The Tranquil Hunters Pride

by T. Cobbin

  The Tranquil Hunters Pride

  by

  T. Cobbin

  The Tranquil Hunters Pride

  Copyright © 2016, T. Cobbin

  ISBN: 9781944270155

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: March 2016

  Editor: Pamela Tyner

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  Unbeknownst to her, Maddy has an enemy who wants to kill her. Greyback is determined to protect her, even if he has to kidnap her to do it.

  Maddy hasn’t had the best of luck. She was found on the steps of a church as a baby, then her adoptive parents died in a car crash and she spent years in foster care. Now she finds herself being kidnapped by a sexy man with a six-pack named Greyback.

  Grey claims to have known her birth parents. He also claims to be a lion shifter. Oh, and he says she’s his mate. And if all that wasn’t enough, he also claims there’s someone out there—an ex-pack member—who wants to kill her.

  Can Greyback keep Maddy safe, and will they find love in the process?

  Content Warning: contains strong language, some violence, and lots of hot, steamy sex scenes

  Dedication

  This is for someone who was my best friend in my teenage years. We may have gone our own way in the world, but I want you to know I have never forgotten you and everything you did for me. I wish one day before the world gobbles me up and spits me out that I may let you know you were there when no other was. I have your named stamped on my heart forever.

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to Pamela Tyner and Beachwalk Press for giving me another chance to tantalize some readers with my imagination.

  Author’s Foreword

  “It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, and a day to love them, but it takes an entire lifetime to forget them.” —Anonymous

  Chapter 1

  The callused hand over Maddy’s mouth muffled any scream she could have let out.

  “Don’t scream and I won’t hurt you,” the deep male voice behind her whispered in her ear.

  Yeah, right! Was this where she was to die? The shitty life she had led was going to end here just as she was beginning to land on her feet and make her way in the world!

  She had finished work late because her smarmy boss had wanted his report typed before she left. She was so tired she’d decided to take a shortcut against all her self-preservation, feelings and actions she had used all her life. She had cut through an alley so she could get home sooner rather than later.

  Yeah, sod’s law for you!

  Breathing through her nose, which the male had graciously left unsealed, she could smell his skin when she inhaled. Should she be thinking he smelled fucking good in the predicament she was in? He smelled of wood, grass, and nature.

  She nodded in response to the man’s order not to scream, while all the time trying to think of ways to escape his other arm that was grasped firmly around her waist.

  “Not that I don’t trust you,” he sniggered, “but we’re going to take this very slowly. Slip off your shoes first.”

  She did as he told her. This dropped her height six inches. She could feel him lower his body slightly to match hers. However, even that still left her head now resting on his shoulder.

  “Now drop your bag on the ground.”

  She did as he asked with a frown. Everything she needed was in that bag, including the ever-present and needed pen knife.

  “I am faster and stronger than you, and there is no way you can outrun me. If I have to run after you, I will spank that arse of yours ’til it shines, hear me?”

  Anger rose inside her. She’d been in many situations she hadn’t wanted to be in. Problems like this seemed to find her, but as she grew older and more experienced she found ways to deal with the shit she was dealt. She knew she needed to think clearly in order to get out of this situation, but with her fiery temper it was difficult. Her anger had been the one thing she had never really managed to control. Although, at times it was also what got her out of a bad position.

  She nodded with a mantra of SING going through her head. Solar plex. In-step. Nose. Groin.

  She found herself whipped around and scooped up in muscled arms and pulled across a well-built chest.

  “I’ve watched you for a while now, and I know what you’re thinking. Not a chance, little one.”

  What the hell? Watched? By whom? Whose fucking radar had she spiked?

  She tried to struggle against his arms and chest. Her arm that wasn’t trapped between their bodies began to flail, looking for anything to punch, pinch, stab, but it was grabbed and hugged tight to her body. She couldn’t even move her legs as they too were tightly held. She looked at his face, making sure that if she were to come out of this alive she could identify the jerk. He had long blond hair to his shoulders, plump lips, and a wide nose. He had blond, bushy eyebrows over amber eyes. His jaw looked strong and square. Seeing him look down challengingly at her she stared back in defiance.

  The man began to walk across the street, toward a waiting black van. In the reflection of the dark paint she watched as he carried her with such grace his body didn’t even look like he was lifting her, and she wasn’t exactly stick thin and light, she had generous curves being she loved food and hated working out. Exercise was something she didn’t much care for. If people couldn’t accept her as she was, screw them.

  She could see her house over the top of the van. I was so close to it. As she opened her mouth to scream, his mouth came down on hers.

  Crap. Yes, she was in trouble!

  Why don’t I feel more frightened?

  Why am I letting this guy kiss me?

