“How did I escape? I can see the curiosity in your eyes, my dear, so I’ll keep you in suspense no longer.” He grinned, but the smile didn’t reach his cold, dead eyes. “They released me, and have given me quite a bit of money. But I must do something for them in return…nothing is free, of course. I have to bring back more.”
Beth shook her head, confused. The man was insane. But then she’d always suspected as much. “More?”
“More like me.”
“What are you saying?”
His grin widened. The look of glee worried her. “I’m saying that there are people who will pay a lot of money for men like Mr. Bellamont, and like your dear Lord Brimley.”
Beth swallowed hard. Men like Nate. Werewolves. Men like her husband. Other-worldly beings that should be myth but were as alive as she. “You’re selling your own kind?”
“I’d sell my mother for the right price, but you should know that.” He paused in front of her, the pistol at his side. “I’ve been watching Grayson’s home for the right time. He’s a powerful man, you know. He’d be worth so much. Imagine my surprise when you showed up with a wolf of your own. To find not only Grayson, a blood-drinker, but also Lord Brimley…it was too much to ignore.”
He hadn’t been after her, he’d been after Grayson. Meg, her entire family, was in danger. “You’re insane.”
He chuckled, reaching out and taking a lock of her hair. Beth stiffened, afraid to breathe. “You know…I always did like your hair. One thing, at least, that’s beautiful. See, I’m not a complete monster, I can give you a compliment when deserved.”
He released the lock and turned away, pacing back toward the fireplace. Beth glanced at the foyer. Could she make it out the door in time? No. She couldn’t outrun him in his human form, she’d tried many times. Her gaze slid to the dead man in the corner of the room. His dagger had fallen to the ground and lay beside him.
“I realized that Grayson’s house was too well protected. So instead, I took you, knowing that at least Lord Brimley would come. I’ve been watching you.”
He strolled across the room and paused near the windows, looking out upon the overgrown front garden. It was hard to believe they had lived here together as a family only months ago. It seemed like a dream, a foreign memory.
“I saw you go into that cottage with him, heard your moans of pleasure. Didn’t know you had it in you, my dear. You’ve been holding back with me. Perhaps after all of this is over, you can show me what you’re truly capable of. Or maybe you’d like to be a wolf yourself, what say you my wife? Just a nip, a quick bite or scratch…”
Beth’s stomach roiled. He was setting Nate up to die. Dear God. And once he killed Nate, he would go after Meg’s family. She had to stop him. “He won’t come for me. He won’t risk his life.”
“Yes, I can see why you would think so.” He glanced at her and she could see the curiosity in his gaze. Something had sparked his interest and he looked at her in a new light, as if she’d kept some secret he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. “Really, what man in his right mind would risk his life for a woman, let alone you? But there’s something else you don’t realize, my dear Beth. Wolves have very, very good senses. It’s amazing really. I see the world in an entirely new light. Our senses are so good, that we can even know a person’s feelings, their emotions. That man, oddly enough, is in love with you.”
Nate in love with her? No. He wasn’t. She couldn’t believe it. Or maybe she didn’t want to believe the words. But it didn’t matter because whether Nate was in love with her or not, Christopher thought he was. And because of that…he would kill Nate.
“When your lover goes missing, I have no doubt Grayson will arrive to protect his friend. When he does, I’ll pounce again. Two in one day. It’s really that easy. Do you know how much I will make?” He was suddenly on her, so fast he was a blur. His hand at her throat, he lifted and pinned her to the wall. “I finally get rid of you, and I get to make some much needed money by capturing Lord Brimley and Grayson. A perfect day, really.”
****
“She’s run away again,” Meg said, her voice laced with desperation as she stared unblinkingly at Beth’s small chamber. “We have to send the servants to search the coach stops!”
“No.” Nate moved from the room that held Beth’s sweet scent and into the hall. His heart hammered so hard he thought for sure it would burst through his ribs. Anger burned brightly in his veins, worry caused his skin to crawl. How much time had passed? If he left now, could he catch her? “They took her. I can smell a man. Someone was here. There was a struggle.”
