CHAPTER TEN
Chloe finished the pot of herbal soup that Dr. Zhou brought over. It was good, nourishing soup, and she felt much better after downing two bowls. Dr. Zhou had informed her that Abigail had woken up briefly, and had managed to eat just two spoonfuls of porridge, before falling right back into a deep slumber. She also learned that the resourceful Dr. Zhou had also made a call to the Wilette witches as soon as she left his house but had only managed to get their answering machine. The witches were already at her door by the time Dr. Zhou finished leaving a message on their machine. Logan had gotten to them first.
Chloe checked her front door and was surprised to find it nicely fixed and painted. There was a discount voucher for The Magical Mechanics under her door. Behind the voucher were the hastily scrawled words: See? It's true. We can fix anything! If it's broke, call us. If it ain't broke, call us anyway!
Chloe smiled. Those witches were nice. Loud and sassy, but they had good hearts.
With a belly full of soup, Chloe shuffled back to bed, and immediately thought of Logan, even though she tried not to. His scent was everywhere, in her room, on her bed, on her skin. He seemed to have seared his heat into her. She felt hot and tingly all over, and even though she tried her best to ignore it, a part of her ached for him. She felt his absence acutely, and she hated the feeling of emptiness that came with the knowledge that she was apart from him. But of course they were apart. How in the world could they be together?
It was just impossible.
Chloe yanked the covers up over her head and blinked hard. Already, her body felt stronger, more powerful, and she could feel her magic returning. She felt healed, whole and even better than before. If only she would stop missing Logan...
“Argh!” she huffed, and tossed heavily on her side. “I. Don't. Miss. Him.” Riiiiight. She just had to keep telling herself that.
She suppressed a delicious little shiver as she remembered him licking her all over. He had taken care of her, pleasured her and...marked her. She knew that werewolves marked their mates with their teeth or their scent. Logan had resisted the urge to bite her while claiming her and mating with her. He had turned away and retracted his fangs at the last minute just before he came inside her. He hadn't marked her with his bite. Instead, he had rubbed his body all over hers and marked her with his scent.
She grew wet just thinking about how he had stroked his rough, hard body over her belly, her groin, her breasts, stimulating and torturing her throbbing nipples. Her hands fisted the sheets as she began to pant lightly. What was wrong with her? She couldn't seem to stop thinking about him, and wanting him. It was like he had become a part of her, an intimate, vital part of her.
She jerked up in bed when she heard a crash.
The sound came from the back of her house. Scrambling out of bed, she looked around wildly for a weapon, but the only thing she saw on her bedside table was her alarm clock. That would have to do. It was a sturdy, clunky old-fashioned clock. It was heavy enough to knock a person out. Hoisting the rusty, trusty clock in both hands, she tiptoed to her bedroom door and opened it a crack.
She was in a thick pullover and sweatpants, but still she shivered as the draught hit her. Her kitchen window had been broken, and her whole house felt unnaturally cold.
Chloe tensed suddenly. She heard a soft step and the floorboards creaked in warning. She wasn't alone in the house. Someone had broken into her house, and was lurking just outside her bedroom.
Trembling, she inched silently back into her bedroom. She closed the door very quietly and was about to turn the lock when she heard a step just outside her door. She scrambled back just in time as the door smashed open, and three ferocious red wolves charged into the room.
The three huge wolves surrounded her immediately. Chloe screamed and raised the ticking alarm clock in her hand, preparing to lob it at her attackers like a grenade.
One of the wolves snarled at her and instinctively, she aimed the clock at his head. The clock smashed into the wolf's nose and bounced to the corner of the bed, badly dented but still intact.
Blood spurted from the wolf's nose, and she scrabbled back as the wolf stood on its hind legs and loomed over her.
She watched in horrified fascination as the red fur receded from the wolf's body and its shape elongated and blurred. The wolf shifted into an angry young man, who had both hands cupped over his bleeding nose. He sported a buzz cut and had the build of a warrior. He looked mean and tough, yet he was screeching and screaming obscenities at her as he danced around her room like a girl.
