Jodi_ByTheLight (3 page)

He sucked in a deep breath. It wasn’t that easy. He was outnumbered and couldn’t risk her safety.

Damon followed Carl into the warehouse and scanned the darkened room. The rest of the Pack hurried in behind them, cursing and shoving their way inside as their stench filled the room. He focused his gaze on a covered object in the middle of the room.

Ava.

Someone flipped a switch, bathing the room in blinding floodlights. Everyone let out a string of profanities and covered their eyes.

“Bubba, you dumb fuck, turn that shit off,” Carl bellowed.

Damon slipped his glasses on and blinked, allowing his eyes to adjust. Bubba staggered to the wall and attempted to flip the switch with one hand while shielding his eyes with the other.

“Sorry, boss. I thought you wanted her lit up real pretty, you know like one of them game shows where they show off the prizes.” Bubba patted his hand along the wall, feeling for the switch like a blind man.

“That’s what wrong with you, Bubba. You think too damn much.” Carl made his way over to the wall, slapped Bubba across the head, and cut the lights.

Under the blanket of darkness, Damon’s hand brushed the cool metal of his gun. His fingertips itched to clasp it and put a bullet in every wolf’s head. The urge to tear these wolves apart by hand coursed through his heated veins, but he knew he was racing against the clock. He had to grab Ava and get the fuck out of there, even if that meant using his Sig Sauer.

“All right boys, I know you’ve all been dying to meet our new female.” Carl stopped beside the covered object as someone passed him a lantern.

“Boys, meet our newest bitch.” Carl grabbed a handful of canvas and pulled.

Damon stepped forward as his stomach lurched.

Ava, clothed in only her black bra and panties, was gagged and tied down to a doctor’s exam table. Her black hair clung to her dirt-streaked face, and her green-eyed gaze flashed around the room in fear. But that’s not what made him sick.

Her feet were up in stirrups, her legs restrained with ropes, spread open for every male’s viewing pleasure.

The group of werewolves edged closer and the hum of panting drifted through the room. Their nostrils flared as they caught her feminine scent. Growls erupted around the room and one by one they shifted into wolf, their urge to mate too great to control.

“That’s it, boys; get a good look. In a few more days this one will be all hot and ready for you.” Carl’s lips curved into a sadistic grin as he held up a syringe. “Once she gets this, she’ll be begging for it.”

The scent of testosterone surged to a lethal level within the tin walls. There was no way in hell these assholes were going to wait a week to have Ava. They wanted her now.

He fingered the remote device inside his jacket. It was time for a distraction.

The wolves edged closer, crowding Damon. He stuck his foot out and the guy closest to him tripped, tumbling into the next wolf, setting off a domino effect. Two wolves growled and snapped their elongated teeth. They bowed up and circled each other as they shifted back into their naked human form. The rest of the wolves shifted into human form, eager to watch the fight. A punch was thrown, and an unruly brawl ensued.

This was his chance.

Damon pressed the button.

A deafening explosion rattled the walls of the warehouse and shattered the window. Shards of glass rained down as the rabble members fell to their knees.

Damon strode to Ava’s side as the Pack scrambled like ants out of the warehouse.

He reached for his knife. Ava’s eyes widened as she tried to scoot away from him.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Ava.” He shoved his sunglasses up on his head and made eye contact. Her gaze landed on the scar on his left cheek. His disfigurement certainly didn’t make him look less intimidating. He knew that for a fact.

“I’m going to cut you lose and get you out of here, okay?” He held his hands up and waited for her permission.

She nodded once.

He untied the gag from her mouth and made quick work of the thick ropes. Freed, she scrambled off the table.

“Who the hell are you?” She snatched a shard of broken glass from the ground and held the weapon out in front of her.

“I’m Damon. I’m here to get you out.”

“How do I know you’re not one of them?” She jerked her head toward the empty doorway, but her gaze remained on him.

“Trust me, I’m nothing like them.” He slipped the knife back in his boot and stood. “Ava, we can’t stay here. I need to get you out before they come back.” He held out his hand, hoping she’d take it.

If not, he wouldn’t give her a choice.

He’d just throw her over his shoulder and haul ass.

Chapter Two

Ava’s heart beat against her chest like hummingbird wings. She couldn’t take her eyes off the large man dressed in black. His dark hair trailed out from a black and red skull bandana and brushed his broad shoulders. His eyes, the color of a tumultuous ocean, were hard and unflinching. An angry scar ran from his cheek to his jaw line, the only blemish on his good looks, making him look even more sinister.

Damon looked more like the devil than her rescuer.

Unlike the others, he hadn’t made a move to touch her.

And unlike the others, he hadn’t done the whole freaky, change-into-a-wolf thing. That was a definite plus.

A shaky laugh erupted from the back of her tight throat. Surely that really hadn’t happened. People did not change into animals. Not in the real world. She must be hallucinating from whatever drug they’d given her.

One thing was certain. If she stayed here, they’d rape her and then kill her when they were done.

“It seems I’m low on options.” Ava placed her small hand in the heat of his palm.

His gaze drifted down to her panties. Her body heated with humiliation. She snatched her hand away and attempted to cover herself with her hands.

“Put this on.” He scowled and shrugged out of his leather jacket as he averted his gaze. He shoved the jacket into her hands.

“Who are you?” She stuck her arms into the warm jacket and wrapped it around her body. It smelled like sandalwood and leather. He didn’t stink like the other men.

