They didn’t leave. At least, not right away. The last thing she saw before Damien dragged her out of the room was Cal falling once more between the beds and one of the goons lifting Cal’s cane high into the air above him. The next thing that happened was Damien jerking her around and shoving her out the door toward the car. Panic gripped her, and she spun, her hand in the air ready to slap him, but he just laughed as he backhanded her again and shoved her into the back of the vehicle.
“Damien, don’t do this,” she said, her hand clutching at the back of his seat. “We can work something out. I’ll dance for you some more. It’s not too late to stop this.”
Damien just laughed. “We tried working something out, remember? That didn’t go too well.” Damien made a sharp turn, slamming her into the back of the front seat. “Your new boyfriend should have kept his nose out of it. What? He took you from me so he could whore you out to old men? Is that what you were doing in that rundown motel room? If I had known that was on the table, you could have paid off your sister’s debt a long time ago. I’m sure I could get plenty of men to crawl between your legs for money.”
“Damien, that’s not what was happening,” she said, her voice a soft whine. She had to get out of here, had to get back to Deacon’s father, make sure he was all right. “You were hitting me. Deacon just stepped in to help. He didn’t know who you were.”
“But you did, Purity. You know who I am, and yet, you went with him.” She could hear the disdain in his voice. “Why did you go with him? Did you think he could get you out of paying your debt?”
“Damien, please…” Another turn of the car sent Purity into the legs of the man on her right. The brute just shoved her off with a jerk of his leg and a snarl.
How long they had been in the car or how far Damien drove, Purity couldn’t tell, but finally, he pulled off on to a road that rocked the car and forced him to slow down, eventually coming to a stop. Car doors opened as the vehicle went silent, and one of the thugs beside Purity reached back, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her out of the backseat into the sun. As soon as she was out of the car, he dropped her to the ground, making her yelp from the rocks and sticks that scraped her hands and knees. The sound of someone walking toward her reached her ears, making her tremble, their feet crunching down on the leaves, pieces of bark and small branches that made up the forest floor. Purity glanced up as Damien rounded the front of the car and moved toward her, panic gripping her as she dropped her gaze to the ground, begging for this nightmare to be over. She had to do something, had to get away from him before he beat the shit out of her again, or worse, killed her.
“Where are we?” she asked, still staring at the ground. There was no way he took her back to Summermire. They weren’t in the car long enough. So where? Did they even leave Dark Moon Falls? She gave a slow shake of her head, trying to clear the fog out of her head.
She noticed Damien’s shoes as he stepped into her line of sight, his feet inches from her face. She glanced up as he knelt down, arms on his knees as he smirked at her. “We’re somewhere your new boyfriend will never look. Right in his own backyard.” He chuckled as he shook his head. “I’m sure they’ll think I took you back to Cheaters, which is why I went in the opposite direction. Now, I’ll have plenty of time to have my fun with you while he chases his tail…” Damien laughed again. “See what I did there? Chases his tail. Your hero’s a wolf with a tail.” He shook his head. “I crack myself up.”
As he rambled on, Purity tried to see where the others stood. They hadn’t tied her up, so they obviously weren’t afraid of her punching her way out of there. There had to be someway she could escape before things became worse.
“He’ll be spinning his wheels, leaving me plenty of time to have a little fun with you,” Damien said. “And I have plans for a lot of fun with you. You did me wrong, Purity, when you ran off with that wolf, and I can’t let you get away with that. Others might think they can get away with it, too, and then I’ll have all kinds of headaches putting everyone back in line.” He shook his head. “No, I can’t allow you to get away with what you did.” He hit his knees with the palms of his hands and shoved himself to his feet. “So, my boys and I are going to make sure you pay for that little rebellion.”
Purity sucked in a breath, clenching her fists around handfuls of dirt and pine needles as she pushed herself to her feet, prepared for the others to knock her back down to the ground. They left her alone, however, so she took another deep breath, bracing herself. Two of the others leaned back on the Buick, arms over their chests as they watched their boss threaten the smaller, weaker girl. The third guy had walked a few feet away to stand near one of the pines that shadowed the ground around them, hands in his pockets, looking bored.
