The shifters blocking him inside of the vehicle were more unnerving this close. Touching them wasn’t pleasant. They really did seem like zombies. They didn’t have the kind of putrid smell Derek would have expected based on the zombies in the movies he had seen and the video games he had played, but there was something wrong with their scent. It was like a shadow of a scent. Ghosts. Maybe that was what they more resembled. Not zombies. They were statue still and hardly ever blinked. Their breaths came in slow and shallow.
“All of this is giving me a damn headache,” Erin said. She sat in the front passenger seat with her hand pressed to her forehead. “You’re worth it though.”
She twisted in her seat so she could look back at Derek. The lascivious look in her eyes made his skin crawl. He regretted ever wanting his dick inside of this psycho bitch.
Derek leaned forward a little so he could look past the shifter on his right and stare out the window. He couldn’t see as much from the middle seat, but it was better than looking at Erin or the three other shifters in the car. He didn’t know how he felt about one of the blitzed shifters driving the truck, but he seemed to be doing just fine. They hadn’t crashed or anything. It was some weird shit.
Lucky for Derek, Erin was content to let silence fall over the truck. She was probably used to it seeing as her slaves seemed to have lost the power of speech.
He stared out the window for a good couple hours. He didn’t know what he was expecting to see, but he wasn’t expecting more land. Erin was the kind of woman who liked the luxuries a city had to offer. But they weren’t anywhere near a city.
They drove past a sign that mentioned some resort called June Hot Springs. They drove right inside, hitting dusty roads and cruising past some nice-looking cabins. There was another area he caught sight of in the distance where people could pitch tents. He saw the steam skimming off the surface of hot spring pools. He had never heard of this place, but that wasn’t surprising. He didn’t know much about Idaho.
Now they were driving up a mountain, where the cabins were bigger and more spread out. They were private resorts. Each one had its own personal hot spring pool. The water must have come from a natural hot spring farther up the mountain. It looked like it would have been a nice place to relax if Derek had been in a different situation.
He thought about Willow and the river. The water there had been chilly in the fall weather, but it didn’t feel that way when Willow was close to him. He thought about holding her in one of these cozy hot springs. He thought about kissing the back of her neck, right where that Lunas Sigil marked her neck. Thinking about her made his chest ache. He wondered if he’d ever see her again.
“Here we are,” Erin said, interrupting his thoughts.
The shifter driving parked the truck, and the trucks following them parked as well. The shifter to Derek’s right opened the door, and the other one shoved Derek out of the truck. Both shifters held his arms tightly as they stood in the gravel driveway of the biggest cabin Derek had seen yet. It looked like it was probably the one highest on the mountain too. Typical. Of course Erin went for the best of the best. She literally had money to throw away. He knew that much when he first met her back in Las Vegas.
“I have you to thank for finding this place,” Erin said, flashing her bleached white teeth. “These hot springs are to die for. Maybe you’d like to join me in one.”
A growl in Derek’s throat answered her question.
She shrugged and pranced up to the cabin’s entrance. “You’ll be singing a different tune as soon as Beatrice makes it up here.”
“Beatrice?” Derek asked when the two shifters guarding him yanked him forward. Suddenly, he was crowded by all the blitzed shifters that had been in Moonwatch as they followed the woman who had enslaved them.
Erin turned around and poked Derek’s chest with one of her manicured nails. He shuddered.
“Beatrice is the one who makes all of this possible,” she informed. Then she jerked her head toward the cabin’s entrance. “Take Derek inside and show him to his room. Keep a good eye on him too. I’d prefer it if you could avoid marking him up again.” She paused. “How did you heal so fast, wily wolf? I was worried my shifters had gone too far, but you healed faster than any shifter I’ve ever seen.”
Derek said nothing. Like hell was he going to tell Erin anything that could lead her to have an interest in Willow. He hoped she wouldn’t notice the Moon Mark on his neck. He was quite a bit taller than her, so he probably had nothing to worry about there. Besides, if she did see it, he wouldn’t tell her anything about it.
