A Wolf's Pride (57 page)

The long day
had been testing and combined with the lack of sleep she’d gotten
last night, she was exhausted. She slipped off her jumper, throwing
it away uncaringly. She wasn’t planning to be there longer than a
day, it made no sense to try and keep the room neat. She continued
stripping, moving closer and closer to the bed, desperate for
sleep. She needed to be alert for Ryan’s escape and a lack of sleep
tended to make her irritable. She collapsed on the bed, dressed
only in her underwear, her eyes wandering over to the chest of
drawers, debating whether or not she truly needed to don a shirt to
sleep in. Fatigue won out and her eyes began to slide shut,
preparing to sleep. The sound of gunfire slowly began to wind its
way into her mind, quickly followed by agonised screams and she
knew without a shadow of a doubt that Tobias was here. She groaned
in frustration, levering herself back off the bed, she hadn’t even
gotten a few minutes of shut eye.

She dressed
quickly, reclaiming her formerly discarded clothes and as she
moved, energy began to fill her giving strength to her exhausted
body. Tobias was here. Ryan was about to be saved. She took a deep
breath, calming herself before pulling against the door handle,
relieved when it opened easily beneath her grip. In the afternoon,
it had dawned on her that her family might lock her in at night to
prevent her from seeing the true nature of their business. She
hadn’t tried it the night before, the only one where she’d been
conscious, and was infinitely relieved to find her fears had been
ungrounded. If the door had been locked she would have been forced
to resort to climbing out of the window, which wasn’t a very
appealing idea when bullets were flying all around the
building.

The halls
were manic, a stark contrast to the military order that they had
been in earlier that day. The men that mere hours ago had seemed
almost glued in place were now running frantically down the
corridors towards what she presumed was the exit. Some were
shouting orders, others rushing to comply, arming themselves as
they went by. With the maelstrom of activity that Tobias and the
werewolves were causing, no one noticed the small woman as she
slipped out of her room and mingled into their ranks. She ran down
the hall in what she hoped was the right direction. Her heart was
racing, terror running through her veins. She was afraid of being
caught, afraid that Ryan was going to be too hurt to move and
terrified that if either happened, they would never
escape.

She ran the
length of the hall, desperately searching for a flight of stairs.
There was no one to ask for directions and no one she would have
wanted to talk to anyway so she was reliant on her own instincts.
The number of people in the halls thinned as she moved forward, she
had to be in the right place. Anxiety was clouding her thoughts
making her less able to think logically, instinct was driving her
now. She had to get to her mate. The adrenaline in her system was
beginning to wane by the time she finally came across a flight of
stairs but as soon as she saw it, the powerful rush flooded her
system once more and she raced down them. When she emerged on the
other side, she was in a completely empty hallway but she knew that
Ryan was there, she could feel him. Her pace was hectic as she
pulled open the various doors that lined the corridor, screaming
his name as she went. No one was down here to hear her so the level
of noise she made was unimportant.

The sound of
a low growl made its way to her ears and Chloe rushed towards it
headlong, throwing the door open when she was near to it. The room
was empty apart from Ryan and she breathed a sigh of relief. If
someone else had been in the room, guarding him, their escape might
have been foiled before it could truly begin. Their eyes locked,
brown with violet, and her fatigue seemed to melt away.

“
Ryan,” she
whispered, rushing to his side.

His body was
covered in dried blood, knives still littering his tall frame but
he was smiling, despite the burning it caused from the bar in his
mouth. She pulled it from his mouth unceremoniously, eager to have
him free.

“
Ryan are you
okay? I heard you screaming last night.” Tears were beginning to
fill her eyes.

“
I’m fine,” he
reassured. “I just wanted your father to think that he’d made
progress in his interrogation. Please don’t cry over me angel, I’m
not worth it.”

She sniffed,
struggling to keep the tears at bay. “The key, did you find out
where he put it?”

“
Over there.”
His head jerked in the direction of a small desk. “It should be in
the top drawer.”

“
Okay. Just
stay here.”

“
It’s not as
though I can go anywhere else,” he chuckled.

