by Jenna Leigh
“What does that mean?” Marcus narrowed his eyes. “You can’t change into that form.”
“Yet.” Samuel ran at him, jumping up at the last minute to kick him in the face.
Marcus ducked, catching the blow in the side of the head.
“Idiot.” Samuel slashed at his son’s abdomen with his extended claws.
Marcus hissed in a breath as the pain blossomed. He stood still, waiting for the wound to heal. He couldn’t help but feel smug when surprise flashed in his father’s eyes at the quickness with which the cuts disappeared. “Now, Daddy…” he stalked forward, “…is that any way to treat your favorite son?”
“You aren’t my son,” Samuel hissed, his teeth growing into fangs. “Not anymore.”
Marcus grinned at him. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Samuel backhanded him, his claws raking a burning path across his cheek. Marcus only laughed.
“Elaine was to be mine!” Samuel charged him. At the last minute he lowered his shoulder and rammed it into Marcus’s abdomen, shoving him into the wall.
Marcus skull cracked against the hard surface, but he refused to show him how much it hurt, instead, he goaded him further. “Ain’t that just too bad. I got there first, now she’s mine.” He brought his fists down on his father’s back, relishing the sound of bones snapping.
Samuel went down on one knee, panting for breath, then lashed out, catching Marcus in the thigh with his claws.
“Where is she?” Marcus grunted, shaking it off. “What did you do to her?”
“She’s around, somewhere. I’ll get back to her when I’m done with you.”
“You hurt her and I’ll…”
“She’s mine, not yours.” For the first time, his father’s control slipped. The rage boiled to the surface for him to see. “I waited and watched you court her, placate her. You catered to her every whim. She’s spoiled and willful because you didn’t do what you should.”
“What the hell was that?”
“Subjugation.” Samuel made his first mistake and stepped in close enough for Marcus to grab him.
“Like you did my mother?” He wrapped his fingers around Samuel’s neck. “Every damn day, you made her cry. Did you know that? Did you even fucking care?”
Samuel gasped and put his hands between Marcus’s forearms in an attempt to lever them apart, but Marcus had a lifetime of hatred to lend him strength. “Somehow, I doubt it.” He pressed his thumbs against Samuel’s windpipe, smiling as it began to buckle under the strain. “Let’s see if I can make you care, Daddy.”
“No,” his father rasped out. “I didn’t care. The bitch…”
Marcus rammed Samuel’s head against the wall, laughing at the hollow thud it made. He squeezed harder, and noticed that his hands began to change. “You’re getting your wish, I’m shifting.”
Marcus’s muscles loosened, his bones became denser, elongating in some places, and growing shorter and wider in others. His lips thinned and his muzzle grew, sprouting black fur that surrounded long ivory fangs made to rip and tear.
As his nails grew, one punctured his father’s throat. Blood welled in the wound before trailing down his hand into the fur that sprouted from his formerly smooth skin. His disgust for this man was so great that he didn’t even have the urge to drink it.
“So, Daddy, how do you like me now?” He tilted his head to one side, his long ears twitching back and forth. “Did you say something?” He put his hand to the side of his head. “Oh, that’s right, you can’t talk. Too bad. If you could, I bet you’d say how proud of me you are, how much you love me and how sorry you are for trying to kill me and take my woman.”
Samuel’s eyes bulged.
“Fuck you.” Marcus shook him. “You hurt my mama and you hurt me. Hell, you hurt everybody you ever came in contact with.”
The wound on his father’s neck healed enough for him to respond. “I made you. I created…”
“Run!” David’s voice came from far away, but it was getting closer and fast.
Marcus turned and watched David flash by and then shrugged. “Wonder what he’s in such a hurry for?” With an almost negligent wave of his hand, he ripped Sam’s throat open again.
Samuel’s eyes drifted shut then widened again.
Marcus sensed someone behind him and started to turn. He got a quarter of the way around when a large furred arm shot out and grabbed him around the neck, dragging him off his prey. “Take your hands off me!” A loud blast and plume of fire drowned out his roar.
