Seeking Pack Redemption (14 page)

“Hairy,
fanged, and scary,” she retorted.

“And if
you get caught in the rain, your whole house will smell like wet dog,” Trent
added. “Get over it. You can’t change it, so either embrace it or learn to live
with it.”

“You’re
nothing like your brother,” she stated baldly.

A dead
silence descended. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as Trent went still.

His alpha
and friend took a swig of pop before answering. “Why, because I won’t lie to
you and tell you what you want to hear?”

“No,
because you have the guts to speak your mind. Your brother was more . . .” She
paused.

“Wishy-washy,”
Trent supplied, his frank appraisal not a shock to Marc, who’d known
David—and would have picked on him were he not his friend’s younger
sibling.

She looked
pensive. “Yes. When I first met him, he was one of those really nice guys. If
you asked does my ass look fat in this, he’d say it looks awesome. You,
though,” she said as she looked right at Trent, “would tell me it looked huge,
I’ll bet.”

He
grinned. “Yup, but just so we’re clear, I like big butts.”

“And I
cannot lie,”
Jaxon
sang.

Darren
groaned. “No. Not that stupid song again.”

A chuckle
slipped from Marc at her questioning look. “The song plays a lot on the radio
stations out here, and our new friend
Jaxon
loves to
sing along.”

“I’ve
walked into the
Twilight Zone
,” she
exclaimed, but she smiled as she said it. As if they’d practiced, all of them
broke out humming the theme song of that no-longer-running TV show that lived
on through the Internet and DVDs.

Even
better than the moment of companionship was the fact she no longer emitted the
frightened scent. Nor did she slap Marc’s hand when he kept stealing her fries.
Things were already looking up.

*
* * *

Thea
let the conversation flow over her as she ate the burger—two
of them—and fries. Hungry and more at ease, she didn’t talk much but she
did listen avidly. After the
Twilight
Zone
remark, they discussed for several minutes the shows of the past they
missed most. A closet
Bewitched
fan,
Marc sheepishly admitted he’d crushed on Samantha large when younger, whereas
Darren, with a grin, said it was Mary Ann from
Gilligan’s Island
with her pigtails. As for Trent, he ate in
silence, but his gaze seemed to fixate on her. Although when she dared meet it,
he looked away, but before long a tickling sensation would let her know he
watched again.

He
unnerved her. Not because of his resemblance to David or the fact he seemed
angry
at
her, the world, and everything in general.
All good reasons to stay clear, but the thing that surprised her most was how
attracted she was to him.
Him and Darren actually.
Marc, unfortunately, while kind and good-looking, only inspired
a weak
warmth. Trent and Darren,
though.
. . Just looking at them had her tummy doing somersaults and warmth flooding
her.

Having
just escaped Hell, she should have been a huddled ball of misery. Instead she
wanted to dance and rejoice. She should have sworn a pledge to stay away from
all men, wolves in particular considering her own recent experience. However,
she couldn’t deny a certain womanly pleasure when Darren smiled at her.
Or the fascination with Trent’s hard body, hidden now but so vivid
still in her mind.

Maybe it’s the pregnancy hormones making me horny.
Still
there was horny and then there was lusting after two guys. A reverse
Big Love
, a TV show she’d watched with
fascination. How did the women handle their jealousies when it came to sharing?
Thea
could never share a man. Couldn’t stand the
thought that another woman touched and caressed the same skin. What she’d
always wondered, but the show seemed to deny, was if in those polygamous
relationships, things ever went beyond one-on-one. Did the guy ever take two or
three of his wives to bed at once? Logically, unless he’d taken some Viagra, he
could only find completion with one.
Whereas a woman with multiple male lovers could technically please several
at once.

She
blinked, stunned at how her mind went into that wacky direction.
Did they spike my burger with something?
Watching
them converse, more or less ignoring her except for occasional glances, she
held back a sigh. As if they were overcome with lust for a pregnant refugee.

Keeping
that thought in mind, she stuffed her face with more fries and tuned back in to
the conversation. There seemed to be a debate going on about which direction
they should go next.

She didn’t
really care so long as it was far, far away. However, if they were to be
believed, distance wouldn’t let her escape the seemingly impossible fact she
was a wolf.
Yeah, right.
She didn’t
want to believe them. The fact of the matter was, though, she’d noticed
something different about herself. Subtle things, like her rapid healing, her
sharpened eyesight, keener hearing, oh, and
superhairy
legs.

As she cupped
her belly she began to wonder if the baby was going to be a wolf, too. As if
sensing her thoughts, Darren, who’d scooped a seat beside her, placed his hand
over hers.

“How far
along?”

“Four or
five months. I don’t know for sure. I was supposed to go see my doctor the week
after my kidnapping, and I’m still not quite sure how long he held me captive
for.”

“Next town
we’ll hit a clinic and get you and the baby checked out.”

“Is that
safe?”

“It should
be. Roderick would have a hard time infiltrating all the medical practices.”

“No, I
mean, if David was a wolf and I might be, won’t the baby . . .” She trailed
off.

He
grinned. “If you’re worried there’s a litter of puppies in there, then
relax.
We don’t shift until puberty, and short of an
extravagant DNA test, it doesn’t show up as anything obvious on blood samples.”

“Oh good
to know.” A large yawn saw her blushing in embarrassment. “Sorry. I guess I’m
more tired than I thought.” She should have been comatose, actually, given
they’d escaped the previous afternoon and driven most of the night. Dawn had
already come and gone at this point. No wonder her eyes blinked in fatigue.

“The
adrenaline has worn off, and your belly is full. It’s time all of us went to
sleep.”

