Taken by the Wolf: Collection (21 page)

Rowan turned back, heading for the house. Eva was looking at him with mixture of shock and anger on her face.

"What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "You asked me not to kill him."

He smiled, walking back towards the house as he felt Eva's emotions. There was no anger, just satisfaction.

Chapter 28

Eva couldn't help but feel a little on edge as they pulled away from the house, everyone crammed in the front seat of Rowan's old pickup. Rain, with her lean body, sat in the middle between Rowan and Eva.

She glanced over at Rowan, who was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white. She had been able to calm him previously by being calm herself, but the closer they got to the meeting the more nervous she became. Unfortunately Rowan responded by being nervous as well. The link was something new to both of them and they didn't know how to deal with one another's emotions yet.

Sensing the tension in the cab, Rain finally spoke up. "So how are you two doing?"

"What do you mean?" Rowan asked.

"I mean how's your mating going?" Rain asked again.

"That's a little personal, don't you think?" Eva asked.

"Not to wolves," Rain said.

Eva nodded. She still had a lot to learn about these guys. Nothing seemed to be off the table. They were an open bunch.

"It's going wonderfully," Rowan said sincerely.

Eva smiled. It still warmed her heart to hear Rowan speak about her so lovingly.

"Would you agree, Eva?" Rain said.

"Of course," Eva answered, smiling. "Things are going great."

"You seem to have established the bond," Rain said, winking at Eva. "That means you're true mates."

"We have," Eva said. "It's kind of wild."

"It's different," Rowan said, his eyes focused on the road.

"Different in a bad way?" Rain asked.

"Boy, you're just full of questions tonight, aren't you?" Rowan said. He looked almost embarrassed to be talking about this.

"Well, I want to know what's going on with my big brother and new sister," Rain said, chuckling.

Surrogate brother,
Eva reminded herself. It seemed the wolves called themselves brother and sister when they weren't actually related. From what she'd gathered, though, Leena was Rowan's blood sister and the only one he had.

"It's not different in a bad way," Rowan said. "I'm just someone who's never had control of my own emotions. You know I'm a hothead."

"Hell, yes, you are," Rain said, rolling her eyes.

"Now I have to learn to control not only my own emotions, but the emotions of someone else," he said. "It's a tough task."

"So it's bad?" Rain asked.

"I said it wasn't bad," Rowan said. "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Eva smiled again hearing those words.

"What's it like?" Rain asked, turning to Eva.

"What's what like?" Eva asked.

"Finding your true mate?" Rain asked.

"Well, we don't call the mates where I come from," Eva said. "I guess we would call it finding our true love or our one and only someone."

"So Rowan is your true love?" Rain asked.

"Yes," Eva said, surprised at her answer and the finality with which she said it. She had felt so much connection to Rowan, but she hadn't thought of him as her true love. Things were happening quickly, but she had never been more sure of anything.

"That's wonderful!" Rain said, clapping and bouncing in her seat. "What's it like?"

Eva thought about it, feeling both of their eyes on her. Finally she looked up, her hand on her chin as she thought. "It's like I'm complete. I feel safe and protected and I feel like I'll never have to face a problem alone again. I've been so happy the last few days, even in the face of danger."

"That's so great," Rain said, clapping again. "I can't wait until I find that."

"You will," Rowan said. "There's someone out there for you."

"I don't like wolves, though," Rain said, crossing her arms. "And you won't let me keep any humans I meet."

"A human man and a female wolf?" Rowan asked. "Unheard of!"

"Why is that a problem?" Eva asked. "I'm human."

"It's different with a male wolf and female human," Rowan said.

"How so?" Eva asked, not understanding any of this.

"It just is," Rowan said. "I can protect you. I'm strong and I can provide."

"Yes, and?" Eva asked.

"How's a human man going to protect a female wolf?" Rowan asked. "She'll be stronger than him!"

"I see," Eva said. What Rowan said did make sense, even if it seemed a bit wrong.

"Besides, I don't know why you would want someone so much weaker than you," Rowan said. "What's wrong with male wolves?"

