by Tara Rose
“What happened?” She glanced around, surprised to find they were no longer in the hallway, but in an empty classroom.
“I came looking for you. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t want you wandering around the school on your own, even with this many people in the building. When I turned a corner, I watched your father hit you over the head with a piece of wood.”
She stared into Stephen’s eyes, terrified at the mention of her father but also elated that he’d actually seen him as well.
“Or at least, he tried to do that. His form wasn’t solid, but whatever he had in his hands connected with you anyway, although not as hard as I saw him swing it toward your head. Otherwise I think you’d be…” Stephen’s eyes were moist and his voice was shaky.
Valerie leaned into his embrace and tried to keep from trembling. Her father had tried to kill her again. But why couldn’t he materialize fully? And what had Stephen meant when he said he’d seen something that morning, and now he knew that it had been real? “I’d be dead, right? Is that what you were going to say?”
“Yes. You probably would be.”
“What did you say he swung at my head? A piece of wood? What did you give me to drink? What did you see this morning? Why aren’t we in the hallway any longer? Please tell me what’s going on.” Her heart was pounding and her stomach felt queasy again.
Stephen held her close and stroked her back. “Quiet for now, sweetheart. Just close your eyes and relax for a few moments. Let your strength return. We’ll answer your questions in a little while.”
“What happened here?”
Micah stood as Drake addressed him. He and Gary came into the room followed by two other jaguars, both wearing the uniform of Gary’s special forces. Did that mean they’d finally caught her father?
Drake knelt next to her, and that was the first time Valerie realized she was on the floor. “Tell me everything you remember, including the tiniest detail, even if you think it’s not important.”
His words reminded her so much of the discussion they’d all had in the dining room two weeks ago that she had to blink back fresh tears. He wouldn’t be asking her this if they’d caught him. This still wasn’t over. “Stephen asked me to get the master plans for the sets in the principal’s office.”
Drake gave his youngest son a dark look, and Stephen held up his hands. “I know. But I didn’t think Reynard would try to show up here, with so many of us around. I won’t make a mistake like that again.”
“I’m still confused,” said Valerie. “He was here. I mean in the hallway. I’m not even sure where I was when he found me. I was trying to find my way back to the gym, and then I heard footsteps and turned around, and he was there but not in solid form. He was shimmering, like a spirit trying to materialize.”
“Did he speak to you?” asked Gary.
“Yes, I think so. I heard his voice, but that was just before I passed out. Is that what I did?” She glanced around at the men, but there were no answers on their faces. “I heard him say ‘This isn’t over.’ And then I was here, with Stephen and Micah.”
Gary high-fived the two jaguars. “It worked.”
“What worked?”
“Then did see I him, too?” asked Stephen. “This morning around two I was awake and peered out the drapes over the lake. I thought I saw a figure shimmering, like Valerie said, and chalked it up to lack of sleep or a trick of the light.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt you saw him,” said Gary. “And this proves our spell worked. He can’t fully materialize inside this village any longer, and now we know he can’t do so indoors or out.”
“You put a spell on the entire village?”
Gary smiled at her. “Yes, little lady, we sure did. And now I know exactly how to set a trap for Reynard.” He glanced at Drake, and Valerie watched the two communicate without words, much the same way she’d seen Emme do that with Drake.
Gary addressed Stephen and Micah. “To do this, we need Valerie’s help. She won’t be in any danger the entire time. It’s the only way to catch him.”
Chapter Twenty
Micah and Stephen watched Valerie all through dinner, not only because they were very concerned about her, but to make sure she ate. Gary and the two jaguars had come to the house as well, and Micah listened with increasing admiration as Gary described what he and his troops had learned in two weeks. When Stephen asked why they hadn’t shared any of this with him, Micah, or Valerie, Drake explained that they hadn’t wanted to place her in any untoward danger by revealing too much. From the look on his mother’s face, she hadn’t known either, but she didn’t look upset by that at all.
“Drake and I placed a spell on the village the day after I came here to tell you what we found in The Alpha Legend text,” said Gary. “Up until today, we didn’t know if it had worked.”
“How else would you have known?” asked Micah.
Gary shrugged. “We wouldn’t have. Not until he showed up, tried to materialize, and someone saw him do it.”
Micah stared at Gary, struggling to find the right words. He would never outright defy Gary any more than he would his father, but right now he wanted to strangle him. He wasn’t upset at his brother for letting Valerie wander around the school alone. He was upset with Gary for not telling them that they’d been waiting for Reynard to try and materialize again. “And now you want to use Valerie for bait.”
“What other way is there?”
The two men eyed each other, and Micah fought the urge to shift. He thought Gary was going to do so as well for a second or two. The man might be twice his age, but Micah knew he could still fight if he had to. But this wasn’t a resolution to the problem at hand. He had to keep it together for Valerie’s sake. He was so in love with her. If anything happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. Micah shook his head slightly to try and clear his thoughts. “Is there anything else you’ve done or found out these past two weeks that you can finally share with us?”
“Yes. Plenty.”
