by Dannika Dark
“It’s impossible. Your wolf—”
“Killed her?”
Wheeler patted Naya’s side and her panther growled. The sound was acoustic and deep, rattling the bones of anyone within ten feet.
Delgado backed up a step.
“Wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Wheeler said. “You know what’ll happen if you run from a predator, and don’t think your puny little door will hold her back. If you were smart, you’d have steel doors with guards inside and out. But you send in Beavis and Butt-head to clean up your mess?” Wheeler clucked his tongue. “Not the brightest marker in the box, are you?”
“You want your freedom? Fine,” Delgado began, trying to smooth out the nerves that were shaking up his voice. “I’ve made a substantial profit tonight. I offered Naya a chance to work with me, and she was foolish enough to screw me over. I hope you have more intelligence than a stripper. There’s enough money to go around if you choose to fight for me. I can set you up with your own room, your own bank account, and we can partner in on this.”
Wheeler kept his eyes on Delgado, savoring how easily a man could be broken without a whip or cage. Naya’s cat rubbed her head against his side and he stroked her face, feeling the length of her canines when his fingers grazed over her mouth.
Delgado’s breathing picked up when he looked down at the panther.
Wheeler cracked a smile. “Don’t worry, Delgado. It’s not her you need to worry about. I told someone a long time ago that I wanted to put you in the ground, and maybe it didn’t mean so much back then, but it sure as hell does now. You put my woman in a cage. No one makes my woman a slave,” he growled through clenched teeth. Wheeler glanced down at Naya, knowing her animal would only understand his tone. He pressed down on her nose. “Stay.”
Wheeler heard the footfalls when Delgado took off, so he ran after him and glanced one last time over his shoulder. “Stay!” he shouted, holding out his hand. The confused panther paced in a circle and growled at him.
He sprinted down the hall, bounded up a short flight of stairs, and flew into an opulent living room. The shocking change of scenery took him off guard for just a moment. The only remnants remaining from the party were empty glasses and ashtrays on the marble tables. The ceiling lifted so high that he could see the second floor, guarded by an ornate iron rail. The house looked more like a hotel with its crystal chandelier and expensive décor.
A shot fired and pain seared through Wheeler’s right shoulder. He stumbled, blood trickling down his chest and back.
Delgado stepped into sight on the opposite end of the room, standing in front of a giant window with the drapes closed. “You didn’t really think you’d walk out of here, did you?”
Wheeler glanced around. “You only have two guards? That’s real interesting.”
“You can’t trust Breed,” Delgado said, taking a confident step forward, his arm still outstretched and aiming the gun. “So long as the guards follow their orders by keeping the cages locked, there’s no reason for excess staff. I prefer humans to do my dirty work, but in this new line of business, I needed to bring in a few morons I could trust, just to keep an eye on things when I’m away.”
“Fatal mistake numero uno,” Wheeler said, strolling forward.
Delgado narrowed his eyes but didn’t take another shot.
“You’re secluded, so no one will find you. You’re discreet, so no one will find out what you’re doing. You keep the animals caged so none will escape. But every time you hold one of your little betting parties, that’s when you’re weak.” Blood trickled down Wheeler’s arm and splashed onto the white tile. “Any time those cell doors are opened for any reason, including a fight, you’re showing your Achilles’ heel. If you were seasoned like the men I’ve known, then you would have had at least ten guards at different checkpoints in the room after the fight ended.”
“No one is ever stupid enough to attack,” Delgado said, his brows slanting down. “They know it leads to punishment.”
Wheeler chuckled darkly and ran his bloody finger across a white chair. “Not everyone is a good doggie.”
The gun cracked and this time Delgado missed. Intentionally?
“Shaky hands?” Wheeler asked. “Was this all about money?”
“Immortals don’t deserve the wealth they have. Why should I work my ass off for nickels and dimes just because I don’t live as long? Now that I’ve finally made a name for myself in your world, I found someone willing to turn me.”
