by Jacey Ward
“I’m fine,” Torin replied, not wanting to talk to James about anything specific. He’d only just come back down from Sasha’s room and had been staring out of the window for the last few minutes, feeling as though he were lost in a deep, dense fog. “What are you doing here?”
“Just got a few accounts for you to look over and then there’s the minutes from the latest meeting with the workers.”
Torin took them from his hand. “Thanks,” he muttered, striding over to the table at the window and dropping them down. “I’ll look through those later today. Right now, I need to go.”
“Go?” James repeated, frowning. “Go where?”
“To Thomas’ house.”
The surprise on James’ face was immediate. “Thomas’ house? We tried that already. There are still too many patrols.”
“I don’t care,” Torin retorted, angrily. “I’m going to get inside somehow. I have to.”
James frowned, stuck his hands in his pockets and wandered over. “What’s happened?”
“Happened?” Torin repeated, looking back at him. “Nothing’s happened.”
“Then why are you suddenly so desperate to get into Thomas’ place?”
Torin sighed inwardly, not wanting to tell James about Sasha or what she’d said. “It’s just something I have to do,” he said, eventually.
There was a long pause. Torin turned back to look out of the window, refusing to look back at James. There was no need for him to explain himself to the man, given that he was Torin’s second in command. On top of that, he and James had never really been close. It wasn’t something Torin let himself do, grow close to people. It was easier just to keep everyone at arms-reach, keep his thoughts and feelings entirely to himself. That went for what Sasha had said about Thomas too.
“Okay,” James said, breaking the silence. “You’re the boss.” He glanced down at where Bramble was sleeping in a large dog bed that Torin had managed to pull out from somewhere. “Decided what you’re going to do with that mutt yet?”
Torin sighed heavily. “No, and when I do, you’ll be the first to know.” He couldn’t quite keep the bite from his words, growing tired of James’ questions. Bramble and Sasha were entirely Torin’s responsibility.
“Well, you know where I am if you need help taking care of anything.”
A growl rattled from Torin’s chest, making James step back, his hands up. There was nothing else that needed to be said. James left the room almost immediately, leaving Torin to his own thoughts.
“He’s getting a little too power hungry,” Torin muttered to himself, pushing one hand through his hair as he tried his best to center his thoughts. There was so much going on, and Torin was aware he was quietly abandoning his pack so that he could take his revenge for Thomas’ unlawful death. They understood, of course, given that Thomas was Torin’s own flesh and blood, but it didn’t stop Torin from feeling accountable for his lack of action over Sasha. Sooner or later, he was going to actually have to do something about her. He couldn’t keep her up there forever, and certainly couldn’t shirk his own responsibilities forever either.
But that meant bringing Sasha more pain than she’d ever experienced and, for whatever reason, Torin couldn’t find it in himself to do it. Was it because she was making him believe there was actually merit in what she was saying? Or was it because when he looked into her eyes, something softened inside him? He didn’t want to admit it but he was growing attracted to the very woman he’d kidnapped. Seeing her soaked shirt and knowing she was in the shower, alone, had brought about such a desperate urge to go and join her that he’d almost given in to the temptation, even though he knew that she’d have fought him with all her strength. Thankfully, he’d managed to get himself back under control, vowing that he’d never even touch her.
And yet, that desire for her had remained. Even worse, it had grown stronger.
He hated that about himself. He felt weak, being taken in by a pair of dark brown eyes. That was why he’d refused to speak to her, kept himself entirely silent when she’d begged him for answers. It was easier that way for him, and gave her the uncertainty and fear that he wanted. It was clearly plaguing her mind and that, at the very least, brought him some satisfaction.
It was already growing dark, which meant that it wouldn’t be long before Torin could shift and go back to Thomas’ house. He had to prove to himself that there wasn’t any truth to what Sasha was saying. Once that small flicker of doubt was entirely quenched, then Torin hoped he wouldn’t have any moral issues with taking Sasha down.
__________
Shifting quickly, Torin let a loud growl escape from his jaws as he shook his fur, energy flowing through his veins, building in his limbs. The evening was already growing dark and cold, not that it mattered to Torin. He enjoyed the solitude, the chance to become part of the landscape. He moved quickly away from the house, his ears telling him that there were a great number of rabbits around. Wolf instincts told him that he should hunt, that catching a rabbit or two would fill the hole growing in his stomach, but, with an effort, Torin forced his mind away from food.
He had to get to Thomas’ house.
There was no one else around. There never really was in this quiet area of the Highlands. Torin, having coming from a shifter line, knew that his ancestors had picked this place for good reason. They had wanted the same things he had – a quiet place where they could roam free. As the pack had grown, Torin had insisted that they spread out across the moorlands, living in their own homes but coming together at the same time. The factory made the perfect place for his pack to live and work, and the large room at the back of the factory Torin had turned into their own private bar. Sometimes they’d go out and hunt together, sometimes they’d drink together. Life had been easy here.
Until news of Thomas’ death had come.
Torin growled again, startling a few pheasants who ran in every direction. He did not even glance at them, his eyes centered on Thomas’ home.