The last thing he saw was Samuel Bei slumped against the wall with blood running down his ruined throat, and that was all right by him.
Chapter Thirty-five
Marcus left the burning ruin of Jacob Caulder’s lair kicking and screaming. “Take your damn hands off me, you fuckin’…” He paused and glanced around. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.” Ben shook the soot off his fur and glared. “David likes pushing buttons.”
The remaining pack members poured out of the opening, coughing and sputtering.
David sniffed the air, sniffed again, then narrowed his eyes and spat out a chunk of black stuff on the ground. “Shouldn’t have them if they’re not supposed to be pushed. How was I to know it’d blow the place sky high?” He grinned unrepentantly.
With a grimace, Marcus stepped around it and began to look for Lainie. There was no sign of her. “Lainie!” he finally howled. He got a reply, after a fashion.
“Come and get me the hell out of here, right now! I think there’s a lizard in my hair!” Jordan’s panicked tones had them all hurrying toward the sound of his voice. It was a cave, half-hidden behind a huge slab of rock.
With a grin, David slipped inside the small opening.
“Hey! David, if you put that lizard down my shorts, I’ll—” A high-pitched yelp cut off his words and seconds later, the huge black wolf that was Jordan’s other form bounded out of the cave.
“I thought that would help you change, chicken shit.” David’s laughter grated on Marcus’s nerves.
“I want Lainie,” Marcus seethed. “Stop fuckin’ around and find her.”
“She’s not here.”
This new voice had him whirling to face its owner. A woman stood naked as the day she was born, covered with nothing more than her long red hair. She glared at him with blue-green eyes that glowed in the darkness. He was proud of the fact that he actually noticed the color of her eyes. Hell, he was in love, no doubt about it now.
“Where is she?” He kept his voice low, putting his hand back to stop the others from advancing. The fear in her eyes was apparent, the wildness she fought to keep at bay.
“Someone took her away.”
“Who?”
“A short lady, with gray hair.”
“Who are you?” He put his hand out to grab her but she sidled back out of his reach.
“Jade?” David broke in; Marcus spared him a glance and saw that he looked dumbfounded. “What happened to you, honey?”
At the sound of David’s voice, she trembled, and in a flash, transformed into a large red wolf and ran, disappearing in the dark desert night.
“That was Jade?” Marcus glared at David as if it was all his fault.
His uncle seemed far away in that moment, staring after her as if he wanted to chase her down. “Yeah, but when I knew her, she couldn’t change into a big red bitch.”
Marcus didn’t have time for another mystery right now. Only one thing was on his mind. “Who took Lainie?”
“Use your nose, it’s Joanna.” David put his hands on his hips and glared. “Let’s go home and I’ll make some calls.”
“Joanna better not be doing what I think she is,” Marcus warned.
“She’ll do what she thinks she needs to, nothing more, and nothing less.”
“Maybe it’s for the best.” Ben stood beside Marcus while Jordan sat at his feet and whined.
A groan from the underbrush interrupted their argu
ment. They found Mick lying there, blinking groggily up at the sky. With another groan, he rolled to his feet, swaying slightly.
“Someone grabbed Ms. Westerbrook. I’m sorry, Lupin.” He gave him an apologetic look before bowing his head.
Marcus plucked the small dart out of the side of Mick’s neck and held it up in front of his face. “I think she came prepared for anything. Right, David?” But his grandfather just transformed, this time into eagle that lost no time in flying away from the pack.
“You son of a bitch, you can’t take her from me again! I won’t let you!” Marcus screamed into the night. He shook his fist at the sky. The only indication that David heard him was a slight dip of his wings before he glided out of sight.
Chapter Thirty-six
Lainie slid out of her car and headed into the grocery store. She wanted something, she just wasn’t sure what it was. The past three weeks had been strange. Joanna came to her house and asked her if she could stay. Of course, she’d said yes. However, the woman made her nervous because she watched her closely, as if monitoring her or something.