She cringed. Between being sick to her stomach, and sweating in fear as she was tied up like an animal, she probably didn’t smell any better than her kidnappers. Damon might not want his jacket back if she ruined it with her not-so-fresh scent.

“I’m Damon Trahan. I’ve been sent to bring you back home.”

“Thank, God.” The police in Arkansas were really on the ball. She was definitely sending in a donation to their charity this year instead of hanging up on them when they called.

He lowered his gaze to her bare feet. “Where are your shoes?”

“That asshole took them when he strapped me down.” Ava glared and pulled the jacket tighter around her.

A muscle twitched in Damon’s cheek, yet he said nothing. He headed for the door and peered out. “Fuck.”

“What?” She winced as she hurried to his side, trying to ignore the tiny shard of glass that found its way into the bottom of her foot. She grabbed his arm for balance and dug out the sliver.

He stepped away and snarled. “We’ve got to go. They’re making their way back.”

“Then, let’s go.”

“They’re blocking the road. Our only way out is through the woods. And you don’t have any shoes.”

“I don’t care. I’d rather have bloody feet than stay here and let them touch me.” She lifted her chin. She would not stay here. No way. No how.

“Just keep up,” he growled and grabbed her hand. They ran out of the building, past the frantic men who scrambled to put out the raging blaze with coolers of ice. Damon ran, pulling her along as he hurried toward the forest. She stumbled as she fought to keep up with his long stride. Chaos ruled the camp, but luckily no one paid attention to them. When they reached the protective cover of the tree line, Damon stopped and cast a glance at the camp.

Ava jerked her hand free from his hard grasp. She sure as hell wasn’t going to wait around and give those freaks another chance to capture her.

She pushed past him and ran deeper into the forest. Briars and underbrush tore at her feet and legs like a thousand needles. She clenched her teeth and pushed down the pain. Escape was all that mattered. Bloody feet would heal. She would not, if she didn’t escape.

Swamped in darkness, she held her hands out to keep from slamming, face-first, into a tree. Damon’s curses echoed behind her, and then suddenly he was running beside her.

“How much farther?” She slammed hard into the bark of a tree, stumbling backward. He caught her before she landed on her ass.

“Watch where you’re going.” He steadied her and then shoved her forward.

She made it three steps and smacked into another tree. This time, her ass hit the ground hard.

“Can’t you pay attention?” Grabbing her under her arms, he pulled her up to her feet. Despite the dark, she could imagine the impatient scowl stretching across his face.

“I can’t see in the dark, you asshole.” Flushed with anger, she curled her hands into fists.

“What do you mean you can’t see in the dark? Of course you can see.” He gave her another shove forward.

She spun around. “Shove me again and I’m going to punch you in the balls. I told you, I can’t see in the dark. What the hell do you think I am? A bat?”

“No, a wolf.”

***

The words died on Damon’s lips as he stared at Ava through the thick darkness. How could she not know she was a wolf?

How could that be? Hell, he could smell her five miles away. Ava’s heady scent was all wolf.

Frenzied howls of the wolf Pack erupted, raising the alarm that Ava had escaped. They needed to go before they ran out of time.

He swung her up in his arms.

“What the hell are you doing? Get your hands off me.” She struggled against him, but he didn’t loosen his grip.

“If you want to live, hold on.”

She froze at his sharp command and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He stiffened under her touch for a brief second before getting his mind back on the mission.

Damon sprinted through the forest, dodging trees and low-hanging branches as he headed toward safety, putting distance between them and the howls of the rogue wolves.

A little while later, he broke out of the forest and into the clearing of the field. He set her down roughly.

“Jerk.” She tightened the jacket around her and mumbled under her breath.

Ignoring the temperamental female, he began stripping the tree branches away from his Harley.

“A motorcycle?”

“Not just a motorcycle. It’s a Harley. Ever been on one?” He seriously doubted it. It might mess up her hair.

“No.”

“Well, tonight’s your lucky night.” He unhooked the helmet from the seat strap and placed it on her head, tugging the straps down.

“I can do it.” She batted his hands away and fiddled with the strap under her chin.

“Make sure it’s tight.” He scowled and pulled out her pajamas from his saddlebag.

“My PJs?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“Put them on. It won’t keep you warm, but it’ll keep you covered.”

She turned her back to him, slipping on the thin pajamas as he started the engine. The Harley roared to life, humming under his fingertips like a heartbeat. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she eased on behind him. He held his breath, waiting for her to wrap her arms around him. While his Harley Breakout could carry two people it had no backrest. She’d have to stay glued to him for the entire ride.

“You’re going to have to hold on tight if you don’t want to fall off.”

He relaxed slightly as she tucked her arms around his chest and tightened her hold.

He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the remote for the second C4 charge he’d set inside the camp. He pressed the button. A loud explosion billowed out into the inky night followed by a bright orange fireball that lit up the woods.

“Hold on tight.”

He tore down the dirt road and waited for the suffocating feeling to kick in whenever he was physically close to someone. Her fingers dug into his shirt and his heart rate quickened. But, strangely enough, this time the panic didn’t come.

When he reached the paved road, he accelerated, pushing the speed until they were flying. He needed to put as much distance between themselves and the kidnappers as possible.

At the speed they were traveling, he would have Ava safe at home in less than three hours.

Thirty minutes into the ride, he felt her fingers trembling against his chest.

He’d been so busy trying to get her out that he hadn’t thought about making sure she was warm. She was going to freeze to death before he got her home.

“I’m going to pull in at the next truck stop and get you some clothes.”

“No, don’t stop.” She dug her nails into his chest.

“I have to get you something warm to wear.”