The unknown wolf raced out of the woods at top speed, caught sight of him and stumbled, tumbling head over tail. Armand couldn’t believe his eyes. The wolf was larger than a real one but smaller than a male wolf. There was no doubt the creature was a werewolf. Dark-brown fur covered a slender but strong frame. And when the wolf raised her head, the blue eyes that stared back at him were all too familiar.
Anny. Anny had shifted into her wolf.
Pride warred with disappointment at not being with her when she made her first shift. He pushed all emotion aside to be dealt with later and ran to her side just as she gained her feet. Something dropped from her mouth and fell to the ground as she growled, showing him her teeth. He shifted back to his human form and held his hands out by his sides to let her know he meant her no harm. She was so frightened, he was afraid she might not recognize his wolf. “It’s me, Anny. I won’t hurt you.”
She seemed to sag a little, and he reached out to her. But she stiffened and lunged at him, driving him to the ground. Why was she attacking him?
Then he saw the much larger wolf flying over her head. The creature would have hit him square on if Anny hadn’t knocked him down. He’d been so focused on her he hadn’t heard Remy sneaking up on them.
Armand shoved Anny off him and shifted back into his wolf. He kept one eye on Remy while he nudged Anny toward the house.
It was time for Remy LaForge to pay for his misdeeds.
Chapter Nineteen
Armand kept his large wolf body between his father and Anny. No way was Armand giving the old man another shot at his mate. Gator and Cole would be back soon and he could depend on them to take care of Anny. Until then, it was up to him to keep her safe and destroy the threat.
It shouldn’t be so easy to consider killing his own sire, but Remy LaForge had made it easy with his long list of misdeeds. He’d mistreated his wife for years until she’d died, sent his daughter to her death at the hands of a sadistic werewolf and marked his son for life. Still, if he’d let Armand go, let them all go, and allowed their small pack to live in peace, Armand would have let the man live. But Remy always had to have the last word and wasn’t content to live his own life in Louisiana.
But his biggest crime was attacking Anny. She was Armand’s mate and nothing and no one was more important to him than Anny.
Armand didn’t understand his former pack or his sire. He didn’t know how they could mistreat their women if they were their true mates. Not all of the wolves of his pack were like that, but too many of them treated their females as little more than housekeepers and breeders. All he wanted to do was protect Anny and make her happy.
He was aware of Anny creeping toward her car. He hoped she’d shift, climb in and drive to safety. He couldn’t look at her, had to shut her out of his thoughts if he was going to fight Remy LaForge. Remy wasn’t second in the Louisiana pack for nothing. He was strong and ruthless and fast.
But he had several weaknesses. He thought himself invincible and he’d always underestimated his son. Those would play into Armand’s favor.
Remy shifted and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Armand. The older man spit on the ground and drawled, “Got yourself a little bitch, do ya? Not much to look at, but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.”
A less-experienced wolf might have been goaded into action, but Armand didn’t move. He did, however, promise himself he’d rip his sire’s throat out for the insult to Anny.
“Not talking to me, boy?” Remy looked totally relaxed, as though he had all the time in the world, and Armand was no threat at all.
There was nothing to say, but Armand shifted and faced the man who’d fathered him. He kept a close eye on him, knowing he could shift quickly. Armand decided to try to stall for time. Cole and Gator would be here soon and they would protect Anny. They would also kill Remy if Armand failed to do so for some reason.
No, he couldn’t think like that. He would kill his father once and for all. He’d been denied the right to kill Andre Dubois, his sister’s mate and murderer. It was his right to destroy Remy LaForge for all the evil things he’d done. His sins toward his family were only the tip of the iceberg. The swamps of Louisiana were littered with the remains of humans and werewolves alike who’d dared to cross Remy.
“There’s nothing to say,” he calmly answered his sire.