“Would you please tell us?” Micah knew his words came out sounding angry and frustrated, but he was tired of these damn games. Valerie was in danger no matter where she went. It was time to put an end to this shit so he and Stephen could spend their lives with her, if she’d have them.
Gary pushed away his plate. “All right. As long as Drake is okay with it.”
Drake nodded. “It’s time to tell them everything.”
Gary glanced at Valerie and frowned. “I’m sorry to tell you that we did find your uncle Fendrel, and that he’s dead.”
Micah watched her carefully, but she barely reacted.
Gary continued. “He was found a few miles outside your home village, picked apart by buzzards. It looked like he’d been tied to a tree and left there.”
She made a sound of disgust. “Do you know who left him there?”
Gary shook his head. “And we probably never will unless someone tells us.”
“How long ago did you find him?” asked Stephen.
“Three days after Abby was killed. We also tracked down information about Abby’s family, but we were only able to get so far with that. She’s from a village in Arizona.” Gary glanced around the table. “Did any of you know that?”
“We did,” said Emme. “Abby came to live here when she was about Valerie’s age. She told everyone that her parents were dead.”
“So she ran away, like me.”
Emme nodded. “As far as we know, yes.”
“That’s pretty much all we were able to figure out as well,” said Gary. “I don’t know if we’ll find more about her past because her family is definitely in the League.”
“But that doesn’t mean she was. How do we clear her name? When will people stop speaking ill of her?”
Micah took Valerie’s hand, wishing he could do something more, and angry that right now he couldn’t. They had promised her they’d clear Abby’s name, and now he felt like he was going back on his word.
“I don’t know if we can stop them, and we may never clear her name. I know we told you that we would do that, but if this is all the information Gary’s troops can find, we may just have to give this time, and eventually people will stop talking about it.”
“That’s solid advice,” said Drake. “Once we know the whole story and Reynard is caught, I’ll make sure everyone in this village knows that Abby did not perform League activities inside the home she shared with you, and that she did not betray you. I don’t believe she did, at least not intentionally. But beyond that, people are going to believe what they want to believe. We just have to give it time until they move on to the next topic of gossip.”
She didn’t look convinced, and Micah hated that. He felt so helpless.
“We also paid a visit to Frank Ellison,” said Gary. “He knows Reynard, and he did sell him the gun. But he swears he knows nothing about shape-shifters or the League. I don’t entirely believe him, but he is now so frightened of us that I can assure you he will never again give Reynard any help, or another gun, for that matter.”
“Why did he do that?” asked Valerie. “Why a gun?”
“I suspect because he knew it would throw us off guard. He couldn’t get to you with all of us around, so he resorted to using something none of us would have expected.”
“So that means he’s working on his own now,” said Micah. “Which makes him even more desperate and dangerous.”
“I agree.”
“What did he hit me with in the school?”
“A piece of plywood from the scrap pile,” said Stephen. “And you asked what we gave you to drink as well. It was just a potion to help with the dizziness. I think it’s best if you’re never alone now, even inside this house.”
“I agree with that, too,” said Gary. “One of us should always be with you.”
She glanced at Stephen and nodded. “I’ll make sure I am never alone, Sir.”
“I should have told all of you this information sooner,” said Drake. “But Gary and I decided that since we knew so little, there was no point in alarming Valerie.”
“It’s water under the bridge,” said Micah. “She won’t be alone for one moment from now on. But what about this trap you want to set? Tell us what we need to do in order to catch this bastard. We all want this to be over with.”
“He’s bold and obviously fearless to have come into the school with so many men around, although he’s probably also realized by now that he can’t fully materialize inside the village anymore,” said Gary. “He may not know that it’s from a spell, however. The power of the stones isn’t absolute. He may believe it’s simply a kink in them that he needs to work out. I suspect he’s watching the house, which is why Stephen saw him this morning on the other side of the lake, and why he took advantage of an opportunity earlier when Valerie was alone in the school. But I don’t want to take a chance and wait to see if he’ll try and show up randomly again. It’s too much of an unknown for us, and this has dragged on long enough.”
“So we have to give him an opportunity he can’t pass up,” said Drake. “Something that’s a surefire thing, at least from his point of view.”
The hair on the back of Micah’s neck prickled. “I don’t like the sound of this.”
“What other way is there?” asked Drake. “He can evade us indefinitely like this. Do you want Valerie to spend the rest of her life a prisoner inside this home? Constantly watching over her shoulder and never being able to go anywhere without an escort? Do you and Stephen want that for yourselves?”
Valerie gripped Micah’s hand tighter.
“No. Of course not.” Micah cut his gaze toward Stephen for a second. “And I’m sure Stephen feels the same way. All right. What do you want us to do?”
* * * *
Valerie lay between Micah and Stephen in Micah’s bed that night, but she wasn’t able to fall asleep. Gary and Drake had outlined their plan, and while she agreed it would work, she was terrified. She knew she’d be safe from any real harm. That wasn’t what frightened her. It was the possibility that her father wouldn’t take the bait that had her mind reeling with what-ifs.
