Wanted: Undead or Alive (25 page)

“They had shifters with them?”

“Yes! And they were ripping your werewolves into dog food. Dimitri and I barely made it out in time.”

Rhett stiffened. “You’re saying my men lost?”

Corky waved a dismissive hand. “They were falling like flies. I’ve never seen such a bunch of useless—”

“My men
lost
?” Rhett shouted.

“Yes! Have you been listening?” Corky screeched. “Those bloody MacKay bastards took over your ranch. Now where on earth am I supposed to do my death-sleep?”

Rhett dragged a hand through his hair. “I’ll find a place for you here.”

Corky huffed. “Let’s just go back to Alaska. You have plenty of land there.”

“I need more!” Rhett’s eyes gleamed. “I need more wolves. I need more power. And I’m so damned close. I’ll get more men down here quick. The wedding is in two nights.”

“I don’t want you to marry that bitch!” Corky screamed. “You’re mine.”

“Get a grip, Corky,” he hissed. “It’s just a damned formality so the land can transfer to me legally. Once I’m married to the Jones girl, we’ll kill her and the entire family. Then I’ll inherit it all.”

Phineas flinched and exchanged a look with Phil.

“Just two more days.” Rhett pulled Corky into his arms. “We’ll have it all. I’ll have thousands of pack members in four states following my every command.”

Corky wrapped her arms around his neck. “And I’ll have the governors under my control.”

Dimitri yelped and ran toward them. “There’s a bear charging toward us!”

“Quick!” Rhett ordered. “Take me to the house.”

They vanished just as Digger loped into the stable, followed by Jake. The horses went crazy, rearing up and kicking at their stalls.

“Calm yourselves,” Zoltan told them. “It will not harm you.”

The bear shifted, and the horses returned to normal.

Phineas jumped down to the ground. “Dammit, Digger!”

“What’s wrong?” He scratched at his beard. “Am I too late?”

“You scared them off,” Phineas muttered. “We missed a chance to capture them.”

“Or kill them,” Phil added.

“At least now we know exactly what they’re planning,” Zoltan said.

“What are they planning?” Digger asked.

“A wedding,” Phineas muttered. “Followed by mass murder.”

The bastards were planning to kill his Brynley.

Chapter Twenty-three

“A
ny sign of Brynley?” Phineas asked.

“Nope.” Digger was sitting on the roof of the stable, hidden behind a turret capped with a large weathervane. Wrapped in a dark horse blanket, he surveyed the surrounding area. His dog, Jake, was safe inside with the horses.

“Ain’t seen hide nor hair of her.” Digger chuckled. “You get it? She could have skin or fur.”

Phineas groaned inwardly. “I’ll check back with you later. Thanks.” He teleported to the front of the house, where Phil was stationed in a tree.

“Haven’t seen her,” Phil muttered.

Phineas sighed. They’d been watching the house for five hours. “You’d think she’d at least look out a damned window.”

There was plenty to look at. Werewolves were shifting back and forth, dragging back carcasses, cutting them up, and roasting them. Some of the guests had opted to remain human tonight so they could party at the house. They were drinking beer on the patio, making out in the garden. He’d spotted a few making love in the woods.

“I’ll check on you later,” he told Phil, then teleported to his station at the back of the house. He sat on a branch high up in a tree and scanned all the people once again, searching for Brynley.

Zoltan had teleported to the Carson ranch to report on what they’d heard in the stable. Meanwhile, Phineas, Phil, and Digger kept watch. No sign of Corky or Dimitri. They were either inside the house, or they’d teleported elsewhere. Rhett had taken off with a group of his minions in an SUV.

No sign of Brynley. What the hell was she doing in there? She didn’t seem to be using her bedroom. Did her father have her locked up in a prison cell? Was she miserable? Or did she have her Big Boy 1000 EXTREME to keep her company?

He snorted.

She probably never used it. After all, she’d left it behind when she ran away from home. And why should he worry if she did use it? It was better than jumping any of these werewolves who strutted around naked, covered with blood and grime.

He shifted on the branch. The sun would rise in less than an hour. He’d have to leave to do his death-sleep. His cell phone vibrated, not nearly as good as the Big Boy 1000 EXTREME, and he checked his text message. Zoltan was back, and he’d landed by the stable.

Phineas teleported over to Phil, picked him up, then materialized by the stable. They all sat out of view of the house, on the back side of the roof, close to Digger.

