Seeking Pack Redemption (22 page)

A sharp pain in her wrist jolted her awake. She
tried to rear up, but the restraints still bound her hands and feet. Angling
her head, she could see, even if she wished she didn’t. A creature of
nightmare, with sharp teeth and a wicked red gaze, loomed over her. His hands,
tipped in claws, held her arm firmly, and she finally saw what made her wrist
throb. The monster sucked at her flesh, each pull of his mouth draining her.
Faintness made her shake, and she had to lay her head back down.

“Why?” she whispered. “Why are you doing this?”

Busy eating—
eating me
!
—
he didn’t answer.
Thea
closed her eyes to the pain and the present, tried to bury reality under more
pleasant thoughts. It didn’t quite work, but weak from blood loss, she did
drift numbly.

Until he forced her mouth open.

A warm, thick liquid gushed in, splashing over her
teeth and tongue. She choked as her eyes flicked open. Horror caught her when
she noted the source of the fluid. Arm gashed wide, the monster held her jaw
open wide enough to catch the flowing blood.

Gurgling, her throat convulsing, she tried to spit
it back. He growled something, and another hand, the nails dark with grime,
appeared. It pinched her nostrils shut. Cut off from air, bound and unable to
fight, as tears leaked from her eyes, she swallowed.
And
gasped for air, only to imbibe more as he forced it into her.

He did that for several days, eternities in her
mind, before he seemed satisfied.
Not that
she remembered. She awoke one morning, oblivious. The missing days, a small
worry that David smoothed over by claiming she had the flu. Then David
distracted her by making love to her.
Several times a day, as
a matter of fact, until she got pregnant.

And everything changed.

But the
true change occurred before that, she realized. The memory she’d recovered when
Roderick bit her at the cabin made more sense now. He’d conditioned her
somehow, managed to coax her wolf side awake using his own blood. It’s what
made the most sense. According to Trent, she needed to be part wolf to carry a
baby of theirs. She just got pregnant before she could complete the change. Of
more interest, it took Roderick’s blood to transform her.
I drank his blood.
So if
Jaxon’s
theory were
true, the vampire couldn’t control her with his mind. It made even more sense
the more she thought about it. Roderick only ever hurt her physically, never
mentally, not like he did with the wolves under his command. Knowing this, how
did it help the situation?

She
couldn’t tell them she would be an asset because she was immune. She already
knew they wouldn’t accept her aid. They thought her fragile and weak. So she
kept the knowledge to herself for now. It would come in handy later, because
she wasn’t about to let them ditch her. An ability to fight Roderick could come
in handy, if she came prepared.

“I need a weapon.”
Her sudden observation cut the conversation dead.

“What
for?”

“Well, for
one, while your wolves are pretty vicious and all, it takes too long for one-on-one
fights, especially with the numbers we’ll be facing. Isn’t there a gun or
something I can use to take some of his minions out?”

“Silver
bullets to the brain work,”
Jaxon
said.

“Then I
want some.”

“You?”

“I need to
be able to defend myself.”

“We’ll
protect you,” Trent declared.

“What he
said,” Marc chimed in, and a “Ditto” came from Darren.

“Duh. I
know that, but what if there’s too many. Or they catch us by surprise. I should
have something.”

“She’s
right,”
Jaxon
agreed. “So long as she doesn’t shoot
any of us, it’s a good idea.”

“Fine.”
Trent’s agreement emerged with reluctance.

“And . .
.”

“You want
more? Perhaps my balls since you’ve emasculated us,” Trent growled.

She
smiled. “Maybe later. No, I was going to say some clothes. No offense, but I
need underwear and a bra. Deodorant would be nice, too.”

As
chuckles filled the truck, she inwardly smiled. She’d managed to convince them
to give her a weapon, now at least when the time came, she could at least
fight.

When they
finally stopped driving midafternoon while the sun still shone high in the sky,
they rented two motel rooms once again. Only once they all piled out of the
trucks did she stop to wonder at the sleeping arrangements. She was considered
Trent’s mate, but Darren had tried to stake a claim earlier that morning. She’d
not missed either Marc’s heated glances or kind gestures, like getting her some
chocolate bars at the pit stop for gas along with a better-fitting T-shirt.

But she
found Marc easy to ignore. Not so Darren, who stayed close by in the truck, his
fingers occasionally dancing down her thigh, which made her hyperaware. She was
thankful he never did it for long, just enough to make her heart patter a
little faster.

And make
her feel guilty she enjoyed it.
What is
wrong with me? I’m involved with his friend. I don’t regret sleeping with Trent
and look forward to getting some alone time with him. But why, oh why, do I
crave a taste of Darren?
More than crave, she wanted to devour him. Kiss
his lips until he panted. Claw his back as he plunged into her. And more
shocking, she wanted Trent there, too. Watching, touching, showing her what he
meant when he teased her the night before with his words of multiple lovers.

Was she
ready though to toss everything she knew out the window, though? To believe him
when he said women took multiple mates, without guilt or repercussions?
To bind herself to another man for a lifetime?

She knew
she couldn’t make the first step. Didn’t have the audacity to approach Darren
or even Trent with her thoughts and desires. Perhaps, she fretted over nothing.
Just because Darren showed an interest didn’t mean he would act upon it yet,
after all, she’d just slept with his friend. Despite the kiss of that morning,
it didn’t mean Darren would try anything further. And she couldn’t ask.

The answer
to what would happen would have to wait a little longer, she surmised, as they
opened only one motel door initially and everyone trooped in, flopping onto the
two chairs,
Jaxon
on the dresser, Marc on the bed.
Trent snagged her around the waist and placed her on his lap.

