Running with the Pack: Cannon Pack, Book 3 (8 page)

Daniel slowed, morphing as he continued to trot toward his clothes hidden behind the Dumpster. Lauren, her back arched, her breasts thrust against his face, came front and center, blocking out the scene in the alley. He could still smell her scent: a light mixture of fragrances accented with lavender. He dragged in a long breath, remembering how his cock had come to full attention when she’d climbed on top of him. She’d rubbed against him, her heat matching the fire between his legs. His fingers had explored her cave, the grip of her walls, and he’d almost exploded with his lust. If he’d had more time, just a few minutes longer, he’d have slammed into her, bucking upward into her dripping snatch.

Yet, unlike the other women he’d had sex with since Torrie’s death, he couldn’t force Lauren from his mind. Instead, thoughts of her had invaded him often since their brief moment together, tearing at him, making him swell with desire. He’d gotten a taste of her, and now he wanted the full-course meal. He yearned to savor the silkiness of her skin, feel her pliant bottom in his hands again.

She’s a hunter.

The admonition he’d tried so many times fell flat yet again. Somehow, her being a hunter hadn’t deterred him from thinking about her, dreaming about her, wanting her. At least, not until now. She’d gone too far tonight, helping to kill a member of his pack, then shooting at him. A whimper filled his throat, but he forced it down.

Tyler was gone. Killed when he’d only wanted to help the homeless human. Tyler, whose heart was as big as the sky, lay dead in that alley. Daniel could almost see the hunters using his friend’s lifeless body in a tug-of-war game, vying to take his pelt home and mount it on their wall. And Lauren was part of their group.

Daniel leaned against the dirty brick wall and hung his head. It was his fault. He shouldn’t have let Tyler go into that alley alone. He should’ve ordered him to stop. But how could he have known the hunters would come out again tonight? They never went on hunts this close together.

He ground his teeth against the churning in his gut, dressed quickly, and decided it was time to take action. Instead of doing what the pack had always done—staying one step ahead of the hunters, hiding in the dark, avoiding confrontation whenever possible—the shifters needed to take a stand. The hunters would become the hunted.

Lauren’s face, her brow furrowed, her eyes searching his, came to him, and the ache in his chest intensified. Snarling his determination, he shook as though physically ridding his body of her, freeing his mind of her face. He no longer had time for ridiculous yearnings. He had to act.

“I don’t know why we didn’t do this before now, Daniel.” Tucker lifted his nose to sniff. Even in human form, their sense of smell was better than other humans.

“Shifters have always taken a defensive stance when it comes to hunters. For decades, we’ve countered their deliberate attempts to harm us with a peaceful, fight-only-when-forced-to-fight position. But those days are gone. We’ve lost too many good people.” Good people like his Torrie and Tyler. Daniel breathed the dank air into his nostrils and attempted to separate the myriad of scents hanging over the human city into separate definable aromas. He closed his eyes and concentrated, refusing to give up after two hours of hunting. “Stay human until I tell you to change.” Although they couldn’t move as quickly and were less able to defend themselves, they also had less chance of getting shot.

“Maybe they aren’t hunting tonight.”

The disappointment in Tucker’s voice bothered him. “Remember, we’re not out to kill. We just want to wound them, to make them think twice. We aren’t sinking to their murderous level. Not yet anyway.”

“Shit.”

Although Daniel sympathized with Tucker, he wasn’t ready to step over the line. “And yeah, I’ll bet my claws they’re out tonight. I get the impression that this group gets together a lot more than the average hunter clan.” A whiff of telltale gunmetal and human sweat tickled his nose. “We’re in luck. They’re close.” He broke into a jog, knowing the six shifters would follow.

Daniel stayed cautious, moving noiselessly as he led his men toward their adversaries. At last, he could hear the hunters’ voices, their laughter ringing in his sensitive hearing.

The hunters talked about the other night’s hunt and the shifter they’d gunned down. Fury gnawed at Daniel and he silently damned them to hell. Crouching, he motioned for his friends to stay back, then peeked around the edge of the building. Five hunters stood in a loosely formed circle, their guns comfortably crooked in their arms or resting against a nearby Dumpster.

“I say we call it a night, John.” A middle-aged hunter ran a hand over his weary face.

