Marko

by Susan Bliler

  He’d been as careful with Thea as he knew how to be. The situation hadn’t been ideal or anywhere near perfect, but she was. In his eyes, Thea was absolutely fucking perfect. She was as soft as…no, fuck that, she was softer than he’d ever imagined. Curves in all the right places, satiny hair that smelled like lilacs, wet hot mouth, and slick tight cunt… And her taste. By the Grandfathers, she tasted like everything he’d ever wanted. Damn, it was a good thing he was in bird form, or he’d be sporting a boner.

  Swooping low, he dropped behind a stand of pine trees near the road and shifted out of sight. His clothes regenerated and for the sake of not looking like Storm Shadow from G.I. Joe, he’d chosen worn jeans, heavy boots, a plaid shirt, and a Carhartt coat with wool liner for effect. He wasn’t a mountain man, far from it, but Thea’s family wouldn’t let her leave with just anyone, so he had to play the part.

  Striding down the last quarter mile of road to the ranch, Marko went over his story in his head. He’d tell them he was Thea’s friend, come to pick her up. He’d say his truck broke down and when her family offered to go help fix it, he’d declare that the tow truck was already there replacing his battery and they’d said it would be fixed by the time he got back. Bam! How’s that for the perfect line of bullshit?

  His feet crunched over snow, and as he stepped onto the gravel drive leading to the farmhouse, he heard a woman holler in a panicked tone, “THEA! THEEEEEEA!” Her tone was still shrill when she cried, “She’s not out here, Dick! Something’s wrong!”

  Awww, fuck!

  Chapter 16

  The second Marko heard that Thea was missing, he crouched and then vaulted himself as high into the air as he could, shifting mid-leap back into falcon form. His wings beat the air and blasted snow up around him as he climbed higher. He wanted to just get as high as he could to see what he could see, but he knew he needed Intel, so against every beast inside him raging that he track, he forced his falcon to fly down to the gutter just over the back door where he landed heavily and listened.

  “When’s the last time you saw here?” A man—presumably her father—asked.

  “An…an hour ago. I was at the sink washing beans, and she was out there swinging away just like she loves to do.”

  The head of Marko’s falcon jerked up and to the swing. His eyes narrowed on the numerous footprints marring the snow there.

  In one glide, he was to the branch where the swing hung. Looking down, he saw Thea’s tiny footprints surrounded by other larger footprints. He automatically assumed the worst.

  Closing his eyes, he reached out through the mist, and fuck all if he wasn’t able to connect to King. Another unwelcome gift of his time spent in captivity was that he had difficulty connecting telepathically to other Walkers. While most could communicate as far as a couple hundred miles, Marko’s ability wasn’t as honed. No, he needed to be much closer, which had never been a problem before. Now though, he was torn between tracking the footprints and following whoever kidnapped Thea or flying closer to StoneCrow to call in for help. He couldn’t afford not to follow the footsteps, and he couldn’t afford to go chasing the Megalya alone either.

  Just then the back door of the farmhouse banged, and an older gentleman came out with a shotgun held tight in his hands.

  “THEA!”

  Marko beat wings, and his heart stuttered a minute when the man jerked his rifle up and aimed it at him.

  Thankfully, Thea’s father didn’t shoot. He did track Marko’s path with the shotgun a little too long for comfort before he finally lowered the weapon and turned back toward the field behind the house and yelled again, “THEAAAA!”

  ***

  This is either the smartest or the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” Marko muttered as he pounded—back in human form—up the front stairs of the Kinsey farmhouse.

  He’d just left Thea’s old man out back, and he knew his only option at getting help and going after Thea was relying on her family. Decided, he knocked loudly.

  Inside, he heard a woman call out, “Dick! Someone’s knocking!”

  She sounded afraid, and that didn’t bode well. He just hoped Thea’s dad showed as much restraint as he had when he’d had his weapon locked on Marko in animal form.

  With his heightened senses, he heard the back door open, and the man mutter a curse before ordering, “Get the rifle and stay inside.”