Ridiculous. Men like him always counted on a Mage or Vampire to bring them over, but few ever were. Maybe it’s the principle of things, but Wheeler had seen many humans simply disappear after they paid for immortality.
“I don’t think you could handle being a Mage,” Wheeler said. “You’d fucking electrocute yourself.”
“And that’s why I chose a Vampire. I don’t have to deal with a Creator, and I’ll be strong and undetectable. What a waste. I could have made you a rich man at the expense of a few worthless lives.”
Wheeler was closing in on Delgado, separated by only ten feet of air.
“So why don’t you kill me?” Wheeler asked, holding out his arms. “Here I am.”
Delgado gritted his teeth. “Because a buyer offered me five million for you, and that should cover the expense for my Vampire friend.”
“So all I am is just a meal ticket into immortality? That might put a damper in your plans if I bleed out from this hole in my chest.”
“Then shift.”
A smile crept up Wheeler’s face. “You sure about that?”
“Not here; in your cell.”
Wheeler stepped forward another pace. “And how do you think you’re going to get me in that cell? Because your sweet-talking sucks. I know you’re not going to shoot five million dollars in the head, so you just proved my point about exposing your vulnerability. You’re the one holding the gun, but who the hell is really in control here? That’s right. Why don’t you put the gun down, sweetheart, and let’s settle this like men.”
“Do you think I’m a fool? You’re a Shifter.”
“And you’re a pussy. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? The only way you can feel less inferior is to cage us like animals and rule us with your money. Fuck your money. I don’t have superpowers, so I’m offering you a chance to fight me as a man. I don’t need my wolf to win my battles, in case you haven’t already noticed. You have the advantage, being that I’m wounded and staining your floor with blood. So here’s your chance to really feel like a man and beat the hell out of one of the best. If you knock me out, then you win your money and get immortality. If I win? Well, I just win.”
Wheeler was tickling a sensitive nerve all weak men like Delgado had: ego. Beneath all the layers of power, money, and intelligence, was a small boy on a playground who wanted to be the toughest kid. None of his possessions would ever truly make him feel superior the way a man feels when he uses his fists to settle an argument.
“How do I know you won’t shift?”
“Jesus Christ,” Wheeler grunted. He flipped a coffee table over and broke off one of the legs. “Here, I’ll give you another advantage, unless you’d rather use one of those fireplace pokers.” He tossed the wooden stick and Delgado caught it.
A second passed before Delgado cautiously set the gun down on a table. He gripped the wooden stake in his hand and twirled it a little to get a feel for it.
Wheeler relaxed and widened his stance. The two men approached each other, and Wheeler instinctively held his left arm in front of him to block any attempts Delgado made to strike. Because Delgado was right-handed, his swings would hit the left side of Wheeler’s body. That meant he had to block and punch with his left hand since the bullet had gone into his right shoulder, weakening the limb.
Delgado crossed his right arm over his left shoulder and suddenly swung at Wheeler, striking him with the stick on the right arm. When he raised his hand again, Wheeler ducked, taking the blow on his back. Whee
ler charged forward and tackled him like a football player.
Wheeler roared, shoving Delgado across the room until he stumbled and fell backward. The two men crashed to the floor and Delgado struck him on his left temple.
“You son of a bitch,” Wheeler growled, gripping Delgado’s arm and slamming it against the hard marble. The wood clanked against the surface and tumbled out of reach.
Delgado threw his fist and Wheeler couldn’t raise his right arm to block, so he head-butted him instead. He heard the crunch of bone before he ever saw the first drop of blood. The second time, Wheeler hit him right between the eyes.
Wheeler lifted his head, dazed for a moment. That’s when he saw his butterfly knife displayed on the wall—as if it were a souvenir of a hunt. It had been in his back pocket when they took him. Wheeler liked using that knife for tricks, and when others asked him if he’d ever used it, he always said he was saving it for a special occasion.
