“I’m nearly there,” Connor choked out, reaching between her pussy lips to tease her clit. She clenched around him in pleasure. “Shit,” he groaned.
“I’m right there with you,” Cade panted. He placed his hand around the base of his shaft, pumping firmly as Shelby drove her mouth over him, sucking strongly.
Connor let out a low moan, stilling as he came. “Fuck, sorry, sweetheart. I wanted to wait for you, but you felt so damn good.”
He slipped from inside her. The bed rocked as he changed position and then he drew her hips toward him. His tongue slid over her highly sensitized clit and she shuddered, moaning.
“Come with me, Shelby. Come with me,” Cade commanded.
Pleasure swept over her, making her moan with ecstasy. Cade’s essence spurted inside her mouth and she barely managed to swallow as she shook with her orgasm.
Shelby collapsed forward in exhaustion, not even opening her eyes when they rolled her onto her back. Something warm was pressed against her pussy and she murmured a protest, trying to close her legs.
“Uh-uh, darlin’, lie still. This will help with the pain,” Cade told her.
“Embarrassing,” she muttered.
He chuckled. “I would think you’d be past embarrassment with how many times we’ve played down here.” He patted her pussy gently.
She snuggled deeper into the pillows. He was right and she was way too tired to protest anyway. God, this bed felt great.
Cade moved the washcloth away and she forced her legs to close even though it felt like a tremendous effort. The bed sank on either side of her.
“So tired,” she murmured.
“I know, sweetheart,” Connor said, running his hand over her hair. “Go to sleep now.”
“I wanted to take you both inside me. Together.”
“Not yet, darlin’, but soon,” Cade promised.
She opened her mouth to protest, but he placed his fingers over her lips.
She rolled onto her side and snuggled against Cade’s chest. Connor spooned her from behind, surrounding her in their heat.
“Hmm, this is nice,” she murmured.
“Thank God we returned when we did,” Connor said.
“Why did you? What happened?” She suppressed a yawn. Exhaustion pulled her under. She felt almost out of it, floating, as if her head was detached from her body.
“Sam wanted to come back and we thought it would be safer here than in the hospital. Luckily the bullet just scratched him,” Connor told her.
“It never should have hit him in the first place. Hudson and Gage found the asshole who shot him,” Cade growled.
“That’s good then,” she said sleepily.
“It is?” Connor asked. “You’re happy he’s okay?”
“I wouldn’t say happy,” she said, half-asleep by now. “But if anyone’s going to kill the bastard it’s gonna be me.”
“And why would you want to kill him?” Connor asked in a near-whisper.
“Because he murdered my mom,” she mumbled before slipping off into sleep.
*
Shelby rolled over in bed with a groan. Just as she’d thought, she felt a hell of a lot worse this morning than she had last night. She opened her eyes and looked around, realizing that she was alone. She hadn’t even felt the guys get up. The adrenaline drop combined with a too-hot bath and some amazing sex had exhausted her. She’d barely been with it last night.
She sat up slowly. Damn, she felt like an old woman. Everything ached, her face worst of all. Maybe she should have taken the guys’ advice and changed, at least then she wouldn’t feel like a worn-out ping-pong ball.
Shelby dragged herself to the edge of the bed, swinging her legs out slowly. She wondered how long Cade and Connor had been gone. She attempted to squelch the flicker of panic that tried to build. She was okay. She could be by herself for a while. She didn’t need them here 24/7, guarding her.
Maybe if she kept repeating those facts she might come to believe them.
She forced herself to stand and shuffled into the bathroom. Splashing herself with some water, she dared take a glimpse in the mirror. A bruised, fragile-looking woman stared back at her. Her eyes had circles beneath them. A large bruise marred her cheek, she pressed against it gently. Not broken, but not pretty either.
Well, she guessed she’d wait for the guys to come back and ask them to take her outside so she could change. She didn’t feel like changing in the room, even though there was enough space. Once in wolf form, she’d want to run.
She could scarcely believe how they’d taken care of her as if she was precious, breakable, holding her until she’d fallen sleep.
“Oh fuck. Oh no.” Her memory fully returned, stealing her breath. How could she have been so stupid? She’d told them. Not everything, but enough that if they went to Garrison she was in real trouble. Would they protect her from him?
They’d seemed sincere last night, but maybe it had all been an act to get her to confess. Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure of anything anymore.
“What should I do? What to do?”
What she couldn’t do was stand around and agonize over it. She had to take action. Now.
She had to get out of here, work out what her next step was.
Biting her lip, she opened the drawer and grabbed the swipe card she’d taken from the guard. Moving into the bedroom, she grabbed some of Connor’s pants and a belt. They were still way too large, but with some luck they’d stay up. She moved to the door, her palms sweating. What if they had a camera in the hallway?
Well then, she’d soon find out whose side they would take.
She held her breath then swiped the card over the access box, praying that no one had time to disable the card. She didn’t know why the guard had access to this room anyway. She turned the knob and the door opened. Moving swiftly, she shut it behind her and crept down the hallway, her heart thundering in her chest.
