Fire of the Wolf [The Gray Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Lori King

  “Please? Just do me this one favor?” she pleaded with him. “Thank you for sharing your past with me, and for being there for me when I needed help. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.” And then when he didn’t respond, she jumped from the truck and ran inside the house.

  Liam threw the truck in reverse and headed back to the den, intending on finding Devin and Damon as quickly as possible to explain. As he reached the end of the block, he slammed on the brakes.

  Fuck this, he thought. I’m not leaving her here unprotected. He parked the truck at a convenience store about two blocks away from Tina’s, and braced himself before he called Devin and Damon.

  “Where is she?” Devin’s voice growled into the phone.

  “She’s okay, Dev. What the hell did you guys do to her? She had me take her to her friend, Tina’s, and she wouldn’t tell me what was going on. She just said that she couldn’t be what you needed, and that she needed her other life back. What’s going on?” he said.

  “We’re on our way.” Devin’s words were sharp and short, and he hung up without any explanation to Liam.

  Hanging up, he went back to watch the house until his Alpha could get there to collect his missing mate. He hoped that Devin wouldn’t blame him for this whole thing. All he did was try to help Caroline. As he reached the spot where he and Caroline had talked in the driveway, he caught an amazing scent that sent his libido skyrocketing. He knew instinctively that this scent belonged to his mate, and his eyes darted, looking for the woman it came from. As he turned toward the small house, following the delicious smell, he got a whiff of another wolf.

  Barton! The thought flashed through his brain as he connected the smell with the same one that he had found in the vandalized house yesterday. His eyes flew to the front window of Tina’s house, which now had the curtains drawn. They had been open just a few moments ago when he had dropped Caroline off. His wolf rose to the challenge, and he had to concentrate to keep himself from changing and storming the house. His gut told him that Barton was in the house with Tina, Caroline, and apparently his mate, but he also knew that he couldn’t protect them and fight him without backup.

  He pulled his phone out and called Devin back. He had to hold his phone away from his ear as he heard the painful howl break from Devin’s throat. Then he stuck it back in his pocket to wait.

  Chapter 13

  Caroline’s heart was beating so fast she was afraid she would have a heart attack. Her captor was finishing tying her ankles to the dining room chair just like he had already done with her wrists. Tina sat a few feet away on the other side of the dining room table, restrained in the same fashion. Caroline’s head throbbed, as she tried to remember the sequence of events prior to her waking up in this chair.

  She had flown into the house blinded by tears and anxious to put more distance between her and the wolves. She had slammed through the front door calling Tina’s name, and turned toward the living room expecting to find her friend waiting to comfort her. She smelled a sour smell, and then when Tina wasn’t waiting for her in the living room, she realized that something was wrong. She turned toward the kitchen, but she was too late. Her attacker knocked her out with a quick hit to the back of her head, and when she came to, she was already half-bound to the chair.

  “Well, well, well. You’re back with us again.” As the man finished tying her up, he stood up in front of her, and used his thumb and finger to roughly pull her chin upward. Her eyes met his, and she grimaced. He was a dirty-looking man who she knew was the same age as Devin, but looked to be in his late forties. He had several days’ worth of beard growth on his face, and he was stocky, and soft but not really fat. He just wasn’t as muscular as the men of the Gray Pack. His hair was light brown with faint gray streaks through it, and his eyes were so dark brown they were almost black. Right now they were glaring at her with anger and hatred. His clothing stunk, and Caroline knew without a doubt that this must be Barton Diego.

  “He will find you, Barton, and when he does he will kill you.” She said it so matter-of-factly that it seemed to catch him off guard. Then he smiled an evil grin at her, making her stomach summersault with nausea.

  “So, you know who I am, huh? Good, at least you will know my name well enough to scream it when I fuck their smell off of you.” He licked his thin lips and growled low in his throat as she blanched with disgust. “Nasty smell of Gray all over you. Wonder how he will feel when he finds the leftover pieces of you with my scent all over them.