It didn’t get more special than this.
Wheeler stood up and jerked it from the mount, pulling free the hooks that held it in place. There were other curious items displayed around it, which had become a trophy wall and metaphorical graveyard.
Wheeler straddled Delgado, pressing the blade to his throat. “You will not destroy my pack. You will not tear apart my family. And you will never have my woman!”
Wheeler’s wolf remained caged, and the only thing unleashed upon Delgado was retribution and blood.
Chapter 24
“Wake up, kitty cat.”
I gazed into Wheeler’s eyes and realized he was holding me on his lap. My left cheek was pressed against his shoulder, and we were in the backseat of a car.
Driving.
At night.
The radio playing “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.
Austin peered over his shoulder from the driver’s seat and smiled.
God help me, I wept right on Wheeler’s shoulder. He cradled my head and kept smiling down at me. “You knew we were going to make it out of there, right?”
“No,” I said with a laugh of disbelief.
“Yeah, well, I did.”
“Where’s Delgado?”
“I took care of him,” he said, allowing his words to settle. “Put him in the ground on that property where no one will find him.”
“Bastard got off easy,” Austin growled from the front. Lexi’s hand appeared, stroking the back of his neck.
I tried to sit up, but Wheeler lightly shook his head. “Just let me hold on to you.”
“You couldn’t wait to get me in the backseat of a car again, could you?” I teased. “What about the others? We have to go back for them.”
“They’re free. When you didn’t answer your phone, the pack came for you. Austin called the Council and they agreed not to bring in the higher authority. This was Shifter business, and we took care of it.”
“But you killed a human.”
“Doesn’t matter. One of the representatives drove in and witnessed the release of the prisoners. That’s all he needed to see. Fifteen in all.”
“Two teenagers at Reno and Denver’s location,” Austin added.
I twisted to sit up and noticed a thin blanket draped over me. Without looking, I could feel that Wheeler had on pants, thank the Lord. I touched his bare chest and noticed a scar I hadn’t seen before on his shoulder.
“Did you get hurt? What happened?”
“Shot,” he confirmed. “I shifted once, so it’s fine.”
“You were shot? Austin, pull over. He needs to shift again.”
Wheeler smirked. “It’s all right. It’s not the first time. The other one’s beneath my hairline, but this is a scar I’m not going to heal all the way.”
I traced my finger over the wound—the skin slightly puckered and pink—and I curled against him. “Now what happens?”
“We go home.”
Home. That meant an end to this drama, but it also meant ending my time spent with Wheeler. Maybe that’s what made Wheeler holding me in the backseat of Austin’s Challenger so bittersweet. I lifted my hand from beneath the blanket and found his, lacing our fingers together. In the darkness, his tattoos were nothing but shadows, occasionally highlighted by fast-moving streetlamps as we traveled. I listened to the hum of the tires against the road and allowed myself to feel swept away, if even for a moment. I enjoyed him with each passing minute—the feel of his strong arms, the heat of his body, and the way his eyes would twinkle when they looked down at me.
Not once in that cage had I feared Wheeler. When his wolf had approached me with a savage look in his eyes, I’d somehow known everything would be all right. Even now in his arms, feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath, seeing his eyes settle on mine whenever I looked up, I still had that feeling.
And it made me tear up again. Naya James was not a crier, and yet here I was, wrapped up in a blanket in a man’s arms and weeping like a babe. And how could I have ever imagined a man I’d been so rude to—whom I’d spent years bickering with—could be one of the most compassionate souls I’d ever met?
“We’re here,” Austin said. “I have to go back and run some errands, Wheeler. Do you want me to drop you off here, or are you coming with me?”
“I’ll go with.”
My heart sank.
The car slowed to a stop and the engine cut off. Lexi got out and pushed her seat forward so I could climb through the door. When my feet touched the ground, I wrapped the blanket around me and tucked it in like I would a towel.