There had been no sex or play tonight, and while it wasn’t the first time that had happened, coupled with the events at the school, Valerie’s mind wouldn’t stop playing the same thoughts over and over. Were they tired of her? Had they regretted ever mentioning mates, subs, and collars to her in the first place? Were they wishing they’d left her virginity intact in Passion Peak? And did they regret bringing her here to live with them after Abby’s death?
She rolled over and watched Micah’s sleeping form. “I love you,” she whispered. It wasn’t the first time she’d done that. Her longing for both men overwhelmed her on the best of days, but tonight she felt as though her heart might burst from fear and despair. It was on the tip of her tongue to say the words out loud every day now, all day long. Every morning when she knelt before them, she had to bite back the urge to simply blurt it out. At least then it would finally be out there and they’d have to address it.
But that was a risk she couldn’t take, especially now. There was no choice but to wait for Friday when they were going to execute their plan. She rolled to her other side and faced Stephen, whispering the same thing to him. Then she brushed a finger along his jaguar tat. How many times had she done the same thing while underneath him, gazing up into his eyes as he made love to her?
Her life before coming to this village seemed like nothing more than a bad dream now. She could never return home. But what if she also couldn’t stay here? It was a long time before she drifted off to sleep, and when she did, her father chased her down long, dark corridors in her dreams.
Chapter Twenty-One
Monday night, two days after the incident at the school, Stephen and Micah led Valerie into the dungeon. Their parents were out for the evening, but several of Gary’s troops were upstairs, guarding the house until they returned. Both men had told her that morning as she knelt before them that they wanted to play that evening, but they were going to do so in the basement so they’d have more privacy with the other jaguars in the house.
Valerie was fine with that. They hadn’t made love Sunday night either, and by this morning she’d been in a state of frustration and confusion. They’d asked her what was wrong, and not wanting to burden them with her insecurities or her dreams, she’d told them simply that she missed them.
Now, as they held her and kissed her, she began to wonder whether she’d imagined that anything was wrong between them. Their touches were the same as always, and their kisses just as passionate and full of lust as the first time. Was it possible she had simply built up something in her mind that wasn’t real?
“We have something special for you tonight,” said Stephen, grinning in the way that always made her pussy instantly wet. “Because you’ve been so patient these past few days.”
“I thought you both didn’t want me anymore.” She didn’t know why she’d blurted it out, but was glad she did. They both looked genuinely surprised.
Stephen cupped her face, his gaze intense and full of longing. “Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s just been a rough few days. We don’t want to put you through this plan of Gary’s, but we also know it’s the only way to put this behind us once and for all.”
Micah stroked her hair. “Don’t ever think we don’t want you. That’s not going to happen.”
She bit her lip to keep the words at bay, but her heart was so full of joy and hope that tears spilled over her lashes. The guys wiped them away and then led her to a table with a leather top. She’d never been strapped to it before, and was intrigued when they took off her clothes and fastened her wrist and ankle cuffs to hooks on the table’s edge. She was on her back, arms overhead and legs spread, totally at their mercy.
“Are you ready?” asked Micah, grinning.
“Yes, Sir.” She had no idea what to expect, but her body tingled with excitement just the same. Her pussy
was soaked and her clit throbbed. Whatever it was, she was sure she’d love it. She had yet to hate anything they’d asked her to try.
They moved a small stand on wheels over to the table. It contained candles, matches, gauze strips, and a bowl full of ice cubes. She was about to ask what they planned to do, but decided it would be more fun just to wait and let it happen.
They tortured her first by licking her nipples and pussy, but not letting her come. Valerie moaned and strained against her bonds, knowing it was pointless, but loving it just the same. She would never grow tired of these two. Never. The fact that they were still dressed turned her on as well.
There was something so powerful and commanding about being naked and tied down in front of them when they still had on clothes. It conjured up images of being forced to do their bidding, and that excited her in a way she couldn’t even put into words. She’d often wanted to ask them to act out a forced seduction scene, but wondered what they’d think of doing so.
When they had her so hot and bothered she didn’t think she could take anymore, Stephen slipped a blindfold over her eyes. Valerie cried out in protest but all that earned her was a sharp smack on her pussy. “Was that a safeword?”
She bit back a giggle. Every time she did something like that one of them would ask the same question. “No, Sir. Just the need to come. Desperately.”
“No shit.” His voice was filled with humor and she moaned at the tone in it. She loved the way they teased her. “But first, we want you to experience this.”
She cried out again in surprise as an ice cube was rolled over one nipple, then the other. She heard one of them strike a match, and caught the scent of sulfur just before something hot dripped onto the spot where the ice had just been. “Candle wax?”
“That’s right,” said Micah. “What do you think?”
“I like it, Sir.”
“Good girl.”
They alternated between the ice and the wax, using it in different combinations to keep her guessing, and soon Valerie slipped away into the state where pleasure and pain were one. They not only used both on her nipples, but also the sides of her breasts, her abdomen, and her pussy.
