Exhaling, Katie leveled the gun and focused in on her target once again. Rafe backed away a step and stood to the side, watching without speaking. She aligned her stance, set her sight picture, and carefully squeezed the trigger. A loud crack echoed through the forest as a chunk of wood flew through the air from a couple inches left of the split in the trunk. Rafe whooped and clapped her on the back.
“That’s my girl.” He folded his arms over his chest and set his own bare feet apart on the deck. Still clad in only a long-sleeved shirt and thin linen pants, he looked like he should be shivering. But instead he grinned broadly at her, rocking on his heels. “Can you do that again?”
“I think so.” Katie aimed once more, not giving herself as much time to line up her shot. After all, she wasn’t going to have the luxury to plan everything out tonight. Despite her rush to fire, the second shot hit the tree directly in the juncture where she’d aimed, sending another shower of splinters into the snow.
“May I just say that I find this very attractive?” Rafe shot her what was truly a wolfish smile. “The city girl knows how to shoot.”
As pleased as she was by his approval, she wished her ability to fire at a stationary target while her emotional rock cheered her on made her feel better about the night ahead. Unfortunately, a rampaging wolf wasn’t going to do her the courtesy of standing still and letting her aim. “I picked off a lot of bottles on fences with my dad. Can’t say I’ve ever tried to hit a moving target, though. Let alone a living one.”
“Hold that thought.” Rafe jogged to the porch steps and descended them in one giant leap. “You stay right there. I’ll be back.”
Her stomach dropped when he disappeared around the side of the cabin. “Rafe…”
She heard a door close in the distance. “I’m right here. I’m coming back.”
Convinced that she would be ambushed before he could return, Katie searched the trees for monsters. She saw no signs of life, but two gunshots had to have drawn someone’s attention. Whether they would take the shots as a warning or an invitation was the question. She told herself nothing would happen. Not until tonight. Surely she’d feel more ready by then.
“I’m back.”
Katie yelped at the sudden realization that Rafe had snuck up behind her. She set the gun on the flat porch rail and fell into his arms with a hoarse cry, unashamed by how badly she wanted to be held. “I’m freaking out.”
“I know.” He rubbed his hands over her back, warming her through the coat. “Everything is going to be okay. It really will.”
He couldn’t know that, but it was sweet of him to try and make her feel better. She pressed her body against his, unconsciously drawn to the heat that emanated from his solid form. It floored her that this man would give his life for her. She wished she could do something more than hide inside while he fought for both of them. “I don’t want to let you down tonight.”
His heart pounded against hers. Its vibrant rhythm thrummed through the thick layers of fabric covering their chests, in perfect synchronicity with her own. Rafe threaded his fingers through her hair. “I don’t want to let you down, either.” He pressed his mouth to hers in a brief but passionate kiss. “But I’m not worried about you. You’re going to be great.”
She looked down and noticed what he’d fetched for the first time. “A log. And rope.”
“Yeah.” He shouldered the log like it weighed nothing. It was nearly as tall as she was. Twin lengths of rope joined the load, balanced in his arms with negligent ease. “I’m going to go right over there to rig this up.” He nodded at the tree she’d been shooting at. “Keep your eyes peeled and the safety off.”
She swallowed. “All right.”
“It won’t take long.” He ran two steps then planted his hand on the railing of the deck, vaulting over with an athletic prowess that set Katie’s pulse racing. He landed with a muffled thump in calf-deep snow, perfectly stable despite the heavy burden he carried. He turned and raised his eyebrow. “You liked that.”
Katie cleared her throat, both amused and embarrassed that he was so in tune with her body’s reactions. “I found it very attractive.”
Rafe grinned and swaggered over to a pair of trees close to the one with the split trunk. He tied a length of rope to one end of the log, then did the same thing at the other end. Katie divided her attention between Rafe’s activities and the forest surrounding them, which seemed almost suspiciously quiet. She kept the revolver pointed safely at the ground in front of her, but stayed ready to raise her weapon and fire at the first sign of trouble.
“Katie.”
She snapped her focus back to Rafe. “Yeah?”
He pulled a canister from his pocket and drew a crude, bright-orange circle on the middle of the log, which now hung horizontally between the two trees. After pocketing the spray paint, Rafe gave the log a hard shove. It swung back and forth, a perfect moving target. “Try it now.”
She waited until he was back on the porch before bringing the gun up to aim at the painted circle. The log’s movement had barely slowed at all, and she honed in on its lazy cadence fairly quickly. She kept the gun still and waited for the target to pass in front of her sights. On the return pass, she slowly squeezed the trigger. The bullet glanced off the top of the log, inches high and to the left of the bullseye. Katie cursed under her breath, frustrated by her lack of precision.
“That was pretty damn good for your first try.” Rafe vaulted over the railing, gave the log another shove, then raced back to her side before she had a chance to register his absence. Stepping behind her, he wrapped an arm around her stomach and pressed his cheek to hers as she sighted the painted circle again. “Shoot ahead of the target. Not where the bullseye is, but where it will be. Lead the target, if you know what I mean.”