It seemed
a blatant display of ownership, and yet, she allowed it. Enjoyed it, actually.
No other boyfriend, including David, every displayed his interest that
publicly.

“Okay, so
we’re going to need food. Clothes. Some toiletries.”

“What
about a doctor for
Thea
?” Darren added.

She shook
her head. “I can wait a few more days. I’d rather get things settled with
Roderick first.”

Trent
hugged her. “If you change your mind, let us know. As for the supply run, we
obviously shouldn’t all go.
Too conspicuous.
I’ll stay
here with
Thea
.”

“Just
you?” Darren shook his head. “We don’t need three guys shopping at
Walmart
. Two will do. I’ll stay as well.”

“Why can’t
I?” Marc challenged.

“Because.”
A deep undertone seemed to coat Trent’s words, and Marc, though unhappy, agreed
with a sharp nod.

What was that about?

The moment
passed, and
Jaxon
scrounged through the motel
nightstand for paper and a pen. They made a list of items, and then
Jaxon
, with a wink in her direction, left with Marc while
daylight still reigned.

Alone with
the two men, nervousness suffused her, especially when she recalled her dirty
musings of earlier.

“So what
should we do while we wait?” Darren asked
,
his gaze
trained on her.

She
dropped her head and stared at the floor.

“I can
think of several things I’d like to do.” Trent’s suggestive tone made her
cheeks heat. Surely he didn’t mean right at the moment with Darren still in the
room.

Or did he?
Her cheeks flushed with heat. “I think I’ll go shower.”

Almost
running, she closeted herself in the bathroom, anxious and at the same time
excited. Her heart pounded a mile a minute.

What had
gotten into her?
More like who might get
into me,
her mind snickered. She expected to sleep with Trent again, given
the way he’d touched her all day long. The thing was, she got the impression
Darren planned to join. Or have a turn or something. She wasn’t quite sure how
it worked. Explaining to her that their kind mated in groups didn’t exactly
prepare a girl for what it entailed. And did she even want it?

They
seemed to act like it was a foregone conclusion she’d end up sleeping with all
of them but
Jaxon
. That she would bind herself to
them in a wolfish mating ceremony. Did she have a choice? It occurred to her to
march out there and declare that she wasn’t interested in being part of some
group orgy. She didn’t move. Couldn’t, because it stunned her to realize it did
intrigue her. Much more than it had when Trent told her about it. Something
about spending the day snuggled against and surrounded by male bodies fired up
her imagination and libido in a way she’d never imagined, but enjoyed.

Did she
dare let herself live on the wild side? After what happened to her, did she
truly want to live with any regrets?
I
should at least give it a try.
That was if she read the situation correctly
and the guys truly did intend to claim her.

She’d have
to wait to find out now, though. She couldn’t very well march back out still
covered in the grime of travel, and the previous night’s traces of sex. With a
sigh for running away like a coward, she turned on the water and stripped. After
stepping into the tub, she tilted her head under the showerhead, letting the
warm spray cascade over her.

Humming to
herself, she soaped her body and rinsed. The rustle of the curtain didn’t
surprise her too much. She’d half hoped Trent would join her. His arms circled
her from behind, and she leaned back into him, eyes closed as the water rolled
down her length. He cupped her breasts, stroking his thumbs over her fat
nipples, the calloused touch making them pull into hard buds. The second rattle
of the curtain rings on the bar startled her, and she opened her eyes to see
Trent in front of her. So who was behind her? Could it be?

Craning
her head, she caught a glimpse of Darren’s blue-eyed gaze.

“What are
you doing?” she asked breathlessly. A stupid question, probably, given she had
two naked men in a shower with her sporting obvious hard-ons.

“Logic
says I should wait to claim you. Wait for you to be ready.”

“But,”
Trent interjected, his hands skimming down her hips to tease her thighs, “with
the way events are snowballing, why wait? You can feel he’s meant to be with
you, can’t you,
Thea
?”

She wanted
to refute his claim. Good girls didn’t sleep with two guys. However, she’d
always wondered if bad girls had more fun. She waited too long to answer, while
her mind mulled over the possibilities.

Taking
control and making words unnecessary, Darren tilted her head to the side and
leaned in to kiss her lips. Even with the awkward pose, a rush of excitement
coursed through, an aroused tingle that increased as Trent pinned her nude body
from the front. Meshed between two male bodies—slick, hot flesh sliding
against hers in a sensual feast that roused her hunger—all her reasons
for not allowing a threesome vanished. Who could think with two pairs of hands
stroking down her body? A pair of lips claiming her own while the other tugged
at her engorged nipple, sucking it like Darren sucked at her tongue? Quivers of
pleasure made her moan and squirm under their touch. A hard cock pressed
against her backside, while she felt another, molten and thick, against her
lower belly.

The shower
proved crowded with the three of them, and with a growled “Bed!” from Trent,
she found herself picked up, wrapped in a towel, and carried to a bed, all the
while dazed and aroused as they continued to touch and kiss her.

Once on
the bed, the towel was stripped off, and she regarded them through heavily
lidded eyes. They stood at the foot of the bed, big, strong, and so very
aroused. The sight of them, one so light, the other so dark, their expressions
identical almost in intensity, it made her hot.
Hotter than
hot.
She needed.
Hungered
. The
strength of her desire almost frightened, and for a moment, her morals tried to
rear their head. “This is wrong,” she murmured, a token protest even she didn’t
believe.

“Smells
right to me,” Darren said with a grin, kneeling between her legs.

“Looks
great to me,” Trent added, stroking his cock as he positioned himself beside
her head.