gathered on The Brotherhood and the attack against Avery and Rylee were generating more questions than answers. As Avery claimed, both St Louis, Missouri, and Harrison, Arkansas, police dropped the investigation the day after the crime. Violent attacks against women and children, especially in their own homes, were not crimes police usually ignored. The second attack was when Avery and Rylee were in a safe house that should have triggered an aggressive response from law enforcement, but nothing happened. Instead, they treated it as a drive-by shooting in a gang-infested area and filed the case as a low priority.
A shudder ran through her body, bringing Sam back to the present. “Shhhh. It’s okay, Avery. Gage will have everyone back inside their homes in a moment. You’re okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you. I know you’re scared right now, but everything is going to be okay.” Sam closed his eyes and focused on trying to help her calm down. He needed her thinking as clearly as possible tonight as they discussed their mating, but her terror for herself and Rylee was a strong wall resisting him. He didn’t want to push too hard with her, so he kept up the gentle persuasion with his voice. “It’s me, Avery. You’re okay. No one will ever hurt you again.” He added compulsion to his voice and hoped her fear would lessen as his own energy broke through her terror.
Her fear for Rylee had him glancing over at his own house. Hopefully his mom moved Rylee far enough away that she’d not heard anything. She was traumatized enough, and hearing her mother’s distress would only amplify her existing trauma. Judging by all the lights out, she was in the guest bedroom of his house sound asleep. He’d seen the curtain move in the room his mother stayed in when she was visiting.
A warmth flooded his heart when he thought of Rylee. She wasn’t his biological child, but he already loved her as if she was his own. It had taken all his strength not to tear the therapist apart when he caught her using Rylee for money. The one thing that saved her was Avery wasn’t officially his mate yet. When Lycans mated, the children of their mate became theirs, as well. He’d set the wheels of justice in motion though. If they failed, then he’d seek vengeance for Rylee.
The last human went inside their home. Sam drew a calming breath and stepped out of the dark shadows. He ran back into the house, closed the door, and then released his hold on Avery.
* * * *
Crickets chirped in the tall grass, and the stars shone bright in the sky as Avery stood unnaturally still in Sam’s arms. She’d be thrashing and screaming if she could move or make a sound, but she stood as Sam caressed her skin and whispered words that were like a cooling aloe on a sunburn. Despite her overwhelming fear after seeing Sam change from a man to an enormous wolf right in front of her, she still felt safe and protected.
She rested her head against his shoulder when he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He walked to the front of her house without jostling her, and her eyes squinted at the sudden bright lights of her living room.
When he set her down, she was free from the paralysis. She threw herself back and tripped over her coffee table. “What the hell was that, and what the hell are you?”
“I’m sorry, Avery. Humans were out, and we can’t involve them in our affairs. I had to keep you quiet.”
Avery shook her head at him. “Humans? We are humans. What in the fucking hell is going on?” She felt like she was losing her mind. Maybe she’d just imagined Sam turning into a gigantic wolf and then taking control of her body. He held his hand out to her as a person did when confronted with a terrified animal. It was true. She was beside herself in terror at what she’d witnessed. Maybe she was crazy. Maybe they’d slipped something in her drink, and it took hours for it to take effect. That’s it, she was seeing things.
“I’ll explain everything to you. Come and sit down on the couch with me.” He gently touched her hand, but she jerked away from him.
“Don’t touch me. Where’s Rylee?”
“Rylee is safe at my house. We can go and see her as soon as you’re calmer.”
Would he keep Rylee from her? Had she made the worst mistake of her life? Her knees started to give out as fresh terror swamped her. She needed to get away from him, but he had her baby. “Don’t take her from me, please.” Tears flooded her eyes. She knew Sam could take Rylee away from her, and no one would believe her. She’d seen it before in St. Louis and Harrison. She’d run to the police, and they acted as if she was a silly female who was overreacting. Sam could do the same thing to her and worse. He was a lawman.
He shook his head, and in two steps, he had her in his arms. “Avery,” he said in a deep, compelling voice she’d only heard him use on her a couple of times. His grip tightened around her, and she could feel an unnatural warmth filling her. “I’d never keep Rylee from you. Mom just moved her because she knew it would be quiet there. Rylee needs peace and stability in her life.”
