To Right a Wrong (9 page)

“I don't understand—” The journal slipped off her lap, and she grabbed Ethan's arm. “Mr.

Lehman?”

He nodded. “Yes. That would explain how he could half-shift and get the upper hand on you at the store. The more werewolf blood they consume, the stronger they grow.”

“What does this have to do with my brother?” She stood up and paced the room.

“He's young and growing. Too little to fight or question what they are doing to him.” He shook his head. “The longer they have him, the more dangerous they will become. Their bodies will crave more blood until…”

She bent over at the waist, and gagged. Dry heaves racked her body. Ethan moved over gathered her in his arms. “Shh…we'll find him.

Somehow, some way. I'll save your brother.”
Chapter Ten

Peeking out from behind a bush, Dani was thankful for the greenery hiding her naked state.

Ethan slipped his hand around her upper arm and pulled her back out of the view from the road.

“What?”

“I don’t want anyone to see you. It’s still too early in the day to shift out in the open. We’re going to have to work on your patience, little one.” He softened his words with a kiss. “I swear when this is all over with I’m not letting you out of the house for a week.”

She leaned against his bare chest and the front of her thighs rubbed against his much warmer body. She mewed. He was rock hard, and she was ready. She circled the base of his cock with her fingers and stroked him.

She’d give anything to have her normal life back to enjoy these moments with her mate. His embrace gave her the strength to go on.

Imagining her little brother having his blood drained from his body and stolen by others to give them superpowers was monstrous, sickening. Thank God, Ethan had the strength to carry some of her anger and took care of her.

If she’d found out what he suspected before her heat cycle, she would have gone crazy.

He growled. He rolled his head from one shoulder to the next as if her caress relieved his tension. She straddled his thigh and pressed her pussy against his bulging muscles.

“This morning’s romp wasn’t enough for you?” He stroked her sides, skimming the outer slope of her breasts with his thumbs.

Her nipples peaked and she squeezed his cock. “It never is, but I don’t have to tell you that I’m addicted to you.”

Ethan kissed her, stopped, sniffed the air, and pulled away from Dani. “Stay hidden.” In one step, he’d shifted into his wolf and crawled under the evergreen bush.

A chilly breeze blew over her body. She shivered. She didn’t know whether to shift into her wolf or put her hidden clothes back on.

Ethan had wanted to wait until darkness came to shift and proceed to Greggoire’s house, but if he sensed danger, maybe it was better if she was prepared. But buck-naked and hiding at the edge of the forest didn’t exactly make her a tower of strength to an enemy.

The leaves wiggled, and Ethan’s large gray wolf slunk back into their little hiding spot.

“Shift, little one. It’s time.”
One second she was standing, and the next she was rubbing the top of her head underneath Ethan’s neck. Her body vibrated with power, her senses alert for danger.
“What happened?”

“Greggoire and a couple of his goons ran
down the street. If we hurry, we can search for
your brother without having to fight them.”
He led the way out of the brush.

She didn’t question his choice of running out in the open in the daylight hours. They had no time to waste.

Chasing Ethan, she surged forward. She gripped the asphalt with her paws, letting the adrenaline coursing through her body give her the extra boost of energy she needed. If they succeeded, she’d have Jordy home where he belonged tonight.

“Be alert. If your brother is in the house, he’s
not alone.”
Ethan slowed down.
“Whatever
happens, I don’t want you shifting. You’re
stronger in your wolf. Let her use the strength
and smarts she’s there for and you’ll be fine. Just
don’t try to control her. Her instincts will keep you
safe, little one.”

Dani stopped beside Ethan on the east side of Greggoire’s house near the garage.
“I
understand.”

“Ready?”

She stretched her neck out and licked the side of his face.
“Be careful.”
Head low to the ground, Dani crept behind Ethan to the back of the house. Shaded with tall cedar trees, the yard sat sheltered and hidden.

She sniffed the air in all directions. He stopped, and she lay on the ground. Tense and ready to run, she waited to follow his lead. This first step scared her to death.

