by Anya Nowlan
A blond woman opened the door as they pulled into the driveway and ushered them into the house. On the living room couch lay a young man, his foot covered in bandages. He looked up at the sound of footsteps, groaning as he saw Everett.
“They dragged you into this too? I’m fine, just a scratch, will heal in no time,” the man said, propping himself up on his elbows.
“And you’ll heal even faster with all of us here,” Evan said sternly.
An imposing man with raven black hair stood from a nearby armchair.
“Listen to your brothers, Zeke,” he said, giving the man on the couch a look that said this particular conversation was over.
A redheaded woman standing at Evan’s side walked over to Sara and led her into the kitchen.
“You must be awfully confused,” she said, smiling as she gestured Sara to take a seat. “I’m Karen, Evan’s wife,” she explained, sitting down next to her.
Sara glanced at Everett, who was squatting next to Zeke, listening to the other two men talking beside him.
“I’m Sara, nice to meet you.”
“Hi, Sara, I’m Jennifer,” the blond woman introduced herself, appearing behind her.
“Welcome to the shifter wives club,” Jennifer continued with a laugh.
“We meet every other emergency,” Karen added cheekily.
“What’s the emergency this time? Everett didn’t tell me much,” Sara said, itching to find out what exactly was going on, worry bubbling in the pit of her stomach.
“It’s actually low on the disaster scale. Zeke there went for a little bear-run in the forest and somehow stepped into a bear trap. No one hunts bears around here, so we have no idea how the thing even got there. He limped to our house as it was the closest, and Ethan called Evan to come over, help Zeke heal faster,” Jennifer explained.
Karen must’ve noticed Sara’s puzzled expression.
“Bears heal faster than humans, but their healing is accelerated even more when they are surrounded by fellow shifters. If the bear has a mate, the mate’s presence is also very helpful,” she quickly interjected. “Evan, of course, felt he needed to let Everett know and now here we all are,” she added, waving a hand around the living room.
“When Everett got the call, he said his brother’s been hurt. I thought something had happened to Evan or Ethan…” Sara trailed off, still a bit bewildered.
“Oh, he meant clan brother. Only Evan, Ethan and Everett are actual blood brothers,” Karen clarified.
Sara nodded mutely, not sure whether that changed much. Seeing how upset Everett was, it was clear that they might as well have been brothers in blood, all of them. The Grimpaw clan was a close-knit one.
“You want something to drink? Iced tea?” Jennifer asked, as if this were just a normal afternoon for her.
“No, thanks,” Sara said, hearing Everett’s voice rise in the living room.
“It had to be them!” he thundered, throwing his hands up.
Sara rushed to his side, the other women following closely behind.
“I understand you’re upset,” the man who Sara gathered was Ethan said, attempting to calm Everett down.
“I’m not ‘upset’,” Everett started loudly.
Sara took hold of his hand.
“Hey,” she said softly, drawing his attention.
Everett left his sentence unfinished, taking a deep breath.
“Karen filled you in?” Evan asked, looking at Sara.
She nodded quietly.
“Zeke was running in shifter territory,” Everett started again, more quietly this time.
“No one is stupid enough to hunt or leave traps there. It had to have been the wolves,” he continued, his gaze alternating between Evan and Ethan.
“We have no proof of that,” Evan sighed.
“This isn’t a court of law!” Everett exclaimed.
“Guys, you’re giving me a headache,” Zeke piped up from the couch.
The brothers fell silent. Everett looked sullen.
“Let the poor man rest,” Jennifer said, appearing in front of Zeke with another blanket. She looked at his leg, the bandages stained red, and frowned.
“I think we’re running out of gauze,” Jennifer said, fluffing the pillow under Zeke’s head.
“I can go get some,” Sara offered, tired of standing around, confused and useless.
It felt like she was the only one out of place and she didn’t appreciate the feeling one bit.
“I don’t like the idea of you going back into town alone,” Everett objected immediately.
“What are they going to do, bite me in the middle of a pharmacy while screaming ‘incompetent trucker’?” Sara countered.
“I’ll go with her,” Karen interjected, sensing an argument coming. “We’ll be back before you know it,” she continued, looping an arm around Sara’s and guiding her towards the door.
“See you in a bit,” Sara called out to Everett, closing the door behind her before the man had a chance to protest further.
“Thank you,” Sara said to Karen as they got into her little grey car.
“No problem. I know it can get overwhelming in the middle of all that bear testosterone. You looked like you could use a break,” Karen noted with a kind smile.
“Yeah, this is all kind of new to me; I never know what the right thing to say or do is. I don’t want to butt in on family affairs,” Sara nodded, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
“You’ll get used to it,” Karen encouraged her.
No, I won’t, Sara thought.
Her truck was all but ready, which meant she had no reason to stay any longer. The road was calling her, simple and familiar.
It didn’t take long until they were pulling into town. Karen left her car near Maisy’s as they walked to the pharmacy. Sara couldn’t shake the odd feeling of being watched.
Stop being paranoid, she chided herself.