“Be defiant for as long as you can, Derek,” she said. The light in her eyes seemed to disappear like her eyes were pure darkness and no light could penetrate them.
Derek hissed when the shifters at his sides yanked his arms so hard they almost dislocated his shoulders. So they weren’t supposed to mark him up, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to be rough with him.
One shifter opened the door leading into the cabin and the other pushed Derek inside. There were more shifters inside. Erin hadn’t even brought all of her shifters to Moonwatch. These shifters were all sitting and lying on couches like sex adornments. They were practically naked aside from the variety of tight fitting costumes Erin had a fetish for, and they sat still as statues. The air was musty with incense. It stung Derek’s eyes and nose.
He wanted to tear his eyes away from the poor bastards who had lost their minds, but his gaze lingered on one wearing a bow tie and a thong. Looking at him disturbed Derek more than the rest of them. There was something about his pretty boy face that was damn familiar. His hair was somewhere between brown and blond. It looked almost silver. Though his eyes were vacant, they had a yellowish tint. Then it hit him. The Crystal Caverns. This was Cedric Snow, the son who was supposed to take over the hotels and allegedly ran away because of the responsibility. Everyone wrote him off because of his reputation. Turned out he was one of the men captured by Erin. Turned out he was a shifter of some kind. Derek smelled bird.
“Stop gawking,” Erin said from behind. “I know they’re hot, but they’re mine. Not yours. These ones are my favorites. I never take them out for anything dangerous. Are you into men, Derek?”
He didn’t get a chance to reply as his shifter escort slapped him on the back, hard. He coughed violently as they forced him up the stairs. He heard Erin’s laughter follow him. The shifters led him to an unused room in the cabin. One went inside with him and shut the door while the other stayed outside.
Derek looked around the room and rested his eyes on a window. He could break through and jump out. They weren’t that high up, so landing on his feet would work out fine. The shifter in the room with him would be on his ass in an instant though. And then he’d have the attention of all the shifters in the cabin. Did these zombies sleep?
He walked over to the made bed and sat down on the bouncy mattress. Willow’s cries replayed in his head. He could practically hear her voice ripping through his ears and into his heart all over again. Why did she sound so desperate to keep him? Willow. His Willow. His… mate. He wanted to go back to her. He wanted to hold her in his arms right now.
Derek narrowed his eyes at the shifter watching him. He got up and walked around, watching the shifter’s reaction to anything he did. The shifter watched him without hardly blinking. Derek punched a hole in the wood wall. The shifter growled and restrained him while Derek’s fist was still stuck in the wall. He yanked Derek’s arm out of the new hole and wrenched his arm back so hard that Derek fell down onto the floor with a slight gasp. Fuck. Erin said she didn’t want him marked up, but that order only went so far. The more trouble he caused, the more beat up he’d get. Fighting his way out was impossible with how outnumbered he was. Not to mention, these shifters didn’t feel any pain.
He got back up and went for the door, but the shifter blocked his way with arms folded. Derek rolled his eyes and sat back down on the bed. He dug in the top drawer of the nightstan
d and found the Bible. Lovely. He threw it at the shifter across the room. The slight possibility it could expel a demon was worth it. The shifter caught the Bible with lightning reflexes and then dropped it on the ground.
Yep. Blitzed though they may be, they were hella strong and quick. The shifter moved over to the window in the room and sat down. Apparently, Derek’s actions warranted more cautious behavior. He knew the other shifter was standing right outside of his door. Though his presence was faint, Derek could sense him, smell him.
Derek was in one hell of a bind. There was a small possibility that if he could get to Erin, kill her, he could end all of this. But he didn’t know anything about magic or witches. Erin was the one in control. Take out the leader and things tended to fall apart. That was what he did know. If it worked, Willow would be safe. Going after Erin was worth whatever price if he could ensure Willow’s safety. It was the one good thing he could do with his life.
Whatever the cost.
