by Marcy Jacks
Cole’s hands flew away from his neck, and he went down clutching at his face. Everett dropped some of the rings, but he had to act quickly. He took one of the shackles in his hand and quickly clamped it back over Cole’s wrist. Cole was too busy writhing in his agony on the ground that he barely seemed to notice.
He kept Cole’s other hand free as he chained his hand to the tree. Now he was chained from the waist and one hand. Everett felt a little better about this now. He didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do about Cole’s injuries, though.
Finally, Cole tugged against the chains holding him and screamed. There was blood on his face. Everett could still smell the burning from where he’d shoved the silver rings. Great, now he had to find the ones he’d dropped.
“Let me go! Let me go!” Cole screamed.
He yanked against his chains, and he tugged and whipped around the chain that was reattached to his wrist.
To Everett’s sick horror, he watched as Cole bit down on his hand, just around the swell at the base of the thumb.
He was going to bite his thumb off!
Everett did the only thing he could think of doing at that point. He grabbed Cole around the neck, looping his arm just under the man’s chin, and pried his mouth away.
He hadn’t been in time to keep Cole from biting through some of the skin, and while there was a little blood, his thumb was still in place.
“Get off me!”
“Stop it! You’re hurting yourself!”
Cole shook and smashed the both of them against the tree, hard enough that Everett released him.
Everett stepped away until he was out of Cole’s reach. At least he’d stopped trying to bite himself.
“I’m going to kill you!” Cole snarled.
His golden eyes were back, and his fingers extended into those horrible claws that Everett had seen on other shifters. He’d seen claws like that rip through thick metal.
It was just the werewolf speaking, Everett told himself. This wasn’t the real Cole talking here.
That was right. Cole was sick. This reaction he was having was not his fault. The animal inside of him wanted out. It wanted to escape and defend itself against what it perceived as an attack.
Everett raised his hands and took a cautious step forward. He tried to bring to mind all the time he lay in bed with this man. How often he and Cole would sit on the couch together, snuggling after a hard day’s work for the both of them. He remembered the soft feel of his mouth and how gentle Cole had been with the world around him.
The guy couldn’t hurt a fly, and he would’ve been a vegetarian had he not loved bacon so much.
“Colby, come on, baby. It’s me. You don’t want to do this.”
That only seemed to make him flip out even more. “Stop calling me that! I am not your baby! You fucking kidnapping hunter lunatic.”
“Cole, for God’s sake, you nearly bit through your thumb to get out of the shackle,” Everett said, pointing with his hand to the damage he spoke of.
Cole’s hand was now dripping blood onto the foliage at his feet, not to mention the blood and swelling on his cheek. Everett was going to have to clean that up and quickly. They’d been lucky enough to not attract any wildlife on their journey. He didn’t want something coming after them now.
Cole looked down at the wound, and seemed to realize what he’d done and how much it was now hurting. He shook his hand out and crouched to his knees. He made sure to keep his back to Everett, hiding his wounds.
“Cole, if I want to take a look, will you try and kill me again?”
“I wasn’t trying to kill you, asshole,” Cole said, glaring over his shoulder. The wound on his face made the snarl that much more ferocious.
Everett lifted a brow, hardly believing it, but he decided to ask anyway. “You weren’t?”
“No! I was trying to knock your dumb ass out so I could get out of here. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve grabbed your gun.”
It was stupid, but he believed him. His gun had been in the holster the entire time, and Cole hadn’t once made a play for it. Still, the sensation of being choked hadn’t been a pleasant one, and he never wanted to go through that again.
From the look of it, Cole didn’t want silver shoved against his face ever again either.
“Christ, Cole. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Yes, you did!” Cole rounded on him, those golden eyes as bright as ever. “If you really wanted to do me any favors, you would let me go!”
“I will let you go,” Everett said.
That actually made Cole take a step back. “What?”
Everett sighed. He grabbed his bag of supplies and pulled out the bandages and creams he would be needing. Anything bloody would have to be buried. “Let me clean you up first. You made everything worse so—”
“Wait!” Cole snapped, holding his injured hand out.
Everett stopped what he was doing to look up at him, suddenly alert. He didn’t hear anything, but from the way Cole was standing, staring out into the distance, he did.
“What is it?” he asked, getting back to his feet.
He put his hand onto his gun in its holster, trying to hear whatever it was that had Cole on edge. There was the distant twitter of birds and the rustle of the leaves in the wind, but he didn’t hear anything else.
“What is it?” Everett asked. If Cole was having him on again, then he was a bigger fool than his father always told him.
Cole’s eyes went wide, and he started tugging on his chains with a renewed vigor. “Someone’s coming. We need to get out of here. They’re coming.”
He didn’t yell out the words, but he might as well have with the panic that was in his voice.
Everett was such a sucker, but despite Cole’s escape attempt five minutes ago, he found himself moving toward him once more, key to the chains in hand.
Cole was like a wild and scared animal. Everett was doubting at this point that he even noticed his presence as he came forward to unlock him.