That seemed to surprise Remy. He cocked his head to one side and studied Armand. “I figured you’d have plenty to say.” He glanced toward Anny and Armand tensed. “Figured you’d at least want to beg for your life and the life of your bitch.”
Armand kept his arms loose by his side, ready to move or shift at a second’s notice. His father was up to something. Was he waiting on someone?
He knew then that Remy wasn’t alone. Of course he wasn’t. He rarely went anywhere alone, and certainly not when he knew he’d be facing adversity. But whoever was with him wasn’t here now. Armand could only scent his father, Anny and himself.
“Waiting for backup?” he taunted the older man. “Afraid you can’t take me by yourself? Or are you just too afraid of me?”
He knew his father’s weakness and struck hard and fast. Armand barely had time to throw himself to the side when Remy sprang at him, teeth flashing and claws slashing. Armand shifted on the fly, embracing his wolf, who was more than ready to fight.
He whirled around and faced his foe. He was ready to die to protect his mate. That gave him an edge. In spite of his strength and speed, Remy LaForge was a coward and would run before he’d die.
There would be no running today. Armand would not let his father slip away from him this time. The scars on his face itched, a vivid reminder of their last fight. But Armand was older, stronger and wiser now.
Both wolves circled each other, watching for a sign of weakness, an opening. Armand feigned left and then whipped his body around to attack on the right. His right paw slapped across Remy’s face, ripping open the flesh of his cheek and down his neck. Remy howled and Armand danced away and avoided the retaliatory strike.
The fight was a deadly dance of advance and retreat. Armand was constantly on the move, making his father work harder to defend himself. Remy was vicious but he lacked stamina. He managed two more strikes before Remy got lucky. Sharp, hard claws tore through the flesh of his neck and left flank. Warm blood seeped out and matted his fur. Armand ignored the pain, ignored everything but his goal of protecting Anny.
Anny didn’t know what to do. She was pressed against the back of the car, watching the two gigantic wolves fight. Blood spilled to the ground as the huge creatures growled and bit and slashed one another. This was no fight for sport or dominance, but a battle to the death.
She barely managed to stifle a whimper when Armand was struck. She could smell his blood and panicked. He could die protecting her. She couldn’t lose him.
Anny wished she had a gun in the house. She’d have no problem unloading it into the wolf that had attacked her. But she didn’t have a weapon.
She froze and shook her head. Of course, she had a weapon. She only had to shift to get it.
There was a metal tire iron in the open trunk. Anny closed her eyes, blocking out the brutal sounds of the fight going on just a few yards away. She pictured herself as human and felt the change sweep over her in reverse. Fur retreated and limbs reshaped. Her face morphed back to normal and when she blinked she saw hands instead of paws.
She slumped against the back bumper of the car, breathing heavily. This shifting business was exhausting. Sweat covered her skin, making her shiver when the wind brushed over it. She took a deep breath, pushed upright and leaned her weight on the car. She was just thankful the trunk was still open. Her hands were shaking so hard it would have taken her forever to get the key in the lock.
Anny shoved her belongings to one side and found the tire iron. It felt heavy in her hands. Substantial. She pushed away from the car and stared at the combatants. It was so easy for her to pick out Armand now. His wolf wa
s black and had several wicked scars down the left side of his face. But even without the scars she’d have known him.
Whenever she looked at him, her heart skipped a beat. He was hers. What that meant for the future, she wasn’t quite sure. She only knew she wanted to find out.
Armand saw her and dropped his guard for the briefest of seconds. She saw it happen as though in slow motion. She screamed and he retreated, but not fast enough. Remy pounced and took Armand down. The two giant wolves rolled across the ground, kicking up dirt and leaves as they both fought for supremacy. They snapped at each other with their deadly fangs. Saliva and blood speckled the ground and their fur. Their growls grew louder as they viciously clawed at one another.
Anny gave no thought to the stupidity of trying to get between two ferocious predators. Her own safety didn’t matter, not when Armand’s life was in jeopardy. She raced forward, trying to make as little noise as possible, tire iron raised high in her hand. It was hard to find an opening with the two wolves locked in such deadly combat.
