by Lynn Howard
“I want you to come with me. I want you as a mate.”
“I’m not for sale,” Ryanne said. Was this guy off his rocker or what?
“I didn’t say a damn thing about selling you. You wouldn’t get much money, anyway. You’ve already been ruined.”
Ryanne narrowed her eyes at him. What the hell did that mean?
“You think I don’t know about your kid in there?”
Her heart thundered behind her breast as fear and anger turned her veins to ice.
And then she realized he thought Ryanne was Penny’s mom. That might save Ryanne from being sold as a breeder, but that wouldn’t stop him from hurting Penny to convince Ryanne to go with him.
“Since when does that matter? We’ve seen the women you’ve tried to steal,” Campbell said.
“The humans get the used up females. Shifters want untainted females only.”
Bile churned in Ryanne’s stomach and bubbled up her throat at his words. They were selling virgins as breeders to other Shifter groups.
Yet another reason she wished Penny had been born a boy.
“I’m already mated. You can’t have me,” Ryanne said.
“Bull shit. You’re going to pick Daxon over an Alpha?”
“He’s more man than you’ll ever be.”
Jacob’s eyes flashed bright, but it was the oddest thing she’d ever seen. They didn’t glow green or blue or even amber. It was an odd dark silver color. Almost like light was glowing between an opaque surface and couldn’t quite penetrate the barrier.
He moved forward. The two wolves closest to the porch stepped out of his way. Jacob put a foot on the porch and Campbell pulled the trigger on her gun.
Boom!
Ryanne jerked away and slapped her hands over her ears. It was bad enough she was that close to the gun when it went off. But her sensitive Shifter ears made it sound like Campbell had put the gun directly against her ear and fired.
Jacob jerked back and looked wide-eyed at his chest. Campbell had shot him only inches from his heart. But it wasn’t a kill shot.
“You bitch!” he roared.
A panther dove at the lion furthest away and they rolled and growled and scratched at each other. That wasn’t Daxon. It was Brax.
Where the hell was Daxon?
Fear overrode every other emotion. Surely, if Brax could get away to protect his mate, Daxon should have, too.
If he was still alive.
That fear took a back seat as rage like she had never felt before burned through every cell in her body.
A scream she’d never heard before escaped from her mouth a second before her lynx burst forward.
Her animal was no longer submissive. She was angry. She wanted her mate. And the man before them was responsible for everything going on at that moment. He was responsible for all the pain, the injuries, and possible deaths.
And he had to die.
Jacob’s eyes were wide, his lips moved like a fish out of water when he looked up from his gun shot to see a crazed lynx lunging for his throat.
One of the wolves turned on her and tried to stop her from attacking Jacob. But Campbell fired her weapon again. Ryanne didn’t know if the bullet hit him or if it scared him, but it sent him rushing backward.
Jacob tried to Shift. His face morphed and changed, but it never took. He couldn’t Shift through the pain and blood loss.
What Ryanne hadn’t considered was the fact his entire Crew was there. And they were determined to protect their Alpha at all costs.
At least ten birds dove at her, pecking at her fur, scratching her ears, her neck, intent on keeping her from getting to their Alpha.
“Don’t kill her! She’s mine!” Jacob yelled as he tried to get away from Ryanne’s animal.
To hell she was. She belonged to one person. And that was Daxon.
Alive or dead, her heart would always belong to Daxon.
She just hoped at least one of his Pride survived. They would need to take Penny far away from here when Ryanne was killed.
Because she would die before she become this psycho’s whore.
****
Daxon lost sight of his Pride, but he couldn’t take his attention from the wolves doing their best to kill him.
He prayed Ryanne had stayed in the house.
And then he’d seen her animal tear through woods, heading away from him and the rest of his friends. He knew exactly what she was doing but refused to let her do it alone.
Racing after her lynx, Daxon’s heart thundered as he heard the number of paws hitting the ground. And Ryanne was heading directly toward them. There had to be at least ten or more wolves. Or something bigger.
