Dancer's Heart (13 page)

Acksel growled darkly. “We need to reach out
to the police and find out if they know of any groups in the area
who might be inclined to traffic in shifters.”

“A better idea is to find my dad and figure
out what the hell he did to my mate,” Adam growled.

“Let’s find your dad and ask him a few
questions.” Acksel cracked his knuckles, and the males around him
readied to leave. Adam was grateful for his pack’s help.

“Thank you,” he said, emotion welling inside
him.

Acksel shook his head. “Thank me when she’s
safe. This is what the pack does. Rank doesn’t matter when lives
are on the line.”

Vehicles appeared in front of the house as
Adam dialed his grandmother’s number. He hadn’t spoken to her in
years. After his dad had run down to their pack to escape the
bookies, Adam had declined to continue being a part of their
family. They had always given into his dad’s whims and bailed him
out when he was in trouble. He wasn’t sure why he thought they’d
help him, but it was worth a try for Dani’s sake.

“Grandma, it’s Adam. I need your help.”

* * * * *

Dani kicked at the gate to the stall. It
rattled on its hinges but didn’t open. She kicked again and again,
until her hoof broke one of the slats and her skin scraped on the
jagged pieces. She winced, extracting her foot and scenting blood.
Hours had passed since she’d woken. Whatever drugs had been in her
system had taken ages to leave. She wasn’t sure where she was or
how long she’d been gone, but she could see sunlight around the
edges of the barn door.

The other stalls were empty, except for one
reindeer who met Dani’s gaze and subtly shook its head. She didn’t
know if the reindeer was a shifter or if she’d imagined the
head-shake, but real or imagined, she decided to take its advice
and settle down.

The barn doors opened and two men strode in.
One of them carried a harness.

“What’s this?” the first one asked, bending
over and picking up the broken slat. He gave her a dark look, and
she recognized his voice as belonging to the man who’d kicked her
when she was paralyzed. “Feeling feisty, bitch? Maybe you need
another dose of drugs.”

“She’s not going anywhere,” the scarred man
said, hefting the harness over the wall of the stall and dropping
it to the straw. He reached over the wall and grabbed the collar
around her neck, jerking her forward. The metal spikes dug into her
flesh, and she screamed, the sound coming out like a bellow. “The
collar is electric. If you leave the barn, you’ll be shocked so
badly your skin will burn and it will knock you out.” He pulled her
forward roughly until his lips were by her ears. “You will do as I
say or you will suffer. The buyers don’t want you harmed, but I’ll
do what I have to do to get you to them.”

He released her with a shove, and she
stumbled back a few steps. “You’re not going to give us anymore
problems, are you?” the other man asked as he put his hand on the
gate.

She shook her head and lowered it. She’d have
to think of something else. If the collar was a shock collar, than
maybe she could find a way to disable it. Her mind spun with
possibilities as the gate opened, just far enough for the man to
enter, and swung shut with a clang behind him. He buckled the
harness on her, strapping it tightly around her torso until she
made a pained sound. He chuckled, slapped her on the rump and said,
“Be nice and I’ll give you a carrot.”

“Is that what you call your dick now?” the
scarred one asked as he let the other man out of the stall.

“Fuck you.”

“We’ll be back in ten minutes to put you in
the truck. Try anything funny and we’ll find out how loud reindeer
can scream when they’re being tortured,” the scarred man said. Dani
had no doubt from the hard look in his eyes that he knew exactly
what reindeer sounded like when they were hurt, because he’d done
it before and would do it again.

The harness was uncomfortably tight. Dani
rubbed against the wall of her stall, trying to dislodge the
buckle, but it didn’t budge. She tried to grab the collar with her
teeth, but it was too far up her throat for her to even touch the
edge of it. The ten minutes slipped by quickly, and at the end of
them the back of the barn opened, two huge doors swinging outward.
A beeping noise sounded as a horse trailer backed up into the barn
and stopped. Seven men came into the barn from the front doors. Two
had cattle prods, and moved to stand at either end of the barn
where the doors were. One moved to the stall with the reindeer who
had shaken its head at Dani, and pulled it out, leading it to the
trailer.