“Oh dear God,” Meg cried out, staring at the dark hall in desperation, as if to find answers in the shadows.
“Damn,” Grayson growled. “You were right. I never should have used human guards. I was so bloody worried about the neighbors…” He broke off, pacing up and down the hall. “This is my fault.”
“No,” Meg soothed. “It’s her husband’s doing. He came here to create a diversion. We have to stop him before he kills her!”
“Shhh,” Grayson whispered, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back when the woman tried darting down the hall as if she would save her friend on her own. “We won’t let that happen.”
“He’s not going to kill her,” Nate said. “At least not yet. There was too much planning…he took her for some reason, other than revenge, I’d bet my life on it.”
“Father?” Charlie peeked out of the nursery, drawn by their voices. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Fine,” he said, eager for the boy to return to his chambers so he could go on the hunt. “Go back inside.”
But Charlie hesitated. “It’s Mrs. Church, isn’t it? I thought it odd when she didn’t answer our knock.” The boy swallowed hard, as if he was fighting his emotions. “She left us, didn’t she?”
Damn, but he didn’t have time to comfort his son, but he knew it was what Beth would want. Nate moved down the hall and rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “No. Of course not.” He took in a deep breath, attempting to calm his racing heart. “You’re grown now, my son, so I’m going to tell you the truth. But you keep this between us, understand? No telling your brothers.”
The boy nodded, eyes wide.
“A bad man took Mrs. Church.”
The boy’s eyes went from confused to terrified.
Nate cupped his son’s face. “Be strong, Charlie. I will get her back.”
“You promise?”
“I do.” He gently pushed the boy toward the room. “Now go do your studies. And say nothing to the younger ones. I’m counting on you.”
Charlie nodded and did as he was told. Nate didn’t wait for Grayson or Meg, who stood watching the scene. He turned and started down the stairs. He knew what he would do the moment he’d realized Beth was gone.
“You’re right. Something is wrong,” Meg said, as she and Grayson followed Nate down the steps and into the study. “Her husband has never cared about Beth before. Why go through all of this just to get her back?”
“Men can be obsessive, especially if they think they own a woman,” Grayson explained.
“He won’t touch her,” Nate insisted, reaching the desk. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts, attempting to be rational. The anger and worry burned too bright; it would cloud his judgement. He reached for Grayson’s top drawer and pulled it open. “I won’t let him.”
“How?” Meg demanded. “You brought her here. She was supposed to be safe!”
“Meg,” Grayson warned.
But she was right. This was his doing. If he’d only remained at home, Beth would still be safe. But no…he’d been trying to escape his own demons. He would save her, no matter what he had to do. He pushed the button that released the secret drawer in Grayson’s desk. A hiding place Grayson had told him about years ago. “I have to turn.”
Meg stilled in Grayson’s arms. Even her husband went quiet. They understood the direness of the
situation as much as he did. If he turned, he would lose control. But what choice did he have?
Nate pulled out a pistol from the drawer. “There is no other choice.”
“If you turn and lose control, you could kill him.”
“Or Beth,” Meg whispered.
Nate held the pistol, the weight reassuring. He had no reservations about killing her husband but didn’t want to hurt Beth. “I have to change. It’s the only way. I will find her. We will take care of her husband, and a fortnight from now, this will all have been a nightmare, a vague memory.”
He hoped. He glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantel. How long had she been gone? Ten minutes? Fifteen? Too long.
“It’s time to go, Meg,” Grayson said softly, pushing her toward the door. “This isn’t for you to see.”
She tore her startled gaze from Nate and focused on her husband. “But…will you be safe from him?”
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Darling, I’ll be perfectly fine.”
