Protective Instinct (11 page)

Ryan didn’t give a shit about the dying or hopefully dead human at Growling Bear’s. But he was worried about Teresa, and Nikan, who’d been pumped full of tranquilizers. The male was alive at least according to Rafael. Ryan knew Rafael and Rosa had hated leaving Nikan but they’d needed to track Teresa.

“She fought back hard, Ryan. We’re going to find her.” Rosa’s quiet voice trembled but he heard the steely determination in her words.

Hell yeah they were. He had to get to Teresa. Had to save his bondmate. He couldn’t handle the alternative.

In his peripheral he saw Natalia sprinting out of their Alpha’s house, Connor and Liam not far behind. He’d sent Lucas to the house to get Connor but he wasn’t waiting for anyone. Not now.

“I’m getting the gate,” Natalia shouted.

He didn’t respond or acknowledge anyone as his legs ate up the distance. Within seconds Connor and Liam flanked him, running just as quietly, just as fast.

When they reached the parking structure, Connor spoke. “I’m driving.”

Ryan was barely holding his wolf in check so he didn’t bother arguing. He jumped into the passenger side of the chosen SUV and looked at the tablet again. The dot was still moving, heading toward the ski lodge. “It hasn’t turned off yet,” he said to Rafael. “What’s your visual?”

“Just went around a bend, but there are two cars in front of us so we’ve got some distance. Guy’s not driving erratically.”

Good. Ryan still couldn’t link with Teresa telepathically but she was alive. He could feel their bondmate connection clearly. That was the only thing letting him keep his sanity. He’d just found the courage to bond with the woman he loved, he couldn’t lose her now. Fate couldn’t be that cruel.

The SUV slowed to a roll, not stopping as they pulled through the gate. Natalia jumped in the backseat with Liam, and Connor was already hitting the accelerator before she’d closed the door.

“They’re slowing down.” Ryan’s heart rate kicked up as he zoomed in on the map, using different programs to gauge the landscape and location. “When they turn off, keep going.”

“You sure?” Rafael asked.

“Yeah. The road is a dead end. They’re either going to head to what looks like…” He zoomed in even farther and pulled up one of his favorite programs for a real world view. “It’s a huge cabin, owned by the ski resort. They’re either going there or they think they have a tail and are testing you. Pull off to the right at the next turnoff. If they’re worried you’re tracking them, they’ll loop back out and you can pick them up again. If this is their final destination there’re no other roads for them to lose you on. Not even service roads.”

“Okay.”

“Nikan’s okay,” Liam murmured from the backseat. “That human is dead though.”

Good
, Ryan thought. He’d heard Liam talking on the phone but had tuned the conversation out until now. He turned in the seat, pinning Liam with his gaze. “Did Parker give you a name?”

Technically the Sheriff shouldn’t have given Liam any information, but Ryan was betting the man wouldn’t be following the rules at the moment. Liam nodded and rattled off an unfamiliar name and even the address listed on the human’s driver’s license.

Ryan’s palms were actually damp as he input the information into multiple databases. Right now he was only concerned with finding Teresa but they needed to know who this human was, who he had alliances with. He could be part of the APL or he could be working with vamps if this whole shitstorm was indeed related to vampires.

“The dot’s stopped moving,” Ryan rasped out, barely hanging on to his control as his animal surged to the surface. His wolf was rabid, clawing at him, telling him to shift and destroy anything and anyone that got in his way.

“We’re seven minutes out.” Connor’s voice was quiet, soothing as he placed his free hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “It won’t take us long to get up the mountain. They didn’t go far.” He was just stating the obvious, what Ryan could see for himself on the screen, but still, his words had a semi-calming effect.

His claws had sprouted and Ryan knew he might not make it. He was trying to retain his human form but his wolf was clawing viciously. “When we hit the turnoff, I’m jumping out and tracking in wolf form.”

“I’m going with you,” Natalia said.

“Me too,” Connor and Liam said at practically the same time.