  Sheit!

  The man came to the door, shotgun tucked under his arm and frowned hard at Marko. “Who are you and what do you want?”

  “Sir,” Marko began. “My name is Marko. Marko Storm. I work with Thea at the school in the Highwoods, and I think she’s in trouble. I’m here to make sure she’s okay.”

  He prayed the lie worked and waited in the pregnant silence that hung between him and the older gentleman.

  The guy finally asked, “What do you mean trouble? What kind of trouble?”

  “I think people are trying to hurt her,” he implored. “The school was attacked.” It wasn’t a complete lie. “And I’m really worried about Thea. Did she tell you about what happened?”

  The man’s frown deepened. “What? No. No, she didn’t say anything.” Turning, he bellowed over his shoulder, “Ethel!”

  A slight woman who looked a lot like Thea slunk out of the kitchen holding a rifle in a surprisingly steady grip. “Who is it?”

  “This fella knows Thea. Says she might be in trouble.”

  The woman lowered the rifle with a terrified, “Oh God!” She rushed the door and waved him in. “Come in, come in.”

  Without time to waste, Marko stepped inside and asked, “Can I speak to Thea? It’s very important.”

  “She…she’s not here.” The woman’s eyes glistened with emotion. “She was.” She pointed over her shoulder. “Just an hour ago she was out back swinging, and the next time I looked up, she was gone.” She looked at the man. “What do we do? If she’s in trouble, we should call the police.”

  Marko didn’t care who they called, but he needed to use the phone first. “Can I borrow your phone? I have friends, co-workers of Thea’s, who might know something.”

  Without hesitation, the woman nodded vehemently and led him to an old-fashioned phone that was attached to the wall near the kitchen.

  Marko dialed StoneCrow, and when reception picked up, he demanded, “This is Marko Storm. I need to speak to King Mulholland or his Dominant. I’m without resources.”

  “Without resources” was code for an emergency, which the receptionist understood because he was transferred immediately.

  “This is King.”

  “King, it’s Marko. Thea’s been taken. I need a team. She’s been gone about an hour and…”

  “She’s on her way to Apex.”

  Marko’s explanation stalled. “What?”

  “Tyce sent a team. She’s been intercepted and…”

  Marko cut him off. “Why in the fuck is she going to Apex and not back to StoneCrow?”

  “Jenny wants her back here,” King explained, “but Tyce made a good argument that Dr. Ames at Apex wasn’t as inundated at the current moment as Jenny is here at StoneCrow, so I…”

  It took every ounce of Marko’s will to simply hang up the phone on King rather than slam it onto the receiver.

  “Well?” An eager voice prodded from behind him.

  Turning, he did his best to mask his anger. “She’s safe.”

  The woman practically collapsed into her husband’s arms, “Oh, thank God!”

  Ten minutes later, after offering an explanation that seemed to satisfy both Thea’s parents, and after proper introductions, Marko was back in the air beating wings to Apex. All the flight he seethed at how easily King had dismissed Thea. Sure Pyper was good, but everyone knew that Jenny was better. And, who in the hell did King think he was to decide Thea deserved substandard care. Fucker! If it were King’s precious Lilly, it’d be a totally different story.

  Shoving his anger aside, he concentrated on the task at hand. He had to
get to Apex. He had to see Thea. He had to make sure she was okay. It felt imperative, and that was confusing. She wasn’t his. He knew she wasn’t his, yet he still couldn’t stop the swell of possessiveness that surged up inside. He felt…off. His skin itched, and his muscles were tense. He felt like he’d had twenty cups of coffee and was on a hideous caffeine high. His head kept telling him to move faster because Thea needed him. His heart though whispered that it was him that needed her. Honestly, he wasn’t convinced that he hadn’t grown addicted to Thea in their few short days together. Before the attack, he knew she was a kind and generous woman. After the attack, once he’d laid claim to her body, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. All of her. Images of her consumed his thoughts. Memories of the sounds she’d made when he was buried between her thighs kept him constantly distracted. Even the taste of her lips and skin on his mouth seemed to keep his lips tingling.

