Fire of the Wolf [The Gray Pack] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (23 page)

“Maybe. Then again, maybe not. I plan on taking my sweet time and having a good fuck either way, but first I think I will fix myself a nice meal. I haven’t eaten lately as I’ve been searching for you, and I will need my energy to make sure I’m the last thing you remember from this life.” He moved off into the kitchen, and Caroline sighed her relief.

Once he was in the kitchen banging around, Caroline took the chance to speak to Tina quietly.

“Tina, if you have a chance, you have to run. Run to the neighbors and have them call 9-1-1, and then call the firehouse. The guys there are friends of Devin and Damon’s. They will be able to get me out of here. This man is an enemy of Devin’s and wants to use me to hurt him. I’m so sorry you got caught up in this,” Caroline whispered as loudly as she dared, and Tina nodded her understanding to Caroline and then twisted her hands in her bonds, trying hard to pull them free. Caroline watched her, praying as hard as she could that the guys would hear her frantic pleas for help and reach them in time.

“Don’t worry so much about me. I’m a survivor, and this punk isn’t going to get an easy ride out of me!” Tina’s eyes flashed fire, and Caroline almost laughed out loud. She looked around to make sure that Barton hadn’t heard them, and then started calling out to the twins in her mind.

* * * *

Devin, help me! Damon, I’m with Barton at Tina’s, please come fast. Please, guys, hear me and help me!

Devin’s heart ached as he heard the pleas faintly in his mind. His mate needed him, and he was still ten minutes away from her.

We’re coming, sugar.

We’re on our way, Caroline!

Devin was relieved to hear Damon’s voice in his mind as well. They were in separate vehicles as Devin had taken off instantly with his only goal being to reach Caroline, and Damon had backtracked a bit to gather reinforcements after Liam called to tell them Barton had her.

He pushed his truck as fast as it would go, and just prayed that no one got into his way. As he whipped the truck into a parking space next to Liam’s at the convenience store, he jumped from it and took off at a run to reach Tina’s house. Liam caught him just before he smashed out into the open in front of the house, and tugged him down behind a parked minivan on the street.

“Damn, that was a fast trip,” Liam said, and the awe in his voice was evident.

“What’s happening?” Devin growled. He could feel his claws breaking through his skin, and his body changing. He couldn’t control it because he was so pissed off and scared.

“I don’t know. He shut the curtains, and I’m afraid he will smell me if I get much closer. Can you tell if she is okay? What do we do?”

“Yes, she is scared, but I think she is okay for the moment. It’s definitely Barton because I can smell his rank ass from here. Damon and the rest of the guys will be in here any second, and I have to get my wolf under control. Give me a minute.” After a few seconds Devin realized that he was feeling his mate’s fear in his mind, and it was keeping him on the brink of changing. He gave up trying to control it and let his claws extend from his skin.

“Dev, I need you to know that my mate is in there, too,” Liam said with barely concealed rage.

“Huh? Your mate?” Devin couldn’t hide his shock.

“I can smell her. I don’t know why she would be in there, but I know she is. I don’t even know who she is!” Liam cracked his knuckles in a frustrated, nervous gesture.

“Okay. We have to focus on getting the women all out safely, and then we will figure it all out. Hold it together for me, man. We can’t all fall apart, those women need us.” Devin’s words seemed to help calm Liam some.

He sighed with a sense of relief when Damon, Cash, Owen, Rafe, and Ryley all bounded up to them. He could see the glow in Damon’s eyes and knew exactly how he felt. Damon was struggling to keep his wolf under control, too. Standing there in midchange, he wanted to make a plan with the men. He had to get his mate out of there safely and end this whole thing once and for all.

“Where is she?” Damon barked.

Liam quickly explained the events of the last thirty minutes, and Damon started forward toward the house. Devin snagged his arm and met his angry gaze with a determined look. His claws were gripping Damon’s wrist, and he could feel the course hair sprouting from Damon’s skin as he fought the change, too.