The other two wolves shifted swiftly into human form. One of them turned to the shrieking young man and snapped, “Shut the fuck up, Jay! Or I will finish what the bitch started and break your nose the other way!” Chloe stared at the man who had just spoken. The resemblance to Rhett was uncanny. This had to be Rhett's twin.
“Bitch! You bitch!” Jay yelled and lunged at her.
He was held back by Rhett's look-alike.
“Let go! Let me kill her, Russ!” Jay struggled and spat, spewing blood from his mouth.
Russ turned to raise a brow at Chloe. “Shall I let him kill you?” he asked in a calm, reasonable tone.
“Who are you?” Chloe said slowly, pushing herself to her feet. “I haven't done anything to you. Why are you in my house?”
“She doesn't recognize us!” The three men laughed harshly.
Russ released Jay to the other man, and strode to Chloe. “Well, since we're going to kill you, I guess it's only right that we spare you a moment to get to know your killers.”
He gripped Chloe roughly by the chin and snarled into her face. “Look at my face. Can't you see? Rhett is my twin. Logan Reed, that traitor, killed my brother! He murdered Rhett in front of all of us. Jay and Jarrod had to watch their father die.” He indicated the two young men behind him. “They had to stand by and watch a good, strong Alpha die at the hands of a traitor! After killing Rhett, Logan banished us from the pack.” Russ wrapped his calloused hand round her throat and squeezed. “Logan Reed is a traitor! He killed one of ours. So now, we are going to kill one of his. We are going to kill his bitch!” Russ's yellow eyes gleamed as he leaned towards her and took a sniff. “Why, we are in luck, boys. This isn't just his bitch. She is his mate! He marked her, with his scent. She smells of him all over.”
Chloe struggled in Russ's grip as Jarrod and Jay came towards her. They high-fived each other and openly leered at her. Jay dragged a sharp claw down the front of her pullover, slicing it open.
“Get away from me! Don't touch me!” she screamed.
They laughed as if she had just made a joke.
“Don't touch me! Get away! Oh, help, help me, somebody, anybody,” Jarrod mimicked her in a high-pitched voice.
“Stop pretending, you little hussy,” Jay pulled at the elastic band of her sweatpants. “We can smell him all over you. You let him fuck you nice and good, didn't you? So now, we can all have our turns.”
“No, no!” Chloe kicked out wildly. “I will kill you! I swear!”
They laughed again, and Russ trailed one claw down the side of her face.
“No, we will kill you, after we've had our fun with you.” He jerked his head. “Come on boys, which of you wants to go first?”
The two younger werewolves shared a look. “We'll go together. We'll tear her up nice and bloody for you, Russ. We know that's how you like your females.”
Russ smirked and stepped back. “I'll enjoy the show then.”
Chloe bit down hard when Jay's hand clamped over her mouth. He cursed viciously, but he didn't let go. Jarrod began pulling at her clothes, ripping them with his claws.
She bit and punched and kicked, but the two young red wolves were brutally strong. Chloe fought back as hard as she could. Squeezing her eyes shut, she called forth her magic from deep within her. She felt the back of a hand across her cheek and the blow almost rendered her
unconscious, but she crawled back from the brink. Logan's face flashed in front of her mind, and the memory and thought of him sparked something fierce in her.
He'd fought for her. He'd marked her and mated her. He was hers. Hers!
She was the mate of the Red Fangs Alpha. She was a witch, a woman, a fighter.
Logan had fought for her. She would now fight for him.
Chloe took a deep breath and unleashed the full force of her magic on her attackers. She heard Jarrod and Jay scream as they fell away from her. Opening her eyes, she saw them rolling on the ground in pain. Smoke was oozing from their pores, and they writhed and flopped about on the floor.
“Help us,” they screamed to Russ. “We're burning! Put out the fire...”
Chloe turned her hands over in front of her. There were sparks leaping from her palms. Looking up, she saw Russ shifting rapidly into wolf form. Leaping over his screaming nephews, Russ launched himself at her, knocking her to the ground.
Chloe tried to hold him off, but his jaws were already closing around her neck.