Fur. So much fur invaded his senses.
The sight that unfolded before him caused his heart to stop a second. There were a lot of wolves, but there were large male lions running with them. Daxon didn’t know the area Shifters well enough to know which Pride had joined the asshole rogues or if those were even the same rogues, the Talonwood Pack, they’d fought months ago.
All he knew was his mate was in danger.
Someone was following them. A few someones by the sounds of pads slamming against the ground.
Ryanne skid to a stop as a line of wolves cut off her escape. Daxon darted past her and slammed into the closest wolf, preventing him from going after his mate. But there were still so many others.
Latching onto the asshole’s throat, he shook until he heard a crack of bones, and dropped his lifeless body. A deep roar shook the ground below him. Daxon turned, prepared to kill the next mother fucker who dared go near his mate. But Luke from Blackwater had stopped a lion from attacking her. He stood at his full height and challenged the lion.
Ryanne turned and scrambled back, trying to lead the group away.
Until Campbell screamed for her mate. That scream was full of fear. And since Ryanne was here, that meant Campbell was back with Penny.
Oh shit.
Ryanne took off in the direction of that sound and Daxon tried to follow. But two wolves jumped on him, one on his back, the other latching onto the side of his throat.
Fuck! He couldn’t move with these assholes trying to rip his throat out.
Daxon flailed and jumped until one of them had no choice but to release him. But the one sinking his teeth into his flesh hung on.
Something blurred in his vision but was gone just as fast. It wasn’t fur. Feathers? Was that a crow trying to distract him? He hadn’t noticed black feathers, but he couldn’t see clearly through the pain.
Rolling, Daxon ended up landing on top of the wolf. He loosened his grip, giving Daxon the chance to gain the upper hand. He had never acquired the taste for blood, but he ignored the coppery taste that entered his mouth as he gripped the wolf’s throat and ripped, then stepped back and watched as the life bled out of him and stained the forest floor.
How was the rest of his Pride faring? Had they followed him and Ryanne or were they still back by the cabins? He hoped someone had stayed behind and was helping Daxon’s mate and keeping Penny safe.
Turning, Daxon tried to head toward his mate when Campbell screamed again. He took a second to look around. He only saw two other panthers, but everyone else was there: the wolves from Morse Pack, his friends from Big River and Blackwater, even Charlie and Hollyn who were using their magic to keep the crows from blinding everyone.
He wanted to Shift back and tell the Fairies to head back to help Ryanne and Campbell but couldn’t take the seconds it would take for the two Shifts, not to mention the energy it would take for quick Shifts from panther to human then back again. Because there was no way he could fight in his human skin.
Boom!
That was a gun shot. Campbell was shooting at someone. He trusted the human’s fighting ability, but even a Shifter could get overtaken if they were outnumbered.
He had to get to Ryanne. He had to make sure she was okay. He had to protect little Penny.
Praying his friends and Pride could handle this new attack
on their own, he ran as fast as his legs would take him back to the cabin he’d shared over the last few weeks with his new little family.
And that was what they were – his family. Penny might have been Ryanne’s sister, but Daxon thought of her as his daughter. He loved her as if she were his own.
He loved them both.
Boom! Another gun shot. Daxon forced his panther to run faster until his legs ached and his lungs burned.
When he burst through the trees, his eyes widened. Ryanne was in her lynx form, chasing Jacob in his human form.
Jacob. The fucking Alpha of Black Feather. He wanted Ryanne. He wanted to take her away from Daxon.
That mother fucker would die before this night was over, even if it took Daxon’s last breath.
But Jacob was running away from Ryanne. He was scared. And he also had a large blood stain on his shirt. Campbell had shot him.
Good human. She was watching out for Ryanne and Penny.
From the way Ryanne’s fangs were bared and her hackles raised along her back, Ryanne’s lynx wasn’t nearly as submissive as he or Ryanne had originally believed.