“Not yet. We haven’t searched long enough.” John scowled. “You getting too old for this, Walter? If so, you can always stay home and knit in your rocking chair.”

Walter drew himself straighter and puffed out his chest. “No need to turn gray over me, John-boy. If your little girlie can keep up, I can. That is,
if
she can.”

Does he mean Lauren?
Daniel risked leaning farther out, but Lauren wasn’t around.
Wait.
His
girlie
?

“Don’t worry about her. She’ll catch up with us. Anybody’s boots can come untied.” John glanced toward the other direction and shouted. “Yo, Lauren. Are you coming?”

Daniel crooked his neck, searching for her. Was Lauren dating the hunters’ leader? He clenched his teeth and fought the revulsion constricting his throat.

Her reply echoed off the walls. “Yeah. I’m on my way. Hold up, will ya? I’ll catch up.”

“See? She’s catching up. Let’s get moving.”

“But she wanted us to wait for her, John.”

“I know, but she’ll be fine on her own, Walter. Which is more than I can say for you.” John slapped the older hunter’s arm good-naturedly, hefted his rifle into the crook of his arm and guided them away.

“Why aren’t we jumping them?”

Daniel resisted the urge to swat at Tucker’s breath tickling his ear. Or was it his own irritation he wanted to swat? Why weren’t they jumping the hunters? Instead, he hissed back, “I have my reasons. Take it easy.”

“This doesn’t make any sense. We need to—”

The thud of approaching footsteps hushed Tucker, and the other shifters crouched deeper into the darkness. Lauren burst into the alley, clutching her rifle, then slid to a stop. Slumping against the Dumpster, she lowered her gun to the ground, squatted and tugged at her laces.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. This frickin’ thing won’t stay tied.” Oblivious to the shifters only feet away, she mumbled a few curse words and tightened her laces.

Daniel wasn’t surprised to find Tucker and the other shifters smiling. But their smiles left him with an unfamiliar, uncomfortable sensation. “Don’t think about it, men. We’re after the whole group. Not one female. We’ll skirt around her and catch up with the rest of them.” Why didn’t she hurry and leave? He scowled at her, wishing he could somehow warn her. Wondering why he wanted to warn her.

“Forget it, Daniel. Besides, she’s asking for it. She helped kill Tyler, right? Then she deserves it just like the other scumbags do. Tyler should have his death avenged.” Tucker had shucked his clothing and shifted, dropping to all fours and padding around the building’s corner before Daniel knew it. The other men disrobed and transformed into their werewolf forms, giving Daniel no choice but to follow them.

Crouching into an attack position, Tucker and the others moved toward their prey and surrounded her. Hearing their low growls, she froze and slowly looked up, her features resonating shock. She was outnumbered and she knew it.

Daniel, still in human form, approached her and stood behind his friends. “Don’t scream.”

Her wide eyes locked on to him and he could hear the change in her breathing, her puffs coming out in short, harsh bursts with the quick rise and fall of her chest. He sniffed, catching her alarm, her surprise—and something else. The odd scent swept through his memory. She was panicked, yes, but more. She was aroused. And, startling him, he was aroused, too. Yet instead of pleasing him as he’d thought it should, her fear wiped away the attraction and made the whirlwind in his gut grow bigger, wilder. He didn’t want her here, didn’t want her afraid of him or his pack. Instead, he wanted her away from them, safe in his arms.

At last, she tore her gaze from his and looked at each werewolf, one at a time. She swallowed, her mouth working to form words. “W-what are you doing?” A giggle followed her question, out of place considering the trouble she was in.

He wanted to tell her that he’d keep her safe, but the others would never accept that. Hell, even he couldn’t understand why he wanted to. When had she gained such control over his emotions? After one little grope session? Irritated, he forced his brain to counteract everything his body told him. “I would think a hunter would recognize a hunt.”

She didn’t react at first. Was she in shock? Then she blinked and tittered, realization lighting in her big eyes.

“That’s right. I saw you on the hunt. The one where you shot at me. The one where you and your friends killed Tyler.” At her wide eyes, he added, “Yeah, he had a name. We all have names and families. Does that make any difference? Does it make any difference that he was trying to help that homeless man? His name was Tyler and you murdered him.”