Richard Cruz stopped in front of Dani’s
stall. His eyes were bloodshot, and the whiskey and body odor scent
of him was almost enough to make her throw up. He was holding one
shoulder as if it was injured.

He sniffed. “If your mate had given me money
when I asked, you wouldn’t be here. This isn’t my fault, it’s
his.”

Dani lunged, snapping her teeth at Richard
and nearly taking his nose off. He stumbled back with a shout,
falling to the ground and scrambling away as the others laughed at
him.

“She’s crazy,” Richard said, climbing slowly
to his feet.

“They all are at first. She’ll settle down,”
the scarred one said. “If she doesn’t, there are drugs that will
settle her down just fine.”

Another man moved in front of Dani and hooked
a lead onto her bridle. He opened the gate and gave a hard tug on
the lead, and she followed him out of the stall, toward the
trailer. As she was led to the trailer, she watched as the other
reindeer, wearing a collar similar to Dani’s, was pushed up a ramp
into it.

Dani inhaled quietly, sorting through the
scents around her and picking up a sweet burst of peppermint that
told her the other reindeer was a shifter. The reindeer was small
like her, so she figured she must be a female or a young male.
She’d seen pictures of bucks, and they were normally quite big.
Dani wanted to cry. She’d finally met another reindeer, and it was
because they were both being kept prisoner.

The lights went out suddenly, plunging the
barn into complete darkness. The men shouted, and there was a rush
of wind as people moved around her. The man holding her lead made a
pained sound, followed by a thud. Dani scented the air and found
the smell of peppermint was much stronger now.

Screams and shouts surrounded her. Dani kept
perfectly still, afraid to move in case she got in the way. The
peppermint scent had to mean more reindeer. But how had they found
her?

She stood frozen for what felt like an
eternity until the lights came on. She blinked as her eyes adjusted
to the brightness and found herself in the company of a dozen
males, all wearing black. They were huge, tall and broad, wearing
tactical gear with weapons strapped to their bodies.

In front of her, a large male stood in the
trailer and carefully undid the collar around the reindeer’s neck,
speaking softly. He met Dani’s gaze, his eyes glistening with
tears.

“I think she’s one of us,” a male said as he
came to stand in front of Dani. “The collar’s like Tesli’s.”

“Get it the fuck off her,” the male said
gruffly as he threw the collar away and the reindeer began to
shift. He removed his vest and shirt, covering the shifting
woman.

Dani really did want to cry now as the male
in front of her undid the collar. It tightened only briefly before
loosening completely, and he carefully lifted it from her. She was
so happy she could have jumped for joy, but she wanted to shift and
find a phone so she could call Adam. She hoped he was okay. She
didn’t know what she’d do if he was hurt…or worse. Shoving those
dark thoughts away from her mind, she waited until the harness was
off her and then let go of her shift.

A warm shirt was laid over her shoulders as
she crouched on the ground, and she looked up at the male who had
unhooked her collar. “Thank you.”

She saw a large tattoo of a reindeer over his
pec and an oval symbol on his left bicep. He offered her his hand
and she took it, standing slowly and slipping her arms into the
shirt so she could cover herself completely.

“What’s your name?” he asked, his brows
drawn.

“Dancer.”

“Are you kidding me? Who named you after one
of the myths?” another male asked, coming to stand next to the one
who had helped her.

“My parents,” she said, frowning. “My herd
was killed by natural coyotes when I was a child. I was taken in by
a bear sleuth and raised. My adopted name is Grayson, but my real
last name is Hayvlin.”

The male who had helped the other female
growled. “All this reclusive bullshit is why our people are dying
out.”

“Now is
not
the time,” the man nearest
her said. “My name is Trey, Dancer. Our leader is outside closing
this fucking place down for good. Is there someone you can call, or
are you alone?”

“I have a mate,” she said, breathing a sigh
of relief.

He smiled and took his phone out of a vest
pocket. “Here you go. Tell him that we’ll stay with you until he
comes. We’re in Crowley. Where do you live with your mate?”

“Wilde Creek.”

