Sassy Ever After: A Hot Piece Of Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (4 page)

Chapter Six

T
he erotic honey and cinnamon scent that Hannah had been following vanished in an instant. Her wolf whined as she suddenly lost the trail she was hell-bent on tracking down, but then her ears perked up as she heard a scream close by. She sucked in a deep breath and nearly gagged when the scent of burnt flesh assaulted her muzzle.

Hannah took off at lightning speed as she heard another scream. Rushing to the scene, she wasn’t sure what she expected to find, but she certainly wasn’t prepared for the sight of the largest, hottest wolf she’d ever seen in her life. It appeared he was just finishing up a lopsided battle, having beaten the ever-loving hell out of three skeezy dudes.

“Oh sweet Goddess.”
Hannah nearly moaned out loud at the sight of the hero before her. His moves were fast and efficient as he dragged the trio closer to one another.

Hannah shifted to human form and tiptoed over to the young woman chained to the tree.

Protecting her hand with a tissue she had in her pocket, Hannah unwound the strands of silver from the woman’s skin, wincing each time she pulled on a new link and the woman’s charred skin peeled off of her neck. She had no idea how the woman had remained conscious. Hannah knew if it had been her, she would have passed the fuck out long ago.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie. I wish there was an easier way to do this. Just hang in there for a few more minutes. I’ll have this fucking silver off of you as soon as I can.”

“Oh dear God. It hurts so much. I’m not sure what’s worse, the brand or the silver. Thank you for helping me.”

“What’s your name?” Hannah asked, trying to distract the woman.

“Callie. And yours?”

“I’m Hannah Jones. How did this happen?”

“I was heading to the Scenting Ceremony. I knew I was running a little bit late, but I thought I could make it. I got turned around in the woods and ran into these guys, so I asked them for directions. They told me they’d show me the way, and we shifted to wolf form to cover the distance quicker, but it was just a trick to get me further into the forest alone. Before I knew what had happened, they had a silver choker around my neck. That’s when the horror started.”

“It’s a good thing your hero showed up to save the day.” Hannah tried to keep her voice light and optimistic despite the current situation.

“I have no idea who he is. I saw him sneaking up on the group and hoped he was here to help. But I wasn’t certain until he attacked them right before they were going to brand me again.”

“This is the last piece. I’m afraid it’s going to hurt the worst.”

“Just get it over with, please.”

“Take a deep breath. Here goes.”

Hannah watched as Callie took a deep breath, preparing for the inevitable pain she was about to inflict. She tried to be gentle, but peeling the silver from her neck without causing further damage was an impossible task.

Making sure she had a firm grip, she closed her eyes and pulled as fast and hard as she could, hoping for the best. Callie screamed as the silver tore free from her skin.

“I got all the silver off. Can you shift to heal your wounds?” Hannah asked.

“I should be able to. Just give me a minute to catch my breath.”

Hannah glanced up to see how the things progressed. The larger-than-life wolf didn’t appear to need any help. She totally would have lent a fang or paw if needed—it wouldn’t be a bad thing to get on his radar in a good way—but it looked like he had things well under control.

“It’s okay. Take a deep breath. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

“No, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.” Callie continued to take deep breaths. “I think I should be able to shift now.”

Hannah helped Callie to stand, lending her support until she regained the strength in her legs.

“Wish me luck.” Callie offered a weak smile.

Taking a step back, Hannah held her breath as she waited for Callie to shift into her wolf form. The transformation took longer than any shift she’d ever witnessed. The entire process looked agonizing from start to finish.

Hannah shuddered when she heard Callie’s bones popping into place one at a time. Excruciating pain marred the beauty of the woman’s face. Watching a wolf try to force a shift after a major injury was not a pretty picture, and Hannah had to give Callie credit for not screaming or howling like a fucking banshee. She had no idea how Callie kept it together.

With the shift finally complete, Callie sat back on her haunches and looked up at her. Hannah could tell by the look in Callie’s eyes that she was more than grateful for the help Hannah had already given. No further exchange of words was needed between the women, but Hannah offered her assistance once more anyway.

“Why don’t you go ahead and take off? Maybe you should find some protein. Your wolf is going to need all the energy she can get.”

Sluggishly Callie headed off into the thick of the forest, where she was most likely to find a small animal to provide the nourishment her body desperately needed.

Hannah turned her attention back to the fight… or what had been the fight. Callie’s three captors were splayed out on the ground, doing their best impersonation of fresh roadkill. With the smell of burnt flesh gone, Hannah sucked in a deep breath.

When the unmistakable scent of honey and cinnamon hit her once again, her wolf catapulted to the forefront. With the immediate threat and danger significantly diminished, Hannah found herself lost once more to the addictive scent.

“He’s here,”
her wolf nearly shouted in her mind.

Hannah tried with all her might, but failed to remain in human form. The delicious aroma teased and tugged at her wolf, begging her to come forward. Her wolf gladly yielded to the call of nature, demanding to be in control. It could mean only one thing.

After all these years, she’d found her mate.

Excitement and a whole new level of fear coursed through her body. Glancing at the men in the field, she started the process of deduction, praying to the gods her mate wasn’t one of Callie’s aggressors. Although, as she scanned the foursome, she had to admit they
all
scared the ever-loving shit out of her—even the hero who had saved Callie.

