Alpha Pack 4 - Hunters Heart (26 page)

Frantic, Ryon called on his gift as a Telepath. It was all

he had.
Help me, somebody! Oh, God—

Razor-sharp claws tore into Ryon’s stomach and his

agonized screams joined those of his comrades’. There

was no one to help. Nothing to be done. The creature

jerked him up and tore into his neck with those massive

teeth, blood soaking them both. Dimly, he became aware

of Aric shouting his rage at the beasts.

“Take that, cocksucker!”

As the creature dropped Ryon, he saw the impossible—

Aric unleashed a blast of fire from his palms. The flames

shot out and engulfed one of the beasts, which dropped to

the ground, screeching and writhing as it burned. Aric

torched three more wolves, then more still, until the fire

was depleted. Suddenly the flames died, and one of the

remaining beasts advanced, wearing a sinister expression

that could pass for a grin. Aric faced it head-on, without

flinching.

“Come on, you ugly fucker. Come to papa.”

Whether it understood, Ryon couldn’t have said. But it

ran at Aric, and his friend braced himself. The beast took

him to the ground and his back hit hard as Aric pulled the

pin of a grenade.

The wolf brought its nose to Aric’s, mouth open, fangs

dripping with bloody saliva. Seizing his opening, Aric

rammed his fist down the beast’s throat, pushing his arm

as far as it would go. Immediately, the thing gagged and

jerked backward reflexively, clawing at his shoulder and

arm to dislodge him. Aric scrambled back as far from the

beast as he could.

The grenade detonated, spraying fur, blood, and entrails

everywhere.

Ryon lay there, his lifeblood flowing from his body.

Strange that in this place of soul-searing heat, he could

feel cold.

As his vision faded, his body growing heavy, he heard

Zan move to Aric, begging their friend to hang on. What in

the hell did Zan think he was going to do? Fetch a needle

and thread and stitch their mangled limbs and torsos back

together?

Ryon couldn’t see at all and could barely hear by the

time a hand touched his shoulder.

“Ryon, hang on,” Zan ordered from somewhere far

away. “I’m a Healer, and you’re going to be okay.”

Warmth began to spread throughout his limbs. But

despite his friend’s healing ability, it would be a very,

very long time before any of the survivors of this horror

were all right.

The Christmas reunion that he’d dreamed of, the

promise of which had urged him over every rock and

around every tree in that godforsaken country, never did

happen.

It would be months before he was well enough to learn

that his mom and Lisa had died in a car accident on the

way to the airport. They’d been trying to reach Ryon’s

side.

He was alone in the world, and couldn’t help but think

it would’ve been better if he had died, too.

• • •

“I’m so sorry,” Daria whispered.

Jerked back into the present, Ryon gave her a small

smile. “That was years ago, and Mom and sis would both

kick my ass for thinking like that. It’s what got me

through.”

Scooting close, she cupped his face in her hands. “I

love you, my mate. You’re not alone. Not anymore.”

His breath caught. “You mean that?”

“Yes. More than anything. I know we haven’t been

together long, but I
know
.”

He crushed her to him, pulling her into his lap. “I love

you, too. So much, baby.”

Right there, he peeled away her top. Freed her breasts

and tossed the bra aside. He moaned as she leaned into

him, nibbling his jaw and neck, hands exploring his chest

and stomach.

Her fingers found his pants and freed him. Grasping his

hard, needy flesh, she pumped him slowly, driving him

insane. He growled as she moved off him briefly to rid

herself of her own pants and underwear, but he took the

opportunity to remove his, too. Then she was straddling

his lap facing him, the warmth of her sex nestled against

his throbbing rod.

Her mouth met his in a clash, their desire rising like a

red tide. She smelled so damned good to his wolf, and

when she wiggled on him, he nearly came like a teenager.

Their tongues tangled and tasted, and he moved against

her, making his intent clear.

Reaching between them, she guided the head of his cock

to her entrance, and sank down on his shaft. He closed his

eyes in pure bliss as her heat gripped and stroked his

sensitive cock. The fire built steadily, threatening to send

him over the edge much sooner than he wanted.

But any hope of holding back was lost when she urged,

“Claim me, the way it should have been for us the first

time! Please!”

His fangs lengthened, and with a low, feral snarl he

struck, sinking them into the soft skin of her shoulder. She

cried out as her sweet essence flooded his mouth. So much

more mind-blowing than the bite he’d given her to save

her life. His senses detonated, along with his release.

He shot into her, and his pleasure was increased when

she tightened around him, clinging as she found her climax.

They shuddered together endlessly, breathing hard when

they finally came down from the incredible high.

For a time, he simply held her. Pressed tender kisses to

her neck, lips, everywhere he could reach. Then he gently

sat her aside, cleaned them both as best as he could. Then

he took her inside the tent and spooned her, never wanting

to let go.

Daria loved him.

That was all he needed in this world. At peace, he fell

into a deep sleep.

• • •

A finger of guilt pricked at Daria’s conscience. She loved

him to distraction, and that’s what made her decision so

difficult.

Like his Pack friends, Ryon was stubborn to the core.

Once he’d set his path, there was no straying from it. He

was taking her out of her uncle’s territory, to meet his

team. They would leave here and she would never get

another crack at stopping August’s nefarious practices.

She would be tempted to give up, let the Pack handle

what to do next—if Ryon had never told her the story of

how his team was turned. Everything for the Pack began

there. Because of whoever had made those rogue wolf

shifters, her new friends had suffered. Just as Ben now

suffered because of what her uncle, Bowman, and Malik

had done.

