by Jessica Snow
"Carly is breathing much better, but I think she’ll wake up soon with all the noise you guys are making," a deep voice interrupted. A second later, a handsome teenage boy with blond hair appeared in the kitchen doorway. He looked as if he would say more, but he paused when he saw Kat.
Kat threw a questioning look at Liam. "Who the hell is this?"
Before Liam could reply, the boy stepped forward with his hand extended and a pleasant smile on his chiseled face. "Hi, you must be McKenzie’s sister. I’m Zachery Lilly, Crystal’s brother—"
Kat was not sure what happened next, but suddenly she had Zack up against the kitchen wall, her large hands wrapped around his throat. "Where the fuck is my sister?" she demanded. "Tell me now!"
She felt Liam’s hand grip her shoulder. "Kat, let him go."
Kat ignored him and put pressure on Zack’s throat.
Zack squirmed against her grasp. "I don’t know," he gasped. "McKenzie and I were making out when Crystal burst into our living room, raging about how Liam betrayed her. Then she took McKenzie and I have no idea where she went off to, okay? I’ve called her cell a million times, but no answer."
Kat let up on his neck a little. "Wait—you were making out with my sister?
Zack’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment (and probably a little from Kat choking him). "Yeah, I’m her new boyfriend," he wheezed.
Wasn’t that something? McKenzie had been acting down for the past several weeks. She hadn’t mentioned anything about a boyfriend. Kat stood there dumbfounded for a moment. Maybe blondie boy here is her way of bouncing back.
"Uh, can you please let me go now?" pleaded Zack. "I can’t really breathe."
Kat quickly let him go and stepped away from the boy, her face burning with embarrassment. "I’m sorry about that."
Zack rubbed at his neck and sucked in mouthfuls of air. "It’s alright," he said after coughing a few times. "I’d want to kick my ass too if I were in your shoes." He looked over at Liam, shaking his head with respect. "Geez, your new girlfriend is tough as hell."
Liam did not look impressed. Instead, his eyes shone with disappointment as he studied Kat. "Zack is here helping me with my cousin, who got injured earlier tonight. He wanted to immediately go out looking for Crystal and your sister, but I told him no."
"Yeah, he had to exert his alpha male asshole-ness on me," Zack muttered, still rubbing at his throat. "He’s lucky he has a few years and seniority over me, otherwise, it would be a totally different story."
Kat felt a moment of warmth looking at Crystal’s younger brother. She had the distinct feeling that he cared about her sister, which seemed odd given the fact that his sister was hellbent on making McKenzie pay for Kat’s misdeeds. "Yeah, he’s trying to pretend he’s my boss too.” She leveled a hard look at Liam before turning back to the younger wolf and smiling a little. “So, do you have any idea where Crystal might have taken McKenzie?" Kat asked gently.
Zack shook his head. "None."
"How was she able to kidnap McKenzie if you were sitting right there? Did you even try to stop her?"
Zack coughed uncomfortably and glanced at the floor. "Crystal took me by surprise and attacked me. I got knocked unconscious."
“Oh. Fuck. Got it.” Kat could tell that Zack’s pride was wounded. I guess I would too if a skinny bitch like Crystal knocked me out, she thought.
"Looks like the only clue we have is the note she left, Kat," Liam chipped in.
Zack looked at Kat. "What note?"
Liam responded before she could. "Crystal left Kat a note ordering that she surrender herself within twenty-four hours or she was turning over McKenzie to the vampires."
Zack’s jaw dropped. "What the hell? I don’t believe it."
"Believe it. I took off looking for her after that. I was able to follow McKenzie’s scent into the downtown area, but from there it kinda went dead."
Liam snapped his fingers suddenly. "That’s it then. McKenzie is likely being held captive somewhere downtown—indoors or underground, where her scent can’t be easily caught."
"Besides that apartment that our parents rent out for Crystal, I don’t think she has property in the inner city," Zack muttered. "At least none that I know of." He paused, thinking. "But wouldn’t the vampires let McKenzie go when Crystal decides to hand her over? Both our species have a rule concerning this type of stuff."