Derek leaped off the bed and tackled the door, forcing it open. The shifter that was standing outside of it staggered forward and lost his footing. Derek didn’t dare stop as he picked up Erin’s scent and followed it at full speed. His nose led him to a closed door, which he slammed into. Erin squeaked in surprise as the door fell into the room with a loud thud. The split second it took for Derek to break down the door was all the time the zombie shifters needed to catch up to him. They grabbed him and threw him against a wall inside Erin’s room, pinning him there. One held his head and smashed his face into the wood.
“Goddammit, Derek,” Erin said, exasperated. She was holding a hand to her heart. “You’re going to give me a heart attack on top of my damn headache. Try another stunt like this and I’ll have my shifters beat you within an inch of your life. You’ll heal eventually anyway—or quickly in your case? I can afford it, but I’d prefer to keep you looking just like this.”
She put her fingers to her lips and walked up to Derek. She brushed her sharp nails across the back of his neck, sending cold shivers through his body. “That’s a pretty mark. That woman that was screaming for you back at Moonwatch. Who is she? Someone important to you no doubt. Strange though, I didn’t take you for the type to settle down. What would you do if I tortured her instead?”
“Fuck you,” Derek said, menacing and quiet. “I’ll kill you. The moment I get my hands on you, I’ll kill you. I’ll never give in to you. Witch or no witch. Magic or no magic. You’re a dead bitch walking.”
Derek snarled and fought against the shifters pinning him to the wall. The thought of Erin doing anything to Willow had him so riled up, he even got away from them. Everything happened in slow motion. He saw the whites of Erin’s eyes, her fear and the knowledge that she was done for. Then he felt an explosive pain in the back of his skull.
Everything went black.
Chapter 15
“DEREK, WAKE UP,”
He opened his eyes. Willow was gazing at him tenderly. She placed her hand on his face. Then she kissed his lips soft and quick.
“How would you like to wake up to me like this every morning?” she asked.
Derek caught her and rolled them over so he was on top of her. His reply was a fierce, devouring kiss.
“You can have that, you know?” she said in between kisses. “I want to be with you. Forever. Just like we’re supposed to be. We’re not perfect yet, but I know we’ll get there if we work at it.”
“Stop,” Derek begged. “I don’t know about all of that future stuff, being perfect or not, but I do know that I want you. For the first time in my life, I want to be with someone. I want to work at us too. If there is anyone in this world meant for me, I’ll be damn lucky if it’s you. I want it to be you. I’m going to do my fucking best to keep you.”
Derek’s skull was pounding. He opened his eyes, but each blink made it feel like his eyelids were made out of sandpaper. He groaned and felt dry blood cracking on his face. All of a sudden, he forgot the pain and jumped up, teeth bared and growling. Erin was in a chair staring at him. Five other shifters were in the room too, almost making it cramped. One of those shifters grabbed Derek and forced him back into bed.
“I’m glad you’re not dead,” Erin said. “He hit you harder than I would have liked, but you came out of it after all. Your ability to heal is beyond incredible. You’re going to become my new front man once Beatrice tames you.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s going to take her some time to get here. We’ll probably move to a new location to make things easier for her. It’s a real shame. I wanted to enjoy this place with you. Guess I’ll have to get my fill with my other shifters and move on.”
“How can you talk about all of this like it’s perfectly normal? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Derek growled. “I wish I had had the foresight to snap your tiny neck back in Las Vegas.”
“Oh come now, you’re not a killer, sexy wolf. You may be a thief and a heart breaker, but you’re no murderer. I can see the difference.”
“Then your sight is fucked up because I’ve killed.”
“Maybe so, but it’s not in your heart to kill if you can help it.”
Damn her.
Derek took in the room and how close the shifters were to him. If not for the one currently restraining him to his bed, he could have attempted another attack on Erin. All it would take was one good hit, but Erin was being more cautious now. She wasn’t going to give him another chance. All he could do now was watch and hope another opening would present itself.
It sucked. It sucked major balls. All he could think about was Willow and how their time together was too short. The possibility that he had found a friend in her, the possibility that they could have had a future together, kept running through his head.