Help me, she pleaded with her wolf.
I am here, her wolf replied.
A sense of calm washed through Anny, allowing her to focus. A rush of strength filled her arms and legs, steadying her. There. Remy’s back was too her. She didn’t think, just allowed instinct to take over. She brought the tire iron down on him with all her strength.
The blow would have killed a human. But Remy wasn’t human.
The wolf howled and jumped off Armand. Damn, she’d forgotten just how fast he was. He was on her in a split second. She held the tire iron in front of her, but he batted her hand away with one huge paw. She held on to her weapon even as pain radiated up her arm and warm blood poured out of the ragged gashes his claws left behind. A metallic taste coated her tongue and nostrils.
Remy lunged at her vulnerable neck, but he never got close. Armand jumped on his back, taking the older wolf down. Huge jaws clamped down on her attacker’s neck.
Anny rolled away and watched, unable to tear her eyes away from the primal scene unfolding before her. Armand emitted the most terrifying growl she’d ever heard. Even knowing he’d never hurt her, Anny scooted back up a few steps, pulling herself along the ground with her uninjured arm.
Armand’s brown eyes narrowed, but he didn’t relent. His father thrashed and growled, fighting for his life. Armand dominated the older wolf, digging his fangs deeper into Remy’s neck.
Anny sensed the other wolves just before Cole and Gator rushed from the woods. They raced right by the fighting pair and headed straight for her. She should have been terrified to see that much muscle and sheer killing power coming at her. Instead, all she felt was a sense of relief.
She slumped on the ground, breathing heavily as she watched Armand slowly choke his father. The older wolf continued to fight, but with less power each passing second. Armand suddenly shifted to human form, wrapped his arm around Remy’s neck and twisted. The loud crack made her jerk. Armand had just broken his father’s neck.
It was over. The werewolf that had attacked her was dead.
She should have felt some sense of justice, of satisfaction at having him pay for what he’d done. But the only emotion she could manage was sadness. She was sad for Armand for doing what no son should have to. She was sad for herself, wondering what would become of her life now that the threat to her was gone.
But more than that, she was bone-deep exhausted. Shifting for the first time, coupled with the adrenaline rush brought on by sheer terror and her wild race through the woods, had left her totally depleted.
Armand dropped his father’s body to the ground. He turned and without a backward glance stalked toward her. Oh, he was magnificent. Totally naked, completely primal and all male. His hard body gleamed with sweat. Blood trickled down his arms and legs, over his belly, but already the wounds were closing.
She met his brown-eyed gaze and he stopped several feet in front of her. He took a deep breath and shook himself, as if trying to shed the violence that surrounded him. She’d never doubted he was dangerous, but even she’d had no idea just how deadly Armand was.
He closed the gap between them and crouched in front of her. “Are you all right?” He reached out and his hand hovered in the air as if he was afraid to touch her.
She nodded. Anny honestly wasn’t sure she could speak. She glanced toward Remy’s body and shivered. She was so cold.
Armand gripped her wrist and raised her hand. “Let go of the tire iron, chère.”
She hadn’t even realized she was still holding it. Although she tried hard, her fingers wouldn’t open. “I can’t.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.
Armand gently pried her fingers open and took the makeshift weapon from her. He handed it to someone on his right. Anny jolted, her gaze jumping behind her. Both Gator and Cole were there. Thankfully, both of them were partially dressed. They’d pulled on jeans and nothing else, but it was enough. She wasn’t sure she could handle three perfect specimens of manhood surrounding her.
Another shiver raced down her spine, chilling her skin. Oh my God. She was naked. The thought registered and she panicked, curling into a little ball to hide herself. How much of her had they seen?
Quite a bit. She had a memory of the two of them standing guard beside her in their wolf form. She’d been totally naked and doing nothing to hide it.