Nate knew she wasn’t asking if Grayson would be safe from Beth’s husband, but safe from Nate himself. Any other day and Grayson’s quick dismissal might have set off a good-natured argument about who was stronger…a blood-drinker or wolf. Today, nothing amused him. Time was ticking away.
“Let’s go,” Nate demanded.
“Go on,” Grayson said to his wife. “Tell the staff to stay inside tonight. No one goes out. Make sure. If anyone, I mean anyone, leaves, they will have me to deal with.”
Meg cupped the sides of her husband’s face and kissed him. Before she left, she turned wary eyes toward Nate. “I’m trusting you to return her safely.”
Oh, he’d do more than see her safely returned. Nate gave a quick jerk of his head. He’d make sure the man could never hurt anyone else again.
Taking his nod as truth, Meg fled, heading toward the back to tell the servants the house was to be locked down. Meg was relying on him to bring Beth home, his children were relying on him. He wouldn’t disappoint them. He would free Beth, no matter what it took.
“Shall we?” Grayson asked.
Nate followed the man out the front door and around the side of the house. Dark clouds were rolling in from the west, matching his mood. The weather would keep their neighbors inside. Perhaps, if they were lucky, no innocents would die. He wouldn’t allow himself to think about the fact that Beth could already be injured, or worse. If he did, he’d never be able to control himself. No. She had to be well. He would return her safely. And the blasted woman would marry him. Damn it all, they would live happily ever after.
He paused for a brief moment to kick off his boots. They walked by a few staff members who were hurrying into the house so fast they didn’t notice he wore no shoes. He didn’t know what lie Meg had concocted to produce such flurry of activity, but thank God she had a quick mind. He and Grayson didn’t speak as they headed toward the west woods. With each step Nate took, he released his hold, allowing the beast to do what it desperately wanted…crawl up his body, invade his soul and take control.
And with each step he took, the world around him changed. Every snap of a branch, every rustle of a leaf was like gunfire to his sensitive ears. He tore off his jacket and tossed it to the ground. The scent of a rabbit became strong and noxious although the animal was a field away. The thunder that suddenly rumbled vibrated the very air against his body. He tore the linen shirt from his chest, the buttons popping and bouncing across the grass.
In the middle of a clearing, Grayson paused. “Will this do?”
Nate closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Her scent was still there…barely. “Yes.”
Lightning branched menacingly above, the wind shifting, rattling the branches that formed a perimeter around them. The weather would dull his senses. He needed to turn and quickly if he wanted to find Beth.
“If I attack you,” Nate started, “do whatever possible to stop me, then go after Beth yourself.”
“I will.” If he had to, Grayson would kill him. Nate lifted his arm and handed Grayson the pistol. Grayson’s long fingers closed around the very weapon that in a few moments might take Nate’s life. “Ready?”
Nate gave a quick jerk of his head. He’d only forced himself to change a few times, and in every instance it had hurt like hell. Reaching for the waistband of his trousers, he finished undressing. He knew the moment he turned, he would no longer be in control. He could only pray the animal inside would recognize Beth as his own and he wouldn’t harm her. Dear God, he couldn’t harm her.
“You know how much I appreciate your friendship,” Nate managed to get out. The beast was tearing through him, and soon he wouldn’t be able to speak, let alone show emotion.
“Don’t talk to me like this is over.” Grayson looked annoyed. He’d always believed that Nate was still human, even in wolf form. “You will remain in control, and I will see you again soon…with Beth.”
Nate held the words close as he closed his eyes and let go. The energy swept up through his body, a burning fire that splintered his bones, and tore through his muscles. Vaguely he was aware that the scream echoing through the woods came from his own throat. The pain consumed him. Within moments he was aware of nothing but his own need to change fully, completely, just to ease the ache.
It happened quickly, his eagerness to get to Beth spurring him on. Nate suddenly had four feet on the hard ground. His spine twisted, his body elongating, pulling, stretching. He arched his back, lifted his head and howled. The relief he felt was immediate and consuming. When he morphed it was like the sweetest of release, the scents around him succulent, the wind whispering through his hair like a caress, even the taste of the breeze. Everything came clearly into focus. There was no thought, no worries…only instinct.