The tiny pharmacy was a maze of medicine-filled shelves that Karen maneuvered with ease, loading up her shopping cart with everything they might need.
“I’m just going to get some vitamins and then we’re ready to go,” Karen said with a cheerful smile.
“Okay, I’ll grab some Tylenol and meet you at the register,” Sara replied, a dull ache starting to throb at her temples.
She made her way to the back of the store, to the aisle marked ‘pain medication’. As she crouched down to get a better look at the lower shelves, a shadow fell over her.
Oops, hope I’m not in someone’s way, Sara thought, getting up to give whoever was standing behind her more room to browse.
Two men loomed over her, blocking the space between the shelves. They were staring right at Sara, unmoving.
“Sorry, fellas, I’ll get out of your way,” Sara mumbled with a nervous smile, grabbing a bottle of pills and trying to squeeze by.
The men continued to stand shoulder to shoulder, unperturbed by her attempts to pass. One of them was wearing a cowboy hat and boots; the other had a large tattoo of a full moon on his shoulder, clearly visible because of the white wifebeater he was wearing.
“Is there a problem?” Sara asked, placing a hand on her hip.
“No problem,” one of the men finally said, stepping closer with a menacing grin.
Sara started backing away, fear crawling up her spine.
“Karen,” she called out, but the sound was but a whisper.
Her mouth had gone completely dry.
Sara swallowed, preparing to shout louder this time, but a large hand clamped down across her mouth. Within a second, the tattooed man was behind her, his hand still covering her lips, dragging her towards the emergency exit in the back, completely unfazed by her kicking and wriggling.
Sara clawed at the man’s arms, thrashing and trying to bite the hand stopping her from screaming. The cowboy stalked after her, murmuring soothing sounds. Sara kicked at him, making him take a step backwards. Then, she let her legs go limp, dragging her body downwards, hoping t
he man behind her would loose his grip.
The cowboy struggled to hold her upright and keep his hand on her mouth at the same time. The other man rushed towards them, leaving Sara no time to react. He grabbed her legs and the two men started to carry her out of the shop.
Sara thrashed and wiggled the whole way, the sound of shelves shaking and pills rattling in their bottles the last thing she heard before the door slammed shut behind her.
Tears streamed down Sara’s face as the men carried her towards their car. She kept scratching at the man who had his arms around her, leaving deep welts and drawing blood. The man only grunted, his grip remaining firm.
When they reached the vehicle, the cowboy let go of her legs for a second, reaching for something in the car. Sara stomped down on the tattooed man’s foot, again and again, but it seemed to be of no use. The cowboy returned, unamused by her antics. He punched her in the stomach hard enough for Sara to grow nauseous and double over.
The tattooed man released Sara’s mouth. She could only get out a pained gasp as a piece of duct tape was slapped over her lips. The cowboy wrung her hands back, tying them together with a piece of rope.
The men tossed her into their trunk, back first. Sara pressed her legs against the lid as they were attempting to close it, hoping against hope that someone would walk by this very second and spot her.
One sharp push by the cowboy and her knees buckled, giving out. The trunk slammed shut.
Darkness enveloped her.
Sixteen
Everett
Everett was in the middle of arguing with his brothers when his phone buzzed. It was Karen. Her voice was a flurry of panic and the words didn’t register the first time she said them.
“Sara’s what?” Everett asked, unable to believe what he had heard.
“Sara’s gone, missing! Oh God!” came Karen’s voice, knocking the wind out of Everett.
“What do you mean she’s missing?! You were just supposed to go to the pharmacy and come right back!” Everett shouted, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed the phone.
“She was out of my sight no more than a minute. I thought I heard something so I went looking for her. There were pill bottles on the floor, looked like a struggle…” Karen’s voice trailed off, Everett thought he heard her cry.
“Stay there,” Everett ground out before sending the phone flying across the room.
* * *
Everett arrived at the pharmacy with a cloud of dust and gravel behind him. Evan was in the seat next to him. They found Karen waiting out front, eyes red and wringing her hands.
“Everett, I’m so sorry,” she started, rushing towards the men as they got out of the car.
Everett held up a hand.
“You didn’t kidnap Sara, they did. We need to stick together, now more than ever,” he said, stopping Karen’s apology.
While a hundred different options had gone through his head on the drive over, Everett knew there was really only one thing that could have happened to Sara. And he was sure the Clearponds had something to do with it.
Karen wiped her eyes and nodded, determination filling her gaze. They made their way to the back door – it was the only place where no one would’ve noticed Sara being dragged out. Tool marks indicated the lock had been forcefully opened.
The scent of wolf permeated the air and a roar echoed inside Everett, filling the hollow chasm that had formed there the moment he heard Sara was gone.
Both Everett and Evan sniffed the air, following the trail from the door to the small parking area. Tire tracks indicated that someone had left in a hurry. Since the kidnappers were no longer on foot, the trail ran cold there. Everett stomped back towards his car.
“What are you going to do?” Evan asked, running after him and grabbing his arm.
“This has Keith written all over it. And I know where he lives,” Everett growled.
“He’s not that stupid, let’s talk this over,” Evan pleaded.
