by Mandy Rosko
Bill stared down at the still glowing stone in his hands. "And, Annie already told us about the shadow soldiers."
Mike couldn't believe the turnaround of these people.
Westley pointed at Mike but kept his eyes on Bill. "You're not saying that you do think—"
"I'm not saying anything. Mr. Carter, I think, for your own safety, you had best stay here."
Mike clapped his hands together. "As much I would like to, I have to decline on your offer."
"Gordon?" Bill gave his pack master a look that implored him to interfere.
Gordon grit his teeth. "My hands are tied. As much as I would like to send you on your way, the chances of you being the first werewolf are too great. Even if you're not, should you be killed because we turned you out, consequences would result where we carry the burden. I'm not having that."
This couldn’t be happening. He had to make them see reason. “Listen, I don’t believe for a second that I am what you think I am. Still, the fact remains that someone is out to kill me. By being here, I’m putting your whole pack in danger.”
“You’re doing no such thing,” Gordon said.
Annie touched his arm. “It’s just us here. Everyone else is at their own homes. But, we’re strong and fast enough to keep you safe.”
Keep him safe. Like he was a child who needed a babysitter.
Heavy hands landed on his shoulders. He looked up and there stood Brock. The man was much more covert than Mike initially gave him credit for.
“I have a family. How will you explain my disappearance?”
His family didn’t know he was in the area, nor would they care since, as a psychic, he freaked them out enough for them to kick him out. However, they didn’t need to know that.
“We won’t tell them anything, son. You wouldn’t want us to endanger your family by involving them, would you?”
Mike clenched his jaw. He hadn’t seen that response coming. “Of course not.”
Gordon shoved his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans. “Then that’s all there is to it. You’re a grown man. I’ll wager you’ll be home before they notice you’re missing.”
"This is not over," he hissed.
Gordon shrugged and nodded over his head to the giant holding him. "For now, it is. Take him back to the guest cabin and make sure he stays comfortable."
Brock grunted his agreement and all but pulled Mike out of the room.
He'd forgotten how stubborn werewolves in packs were. Talking with one or two was one thing, but facing so many, all of which are willing to take orders from the leader, it was impossible.
He should have just stayed home.
***
Anne watched him being led out. Brock had a firm grip on his arm, ensuring that he didn't go where no one wanted him to go.
She stared hard at Gordon. "I told him we weren't holding him against his will." It was the only reason why she didn’t forcefully stop him when he walked out to talk to Gordon.
Gordon leisurely walked to a cherry cabinet, opened the glass doors, and pulled out a bottle and a glass.
He poured himself a drink despite the fact that it was dawn. "I'm doing what I have to do to ensure the safety of this pack while upholding our laws. Thank God this didn't happen on a Moon Night"
Moon Night being the werewolf holiday every three or four full moons. More of a family gathering than a holiday, but it still would’ve caused problems.
And, as they’d theirs a month ago, there was no danger to the majority of the pack. Only the people who actually lived on the ranch.
Whether Gordon meant to hold him hostage or not, he needed to know just who Mike Carter really was. "Gordon, he told me he's a cop."
Gordon's head flew up. "What?"
"It's okay, mostly. He's from Griffon City."
Gordon visibly relaxed. "If he were a regular officer, he could make things difficult for us. Now, we only have to avoid the city."
Bill scratched his chin. "Little far away from home, isn't he?"
"That's not the point. He's going to have people looking for him," Anne said.
Westley sat down on the sofa and rubbed his face. "Unless it's expected that he’d be away for a while." He shrugged. "He could be on vacation."
Gordon eyed her expectantly. "Since you brought him here ..."
"He's my responsibility, I know." She had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes.
Gordon nodded, ignoring her impatient tone. "And, until I decide that he is capable of leaving here without endangering himself or anyone else, he stays. Hopefully this will only last a day or so." He took a gulp from his glass. “God knows I don’t want that family he says he has calling the police.”
Anne nodded, grateful that he wasn't yelling this time.
Bill stepped forward. "Gordon, isn't there someone else who could watch him? I don't want Annie guarding a grown man by herself."
"She's a werewolf. He's a human. I'm sure she can handle it."
"He's human as far as we know," Bill muttered. "I don't like it."
Gordon turned to Westley. "You’ll be master someday, what do you think?"
Westley took one look at her and smiled. "She'll be fine."
Though she dreaded facing Mike again, she was glad Westley knew well enough to get some time away from her. Between spending time with Westley and making unwanted wedding plans, guarding Mike was nothing.
The three men in the room stared at her, waiting for her to make her next move.
With a start, she realized they were waiting for her to leave.
Laughing, she backed out of the room. "Oh, uh, okay then, I'll just go and make sure Mike's getting settled. Right."
She ran out Gordon's house, across the yard, and back to the cabin. Brock wasn't outside the door, which meant he went inside with Mike.
Her hands shook on the doorknob. The silence chilled her but she forced herself to open the creaking door.
Mike and Brock were sitting across from each other, Mike on the couch and Brock on the chair. Both had their arms crossed over their chest as they glared at each other.
Either they didn't notice when she entered or they ignored her. "Hey."