“The cabin has been quiet,” Zoltan told them. “No action there. Angus and his team defeated all the werewolves at Bleddyn’s ranch. Robby’s got a team there, keeping it secure. I told Angus that we saw Corky and Dimitri here, along with Bleddyn.”

“What does Angus want us to do?” Phineas asked.

“He’ll send us more men tomorrow night,” Zoltan said, “but he doesn’t want us to attack. We would end up killing Caddoc Jones’s pack members, and we don’t want to weaken his forces in case Bleddyn attacks him and his family.”

Phil shook his head. “This could escalate into a werewolf war, pack against pack. I need to get my brother and sisters out of here.”

How? Phineas wondered. He was tempted to walk up to the house, ring the front doorbell, and tell Caddoc Jones that he and his family were about to be slaughtered.

“If we see Corky or Dimitri, we’re supposed to grab them and teleport them straight to the Carson ranch. Angus has some silver chains and handcuffs there.” Zoltan took a deep breath. “And of course, if you see Brynley, you can grab her.”

“
If
we see her,” Phineas grumbled.

“We have thirty minutes left here,” Zoltan continued. “Then we’ll go to the Carson ranch for our death-sleep.”

Phineas groaned. He’d have to wait another night to rescue Brynley.

T
he next evening, Brynley forced herself to eat some of the buffet. It tasted like dry chalk in her mouth, but she needed to keep her strength up. She’d been awake for only two hours, but she was already stressed out.

First, her guards had escorted her to her bedroom so she could try on the wedding dress. After all, the wedding was tomorrow. She nearly choked on the deer meat she was chewing and drank half a glass of wine to fortify her nerves.

A female werewolf/seamstress had marked a few areas she wanted to alter, then Brynley had been escorted to a small office being used by her wedding planner. She hadn’t even known she had a wedding planner. But it wasn’t that surprising, really. Her father was not the sort to fool with mundane details. He commanded others to do it.

Since the wedding was happening so quickly, the invitations were merely passed out among the guests who were already there. Tonight was the third night of the full moon, and normally the last night of the monthly party, but the guests would simply stay one more night to witness the wedding.

She swallowed another bite of deer meat. It was all a farce, really. The wedding planner had acted like she wanted Brynley’s approval of the dinner menu and flower arrangements, but it was all going to happen whether she liked it or not.

Much to her sister’s dismay, she’d managed one small act of rebellion. She’d gone downstairs to eat dinner in her jeans, plaid shirt, and cowboy boots.

She glanced at the window. The sun was going down. The guards made sure now that she didn’t get close to a window. Her father’s orders, no doubt, after he’d caught her eavesdropping on Rhett.

She scanned the dining room and counted three guards. There was no escaping them. At least she hadn’t been forced to endure Rhett’s company today.

She groaned. Speak of the devil. He strode into the room, dressed in his tuxedo, wearing a white silk scarf around his shoulders and an obnoxious smirk on his face.

He stopped in front of her. “I have a surprise for you.”

Her eyes widened. “You have dog mange?”

Nearby guests chuckled, and his smirk twisted with anger.

He seized her arm. “Come with me.”

As he dragged her from the dining room, she glanced back and saw the guards following. Would they defend her if she was attacked, or stand by and applaud?

Rhett pushed her out the back door, making her stumble forward onto the empty patio. He grabbed her once again and pulled her close.

“You will show me respect in public,” he growled softly.

“Then I can be rude in private?”

His hands tightened painfully on her arms, and she winced. There would be bruises tomorrow. How fortunate her wedding dress had long sleeves.

“You don’t want to know what we’ll do in private,” he hissed. He whipped the white silk scarf off his shoulders and spun her around.

She lunged forward to escape, but the three guards blocked her. Suddenly, the silk scarf covered her eyes. She gasped and felt a tug at the back of her head. The scarf had been knotted.

She reached up to pull the scarf down but her hands were grabbed by a pair of tight fists.

“Come with me.” Rhett pulled her forward.

Her heart raced. She heard the guards following behind, but she doubted they would help her. “What are you doing? If you harm me, my father will kill you.”

Rhett chuckled. “Harm you? I plan to marry you, you nitwit. Now two steps down.” He held on to her hands and guided her into the backyard.

“Where are you taking me?” she demanded.

“I told you. I have a surprise for you.” Rhett wrapped an arm around her shoulder and steered her to the left. “It took all night and all day for me and my men to pull off this feat. You’ll be very impressed.”