Purity turned back to Damien, hands on his hips as he smirked over at her, a smug expression on his face. He assumed she was no threat, a weakling to his manly brutish demeanor. She bounced softly from foot-to-foot, looking nervous, terrified, but really bracing for what she planned to do next—get the hell out of there.
Damien shook his head. “You shouldn’t have done it,” he told her. “I’m sorry it came to this, Purity, but a price has to be paid. I wish I could tell you it would be quick, but the boys here have a perverted hunger for these type of…”
Purity flung her fists at Damien’s face, opening her hands and sending the dirt, leaves, and twigs at his face. Damien screamed as Purity jerked around and just ran, the sharp bark and twigs stabbing her bare feet as she raced off into the woods. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she noticed the others doing exactly as she assumed they would, racing to their boss rather than chasing after her. That would allow her the time, hopefully, to get lost in the woods. Glancing back around, she darted off between two giant trees, racing off into the forest as she escaped into the mountain.
“Leave me alone!” Damien’s voice reached her as she could imagine him slapping the hands of his men off him. “Go get her, damn it! Bring her back to me, so I can kill her. Break her legs if you have to but get her ass back here.”
Purity continued to run, her heart pounding in her ears. This was her last chance to escape. She grabbed a tree, pulled herself into another direction, leaping over a dip in the ground as she ducked under a low-hanging branch. In the distance, a wolf’s howl echoed off the trees.
Chapter Seventeen
“I think I found her,” Dara said as she stepped out of the motel room, a smoldering bowl in one hand and what looked like an area map in the other she must have ripped from the ancient phone book in the nightstand.
Deacon jerked his attention toward the witch, hope warring with his fear as he crossed over to where she stood. “Where is she?”
The others were quick to join them, Deacon’s father leaning on his cane as he tried to see the paper in Dara’s hand. Deputy Rushton stopped scribbling in his notepad as he pushed himself off his car and moved to where the others stood, his radio squawking with the sheriff department’s chatter.
Dara held the piece of paper out to Deacon, a dark circle drawn over a small area at the base of the mountain on the far side of town, the side in the opposite direction of Summermire. “What the hell? Why are they out there? That’s in the opposite direction of Damien’s club.” Deacon glanced up at Ralph. “What’s in that direction? What’s out there?”
It was Deacon’s father who answered, however. “Nothing but woods and mountain.” He turned his dark eyes to Deacon, his lips pressed into a thin line. “There’s nothing out there but nature. They could hide anywhere.”
Deacon gave a curt nod as he turned back to the paper in Dara’s hand, taking it from her as he studied the dot at the bottom of the mountain. Turning to his father, he said, “Good thing wolves are great at tracking.”
“I’ll get Jag out there,” Deputy Rushton said. “He’s the best tracker the pack has. I’ll also call Elias and Barnett, fill them in on what’s happening.” His expression turned serious. “We’ll find her.” He gave
Deacon a curt nod. “I’ll meet you there.”
Smart man to know Deacon wouldn’t be left behind. Deacon nodded in return and turned to his father. “You stay here with Dara, call...”
“Horse shit,” his father said as he gripped his cane and started for Deacon’s car. “I’m going along as well. Cell service sucks around here, and you know it. The witch should go with us, too. She might come in handy.”
Everyone rushed to their cars, and soon, the parking lot was empty as everyone headed for the edge of town and Purity.
Deacon gripped his steering wheel with white knuckles as he sped behind Deputy Rushton, his gaze fixated on the man’s taillights, the siren lights bouncing off the passing buildings. Dark Moon Falls was a two-lane town that if you blinked you’d miss most of it as you passed through. However, it was filled with great, caring people, such as the ones traveling behind him. Deacon just hoped they arrived there in time. He couldn’t lose someone else, not the same way he lost his sister. He took a deep breath. He had to get there in time.