“Stop fighting. You’re making it worse,” he said, trying to get the key into the lock. “Who’s coming? Hunters? Werewolves?”
Cole was still fighting to get out of his chains, and when Everett managed to get the lock opened and the chains released, he practically jumped out of the ones that had been keeping him connected to the tree.
He ran. Cole bolted for the trees and left their small clearing. Because he still had that one shackle around his wrist, the long chain was dragged behind him until it too was gone.
Everett stood there, unable to summon the will to chase after him. He guessed he deserved that for allowing himself to be tricked twice, but Cole had seemed so sincere. Everett had actually believed him when he’d panicked and said that someone was coming.
Now he was left standing there, alone, like an idiot.
He’d wanted to save the other man, but it seemed now that Cole was a werewolf, he couldn’t be saved. He was going to run wild around these parts with the risk of hunters all over the place, no matter what Everett did.
No, he couldn’t let that happen. Everett was a decent tracker and he’d learned a lot by being with the hunters, despite how cruel they could be about their work. He was going to find Cole and bring him across the border where animal protection laws were stronger.
He got started packing up his things. He was going to have to be quick if he was going to catch the other man before Cole vanished on him. The chain might slow him down a little and maybe prevent him from transforming.
He was probably going to head straight back to his pack. If Everett managed to get ahead of him and set up some fairly safe traps, he could—
“Get your hands in the air right now, you filthy fucking traitor.”
Everett froze, his inner planning cut off as he looked up and turned around.
Owen stood there, one of the men in Everett’s former team. He didn’t look happy as he pointed his Glock at Everett’s face.
Everett raised his hands. He didn’t want to die tonight.
“Owen, listen—”
“You shut the fuck up! We took you in! We trusted you! Then you go and abandon us to run off with a Goddamn werewolf?” He then seemed to think of something, and his anger spiked. “And what the hell about Luke? He’s been the most worried about you.”
Everett kind of doubted that. He and Luke hadn’t been close at all. Not really, and as far as Owen knew, he and Luke had just been strictly friends, and they’d barely been that, even after they’d spent that one night together.
Owen had lost his pregnant wife to a shifter attack. He was the religious sort, so Everett would keep his feelings for Cole to himself, but maybe if he was able to explain that Cole had been the friend he’d spoken of, the man he’d joined the hunters to avenge, then Owen might understand his position.
“I know that werewolf. He was the one I told you all about. I couldn’t let you kill him.”
Owen blinked at him, his gray eyes suspicious. “You said that boy was dead.”
“I thought he was. He was transformed after the attack. I had to try and save him.”
“Save a werewolf?” Owen looked at him like he’d lost his damn mind. Then the angry snarl, the one he got on his face whenever he was ready to make a kill, twisted his lips. “They can’t be saved. They aren’t human anymore, you stupid shit.”
Owen reached into his back pocket ad produced a radio. He put it to his mouth and held down the black button. “I got him. We’re southwest from the highway.” Owen told the others the rest of the coordinates where they could be found, and Everett clenched his jaw.
This was going to put a dent in his plans. “I know you’re angry, but you would’ve done the same is you found out Rain was still alive.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Owen actually fired his gun. The bullet punctured the ground and kicked up some damp leaves and dirt inches away from his foot, and Everett jumped back.
“Are you out of your fucking mind!” he yelled.
Owen didn’t answer him. He pulled a pair of handcuffs from out of one of the dozens of little pockets along his pant legs and then tossed them at Everett’s feet, right where the bullet had just struck. “Put those on.”
Everett looked down at them. They were a pair of the silver cuffs that Owen carried around with him.
This wasn’t going to end well.
Chapter Four
There was nothing Everett could do while Owen pointed a gun at him but put on the handcuffs as he’d been instructed. He put them on while keeping his hands in front of him. He knew how to get out of them, but he didn’t have any tools on him that would do the job. He was going to have to hope that Owen eventually lowered his guard so that he could steal a piece of wire or something. Anything he could use to pick at the lock or separate the little metal teeth inside the cuffs from the spikes that held them in place.
Using that method was similar to picking an old lock with a credit card, but if there were no credit cards on hand, there was no point.
He made sure that when he put the cuffs on that he kept his hands out in front of him. At least that way he wouldn’t be entirely helpless. “Well, now what?” he demanded.
Owen was already picking up the bags of supplies Everett had stolen from the group, including the weapons he’d made sure to take with them. “You heard me talking to the others. We’re going to go and meet them, and they’ll decide what to do with you then.”
That wasn’t good. If Owen was here, then the others couldn’t be that far off, and if they had their four-wheelers with them, Everett could be faced with them in as little as an hour.
He hadn’t seen what had happened to hunters who turned into werewolf supporters, but he had heard enough stories from the others. Dan had been especially graphic when he spoke about some of the things that happened in the hunter camps.
The traitors were strung up and tortured as badly as the werewolves themselves.
Everett was not about to let that happen to him. “Fine,” he said, walking toward the other man. Owen stood up quickly as Everett passed him, like he was expecting an attack.