His laughter
seemed so out of place in this place of horror but it brought a
corresponding smile to Chloe’s face as she opened the drawer. She
rummaged through its contents finding several keys before rushing
to Ryan’s side. Her hands shook as she tried each key in turn,
discarding them if they didn’t fit.

“
It’s okay
love, take deep breaths, stay calm.”

“
I don’t
understand what’s wrong with you and Tobias, you’re getting
tortured and you seem so calm about it.”

“
Why wouldn’t I
be calm? As long as you’re safe, I’ve got nothing to worry
about.”

“
Would it
really kill you to think about your health and safety a little
more? Aargh, I don’t even know why I bother, I should just leave
you here, maybe it’ll knock some sense into you.”

The key
turned in the lock and the shackle came loose. Ryan lifted his arm
and cupped her cheek, desperate to touch her now that he was even
slightly free. “You wouldn’t leave me here Chloe, you love me too
much to do that. You’d miss me.” Her eyes closed, savouring the
feel of his skin against hers. “I love you angel.”

He hadn’t
said much but the sincerity in those few words brought a tear to
her eye, her heart clenching as emotion began to well within her.
“I love you too. Now, come on,” she began, shaking her head
slightly in an attempt to clear her thoughts. This wasn’t the time
or place for tender words; those could wait until Ryan was free.
“Let’s get the rest of these off and then we can get you can get
out of here.”

She moved
around the table quickly, unlocking the shackles and removing the
poisonous metal from his skin. As soon as he was free, Ryan sat up,
stretching to dislodge the aches and pains that were an inevitable
consequence of staying in one place for a prolonged period of time.
The knives embedded in his body were the next item on his to do
list but his gaze was drawn to Chloe. She was worried about him,
the disconcerting scent pouring from her body in waves. Her
knuckles were white from strain and she was biting her lower lip so
hard that he feared she would soon break the skin.

“
Chloe.” Her
eyes met his. “I’m going to stand up now.” His words were quiet,
his voice calm as though he were speaking to a frightened child.
“There’s going to be a lot of blood spilt.” She whimpered, bringing
a knuckle to her mouth and biting hard against the fresh skin.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine as soon as I get these knives out.
There’s no need to worry.”

She nodded
slowly, reluctantly, and he stood up, taking a deep breath to brace
himself against the inevitable onslaught of pain. Chloe was worried
about him; he couldn’t let her think she was right to be. He
stifled a wince as the knives littered over his body shifted,
cutting flesh anew, before beginning the arduous process of freeing
himself. His hands wrapped around a handle lodged in his arm and he
smiled as his skin met leather bindings and not more silver. His
grip tightened for a moment before he pulled hard. The blood from
the freshly opened wound ran freely down his arm but he breathed a
sigh of relief. Already he could feel his strength returning to
him. The knife clattered uselessly to the ground and he reached for
another, this time lodged into his thigh. That blade was also
pulled free before swiftly being discarded. More strength filled
him. He repeated the process, alternating between his legs and
arms, until all the blades had been ripped from his body. Nearly
his entire body was covered in quickly drying blood, he looked like
a mauled victim from some sort of horror film and yet he stood,
grinning as though he were the luckiest man alive.

“
Are you okay?”
Chloe asked concerned, her wide eyes glued to the numerous wounds
that covered his body.

He laughed.
“I’m fine. I’ve been through worse. You know I’ve been through
worse.”

“
Yes, but it
doesn’t mean that I have to like it. I hate it when you get
hurt.”

Then she
won’t like what I’m going to do now.

She doesn’t
have to know,
his wolf began,
it would be too dangerous for her anyway, she
could get hurt.

You’re
right.

Protect her
Ryan. Kill them, but protect her.
He looked
at her, remembering her reaction to Lucinda's death. There were
going to be many more like that tonight, she didn’t need to be
contaminated by the darker side of his nature. She looked so out of
place in this place of horror and death, her innocence stunningly
apparent. She had been well protected from the brutal elements of
the world, for that he was thankful towards her family and he
intended to continue the tradition. He wanted to pull her body
close, kiss her senseless within the protection of his arms but he
was too aware of the blood that covered him, the healing blisters
around his mouth. He sighed sadly, “Angel, I have to
go.”

