by Codi Gary
Pax clucked his tongue. “Dakota. If you can’t control yourself, I’m going to have to punish you.”
“Did you hear what she called me?”
“Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll see she pays for her sass.”
Chapter Nineteen
Xander was sitting in the living room with Clyde, having a glass of whiskey. Luke and Clint were upstairs playing their uncle’s X-Box, which gave the grownups a chance to hash out a few things.
“Greer seems like a sweet woman. What exactly did you do to upset her?”
Xander clenched his jaw. “She wanted me to let you and the boys back me up.”
“Ah, and what did you say?”
“I told her she couldn’t understand because she wasn’t a shifter.”
Clyde whistled low. “Boy, you are all kinds of stupid.”
“Don’t start with me.”
“Why in the hell would you push a woman like that away? She’s beautiful, seems intelligent. She knows what you are and hasn’t run screaming for the hills. Those are all fantastic qualities in a human, if I do say so myself.”
Xander grimaced. He knew Greer was a catch, but he wasn’t going to go back on everything he had been working for the last five years because she didn’t want him getting hurt. He wasn’t reckless, although he might be an idiot where women were concerned. At least Clyde was right about that.
“I’ll go over there tomorrow when she cools down and try to make things right.”
Clyde raised his glass in the air. “You better try hard, because that woman had the same look in her eyes my wife gets when she’d ready to dig in about something.”
Xander was chuckling when something big and hard hit the sliding glass door off the kitchen.
“What in the hell?” Clyde shouted.
Xander jumped up and flipped on the light. He fumbled with the lock and when he finally got it open, he found a tawny cougar with aquamarine eyes glaring at him accusingly.
“Jill, what happened?”
“She was taken,” Derick called from the dark. As he stepped into the light, Xander could tell he was hurt by the way he hobbled forward, dragging his left leg behind.
And then his words sank in, right down to the pit of his stomach.
Taken.
“Pax?” Clyde asked.
“And Dakota. Bitch tried to shoot me. If Greer hadn’t gotten my seat back as fast as she did, I would have had a gaping chest wound. She saved my life.”
“And to thank her, you just left her there?” Xander took a menacing step toward Dereck, but found his thigh chomped down on by Jill. She hissed with her mouth around his leg, obviously telling him that it wasn’t Dereck’s fault.
Dereck finally reached the porch, a sea of regret swimming in his dark eyes. “My legs were fucked; there was nothing I could do except die and they would have taken her anyway. I watched them put her in the truck alive. Plus, I was afraid that Jill wouldn’t be able to shift back soon enough to give you what you needed. She is a newb.”
Jill swung her tail at Dereck, but Xander was rapidly losing patience. Pulling his shirt over his head, he tossed it behind him, anguish ripping his guts up. He had to save her before they hurt her.
And tell her how much he cared.
He stripped down and leaped from the porch, shifting in midair. As he raced through the woods, he heard the distinct sound of multiple paws and panting breaths behind him. He tipped his nose to the air as he saw the flashing lights of a police cruiser and ambulance through the trees ahead. He stopped to listen to what they were saying.
“There’s nobody here. Looks like a smash and grab,” a young officer said.
His older partner shook his head before squatting down. “I’ve never seen that in thirty years in this town. What the hell is going on here?”
“I don’t know. Maybe gang related?”
The older officer stood up with a laugh. “What the hell would gangs want to move all the way up here for?”
“Maybe it is shifters.”
“God help us.”
Xander backed up and turned to Dereck, Clyde, Luke, and Clint. Their coats all ran black to cinnamon, so they blended better in the dark than Xander did. Jill crouched next to Dereck, her long tail swaying. Xander wanted to tell Jill to go back to the house, but after the bite she’d given him, he figured it was no use.
Dereck whined and took several steps toward the road leading away from Twilight.
Maybe that was why he’d never caught their scent in town. They were staying on the outskirts.
He nodded and followed behind Dereck as they ran through the trees.
Please, let her be alright.
Chapter Twenty
Greer was pretty sure if anyone was going to kill her, it was going to be Dakota. For some reason, Greer seemed to rub her the wrong way, and Pax had actually sent her on an errand as if to keep his wolf from murdering the hostage.
As it was, the two were shacked up in a cabin about five miles off the main road. She only knew that because she’d counted as soon as Dakota had made the left. She might have missed a number or two, but with the many blows her noggin had taken this week, she figured she’d be okay if she was off by a second or two. She’d hoped that if they just locked her in a room and left, she might be able to crawl out a window and make a run for it.
He’d tied her hands and feet with rope, though, and tossed her onto the couch in the living room. When his hand had stroked over her throat, fear had paralyzed her as she thought he had something else in mind like sexual assault.
But he just told her to keep quiet and let her go. Besides that, he hadn’t touched her, just continued to pace, looking out the window every few minutes.
“Your girlfriend seems really uptight,” Greer said, breaking the silence.
“Maybe she just doesn’t appreciate your sense of humor the way I do.”
He hadn’t even turned around when he’d said it, so cavalier, almost bored. “You do huh? I would think a guy like you wouldn’t like a woman who spoke her mind and called you on your bullshit.”