"Not likely, Zachary. We both know that there are miscreants among both kinds who don’t follow our rules," said Liam darkly. “Any vampire that Crystal associates with won’t be exactly law-abiding.”
Zack’s face fell. "Shit. You’re right."
"But something is bothering me...." Liam’s voice trailed off into an ominous silence.
Kat felt her heart jump in her throat. She did not like the dark sound she heard in Liam’s voice. "What?"
"If Crystal truly wanted to hold your sister hostage until you gave yourself up, and she doesn’t have property in the inner city, why would she make a beeline for downtown? That’s vampire territory." When Liam looked at her, Kat felt drained of hope. "I’m sorry Kat, but it could be that she’s already given McKenzie over to a vampire."
Kat’s knees were jolted with weakness. No. It couldn’t be. Kat could not allow herself to think the worst. There had to be a way to save McKenzie. There just had to be. Full of adrenaline, she started moving towards the front of the townhome. "No more talking. I’m ready to find McKenzie."
Zack was quick to follow her. "I’m down."
Liam leaped across the room to block their path. "I will not let either of you leave here. You will let me handle this. Were you lucky enough to find Crystal, your emotions would likely get the best of you and land you in serious trouble. Besides, we have no idea what Crystal plans to do with you even if she wanted you to find her. Whatever it would be, it would not bode well for you." He shook his head. "You still stay here and I will try to find your sister myself."
"You can’t keep me locked up in this place!" Kat raged. "My sister is out there, scared, lonely, and in need of my help!"
Liam placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. Kat found herself calming at his gentle touch. He was so handsome it hurt. "Listen, Kat. I’m just looking out for you. Just give me a chance to prove to you that I can do it. If McKenzie really is being held against her will by a vampire, I can use the treaty that our species have with one another to demand her release. Besides, you’re exhausted. I can see it in your face. Lie down and rest while I go find Crystal and get your sister back."
"But it’s just as dangerous for you," Kat protested. "I’m pretty sure you’re number two on that crazy bitch’s shit list." She glanced over at Zack guiltily. She was insulting his sister after all. "No offense."
The boy waved it off with a chuckle. "None taken. My sister is as whacked out as they come."
Relieved, Kat turned back to Liam. "I’ll be worried about you out there all alone."
"Don’t worry about me, Kat," Liam assured. "I know my kind and how to evade them. I’ll be more than fine. I just need you to stay here with Zack and my cousin until I return. If I haven’t found them by the time I come back in a few hours, then I will allow you to go with me help find your sister. Deal?”
Kat stared at him long and hard. Despite the anger she felt at being told what to do, Kat could not deny his attractiveness and his desire to protect her. It made her felt important. Special.
Forgive me, McKenzie.
After a long time, she nodded. "Deal."
Liam grinned briefly. "Good." Then he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her against his hard stomach and kissed her long and hard. When he pulled away Kat was completely breathless and dizzy with lust. Liam sure knew how to kiss a girl and leave her wanting. "I’ll be back as soon as possible with your sister, baby," he whispered in her ear.
Then Liam walked to the front door. He placed his hand on the doorknob but suddenly paused. "Shit," he muttered, turning to face Kat.
&nbs
p; "What is it?" asked Kat hopefully. Perhaps Liam had changed his mind and would take her with him.
"Do you have something personal of McKenzie’s? Something that has her scent on it? It will make it easier for me to track her down."
Kat shook her head slowly. "No I don’t, but—"
Zack suddenly coughed, ears reddening. "I do."
Liam quickly outstretched his hand. "Hand it over."
Zack glanced guiltily over at Kat before reaching in his jean’s pocket and producing a small wad of pink cloth decorated with white hearts.
Kat stared long and hard before she was realized what he was holding. "Uh, is that what I think it is?"
Zack’s face turned a bright red and he offered no response.
"What the fuck?" Kat snarled with disbelief.
Zack held his hands up and was quick to protest, "It’s not what you think. She gave them to me willingly, I swear."