“Only if you all managed to castrate yourselves,” she muttered.

He chuckled. “I like the way you resist. It will make your final submission so much sweeter.”

The air was chilly against her cheeks. The temperature was dropping, a sure sign that the sun had set. Would Phineas come looking for her?

She strained her ears and could hear the soft thud of footsteps behind her. The guards were still following. Up ahead, she heard voices. Something about ropes? Tying something down? She swallowed hard.

Images of her last assault flitted through her mind, and her heart thundered in her ears.
No!
She pushed the memories aside. She wouldn’t panic. She would be brave.

Rhett stopped her and placed her hands on a horizontal wooden beam. It was the horse pen. She dug her fingers into the wood.

Rhett whispered, his mouth close to the white silk covering her ear. “Your sister told me what you admired the most in the world. I’m giving it to you as a sign of my devotion.”

He whipped the scarf off her head, and she gasped.

Her heart lurched, and tears instantly sprang to her eyes.

The wild white stallion was imprisoned inside the pen. It pawed the ground furiously. Its eyes rolled about in fear and rage. Three ropes had been tied around its neck and secured to the fenced enclosure. The horse strained to move, its neck already red with welts as the ropes cut into its white coat.

“You’re hurting him,” she whispered.
You’re killing him. You’re killing me.
She could almost feel the ropes around her own neck, squeezing tighter and tighter.

“It’s the only way to contain him,” Rhett said. “Damned horse put up quite a fight.”

She noted the dried blood on the horse’s flank. “Let him go.”

Rhett scoffed. “Are you kidding? Do you know how much trouble we—” He looked at her. “Are you crying?”

She wiped the tears off her face, and jutted out her chin. “Let him go.”

He leaned on the fence, studying her. “I’ll let him go if you’ll be my willing bride.”

Her heart skipped a beat as it plummeted into her stomach. A feeling of doom sucked her down. Submission, the way of the Lycan world.

She gazed at the wild white stallion, and more tears stung her eyes. If she agreed, at least one of them would be free.

Chapter Twenty-four

P
hineas nearly fell out of the tree when he teleported there. Was that Brynley? Blindfolded? Rhett Bleddyn was leading her across the backyard. Three guards followed close behind. They appeared to be headed toward the stable.

Maybe he could teleport to her and grab her before Rhett or the three guards reacted. Might be difficult since Rhett had an arm around her. He needed backup.

After waking in Nate Carson’s basement, he’d been so anxious to return here and watch for Brynley that he’d guzzled down a bottle and teleported straight here with Phil. He’d left the werewolf in his favorite tree in the front. Zoltan and Jack were supposed to follow.

He texted a message to Zoltan.
Go to stable roof now!

He pocketed the cell phone and glanced at Brynley. Rhett had taken her to the horse pen.

His breath caught. Gleaming white under the full moon, the wild white stallion strained at its ropes.

Shock quickly gave way to anger. The bastards. They’d found the perfect way to hurt Brynley. This was no slap on the face. It was a wound inflicted upon her soul.

He teleported to Phil, and before Phil could ask a question, he’d landed the two of them on the stable roof.

Zoltan materialized with Jack.

Phineas pointed toward the horse pen and whispered, “Brynley.” As he stretched out on his stomach to peer over the ridge of the roof, the others did the same.

Phil hissed in a breath. “Bastards.”

“Go get her.” Zoltan nudged Phineas with his elbow. “Jack and I will keep the guards busy.”

“No,” he whispered back. “I want you and Jack to teleport into the pen. You’ll use your mojo to calm down the stallion while Jack cuts the ropes. Then you teleport the horse out. While you’re—”

“The horse is too heavy,” Zoltan interrupted.

“You can do it together.”

Jack shook his head. “We could end up ripping it in two.”

“Then connect your minds so you’ll land together at the cabin. You can do it. And while they’re freaking out over the horse, I’ll swoop in and grab Brynley. We’ll all meet at the cabin.”

“Except me,” Phil muttered. “But you guys go ahead. Have all the fun.”

“Sorry, dude,” Phineas said.

Phil snorted. “I was kidding. I want you to get Bryn out. I’ll stay here. I’m worried about the rest of my family, too.”

Phineas removed the knife from his boot and handed it to Jack. “Can you do it?”

He accepted the knife. “It’s a crazy idea, but I like it.”

“Ready?” Zoltan asked. “On the count of three. One, two,
three
.”

