Without releasing her, he snarled to Cam, “Don’t you think you should have told us about Rea before?” Damn it all, why hadn’t he said anything?
“I don’t know if it’s true,” Cam replied calmly.
Hell.
“There is no way for me to know. I would not be able to scent if this woman is related to Livie or Sela. You or Mac can do that because of your bonds.” Cam was a damn good Wolven. He thought everything through and duty and the clan always came first.
“I know this is an ambush.” Cam shot a fierce look at Mac. “Are you ready to listen now? We’re getting close and we don’t have much time left.”
Livie’s hand trembled. He rubbed her soft skin with his thumb. He had to put his feelings away if he intended to keep her from harm.
“What’s the plan?”
Cam glanced at Mac who nodded. “All right. They’ve given us a very short window. Four hours from the moment they called.” Cam tapped the clock on the dash. “We have thirty minutes left and about fifteen more miles to go. Most of those miles will be on a dirt road so it will be close.”
“They claim they want to negotiate with Livie and Sela,” Cam held up his hand before Roc or Mac could say anything. “We won’t let them anywhere near the women. Remember, they need the women alive. They won’t do anything to risk them.”
Livie stiffened. He turned to see her glaring at Cam. “This is our sister you are talking about. If they have Rea . . .” her voice broke.
“Livie, I honestly don’t think it’s her.” Cam said softly. “I don’t want you or Sela to get your hopes up. If they actually have her, they would use her as bait.” He paused. “They would remove something of hers – something you would recognize – and send it so they would have the upper hand.” Roc knew Livie and Sela didn’t wear any jewelry. He hoped she wouldn’t understand. Silent tears trickled down her cheek.
“But if they really do have her, she’ll need Sela and Livie. She’ll fight us and I don’t want to do anything else that might traumatize her.” he finished quietly.
Sela began gagging.
“Pull over,” Mac snapped.
Cam swerved over to the side and squealed to a stop. Mac jumped out, opened the back door and snatched Sela up. He got back into the front, holding Sela in his arms.
Cam took off again.
Roc would give anything to do the same with Livie. Blood pooled on her bottom lip where she bit down. She kept her eyes closed and those soundless tears continued to pour down her cheeks.
He couldn’t take it.
He let go of her for a moment to maneuver over the seat. As he settled next to her, she opened drenched stormy eyes. He hadn’t seen that soul deep pain in the last few days. She’d been too angry at him. He never wanted to see it again.
“I won’t hurt you,” he murmured. He eased her into the curve of his body. She didn’t struggle. “I just want to hold you.”
She didn’t say a word. Suddenly, she lunged forward and buried her head in his chest.
He sighed. This was where she should always be. Right next to his heart.
Chapter Eleven
Livie watched Roc walk with Cam towards the black SUV through the window, his broad shoulders tense, head swiveling for any sign of an attack. Mac stood just outside the window.
The SUV was parked in a small widening in the road. Red and tan boulders surrounded them on all sides. She couldn’t have picked a better spot for an attack.
Cam’s plan called for them to meet the Order in human form, to appear less threatening. Livie almost laughed at that. They each stood at least six and a half feet tall. How could anyone that size look harmless?
But if the shock of their transformation gave them an advantage then Livie was all for it. Anything to get ahead of those bastards.
The re-enforcements that Cam had lined up were a full ten minutes behind them. Cutting it too close. If they have Rea . . .
Livie pressed a hand to her stomach. Sela gave her hand a comforting squeeze, “You can do it, Livie. I know you’re scared, but you can do it.”
Why do I have to be the secret weapon?
Because they don’t know that your Element is active, her logical side replied. And we’re in the middle of a freaking desert.
Right now, Livie would give anything for a return of her calm, analytical persona. The mere thought of Rea in the hands of the Order scattered all signs of her recovery to the winds. She was right back to a ball of fear.
Memories of Sela at fourteen – shot, flesh burnt, bruised and incoherent – flashed back and forth through her mind. Inserted in between were horrific images of Rea right now, held captive by the bastards.
She had to be strong for her sisters, but . . . could she call up her Element?
“Hate you,” their mother swayed in the doorway. Half empty bottle dangling in one hand. “Can’t stand the sight of you. Never wanted you. Where are you – you little demons?”
Rea pushed Livie and Sela further back under the bed. She tried to block their view with her little body, but Livie could see the leather belt dragging behind her mother’s feet.
“Where the hell are you?” Livie clapped her hands over her ears. “I fuckin’ hate you.” Drops of alcohol splashed on the floor.
“Goddamn you! You stole your power from my sisters! They’re dead ‘cause o’ you.” Her words became more slurred. The door slammed shut, but Livie could hear her muttering as she wandered away. “Hate you. Hate the fuckin’ power.”
Livie clapped her hands over her head. Leave me alone!
The backdoor of the SUV suddenly opened. A woman tumbled out, sprawling on her side in the dirt, a dark hood over her head.
Roc and Cam halted abruptly. Roc tilted his head up as if scenting something. Livie watched his shoulders stiffen just before he took a step back.
Not Rea.
Then all hell broke loose.