  Her toes curled as his tongue slid along her lips. She caught the aftertaste of mint. He deepened the kiss, making her pussy twitch, shooting electric shocks through to her clit. Her body relaxed against his as again his scent began to flow over and around her. Her fuzzy mind forgot to scream and shout to draw attention. Her traitorous mind obliterated any thought of fighting, and her body melted against the man carrying her away from everything she knew.

  She heard the van door open and another deep voice from inside pulled her out of her stupor.

  “Hole in one, Alpha. Nice catch!”

  Her mind began clearing, and she started to shove against the man’s chest and tried to kick out with her legs, but he just ducked and climbed into the back of the van without any fuss. He growled at the other bloke in the van he reached out to grab her. As the man holding her sat down and adjusted her so she was sitting on his lap, the other man slapped his hand on the inside of the van a couple of times and sat down in the seat in front of them while sliding the door shut. Within seconds the van’s engine started and the vehicle moved forward. Full-blown awareness kicked in, Maddy wasn’t making it home tonight…if ever.

  “What do you want? ’Cause you just left all my money in that bag on the ground.”

  She received no answer.

  “Are you going to rape me?” she managed to ask, feeling what she assumed was the man’s rather impressive erection under her butt. Maybe if she ground against him hard enough she could hurt him and he might let her go, but then she’d have to cope with the other bloke and get out of the van. And her captor was a huge man, so there was a major chanc
e he’d hurt her back in a big way. Looking around, she sighed heavily.

  “Little one, however much I would like to thrust my cock into you over and over I would only do it if you were willing. I’m not into rape.” He looked sternly down at her with his bright amber eyes.

  “I have to get back to my kid. His babysitter will be worried and call the cops. I won’t say anything—”

  “You don’t have a kid.”

  “My mother...she needs her medication.”

  “You’re a foster kid, you don’t know your parents.”

  Her frustration was growing at being thwarted from getting away. Just how much did this man know about her? With a last feeble attempt, she tried one more thing. “My cat needs to be fed.”

  He brought his face down directly in front of hers so she could smell the slight mint on his breath as he spoke. “No kids, no parents, no fucking pets! You live on your own and have done so for years. You don’t even have any friends who will miss you. Now stop talking and wait ’til we get where we’re going and all will be explained. No one will hurt you, unless...” He lifted an eyebrow. “...you want that spanking!”

  She looked into his eyes, she’d never seen such a captivating color, they were dark amber and seemed to glow with mirth. How dare he?

  “Jerk!” She turned her head and pretended to examine the side of the van.

  Chapter 2

  Maddy was finally in his arms. Greyback couldn’t believe it—after all these years she was there, on his lap, wiggling her cute behind on his hard-as-rock cock. He couldn’t wait to be inside her, to see her swell with his cubs. He closed his eyes briefly, summoning all his strength to calm his wayward dick.

  The animal inside him growled at his human half, the beast wanted him to roll her over and mate her there and then. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

  Maddy’s scent slowly filled the confined area, not helping his raging hard-on at all. He ran his hand up and down her arm every now and again, wanting to feel as much bare skin as he could. He was glad she had a little weight on her, something to hold onto while he fucked her hard. He couldn’t hold the groan in as thoughts of him pounding into her flooded his brain.

  He looked down at the woman in his arms and wondered how she was going to take the fact he knew all about her. She was soon to receive a history lesson on herself. He winced. He didn’t think it was going to go well.

  She wore a pinstriped jacket and skirt that hugged her generous curves, and her long blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail on the top of her head. She had a pert little nose. Her lips were still nicely swollen from when he had kissed her before.

  He ran his tongue along his lips, enjoying the residue of her on them. He smiled, watching her wiggle her cute little toes in aggravation. Oh, she had fire inside her, he liked that, and she was going to need it. After a while her body relaxed against his as her exhaustion took over. Her beautiful aqua-colored eyes closed, and she slipped into an anxious sleep. A little while later her body twisted in his arms, curling up against his chest. Resting his head on top of hers, he too closed his eyes, taking comfort in the fact that she was in his arms, safe. For now, at least.

  Greyback knew Maddy was in for a shock. He was going to have to explain how a pride of thirty shifter lions that he was Alpha of lived in Britain but were never seen. Well, apart from one small incident a few years back that could have been potentially dangerous. A teen, after an argument with his father, had gone into town. He still hadn’t been able to fully control the strong beast inside him and had shifted. A photo of his lion had hit the front page of the newspaper the next day. Luckily, with the police not finding any other lions in the area it was put down as a photoshop incident.

  He was so engrossed in his thoughts and enjoying his mate on his lap he was surprised when Mace, his beta, gave him a shake. “Grey, we’re here.”

  Mace had been there from the beginning. After they’d finally tracked the female down Mace had spent the next few months being her shadow. With the help of others in his pride they had found out as much as they could about her life. Tonight they had gone to pick her up, bring her home, and explain everything to her. It was pure luck she had walked through that alley, making the plan a whole lot easier.