The fear evaporated like water from an iron skillet placed on a red-hot burner to dry. Of course, he’d never keep Rylee from her. She was allowing her past experiences to affect her.
The door opened and closed, and Gage walked in. “Okay, everyone is calmed down and back in bed.”
“Damn.” Sam took a deep breath. “Sometimes living amongst humans is a pain in the ass.”
“Yeah, but—”
The window behind them exploded, and a fountain of red erupted from Sam’s chest. Avery screamed, and then Sam’s solid mass hit her, pinning her to the floor. The gunfire was deafening as the bullets went through her windows and walls. She heard wood and glass splintering as they exploded from the impact of the ammunition.
She could only scream as Sam’s body jerked every time a bullet impacted him. He was taking every bullet for her without moving somewhere safer. She could feel his lifeblood draining out of him as well as see the pools of blood as Gage yelled, “Dylan, someone is shooting up Avery’s house. Get every enforcer here, now.”
From a distance, she could hear snarling like a sort of feral demon and men screaming. The shooting stopped, but the sounds of wild beasts and terrified shrieks filled the night air. “What the fuck is that? Shoot it!”
More snarls and gunfire erupted in the darkness around her. She tried to wiggle free from Sam, who shielded her with his own body, but he was too heavy, and he didn’t move at all. She let out a frightened cry. Had he died for her? Once again, her home was shot to hell, and this time someone she loved was dead. His body jerked every time a bullet hit him. If he were alive, it wouldn’t be for long.
“Get up, Sam.” Gage’s voice was more like a feral snarl than a man’s was. Sam lifted off her, but Gage eased him onto the couch.
Time moved slowly as Avery took in the devastation. Her brain didn’t process why two naked men walked into her living room, or why they had a fine sheen of hair covering their arms and chest. Not human hair, but animal. The room was dark except for the light coming in from the kitchen, which still gave her plenty of light to see clearly. Gage held a cell phone up to his ear as he looked over Sam’s wounds. “Get Chiron, hurry. Our Alpha’s been shot.”
“Sam!” Avery cried, and she scrambled up to her feet. He’d sacrificed himself to save her. She’d gotten the man she loved killed over her own selfishness, and her heart broke.
Gage gripped her arms and held her out to one of the men that came in. “Wyatt, get Avery out of here. There will be mo
re of them, and she is a target now that Sam and I have mated her.”
Wyatt’s gaze was full of respect as he gently gripped her arm. “Come on. Let’s let the healers work.”
“No, let me go! I have to stay with Sam and Gage.” She couldn’t risk leaving them. What if Sam died thinking she’d abandoned him? He was right—she was acting out of fear. She was sure she would have come to her senses as soon as her fear reaction had calmed down. She loved Sam and Gage in a way she’d never loved another man before, and that scared her. She couldn’t lose him. Rylee couldn’t, she couldn’t handle any more loss in her life.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Gage stroked her face gently. “The healers will stabilize him. We’ll be over in a moment. Please let Wyatt get you to safety.”
“Okay.” Avery didn’t want to be the cause of more confusion right now. She let out a long mournful sob and let Wyatt pull her to her destroyed front door. She closed her eyes for a second as fresh tears began to fall. Her house. Bullet holes filled the walls and had shattered every bit of glass.
As they walked down the sidewalk, more tall, muscular men joined them and formed a wall around Avery. She glanced behind her, and another huge wolf morphed from an animal to a man. Oh dear god, all of these people are like Sam and Gage. She glanced around, but there was nowhere to run to. They all surrounded her like a living wall.
She turned her head and glanced behind her. Her house reminded her of the empty houses from her childhood hometown in Georgia. The shattered glass in the window openings seemed like eyes staring unseeing into the night as they wept. The life she’d planned to breathe back into the house was gone now. She couldn’t fix all the bullet holes or bring Rylee there. She’d know what happened immediately from her own personal experience.
“It’s going to be okay,” one of her guards said as they led her across the street. “The ones who dare to attack our Alpha and his mate will pay with their lives. You’ll see. Justice will be paid in blood.”
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