Jack and Zoltan teleported. Jack zoomed around the horse at vampire speed, cutting the three ropes, while Zoltan faced the horse. The stallion grew still.

Rhett’s men hollered and jumped into the pen. Rhett let go of Brynley and shouted orders to his men, and her guards moved aside to watch.

Phineas teleported beside her and grabbed her. She gasped, looking at him in shock. He had a glimpse of Zoltan and Jack vanishing with the horse, then he teleported, taking Brynley with him.

They landed inside the cabin.

“Phineas!” She threw her arms around him and laughed.

He grinned. “I got you. You’re safe.”

She leaned back, beaming at him, then her expression morphed into panic. “The wild white stallion! We have to rescue him!”

“Brynley—”

“They’re torturing him!” Her eyes glinted with tears. “We have to save him.”

“I know. You can’t bear to be free if he’s not free.”

“Exactly.”

“Come with me.” He led her onto the front porch.

She gasped.

The stallion reared up on its hind legs. Jack and Zoltan jumped back.

“You saved him,” she whispered. She pressed a hand against her chest, then turned to Phineas. A tear rolled down her cheek. “You saved him.”

With a smile, he brushed the tear away. “I know how you feel about him.”

“Whoa,” Zoltan murmured to the horse. “Calm down. Let us get the ropes off you.”

The stallion pawed at the ground, then went still.

Jack approached slowly, then slid his knife under the ropes and cut through.

The ropes fell to the ground, and the stallion tossed its head.

Brynley’s gaze shifted back to Phineas, and more tears glimmered in her eyes. “You saved me. You saved the stallion. You beautiful, beautiful man.”

Zoltan exchanged a look with Jack. “I thought we did all the work.”

Phineas kissed her brow. “As long as I live, I’ll fight anyone who tries to capture the wild horse. And I’ll never let anyone destroy your beautiful wild spirit.”

With a choked sob, she threw her arms around him. “I love you. I was so afraid I’d never get the chance to tell you.” She placed her hands on his cheeks. “I really do love you.”

He laughed and swung her around in a circle.

“I’m starting to feel a bit unnecessary again,” Jack muttered.

“Come on, Casanova.” Zoltan motioned for him to follow. “We have another job to do.”

They walked into the stable.

“Alone at last.” Phineas kissed Brynley, and she laughed against his mouth.

“Not entirely.” She motioned with her head toward the wild white stallion. It was regarding them curiously.

“Peeping Tom.” Phineas pulled Brynley close. “Get your own girl.”

“That can be arranged.” Zoltan led Molly from the stable. “Go on, girl. Get your man.”

Jack chuckled. “Nothing like
amore
.”

Molly shook her head and snorted. The wild stallion reared up, then trotted toward her.

“They’re necking,” Brynley whispered.

“Good idea.” Phineas nuzzled her neck.

“I want you.” She kissed his cheek and rubbed a hand over his chest. “I want to kiss you all over. Now.”

His vision turned pink.

“What do you think, Zoltan?” Jack said in a loud voice. “It’s a nice evening. Shall we stand guard for a little while? About five minutes?”

Zoltan snorted. “Ten at least. He is the Love Doctor, after all.”

Phineas teleported Brynley down into the basement.

B
rynley ripped his shirt open. “Hurry.”

It felt as if all the frustration and anger and fear she’d endured over the last few days had been poured into a hot cauldron, and it was now bubbling over to make her frantic. She attacked his belt with trembling fingers.

“I was so worried about you.” He unbuttoned her shirt.

“I don’t want to think about it.” She unzipped his jeans and pulled them down. She’d come so close to being forced into a marriage with a man she despised, forced into a life of submission that would have killed her slowly and painfully, choking her, humiliating her, diminishing her until there was nothing left of her.

She had to live. She had to be free. Inside, her wolf howled with joy.

She shoved Phineas back onto the bed and yanked his boots off.

He sat up. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She pulled off his jeans and underwear.

He frowned. “They didn’t hurt you?”

She didn’t want to talk about how desperate and helpless she’d felt. She wanted to feel strong. In control. Empowered. She shoved him back and straddled him. “Let me do this. I need to do this.”

“Do what?”

“Whatever the hell I feel like.” Her heart swelled when his eyes turned red. No wonder she loved him. He loved her when she was strong.

She leaned forward to kiss him, to explore him with her tongue. His hands slipped inside her open shirt, and he kneaded her breasts, then unclasped her bra.