Chapter Seven

T
anner was half tempted to end the lives of the pathetic pieces of shit lying at his feet. But that wasn’t his place. It would be up to Tristian to decide on their punishment. He had a pretty good idea of the brand of justice they would have faced at Black Paw, but he didn’t know how they did things here, in these strange lands. Either way, they would soon be a problem for someone else to deal with. He’d done his Good Samaritan deed for the week.

Maybe I’ll get a new patch for my vest.

The smell of fresh blood filled the air and his nose. He needed to shift out of his wolf form to help the woman chained to the tree. He also needed to get a hold of Barbara or her husband, Tristian, to let them know what had happened. The last thing he needed to deal with was creating problems for the pack at Blue Creek.

Just as he prepared to shift back to human form, the arousing fragrance of fresh strawberries hit him like a Mack fucking truck. His wolf whined audibly.

“She’s here. Right in front of us,”
his wolf rejoiced.

Taking in the scene around him, Tanner was shocked to see the girl who’d been chained to the branch, free and shifting into her wolf form. Beside her was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

Strawberry blonde hair rolled down her back in thick waves. He suddenly wondered if the tantalizing aroma would float from the locks of her hair when the wind blew.

The level of concern she showed for the freed woman spoke volumes about her character. He didn’t need to hear her thoughts to know that it hurt her to see the other woman’s injuries.

It took sheer willpower to sit there and simply watch his mate, when he wanted nothing more than to march over there and sink his fangs into her neck.

Adrenaline from the fight continued to pulse through his veins, but it was nothing compared to the urge to claim his mate. That single urge overshadowed everything the universe could have possibly thrown at him. And he didn’t care. Now that he had found his mate, his life would forever be about her.

As the injured woman completed her shift, his mate spun on her heel, making direct eye contact with him. She broke away for an instant to scan the field, taking in the carnage he had left in his wake. Was that satisfaction he glimpsed on her face? Perhaps his powerful display of dominance had impressed his mate?

Or was the look on her face something else—something he couldn’t identify? Either way, he had little doubt that as soon as he shifted to human form, he would hear her every thought and know exactly what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

His ears twitched when his mate spoke to the female wolf.

“Are you strong enough to make it home on your own? Or would you like me to help you?”

The wolf nodded once, before slowly trotting away.

Sweet Odin.
Like music to his ears, her Southern-tinged voice dripped with honey, sweeter than the most delectable gourmet chocolate he’d ever sampled.

A strange feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

His world tilted on its axis, and images of a future with his mate scrolled through his mind. Almost as if he was watching a movie on fast-forward, scene after scene played out before him. Seeing the life he’d always dreamed of nearly brought him to his knees.

Any lingering doubt about whether or not this beautiful stranger was his mate was washed away with each passing image. Years’ worth of pictures told the story of what their life could be like. All he had to do was take the next step.

With that thought in mind, he sucked in a deep breath, ready to claim his mate. Just as Tanner was about to shift to human form, his mate shifted into her wolf form.

Mesmerized by the sight of her wolf, he allowed his beast to remain in control for a bit longer.

Her soft white fur was unlike anything he’d ever seen. He longed to run his fingers through it. Hazel eyes flecked with spots of gold stared intently at him. He had so many questions for her and no idea where to start.

What he wouldn’t give to be able to hear her thoughts while he was in wolf form. He had always considered his gift from the Fates a curse, but at that moment in time, he wished more than anything that it was a power he could use in both human and wolf form.

His heart pounded as the blood in his veins scorched a path to his chest. He blinked once, then again, to make sure she was real and not an erotic fantasy conjured by one of the blows he had taken to the head during the fight.

Not trusting his eyes, he drew in another deep breath to make sure the scent was genuine. He would be so fucking bummed if it was all in his imagination. But he swayed from side to side, feeling drugged and off-kilter. Yep. The scent was real.

“Mine! Mine!”
His wolf chanted methodically in his head before letting out a lone, deep howl, rejoicing and at the same time declaring himself a victor, in every way that mattered to him.

“Yes, she’s ours. But we need to take things slow. I don’t want to scare her away.”
Tanner tried to reason with his wolf, but the beast would have none of it.

“Pffft. Slow, my ass.”
His wolf jumped to his feet, intending to head straight for their mate, and sink his fangs deep in her neck.

“I swear to Odin, if she bolts I’m going to kick your ass up around your eyeballs.”

“Chill. I got this.”
High on adrenaline and the mating instinct, his wolf surged forward.

“Mmhmm. Famous last words.”

“Please, like you could do any better, Romeo. Have you heard the lame one-liners running through your mind?”

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t the best at speaking to women, but he had to try. For the love of Odin, this was his
mate
. Not just some little chickie he’d see once then dump.

Tanner was skeptical about his wolf’s enthusiasm when it came to meeting their mate and how it would be received. Start with the fact that he was covered nose to tail in blood. And then there was the tiny fact that he looked like a freak in wolf form. Tanner was keenly aware of his intimidating appearance, and his sheer size had scared away more than one female over the years. His wolf might be screaming to claim her, but he knew that would be disastrous. He wanted to take it a bit slower. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away, or have to chase her hot ass up and down the mountain pass.

His wolf may have acted with ancient wisdom on several occasions throughout the years, but this was not one of them. He had chosen this particular moment to act like a randy teenage boy controlled solely by his hormones.

Tanner watched in horror as their mate slowly inched backwards away from them.

“We’re losing her.”

His wolf refused to listen to reason. He had a one track mind, and would not be dissuaded when it came to claiming what the Fates had declared to be his.