The first explosion landed in between them and where Roc and Cam stood. The percussion rocked the heavy vehicle, shattering two windows.
“Mac!” Sela screamed.
Livie looked towards the front, but she couldn’t see his body anymore. Dust hung heavily in the air obscuring her view. Another blast came almost on top of the first one, closer to the suburban this time.
The big car lifted into the air before rolling onto its side and then the world tilted, flashing at odd angles as she slammed into the door. Sela hit her half a second later. The impact forced the air out of her lungs.
Dazed, black specs hovering at the corners of her eyes, she began to slide headlong into the darkness. The weight crushing her chest began to move, instinctively Livie pushed and shoved, her body taking control, frantic to breathe.
Dimly aware of pain reverberating down the entire side of her body laying against the door, Livie thrust hard with her arm. Sela fell next to her. She sucked in a painful breath of air. Her lungs shuddered in their effort to work again.
Get out! Get out!
Livie tried to listen to the screaming in her mind, the fight or flight instinct kicking in. She set one hand down to push up into a sitting position. Her arm moved in slow motion, sluggish as if it wasn’t sure it belonged to her body anymore.
Knife sharp points of agony stabbed into her palm. Livie ignored it. She had to get up. She had to move.
Sela’s elbow jabbed into her thigh. Livie continued pushing, scrabbling around with her other hand until she found the seatbelt and pulled.
After what seemed like a year, Livie finally managed to get upright. Legs tangled with Sela’s, she grabbed her sister’s arm and helped her the rest of the way up.
A large gash cut across Sela’s head, blood dripping down at an alarming rate. Livie reached out to put pressure on the wound just as it began to heal itself.
Sela opened her mouth, saying something. Livie slowly shook her head. Her ears rang. Her heartbeat a muffled thud. She couldn’t hear.
Moisture trickled over her eyes. Livie pulled her hand back, in
tending to wipe away the sweat. Jagged shards of glass pierced her hand, covering the skin like a pincushion. Immediately her hand began to throb.
She cradled it against her chest, releasing the seatbelt to swipe at her forehead with her other hand. Her hand came away streaked in blood, not sweat.
Sela’s lips moved again. “Seals, I can’t hear,” she yelled. Why didn’t she understand? Her sister frowned and brushed at the gash on her forehead. The blood washed from her head like red paint, displaying perfect skin where the deep cut had been.
A werewolf’s mate, she healed almost as quickly as they did. Sela could hear.
Sela pointed at Livie’s head. She lifted a cautious hand to the area and encountered a large chunk of glass imbedded in her own head.
Sela stopped her before she could pull it out. Scowling, Livie wiped away another stream of blood. Why . . .?
Damn it.
If she pulled the glass out, she would bleed like a stuck pig. Unlike her sister, she couldn’t heal right away. She was not mated to a werewolf. The blood would pour down her face, impeding her vision.
The glass stayed put.
Sela gestured to the window above them, a large hole surrounded by tiny cracks marred the surface. Livie nodded. Moving like an old woman, and with Sela’s help, Livie slowly stood up.
Sela pointed to herself first then to Livie. Using the backrests of the seats as a ladder, she quickly climbed up then motioned for Livie to duck.
Chunks and slivers of glass fell around Livie. She ignored them as well as the ones that sliced into her. They had to get out of the car.
Sela tapped her on the shoulder and Livie looked up to see her climb through the window opening. She reached down to help Livie.
In the next second she disappeared.
No!
Livie screamed Sela’s name. The bastards had her. They had her sister.
Gritting her teeth, Livie grabbed on to the seat rest with her injured hand and the seatbelt with her other. Vicious pain stabbed into her hand as she pushed and pulled her way to the window. She braced her feet against the headrests, gasping, knowing what was coming. She planted both hands on the edge of the window and propelled herself out of the car before she could think about it.
She tried to curl into a ball before she hit the ground, but her body wasn’t functioning properly. She felt a pop in one shoulder right before a fresh wave of pain swept through her.
She rolled to her side, gagging. Dust coated her mouth and nostrils making it hard to breathe. She got to her knees, blood and debris from the explosion marring her sight.
Trembling, she locked her legs, and stood. Her left shoulder hung slightly downwards. Pain washed through her like a tidal wave, her stomach heaved.
Swiping again at her head, Livie looked around for Sela. She found her sister right away. Barely ten feet away, a knife pressed to her throat, Sela struggled with one of the Order.
As Livie watched, the man pushed the knife tip harder against Sela’s throat until a small trickle of blood appeared. Sela gripped the man’s arm, but otherwise quit struggling.
Her lips moved. Livie couldn’t understand. Swaying in place, battered and deaf, she tried desperately to understand.
Letting go of the bastard’s arm, Sela twisted her right arm until her mark faced Livie.
She wanted her to use her Element.
Of course. Sela needed exposure to water to employ her power. That’s why Livie had been picked as the secret weapon. Livie had access to air whenever she needed it.
This was Cam’s backup plan in case anything went wrong.
Livie searched the area for the werewolves. She couldn’t see far through the aftermath of the explosions.
She glanced back towards Sela. Two more members of the Order flanked the man holding her sister. They headed towards Livie.