  She forced herself to calm her breathing and try to think clearly. She had to find a way to get her and Tina out of this mess. There was no way in hell she was going to let him rape and kill them without a hell of a fight. Damn it, why did I leave the den? Devin and Damon told me I was in danger, and I ran away because I was scared. Why didn’t I let Liam stay? Now what am I going to do? She watched him as he moved to the front window and peeked out around the curtains.

  “He will be here soon,” she said, keeping her voice intentionally calm, and trying to throw his confidence. She was hoping he would believe her, and run away to keep from getting caught.

  “Whatever, I heard you and your human friend talking on the phone. You left him, and he doesn’t know where you are yet. Even if he figures it out quickly, he will just barely arrive in time to hear your screams. Don’t worry, pretty girl, I will let you watch when I kill him, or maybe I will let him watch while I kill you.” He moved back to her side and gripped her hair in his hand, pulling hard to make her look at him. “Don’t fuck with me, pretty girl. I wonder if I should start with your friend, that way I can show you what I have planned for you. You know what they say, anticipation always makes it better. If your boyfriend doesn’t get here soon, he will miss out on all of the fun!”

  As he spoke, he had moved over to Tina and ran his hand over her breasts, and up the side of her face. Tina paled and shuddered. Caroline had never felt the urge to kill someone in her life until now, and watching him threaten her closest friend broke her control.

  “No! Leave her alone, Barton,” she yelled at him. “Let her go, and I will do anything you want. She doesn’t know anything about this. Devin won’t come for her, but he will come for me. He doesn’t even know where I am right now. Let her go and find him so that he will hurry here to rescue me. Then you can finish this stupid challenge.”

  She could smell Tina’s terror, and she desperately wished she could talk to her for a moment. She had been bound with the same rope as Caroline, but Caroline noticed that Tina’s bonds were much looser. Barton must have been rushing to tie her up so that he was ready when Caroline had arrived. She wondered how he had known where to find her? She had to keep him distracted and talking to give herself time to figure out how to escape.

  “You will do whatever I want anyways, so what difference does it make? This way I get a two for one deal.” He was eyeballing Tina now, and that pissed Caroline off.

  “I’m impressed that you were able to locate me. I didn’t even know I was coming here until thirty minutes ago. How did you know where to find me?” she asked, and it caused Barton to turn and look at her cautiously.

  He took a moment considering her question, and then he answered with a laugh. “It was a lucky break for me that I was able to chat with a friend of yours from the hospital. Carter was his name. He was very willing to give up your friend Tina’s name so that your concerned ‘uncle’ could find out where you went and help you. Then it was just a matter of a quick internet search to locate her home. She and I were just going to play for a bit until she shared her knowledge of your current location, but right before I hit her I heard her on the phone telling you to come on over. Imagine my surprise that you were just going to throw yourself into my arms. It was too perfect. So here we are!” He clapped his hands together with his last statement, laughing and seeming very pleased with himself.

  “You have what you wanted, Barton. You have me at your mercy. Let her go.” She was determined to at least protect Tina fro
m this deviant, whatever the cost to herself.

  “Maybe. Then again, maybe not. I plan on taking my sweet time and having a good fuck either way, but first I think I will fix myself a nice meal. I haven’t eaten lately as I’ve been searching for you, and I will need my energy to make sure I’m the last thing you remember from this life.” He moved off into the kitchen, and Caroline sighed her relief.

  Once he was in the kitchen banging around, Caroline took the chance to speak to Tina quietly.

  “Tina, if you have a chance, you have to run. Run to the neighbors and have them call 9-1-1, and then call the firehouse. The guys there are friends of Devin and Damon’s. They will be able to get me out of here. This man is an enemy of Devin’s and wants to use me to hurt him. I’m so sorry you got caught up in this,” Caroline whispered as loudly as she dared, and Tina nodded her understanding to Caroline and then twisted her hands in her bonds, trying hard to pull them free. Caroline watched her, praying as hard as she could that the guys would hear her frantic pleas for help and reach them in time.