"Oh yeah? What the hell for?" The boy had two seconds to explain himself before Kat wrapped her hands around his throat, and this time she would not let go. If he’s taking advantage of her being so down lately...
"For me to sniff," Zack muttered his face red as a tomato.
Before Kat could erupt with rage, Liam walked forward and snatched the underwear from Zack’s hands. "Calm down Kat. We are wolves. It is not uncommon for a male shifter to keep the scent of his mate with him always. In fact, it is encouraged that both genders follow this tradition."
Kat’s jaw dropped. "You cannot be serious."
Liam clutched McKenzie’s panties at his side. "I am. How else do you think a male decides if he wants a female as his mate? The scent of a female’s pheromones plays a major factor in attracting a male." He gave Kat a naughty look. "In fact, it is one of the things that drew me to you."
Kat blushed furiously. "You honestly can’t expect me to let you walk out the door with my sister’s panties."
"If you ask me not to, I won’t, but then that will mean it will be that much harder to find her."
Kat stared long and hard at the panties in Liam’s hand. "I cannot believe this," she muttered. "I’m letting my new boyfriend take off with my sister’s panties. What is the world coming to?"
"Do not worry, Kat," Liam assured her. "I will discard them once I pick up her trail."
"Whatever," Kat muttered.
"Be back soon." Then Liam turned and left Kat and Zack standing in the living room in silence.
"I’m not a pervert," Zack finally said.
Kat whirled around and glowered at the young man, but at the look of utter despair on his face, the anger drained out of her body. Her shoulders slumped with defeat a moment later and she let out a big sigh. "I believe you."
No more a pervert than any other teenage boy, anyway...
Liam drove his car on the outskirts of the city and then stopped at a secluded truck stop. He made sure no one was around and then stripped down, tossing his clothes inside the vehicle.
I don’t understand anything you do anymore, Crystal, he thought. It was true. She had killed and eaten humans, committing multiple atrocities, breaking the law and endangering them all as a result. Now, she had kidnapped an innocent girl and seemed intent on feeding her to renegade vampires. At this point, Liam half expected to discover that Crystal planned to eat McKenzie herself. But you’re not going through with it this time.
Finding McKenzie was going to require that he go wolf. While in human form, his sense of smell was strong, but nowhere near as strong when he was in wolf form. Being that it was the wee hours in the morning, there would be fewer prying eyes awake within the city and if he was stealthy enough, he could navigate without being spotted.
Dropping McKenzie’s panties to the ground, he began his transformation. Thirty seconds later, a golden wolf stretched out beneath the stars. Then it howled up at the moon, picked up the panties with its powerful jaws, and bounded off towards the city.
"Are you seriously telling me that some pencil-dick piece of shit tried to rape my sister?" Kat exclaimed. She was sitting on the couch with Zack. The two had begun talking after Kat had assured Zack she wasn’t mad at him for getting high off the smell of McKenzie’s crotch.
It hadn’t taken long for Zack to reveal the story about McKenzie being dosed and subsequently attacked by her best friend’s boyfriend. Kat was shocked, furious—and a little hurt that Kenzie had only told her about the dosing, and not who had done it. Maybe she thought I really would kill the little bastard.
Zack nodded slowly. "I heard from someone that they went upstairs together and that McKenzie seemed really drunk, so I went looking. I busted his ass just in time and then I drove McKenzie home."
Rage boiled inside of Kat. Now she felt even more awful that McKenzie had been taken. What a terrible run of luck—running into two crazy abusers out to ruin her life in the same week. If Kat ever found the boy who did that to McKenzie, she would rip his balls clean off. But she took several deep breaths and forced herself to calm down, not wanting to take her rage out on the guy who had saved her sister from being raped. "Thank you so much," she managed finally. "I owe you a lot."
Zack waved a dismissive hand. "No thanks needed. Liam gave that asshole the thrashing of a lifetime, anyway."
Kat’s brow creased with confusion. "Liam did?"
Zack bobbed his head. "Yup, he saved me the trouble. He had no idea that it was your sister that Erick had fucked with either. Liam simply does not stand for that take-what-you-want-from-girls shit...and neither do I." Zack’s eyes darkened. "We have enough douchebags among our kind that live by this motto as is."