He was expecting right, but Everett wasn’t about to let him in on that little secret just yet.
“You stay ahead of me and don’t try anything funny,” Owen said.
“Yeah, yeah.” Everett tried to keep his tone more annoyed than worried. He wanted to give Owen the impression that he thought he was going to get a slap on the wrist or something. With all the bags Owen was carrying, and Owen was smaller man than Everett was, it shouldn’t be too hard for him to take the guy by surprise and tackle him.
He didn’t have to wait very long. They hadn’t even started walking yet when a loud branch snapped in the woods, so close it could have been just ten feet into the trees.
“What was that?” Owen was suddenly alert and had his gun pointed toward the source of the sound.
There was a growl, and the bright glow of golden eyes made its appearance through the bushes. A human face was with those golden eyes.
Everett couldn’t believe it. Cole was back. He’d come back.
And he’d been unable to transform, just like Everett suspected. Though, with the golden eyes and the way he was crouched down, it appeared as though his more animal side was still in control here.
Owen actually smiled a little. “Well, you didn’t lose him after all.”
Cole growled when Owen pointed the gun at him, preparing to fire it.
He was going to shoot him! Everett tackled the other man just as Owen pulled the trigger. The gun went off with a loud, resounding bang, and Everett didn’t even get the chance to see if it had hit its mark.
“What the fuck!” Owen screamed. That had been all that was able to come out of his mouth before Everett started throwing down both of his cuffed his fists on the man’s face, as hard as he could, and batting away the hand that held the gun whenever Owen tried to lift it.
The knife he pulled was a little more difficult to ignore. Everett was forced to lean back hard when the blade soared just across his nose and face.
There was a slight burning that ran a diagonal line across his nose, but he was pretty sure it was still attached to his face.
Owen used that as his chance to throw Everett off of him, and Everett was now the one on his back, that long, curled hunting knife pointed just under his eyes, and the blade felt cold against his skin.
“You worthless piece of shit! For him! You’ll betray us for that thing!”
Owen didn’t wait for any sort of answer. He lifted his blade up high above his head, preparing to bring it down.
Everett’s world slowed to a crawl, and his thoughts sped up as the knife came down. His life was flashing in front of his eyes. He thought of all sorts of things that it was actually a little ridiculous. He thought of the life he’d left behind to be here, about how no one was going to find his dead body, and he thought about the first time he and Cole had sex.
He could still feel the warmth of the man’s skin, the both of them naked and horny, as he leaned him over the arm of his couch and plundered him. He recalled the sounds Cole made when threw his head back and moaned out loud, as well as the softness of his mouth when Everett turned his head and kissed him, long and slow for each rough, inward thrust.
He knew with stunning clarity why that one popped into his brain, and he didn’t regret it.
Despite all of that, he’d failed, and Cole was going to remain a werewolf, and Owen, Dan, and the other hunters were going to track him down and kill him.
He’d never felt so much despair in his life.
The knife suddenly stopped, or seemed to stop, in midair.
No, that wasn’t right. Another hand had grabbed hold of Owen, halting the downward motion that definitely would’ve meant the end of Everett’s life.
Cole yanked Owen’s arm back so hard that he shrieked in pain. Everett heard the popping of bones as Owen went flying backward. His shoulder had been disl
ocated for sure, and with the loud snapping sound, maybe his arm broken as well.
Cole’s eyes remained as gold as ever. Only there was one main difference now.
They were angry as well.
He kicked the knife out of Owen’s hand, producing another scream out of the man. Everett only just managed to sit up in time to watch as Cole’s clawlike hand came down and smashed against Owen’s face.
The screaming halted as the bones of his skull caved in. Everett wanted to be sick.
“Prick,” Cole muttered, shaking the blood and bone matter off of his hand as he stood up straight. Then he turned and looked at Everett.
Those golden eyes nearly paralyzed him with fear, but he had enough training to be able to snap himself out of it. Everett scrambled to his feet and backed away from Cole. He searched around for something he could use as a weapon, but Owen had all of his stuff, including the knife, and Cole was standing between Everett and every way he could possibly defend himself.
Fuck, he’d wanted to go out and find the man again, but while he was handcuffed and helpless hadn’t been how he wanted it done.
Cole took a step toward him, and with no other option available to him, Everett turned tail and ran in the other direction.
Cole’s werewolf speed was so lightning fast that he was right in front of Everett within seconds, despite how quickly he’d been going. Everett had been running so fast that he’d actually run into the man, knocking the wind out of himself as he fell backward onto the ground.
Cole said something, but Everett couldn’t hear a thing as he coughed and gagged for air.
Warm hands touched his face, and that animal fear came back to him.
Cole was staring down at him. His eyes were still golden, but his face was no longer that snarling mask of hatred. Once he bothered to take notice of it, he realized that Cole’s hands were no longer claws either. They were normal, human hands.
“Christ, Rhett, your face is bleeding.”
Was it? Oh, right, the knife slice across his nose. He reached up to touch it and found that not only did the slice across his nose sting like a bitch, but there was also a tiny cut just beneath his eye.