She looked fierce and blood thirsty.
He had no idea what had happened or what was said before Daxon had arrived, but something had pissed her off.
The problem now was the fact Jacob’s lackeys were chasing after Ryanne, trying to stop her from hurting their Alpha.
“Don’t kill her! She’s mine!” Jacob yelled as crows who weren’t being stopped by the wall of fire dove at Ryanne, yanking clumps of fur from her head and ears.
Daxon didn’t stop his forward trajectory. Instead, he used the speed and force to bowl over the first two wolves on Ryanne’s tail.
He wanted to kill the fuckers, but he had to stop the other wolf and the lions closing in on her.
This was the first time Daxon had seen Ryanne truly let loose. The woman was fast. Faster than she’d been in the woods when they had raced with Penny riding on Daxon’s back. Her feet slammed against the ground, kicking up pebbles and dust as she finally caught up to Jacob.
Ryanne pounced on him, lunging at his back and knocking him to the ground. His head hit first and his body kept rolling, causing him to do this odd scorpion move that Daxon knew had to hurt.
Ha! The fucker couldn’t Shift. He was injured and couldn’t call on his crow to fly him to safety. He was at the mercy of the most magnificent lynx Daxon had ever seen in his life.
Hell, she was the most magnificent creature he’d ever seen.
Oh shit. He wasn’t going to get to her before the fucking lions did.
Something hit his back and caused searing pain to radiate through his system. And then hit him again. And again. And then that something scratched his face, leaving deep gouges across his muzzle and nose.
The fucking crows.
They couldn’t catch a damn break. The second it looked like he and his friends might all come out of this unscathed, another wave hit them.
A bear came raging from the woods, his paws slamming against the earth and eating the distance between itself and Ryanne. This one was Carter. And his mate, June, was right there with him. They each took a lion, leaving only one wolf to attack Ryanne.
And it did. Until Daxon got close enough.
He grabbed the wolf’s tail with his teeth and swung his head, using his body weight to toss the asshole far enough away to keep his mate safe. Ryanne had to be safe.
Daxon spared a glance back at the cabin. Brax was with Campbell, who was still on the porch, aiming her gun at the melee but unable to fire. It was too risky. She could easily hit one of her friends instead of the bad guys.
And that was what these people were. They were bad guys. Scum. Trash. Nothing more than pieces of shit.
Crows continued to bomb Daxon and Ryanne as Ryanne tried and failed to grab hold of Jacob. He crab-walked backward in an attempt to escape. That pathetic move would be nothing for a Shifter… when they didn’t have claws and beaks scratching and pecking at their face.
One well-placed hit and Ryanne could be blinded.
Even now, with the wolves and lions no longer a threat, she was growing bloody. Her face held more gouges than Daxon’s and her golden tan coat was turning crimson.
How much more could his mate take before the blood loss stopped her heart?
He couldn’t think of anything to protect her, other than to use his own body.
Daxon crawled over top of her and shielded her the best he could. A few crows were still able to hit her at her exposed parts, but at least her head and face were covered by his chest.
Fuck, that hurt. They were pulling large chunks of fur from his back, scratching his head, his face – he kept his eyes squeezed closed as tightly as possible – and his ears.
And then a new sound hit his ears. The crows heard it, too. Their attack slowed to a stop.
Daxon risked a glance, opening his eyes to only small slits. A screeching sound filled the sudden silence. And another. And another.
Hawks. There were dozens of massive hawks, their bodies twice the size of the crows. They dove and attacked the crows and anyone else who seemed to be on the wrong side.
Who the hell were they and where they hell did they come from?
A soft whimper came from below him.
Daxon lifted his body and looked down at Ryanne. She had Shifted back to her human form and was covered in cuts and bruises and was slick with blood. He could barely find a spot on her body not injured.
Her lashes fluttered as she looked up at Daxon.
“Take care of Penny. Please,” she whispered, her voice strained from pain.