“I am a man of eclectic tastes. I like to change things up a bit from time to time.” He finally turned, his smile terrifying. He was like a bald eagle. Beautiful until it gripped you in its talons.
“And how does Dakota feel about you changing it up?”
“She does what she’s told. Dakota likes to keep me happy.”
Greer actually laughed. “That poor girl. She is completely delusional where you’re concerned or she would have dumped your ass years ago.”
For a moment, his expression darkened and she was sure she’d struck a nerve. Then, it was gone and that eerie smile was back. He took a few steps her way, pinching her chin as he lifted her gaze to meet his. When she tried to resist, his grip became bruising.
“If you disrespect me again, I will make you cry out from pain you could never imagine.”
“I’ve seen Hostel Part One and Two. There is nothing you could do that I haven’t seen or imagined.”
She had no idea why she was baiting him except she hated being helpless and it pissed her off that he thought he could control her.
“You like horror movies, hmmm. Monster movies?”
“Actually, I don’t, but Jill, you remember her, the one you bit? She does. She has a bright side comparison for every situation. Like if she were here right now, she might say something like, “You may be tied up and being held hostage by a psychopath, but it could be worse. You could be in a cage at the bottom of the ocean, you’re running out of air and surrounded by sharks.”
He actually seemed amused by this. “And you think that would be worse?”
“At this point right now? Yeah.”
“Don’t you know what I did to your friend? Your boyfriend?”
“I don’t need the details. I know you killed them and you’ll pay for it. But see, I know that Jill and Dereck got away, which means that they got help.”
He squatted down next to the b
ed and ran his finger across her cheek. “I thought you said Xander wouldn’t care enough to save you.”
Greer knew that was a lie. Even if they’d fought, Xander would come for her. He’d promised to keep her safe.
“He wants you dead, right? He’s coming.”
Pax stood up with a dark chuckle. “Believe me, I could go back, I never would have taken the job. I didn’t get paid enough to have that crazy wolf tracking me.”
“Job?”
He’d gone back to the window, so she couldn’t see his face. “I was paid to break in and kill the Thorson family before their scenting ceremony. Apparently, another alpha didn’t want his blood mixing with the Thorson pack.”
“Someone…someone killed Xander’s family because they didn’t want their daughters marrying them? Why not just not send them, then.”
Pax made a type of clucking sound. “Poor dear. You’ve gotten caught up in our world without all the details.”
He came over and sat down next to her, stroking her skin. It crawled in response to his touch.
“I don’t know if that is the real reason, that’s just what he told me. All I know is that he offered us money, and it was supposed to look like a robbery gone wrong, only we were missing one key family member.”
“Xander,” Greer whispered.
“Ding ding. And when I tried to get his mother to tell me where he was, she was very stubborn. I did horrible things to her but she just wouldn’t break. I regretted having to kill her because a woman like that? She would have been fun to spend more time with.”
“As it was, my employer wasn’t concerned with the youngest Thorson, and that loose end has been the bane of my existence for five years.”
“Who hired you?”
Pax shook his head with a grin. “Such an inquisitive little human you are. Sorry, I can’t break a confidential contract. Let’s just say the poor man met his untimely death already.”
“Enough talk of the past.” His hand smoothed over her stomach and she grimaced. “We could have some fun while we wait.”
“Try it and I’ll barf all over you.”
He laughed. “A terrible fate, indeed.”
Greer tried to roll to a more comfortable position away from him, but none of it worked. “Why are you keeping me alive? You could just kill me and Xander would still come.”
His expression was pure malice. “Because before I rip out his heart, I want him to watch me make you my mate.”
Greer stilled. “No.”
“Oh, yes.”
“You can’t make someone your mate.”
“No, but I can bite you. Turn you.”
Her stomach rolled, and she actually thought she might be sick. “Even if you did, I would never let you touch me.”
“Trust me, before long, you’ll be begging to be mine. I can be quite persuasive. You can just ask Dakota.”
Greer pulled her hands apart, trying to get her wrists loose. “You’re a thundering lunatic. Your pet wolf might have Stockholm Syndrome, but I see you for what you really are. Bite me, and you’ll have one more angry shifter trying to kill you.”
He shrugged. “Then I’ll just have to settle for him watching you die.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Dereck stopped suddenly, and the rest of them crowded behind him. Up ahead was a small, wooden cabin with a light on in the window. The curtain moved to the side and Xander saw Pax peering out.
He snarled.
They all shifted, including Jill, until they stood naked in the shadows.
“I don’t see Dakota or Greer,” Xander said.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Clyde said.
Xander could smell Greer, but he had no idea if Pax was waiting behind a door rigged with explosives, planning on blowing up the first shifter who charged through or if he thought he could take Xander on his own.
Suddenly, a truck pulled up the driveway, and parked. Xander watched Dakota jump out of the driver’s seat, but then the rest of the doors opened up, revealing six more shifters.
One of them was Patty Simcox.
So, Dakota and Pax have been busy recruiting.