  He told himself that his feelings were only the result of gratitude. Thea had taken a tranq intended for him, and she’d suffered because of it. Hell, she was probably suffering now. The thought incited Marko to beat his wings faster because even just imagining Thea going back into heat had his heart hammering against the wall of his chest. Who would she go to if he wasn’t there? Who would see to her needs? Images of all the males at Apex flashed through his head and distracted his wings from their constant rhythm. His shift faltered, and suddenly he was dropping from the sky like a stone. Shit, shit, shit! Pinching his eyes shut he concentrated on his form. Falcon, falcon, I’m a falcon! His thoughts kept betraying him though and straying back to Thea being eased by another male. Snapping his eyes open he looked down. He didn’t have much longer before he was nothing but a smear on the ground. Taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, he cleared his mind and envisioned his outstretched wings catching a current and shooting him upward. He knew the feel of it, the taste of the air on his tongue, the blast of wind on his face.

  His wings caught and the knuckles of his bird’s claws scraped along the ground as he shifted at the last possible moment. Eyes open, he maneuvered his bird through a stand of trees before slowing and shifting back to human form. He rolled as he hit the ground, sending snow and clumps of mud shooting up before he came up on his feet and jogged a few steps to slow his momentum. When he was finally stopped, breath chugged out of him in great white puffs as he looked up at the sky and shook his head.

  That was too damn close.

  For the first time ever, he was actually considering taking Jenny’s advice and visiting the psychiatrist at StoneCrow. Everyone knew he’d been captured and tortured. And, everyone knew he had problems holding a shift, but it wasn’t until now that it actually bothered him. Before, his life had been clipping along at his pace. He figured his head would heal itself in time, but now that Thea was in the picture, waiting wasn’t good enough. She needed him, and he couldn’t get to her as fast as he needed to, and that gutted him in ways none of the Megalya torture ever had.

  Glancing up again, he decided to forego the risk of flying, but he still needed to haul ass. Breaking out into a run, he was four strides in when a pale mountain lion burst from him. Losing this form would be a lot less detrimental, but he shoved those thoughts back as he focused on just running as hard and as fast as his lion would let him. He had to get to Thea!

  Chapter 17

  By the time Thea was loaded into a vehicle, she was screaming around the gag in her mouth.

  “Holy shit!” The guy who’d been carrying her placed her on the seat and backed away.

  “Kinda overdramatic, isn’t she?”

  The guy who’d carried her snarled. “Shut the fuck up, James. She’s not acting. Use your damn nose. She’s in actual pain.”

  Thea slumped over in the seat and curled into a tight ball as tears streaked down her face. She felt a thousand times better now that the guy’s hands were off of her.

  “Well, what did you do, asshole?” The voice belonged to the man called James.

  “Shut up, you dick. I didn’t do shit! You were with me the whole time! You saw! I just carried her!”

  James spoke again. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Well, you did it wrong, Shane. Doc is gonna have your hide if you broke her.”

  “I didn’t break shit!” Shane argued. “Now get the fuck in so we can get home. Recker, you gotta drive, man. And, James, you can take that gag off her cuz I ain’t touching her again.”

  Just the thought of being touched again had Thea whimpering.

  Someone climbed onto the seat beside her and then the man she recognized as James was whispering. “Easy, lady. I’m just gonna take that thing off your mouth. Don’t freak out. I’m a good guy.”

  The vehicle lurched and started moving. James spoke louder, “What’d you even gag her for in the first place numbnuts? We were in the middle of nowhere. It’s not like anyone would hear her scream.”

  His words had dread pitting in her belly.

  James’ attention went back to Thea. “When we get where we’re going, you be sure and tell Doc that it was Shane that made you cry. Got that? Shane. Sh-ane!”

  A bellowed, “James!” filled the vehicle and then there was silence.