“She’s a spitfire,” his father said as he leaned forward and looked out the windshield up into the sky. “We only got to talk for a few moments before those bastards broke in and started in on us, but I could tell; that girl really has some spunk.” He glanced over at his son, settling back in his seat. “I like her.”
Deacon blew out a breath. “I like her, too.”
“Oh, this I know.” His father turned back around, his cane resting between his legs as he held onto it with both hands. “She likes you, too. That much was obvious.”
Deacon shook his head. “She’s only known me for a couple of days. I’m sure it’s just the rush of what’s happened.”
“Ha!” His father shook his head. “You act like you don’t know how this whole blasted thing works with our wolves. Trust me, if your animal is already driving you nuts about her—and considering we’re speeding across town to rescue her, I’d say he has—then I’m pretty sure she’s feeling the same thing. Your wolf wouldn’t be drawn to one who wasn’t destined to be drawn to him as well. It just takes the human part of us to figure it out and trust what they’re feeling is real.”
Deacon said nothing as he drove. His anxiety agitated his wolf, making the animal pace within with his own frustration. Neither did anything to help calm the other.
“Where did you meet her?” his father asked, twisting his hands on the handle of his cane.
Deacon smiled as he noticed it, a familiar tick of his father’s when the man felt helpless or impatient, trapped without answers. He did it several times when he tried to figure out how to rescue his daughter. Now, he did it because they couldn’t get where they needed to be fast enough. Again, they were helpless. Deacon squeezed the steering wheel, twisting his hand around the hard plastic wishing it was Damien’s neck in his grip.
“I met her in Summermire,” Deacon said. “At a club.”
His father looked over, cocking an eyebrow at his son. “A club? Like a nightclub? Where the young people go dancing? Aren’t you a little old to be hanging around that sort of crowd?”
Deacon sat up straighter. “I’m not that old, thanks.” He sighed. “And it was Cheaters. She was a dancer there.”
“Oh,” was all his father said.
“What do you mean ‘Oh’?” Deacon shot his father a look, regretting saying anything to him. “People dance all the time.”
His father waved him off. “Relax. I didn’t mean anything by it. I already told you I liked her. She’s a sweet girl.” He nodded. “We’re not exactly a prudish pack, you know. Sex is a natural thing. You know, your mom would do this thing with a feather duster...”
“Stop!” Deacon glanced over at him, his face twisted in disgust. “Just. Stop. I don’t need to hear anything about your and Mom’s freaky side.” He shook his head. Some things a person just couldn’t get out of their mind once the seed was planted. “Why would you even say something like that?”
His father shrugged. “I thought we were having a moment. Shoot me.” He turned back to look out the passenger window, his breathing heavy in the small space of the car. After a couple of silent minutes, he added, “I missed you. I tried calling, but...”
Silence hung in the air between them. Deputy Rushton turned onto one of the back roads leading up into Dark Moon Mountain. They were almost there.
Deacon took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I thought I could make the pain go away, but not even the Army could take that from me. I was ashamed. I couldn’t help her. I should have been there. Mom called me, warned me about what was happening, what Vic was trapped in, but I was too busy to get involved.” He shook his head. “I was such an ass, and Vic paid the price for it.”
The deputy pulled off the side of the road, his lights bouncing off the trees. Deacon pulled in behind him, shoving his car into park before he turned the engine off. He popped his door open, but stopped as his father gripped his arm, forcing him to turn around and face him.
Deacon waited, his wolf antsy to get out there and search for Purity. “Dad...”
“I know, but listen to me,” Cal said. “What happened to your sister isn’t your fault. She wasn’t ready to admit the truth. She had an illness that kept her locked into that abusive relationship. That’s not on you. Not on me. It’s on her and the asshole who killed her. You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened. I had to as well. We’ve still got each other.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s not lose that.” He patted Deacon’s arm. “Now, let’s get that girl of yours.”