Things had definitely gone wrong.
Suck it up or get caught.
Trembling from head to toe, Livie dug her heels into the dirt.
“Hate you. Hate the fuckin’ power.”
She shoved her shoulders back.
“You’re my mate.”
She lifted her arms, palms out.
“You can do it, Livie. I know you can.”
Warmth pooled in her stomach. The intricate tattoo on the inside of her right wrist began to glow.
“You stole your power from my sisters! They’re dead ‘cause o’ you.”
The soldiers coming at her lifted tranquilizer guns.
“My mate.”
Now or never.
Livie pushed the power through her shaking arms. She caught the first dart in mid-air using a small brush of wind. With a flick of her finger, she turned it around and imbedded it deep into the man’s thigh. He tipped over onto his side not moving.
The second dart, she swirled into the neck of the man holding Sela. As he fell, she clubbed the other soldier in the side of his head with his gun.
She shifted her hands apart. The air cleared. A gray and a dark, almost black, werewolf fought a dozen members of the Order on one side.
Closer to her, another werewolf stood. This one covered in deep chocolate fur with a lighter tan on his chest. Roc. He faced her as he clawed and pummeled his way toward her.
In that moment, their eyes met. His swirled with a rage so fierce, it surprised her that the soldiers hadn’t been blown apart by its force alone.
Several bodies lay near him, unmoving. Blood dripped from his fangs and his claws. As part of the transformation, he’d grown a couple feet taller and much broader. Thick muscles lined his body under the blanket of fur.
His muzzle opened wide, displaying lethal teeth. Livie thought he howled, but couldn’t be certain.
He slashed out with both sets of claws, removing the few men between them. His thighs tensed and Livie knew he planned to leap. This animal wanted her. To be near her, the woman he considered his mate.
As soon as he launched, Livie sent out a burst of power. The force of the wind scattered everything in its path. The black SUV tumbled away like a brittle brush. The soldiers and werewolves flew over and into the boulders around them.
Livie swiveled back towards Sela. “Get down,” she yelled. Sela flattened her body on the ground as Livie shot another blast of power over her, dispersing the bad guys on the other side.
Palms out, she turned in a full circle, lobbing narrow bursts of her Element until all of the soldiers were down. Clenching her hands, she spun around several times. No one moved.
Gasping, standing on will-power alone, Livie began to lower her arms.
A massive body landed in front of her. She brought her hands back up. Roc stood two feet away. Blood and dust matted his fur all along his left side. His left arm hung limply at an odd angle. A large section along his cheek had been scraped away. Pink tissue and even part of his bone showed clearly.
His muzzle moved. Drops of bright red blood fell between them.
Livie lifted her arms.
“Hate you. Hate the fuckin’ power.”
He reached out toward her.
“You’re my mate.”
She stared at his huge paw with its dark brown fur and long, blood coated claws. Her shaking hands looked frail and weak compared to his.
“Never wanted you.”
Her trembling increased until her teeth chattered.
“Mine.”
Livie dropped her arms. Her mark ceased glowing. Blackness surrounded her. She felt his powerful arm catch her just before she passed out.
Chapter Twelve
She didn’t push me away the second time.
He might be fooling himself, but he took heart from that.
Roc sliced through her jeans with his claw, splitting the material down her leg. He did the same to the other side. He gently eased the material out from under her.
Livie didn’t stir.
Lying unconscious on his bed with only a pair of tiny cotton panties for cover, he could clearly see each and every wound she�
��d sustained. And she had sustained a lot.
She’d woken briefly when he popped her shoulder back into place. Her scream still rang in his ears. Thankfully she’d passed out again right after that.
He’d gritted his teeth with every piece of glass he’d removed from her skin. It would have killed him if she’d been conscious for that. He’d been able to clean the dirt from her wounds as well.
Now he could begin. His stomach clenched in anticipation. God, no wonder she thought him a beast, but he couldn’t help it. Just the thought alone, brought him fully erect.
His hand trembled as he cut her panties. The soft fabric ripped easily. Livie now lay completely naked before him for the first time.
Knocked out, covered with dried and fresh blood from the glass, bruised, battered and totally vulnerable.
He had utterly failed in his duty to protect his mate.
He should have stayed beside her. They knew it was a trap. He should have never allowed her to be there in the first place.
Livie moaned, stirring slightly. Damn it. He hoped she would remain unconscious for the next part. If she fought him, she would only create more pain for herself.
Her eyes fluttered open.
He waited for her to become aware of her surroundings, prepared to do what he had to do, even if he had to chain her up again.
It didn’t take long.
Puzzled gray eyes stared at him before she snapped them shut, biting her lower lip as she tried to hold back another pained moan. He knew the exact moment she became aware of her nudity.
She froze then began to scramble awkwardly away.
He pressed her upper arms into the mattress and swung his leg over hers. She tried to arch away, shouting as she used her injured shoulder. Before she could do any more damage, Roc covered her fully with his body.
She cried out in pain.
“I’ll move as soon as you stop struggling.” He said. “Can you hear me, Livie? Stop fighting me and I’ll move away.”
Fur, Fangs and All (The Elementals Book 2) Page 8