"They're all so serious and duty-bound," Rain said. "Sure, they seem nice at first, but when they get it in their head that they're going to claim you, they get so serious. I can't stand it. They've tried to claim me, but I won't allow it."

"Interesting," Eva whispered. Rowan's attitude had changed when he claimed her, but it had changed for the better. He'd been much more serious before he claimed her than after. He seemed relaxed after the claiming, like he had achieved some great life goal that had been weighing him down.

"You just have to find the right wolf," Rowan said. "Your problem is that you're too young for a mating relationship, anyway."

"I'm what?" Rain asked, getting offended.

"You're just too young," Rowan repeated. "You still want to party and have too much fun. You're not taking things seriously enough."

"I'm done with this conversation," Rain said, crossing her arms and sinking back into her seat. "You never understand me."

Rowan just chuckled and continued to drive, ignoring Rain's pouting.

Eva looked at her and then at Rowan, remembering having similar conversations with her parents growing up. Rowan seemed to care about Rain, something she had never felt from her father. Still, she felt a pang of sadness as she thought about her parents. It had been almost four days and she hadn't spoken with them at all. She had to know if they cared and she had to let them know she was okay.

As if he was reading her mind, Rowan looked over at her, his honey-brown eyes filled with sadness.

"I think maybe we can call your parents after this meeting," he said, forcing a weak smile. "Once we know what Abaddon wants, it may be safe for you to call them. He's going to know where you are after tonight."

Eva's eyes grew wide. She hadn't thought of that. "You don't think he'll want to snatch me or anything, do you?"

"Well, I said something about that before," Rowan said, shaking his head. "You were so fired up you ignored me. It's a very real possibility he could try to take you hostage."

"Yeah," Eva said, remembering what Rowan had said before.

"But," Rowan said. "There is a bright side to this."

"And what's that?" Eva asked, not seeing one.

"If we can work something out regarding Leena while we're here, he probably won't care too much that you're with me," he said.

"I don't follow," Eva said.

"Well, the only reason they were going to seek you out before was because you were there when his lieutenant was killed. Now that they know who the killer is and know you're with the killer they won't care to capture you anymore," Rowan said. "It's obvious they know we were involved."

Eva sat back in her seat and smiled. That was another weight lifted off her shoulders. Maybe now she could sleep a little easier at night and maybe she could go retrieve some things from her apartment. That was if Rowan survived the meeting they were drawing very close to.

Chapter 29

Rowan tensed up as he pulled his truck into the parking lot of the old Route 38 Trading Post. It had been closed for a long time. The sign still showed gas for a dollar eighteen a gallon.

Those were the days,
Rowan thought. The old building was dilapidated and dark, but that didn't stop him from seeing the line of motorcycles in front of it. By the gas pumps there was a large group of men, all of them watching his truck intently. He didn't make eye contact with any of them as he parked his truck beside Aster's.

The head alpha was standing by his tailgate, looking nervously back at the group of bikers. Surprisingly Crow stood beside him, his beady eyes darting around.

"Why the fuck would he bring Crow?" Rowan asked.

"He is an alpha," Rain said.

"He's a snake in the grass," Rowan said. "I wouldn't put it past him to be the one who kidnapped Leena."

Rain's eyes grew wide. "You can't make an accusation like that."

"I'm not making it to his face," Rowan said. "You two stay in the truck. If we get into trouble then get the fuck out of here and go to Hawk's house. Understand?"

"Yes," both women replied in unison.

Rowan didn't say another word as he climbed out of the truck and slammed the door. Any nervousness he had felt was beginning to melt away, replaced with extreme anger at the sight of his old nemesis.

He saw Abaddon standing in the center of the group, an evil smile on his face.

"Son of a bitch," Rowan said. "I want to go over there and kill him now."

"You will do no such thing!" Crow said. "It's because of you that we're in this mess."

"Why did you bring this snake?" Rowan asked.

"He was at my house discussing the situation when they showed up," Aster said. "I had no choice."

"It's a good thing I'm here," Crow said. "Apparently I'm the only level-headed one here. Without me, you guys would probably start World War Three!"