This was all so troubling. McKenzie had already gone through a lot at the hands of a wolf, and now was being held captive by a deranged one and probably some vampires as well. It completely broke Kat’s heart.
Zack placed a hand on Kat’s arm at the look of worry on her face. "Don’t worry. I think McKenzie will be fine. I talked to my dad on the phone before you got here. Though he is pissed about what Liam did, even he knows Crystal has crossed a dangerous line. He told me that he will order her to return McKenzie if she stops by the house."
"Except I got this feeling that she won’t," Kat muttered miserably. “Liam says she’s been committing worse crimes than this before now, though he wasn’t specific.”
"Those are just rumors." Zack sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "They have to be."
They sat there in silence for several minutes.
"I plan on still being with your sister if she’s a werebear," Zack announced suddenly.
A sudden jolt ran through Kat. It hadn’t occurred to her that her younger sister could share the same curse, but for some reason, Kat did not feel she did. She could not explain the feeling. Somehow, she just knew. It might have to do with the fact that McKenzie’s temperament doesn’t even come close to that of a bear, she thought. Not like me and Dad. Her reaction to meat is a clear example.
"Would you really risk so much?" Kat asked incredulously. "Even after all this mess Liam has caused between your clans by being with me?"
"Heck yeah," Zack proclaimed proudly. "McKenzie is as cool as they come."
Kat was touched. She could not believe how much Zack cared for her sister. In some ways, it reminded her of Liam. She had to look away so the boy would not see the tears in her eyes.
After she had consoled herself, they sat talking about what they planned to do if Liam did not come back with McKenzie. But it wasn’t long before the exhaustion that Liam had seen in Kat began to take over her sore body.
"I think I’ll go back into the guest room to check on Carly," Zack said gently, rising to his feet and stretching. "You look like you need some rest."
"Okay."
Zack began to leave the room but paused in the hallway entrance. "Kat?"
Slouched on the couch, Kat could hardly keep her eyes open. "Yes?"
"We will find McKenzie even if Liam does not come back with her now. I swear it." The boy stood there for a mome
nt waiting for a response.
Kat nodded, yawning hugely. Her eyes closed so fast after that that she didn’t even see him walk away.
Chapter 24
McKenzie awoke with a start and looked around. Darkness all-consuming surrounded her. Where was she? Was she dead? Then she remembered a moment later. She had been taken.
Somewhere in the cell, she heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Probably a rat.
Shaking with disgust, she rose unsteadily from the sleeping mat and stumbled her way over to the door to her cage. Through the bars, she could see the glimmering torches that lined the hallway. She tried to open the door, but quickly gave up and weakly pounded on it with her fists.
"Let me out of here!" she screamed, her throat rough with sleep.
There was no answer.
She groaned. No one was coming to get her. She was doomed. She still could not understand it. Who was this purple-eyed woman who was holding her captive and why did Crystal hand her over to her?
Then a possibility hit her like a freight train. Maybe this place was like was a way station for teenage girls sold into slavery for sex trafficking, and she was about to be shipped off to some foreign country to entertain nasty old men.
The thought made her more depressed. "Dear God, help me," she moaned, dropping to her knees. The tears flowed down her cheeks as she sobbed, slowly at first and then picked up speed until her limbs were wracked with emotion. She wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked back and forth, praying for a miracle.
She did not know how long she sat there crying, but an indeterminate time later she heard keys jingling in the door. The door swung open. Purple Eyes was back.
"Get up," she commanded. "He’s ready to see you."
Still in shock, McKenzie was slow to obey.
"Do you want me to move you myself?" the woman growled impatiently.
Remembering the woman’s frightening strength, McKenzie wiped the tears from her eyes and quickly jumped to her feet. She nearly fell back to the floor when the room spun around her momentarily from the blood rushing to her head, but she regained control a moment later. After a glare of contempt, Purple Eyes briskly led McKenzie out of the dungeon and back up into the building.