*
“What I want to know is how the hell he accessed our bedroom,” Cade said, pacing the room. His team looked back at him, their faces tense.
“This is my fault. Buckley got the best of me. I wasn’t expecting it and I should have been.”
The first clue they’d had that something was wrong was when Dylan wouldn’t respond to any of their calls. When they’d landed the chopper, they’d been on full alert, Cade, Trick, and Gage taking point and exploring the house before they’d allow the others to bring Garrison in. Cade had found Dylan first, unconscious, a huge bump on his head from where Buckley had knocked him out.
While Trick and Gage had explored the rest of the house, Cade had raced up to Shelby, his heard pounding so hard he’d thought he might have a heart attack. Then when he’d seen Buckley hurting her, touching what was his, he’d nearly exploded with uncontrollable rage.
He knew he should have stopped after the first few punches, knew he risked terrifying her further, but he’d been in the throes of a fury unlike anything he’d experienced before. His wolf had been only steps away from exploding free, demanding that they protect their mate, that they kill any threat to her. It was only after he’d caught sight of her pale, frightened face that he’d managed to bring himself under some control.
“None of us could have expected it,” Trick told him. “Those guards had all been checked, there was nothing in Ian Buckley’s background to indicate what a depraved bastard he was.”
“If anyone is at fault, it’s me and Cade,” Connor said tiredly. “We never should have left her unprotected.”
“Been a hell of a few days, huh?” Gage said.
Hudson looked at Connor for a long moment. “Why was she in your bedroom, anyway? Shouldn’t she have been locked in the basement? Cade near killed Buckley, that wasn’t the reaction of someone concerned about his prisoner.”
“She isn’t our prisoner,” Cade growled. “She’s ours. She’s our mate.”
They all looked at him in shock.
“He dared to touch our mate and we
weren’t here to protect her,” he raged, clenching his fists. Damn, what he wouldn’t give to have another go at Buckley. This time he wouldn’t stop.
“Your mate?” Gage asked. “You’ve mated her?”
“Not yet. She’s not ready for that right now, but soon.” Soon she would be his, he thought with satisfaction. His wolf was restless, out of sorts, needing to take her. Once he had her bound to him, then he could relax.
“Jesus,” Trick said. “I hope the two of you know what you’re doing.”
“Has she told you what she was doing spying on Sam, then?” Hudson asked.
Cade looked over at Connor who sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, she told us last night that she believes Sam killed her mother and she wants him dead.”
“And the two of you want to mate her?” Gage asked incredulously.
“What we do with her is none of your business, understand?” Cade snarled.
“Cade, calm down.” Connor sent him a hard stare and Cade nodded. He needed to bring himself under control.
He paced up and down the room as Connor related what Shelby had told them last night. He was still in shock.
“There has to be some mistake,” Connor told them all. “As soon as Garrison wakes up, we’ll talk to him about it.”
“How exactly did her mom die?” Dylan asked.
Connor shook his head. “We don’t know. She was still asleep when we got up this morning and I have no doubt that she’ll be furious with herself when she remembers what she told us. She’s not going to willingly tell us anything more.”
“If she’s your mate, then she has no choice. Order her to,” Gage said.
Connor looked at him with exasperation. “You’re just like Cade, a caveman. You can’t just order your mate to do as you wish.”
“I don’t see why not,” Cade muttered under his breath. “No one has answered my question yet. How did Buckley get into Connor’s room?”
Dylan raised his head, his face pale. “My swipe card. I couldn’t find it this morning. He must have taken it. Did you find it on him?”
Connor shook his head. “No, we stripped him of everything. There was nothing on him. Can you bring up the access history?”
Dylan grabbed his laptop and opened it, bringing up the program.
“Fuck,” he said, staring at them with dawning horror.
“What?” Cade asked.
“He used my card all right, but that wasn’t the last time it was used to open your door. According to this it was used an hour ago.”
Cade looked at Connor in fear. “Shelby,” they said together.
*
Shelby ran through the freezing stream. Her wolf’s fur provided her with some protection against the cold, but this wouldn’t have been her first choice of escape. She’d managed to make it out of the house and over the wall surrounding the estate without detection, but she knew it wouldn’t be long until they discovered she was gone. She needed a quick getaway, so she’d decided to lose her clothes and change into wolf form.
Now she was trying to hide her trail as best she could.
She could have been at her cousins’ place by now, however it wouldn’t take them long to find her there. So instead, she’d headed upstream toward town.
Once she got there, she’d find some way to contact her cousins. Even though she didn’t want to drag them into this shit, she needed their help. There was no way she could get out of this on her own.
Particularly not when her wolf was pushing her to return to Cade and Connor.
Mine. My mates.
No. They’d used her. They’d used her vulnerability, her need for them to get the answers they wanted. They’d betrayed her. Now Garrison would know she was alive. He’d come for her as well—he couldn’t afford to let her live, not with what she knew. He might even send Cade and Connor to take care of her.
Would they do that? Could they?