That's probably what you want,
Rowan thought.
That's why you took her, you son of a bitch.

The more Crow opened his treacherous mouth, the more Rowan was convinced he was the one who'd taken Leena. He wanted his pack to have the same dominance Rowan's did and he had always coveted Aster's position. Whenever there was a vote, he made sure to vote on the opposite side of Aster, sometimes just to prove a point.

"Everyone, quiet," Aster said, taking the strong alpha role. He was no longer wearing his customary business suit, but he didn't have his council meeting furs on either. Instead he wore a tight tank top and jeans, just enough to show off his impressive frame.

Meanwhile, Crow did everything he could to hide his slight frame, wearing an oversized button-down shirt and baggy slacks. It always amused Rowan how small Crow was. He thought he was fit to lead an entire pack? He had the brains, but he didn't have any of the brawn he needed to back himself up.

Rowan had changed into his sheriff's uniform, trying to look as official as possible for this meeting.

"Well, you're the head alpha," Crow said, impatience in his voice. "Lead the way."

"Keep your goddamn mouth shut, Crow," Aster said. "I will rip your forked tongue out if I have to."

Crow recoiled in fear. He had quite the mouth on him, but he never knew how to react when he was physically threatened.

Pussy,
Rowan thought, shaking his head at the smaller alpha.

It amazed Rowan that nobody in Crow's pack had challenged him. There were plenty who were much bigger and stronger. But the weasel could talk his way out of any situation. He reminded Rowan of Bucklin's answer to David Koresh, a cult leader if there ever was one.

"Let's go," Aster said. "We don't want any violence. They could kill us all with ease."

"Naturally," Crow muttered. "That's what I've been saying." Crow glanced back at the truck, his eyes narrowing. "Why would you bring your human and a young female with you, Sheriff? Seems like a bad idea."

"They insisted," Rowan said, shoving Crow out of the way and joining Aster as they strode across the parking lot.

Crow squawked after the shove but fell in line, slinking along behind them.

I don't like him walking behind me,
Rowan thought.
I'd like to see the knife when he betrays me.

"Gentlemen," a voice from the crowd said. "Thank you for joining me."

The bikers parted like the Red Sea and a tall, lean man walked out. He had a presence about him, one that was awe-inspiring. He radiated charisma; just his smile was enough to make most men lay down their lives for him. Luckily Rowan had never bought in, but he found it hard to keep his guard completely up when staring into Abaddon's ice-blue eyes. He was over six and a half feet tall, his muscles long and lean. Tonight he wore a leather vest with nothing underneath, exposing the fact that his muscular body was covered in tattoos which also extended down his arms. He had dark olive skin that really shone on his bald head, contrasted by the black beard that he wore close to the face.

Rowan had heard he was Egyptian, but he had never been able to confirm the man's ethnic descent. It didn't matter, though; he was evil in any nationality.

"Abaddon," Aster said, nearly growling the name. "I thought we were finished. We had a deal."

"We did have a deal," Abaddon said, squatting down and opening an ice chest. "Would anyone like a beer?"

"No, thank you," Aster said, barely able to restrain his rage.

It was odd for Rowan to see a wolf drinking; they couldn't get drunk at all. Abaddon was only doing it for show, and to have a drink to offer them. It was apparent to Rowan now that Abaddon was in complete control of this meeting; they were on his turf and playing by his rules now.

"As I said," Abaddon said, standing up and taking a swig of his beer. "We
did
have a deal, but now we don't."

"We haven't broken the deal," Aster said.

"Oh?" Abaddon said, putting a hand on his own chest. "You haven't? Then I guess we were mistaken. You hear that, boys? We were mistaken! Let's go! Our bad!"

"Cut the cutesy shit," Aster said. "How did we break the deal?"

"Do you see my mate here?" Abaddon asked, holding his arms out to his sides. "Look really hard. I'm sure you won't miss her. After all, she was your mate first."

"You son of a bitch," Aster said, clenching his fists.

Abaddon looked at him with amusement on his face, like Aster was a child getting angry at his father. He posed no threat to the biker alpha; Rowan could see that plainly.