She could not, in good conscience, leave and go on

about her life knowing that August was getting away with

crimes worse than murder. She would not risk him coming

back to haunt her family and friends.

Ryon rolled away from her, grumbled a bit, and fell

silent. Daria’s guilt ate at her conscience long after his

breathing had evened out in sleep.

Long after she left his side and slipped into the night.

Eleven

Ryon’s curse knifed through the pitch-blackness as he

patted the empty place where Daria had been.

Cool to the touch. He raked a hand through his hair in

frustration. How long had she been gone? Five minutes or

five hours? It took a matter of mere seconds to meet with

death in the forest, especially at night.

Sweet Jesus
. Since his wolf’s night vision didn’t work

well unless he was in that form, he fumbled and located

the flashlight he’d brought inside the tent. Because the light

could alert any of August’s goons camped nearby, he’d

saved it for emergency use only. The thought of Daria

stumbling across a band of men armed with assault rifles,

or Ben in his bestial form, more than qualified.

He checked his watch. Half past midnight. She had as

much as two hours on him. When he caught up with her, he

was going to shake her teeth loose. What was she

thinking? She wasn’t, plain and simple. She’d let emotion

overcome good judgment and escalated the danger they

were already in.

Working quickly by flashlight, Ryon broke camp and

tidied the area, making sure that he’d left behind no trace

of their stay. A fleeting worry that she’d come back here to

find him gone niggled at his brain. What if she’d only

stepped away to take care of personal needs? He reached

out through their bond.

Daria?
No answer.

He tried again, waited ten more minutes, then dismissed

the possibility of her absence being temporary. She’d left

with no intention of coming back until she’d returned to

August’s estate and taken care of unfinished business. He

had to give her points for having the temerity to see their

op through. Unfortunately, he had to deduct them for lack

of good sense.

Grinning now, he dug in his pack. His mate wouldn’t get

far, even armed with her own flashlight. Because of his

secret weapon, she’d lose ground fast. He dug some more

and the grin began to fade. No. She couldn’t have—

“Dammit!”

The night vision goggles were gone. They would make

traveling much easier for her. If she had a big head start,

they were in deep trouble. Glancing at the compass on his

watch, he got his bearings.

Ryon gambled that she’d circle around to the north, then

west to stay on the left of August’s goons and keep the

river on her right. Hundreds of miles of untouched forest

spread to the south, so it seemed reasonable that she

wouldn’t take that route.

Unless she’d figured he would see it that way. He

muttered another curse. Christ, what a mess. In the end, he

settled on the northwest route. His gut told him that she

would choose the quickest, safest way to reach her goal.

She wasn’t stubborn enough to risk getting lost just to

throw him off. He hoped.

The trek was slow going. His flashlight, though

powerful, could illuminate only a few feet in front of him

due to the dense tangle of plants that served as a barrier

between him and what might be waiting beyond them. The

world ended in darkness five feet in front of his body and

slid at his back. It was a creepy sensation he could’ve

done without. Even his wolf whined.

Ryon pushed on until daybreak. By then he worried that

the security force had found her, or he’d missed her

altogether. If August hurt her, Ryon would take the man to

hell with him. His sharpened eyesight and smell had

picked up a faint trail , but what if he was too late? Three

hours past sunrise, fear had replaced worry. Without the

cloak of night to hamper his tracking, he should’ve run her

down by now.

What if
thrummed in his brain. His nighttime jaunt had

left him tired and desperate. Stopping for a drink and to

decide where to go next, he was reaching into his pack

when he saw it.

There, hardly visible through the trees. A sliver of

black T-shirt and long black hair.

Daria sat on a rotten log not twenty yards from where he

stood, his night vision goggles resting beside her. She was

so perfectly still on her perch, she had to have heard him

approaching. The woman had planned on letting him

march right by! His rare temper exploded. He stomped

through the trees toward her, thinking it odd that she didn’t

turn around.

“That’s right, it won’t do you any good to run!” he

yelled. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t handcuff us together,

mate
.”

Daria didn’t react. Ryon stepped over the log,

continuing his tirade and reaching out to grab her arm at

the same time.

“Jesus Christ, do you have any idea how stupid—”

“Snake,” she whispered.

Ryon’s hand—and his blood—froze. Her brown eyes

were wide with terror, her face ashen. He didn’t move and

for a few seconds, didn’t breathe.
Calm, stay calm.

“Where?” He had to strain to hear her answer.

“In my shirt.”

Son of a bitch.

“Front or back?”

“Front. I think it’s asleep.”

He studied the front of her shirt and noted the barely

perceptible bulge at her stomach. The snake must be small,

but in nature, a creature’s size didn’t matter at all. In fact,

the smaller the animal the more venomous nature seemed

to have made it in compensation. Even her wolf might not

be able to recover from the poison.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, keeping his tone soft and

even.

Ryon straightened and backed away, making as little

noise as possible. Her eyes locked with his, frightened

and beseeching. God, he might’ve startled the thing into

biting her if he’d jerked her arm. He berated himself for an

idiot. He should have known better when he’d seen her

frozen like a statue.

He retrieved his pack and returned to stand behind her,

agonizing over what to do. They couldn’t wait out the

serpent, that much was obvious. It had found a nice, comfy

nest to sleep away the day and most likely wouldn’t move

again until nightfall. Daria would pass out first, either

from exhaustion or fright.