Unable to scream, she tried to claw him but her nails couldn't even get through his dense, wiry fur to his skin. She knew that the bite would hurt like hell, and just for a stuttering heartbeat, she wondered if her death would be instantaneous.
Nah, the sadistic bastard would want to prolong her agony for as long as possible. Well, since it was going to hurt like a bitch, she would be a bitch and hurt him right back. Chloe raised her hand and curled her fingers into claws. She would gouge out that glowing yellow eye, if it was the last thing she did.
She felt the first sting of those deadly fangs and jerked in pain. A scream tore from her throat, and she felt Russ's weight lift suddenly from her. Snapping her eyes open, she saw Logan smashing the large red wolf into the far wall. Logan's jeans and black tee ripped from his body as he shifted into wolf in a blink.
Chloe scrambled to the corner and wrapped the pieces of her shredded clothes tightly around herself.
Logan loomed over Russ, and with a swipe of his claws, took out half of Russ's face. Chloe gasped. She had never seen him look so big and dangerous before. His wolf looked even larger and more menacing than the last time she had seen it.
Even with just one eye left, Russ fought back viciously. But he was no match for Logan. Chloe could feel Logan's wrath as he attacked Russ without mercy. By the time Chloe blinked again, Russ was dead. Almost every bone in his body had been broken.
Logan turned to the two crouching wolves behind him. Jarrod and Jay had shifted into wolf form to halt the effect of Chloe's magic on their bodies. They were no longer burning up from the inside, and they glared at Logan with both fear and hate in their eyes.
Logan stood in front of Russ's body and watched the two young wolves impassively. Without warning, the two wolves attacked. Logan wasted no time. He spun in a blur of teeth and claws, and within seconds, the two wolves lay dead at his feet.
Spinning around, Logan's hazel eyes darted to her.
He shifted quickly, perhaps too quickly and lunged towards her.
“Chloe!” Logan knelt in front of her, and she saw red fur still clinging to his shoulders and neck.
His eyes searched her face anxiously. When he saw her shredded clothes, his fingers tightened around her arm. “They hurt you. They dared touch you! I...”
She shook her head quickly. “I'm fine. Really.”
“No.” Logan gathered her up and strode to the door.
“Where are you taking me?”
“To the Red Fangs compound.”
“What? No!”
“We have medics there. You're hurt. And...you can't stay here.”
“Why not?”
“The Red Fangs pack has made many enemies under Rhett's leadership. You'll be targeted. I can't...lose you, Chloe.”
“You...”
“You are my mate. You are a part of me, Chloe. If anything happens to you...”
“I...” She twisted in his arms, but he carried her securely and kept moving.
“I know. You don't want me. You don't want a mate like me. I understand. Just...let me keep you safe. That's all I ask, Chloe. Please.”
“Stop. Put me down, Logan! Stop!” she hollered.
Logan stopped in mid-stride to the door but he didn't put her down. It was obvious that he wasn't going to release her anytime soon.
“Fine.” Chloe huffed and canted her head to the side. “Okay, since you don't want to sit down, we'll just talk like this.” Logan stared down at her and she saw the stubborn set of his jaw. He was taking her to the Red Fangs compound, and he wasn't letting her out of his sight. That much was certain.
She didn't hate the idea of being with him. What she hated was...
“If...if I go with you to the Red Fangs compound, I won't want to stay in those drab, dreary barracks.” Her words came out in a rush.
“No, no barracks,” Logan agreed, with a grim nod.
“I don't want to stay in that awful mansion either.”
“There's not going to be a mansion.”
She did a double take. “What?”
“The barracks, the mansion, everything will be torn down,” Logan said. “The Red Fangs compound is a disgrace. So was the Red Fangs pack. But everything is going to change. Right now.”
Logan gently lowered her to her feet, and she slid down the length of his rock hard body.
“Rhett destroyed too many things, too many people. We have to build everything up. And make good all the damage. The Red Fangs pack cannot be like it was before,” he said, looking her straight in the eye. “I need you to be safe, Chloe. There's a lot to do, and I'm going to need all the help I can get. Will you...stay with me, Chloe?”