Daxon threw his head back and roared, the sound turning into a bellow as he shrank back into his skin.
“Open your eyes,” he demanded.
Pushing off her, he pulled her naked body into his arms and carried her to the closest cabin. He didn’t give a shit whose house it was, just kicked the door open and deposited her on the couch.
He needed help. He had no idea how to help her, but didn’t want to pull Campbell away from Penny in case the danger wasn’t over.
Where the fuck was the rest of his Pride? Had they all survived? What about the rest of his friends?
“I need help!” he yelled as loudly as he could, hoping someone was close enough and could get to him before it was too late.
“Hang on, baby. You’ll be okay. You’ll heal fast. We just gotta clean some of these scratches and stop the bleeding.”
Scratches. They looked more like someone had stabbed her with a knife and dragged it through her flesh in places.
Someone was running up the stairs. Koda. Okay. The Alpha of Morse had made it with his life. He ran forward, bent to look at Ryanne, then ran back outside. He was yelling, talking to someone, but all Daxon could focus on was his mate, the blood coating her body, her shallow breaths, and the heartbreaking look of pain plastered all over her beautiful face.
“You have to live, baby,” he said, bending close and taking her hand. He laid his head on the couch beside hers and nuzzled her cheek. “Penny’s waiting for us to tell her she’s safe. We’ve got to take her home and take her sandbox home and make sandcastles.”
Tears burned the back of his eyes as Ryanne struggled for breath. She’d taken a beaten and he hadn’t been able to protect her. He’d promised he’d keep her safe.
He’d failed her.
“I swear to you right now: if you make it through this, I will spend every second of the rest of my life making it up to you. You shouldn’t be the one lying here. It was supposed to be me. I was supposed to keep you safe.”
Ryanne’s head lolled on the pillow and a tear fell over his lashes at the sweet smile she gave him. “It was my turn to keep you safe.”
Her eyes closed and Daxon’s heart shattered.
Chapter Thirteen
If Ryanne was dead, she was in Hell.
Every inch of her body hurt. She was pretty sure even her hair on her head hurt.
She tried to open her eyes, then slammed them shut when the bright sun beamed directly into her pupils.
Fabric whooshed and the room grew darker behind her closed lids.
“Ryanne?” Daxon’s voice was so soft, so tentative, and so close.
She attempted to open her eyes again, and, this time, she was successful. He had pulled the curtains closed and was kneeling beside the bed.
“Can you speak?”
“Yeah,” she croaked out. After clearing her throat, she tried again. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
Okay. So she wasn’t quite fine. But she was definitely alive. There was no way she would still have Daxon in Hell.
“Here,” he said, holding out a glass of a water with one of those bendy straws. “Take a sip.”
She took a sip, then another. Then she yanked the straw out and downed the whole glass. It felt so good on her throat.
Setting her head back against the pillow, she looked up at Daxon. The whiskers he’d donned the day of the fight were a full-blown beard. Not thick and bushy, but at least a few days’ worth.
And there were dark circles under his swollen eyes like he hadn’t slept in a while.
“How long have I been asleep?”
That was what she’d been doing, right? Sleeping?
“You lost a lot of blood and had a lot of injuries from the fight. We weren’t sure you were going to make it,” he said, his voice breaking on the last word as tears welled in his pretty eyes.
“The fight.” She tried to remember it, tried to remember everything that had happened.
Then she sat straight up and fought against the dizziness turning her stomach.
“Penny!”
Daxon eased her back against the pillow, his hands gentle on her shoulders. “She’s fine. She’s come in and talked to you every day.”
“How many days have I been out?”
“Four.”
Four days. She’d been out cold for four whole days. Penny must have been a wreck. If Daxon was anything to go by, her sister had probably cried in fear the whole time.
“Is everyone else okay?”
He nodded, using the heels of both hands to scrub away the tears threatening to spill over his lashes. “Koda lost a Pack member. But everyone else is fine. Banged up, but fine.”