She relaxed into his embrace, and he reacted by tightening his fingers on her belly and bumping his hips against her bottom. The sensation of his hard cock pressed against her ass wreaked havoc on her concentration. “Are you trying to distract me?”
He growled, a low rumble that bubbled up from his throat and vibrated against her back. “Just trying to engineer an appropriately challenging training scenario.” His hand trembled on her stomach before he abruptly let her go. “I’m sorry. Just take the shot.”
She bent at the waist slightly, pushing her bottom into his crotch. He grabbed her hips and uttered a strangled grunt. Smiling, she murmured, “Distraction is good.” Straightening, she took aim and fired a single shot that landed just outside the orange circle. Dissatisfied, she followed up with another shot on the return swing. This time she landed within the target circle, only an inch off-center.
Rafe touched her lower back. “Nice job.”
His praise made her whole body sing with happiness. “Thank you.”
“Try again. Faster this time.”
Katie lowered her weapon, took a breath, then lifted the gun and took two more shots, adjusting her aim for the second. The first landed fairly accurately, and the second was only a couple inches off target. Not at all bad for less than a clip of practice rounds.
“Reload.” Rafe snarled next to her ear, sending an unpleasant chill down her spine. “Now.”
She knew without asking what Rafe was trying to do. Tonight she would be operating from a place of true, stark fear. Rafe could never truly frighten her like the other wolves did, but his sudden aggression instinctively triggered a rush of adrenaline similar to what she’d felt during her assault. Her hands trembled as she tried to release the cylinder hatch so she could reload. She couldn’t remember feeling so clumsy in her entire life.
Rafe grabbed the gun and demonstrated in silence. Then he snapped the cylinder back into place. “Now you do it.”
She mimicked his action, finally pushing the cylinder through the frame. He handed her a box of shells and she fumbled five rounds into their individual chambers. Rafe stalked around to her side and bent to whisper in her ear. “You smell delicious, bitch.”
> Katie jolted at the ugly words and nearly dropped the box of shells. Rafe snatched the box from her hand with another fierce grumble. As soon as her hand was free, she brought the gun up and aimed at the still-swaying log. Blocking out her warring sensations of fear and arousal, Katie hesitated only an instant before firing two shots in quick succession. The first landed within the bullseye, the second just outside the painted circle. She took a breath and squeezed off a third shot, gratified to see that she could correct her aim at a moment’s notice.
She startled when Rafe touched her waist again. “Darling, you’re going to be just fine.” He gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You’re a natural.”
Katie tried to relax at Rafe’s murmured encouragement, but couldn’t. After spending all morning insistent that Rafe could never hurt her and that she wasn’t afraid of him, she was surprised by how intimidating she’d found his playacting. “Thank you.”
“Hey.” Rafe captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger and gently forced eye contact. “You okay?”
She nodded quickly. “I’m fine.”
“But I frightened you. I’m sorry.”
“Well, that was the point. Right?”
He looked almost ashamed. “Yeah.”
“It was good. God knows I could practice like this for weeks and still not feel ready to defend myself against werewolves.” Katie conjured up her bravest smile. “You wouldn’t be doing me any favors by holding back. So throw everything you’ve got at me. I can handle it.”
Rafe regarded her with a look of half-hunger, half-respect that sent a pleasant flutter through her belly. “Ready for the good news?”
“Very ready.”
He stepped into the cabin and emerged a moment later with a shotgun in hand. “Cooper left this here last night. He didn’t say anything to me but I assume it’s meant for you.” He held up a battered cardboard box. “You’ve got ten shells. I don’t want to use any to practice right now because this is the weapon I want you to rely on tonight. You’re great with the revolver, but there’s no way you’ll miss with a shotgun. You’ll have the handgun as backup if you run out of ammo. And I’m sure you’ll kick ass with it. But at least you can take ten shots with this bad boy first.”
Katie’s heart lifted. She took the shotgun and turned toward the still-swinging target, then lifted the weapon and adjusted to its weight. “Why didn’t you tell me we had this?”
“I wanted to train for the worst-case scenario first.” Rafe curled his arm around her waist and she leaned into him on instinct. The shotgun was more awkward to handle than the revolver, but it made her feel powerful. Rafe pressed his lips to her temple and inhaled deeply. “Feel better now?”
“I do.” She lifted her face and planted a grateful kiss on his mouth. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” Rafe started to say something else, then froze. His entire body went on high alert, not unlike Shilah’s when he’d heard Cooper and Alpha lurking around outside the night before.
“What is it?” Katie whispered. She swung the shotgun to the left, then the right, scanning the tree line for any sight of a threat. She saw nothing.
Moving with deliberate care, Rafe put his mouth against Katie’s ear and whispered, “Keep the safety off. We’ve got company.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Katie’s first instinct was to retreat indoors, but Rafe caught her by the elbow before she could flee. “Stand behind me and don’t run. Just be ready to go inside when I tell you.” He kissed her cheek, then murmured, “They’ve already seen us. We don’t want them to think we’re intimidated. They get off on the smell of human fear. Don’t give them the satisfaction.” He released her so she could step behind him. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
She clutched the shotgun closer to her chest and nodded. She fought to put on her bravest face, a losing battle. “I know.”