He didn’t want things to end like this. And he didn’t want to wait anymore. Let the shifters tear him apart. He was never going to stop going for Erin. He would either get her at some point, or she would order her shifters to kill him.
If he didn’t keep fighting, there was no chance he’d ever see Willow again. He had to get out of here on his own. If Willow had been the one captured, her pack would have come after her, but no one was coming to save him. He was a lone wolf, so he had to deal with his problems like a lone wolf.
Besides, he didn’t want anyone coming after him. He had caused enough problems.
A snarl barely ripped out of Derek’s throat when a crashing noise came from downstairs. It caught Erin and all of her shifters’ attention—and it was just the distraction Derek needed. He smashed his elbows down on the arms of the shifter holding him. He was rewarded with a resounding snap of bones. He caught sight of a holstered pistol on another shifter near him and confiscated it, shooting that shifter’s right foot and then his left.
Another shifter had his gun on Derek. Derek managed to get out of the way just before the shifter fired.
“Stop him!” Erin screamed.
Derek smacked that shifter in the head with the butt of his pistol. He had two left to incapacitate. Then he’d go for Erin. The last two worked together. One grabbed for Derek as the other held his gun ready. Derek smacked the one trying to grab him underneath his jaw with the pistol, and then he shot the other one in both feet.
He didn’t have much time. These injuries weren’t enough to stop these zombie shifters for long.
Erin screeched as she clawed for the door, but Derek was standing in her way. “How?!” she demanded. She was backing up into a corner with each step Derek took toward her.
“I found the proper motivation.” He pointed the pistol at her forehead and pulled the trigger. The last bullet shot through the air and hit her point blank. Derek dropped his arm to his side and the gun fell to the ground.
Groans caught his attention. The shifters around him were feeling pain. They were grimacing.
“What the fuck?” one of them whispered.
It actually worked. Erin’s death had an immediate effect.
“You guys okay?” Derek aske
d.
“Been better.”
Derek sniffed the air. He smelled shifter scents he didn’t know as well as familiar ones.
“What’s going on?” the shifter asked.
“You’re free. Erin’s dead.”
The shifters who were still conscious looked at Erin’s dead body.
“You do that?”
Derek nodded.
“Thanks.”
Derek nodded again. “Can any of you walk?”
The one with broken arms stood up as well as the one Derek had hit underneath his chin.
“Help me get the others out of here,” Derek said as he hoisted up one of the shifters with his feet shot through. The one with a bruise under his chin picked up and supported the other shifter with shot up feet. Derek handed off his shifter to that one too, not wanting to place any more stress on the one with broken arms. Then Derek went for the one he had hit in the head. The guy was out cold, so he picked him up and carried him.
They filed silently out of the room. After that initial crash, Derek had tuned out anything else happening in the cabin. He had to focus on what he was doing. When he was done with Erin, he didn’t catch any more sounds suggesting a struggle. Probably because the shifters downstairs had woken up and weren’t fighting anymore. He could smell Blue Wolves. Not just Blue Wolves. He could smell Willow. Her scent, being in heat, made her smell cut through the rest like a knife.
“Someone must have gotten to Erin already,” a baritone voice Derek didn’t recognize came from downstairs.
“It was Derek.” The sweet sound of that voice was unmistakable. Willow.
Derek’s heart beat faster.
“Derek!” she cried. “Where are you?”
He wanted to call back, but what should he say? He heard the light pounding of Willow’s feet as she ran up the stairs. She was coming right for him. Then she was in front of him. Beautiful as ever. Not a scratch on her pretty face. Her eyes shimmered. Her lips quivered.
Nick was right on her tail. He took one look at the shifter Derek was carrying and took over, taking that shifter into his own arms and guiding the others downstairs. Now Willow and Derek had some privacy. Not much since if they said anything the shifters downstairs would hear, but it was some privacy nonetheless.
Her Fierce Wolf (Marked By The Moon Book 2) Page 16