It had been an old, run down cottage which Thomas had insisted on buying. Before then, he’d lived with Torin but had seemed desperate to find a place of his own. That had been a year ago. A year since Thomas had left and James had moved in. Torin’s house had felt empty and cold without Thomas which was why, when James had suggested he move in, Torin had accepted almost at once. Of course, it wasn’t the same as when Thomas had lived with him, but it was better than no one. Torin liked to be solitary, but he also liked to have company. It was a paradox of course, but that was how Torin liked things.
And now, Thomas was gone. Things would never be the same again.
Moving closer to the cottage, Torin sniffed the wind, pausing to make sure no one was around. There was no police presence, which meant – according to Sasha – that they had got everything they needed. His eyes focused on the front of the house, seeing no one standing by the front door, even though it was still covered with a layer of yellow police tape. Pricking up his ears, Torin listened hard, using all of his senses to make sure there was no sign of anyone nearby.
Padding forward soundlessly through the heather, Torin made his way to the front door of the cottage, giving one last look all around before he shifted. It was a decision he immediately regretted, even though he knew he couldn’t exactly get into the house in his wolf form. His bare feet practically froze on the front step as he shivered, the icy wind biting at his skin. Managing to swing the door open, Torin stepped inside and quickly shut the door behind him.
The house did not smell of Thomas. Instead, the air swirled with unfamiliar scents, including traces of whatever chemicals the police had used to gather their evidence.
“They’d have to make it look like they did it all by the book,” Torin muttered under his breath, finding the light switch and flipping it on. If someone came by, he’d either have to hide or bluff his way out of it. There was no way he could see around this place clearly without it, even with his shifter eyesight.
Making his way to T
homas’ bedroom, Torin grabbed what looked to be a cozy dressing gown of some kind, pulling it tight around his body and pushing his cold feet into an old pair of Thomas’ shoes. Ignoring the pain that sliced through his heart as he pulled on his brother’s clothes, Torin set his jaw and began to look around the house.
Thomas’ room was pristine. There was nothing here. No sign that he’d ever hurt anyone, no sign that he’d even thought of killing anyone. Torin let his gaze rove around the room, accepting the hurt that came with it. Thomas wasn’t going to come back. He’d lost his brother…and that was Sasha’s fault.
Walking out of the bedroom, Torin pulled the door shut behind him, having to pause to get his emotions back under control. He couldn’t be calm and careful if his emotions were all over the place.
“Nothing there,” he said aloud, lifting his chin and setting his shoulders. That left the bathroom, living room, kitchen and spare room.
The living room he’d already seen when he’d come in. Walking through it and into the kitchen, Torin shrugged to himself, a sense of determination growing in him as he studied the house. There was nothing here. No bloodied knives, no splatters of blood. It was all just as he’d expect to find it.
“So where’s all this evidence, Sasha?” he muttered to himself, wandering back through the living room and towards the spare bedroom. The door was closed tight, and, as Torin opened it, he was stunned to discover that, instead of walking straight into the room, there was a small alcove with another door at the end.
“That wasn’t here before.”
His voice bounced off the wall, as a cloying fear began to wrap itself around his heart. Sniffing, Torin realized that what he could smell – in between all the other cloying scents – was blood. The rusty, dark scent that could only mean one thing.
“It’s a set up,” he reminded himself, gritting his teeth as he put one hand on the door handle. Taking a deep breath, he pushed it open and stepped inside.
Chapter Eleven
Sasha paced the floor, gnawing on one ragged nail on her index finger. She felt stronger now, as though something within her had shifted irreversibly.
The fact that she’d tried to escape was reason enough for Torin to punish her – but he hadn’t done a thing. It had been four days and she’d barely seen him. He’d come into her room, given her food and left again, except Sasha was becoming aware of a growing pain in his eyes and found, much to her surprise, that she wanted to help him in some way.
Questions dogged her mind. Had he been to Thomas’ house? Had he seen something, something that had convinced him she was telling him the truth? Was this the reason he hadn’t touched her since coming back? Sasha didn’t think he was going to hurt her any more, that was for certain. She was almost growing to trust him, sometimes hearing him calmly trying to settle Bramble down when he started barking. Of course, she longed for her dog but the way he was treating Bramble made her believe that Torin wasn’t the kind of vengeful man she had thought. He had just been reacting to a very painful, very distressing situation and, in a way, Sasha could understand that.
It was clear that the desire, the urge to break her, had been there at the very start, but slowly that need was leaving him. He never said anything to her, but slowly he had started to treat her with a little bit of consideration. She was slowly coming to realize that he truly was concerned for her. Weird. It’s like he wants to let me go and keep me prisoner at the same time.
He hadn’t been back to see her for hours now but when he eventually did return, Sasha was determined to get the truth from him this time. She recalled how she’d touched his arm the last time he’d come in and how he had jerked back, staring at her with wide eyes. Something in his expression had made her catch her breath, seeing him as he truly was for the first time. A man who had experienced such a great loss that he didn’t know what to do about it. Her heart broke for him, pouring a sympathy all through her that she hadn’t thought she’d ever feel….and that sensation hadn’t gone away yet.