When she’d asked her what the problem was, Joanna’s answer hadn’t made sense. “I’m doing something once more, and if it doesn’t work, they can all just kiss my ass.”
She looked a little older, but not much. Her hair was silver and short, highlighting her dark eyes and accentuating her sharp cheekbones. She was a striking woman, but she wasn’t the most comfortable of companions at times.
Lainie sighed and pushed her cart ahead of her. She’d been having strange dreams since Jo showed up too. In one, there’d been a large black wolf, in another she’d dreamed of Marcus. Though, she hadn’t seen him in ages, the dream had been vividly erotic and she’d woken up wet and achy. Damn, the man still had power over her after a decade.
Suddenly, it came to her what she wanted. “Ice Cream, chocolate, extra dark.” With a happy grin, she motored over to the frozen foods aisle and grabbed a half-gallon of Chocolate Brownie Overload. She frowned in thought. “Peanut butter.”
She scurried back the way she’d just come and rounded the corner. There were a few carts down this aisle so she abandoned her own to get to the peanut butter. “Yes, come to me with your creamy goodness.” Her voice went down an octave as she grabbed it off the shelf.
She whirled and started back to her cart but stopped and slowly turned when she spotted a large shape from the corner of her eye. He’d attempted to duck behind the other end of the aisle, but wasn’t fast enough.
Her heart beat a rapid tattoo in her chest as she grabbed her purse and zipped around the corner. Nobody. But she didn’t give up, instead, she ran to the neighboring aisle. Sure enough, there he was, tall, blond, cute and way too young to be stalking her. She lunged forward and caught his belt loop. “Hold it.” He stopped, his form dwarfing hers. Damn, he was huge. However, she wasn’t scared at all. In fact, the feeling inside her was more akin to joy.
His shoulders slumped and he slowly turned to face her. “Hi, Ms. Westerbrook.” His face was familiar to her and he knew her name.
She hissed out a breath and went pale as the memory slammed into her. “Mick.”
He quickly took her arm and started out of the store. She let him guide her to his vehicle.
“Ma’am?” He sounded worried.
She didn’t answer. She was too busy remembering everything that happened. Joanna had come and picked her up. Lainie recalled the arguments, loud, long and angry. She’d thought Marcus was dead. Finally, Joanna agreed to “fix” her again. However, she said if it didn’t take this time, they were on their own. David said that Marcus had gone feral. He’d spied on the pack and heard the rumors of his madness.
When she figured out Marcus was alive she’d briefly attempted to struggle against the other woman’s mind control, but finally succumbed into a darkness that seemed like an old friend after all these years.
The sight of Mick brought it all tumbling back. Either she was getting better at fighting the mind control, or stubbornness was a deterrent. Either way, she wouldn’t lose Marcus again.
“Lupin told me to watch you,” Mick told her, snapping her out of her haze. He sat there rubbing her wrists with a worried frown on his face.
She sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but take me to your leader.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
Marcus sat on the rock formation that was his throne and glared. He was their leader, the king of this pack, yet they’d all come to the decision that he’d be better off without Lainie.
“Do you mean to tell me that you think you can dictate who I mate with?” He sat, stunned, after the last of the elders spoke his piece on the subject.
“Yes, Lupin. She’s weak, a human, no less. And though she is providing you with an heir, we don’t think it is advisable for her to be allowed into the pack.” This came from Joel, one of his father’s most hated enemies.
His father, who was missing and presumed dead. God, Marcus hoped he was. If nothing else good came out of all this bullshit, Samuel Bei’s death would make it all worthwhile—most of it, anyway. The ache he felt on hearing Lainie remembered nothing that transpired while they were together still had the ability to rob him of his breath.
He had Joanna to thank for that. Apparently the woman felt his mate’s distress from where-the-hell-ever she’d been holed up all this time. It brought her out of hiding just long enough to grab her baby chick, take her home and block her memory.
