by Celia Kyle
A quick scan of the great room revealed it was empty, worn couches and discarded pizza boxes filling the space. He moved on, stomping along the first hallway he reached, which brought him to the kitchen. More empty boxes littered the counters and more than a dozen empty beer bottles filled the sink. A growl drew his attention and he glanced at the back door to see Colton waiting for him. He strode to the door and using his lion strength, wrenched the knob and lock from the wood.
“Stay the fuck out of my way.” Oscar spun toward the kitchen’s other exit and down another cramped hallway. The walls were cracked and broken in several places and the scent of anger struck him. Male anger, male fear.
But no woman. No mate.
But she was here…
The first two doors he reached were open, revealing two deserted bedrooms as disgusting as the rest of the house. But at the end… stood a single closed door. A half dozen locks were embed into the wood, each requiring a key, and a long crack marred the center. He bolted toward the room, knowing it held what he sought. His lion roared in approval and padded and paced in the back of his mind. It knew about locks, knew that the man was needed at the moment so it stayed back. But later… later was another story.
He stopped at the door and brought his nose to that single crack, breathing deeply for any hint of what lay on the other side.
She was on the other side. She was there.
“Can you hear me?” Oscar raised his voice, hoping to reach her.
“You seriously need to leave.”
Not exactly the words a man wanted to hear from his mate.
“Can you move away from the door?”
“Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. You need to go.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Oscar drawled. “But how about you step back? Because I’m about to kick this shit down.” When she didn’t immediately respond, he began a verbal countdown. “I’m kicking in one, two—”
“They’re going to come back and—”
Oscar swallowed the growl that leapt to his lips. “Do you want them to come back? Do you want to be locked up like this?”
His mate snorted. “As much as I want a hole in the head, but I also don’t want them killing you either.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now—”
“Don’t get your fur in a bunch. I don’t know you from Adam. You could be weak and not able to fight them. I mean, Johnny is really big and… I mean, how strong can an omega’s mate be? I mean, really?”
Omega… Sweetness and light… Soothing and calming… And everything his mate was not. At least, he didn’t note those features in her based on their quick exchange.
“At least you recognize I’m your mate, kitty. Now, step back because I’m coming in.” Without hesitation, he retreated one pace, raised his leg, and kicked the locks that held his mate captive. He thought he heard her mutter something about asshole lions who deserved a kick in the head, but he was too focused on freeing her to bother asking her to repeat herself. Aided by his lion, it took one violent strike and the panel was torn off its hinges. It exploded inward, raining bits of wood, and Oscar scanned the room for his mate.
It didn’t take him long to find her. Not because the room was small or there were no places to hide. No, it was because the moment the dust cleared he found her standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed, and a furious glare in place.
“I should just gut you now and save them the trouble.”
Oscar grinned. “Aww, it’s good to know you care.”
She narrowed her eyes further. “Crazed asshole.”
“Your crazed asshole and as long as you acknowledge that, we’ll be just fine.”
Fine in more ways than one because his mate was… Damned fine.
She was five and a half feet of spitfire and seduction and even if she was glaring daggers at him, he was hard as a rock. Her midnight hair was peppered with white dust and there were a few smudges of dirt marring her pale face, but neither detracted from her beauty. And those eyes… They alternated from a brown so dark it was almost black to the pure amber of her lioness. And her curves… Don’t get him started on her curves, on the abundance of her breasts to the dip of her waist and wide flare of her hips.
He wondered if asking her to spin around and let him stare at her ass was going too far. A quick glance at her features, the glare that remained told him it probably was. Hmmm… Maybe when they got back to his place. He could strip her down, touch her, taste her, mate her… Yup, sounded like a plan.
Chapter Two
Dayum. Da-yum. Hillary’s mate was over six feet of lickable, kissable male. Not that she was familiar with the whole practice of licking and kissing a man—she’d been under lock and key forever—but a girl could dream. Right now, she was dreaming while wide awake and in color. Fully tanned, brown haired, milk chocolate eye color. And he was within touching distance.
As they raced down the street in a large black SUV, Oscar—Oscar she purred his name in her mind—was behind the wheel while she occupied the passenger seat. She kept stealing glances at him, noting the strength of his jaw, the thickness of his muscles, and the confidence he radiated. He was a male in control, focused entirely on driving.
Or mostly, as his next words revealed.
“Kitty, if you keep staring at me like that I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”
Hillary grinned and then fought to dispel the smile. At least he liked what he saw. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I mean it.”
“Right. I—”
Colton broke into their conversation. “If you two lovebirds are done, the light is green,” he drawled.
Oscar curled his lip and glanced over his shoulder, a deadly expression covering his features. “I will leave your ass here.” Hillary turned to look at the man, earning a low growl from her mate. “Don’t look at him, he’s not fully dressed.”
She focused on her mate once again. “And? You think I’ve never seen a naked man before?”
She wasn’t going to admit that the only time she’d seen one was when she was forced to help patch him up.
The low growl gained in volume and his eyes glowed a bright amber. While she should probably cower and wince beneath his anger—she was technically an omega after all—she found herself smiling. “That’s kinda sexy.”