“Damon. It’s the full moon, and a brand-new wolf is in that house with a madman. She can’t control her change, and the moon is rising. Once it’s up Barton will be surprised to find an angry and scared young wolf on his hands. There are also humans in there that need to be protected as well. We have to have a plan or someone will get hurt.” His words sounded much more calm than he actually felt, but he knew what he was saying was logical.

“Fuck, I forgot about the full moon. She can’t go through this change alone. She will be scared, and stronger than even she realizes.” The pain and fear for his mate was naked in Devin’s eyes, and he looked back and forth between Devin and the house for a moment before he took a deep breath and hung his head. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

* * * *

Caroline could see that Barton was almost finished eating the pork chops he had found in the refrigerator, and he kept leering over at her from where he stood in the kitchen. Her stomach rolled the thought of him touching her. She knew if he came too close to her, she would throw up, and she figured that would really piss him off. She had yet to see him with a weapon, but the baseball bat that he had used on her head earlier still leaned against the wall next to the TV. If only she could reach it in time. Tina now had one hand free, and was working at the knot on the other hand. Caroline tried not to watch her because she was afraid it would draw Barton’s attention and make him look at her more closely. This was their only hope of escape.

She suddenly heard her men in her mind and felt the relief course through her body like a warm caress.

We’re here, beautiful, stay calm.

Thank God! I’m so sorry that I ran away.

Sugar, tell us what’s going on, but don’t look him in the eyes. He is an Alpha, and he will sense that you are communicating with us.

Caroline closed her eyes and let her head fall forward so that her hair covered part of her face. If Barton watched her, she could only hope that he would think she was silently praying, because she was so overcome with fear.

Barton has us both tied to chairs in the dining room. Just inside the front door and to the left. He has been eating something to store up energy he says, before the main event. I think he’s waiting for you guys, hoping you will come to find me, using me as bait. He is in the kitchen which is about fifteen feet farther to the left of us. He is closer to the side door that leads into the laundry room. Tina has one hand free from the ropes, but she can’t get the knot loose on her other arm. I can’t move more than a half an inch. If she can get free, I told her to run to you guys. Please make sure she gets away from him safely. I can’t get out without someone releasing my ropes, and if he releases them, it will only be to kill me. He has made it clear that he intends to hurt you by raping me before he kills me. I would rather die fighting him than let him rape me.

We’re coming, sugar, but you have to stay calm. Listen to me. We are going to surround the house, and then Damon and Liam are coming in the kitchen door while I break through the front door. All of the guys are here, and he doesn’t stand a chance against all of us, but to protect you guys we have to catch him off guard. We won’t let him touch you, but we have to make sure we have a plan so that you won’t get hurt. I want him dead at the end of this.

“What’s your problem, pretty girl?” Barton’s hot breath on her face caused her stomach to heave violently, and she whipped her head up to stare into his ebony eyes. “Shit, you’re talking with your man, huh? So he made it here in time after all. Good, now I know he will hear it when I fuck you.” With that he ripped the rope from her ankles, he moved away from her to avoid her swift kick. His eyes were full of laughter, and pure evil. He was enjoying fighting with her. It seemed to be turning him on. He roughly jerked the rope from her wrists and held them tightly in his own hands as he threw her from the chair to the floor and landed heavily on top of her.

“Come on, pretty girl, let me show you how a real wolf fucks.” She gagged at his words, and had to bite her tongue to keep from vomiting.

The impact of the floor had knocked the wind out of her, and her eyesight blurred for a moment. She felt him pulling her shirt from her body and then heard her bra rip as he threw it away. His disgusting mouth latched violently onto her nipple, and he bit her hard. She screamed and fought with everything in her as he planted his knees between her thighs. He pinned her hands above her head in one hand, while his other hand pulled her jeans down her hips. He had to lift away from her to pull them down her legs, and she took the moment of imbalance to thrust her hips upward, knocking him off of her to the side, and loosening his grip on her hands.

“Fuck you, asshole!” she screamed at him. She rolled quickly to her stomach and felt him heave up on top of her as if he were going to mount her from behind. The fear in her belly exploded when she felt his hard penis touch the back of one of her thighs, and then she felt the strange surge of strength race through her body.