As the howl faded, and he settled into his wolf form, he became aware of the scent of human. Nate’s eyes narrowed. No…not human, but something more dangerous. Nate’s head swiveled until his eyes locked on the animal beside him…the only other animal that presented any threat in the surrounding area. Nate lowered, his lips automatically lifted, and a growl slipped from his throat.
Kill, his instincts demanded.
The man’s eyes glowed, the power emanating from his body giving Nate hesitation. Quickly he weighed his options. Could he kill him? Would he win?
“Go,” the man said. “Go.”
Nate didn’t understand. He shifted in indecision, his nails digging into the hard dirt as his animal mind went to war. He wanted to attack, yet at the same time something held him back. His instincts told him this being was no threat.
“Go. Find her,” the man demanded.
Her.
Nate lifted his muzzle to the air and sniffed the very breeze that shifted through his thick fur. There, on the wind he could smell the woman. A feminine scent that called to him, that belonged to him. The female he desired.
In his animal form, he burst forward, instinct spurring him onward.
Mine, he thought.
He didn’t need to know the direction, he wasn’t even sure why he ran, but he followed that familiar, sweet scent, the beast inside of him desiring the female like he’d never desired anything ever before.
He would have her, no matter what it took.
Chapter 19
“Looks like your lover has arrived,” her husband sneered.
For a moment Beth thought she’d misheard him. But no…he was much too pleased with himself as he stared out the windows with that smirk upon his face.
“I do hope he’s killed Jones so I won’t have to deal with the henchman.”
Beth raced to the windows. Frantic, she searched the over-grown gardens, then beyond to the yew trees that separated their land from the lane. But no one was out there. Had Nate truly arrived, or was her husband merely trying to taunt her?
“You lie,” she whispered.
Just as the words left her lips, the yew branches shifted, a mere quiver of the trees that normally wouldn’t have caught her attention.
Beth sucked in a sharp breath, stepping closer to the windows. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
But the Nate she knew didn’t step through those branches. Instead, a wolf moved from the trees and into the front garden. A beautiful wolf with black hair that shimmered even under the dull light of an overcast day. A large wolf with glowing blue eyes. Eyes she knew well. She’d recognize him anywhere, in any form.
Nate.
He had come for her. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or terrified. Thunder rumbled menacingly above, shaking the panes of the glass. Beth pressed her fingers to the window, desperate to warn him. The idiot was going to get himself killed. If he died, his children would have no one.
“That man, oddly enough, is in love with you,” Christopher’s words seeped through her memory.
Her heart pounded fiercely against her ribcage, her legs growing weak. Nate loved her. He hadn’t said the words, but he’d shown her in so many ways. She’d been too lost to notice. And now it might be too late to tell him how she felt. She wanted to scream for him to run, but knew it would only draw his attention. She jerked her gaze toward the foyer. Her husband had left the front door open on purpose, waiting for Nate. Could she close it before he entered? It would be a weak barrier but it would be something.
“It’s time. Everything is working exactly as I’d planned.” Christopher started to undress, tossing his jacket to the floor. Next came his shirt. Beth stood there mutely as he kicked off his boots. “You’ll have to excuse me for a moment, my dear, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
Dear Lord, he was going to change into a wolf then and there. “Don’t kill him, please.”
He laughed. “I won’t. Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill your lover, merely maim so that I might sell him to the highest bidder.”
He dropped his trousers and completely naked, he stood there staring at the foyer…waiting for Nate. How strange that at one time she’d thought him so handsome, her husband a work of art. It was true that he’d grown stronger, more muscled since being bitten, but he’d also grown uglier. She barely recognized him. He’d become the monster she’d always known resided deep within. And that monster was going to kill Nate if she didn’t stop him.
A Night of Redemption (The Night Series Book 2) Page 26