A large glass slider separated the outside patio from the house. From fifteen feet away, Ethan charged forward to leap straight toward and through the glass door. The sprinkling of shattered glass falling on the concrete patio below seemed to echo in the quiet.

Inside, a scream cut off in mid-pitch. She flicked her ears straight up in the air. The desire to follow was almost too much to fight.
“Are you
okay?”

“Yeah. Come in. There were women in the
room who fled to somewhere else in the house. It
might be better if they see a she-wolf instead of
me.”

She loped forward and jumped through the jagged space in the broken door.
“See, I told you
others find you scary and—”
Stopping, she lifted her nose, sniffed the air, and growled.
“Ethan!

He’s here. Jordan’s in the house. I can smell
him.”

She ran past him down the hall to follow the most beautiful scent in the world. A mix of sweet baby and everything good filled her nostrils. She could almost sense her brother lying in her arms sleeping with his little lips puckered in a dream, the way he used to do when he was safe and content at home.

The heady scent grew stronger near the stairs. She leaped up the steps with no effort.

Growling, she stood on the landing. The fur lifted along her back, and her skin was super-sensitive; even the breeze from Ethan pushing past her ruffled her. She was ready. She’d fight to the death to get her brother back. He belonged to her. Only her.

“Stand back, little one. Let me go through the
door first.”

The muscles along her hind legs tensed. She willed her wolf to let Ethan take control of the situation. He jumped against the door and fell onto his side before scrambling back on all four paws. He growled and bared his teeth.

“I’m going to shift. Cover me until I shift
back.”

“Okay. Hurry.”

If she blinked, she would have missed how Ethan’s body lengthened and morphed back into his human form. She dared anyone to mess with him, even stark naked. Not many men, human nor werewolf, were as strong or big.

Long lean muscles without an ounce of fat.

His stomach solid, his chest wide, and his shoulders even wider. Needing contact with her mate, she whined and stepped over to rub her head against his leg.

“Stay here. Unless they plan to jump out of the second story window, the only way out for them is through this door.” He grasped the door handle, but it didn’t budge. “I’m going to try and break it down.”

Ethan stepped back along the landing’s railing, charged toward the door, and hit the wood with his shoulder. The door cracked near the hinges on the left side, but remained closed.

He rammed it again. This time the door broke away at the bottom. He slammed against the side of the door, and the lock finally gave way.

Switching places with Ethan, Dani slipped into the darkened room. Two women huddled together in the corner beside a mirrored dresser.

With no chance of the women escaping, Dani studied the room without taking her gaze off the obvious threat. The unmade bed reeked of sex, and the faint smell of a soiled diaper in the wastebasket by the door got her blood pumping.

The toys, blanket, and empty bottle proved her brother lived here recently. She growled.

The taller woman straightened, sidling between Dani and the bed as if protecting the younger one, who continued to shy away.

Dani curled her lips and bared her teeth, stalking slowly toward them. The braver woman shifted into wolf form and held her ground despite being smaller than Dani. The other groaned and slid to her knees crying. The putrid scent of fear wafted off her.

Dani hid her surprise over finding a human in Greggoire's house. She stared at the she-wolf without breaking eye contact. The urge to grab them both and shake the answers she sought flooded any other thought. She dared not glance away in search of Jordan. The she-wolf would take her inability to stand her ground as a sign of weakness, and attack.

A slight pressure brushed across her. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Ethan’s wolf approach and stand off to her right, a step in front of her. She relaxed her fighting stance.

Thankful to have him with her, she gave control of the situation over to him and turned her head in search of a familiar small boy.

Jordan could be anywhere, in the closet, under the bed, or in the chest underneath the window.
“Dammit. I can’t find him in my wolf. I’ve
got to shift.”

“Go ahead. It doesn’t look like the she-wolf is
going to attack, and the other woman is scared to
death.”

Dani stepped toward the closet and shifted.

Flinging back the bi-folding doors, she pushed aside the clothes to search the back of the two-foot-deep area. She bent over and peered into the dark corners. Nothing. No little legs or chubby arms half hidden behind the shoe boxes and purses.