  Grey looked down at the still sleeping bundle in his arms. Climbing out of the van, he walked behind Mace to his house. They lived in a quiet, wooded area in the west of England. The land had been in his family for years. It was heavily warded thanks to the shaman, Amier. At one time several mystics lived among his people but Jerrick, his father’s beta, had lost his mind, causing a lot of problems. This left only one now and she remained in seclusion.

  “Grey?” Mace looked at him, as if waiting for an answer.

  “Huh, what?”

  His beta chuckled and shook his head in exasperation. “Having the female is already getting to you, Alpha? Do you want me to stick around?” he asked slowly in a mocking manner.

  “No,” Grey growled. “Go see your mate. Give her a peck from me.”

  The beta replied with his own snarl and left to go home to his family.

  Grey gently placed his precious bundle on his king-size bed, then he carefully pulled off her jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair. Stripping down to his t-shirt and boxers, he lay next to her and pulled the covers over them both. He needed to grab a quick cat-nap, because tomorrow was going to be a long day. He wasn’t worried his mate would get far if she woke up before him, because he was a light sleeper. Taking one last look at her, he wrapped an arm over her waist and closed his eyes.

  * * * *

  Maddy tried to move her head but her face was stuck to the cushion under her head. Sighing, she wiggled and confirmed she was fully dressed. She must have fallen asleep on the couch again. She lay there for a few seconds, trying to remember what day it was when the pillow beneath her head inhaled deeply and purred. It did what?

  “Oh my God. Shit!” She bounded up, her eyes opening in shock, and caught a glimpse of a man with blond hair and amber eyes staring at her as she fell off the bed butt-first with her legs tangled in the sheets. She was cursing a blue streak, trying to free herself from the blasted material when his head popped over the edge of the bed and he looked down at her.

  “Having trouble there, little one?”

  “You...you stay away from me.” She scrabbled across the carpeted floor away from the bed and its bloody coverings. “You slept with me? I mean I slept with you? Shit, what the hell?” She shook her head, trying to remember what had happened. She didn’t drink so that couldn’t be it. Then it all came to her in a rush. “You took me...in a van... Where are we? Stupid question really, you’re not going to tell me. What do you want? You can answer that, right?”

  She looked around then back at the man who was watching her from the huge four-poster bed. The room was manly, strong oak furniture, brown and beige colors. Nothing in the room spoke to her that said hi, I have a female here. Something above her caught her eye, and she saw the reflection of the male lying on the bed. Fucking hell, he has a mirrored ceiling. Her gaze moved back to the male in question, and his lips lifted in a smirk.

  “Morning, Maddy. Do you wish for me to answer your questions now? The floor is a rather uncomfortable place to have an early morning conversation. Maybe I can tempt you into having some breakfast. I throw a mean full English together, and my coffee isn’t the cheap kind either.” He raised his eyebrows in question.

  Maddy pulled herself together, getting to her feet. “Breakfast? Coffee? You kidnapped me, you stole me away to here—wherever that may be—slept next to me, then ask me if I want breakfast? Are you crazy?” She moved toward the bedroom door and grasped the handle to open it. “No, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” Opening the door, she walked out into a long hallway.

  “The bathroom is on the left,” he shouted.

  With her bladder screaming in protest at being full she decided that the bathroom would be the first move, then find
a way out. She examined the room while relieving herself, searching for ways to escape. There were small windows on the two outside walls, but they were so high up she wouldn’t have a chance of getting through them. Shaking her head, she flushed and washed her hands.

  Opening the door, she listened only to hear the crackle and hiss of what could be a frying pan coming from the far end of the hallway. Walking toward it, she opened another of the doors on the way. It was another bedroom, which was smaller than the one she’d woken up in. But it was the floor-to-ceiling window that held her attention. Although all she could see was trees, it was a way out. Quietly, she shut the door, walked toward the window, opened the clasp, and slipped through it.

  “Going somewhere, princess?” The man’s deep, rolling voice went through her.

  With a scream she turned, startled to see... “Just what is your name?” she asked, gathering her senses together.

  “Greyback, but most of my people call me Grey. Now would you like to answer my question?”

  “Your parents named you Greyback?” Well, he is the size of a gorilla.

  “My grandfather did actually,” he said, puffing his chest out in pride. “Answer. My. Question.”

  “I was taking a breath of fresh air.” She placed her hands on her hips in a challenge. Yeah, go ahead, punk, make my day.

  “Breakfast is this way.” He gestured her forward around the cabin’s wraparound porch.

  Fine, food first then escape.

  They went inside to the kitchen and she took a seat at the breakfast bar. She watched him cook as she drank the exquisite coffee he had put in front of her.

  “Well, you haven’t raped or killed me yet, and you made me a good breakfast, which may be my last one. Are you going to tell me exactly why I’ve been kidnapped and taken to the middle of nowhere?” Through the cabin windows all she saw was tree after tree. Wherever this was, it sure had a lot of woods.