Her bones seemed to unfold painfully as her back arched and her head snapped back. Barton fell from her heavily, and she turned to see what happened. Tina stood over him with the baseball bat, and he was clearly dazed. Caroline laughed inside when she realized that Tina had just beat him with that bat, but her attention was taken up by the pain in her muscles as she felt her body changing shape. Barton now stared at her with wild eyes as he and Tina both watched her shift. Tina’s face was a mask of shock and admiration as she took in her friend’s secret. She seemed to have forgotten the bat in her hands and the devil on the floor for a moment. Caroline knew that she was changing, but having never done it before, she was terrified. Suddenly she was on four paws instead of her hands and knees, and she could feel her anger at the man in front of her gripping her wolf form. She snarled at him, and Barton smiled evilly. He quickly shifted into a huge brown-and-gray wolf. He was baring his teeth at her, and the growl that echoed through him was deep and angry.

Tina made a split-second decision when she realized that Barton wasn’t going to give up on Caroline yet, and she swung her bat at his head. His strong jaws snapped the piece of wood like a matchstick, and he turned back to Caroline. Without a thought to her own safety, Tina jumped on the wolf’s back, drawing his attention back to her. Caroline saw Barton’s teeth graze Tina’s arm as he threw the poor girl off of his back. She hit the wall with a dull thud, and she just lay there, stunned.

Caroline couldn’t stop to check on her because Barton was now stalking toward her. He was the predator, and she was his prey. If she could just slow him down long enough for the guys to get inside. She howled in pain as his huge wolf form suddenly landed on her back and brought her to the floor. She felt his teeth puncture the skin on the back of her neck as he bit into her to hold her still. She fought him, twisting and turning. Shaking her wolf’s body until she worked loose of him, she was able to turn her head enough to bite into his ear. She felt his rage as he smashed her face back into the floor, and then, just as she felt him beginning to mount her in wolf form, Caroline heard loud crashes behind them. Several terrifying growls preceded Barton being lifted free from her prone body.

She rolled to her side and felt the blackness trying to swallow her as pain screamed through her body. Before she passed out, she saw the two huge black wolves tearing Barton into pieces, and Tina trembling in the corner of the room with tears rolling down her cheeks as Liam held her in his arms tightly. Caroline sighed with relief that they were both safe, and let the darkness consume her.

* * * *

Caroline came back to consciousness a little while later, wrapped in a large blanket. Devin pulled her into his arms tightly and held her. “Devin?” she whimpered.

“I’m here, sugar, it’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you anymore. We have you.” He soothed her with his hands, and kissed her head gently as she came back to reality.

“I’m so sorry I ran away from you,” she cried.

“Shh…We can talk more at home. I know why you left, and I understand it. Rest now,” he murmured.

“I thought he was going to kill me!” she exclaimed.

“Not a chance, darling,” Damon whispered into her ear as he kissed her temple and stroked his own hands over her body, trying to soothe her.

She smiled at his words and then sighed, letting herself drift back into oblivion, wrapped tightly in his strong arms.

* * * *

Tina watched as the man kneeling in front of her gently bandage the bite wound on her arm. He was beautiful. He had short black hair and icy-blue eyes that seemed to see more than she wanted him to. The glint of gold in his eyebrow gave him a dangerous look, but his touch was so soft that she felt safe with him. His gaze seemed to burn her skin when he looked at her, and she was having trouble thinking straight. He said that he was a fellow firefighter with Caroline’s boyfriends, and she couldn’t shake off the memory of their first interaction by phone. He had flirted with her then, causing her to blush, and it was damned hard to make her blush.

“Thank you, Liam,” she said to him. He paused, and looked up meeting her eyes.

“You’re welcome. Are you in pain?” he asked. His voice was a deep baritone that rumbled through her, causing her insides to quiver.

“No. Just shaken up a bit. Not every day a girl participates in an epic wolf battle.” She laughed, and stretched her back muscles, trying to ease the ache there. The heat that flared in his eyes as he watched her sinuous moves made her nipples ache. She swallowed hard and squeezed her thighs together.

“We don’t usually allow humans to see us in wolf form, but I guess this falls under collateral damage,” he said, shaking his head and looking back to where he was taping the gauze to her arm.