She sat up, flung her shirt and bra aside, then leaned down again to rub herself against him.

He tossed her onto her back and with vampire speed, he removed her boots, jeans, and underwear. When he climbed on top of her, she laughed and pushed him onto his back.

“I’m in charge,” she told him, and smoothed a hand down his chest.

He attempted to sit up. “You think—”

“Stay.” She pushed him back down.

His mouth twitched. “You think I’m a dog?”

“I think you’re mine.” She curled a hand around his erection. “All mine.”

His eyes glowed a rich bloodred.

She leaned over to tease him with her tongue.
Yes
. She was in charge. Full of power. Bursting with freedom. She took him into her mouth and delighted at the moans she wrenched from him. Moisture pooled between her legs.

She glanced up at him and smiled. “Shall I take you now? Ride you like a cowboy?”

He smiled back. “Will you be gentle with me?”

“Hell no.”

“That’s my girl.”

With a laugh, she straddled him and eased him inside her. His thick shaft slid into her wetness.
Sweet.
She started off slow, reveling in the slow, sweet slide when she lifted up, the grounding of their bodies when she slipped down.

“You’re so beautiful.” He caressed her breasts and tweaked her hardened nipples.

With a moan, she increased her speed. His hands smoothed down to grasp her hips, and soon he was pulling her harder. She rode him faster and faster.

With a shout, he arched and pumped into her. Stars shattered before her eyes. With a keening cry, she climaxed, then fell forward onto his chest, her body shuddering with spasms.

He held her tight. “Brynley, I love you so much.”

Tears stung her eyes. “I was so afraid I’d never see you again.”

“I was scared, too.” He rubbed her back. “I sat outside for hours last night, hoping to catch a glimpse of you so I could rescue you. Your brother Phil was there, too. And Digger and Zoltan.”

“Digger?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t want you forced into a marriage against your will.”

She shuddered. “It was awful. Tonight I had to try on my wedding dress.”

“I saw that wedding dress,” he muttered. “I was tempted to rip it to shreds.”

She sat up. “You saw it?”

“Yeah. Phil pointed out which window was your bedroom, and Zoltan and I teleported in, hoping to find you.”

“That was sweet of you.”

He gave her a wry look. “I have my uses.”

Smiling, she caressed his chest. “I love your uses.”

“I can go all night long.”

Her hand slipped down to his penis and tugged gently. “Can you now?”

“And I don’t even need batteries.”

She paused. “Batteries?”

“Yes. For a night of
extreme
sex.”

She let go of him. “You were in my bedroom.”

“Yes.”

“Snooping under my bed.”

“I thought the box might contain photos of your dear mother or maybe a dried corsage from your high school prom, but no. It was the Big Boy 1000 EXTREME.”

She winced. “It was a gag gift from college. When I broke up with Seth, my girlfriends claimed they had found a new boyfriend for me. It was just a silly joke.”

“And yet, ten years later, it’s still close to your bed.”

“I didn’t say I never used it. I’ve always been wary of getting involved when the guys are more interested in gaining my father’s favor than mine.” She gave him a wry look. “Why does it bother you so much?”

“Because the end of my dick doesn’t whirl around at warp speed.”

She grinned and kissed his cheek. “You have nothing to worry about. You’re the Big Man 10,000 Mega-Extreme.” She kissed his brow. “You’re the Love Doctor, the Blardonnay Guy, and the love of my life.”

He patted her rump. “That’s right, woman. Don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t.” She nipped at his ear.

“I’m gonna rewrite your vows. You’ll have to promise to be faithful, forsaking all others, including the Big Boy 1000 EXTREME.”

She sat back with a gasp.

He winced. “You like it that much?”

“Did you just ask me to marry you?”

His eyes widened. “You . . . don’t want to? I realize I’m not much of a catch.”

“It’s not that. It just seems kind of fast. I mean, we could live together for—”

“I know it’s fast, but I don’t think your father is going to give up on trying to marry you off. If we make it legal, then it should give you some protection.”

She bit her lip. “Is that why you want to marry?”

“No, that’s just me trying to convince you. What I really want is to spend the rest of my life giving you the love you deserve.”

She smiled and touched his cheek.

There was a knock on the trapdoor.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jack called down. “But Angus wants everyone at the Carson ranch for a meeting. I’m going to collect Phil and take him there. Meeting starts in five minutes.”