Her mouth fell slack and her eyebrows dipped toward her upturned nose while those big brown eyes hooked him and dragged him inside her soul. Eyes that could rip out a man’s heart and make it her own. He had to stop this fascination with this woman. Had to remember what she was. What she’d done. Who he was.

“No. That’s wrong.” She slapped a hand over her mouth, smothering yet another giggle.

What was all the giggling about? Did she think this was funny? He gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his annoyance in check. “Don’t deny it. I was there, remember? I was the other wolf.”

She nodded and stood up, slowly, deliberately not making any sudden moves. The tips of her mouth rose. “I know. I remember you.”

“Then you can stop lying.”

“I’m not lying.” She took a step forward, making the werewolves growl. In a move he had to admire, she lifted her chin and faced them down. Deep breaths raised and lowered her chest, drawing his appreciation. She seemed calmer and, thankfully, she didn’t giggle again. “I didn’t shoot your friend. In fact, I helped him.”

Daniel guffawed along with the half-growling laughs of his friends. “Wow. I have to give it to you. You’ve got balls.” He scowled at her, no longer amused. “Oh, so you tried to help him? Like how you tried to help me by filling me with holes? Lady, you are one piece of work.”

She didn’t buckle under as he thought she would. Instead, she glared back at him, keeping her head high and ignoring the werewolves. The shifters closed the semicircle around her, tightening the trap. “You don’t understand. If you’ll give me a chance to explain, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Tell us that you’re working with P.E.T.A.?”

His sarcasm had the effect he’d wanted. The determination in her eyes flared. She definitely had nerve. Lots of nerve and sexy fire.

“Look, you jerkwad. If you’d open your ears instead of flapping your gums, you might learn something.” She fisted her hands on her hips, challenging him. “Why don’t you ask your other friend? She’s alive, isn’t she? Or at least she was when you two escaped.” Her gaze flickered for a second, then fixed on him.

He had to give it to her. Bringing up Mysta was a gutsy move. “She’s alive. No thanks to you.”

“Damn it, you hardheaded hound. I was trying to help her when you came along and took over.” Lauren waved her hand at the shifters. “I guess that’s what you do best, huh? Take over? Play alpha?”

“I don’t
play
at anything. And like I told you before, I am no dog. Too bad you didn’t understand that or maybe you wouldn’t be in the fix you’re in now.” Tucker shoulder-bumped Daniel, his subtle reminder that time was precious. “I know, Tucker. We need to get out of here before the others realize she hasn’t caught up to them, then double back for her.”

They needed to stick with the plan. A revised plan, however. Sure, he’d wanted to hurt a hunter tonight, but not this one. The command to attack Lauren stuck in his throat. “I don’t want to risk the hunters coming back before we get this done.” He silenced the pack’s disagreement with one glare. “Take her back to the safe house.”

They planned on kidnapping her? Lauren let out a giggle-turned-squeak and waited for whatever happened next. She backed away from the approaching werewolves to bump against the Dumpster.

Daniel’s friends broke the ring to pace in front of her, never taking their eyes from her. She couldn’t understand everything they said, but his command had thrown them as much as it had her. Suddenly, the white werewolf beside him changed, his legs elongating, his fur melting away, his face transforming into the man who’d accompanied Daniel to the dental office. A very nude man.

She dropped her gaze to the ground, looking away from his maleness. “You’re kidnapping me?” No, this couldn’t happen. “Seriously?”

Daniel’s hand on her arm brought her head up and she stared straight into his emotionless face. Her heart pounded, her pulse raced. His eyes drew her inside, showing her the animal within him and drawing her down until she was sure she could feel his heart beating along with hers.

“Better to kidnap you than to kill you. Don’t you think?” His low voice rippled through her, shockwaves of warm, liquid sex appeal. For a second, she forgot the werewolves, forgot the hunters, even forgot to breathe.

He blinked, breaking the trance he’d put her in. “Right now I’m not so sure.” She giggled. Had he almost smiled? The brief flash of humor disappeared before she could catch it and keep it with her.

“Let’s go.” His hold on her tightened, shooting pain up her arm as he dragged her with him. The werewolves turned the corner and changed, then dressed with clothes hidden in a dark corner. Within seconds, they pushed on, forming a wall around her, like a rock star escorted off stage by security guards. However, she felt anything except safe.