Of course, Torin hadn’t answered any of her questions yet, but she wasn’t going to let him leave the room this time without getting some kind of answer from him. Four days was more than enough to get his thoughts straight and, if he didn’t know what to do then she’d help him. He was probably confused over what to do with her since kidnapping a cop wasn’t exactly the best course of action.
It came as a surprise, even to her, that she had no intention of filing any kind of charges against him. It was as though she had forgiven him, even though he’d taken her against her will and hadn’t exactly asked for her forgiveness. The pain and suffering he was going through, the intensity of his gaze, spoke to her very heart and Sasha found that she was, in the strangest of ways, trying to get closer to him. It didn’t make sense, even to her.
A key turned in the lock and Sasha froze, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.
“Sasha?”
An unfamiliar voice echoed through the door, as the key became stuck.
“Sasha, this is James. Torin wants to see you. He’s downstairs.”
That was weird. Torin had never let anyone else come to the room she was being kept in. Something wasn’t right. She didn’t really think Torin would send someone else to come and get her. She’d never met James, although she’d known there was someone else in the house. A sudden thrill of hope ran up her spine. Was he here to help her escape? Was this the only way he could do it?
“You need to jiggle the key a little bit more,” she said, coming closer to the door. “It gets stuck.”
The key turned effortlessly, as though James had been waiting for her to come closer, as if he’d been able to hear her moving around. Sasha frowned and made to step back but the door was thrown back with such force that she only just missed being caught by it – and a strong hand caught her arm.
“Sasha,” said the tall, burly man, as an evil glint caught his eye. “You’ve been causing Torin all kinds of problems.”
“James, is it?” Sasha replied, ignoring the quickening of her heart. “Torin hasn’t mentioned you.”
“He wouldn’t,” James said, offhandedly. “Although I fully intend to take over from him once you’re out of the way.”
Sasha bit back a cry of fright, trying to keep her thoughts calm. “Take over?” she asked, as he began to pull her out of the room. “Take over what?”
James laughed quietly, sending a ripple of fear into her stomach. “I forgot, you don’t know.”
“I don’t know what?”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Like I said, you’ve been causing Torin a ton of problems. I plan on showing him, and everyone else, how true revenge is supposed to be carried out. And that’s going to show everyone how weak he truly is.”
Sasha swallowed the lump of fear in her throat, beginning to resist as he pulled her along the hallway towards a room she didn’t recognize.
“Don’t start with me,” he warned, “I’m not afraid to spill your blood, and I’ll rip your throat out if I have to.”
He said the words so calmly, so quietly, that it took a moment before Sasha could react to them. She began to struggle in earnest, growing cold with the awareness that Torin was not in the house. She was alone, desperate to fend James off and retreat to the sanctuary of her room. If she could take him by surprise, then perhaps she would have enough time to grab the key from her door and lock herself inside.
A low, angry growl rattled through James’ chest, sending shivers all through her. Slamming her up against the wall, he glared down at her, his eyes narrowing. They seemed to glow with just a hint of gold and, remembering how she had seen the very same thing the night Thomas had attacked her, Sasha went weak with fright.
“That’s better,” James whispered, grasping her hair with one hand and pulling it so hard that her head was forced back. “You’re mine, Sasha. I’ll prove to Torin that he’s weak to have feelings for you by taking away the one thing that’s stopping him from behaving like the leader he s
hould be.” He grinned at her wolfishly, his eyes glowing still. “You’re going to do everything I tell you,” he whispered, one hand tightening on the back of her neck as he pressed his body against hers, giving her no doubt as to what he intended. “And, if you’re lucky, I might just let you live.”
Sasha tried to scream but James’ mouth landed on hers, his teeth biting forcefully on her lower lip. She shoved him, hard, only for something big, something huge to break them apart, sending James to the floor.
Torin.
Sinking to the floor, Sasha pressed her hand to her mouth, stemming the blood as she watched Torin with wide eyes. He was shouting at James and James was screaming back at him, but the fear that raced through her drowned out every sound. She had no idea what they were saying.
Then, to her utter shock, Torin’s entire body began to change before her very eyes. Bones emerged from his back, his whole form tensing and burning with energy. Sasha screamed aloud as Torin’s body continued to change. She scrabbled back against the wall in a desperate attempt to shield herself.
A wolf. Torin was a wolf.
She couldn’t take it in.
James laughed darkly and transformed himself in an instant too, his wolf smaller than Torin’s but clearly strong. Sasha closed her eyes tightly, screaming silently as the two wolves began to fight.
It was only when the thundering of their paws began to move away from her that she finally opened her eyes, seeing the larger wolf chase after the smaller one.
With strength she didn’t know she possessed, Sasha pushed herself up to her feet and hurried back towards her own room, her fingers trying desperately to grab onto the key in the lock. Her hands were slick with sweat as she tried to grasp it, finding it an impossible task. The growls and yelps from downstairs had her heart thumping with fright until she was forced to give up.