Shelby wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
*
They tracked her to where she’d changed. Her clothes lay on a pile on the ground. Connor brought them to his nose, sniffing deeply. Her scent clung to them and his wolf snarled.
He couldn’t believe that she’d run. As soon as he got his hands on her, he was going to teach her who was boss. Maybe Cade had the right idea. Their mate would learn obedience or she’d feel his hand against her butt.
“She’s headed in this direction, away from her cousins’ house,” Cade said. His eyes were flashing amber and Connor knew his generally calm brother was close to losing his shit.
“You change,” he told Cade. He turned to Gage. They’d left the others guarding Garrison. “Gage, go to her cousins’ place and watch them. She might circle around.”
Gage nodded and took off. Connor didn’t wait for his brother to finish changing. It wouldn’t take him long and he’d soon catch up.
He took off after their mate.
*
Shelby crouched in the bushes. Her teeth chattered from the cold, the autumn air freezing against her naked body. She’d changed back to human form when she’d come across a house on the outskirts of town. She glanced over at the clothesline. Obviously, it was an older couple living here, the dresses hanging on the line were shapeless and about three sizes too big with large floral designs that only those with failing eyesight would think were attractive.
Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers. She crept forward, praying she wouldn’t be seen. Quickly snatching one of the dresses, she raced back to the safety of the bushes and slipped it on over her head.
Chapter Eight
Shelby took a deep breath and knocked on the door, trying to hide her trembling. She couldn’t believe she’d actually made it this far without detection. She’d half expected Cade and Connor to jump out and grab her. Either that or the cops, alerted by the old lady whom she’d stolen this delightful outfit from.
The door opened and her classmate Jala stared at her, her smile of greeting soon turning to a look of horror.
Changing had healed her bruises somewhat, but she didn’t heal as quickly as full-blooded werewolves so she knew her face would still be sporting a nasty-looking bruise. Combined with her uncombed hair, her baggy, old-lady dress, bare feet, and no doubt frightened face, she knew she was a shocking sight.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Jala screeched.
Shelby winced at the sound. “It’s a long story. Can I use your phone?”
“Yeah.” Jala visibly shook herself before reaching out her hand and grabbing hold of Shelby’s, clasping it tight. “Of course you can. Come in.”
She pulled her inside. Shelby had been here before when they’d worked on assignments together. Jala was the closest thing she had to a friend. She’d tried to keep the other girl at a distance, but Jala just kept trying, inviting her for dinner, for coffee, or to a party.
Shelby had finally caved in and forced herself to be sociable.
“Here, sit down.” Jala pulled her over to a long couch covered in magazines and textbooks. She swept them aside, not caring where they landed. Jala wouldn’t exactly win any prizes for housekeeping.
Shelby perched gingerly, wincing. “Thanks. Is your roommate home?”
“No, she’s at her boyfriend’s place.”
“Good.” The fewer people who saw her, the better. She felt guilty about including Jala in her problems, but she couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. She had no money so she couldn’t use a public phone. Jala’s apartment had been close and she was getting desperate.
Jala stood over her looking concerned. “Do you need me to call the police, Shelby? Do you know who attacked you? Did they take your clothes?”
Shelby forced herself to smile. “I know I look a mess, but I can’t call the police. The people who did this, they’re powerful. I just need to call my cousins.”
Jala nodded, looking a bit shaken. Shelby squelched her guilt. Jala passed her the cordless phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed Sawyer’s cell.
/> “Hello?”
“Sawyer, it’s me.” She cleared her throat, surprised by the thick lump of tears that formed at the sound of his voice.
“Shelby? Shelby, is that you?” His voice became more frantic.
“Y-yes,” she whispered, swiping at her cheeks. Get yourself together woman. She pulled in a deep breath. “Sawyer, I’m in trouble. I need your help.”
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “But can you come get me?”
“Of course I can. Where are you?”
“I’m in town, at a friend’s house.” She gave him directions. “Sawyer, they could be watching the house, hoping that you’ll lead me to them.”
He snarled. “Who? Has someone hurt you? Where have you been?”
“I’ll explain everything when you get here. But, can you lose any tail?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
“Oh, and can you also bring me some clothes?”
He growled. “I’m going to want to kill someone, aren’t I?”
“Possibly.” She swallowed. “Please hurry, Sawyer.”
“I’ll be there soon, squirt. Just stay put.”
*
Connor looked at the large building. There were probably thirty apartments in it and that meant a lot of witnesses. But she was in there. They’d tracked her here, even though she’d done an excellent job of trying to throw them off her trail.
Smart little wolf.
His phone buzzed and he answered the call.
“Gage, what do you have?”
“All three of her cousins left in separate vehicles. They’ve gone in different directions.”
“She’s contacted them,” he concluded. “They’re trying to keep us from following her.”
“I put GPS trackers on each of their vehicles, Dylan is tracking them from his computer. What do you want me to do?”
“Contact Dylan, get him to watch where they go. We’ve got her under surveillance, but in case we lose her I want to know where her cousins are at all times. Trick is on his way here. You get back to the house. Make sure Sam is well guarded.”
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