Oscar pressed his lips together and they formed a white slash across his face. A horn honked, reminding them they weren’t the only ones on the road and that they were still sitting in place at an intersection while the light was green. “For his own safety, quit looking at him.”
Hillary released a long-suffering sigh and straightened in her seat. “Fine,” she grumbled. “Ruin the first few hours of my freedom, why don’t you?” She sighed again, decided sitting up straight was overrated, and wiggled deeper. “I’ve only been held captive for twenty years. It’s not like riding in a car with men carrying guns is a novel concept for me or anything. No, this is just another ride—”
Her mate whipped the SUV off the street, pulling a shout from Colton and a small shriek from her.
“What the fuck are you doing?” That was Colton, but Hillary had the same question in mind.
The truck skidded to a stop on the highway shoulder, and Oscar threw it into park before turning to face her. “Let’s back that up a second. What did you say?”
She groaned. “I told you I’d been locked up for a while and that it would be a good idea to leave.”
Really good idea.
Oscar curled his lip. “Yes, but I think there was a little something changed when you said ‘for a while.’”
This time she shrugged. “We needed to get gone. Now, we have. And when we get to wherever the hell we’re going, we can chat about it more. But being exposed on the street like this,” she gestured around her, noting the highway was fairly empty this time of day. “This is so not a good idea. Let’s get our happy asses on the way.
”
“I do want to point out that I agree with her.” Colton’s movement caught her eye and she realized he’d raised his hand.
“See? He agrees.”
At least now Oscar’s glare was directed at both of them and not just her. “Fine.” He swung his attention to her. “Two questions and then we’ll move.”
She so wasn’t going to enjoy answering them, she just knew it. “Fine. Fire away.”
“How long did they have you? And who was it?”
Yep, this was very much anti-enjoyment. “Twenty years and Tony Davis. Or Niccolo Colletti. It varied.”
Fur slid through Oscar’s pores, the golden hue coating his skin while his hands and nails slowly transformed into lion paws. “Twenty years?” His voice was way too quiet. Dangerously quiet. “But why were you still there? Tony and Niccolo have been behind bars for—”
“Yes, well, they have lawyers willing to go inside and telephones. Business doesn’t stop just because the boss is on a vacation for three to five.” She left the “duh” off her statement. Because, really, Hillary knew the North American pride took down Tony Davis and the human Niccolo. But how did they not get this?
“No, they—”
An all too familiar limo sped past on the other side of the highway. Further proof that prison didn’t deter “company” operations. Ugh. Now really wasn’t the time to hash this out. “You know what? I promise to tell you anything and everything if we can just get moving again.”
“Another agreement from me.” Once again Colton raised his hand.
Oscar growled at them—again—but put the SUV into drive. As quickly as they’d whipped off the road, they roared back on, the tires squealing when they finally hit asphalt. They’d talk about his poor driving when she felt a little safer. Right now, with Tony and Niccolo’s guys so close, she didn’t give a damn how they got away.
The SUV ate up the miles, leaving the older rundown part of the city and gradually they entered nicer, more populated areas. People. Lots and lots of people were good things. Human, lion… Hillary didn’t care. There was one thing those two men hated, and that was witnesses. Sure, she knew they generally “took care” of those problems, but even they couldn’t take out an entire city. Though, she had heard Tony talk of leveling a whole block before… With the occupants still inside the buildings.
Hillary eased to the side so she could look into one of the side mirrors to see the vehicles behind them. So far, so good. She hadn’t spied any of the typical vehicles. That didn’t mean the guys weren’t trying to lay low and driving something else.
“No one is following us.” Oscar tried to be reassuring, but there was just something itching between her shoulders that said otherwise.
“Look, I get that you’re trying to soothe me or whatever, but—”
“That’s what mates are for. I want you to know I can take care of you. I’ll kill anyone who tries to come after you. And you’re going to tell me more about what’s been happening to you as soon as we get to Pride Tower.”
Hillary kept going despite his words. Because really, the guy wasn’t listening. “But I don’t think you realize what you’re up against. Especially if you think Tony and Niccolo are out of the game.”
She took another peek behind them.
“I said—” Her mate really was getting snippy. Which was kinda hot.
“And I said you don’t know anything. I’m also saying that yes, I’ve been with them for twenty years, but it wasn’t like I never tried to escape. Each time they found me. No matter what, they’d find me. So excuse the fuck outta me if I’m a little worried.”
Oscar growled—he seemed to do a lot of that. “I can take care of you.”
“I’m sure you—”
Hillary didn’t get to tell him what she was sure of because another SUV roared toward them and T-boned their vehicle. The threat hadn’t come from behind but their left. Of course, they went after the driver’s side. They didn’t want to injure her. Fucking bastards.
Metal groaned as it crumpled and bent, while glass shattered and the small bits tinkled and flew through the air. She fought to remain loose as the vehicle slid over the asphalt, tensing would merely ensure more injuries. Apparently sliding wasn’t enough for their SUV, because it lost its hold on the street and flopped to its side before finally rolling and resting on its roof.