“I kill whoever took her.” Ryan’s voice was guttural, his wolf just about to break free.

“We know.” Connor didn’t even pause.

That was that. The person or persons who’d dared take his Teresa were dead.

Chapter 10

A dull throb pulsed through her skull and a scorching pain pierced her wrists, but Teresa forced herself to remain still. She smelled…dirt, clean laundry and, ugh, she couldn’t sift through anything else. She was indoors, that much she was sure of. There was a dampness to the room or space she was in. Not musty but chilly and damp. She was also very aware of the silver chain secured around her wrists, which were unfortunately behind her back. At least she hadn’t been injected with silver. This just weakened her, didn’t poison her internally. She’d be in a lot more pain if she’d been directly injected.

Ryan?
She tried their bondmate link, hoping she had enough strength to communicate with him.

Teresa! Are you okay? Where are you?

Relief rushed through her at the sound of his deep voice in her head.
I’m…hold on.

She heard heartbeats but couldn’t sense anyone directly near her. Didn’t mean they weren’t though. Taking a chance, she opened her eyes.
I’m in a room, basement I think. There’s a flickering light above a washing machine and dryer. Yeah, it’s definitely a basement.
It looked creepy, but she left that part out.
I hear two heartbeats, upstairs somewhere.

She was on her back so she rolled to her side. Even that slight movement sent pain splintering up her arms. The silver felt like fire scorching her skin.

I’m on my way to get you, sweetheart. I tracked your phone to a cabin on the ski lodge’s property. One of the remote cabins.
Even through their link she could hear his fear for her.

At the sound of a door handle turning, panic punched through her and try as she might she couldn’t contain her emotional reaction.
How far out are you? Someone’s opening the door and I’m chained with silver.
And it hurt something fierce. She knew she’d have blisters and was glad she couldn’t see the damage the metal was doing to her skin.

I have the cabin in my sight and I’m closing in. Maybe twenty yards now. There’s a human outside smoking a cigarette. Hold on, baby. I’m coming.

A human took me. Oh my God, how’s Nikan?
She’d forgotten about him until now, which just heaped guilt on top of her.

Fine, don’t worry about him. Focus on staying alive. I’ve got Connor and Liam with me. Do you know how many kidnappers there are?

I just hear the two heartbeats, but if the human is outside I don’t think I’d hear him. There must be three.

Okay, so two inside and one outside.

Teresa squinted at the sudden rush of light as a tall, statuesque blonde stepped onto the first stair that led to the basement floor and flipped the overhead lights on.
Shit, a female vamp opened the door.
Talking to Ryan had kept her calm and focused but seeing her captor, or one of them, coming down the stairs with glowing amber eyes and a blade gripped tightly in her gloved hand made Teresa’s stomach drop.
She’s got a knife, you better freaking hurry!

I’m almost there, sweetheart. Just hang on. Please fight and hang on.
Love and fear slammed through their link in equal measures.

She focused on the love, needing to draw on his strength right now. While Teresa could fight, she was trussed up like a turkey and the silver weakened her. Shaking her head, she tried to clear some of the cobwebs from her brain and compartmentalize her growing panic as the woman reached the bottom of the stairs. She was alone, but Teresa could now scent someone else upstairs, in addition to hearing them. Another vampire.

“Who are you?” she managed to squeeze out, her voice raspy. A wave of nausea swept through her, probably from the combination of the silver and the remnants of the tranq in her bloodstream.

In the blink of an eye the blonde crossed the twenty feet distance from the stairs to where Teresa lay on her side. Yep, vampire. Not that she’d had any doubt. Vamps had a distinctive scent. Still wild, but not earthy like shifters.

Smiling creepily, the female knelt down next to Teresa. Her head tilted to the side a fraction as she eyed Teresa like she was dinner. “I’m Frida, and your whore sister killed my maker.” Despite the almost musical quality of her voice, Frida’s words were like fingers on a chalkboard. The evil and hate behind them sent another swell of nausea through her.