  “Don’t worry so much about me. I’m a survivor, and this punk isn’t going to get an easy ride out of me!” Tina’s eyes flashed fire, and Caroline almost laughed out loud. She looked around to make sure that Barton hadn’t heard them, and then started calling out to the twins in her mind.

  Devin, help me! Damon, I’m with Barton at Tina’s, please come fast. Please, guys, hear me and help me!

  Devin’s heart ached as he heard the pleas faintly in his mind. His mate needed him, and he was still ten minutes away from her.

  We’re coming, sugar.

  We’re on our way, Caroline!

  Devin was relieved to hear Damon’s voice in his mind as well. They were in separate vehicles as Devin had taken off instantly with his only goal being to reach Caroline, and Damon had backtracked a bit to gather reinforcements after Liam called to tell them Barton had her.

  He pushed his truck as fast as it would go, and just prayed that no one got into his way. As he whipped the truck into a parking space next to Liam’s at the convenience store, he jumped from it and took off at a run to reach Tina’s house. Liam caught him just before he smashed out into the open in front of the house, and tugged him down behind a parked minivan on the street.

  “Damn, that was a fast trip,” Liam said, and the awe in his voice was evident.

  “What’s happening?” Devin growled. He could feel his claws breaking through his skin, and his body changing. He couldn’t control it because he was so pissed off and scared.

  “I don’t know. He shut the curtains, and I’m afraid he will smell me if I get much closer. Can you tell if she is okay? What do we do?”

  “Yes, she is scared, but I think she is okay for the moment. It’s definitely Barton because I can smell his rank ass from here. Damon and the rest of the guys will be in here any second, and I have to get my wolf under control. Give me a minute.” After a few seconds Devin realized that he was feeling his mate’s fear in his mind, and it was keeping him on the brink of changing. He gave up trying to control it and let his claws extend from his skin.

  “Dev, I need you to know that my mate is in there, too,” Liam said with barely concealed rage.

  “Huh? Your mate?” Devin couldn’t hide his shock.

  “I can smell her. I don’t know why she would be in there, but I know she is. I don’t even know who she is!” Liam cracked his knuckles in a frustrated, nervous gesture.

  “Okay. We have to focus on getting the women all out safely, and then we will figure it all out. Hold it together for me, man. We can’t all fall apart, those women need us.” Devin’s words seemed to help calm Liam some.

  He sighed with a sense of relief when Damon, Cash, Owen, Rafe, and Ryley all bounded up to them. He could see the glow in Damon’s eyes and knew exactly how he felt. Damon was struggling to keep his wolf under control, too. Standing there in midchange, he wanted to make a plan with the men. He had to get his mate out of there safely and end this whole thing once and for all.

  “Where is she?” Damon barked.

  Liam quickly explained the events of the last thirty minutes, and Damon started forward toward the house. Devin snagged his arm and met his angry gaze with a determined look. His claws were gripping Damon’s wrist, and he could feel the course hair sprouting from Damon’s skin as he fought the change, too.

  “Damon. It’s the full moon, and a brand-new wolf is in that house with a madman. She can’t control her change, and the moon is rising. Once it’s up Barton will be surprised to find an angry and scared young wolf on his hands. There are also humans in there that need to be protected as well. We have to have a plan or someone will get hurt.” His words sounded much more calm than he actually felt, but he knew what he was saying was logical.

  “Fuck, I forgot about the full moon. She can’t go through this change alone. She will be scared, and stronger than even she realizes.” The pain and fear for his mate was naked in Devin’s eyes, and he looked back and forth between Devin and the house for a moment before he took a deep breath and hung his head. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

  Caroline could see that Barton was almost finished eating the pork chops he had found in the refrigerator, and he kept leering over at her from where he stood in the kitchen. Her stomach rolled the thought of him touching her. She knew if he came too close to her, she would throw up, and she figured that would really piss him off. She had yet to see him with a weapon, but the baseball bat that he had used on her head earlier still leaned against the wall next to the TV. If only she could reach it in time. Tina now had one hand free, and was working at the knot on the other hand. Caroline tried not to watch her because she was afraid it would draw Barton’s attention and make him look at her more closely. This was their only hope of escape.