Rafe reassured her with a subtle smile, then turned and shouted in the direction of the trees. “Show yourselves!”
A peal of feminine laughter floated to them on the frigid breeze. Heart hammering, Katie scanned the forest for some sign of their visitors. She didn’t understand how they stayed so hidden. Male chuckles joined in from all around. It was as though the barren forest was mocking them.
“That’s her?” A lithe, athletic brunette slinked out from behind a redwood tree about thirty feet from the deck. Dressed all in black, she reminded Katie of the goth chicks who used to scare the shit out of her in high school. Her eyes glittered with malevolent disdain as she looked Katie up and down. “That’s why you killed my mate?”
“Your mate was trying to rape mine,” Rafe called out. “He would’ve killed her when he was done. I only stopped him. I had every right to do that.”
“Your mate? That’s just a worthless human cunt.” The woman stopped about fifteen feet away from the porch and folded her arms over her chest. Behind her, seven men and two more women emerged from the cover of the forest. They all wore similar expressions of enraged disgust. The man who’d bitten her the night before loped to stand at the woman’s back, eyeing Katie with unwavering aggression. The hunger in his gaze made her shudder and took her right back to the sensation of being trapped on her back in the snow.
Forming a semi-circle behind their widowed friend, the rival pack put on an intimidating display. The brunette snarled, laughing when Katie visibly startled. “And you’re a fucking disgrace. You murdered a wolf for being a wolf.”
“I’m not the one who attacked someone’s bond-mate.” Unlike the others, Rafe maintained a facade of placid strength. Where they literally seethed with anger, he didn’t even raise his voice. “I had every right to defend her, and myself.”
“Did he know she was your bond-mate before you killed him?” The brunette’s lip curled into a dangerous sneer when Rafe didn’t answer. “Why would he have thought that was a possibility? As far as I know, you’re the first werewolf to ever stoop so fucking low.”
Her cohorts snickered, but Rafe didn’t react. He just returned her cold stare. “Even if she weren’t my bond-mate, she’s a human being. Wolves being wolves aside, it’s not right to hunt and slaughter them like animals.”
“Why not?” The dead wolf’s widow grinned. “That’s what they are. Weak, pathetic, inferior animals.”
The wolf who’d bitten her finally spoke up. “And in the case of yours, a hot, tight, tasty animal.”
His friends laughed and the woman in black tossed a smile over her shoulder. “You’ll get your chance. Just remember that I have first dibs.”
“Of course.” The biter bent at the waist in a jaunty little bow. “I’ll make sure to let my wolf know to wait until you’ve had your fill.” The group chuckled again.
Rafe tugged lightly on Katie’s arm, encouraging her to step forward and stand at his side. She noticed that he was careful to keep her between him and the front door. He curled his arm around her waist and held her close to his body. “I know that Jack Devereaux ordered you not to retaliate. He wants to avoid more bloodshed, as my Alpha does.” He tightened his jaw and ground out his next words. “I’m sorry that things went down the way they did. I wish your mate hadn’t died. I wish he hadn’t attacked Katie at all.”
“Katie.” The woman spat out the word as though disgusted by the way the syllables tasted in her mouth. “How cute. It has a name.” She advanced until she stood at the bottom of the porch stairs. “Want to know my mate’s name? It was Zeke. Our son is Ben.” Her voice caught, revealing a glimmer of vulnerability completely at odds with her gruff demeanor. “He doesn’t understand why his daddy isn’t coming home. Seven years old. That’s on you.” She bared her teeth at Katie. “Both of you.”
“I’m sorry for your son,” Rafe said quietly. “Honestly, I am. That’s why I suggest that his mama do whatever it takes to get home to him safely tomorrow morning. I understand your desire to avenge your mate’s death, but you and I both know that your boy needs you more than you need revenge.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, Lisa.” Rafe kept his tone even. “When Ben wakes up an orphan tomorrow morning, it’s on you. Only you.”
Lisa snarled and leapt up the first two porch steps. Adrenaline surging, Katie brought up the shotgun and leveled it at Lisa’s chest. The rest of her pack surged forward even as she froze in place and pinned Katie with a murderous glare.
“Everyone calm down.” Still outwardly calm, Rafe spoke in an authoritative tone that commanded everyone’s attention. Lowering his voice to a murmur, he said, “Katie, may I have the gun?” He took the weapon while staring Lisa down.
One of the other women in the pack, a hardened blonde, called out. “You better get your bitch under control.”
Not rising to the bait, Rafe said, “You have all afternoon to change your mind. I hope you do, for your son’s sake.” He handed Katie the revolver with a look that Katie interpreted as, Don’t kill anyone. She nodded and held the gun with the barrel pointed at the ground. Rafe turned back to Lisa. “Katie is one hell of a shot. And I’ll die to make sure she doesn’t have to prove it to you. So you don’t stand a chance.”
Lisa grinned. “We’ll see.” She regarded Katie coldly, then chuckled with pure malice. “How do you like being a wolf’s bitch, Katie? I always figured humans would be too delicate for that sort of thing.”
Soul Bonded Page 12