She hung from the seat, belt keeping her in place. Blood dripped from her head and she realized at some point she’d become intimately involved with the side window. So much for airbags.
She took a quick moment to prod her lioness and see if any other parts of them were damaged. The cat was annoyed and Hillary was surprised to find the beast in that state. In the past, it had always cowered beneath injury, but now it seemed almost ready to take on Tony’s guys. Or Niccolo’s. She wasn’t sure who was handling this round of “Hunt Hillary.”
A groan came from Oscar and she turned her attention to him, noting the odd angle of his arm and the blood flowing freely from his head wound. She twisted and took a look toward the back of the SUV and spied Colton in a crumpled heap. He whimpered, so she knew he was still alive, but the man had to be in a lot of pain.
Someone didn’t buckle up.
A heavy thud reached her, and she turned her head toward the sound. The scrape of shoes on glass announced someone’s approach and then a pair of high-end Italian loafers came into view. Yep, just as she suspected. They’d found her. Sure, there could be any number of people who wore those type of handcrafted shoes, but going by experience, she was looking at a pair that belonged to…
The owner of those shoes crouched and looked into the vehicle. Hillary cleared her throat and closed one eye to avoid blood getting into the orb. “Hey, Guido, how you doing? How’s the fam?”
“Good, good.” His sweeping gaze took in the other occupants. “Got yourself in some trouble, huh?”
Hillary shrugged, well, tried to considering the seatbelt holding her in place. “You know how it is, a couple guys find a girl in a deserted house and locked behind a door… They try to do the right thing. That’s all they know, Guido. They were just trying to help out.”
“And you didn’t try to dissuade them from that plan?”
“I wouldn’t be much of a captive if I didn’t try to get away.”
Guido nodded. “Right, right. Well, Tony is going to take care of the guys at the house.”
Translation: Tony’s hired gun was going to make sure they were dead in the next hour.
“And now I got to take care of this situation.” The man waved his finger toward Oscar.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Hillary’s lion pushed to its feet in the back of her mind and growled—actually growled—its objection. Damn, it seemed her cat had grown a pair since meeting Oscar. Oscar her mate. Oscar who, if she didn’t do some convincing fast talking, would end up being taken care of by Tony at the house.
“They’re just the wrong good guys at the wrong place at the wrong time.” She tried to sound uncaring and nonchalant as she delivered the partial truth.
“Uh-huh. But the boss says—”
She really fucking hated “the boss.” Her lioness stepped nearer, anxious and twitchy, silently offering its help. In all these years, it’d never leant its assistance voluntarily. Apparently Oscar was worth growing a backbone for. She let the feline come forward, making sure her body didn’t transform despite her inner beast’s presence, and welcomed the power that filled her.
An omega was a lot of things. It calmed and soothed those who were in pain and needed treatment. She could steal the fight from others and end the violence before it began. And then there was the fun bit of manipulation.
Hillary sensed her vocal cords changing, slightly altering as the magic of her nature imbued her. “The boss says that as long as they know nothing they can live. You heard him say that. Didn’t you?”
His gaze became detached, eyes focusing on the distance as his pupils dilated and she knew she’d been successful
, but hearing the words helped as well. “Yeah, that’s what he said.”
“These men know nothing.”
“Right, right. They know nothing. I’ll have the guys get you out of here.” With that, a still-dazed Guido pushed to his feet and yelled as he rose to his full height. “Get those people the fuck back and get her the fuck out of there before trouble shows up.”
Trouble. Meaning the cops.
Movement to her left had her focusing on Oscar. Her mate’s eyelids fluttered and finally opened so he could focus on her. “Hillary?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but her seatbelt trembled and she glanced right to find one of Tony’s men cutting at the band. Another set of arms reached for her, keeping her from tumbling when she was finally freed.
Her mate’s eyes widened, anger and fear making their way across his features. Any moment, she’d be on her own feet outside the SUV and she only had a split second to speak to him. She wanted to tell him that she’d be fine. Tell him it was wonderful having a mate for an hour. That even though they spent a good chunk of their time together arguing, she’d cherish those moments forever.
Instead… “Goodbye.”
*
Oscar watched his alpha work, and damn, it was a thing of beauty. Oscar observed from the sidelines, leaning against the far wall of the locked room while the alpha did his thing in the middle.
He knew Marcus was the strongest lion on the continent and that he’d earned his position, but he’d never seen the lion truly use his power. He’d never seen the raging, unbending, unyielding animalistic side of the male. Thankfully, he didn’t know this side because he’d never done a thing to rile that part of his alpha’s nature. He’d be scared shitless if it were him facing the alpha.
It seemed the only one about to lose his shit was Tony Davis. And Marcus still hadn’t laid a hand on the male.
In truth, he was kind of disappointed no blood was flowing yet. Mainly because he ached to tear strips from the incarcerated lion. It was obvious there were quite a few things the pride leaders didn’t know, but there was someone who did. Someone who was going to talk. He just didn’t know it yet.