Their heads shot up to her at the same time. Brock smiled and stood. Mike glared and didn't move.
His steel blue eyes were cold on her. She was suddenly very aware of everything around her, as if her senses had become more heightened—more heightened for a werewolf, that is—from the clothes she wore to the perfume she chose to wear that night.
He might be pissed but he was still cute as Hell.
Too bad if he's the first wolf it means he's taken. Anne shook the thought from her head and sat down in the spot Brock vacated.
"You are to watch him?" Brock asked.
Mike glared hot pokers at her, melting away her lusty thoughts.
She cleared her throat and forced a smile. "Uh, yeah. Yes. I am going to be taking care of Mr. Carter during his stay."
"Captivity," Mike muttered, tapping a finger impatiently on his arm.
She ignored him.
"Alright. I'll ask Gordon if I can watch him too."
Despite his size and a voice worthy or Andre the Giant, Anne occasionally forgot how innocent he really was. Always willing to please, to protect.
"Thanks, Brock. I'll call you when I need you."
Brock hesitated. He tilted his head a fraction to see Mike behind him. Still sitting. Still angry but harmless as he grumbled to himself with his arms crossed over his chest.
Touched, Anne reached her hand out and clasped Brock’s wrist. Her fingers didn’t even reach halfway around since it was as thick as her upper arm. “I promise. You’re the first I’ll call if I need anything.”
A tiny flicker in Brock’s lips told her he was smiling. Hearing that she trusted him must have brought his spirits up. He’d probably be glowing for a few days.
Brock moved his hulking mass around her and ducked under the door frame.
He left the cabin
and she was alone with him, breathing in his anger. Though, she wasn’t any good at sensing emotions, she could feel the rage coming off him in waves.
She took a deep breath and stuck her hand out. "So, I think fresh starts are always a great idea, and since we haven't officially met, I'm Anne Hart."
“Not Antoinette?”
She pursed her lips but didn’t take back her hand. “No.”
“Not Annie, either?”
“No.”
Without taking his eyes from her face, he took her hand and shook. “Shame. I think it suits you, that name.” He crossed his arms again. “Officer Mike Carter. I suppose I should thank you for not saying anything."
"Look, I'm really sorry about this—"
"As you should be," he hissed. "I will have people looking for me."
She was quick to agree. "Your family, right. If it comes down to it, I'm sure Gordon will let you call them."
"How generous of him."
Anne sighed. She wasn’t going to be able to talk nicely with him in this mood. "Let me show you to your room."
She was shocked when he got up and followed her to the one other door in the cabin without complaint.
Thankfully, the tiny cabin had been cleaned when it was used for the Stevens' during Moon Night, leaving it free of spider webs and the smell of damp sheets. Though, there was a tiny layer of dust and the queen bed took up most of the space, it was usable.
She walked around the bed and ran her finger over the layer of dust on the wooden bed frame.
She’d have to get this cleaned.
"Bathroom’s kind of tiny but I think it'll work for you," she said, pointing across the small room to the adjoining bathroom. "Not that I think you're going to be here long enough to get used to it or anything."
Standing in such a tiny room, Mike's large frame dwarfed everything around him. There was barely enough room for him to walk beside the bed. He nodded towards the bare nightstand resting beside the bed. “No phone?”
Great. One more thing to make him feel isolated. “Ah, most people have cell phones, so there isn’t a need to have a phone plugged into any of the cabins.”
“Except for the main cabin, I’ll bet.” Mike said.
She smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
He turned his head up and sent her a lecherous grin. "If you wanted to get me in bed you only had to ask, Princess."
Anne tensed, shocked with his words and hating the nickname he used. "What?"
"Cramped space, the door shut, all alone. Just you, me, and the bed. I’ll admit, the first time I pictured us rolling around on one of these, we were still at the stage where we had yet to learn each other’s names."
Body stiff, Anne turned her head and saw that, yes, she had shut the door. Why’d she do that?
She looked back at him. He leaned across the bed, his hands fisted on the quilt and a promising glint in his eyes. The bed was big enough for the both of them and then some.
She groaned. Oh God. She felt something like this when she saw him in that bar, but not nearly as strong. He leaned over in a way that screamed for her to do the same and kiss him.
She wanted nothing more than to have a go with him. To feel his hands and mouth on her body. For him to be rough with her.
It had been so long. God knew Westley would never touch her, bless him. But, if she and Mike were to be found out...
One kiss, she thought, just to see what he's like.
She leaned across the bed, sticking her knee up on the mattress for the extra balance and shivering with pleasure when he moved to meet her halfway.
Pounding feet banged through the house before the door slammed open.
Anne and Mike jumped away from the bed like teenagers caught by the parents.
Brock panted like he ran all the way across the ranch. Anne's lust replaced itself with panic. "Miss, I’m sorry, but a man named Hadrian is at the gates and he’s asking to see you and the guest."
FOUR
Mike never heard of worse timing in his life. An interruption when he was in the middle of doing his thing with princess girl was one more reason to despise the man out to kill him.