“
I know, we
have to escape.”

“
No, I have to
go alone. You have to stay here until I come back for you. It’s
safe here.”

“
No it’s not.
I’ll only be safe if I stay with you.”

Her confidence
in him was empowering, pride welling up within him but it didn’t
change the fact that she couldn’t come out with him. “I’m going
straight into the thick of danger it won’t be safe for you to come
with me.”
I don’t want you to see me like
that. Surrounded by the dead bodies of the men I’ve killed, covered
in blood that isn’t mine.
“Trust me it’s
best if you stay here.”

“
And what if a
wolf comes in and thinks I’m one of them? A hunter? How safe would
I be then?”

“
I’ve claimed
you now angel,” he growled, stepping closer towards her. The very
thought that someone would dare hurt her was making his blood boil,
his injuries heal faster as the instinct rose within him,
determined to protect her. “My scent is all over you. A wolf would
have to be suicidal to try and hurt you now, they know I’d come
after them and –”

“
Tear their
head off while feeding them their intestines or something. I know
Ryan, I know.”

“
I’m not going
to change my mind about this.”

“
I know that
too,” she sighed softly.

“
Will you wait
for me?”

“
That
depends.”

“
On
what?”

“
Will you try
not to let yourself get anymore hurt than you already
are?”

“
I’ll do my
best Chloe, that’s all I can say. You know I can’t lie and give you
the pretty words that would reassure you.”

“
There aren’t
any lies or secrets between mates. I know that as well. Hurry back
Ryan. I just want to go home.”

“
I’ll be back
as quickly as I can angel. Just stay safe for me okay?”

She nodded
and he turned as if to leave but she stopped him, grabbing his hand
uncaring of the blood drying on his fingers. The force of her sharp
tug spun him round and before he knew what was going on, she was in
his arms, her lips pressed against his, kissing him as though she
would never see him again. The few sores that remained healed
quickly now that Chloe was kissing him, the instinct diverting
healing resources to what was now most important. He responded to
her kiss with an equal passion, pulling her body tight against his,
wrapping his tongue around hers and kissing her until she was
breathless, gasping for air.

“
Ryan,” she
panted, desperately wishing that they had more time than this
stolen moment in hell.

He pulled
back, resting his head against hers, drawing strength from her
presence. A cornered animal was a dangerous thing. A wolf
protecting his mate was even more so. Already he could feel
elements of the change washing over him, amber eyes, tense muscles,
the beginnings of fangs and claws. He needed to be out there, in
the thick of things protecting his mate personally. “I’ve got to go
angel.”

“
I know.” Her
grip on him tightened momentarily before she released him and
stepped back.

He was gone
in the blink of an eye, one moment he was there, the next there was
only empty air in the space that he’d stood in.

“
Hurry back
Ryan.” She’d whispered the words, but in her heart, she knew he’d
heard her. He’d be back for her; he would always make his way back
to her.

Chapter Forty
Nine

The sounds
and sights of battle raged on outside the widow Chloe stood in
front of and her heart ached because if it. She could distantly
hear the sounds of gunfire, howls of anger and rage, orders being
shouted, men screaming as they took their last breath, the list was
endless. Though she wanted to put her hands over her ears, close
her eyes and pretend it wasn’t happening, she was compelled to
watch. Her future depended on the outcome of this battle. Although
they weren’t nearby, Chloe could see her family, her father and
brothers, fighting tirelessly. They shot with deadly, practised
aim, her father issuing commands, her brothers working seamlessly
as a single unit, to fulfil his wishes. Wolves surrounded them and
the many other men gathered and she knew without him having said a
word that Ryan was moving towards them, dispatching any who stood
in his way. She was torn. No matter who won, she lost. If her
family came out victorious, she would be without a mate and she
loved him too much not to have him. If Ryan and the wolves were
triumphant, she’d lose the family that had supported her for her
entire life. She groaned, her mind reeling, closed her eyes and
leaned her had against the cold glass.