With a wry smile, Marcus pictured what would happen when Elaine found out she was pregnant. The bitchfest heard round the world was only the beginning. He had to believe that she would remember it all. If not, then he may as well just give up and die right now.
But, Mick was there, out of her sight, never far away from Lainie. Marcus wouldn’t have any of his enemies stealing her away. No, he wanted that honor all for himself. Unfortunately, he may have to give up his throne to do it. Was he ready to toss all this away for the love of his life? You bet your ass. He opened his mouth to tell them where to shove the position as leader of the Arizona pack and all the headaches that went with it.
“Hey, dumbass, think about what you’re doin’.”
At the low-voiced order, Marcus glared over his shoulder. “What are you doing here?” he snarled at David.
The man grinned, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. “I’m just here to make sure you don’t pull some stupid and immature stunt. Something, I’m sure you’re goin’ to regret one day.”
“You don’t have a fuckin’ clue how I feel, nor do you even care. I love her, with my heart and my soul, and you just ripped her out of my life, again. Even worse, you ripped me out of her life too.” Marcus was so furious he wanted to tear his great-grandfather to shreds. “Does Lainie know she’s pregnant? Did you at least tell her that?” Marcus prodded.
“Hell no.” David shuddered. “You have got to be out of your mind.” He gave another shudder, and then winked. “I decided to save that little honor for you.” David’s smile was mischievous; however, Marcus didn’t have time to mull it over because all hell broke loose.
Chapter Thirty-eight
“If you don’t back off, you’re gonna be featured on the cover of the next NRA magazine as a rug, I’m not playing!” Her voice carried over the crowd, drawing the attention of supporters and detractors alike. “Take your filthy paws off me!”
“Ohmigod. The bitch is back.” Jordan put his face in his hands and sighed.
Ben leaned forward, smiled and shook his head.
Below the raised boulder that was his throne, he could see a strange phenomenon happening. The crowd stirred uneasily. Not many would actually attack a woman who carried a baby, especially not their leader’s child. All turned around to face the back, then parted in a wave, at the forefront of which was Mick.
That was one indication of the owner of the voice, and if that wasn’t enough, the words only helped him to the inevitable conclusion. Elaine was here. “Back up,
bitch. I bet you have ringworm. You need to see someone about that back-hair problem you have. Yeah, blow it out your ass too, sister.”
When the growling started, he stood to intervene, but, before he could even take a step, David put his hand on his shoulder. “Let her deal with it.”
“They’re right, she’s too weak. They might hurt her.” His heart climbed into his throat.
“Just wait.”
“I tell you what, you tear my favorite shirt, and it’s on like a neck bone. Making me come all the way out here, in the dark. I swear I saw a lizard bigger than my leg back there. I think he was smoking a joint. Mick, forward, march.” Her voice remained strong and angry. It didn’t quaver, only got louder.
Mick stumbled, and then continued on, pushing them out of her way like a human bulldozer. However, he didn’t stop the ones that came in behind her, intending to harm her.
Marcus clenched his fists, readying himself to leap into the crowd to defend her to the death if need be. Jordan stood with him, as did Ben. It warmed his heart to see the show of support from his friends.
The howls and yips grew more frenzied. The bitches would tear her apart. They were angry anyway, because he’d chosen a human, albeit a Breeder, instead of one of them. “I said back up; don’t make me tell you again.” She heaved a sigh. “Alright, is that how you wanna play it? Fine! Bad doggie!” A small humming zap sounded, followed by a yelp. After that, the circle around Elaine and her shield widened. “That’s more like it.”
Finally, she stepped around Mick and stalked up to stand in front of Marcus and the others. In her hand she held a Taser gun, which she’d put to good use. The smell of burnt hair and the wounded looks the Weres cast in his direction attested to that.
She shook her weapon at David, who had the intelligence to look scared. “Hi, honey. I’m home.” She smiled, but Marcus took note of the hellfire in her eyes. She was pissed off and no amount of groveling was going to help.