I glanced up at my apartment, but I didn’t see it. All I saw were trees. Disoriented, I turned around and faced the Weston house, lit up inside as if it had been expecting our return.
“Wait a minute. I thought you said you were taking me home?”
Wheeler hopped out of the car and stood next to me, ruffling his tangled hair. “And that’s exactly where you are, Naya. Home.” He cupped his hands around my neck and looked at me with love shining in his eyes. “I’m not a romantic. I’m scarred, inked, and maybe a little ruined. I regret every shitty thing I’ve ever said to you, because you didn’t deserve it. I’m not a perfect man, but if you’ll have me, I’ll be your man. Whatever that means, I’m yours.”
I glanced at Lexi in surprise. “I can’t, Wheeler. I feel the same, but I can’t live here.”
“Why not?”
“I’m a panther. You live in a pack.”
Austin patted the hood of his car. “Naya, I’m the Packmaster. What I say goes, and if you want to mate with this bastard, then I’m not going to stand in your way. You’ve stretched your neck out for us more times than I can count, and you’ve shown more loyalty than most wolves have with their pack. I don’t know how this is all going to work out when I introduce your animal to the wolves in this pack, but we’ll figure something out. It’s unconventional, but hell,” he said with a loud chuckle, “we’ve already acquired a reputation for being a pack of misfits. Besides, having a panther as an ally is a mighty powerful thing.” Austin winked and slid back inside the car.
“Well?” Wheeler asked, his hands resting on my shoulders.
“Are you asking me to be your mate?”
“Naya, I’m begging. I love you too goddamn much to let you go.”
I smirked and pinched his chin. “Only an uncouth man such as yourself would propose using foul language. I accept.”
“One second, before you go in. I got something for you.”
Wheeler tapped on the trunk and it popped open. He reached inside and pulled out a carrier. I heard a frantic meow and my feet propelled me forward.
“Misha?” I bent down and peered inside. “My princess, oh baby! Mama’s here,” I cried, pushing my finger inside the cage and letting her smell me.
I took the cage and set it by my feet so I could face Wheeler. He was grinning at me with all his teeth—something I didn’t see him do very often. So I slapped that grin off his face and then attacked him with a passionate kiss. His fingers clawed at my back
and he growled, pressing my body against the car. His tongue went deep and I moaned into his mouth.
“Oh brother,” Lexi said, getting inside the car and slamming the door.
Wheeler finally broke the kiss, out of breath. “Why did you do that?”
I bent down and lifted the carrier. “I slapped you for putting my baby in the trunk of the car, and I kissed you for saving her life.”
He chuckled. “You’re serious about those punishments, aren’t you?”
“Just wait until you see what I have planned for you later tonight for slapping my panther.”
His eyes hooded and he rubbed his cheek. “I might actually like that.”
“Fabulous. Misha is in need of a good brushing.”
“Hey, now. Don’t you think that’s a little extreme? I was only trying to get your panther to kill me.”
I chuckled and ran my fingers through my hair. “I have a feeling we’re going to be at each other like cats and dogs.”
Wheeler made a sexy, deep growl and waggled his eyebrows. I made my way up the driveway toward the porch. Lynn was waiting for me in the doorway, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged somewhere.
Even more, I felt like I belonged with someone. And that was even better.
Chapter 25
Two days had passed since the night of Wheeler’s rescue. We’d spent all afternoon preparing the house for the costume party, everyone buzzing around like busy bees.
The pack had accepted our arrangement, although we got a few puzzled stares. I decided to remain in the heat house until I figured out how I fit in with the pack. Austin wanted to introduce my panther to the pack, but Wheeler would have to be present since he was the only one she trusted. And I began to trust my animal, realizing that all these years I’d been stereotyping her just as much as everyone else had. Now I knew she wouldn’t harm anyone I cared for, and I felt genuine love for most of the pack. Some of them I hadn’t gotten to know very well, but I had confidence there wouldn’t be problems.