Great, so this was about revenge. Still, Teresa managed to keep it together. She had to hold on until her packmates showed up. “It was self-defense,” she said quietly.

On a snarl of rage Frida struck out, slicing at Teresa’s upper arm in a long, jagged cut.

White, hot pain exploded along her arm, but she tightened her jaw, refusing to cry out. It was what this female wanted no doubt.

Teresa!
Ryan’s voice shouted in her head. He must have sensed her pain.

I’m…fine.
And that was all she could manage.

Hold on. I’m about to breach the house.

Teresa held back any sense of impending relief. She couldn’t let this female sense it or she might just kill her right here. “What do you want with me?” Fire licked up her arm, her blood warm on her skin, but she forced herself to ignore the pain. She needed to keep the female talking, distracted.

“Your sister took from me. I’m going to take from her. But I’m going to have fun with you first.” She dragged the edge of the silver blade along Teresa’s open wound.

That alone was enough to make tears sting her eyes against her will. She still refused to cry out though. At the same time she heard a slight shuffle upstairs, Frida turned toward the stairs with a frown.

It could be Ryan or it could be the female’s partner. Teresa didn’t care who it was. If there was a chance it was Ryan, she couldn’t let this psycho vamp get the jump on him.

Calling on all the remaining strength she had, she pivoted her body against the floor, striking out at Frida’s ankles with her feet.

The female let out a yelp of surprise as she tipped off balance. Teresa used the opportunity and struck out again, kicking at Frida’s knee with all the strength she could manage.

She heard and felt the break of her kneecap as Frida tumbled backward on a scream of rage. The vamp was already shoving up from the floor, though her movements were awkward and slow. Teresa struggled to sit up. The silver had weakened her too much though.

Eyes wild and glowing, the vampire held the dagger in her gloved hand. Blood dripped off it. Her breathing was ragged and she limped over to Teresa. “I’m going to cut you apart into tiny pieces and mail them back to your sister.”

Vamp down, I’m heading downstairs.

Hurry! I’ll keep her distracted.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. For someone who seems to have this big plan of revenge, you’re fucking stupid.” When the vampire snarled, Teresa just grinned, knowing she looked as crazy as the blonde. But Ryan had breached the doorway and was near the bottom of the stairs. Relief flooded her. Damn he was quiet, one of the most lethal predators she’d ever seen.

“Strong words for a bitch who’s about to get her heart cut out. Before I kill you, just know that I’m going to take all your sisters. I’m going to cut them all up and make sure they suffer before they die. Eventually I’ll kill Natalia—”

She was tired of listening to this bitch. “Just kill her already!” she yelled to Ryan.

Ryan leaped, his movements fluid, deadly and so damn beautiful it almost hurt her eyes. He was such a huge wolf it seemed impossible he could move with such gracefulness.

The vamp turned to face the threat but it was too late. Ryan hurtled through the air and with all the strength and power of a true warrior lupine shifter, he took her head off in one bone-crunching snap of his jaws.

Teresa barely had time to process it before Ryan shifted to human form. He blocked the decapitated vampire as he crouched in front of her. There was surprisingly little blood on him but she could scent it from the dead woman, likely pooling out on the floor.

“The others…” she rasped out, needing to know they were safe.

Concern filled his face as he gently rolled her over onto her side. “Dead. Connor, Liam and Natalia are upstairs in case there are any more of them, but I think this was it. You’re safe. I’m going to free you.”

He grabbed a towel from a laundry basket then wrapped it around her wrists to insulate the silver from his hands. She sucked in a breath as the silver pushed harder against her skin, but she didn’t cry out. If she could keep it together in front of a crazy vampire, she wasn’t going to make her bondmate feel guilty for what he had to do.

Seconds later, she heard the snap of the chain, then Ryan gently pulled them off her wrists. As soon as her hands were free, she let out a sigh, the relief instantaneous. Her wrists and the slice on her arm were already healing with rapid speed, the wounds not deep. Before she could think about moving she found herself being shifted and pulled into Ryan’s arms.