  James was quick about removing the gag, and his knuckles only brushed her skin once, but it was enough to send a current of pain shooting through her. It was just like back at the infirmary at StoneCrow when the male nurse had touched her. Something was wrong with her, and it had to be from the drug. Every male’s touch was excruciating, and Thea wanted to wretch when she thought about this “Doc” whoever he was touching her. SNAP!

  No. No, no, no, no, NO! I’m not doing this right now. Squeezing her eyes shut, Thea fought down the wave of panic that threatened to overtake her. No!

  The source of her fear right now was being taken God knew whereby God knew who so this Doc could do God knew what. Get away! I have to get away!

  SNAP! If she could escape, she could get word back to the Skin Walkers.

  SNAP! Surely, they’d send someone for her. Plus, she grew up in this area. She knew it better than anyone, and these guys seemed really concerned that she get wherever it was they were taking her safely.

  SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! Anxiety was beating at her and clicking away like a fire starter looking for fuel. She had it in spades, but she knew if she gave in now, she’d go up in flames. She had to keep that from happening. She had to keep her wits. She had to defy her fate.

  Sawing in several breaths, Thea tried to steady herself now that the mind-numbing pain was no longer coursing through her. She had to act quickly though because the guy, Shane, had told James to use his nose. Clearly, they were some sort of supernaturals. Her eyes snagged on the steakhouse billboard that passed outside the window of the vehicle.

  “B-bathroom,” she stuttered. “I need a bathroom.”

  “Gonna have to hold it,” Shane barked from the passenger seat.

  She didn’t have to reach too deep to sound wretched. “I’m g-gonna be sick.”

  Shane’s head whipped around in the seat, and beside her, James flattened himself to the door with a, “See, you fucking broke her!”

  “Just let her puke on herself. It won’t be that bad. We live with James. We’ve smelled worse.”

  James punched the back of the driver’s seat. “Fuck you, bro!”

  “Shut up, Recker!” Shane faced forwarded and pointed. “Stop there.”

  The vehicle turned, and Thea made a show of breathing slow and contorting her face into a mask of pain.

  “Hang on,” Shane ordered. “We’re almost to a place.

  Beside her, James scooted even further away. “Lady, please do not barf in here. I can’t take it. I really can’t. If you barf, I’ll barf, and then this whole rig is going to reek.”

  The driver growled, “James, knock it off.”

  “Fuck that! Drive faster, bro, she’s getting pale.”

  If she were, in fact, getting pale, it’s because she knew this was her one shot at getting away.

  The
vehicle slowed, and James was out the door before the vehicle even rocked to a halt.

  “James!”

  He slammed the door though and disappeared.

  Thea shoved slowly up from the seat and was relieved to see Rusty’s Steakhouse and Saloon staring at her through the windshield.

  “Listen!” Shane drew her attention. “You get in, you come out. No funny shit. You cause trouble in there, and we will end it. Understand?”

  She nodded and slid from the car after Shane climbed out and opened her door. “James,” he barked, and the younger guy walked closer from where he’d been leaned against the building. “Take her in, let her use the facilities, and bring her back out.”

  James pouted, “Why me?”

  “Because I said so,” Shane growled.

  “And who in the fuck do you think you are?”

  “What I am,” Shane countered, “Is two seconds away from stomping a mud hole through you and walking it dry.”

  “Whatever! You know what your problem is, Shane…”

  Thea fake wretched and James jumped back before snapping, “Fine! But I ain’t holding her hair or no dumb shit like that. I’m sitting at the bar and having a beer until she’s done puking her guts out.”

  Shane shook his head. “Whatever, just don’t lose her.”

  “Lose her?” James pulled a face. “This place is the size of my left nut, and I ain’t an idiot.”

  Unwilling to listen to anymore, Thea made for the door with James following close behind as he muttered, “Don’t know why she can’t puke on the side of the road like a normal human being. No, gotta be fancy and use a toilette.”

  Inside the bar, James was true to his word. Without hesitation, he jammed his finger toward a sign that said ‘restrooms’ then made his way to the bar and ordered a beer.