He marched out the little cabin intending to face him, fists clenched and jaw set. He was going to make that weasley little man see that Mike wasn’t his missing wolf. Then arrest his ass for attempted murder, along with the murders of countless others.
Annie trailed behind, unaware of his thoughts. "Brock, is it safe?"
"Very safe." He nodded, having collected his breath. "Everyone on this ranch is speaking with him."
Charging down the dirt road that led to the gate took less than two minutes. And, indeed, Bill, Gordon, and Westley stood around Hadrian in a half circle on the other side of a wooden gate, denying him entrance to the ranch.
With all that power he held inside of him, Mike didn't know how they were expected to fight him off should Hadrian become hostile.
The little man in black had a vein popping out of his forehead as he argued with Gordon, spittle flying and arms flailing.
Mike smiled. Perfect. Maybe he could see what was going on in that brain of his before he noticed his arrival.
Clearing his mind, Mike concentrated on Hadrian's thoughts and pushed. It felt like trying to shove through a stuck door. After a few moments, he was inside.
His thoughts swirled in a hazy and violent twister. A thousand different images flew around his head, arranging themselves properly before scattering into hysteria again.
Mike saw himself again. Through the haze of anger and bloodlust, he saw the beautiful, ethereal woman hand him the round stone.
Love shone in her eyes and Mike’s vision turned red. A pillar of white light reaching up into the sky encased her.
He grabbed her face and crushed their lips together. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed when their mouths separated.
"From now on," she said, licking swollen lips, "I will not answer his calls, only yours."
Mike didn’t feel any happiness at the revelation. Only more hatred and enough acidic rage to burn holes into the scene.
He knew, without a doubt, that he wasn’t seeing his own memories, but Hadrian’s.
Mike’s double clutched his fingers around the rock. "I wish I could go with you."
"You are aware of the price of that. You still have many years left."
The pillar swept Luna up into the night. She smiled and waved, disappearing into the sky towards a perfectly round moon.
Hadrian stepped out of the forest and into the clearing. Men with medieval armor and swords surrounded Mike’s double on all sides.
Their metal weapons gleamed in the early light of dawn.
Not me. Not me. He thought. This was someone else he was looking at.
As if sensing his presence, Hadrian's eyes found Mike’s.
As though he was bodily picked up and thrown out, Hadrian’s mind closed off to him.
Shit. He’d stayed too long. Didn’t matter. Hadrian’s stare didn’t scare him and neither did the show inside his head.
He glared back at the warlock. He wouldn’t be moved by this man.
“I found you then, just as I have found you now,” Hadrian taunted. “Come with me and I shall spare the people here.”
Mike didn’t move. Even as Hadrian held out his hand as though expecting him to come.
Mike wasn’t stupid. And he wasn’t about to negotiate. Now that Hadrian had found him, he’d never leave these people unpunished.
Looks like he had to stay after all.
For now.
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going near you to do anything other than snap cuffs on your wrists.”
How did Hadrian find him? Mike didn’t even know where he was. Since he’d been unconscious after Annie clobbered him and brought him here, as far as he knew he was on a ranch in California near his hometown.
Hadrian frowned and lowered his hand.
Gordon shook his head. "Come down h
ere, the both of you. We all need to talk."
Hadrian rubbed his long nose before addressing Gordon, loud enough for Mike to hear before he joined the group. "You know my demands. I want my property and my servant. The boy as well for his ruthless attack on me. Then, I shall be on my way."
Westley tensed.
"What?" Mike whipped his head between the two men. "If you want to play your game with me that's fine, but he has nothing to do with it."
"I can defend myself," Westley snapped.
Gordon's body shook at the demand, his eyes could've burned holes into Hadrian had he the Magic to do so. "Asking for the rock is one thing. I'm not even considering giving you my son."
Hadrian shrugged his shoulders, his eyes landing on Annie. A long, Grinch-like smile formed on his lips. "The girl then, or the other boy. It matters not to me but I will have my satisfaction for being attacked by that beast. If you allow me the girl I can assure you she will be returned when I am through." He licked his lips.
Mike could see from the way he stared that he would rather have Annie than any of the men. He clenched his fists. Men who hurt women pissed him off.
"In what condition I return her in depends entirely on her co-operation," Hadrian said, as though every pair of eyes were not glaring at him.
Mike snarled and saw red. Hadrian wanted to torture her. He could sense it. That sick, twisted little twerp wanted to hurt her, rape her, all because she’d saved his life. "You're not taking her!"
"Boy? What other boy?" Gordon didn't seem to hear the threats as he snapped his head from Annie to Westley, both of whom had sheepish looks on their faces and didn’t meet his eyes.
Gordon rounded on Mike when they gave no answer. "Who else was there? Not that dragon!"
What? Mike looked past passed him to Annie and Westley. He couldn't read their thoughts but their eyes implored him to say nothing.
That kid did have a dragon tattoo on his arm but Mike didn't take it to mean that he was an actual dragon.
His hesitation confirmed Gordon's fear. "Unbelievable! I told the both of you to stay away from him!"
Mike stepped in. "He's not dangerous, he helped me escape and didn't leave your son behind when we ran."