Deacon watched as his father opened the passenger door, stepping out into the late-morning sun. Deacon stared at the cane his father left on the seat. “Dad..?”
He sat there a moment, watching as his father shifted, his bones snapping and twisting as he fell to all fours, bright gray fur replacing his clothes. Deacon couldn’t help but smile as he watched his father pad off, his nose to the ground. Shaking his head, Deacon slid out of the car, his wolf already forcing the transformation. As his body fell, paws replacing his hands, he heard his father howl into the morning air just before he darted off, leaping over a fallen tree, its branches stretched into the air.
The others pulled up behind him, car doors popping open as they stepped out into the morning. Dara returned to her bowl, waving her hand over its contents as she closed her eyes and chanted.
Deacon sniffed at the ground, blowing a push of air out of his nose as he shook his body vigorously. When he glanced up, the deputy was on his walkie talkie, calling the sheriff and Jag.
Deacon stared around. This was where Dara said Purity should be, so where was his girl? Where was Purity?
This way, Deacon’s father sent through the mindspeech of the wolves. This is where the witch said she’d be, but we need to get to the back roads deeper in the woods. We parked too close to the main road.
Deacon spun as his father raced off even further, howling into the air. Turning, Deacon noticed the others, Morgan and Logan, shifting as Dara looked at Deacon’s wolf and nodded. “Go,” she said. “Your father’s right. I’ll be right behind you.”
Deacon gave a snort through his nose as he leaped into the air and followed his father. As he jumped over the fallen tree, he heard Purity scream.
Chapter Eighteen
Purity kept running. She could hear the others following after her now, Damien still screaming after them. Grabbing a tree, she ducked behind it, glancing back the way she came to see how much distance lay between her and capture. Her breathing echoed in her ears, her chest heaving with her exertion as she clutched to the tree, the bark digging into her palm. She really wished she had grabbed some real clothes before she opened the door for Deacon’s father. The T-shirt she wore had already been snagged by several passing branches and ripped. If she kept going, she would be naked by the time she managed to escape. Or get captured again.
She had thought they were safe; she had dared to hope, getting lost in Deacon’s soft smile and gentle demeanor. The high f
rom being in his arms all night had blinded her to her need for caution, blinded him as well, it seemed. She hoped his father was all right. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her.
“Purity!” Damien’s voice echoed through the woods. “You’re only succeeding in pissing me off by running away. You know we’ll find you. When I do, I swear, you’ll regret running away again. Why make more trouble for yourself? Come back and maybe I’ll be merciful.”
Bullshit! She pushed off the giant pine and started running again, the sounds of the others closing in, but still not in sight. She jerked her gaze around, wishing she knew where the hell she was. Summermire was a city, not some small backwoods town on the edge of the mountain. She didn’t know how to get around out here, and she desperately needed to get around.
Another wolf sounded off in the distance but closer than last time. She turned, a twig slicing into her foot, and headed in the direction of the wolf’s howl. Yet, in these woods, the sound bounced off the trees and seemed to come from every direction. Purity wasn’t sure if she ran toward the sound as she hoped, but she couldn’t waste time doubting or trying to figure it out. She could only run. Running was her only chance of staying alive. She could only...
Something hit her in the side, knocking her to the ground, a scream ripping from her lips. She hit hard, bouncing once as the man struggled to wrap his arms around her, pinning her to the ground. She couldn’t allow it, couldn’t allow him to still her movements. If she did, she was done for, lost to Damien’s brutality. She struggled, kicking and wiggling, twisting and squirming in the other man’s grasp.
“I got her,” he yelled, and then he cried out as she drove her knee into his groin.
She felt his grip loosen and shoved him off her body as she twisted under him, rushing to her feet. He swiped at her, trying to knock her legs out from under her. She kicked at him, turning and aiming a foot at his head. She feared screaming out for help as the man on the ground had others who were after her. She couldn’t give her location away, not yet, not until she knew help was closer. Instead, she just ran. Again.
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 97