The new shifters stood out front like a wall as Dakota went inside. Xander didn’t see any weapons, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have guns tucked away in the back of their jeans.
“What the hell is your plan, son?” Clyde asked.
Xander contemplated his options as he surveyed the scene.
“I want to get to that truck.”
“Why?” Luke asked.
“I’m going to drive it into the cabin.”
All of them stared at him like he’d lost his damn mind.
“That’s insane. What if you hit Greer while using it as a battering ram?” Derick asked.
“She won’t be in the way. If anything, he’d be keeping her in the back.” He tried to sound confident, but he wasn’t so sure.
“You’ll get her killed,” Jill hissed.
“Then I’ll skip the truck and go through the window!”
“If you make it passed the decoys, which will probably rip your heart out before you get that far,” Luke chimed in.
Xander was ready to throttle all of them. “Very helpful.”
“I have a better idea,” Clyde said.
“And what’s that?” Xander asked.
“We wait for the cavalry to arrive.”
Xander cocked his head, completely confused. “What do you mean? Who is the cavalry?”
“Us.”
Norma Larsen stepped up beside Xander, scaring the life out of him. Behind her, Paulette and Betty Larsen smiled.
“Clyde wanted to make sure you realized you weren’t alone, so I made a few calls,” Norma said.
The three of them shifted into wolves, Norma’s coat a burnished red, while Paulette and Betty were light brown. Norma trotted into the trees and came back a moment later.
She wasn’t alone, though.
A black wolf stepped out of the shadows, followed by a white wolf, a black wolf with white paws, and another black wolf with white dots across his muzzle. Fifty more stepped out from the trees, surrounding them.
He’d know Tristan, his wife, Barbara, and their sons anywhere.
Xander shifted back into his wolf and greeted the Wolfe alpha, and his family, glad to see his old friends. He glanced over his shoulder at Clyde who had yet to change back into a wolf.
“What can I say? I like a stacked deck.”
With Greer’s life on the line, he agreed and appreciated the backup. He turned with a quiet snarl, and the Larson’s shifted. Jill was a little slower than the rest of them, but getting better every time.
Xander sprang from the trees, racing toward the six shifters, who stumbled back in surprise as the wolves swarmed them. Xander didn’t stop, letting the rest of the army take care of them.
He needed to get to Greer.
He jumped, shattering the window as he crashed into the cabin. Greer was on the couch, her hands tied behind her back and her ankles locked together with thick rope. Dakota sat behind her, a gun pressed against her temple.
Xander’s heart lurched as he watched her, studying her for any injury, but besides a gash on her swollen cheek, she seemed unharmed.
Greer’s eyes widened, filled with terror. “Xander!”
Pax stepped out of the back room, and the minute Xander spotted him, he snarled.
“Xander Thorson. I must admit, meeting you in person for the first time is actually quite thrilling. I’ve heard so much about you from your family and your pet human here. She really is a darling creature. I don’t know why you haven’t claimed her yet.”
Dakota jerked on Greer’s arm and Xander took a step toward them, his chest rumbling a warning.
“Make one more move, and I’ll kill her,” Dakota said.
“You don’t have the stones,” Greer said.
“Shut up, you stupid cow.”
His brave Greer ignored her. “Don’t you want to know why
Pax hasn’t let you kill me, Dakota?”
Xander wanted to tell her to be quiet, but he was afraid to shift and lose his only weapon.
“What the hell is she talking about?” Dakota asked.
“Nothing, dearest, she’s just trying to rile you up.”
Greer smirked. “That’s not true. He told me when you were gone that he plans to bite me in front of Xander and make me his mate, just before Pax kills him.”
Xander saw the gun in Dakota’s hand shake. “It’s not true.” She threw Greer to the ground and stood up, pointing the gun at Pax. “Tell me that’s not fucking true.”
Xander would have rushed to her side, but he was afraid of drawing Dakota’s fire. Greer lifted her face to look at him and he noticed the split bloody lip she must have gotten when Dakota pushed her.
“Darling, why would I want her when I have you?” Pax’s tone was cajoling.
Dakota’s doubt seemed to waver, and then she brought up her other hand, steadying the gun as she leveled it at Pax.
Xander crept closer to Greer, watching her jerk on her arms, struggling to get loose.
“Tell me you love me,” Dakota whispered.
“Of course, I do.”
His voice oozed with sweetness.
“Give me the gun, and I’ll shoot Xander.” Pax held his hand out to her. “He’ll never bother us again.”
“And her?” Dakota swung the gun Greer’s way and Xander stopped moving.
There was a flicker across Pax’s face that lasted barely a quarter of a second, but Xander had seen it.
And so had Dakota.
Pax seemed to realize the moment he lost her, because he lunged at her. She got off one shot before the two fell back to the floor. Pax reared up over Dakota, his hand shifting into a claw as he started to bring it down.
Dakota pressed the gun into his chest and pulled the trigger.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Greer managed to get her hands free as another bullet exploded into Pax’s chest, blood spraying across the cabin walls. It was as though once Dakota had pulled the trigger, she couldn’t seem to stop.