One of the males whistled. “That’s about two
hours from here. How the hell did you get here?”

“I was kidnapped. They drugged me when I was
in our backyard; I have no idea why they took me.”

“We’ll find out from these scumbags for sure,
but it’s our belief that our sister and you were taken because
reindeer are unique – especially females, who are born less
frequently than males. There are evil people in this world who
would kidnap and sell a female reindeer to any number of sick
weirdoes out there.”

She shivered at the thought of being sold off
because she was a reindeer, and dialed Adam’s cell. She stared at
the center of the barn, where most of the kidnappers who had been
putting her and Tesli into the trailer were piled on top of each
other, bloody and unmoving. “Are they dead?” she asked Trey.

“Yeah. There is one human who is still alive,
so we can get answers from him.”

“Good.” She could see Adam’s dad among the
dead. She turned her back on the scene when Adam’s voice came over
the line. She was so relieved to hear his voice that she started to
cry.

“Dani? Dani! Are you okay?” he demanded, his
voice a low growl.

She tried to answer, but she couldn’t stop
crying. Trey took the phone from her and said, “My name is Trey
Parks. My herd rescued Dani from the Little Lambs Petting Zoo in
Crowley. She’s safe, and we’re securing the park. How soon can you
get here?”

Adam answered as Dani struggled to get her
emotions under control.

“Okay. Yes, she’s okay. We found her when we
were searching for our king’s sister. We’ll keep her safe until
you’re here.”

Trey held out the phone to Dani and she
accepted it, taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm down.
“Adam?”

“Sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. We’ll be there in less
than two hours. Hold tight.”

“Hurry,” she said. She clutched the phone,
her knuckles cracking with the pressure.

“I will,” he promised.

The call ended, and she forced herself to let
go of the phone. “Thank you.”

Tesli came over, her arm around the waist of
the male who had set her free. “This is my brother, Liam. Are you
hurt? Do you need medical attention?”

“I’m okay.” She looked at the male with his
arm around Tesli. “You’re the king of the herd?”

“I’m his younger brother. Dragos is outside
securing the park. The owners are about to lose their investment in
this fucking place.”

“You curse too much,” Tesli said.

He kissed the top of her head. “Can’t help
it. I’m happy to have my baby sister back.” He eyed Dani. “Did I
hear right? Were you really orphaned as a kid?”

She nodded. “My adopted mom kept trying to
find a herd. It wasn’t until recently that she actually found one,
through a private detective. I was on the way to meet them when I
found my truemate.”

“Wilde Creek is wolf territory, so I’m
guessing your mate’s a wolf?” Liam asked.

Dani bristled. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

“Whoa, calm down, Dancer, it’s fine. Finding
a mate is a good thing, regardless of whether they shift or not, or
what they shift into.”

A hush fell over the barn as a huge male
walked inside. He wore the same black military garb as the others,
but he clearly was an important male.

“Tes,” he said as she ran to him and he
folded her into his embrace. “Are you well?”

“I am now. How long was I gone? The days and
nights blended together, and they kept me drugged up for what felt
like a long time.”

“Nearly a week. Last night we caught a break
in the search. Did they…harm you?”

“No,” she said. “They kept me in my shift and
made me wear a really nasty collar that kept me from shifting into
my human form. Remember when we were kids and Mom and Dad talked
about microchipping us in case we were ever kidnapped? I vote we do
that now.”

Dragos smiled. “Whatever my sister wants.” He
looked at Dani. “I’m Dragos, king of the herd. I understand you’re
waiting for your mate. How long have you been here?”

“They came for me on the full moon, I think
that was just last night.”

“It was,” he said. “Let’s get you the fuck
out of the barn. My men will find out what the human has to say
about your kidnappings. I think we can find some clothes in the
storage unit, and we’ll wait for your mate in the main office.”

“Let me carry you,” Trey offered. “You’re
barefoot and it’s freezing.”

Dani accepted. Trey lifted her into his arms
and carried her, falling into step behind Dragos, who carried his
sister, and the other males. After stopping in the storage building
and donning janitorial uniforms with cartoon lambs on the back,
they sat down in the main office and waited for Adam.