“No more talking,” Everett said, brushing off Evan’s hand and jumping into his pickup.
Sara’s face was all Everett could see on the drive over to Keith Clearpond’s farmhouse. Nothing mattered except getting her back – nothing but holding her in his arms again and never letting go.
But he had already let her go, at least partially. Her truck would be finished by tomorrow and she would be off, leaving Sweetwater and him in her rearview mirror. And what had he done to stop it?
Not a goddamn thing.
Everett could never hope to meet a woman who would even come close to Sara. She was one of a kind. The way she made him feel was hard to put into words. It went beyond words, to be honest. It was more like deep, primal knowledge.
She was his mate.
At that moment, nothing could have been clearer in Everett’s mind. He had felt it the second he laid eyes on her but had kept himself from fully believing it. He had been afraid, unsure of whether he was really ready to settle down. The last days had shown him how easily Sara fit into his life and how empty it was without her. New determination rushed over Everett. He needed to tell Sara all of this and get her to stay.
Everett stopped the car away from the farmhouse. He didn’t know how many wolves would be waiting inside and the element of surprise was all he had going for him. He sniffed the air instinctively, even though it did him no real good. Of course the place would be reeking of wolf – this is where they lived and worked.
There were no cars out front, giving Everett hope that Keith had been stupid enough to do this on his own. He crept to the house, staying low and within the tree line, trying to pinpoint any movement. He thought he could see curtains moving in one of the upstairs windows, but it could have just been the wind.
Everett turned to his senses, his eyes flicking black. He felt nothing, which was odd.
Sara’s scent permeated his pores after their night together – he should have been able to smell her with ease. Unless they had her locked up in a basement somewhere, hiding her from his nose, he should have been drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Everett couldn’t help feeling something wasn’t right.
He circled the house, staying in the cover of the surrounding shrubbery. He should have been sensing something. Sneaking up on the back door, he strained his ears. He tried the door, but it was locked.
Everett braced himself, throwing himself against the door, once, twice, before it gave and burst open.
He was met by nothing but silence.
He roamed through the first floor, checking every room. The kitchen was neat, everything put away. No signs that anyone had left in a hurry. Heart pounding, he made his way to the second floor.
Bedroom after bedroom, he found nothing. Everett checked every closet, every corner, calling out Sara’s name. There was no answer. Frustrated and with growing dread, Everett went back outside to check the surrounding buildings – a small workshop and a barn.
The smell of motor oil and manure would help obscure Sara’s smell. Maybe they’re holding her there, he thought, grasping at straws.
Everett walked to the workshop first, no longer concerned with hiding. If someone was there, they would have been aware of his presence by now.
All the while, he kept expecting to be jumped by a dozen snarling wolves. As the minutes ticked by, he became almost annoyed at the fact that he hadn’t been. A head-on confrontation would have made it so much easier.
But wolves never fight fair, do they.
Machine parts and tools cluttered the small, dark space, but there was no sign of Sara.
Walking the short distance to the barn, Everett’s stomach started to knot. He knew even before the large wooden doors swung open that he wouldn’t find Sara there. A terrible realization started to sink in.
Sara isn’t here.
And I have no idea where to look next.
Seventeen
Sara
Sara could feel the car rumble to a stop. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she tried desperately t
o remain calm. She would need to have her wits about her if she was going to get out of this one.
Heavy footfalls approached the trunk. She briefly entertained the idea of kicking at whoever opened it, but the pain in her gut from when the tattooed jerk had punched her made her reconsider.
No way of getting away if I’m coughing up blood and curled up in a ball.
She had decided to call the man the tattooed jerk. The other one was cowboy jerk. Not very original, she had to admit, but being kidnapped hadn’t really put Sara in a creative mood.
Tattooed jerk opened the drunk and dragged her out. Sunlight blinded her for a moment as her eyes readjusted. She looked around, trying to ascertain where she was. It was necessary information, if she attempted to escape at some point.
She was surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see. She couldn’t hear any cars or other sounds indicating civilization, so she was probably pretty deep in the forest.
Well, shit, she thought. Even if I do manage to run away, I’ll probably just get lost. How am I supposed to out-sprint shifters?
Of course, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t try if the opportunity presented itself.
Cowboy jerk appeared from behind the car, grabbing hold of the rope binding her hands and yanking her towards an abandoned-looking building a few yards away. Sara decided not to struggle – she wouldn’t have been able to outrun these guys anyway.
The house was large and looked like a factory or mill of some sort. The wood was sodden and discolored, the windows just gaping mouths with no glass.
The inside of the building was mostly empty, some workbenches and large metal wheels the only things remaining. The jerk duo led Sara to the back, where someone had dragged an old couch against the wall. Two men were playing cards at a tired-looking table next to it. Sara remembered seeing one of them the day she dropped off her shipment. Lounging on the sofa was another familiar figure.
Keith Clearpond was typing something on his phone, not even bothering to look up when Sara was pushed into the room. Sara’s captors stood at either side of her, waiting in silence. When Keith finally finished and looked at her with a smile, they shoved her forward.