Sleep?
Eyeing the four men and two queen-size beds, she wondered at the plan.

Darren
chuckled. “It’s okay, honey. You don’t need to worry about us hogging the bed.
Two of us will share the bed beside you, while the other pair keeps watch for
trouble.”

“Oh.
Thanks.” Surely she wasn’t disappointed she was going to sleep alone?

A soft
smile curved his lips. “My pleasure.” He hopped off the bed and pulled back the
sheets, before motioning for her to climb in. She did, her eyes shutting as
soon as her head hit the pillow. He draped the covers over her and whispered,
“Good night,” a chorus echoed by the others, sending her off to sleep.

A sense of
something wrong made Trent fidget on the rooftop where he hid for this second
round of watch. He’d opted to stand his guard duty outside for this shift,
while
Jaxon
covered the inside. Darren and Marc
slept, their turn for guard duty not for another hour still. They needed the
sleep after the grueling trek of the day before. Night had completely fallen,
yet the thick cloud cover hid the stars rendering the world dark and damp.

At least
out here in the brisk fall air Trent could breathe deep and not taste her
scent. Not hunger for
her
. After her
shower, it was all he could do to keep his hands off her. To prevent
himself
from snarling at the others for daring to show an
interest. Trent was not a jealous man by nature, how could be while raised in a
pack where
polyamorous
situations were the accepted
norm. But knowing
Thea
was available, if a widow,
with others circling her in interest, he couldn’t help the possessive feeling.
The need to claim her as his own.

Utter fucking madness.

To keep
himself from doing or saying something stupid, he took first watch and headed
outside. How he’d managed to sleep when his turn came, in the same room as her,
smelling her so close, he didn’t know. What made her so irresistible? A
stranger to him and his kind, why would his wolf think she was their mate?
Could the fact she carried a pup, related to him by blood, confuse his beast?
But no, an urge to protect was a far cry from what he wanted which was to strip
her naked and caress every inch of her no matter how wrong—but
pleasurable.

Lost in
his chaotic thoughts, he almost missed the motion below. Snapping to attention,
he stayed low, crouched amidst the chimneys and stacks on the roof, focused on
the parking lot. Downwind of him, and hugging the parked vehicles, shadows
moved in his direction, toward the room they’d rented for the night. Against
all odds, the rogues found them.

As per
their plan, he let his foot knock once on the rooftop, knowing
Jaxon
would hear it and wake the others. Unfortunately, the
slight sound, louder than he would have wished in the silent night, made the
approaching rogues pause. Not wanting to risk premature discovery, not when he
still might have the element of surprise on his side, Trent didn’t move, didn’t
breathe as he waited to see what they would do.
Come on, you bastards.
Just a little closer.
Close
enough that he could swoop upon them like a furry angel of death.

However,
the rogues decided against further stealth. As if possessed of one mind, they
howled, a loud ululation sure to make any humans listening piss themselves in
fear. Trent cursed as he realized, despite the nearly dozen wolves they’d
dispatched earlier, there was probably another two dozen ready and willing to
battle.

Fight or
flee. Trent leaned toward the former; however, he didn’t just have himself to
consider.

Fuck.

Swinging
down off the roof, he hit the pavement just as the door opened.
Jaxon
leapt out followed by Marc, while Darren hovered in
the doorframe.
Thea’s
frightened eyes peered out from
behind him.

“Get her
in the truck. We need to get out of here.” Easier said than done when three
shapes came hurtling over said vehicle. Marc, a chair leg in one hand,
Jaxon
, his revolver pointed, and Trent, hands half shifted
in a feat only strong alphas could accomplish, met their charge.

Bloodlust
immediately coursed through his body as he ripped and tore through the fur-covered
skin. He dispatched the first attacker in time for the second lunging one.
Then a third.
By the time he danced with a fourth, while
still trying to put down the previous two, Darren was in the truck with
Thea
cowering beside him.

The engine
roared to life, the headlights lighting up the darkness, reflecting off dozens
of eyes pinpricked in red.

“Holy fuck!”

Trent
could only silently agree with Marc’s exclamation. Forget fighting. With those
kinds of numbers it would end up a massacre.

“Drive!”
he screamed to Darren. They didn’t have time to dispatch the wolves closest to
them and climb in before the rest descended on them. But Trent had a plan, and
if luck
was
on his side, it would work.

Darren
shot the truck into reverse; its heavy frame, reinforced with steel on the
bumpers, hit a few bodies and sent them flying. His pack brother then slammed
the vehicle forward, aiming right at Trent and Marc, while
Jaxon
,
laughing like a maniac, ran off to the left as he fired his gun.

The wolves,
busy trying to tear his and Marc’s throats out, didn’t even flinch as the truck
barreled at them. Trent didn’t share the same death wish, and he dove out of
the way just in time. The truck impacted his opponents with a thump that sent
the rogues flying. Trent vaulted up, grabbing hold of the roof rails. Marc
landed alongside him and flipped himself up. He scrambled to the front. And Trent
joined him on the hard top,
then
held on. Darren,
cursing up a streak as he slammed on the gas again, hit the sidewalk. The SUV
went up on two wheels as he turned sharply. The truck thumped hard when it
landed, knocking Trent’s teeth together. Not the most elegant of maneuvers, but
it got them going in the right direction.

With a
squeal of tires, Darren sped away, weaving through the parked vehicles, toward
a lone figure surround by furry bodies.
That crazy bastard
Jaxon
was still laughing, his face more a rictus of pain
than mirth as he fired at the never-ending wave.
As Darren plowed the
truck through the snarling mass, Trent leaned over and held out a hand.
Thankfully,
Jaxon
caught it and he swung up on the
roof behind him.