Heat swept up her face and she knew her cheeks were red. How could she ever face them again?
Armand caught her chin in his hand and angled her head up until she was looking at him. “Thank you for trying to help, for trying to protect me.”
The warm feeling in her face began to seep lower into her chest. But it wasn’t embarrassment. It was love.
One of the men handed Armand a shirt and he used it to clean away the blood from her injured arm. “But if you ever do anything like that again, I’ll spank you until you can’t sit for a week. What in the hell were you thinking? Merde. You could have been maimed or killed.” Armand’s voice got louder with each word until he was yelling.
She flinched and the warmth inside her bled away until only cold remained. Armand was angry with her.
Her werewolf genetics had already closed the wounds Remy had inflicted on her, but the loss of blood added to her exhaustion. Still, pride would not allow her to falter, to show how much his words had hurt her.
Anny pushed to her feet, scrambling away from him when Armand tried to help her. She was naked and vulnerable, but she squared her shoulders, turned her back on him and slowly walked back to the car to retrieve the keys she’d dropped there. She was halfway to her front steps when he called out.
“Where are you going?” The gentleness in his voice nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she wasn’t buying it. He was angry at her. And why not? Because of her, he’d killed his own father. No matter the animosity between them, that couldn’t have been easy.
“Home.” The word was a whisper on the wind. All she wanted to do was get into her house, curl up in her bed and have a good cry.
Her first foot was on the bottom step when strong arms scooped her up. Armand scowled and she closed her eyes against his anger. She just wasn’t up to dealing with it just yet. He held her close to his chest and walked toward the truck that was parked just behind her car.
Before they were there, Gator stepped in front of them and tucked a blanket around her. “Wouldn’t want you to get cold.” He touched the side of her face before he moved back. His kindness broke her. A single tear rolled down her cheek. It was quickly followed by another.
“Dispose of the body, get the rest of her things from the porch and follow in her car.”
Anny shivered at the mention of disposing of the body and Armand’s arms tightened around her. The last thing she needed was the dead body of a wolf being found on her property. Since Remy never changed back, she assumed werewolves stayed in whatever form they were in when they died. She had so much to learn.
“I’ll take care of it.
” Cole’s deep voice penetrated the haze surrounding her. She felt him take the keys from her unresisting hand and then he stalked toward the body of the wolf, lifted it like it was nothing and hefted it over his shoulder. He strode into the woods without looking back.
Armand climbed into the passenger side of the truck while Gator took the driver’s seat. Gator quickly started the truck and headed toward the main road.
Both anger and worry were eating at Armand. Anny was withdrawing from him. He could feel it and he hated it.
Was it because she’d seen him kill his own father? How many women could accept a man who was capable of such a deed? His blood chilled at the thought of losing Anny and he snuggled her closer to his chest.
He thought his heart would break when she’d stumbled away from him and headed to her house. Then his wolf had asserted itself and he’d swept her into his arms and away from the scene of the carnage. Her home was with him now. He’d give her whatever time she needed to get over this violent incident, but he couldn’t let her go. It would kill him.
Something wet trickled down his chest and he frowned. He tipped Anny back enough so he could see her face. She was crying. “Oh, Anny.” He kissed her cheek, lapping at her salty tears. It hurt him that she was crying. “Everything will be okay. You’ll see,” he promised her. Whatever he needed to do to make things right, he would.
There really wasn’t any other choice for him.
Armand sensed Gator’s worry and it matched his own. Both Cole and Gator had grown fond of Anny. He knew his friends, his brothers, would help him any way they could.
It seemed to take forever to get to the turnoff to their land. “Almost home now, Anny.” He rocked her in his arms. “You need a hot bath, some food and rest.” He’d wait to talk until she was taken care of. Anny had been through more than enough for today. Once she was feeling better, she’d be more open to him and his plans.
Wolf in Her Bed: Salvation Pack, Book 2 Page 20