Chloe gazed up at him, her palms still pressed against his chest. He had one arm around her waist, and she stepped even closer to him so that their bodies melded together. Logan was standing so still he didn't seem to be breathing. He was holding his breath, waiting for her answer.
Cupping his strong, stubbled chin with one hand, she smiled and said, “Yes, Logan. I'll stay with you. And...I'd like to help.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chloe raised her hands from Yunli's leg and smiled. The wound had closed up nicely. Her healing magic sparked and faded from her fingertips as she stood up.
“Wow,” Yunli breathed, swinging her long legs off the examining table. “Thanks for patching me up. You are a godsend, Chloe! Before we had you, we had to go to the pack medics.” Yunli gave a dramatic shudder. “I felt like a piece of raw meat in their hands.”
Chloe smiled at the tough, no-nonsense she-wolf. Yunli was one of Logan's most senior and trusted lieutenants in the Red Fangs pack. “They take care of you guys very well,” Chloe pointed out as she scrubbed her hands at the sink.
“That they do, but...they aren't gentle like you.” Yunli winked at her.
“They're good at what they do. They're great medics,” Chloe said earnestly.
Yunli grinned as she rolled down her trouser leg. “Well, they don't have your healing touch, do they?”
“Says who?” Haikel, one of the pack medics, had magically appeared at the door.
Yunli smirked and punched Haikel on the shoulder on her way out. “Says me.”
Haikel made a face at her. “I'm just glad we have a boss who defends us. At least Chloe appreciates what we do.”
Yunli stuck out her tongue at him and waltzed out of the treatment bay.
Haikel walked in with Shufen and Gupta. “Hey, boss,” they greeted Chloe in unison.
“Hey,” Chloe smiled at the three pack medics and asked, “How are the Snow River wolves? Any casualties?”
“Yeah. The Ryker bears were ruthless. Quit a number of Snow River wolves were badly injured. We...couldn't save all of them,” Gupta answered softly.
“Of course you couldn't,” Chloe said immediately. “You did yo
ur best. The Snow River wolves know that.”
“Yeah, they thanked us before we left,” Haikel confirmed. “Declan and Mina said to tell Logan that any time the Red Fangs pack needed their help, they would send their wolves out to us immediately.” Haikel paused and added, “I never thought I'd say this, but...the Snow River wolves make good allies.”
Chloe nodded. She was glad that they had the Snow River pack as allies. Declan and Mina, the Alpha pair of the Snow River pack, had declared that they would not go to war with the Red wolves. Logan had once saved Mina from Rhett, and now that Rhett had been killed by Logan, Declan and Mina decided that the blood feud between their packs should end.
Chloe had been instrumental in strengthening the relationship between the two packs as well. She was now a healer in the Red Fangs pack, the Chief Medic in fact. She had sent out teams of Red Fangs medics to tend to the Snow River wolves when they fought other packs and clans. There would always be fights between the shifter packs and gangs in Misty Valley. There were fights for territory and power, honor and revenge. New allies and new enemies were made all the time.
With the vast majority of the population being shifters, Misty Valley was a volatile, changeable town.
The Red Fangs pack was still a pack of lethal, fighting fit warriors. But now they only fought to defend what was theirs. Logan had ordered his Red wolves not to start any wars with the other packs and gangs. They were to defend, not attack. But—if they ever saw rogue shifters attacking some defenseless human or witch around town, Logan had made it clear that they were to show no mercy to the rogues.
Chloe shrugged off her white coat, and draped it over her arm. “I'm off duty now.” She stifled a yawn. “I'll see you guys later. I'm going home...” She clapped them on the shoulder and shuffled towards the door.
She caught her medics exchanging a look. “What?” she demanded.
They simply shrugged and smiled. Finally, Shufen cleared her throat and said, “Um...how come you and Logan are not...you know...”
“Huh?”
“I mean, you're mated. He's marked you. But...you guys are not living together. You have your own apartment, and he's living in his own house.”
Fight For Me: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Misty Valley Shifters Book 2) Page 7