She wanted to scream. Whirling around, she focused on the woman, who stood with her back against the wall. “Where is he?” Dani snarled.

The woman shook her head.

“Answer me! I know he’s here.” She lunged toward the woman. If she had to shake the truth out of her she would.

The she-wolf shifted and blocked her from coming any closer to the frightened woman.

“Greggoire is gone. He went into town with some of his men. You won’t find him here.”

“I’m not looking for him.” Dani fisted her hands at her side. “I want to know what you’ve done with my brother. I know you’ve had him here. I can smell him all over the house.” The woman started to shake her head again, but Dani lifted her chin and got in the she-wolf’s face. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about. I can smell him all over you, you bitch. Tell me where Jordan is now.” The she-wolf glanced over at the other woman, who said nothing. There seemed to be a silent communication between the two of them until the human gave a sharp nod. Dani clenched her teeth together. She didn’t have time to stand around begging for answers.

Jordan’s life depended on her finding him.

The she-wolf kept her gaze on Dani. “The boy is no longer here. We don’t know anything more.”

“You must! He was here. I can smell him.” A tremor shook her body and her voice. “Please, you must leave. We can’t tell you anymore.

Greggoire is going to be angry when he comes home and finds his house torn up and smelling like the both of you.” She glanced at Ethan who remained standing on guard in his wolf. “You don’t stand a chance going up against the alpha.”

Ethan growled and flicked his tail before stilling his body.

“You can tell Greggoire that I won’t give up.

I’ve come for my brother, and I will do whatever it takes to get him back.” Dani turned and headed out of the room. She paused in the doorway and gazed back over her shoulder. “Oh, and you can tell Greggoire that if he’s harmed one hair on my baby brother’s head, he’ll wish he was dead.”

She marched down the stair following the path she came into the house. Her mind reeled from being so close, but leaving empty-handed.

Her vision blurred, and she reached out to stop herself from stumbling. She couldn’t breathe.

The air wouldn’t come.

“Shift dammit!”
Ethan pushed against the back of her knee.

No conscious effort was needed to turn into her wolf. She leapt through the broken door and sucked in the fresh air. Panting, she stood, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. Bile tickled the back of her throat and she gagged, coughed, and vomited phlegm.

She glanced over at Ethan. “I-I was s-so sure he was there…”

“We’ll find him.” He licked the side of her face. “I promise. We’ll find him.”

Ethan by her side, Dani returned to the spot at the edge of the forest where they’d left their bundle of clothes. Hidden in the brush, she fumbled to get dressed. Night had fallen, and even though she could still see and hear if anyone came close, the sudden chill of her human form coupled with the failure of their plan had her knees shaking.

Never before had she felt so weak. The adrenaline of going to battle to find her brother no longer pulsed through her veins, and instead, a dark gloom settled on her shoulders. Drover was a small town. It shouldn’t be this easy to hide a child, even one as young as Jordy.

Ethan stepped over and hugged Dani. He rubbed her back briskly, bringing warmth to the surface. “Do you think you can handle one more visit?”

“To Greggoire’s house again?” She leaned back and gazed up at his face. “I thought you agreed the women wouldn’t help us.”

“No, I have another plan.” He stepped back.

“We go to the lady’s house who works at the store…Mrs. Danielson. The store closes at six, right?”

Dani nodded.

“She should be home then. Maybe away from Lehman she’ll give us some answers.” He leaned down and kissed her lips. “She did try to warn both of us. If we can figure out what scares her, maybe we can find out who the person is responsible for frightening her into silence, and that will lead us to the person holding Jordan.” Stretching up on her tiptoes, she flung her arms around his shoulders and gave him an earth-shattering kiss. That was just the motivation she needed to regain her energy back. Sucking his lips, she pulled back with a smack. “You’re brilliant. Let’s go.” Mrs. Danielson lived a few houses away from her family home. Dani jogged to keep up with Ethan’s bigger steps. She envied the humans in Drover. They had the services of the town’s emergency system at their disposal.