  She suddenly heard her men in her mind and felt the relief course through her body like a warm caress.

  We’re here, beautiful, stay calm.

  Thank God! I’m so sorry that I ran away.

  Sugar, tell us what’s going on, but don’t look him in the eyes. He is an Alpha, and he will sense that you are communicating with us.

  Caroline closed her eyes and let her head fall forward so that her hair covered part of her face. If Barton watched her, she could only hope that he would think she was silently praying, because she was so overcome with fear.

  Barton has us both tied to chairs in the dining room. Just inside the front door and to the left. He has been eating something to store up energy he says, before the main event. I think he’s waiting for you guys, hoping you will come to find me, using me as bait. He is in the kitchen which is about fifteen feet farther to the left of us. He is closer to the side door that leads into the laundry room. Tina has one hand free from the ropes, but she can’t get the knot loose on her other arm. I can’t move more than a half an inch. If she can get free, I told her to run to you guys. Please make sure she gets away from him safely. I can’t get out without someone releasing my ropes, and if he releases them, it will only be to kill me. He has made it clear that he intends to hurt you by raping me before he kills me. I would rather die fighting him than let him rape me.

  We’re coming, sugar, but you have to stay calm. Listen to me. We are going to surround the house, and then Damon and Liam are coming in the kitchen door while I break through the front door. All of the guys are here, and he doesn’t stand a chance against all of us, but to protect you guys we have to catch him off guard. We won’t let him touch you, but we have to make sure we have a plan so that you won’t get hurt. I want him dead at the end of this.

  “What’s your problem, pretty girl?” Barton’s hot breath on her face caused her stomach to heave violently, and she whipped her head up to stare into his ebony eyes. “Shit, you’re talking with your man, huh? So he made it here in time after all. Good, now I know he will hear it when I fuck you.” With that he ripped the rope from her ankles, he moved away from her to avoid her swift kick. His eyes were full of laughter,
and pure evil. He was enjoying fighting with her. It seemed to be turning him on. He roughly jerked the rope from her wrists and held them tightly in his own hands as he threw her from the chair to the floor and landed heavily on top of her.

  “Come on, pretty girl, let me show you how a real wolf fucks.” She gagged at his words, and had to bite her tongue to keep from vomiting.

  The impact of the floor had knocked the wind out of her, and her eyesight blurred for a moment. She felt him pulling her shirt from her body and then heard her bra rip as he threw it away. His disgusting mouth latched violently onto her nipple, and he bit her hard. She screamed and fought with everything in her as he planted his knees between her thighs. He pinned her hands above her head in one hand, while his other hand pulled her jeans down her hips. He had to lift away from her to pull them down her legs, and she took the moment of imbalance to thrust her hips upward, knocking him off of her to the side, and loosening his grip on her hands.

  “Fuck you, asshole!” she screamed at him. She rolled quickly to her stomach and felt him heave up on top of her as if he were going to mount her from behind. The fear in her belly exploded when she felt his hard penis touch the back of one of her thighs, and then she felt the strange surge of strength race through her body.

  Her bones seemed to unfold painfully as her back arched and her head snapped back. Barton fell from her heavily, and she turned to see what happened. Tina stood over him with the baseball bat, and he was clearly dazed. Caroline laughed inside when she realized that Tina had just beat him with that bat, but her attention was taken up by the pain in her muscles as she felt her body changing shape. Barton now stared at her with wild eyes as he and Tina both watched her shift. Tina’s face was a mask of shock and admiration as she took in her friend’s secret. She seemed to have forgotten the bat in her hands and the devil on the floor for a moment. Caroline knew that she was changing, but having never done it before, she was terrified. Suddenly she was on four paws instead of her hands and knees, and she could feel her anger at the man in front of her gripping her wolf form. She snarled at him, and Barton smiled evilly. He quickly shifted into a huge brown-and-gray wolf. He was baring his teeth at her, and the growl that echoed through him was deep and angry.