by AJ Jarrett
“Fuck you.” Holden punched him in the arm. Jake fell to the side from the jolt. “There’s no way I’m letting you go down there without me. I just suggested that because someone needs to be the voice of reason and besides”—Holden grinned at him—“you’re my only friend besides this dickhead here. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Not going to happen.” Jake reached out his hand to clasp with Holden’s.
“Very touching,” Seth said as if annoyed. “And by the way I’m offended you’d refer to me as a dickhead.”
Jake started to laugh. This whole situation was a clusterfuck but for some reason having Holden and Seth with him made him feel like he’d get through this. That they would rescue Carl and Casper and make it out alive.
He hadn’t known Seth long but he totally understood why the man avoided people. Seth was the type that didn’t like to get involved in others’ problems and Jake understood that. The man tried to act tough but Jake could see through the tough-guy armor he wore. Jake started to think it was because Seth cared too much. That was the man’s problem. Sometimes locking yourself away from others prevented a person from getting hurt and Jake felt like an ass for dragging this man into this. Granted it was Seth seeking Holden’s help that started all this but once Carl and Casper were gone Seth could have returned to his hermit lifestyle but he didn’t. He stayed and was willing to put his life on the line to help Carl and Casper. In Jake’s book that made Seth a good man.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Seth asked.
Jake blinked his eyes several times. He hadn’t realized he’d been staring. “Nothing, so when do we attack?”
Chapter Eleven
Carl jumped in fear when the bedroom door slammed shut. The chain bit into the tender swollen flesh around his wrist. By some miracle he had managed to doze off while waiting for Tobias.
“Nice to see you got some rest.” Tobias walked slowly toward the bed. Carl could feel his body begin to quiver in fear. “Anton said you had a surprise to show me. What would that be, my pet?”
In the position he was in his arms reached up past his head to cover the sides of his neck. Tobias had yet to see the mark. He was shocked that Anton hadn’t ratted him out straight away but Carl had to assume this was funnier for the man. To draw out Carl’s punishment no matter if it angered Tobias. Carl often thought at times that Anton wasn’t happy unless Tobias was furious with someone else.
“Come on now, don’t be shy.” Tobias ran his fingers lightly up Carl’s leg starting at the arch of his foot.
He shivered as if a cool breeze cut through the room. If Tobias saw the mating mark the man would be livid. In all the years he’d been with Tobias the man had never bit him. Said that he wanted to wait until Carl became of legal age but by that time Tobias had Carl locked in a cage and the thought of biting him must have slipped the other man’s mind. Not that Carl was complaining.
When Carl first became intimate with Tobias the other man had already convinced him that true mates weren’t a real thing and Carl wholeheartedly believed him. He loved the alpha with everything in him but looking back now he only loved as much as a sixteen-year-old boy could. He had lost his parents and had no other family to call upon for love and acceptance. So that only left Tobias and the man had been good to him back then.
It was only when he started to crave the outside world beyond Tobias’s property lines that his lover became different. It was little things at first, so small Carl hadn’t even thought they were an issue at the time. He and Casper weren’t allowed to go shopping, to go to the movies, or just to walk about town. Tobias forbid it and Carl just accepted it because he would have done anything to please the man he thought he loved.
Carl’s eyes narrowed at Tobias as his mind raced through all the lies and pain he had issued over the years. He now knew Tobias didn’t know the meaning of love nor had the capability to love.
As Tobias’s hand moved up his leg a small growl eased past his lips. The anger and hurt he felt started to bubble to the surface. So what if Tobias beat him blue? At least he’d have the satisfaction of seeing the man’s face when his eyes landed on Jake’s mating mark.
“Carl,” Tobias said in an authoritative tone.
“Sorry, sir,” Carl said sweetly. “This must be what Anton wanted you to see.” Carl slowly turned his head to the left exposing the healing bite mark on his neck.
Tobias stood up so quick the bed shook. He grabbed Carl by the chin and yanked his head further to the side. Carl winced in pain. “What have you done?” Tobias let go of his head and backhanded him across the face.
Blood filled Carl’s mouth but he stayed silent. Pain shot across his cheek and he held his body tight waiting for Tobias to land more hits but they never came. He cracked open his left eye and saw that Tobias had moved toward the fireplace. The man knelt down in front of it and used a key to turn on the gas. He grabbed the matches and sparked one to life. A blaze started and Tobias stood back up. He turned around and headed for the bed.
Without saying a single word Tobias unlatched the chain from the headboard and pulled on Carl’s arms until he stood up. The man didn’t say anything but Carl could read his expression loud and clear. There was a coldness in his eyes that had Carl panicking.
Tobias led him to the foot of the bed. Carl kept his gaze on the door. If he could just get a running start.
“Don’t even think about it.” Tobias’s words came out rough and garbled.
Tobias freed Carl’s right hand. He pushed Carl until he stood with his back flush against the bedpost. He then pulled Carl’s arms to cross at the wrist behind his back. The wood felt cold and unforgiving against his back even with the warmth of the fire heating him from the front. Tobias clenched the chain tight and Carl sucked in a breath as it pinched.
“Tobias, what are you going to do to me?” Being tied down was nothing new to Carl but usually Tobias made sure Carl was lying face down with his bottom in the air. Tobias liked to punish him but it always ended with Tobias having his way with Carl’s body but this position was different. It made him feel extremely vulnerable.
Tobias pulled on the chain to make sure it was tight and Carl hissed as he felt his shoulder start to pop. The man moved back toward the fireplace and grabbed the poker from the holder next to it. He placed the pointed end in the fire and stood there.
“In all the years we’ve been together I’ve never once bitten you.” He turned the poker to lie at a different angle. Carl could see it start to glow a fiery red. “And you leave me for few days and you let some other mongrel mark your delicate skin. Why?” He growled out the one word.
Carl tried to swallow around the bulging lump in his throat. His jaw worked up and down but he couldn’t find the words to say. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and did his best to speak the truth but he had a feeling Tobias wouldn’t like it. “Because I found my mate.” His voice sounded small and weak.
“How could you be so stupid!” Tobias shouted. “There’s no such thing. That man lied to you. You let him use you.” The hand holding the poker shook.
“No I didn’t!” Carl cried back. “He treated me with nothing but kindness. He also told me the truth.”
“And what truth is that?” Tobias turned back to face him, the poker held high in his hand.
Carl licked his lips and darted his eyes from the blazing poker back to Tobias’s wild eyes. “That you’ve been lying to me for the past nine years.”
Tobias started to laugh like that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. The sharp sound bounced off the walls and Carl tried to shrink back against the bedpost. In all his years he’d never seen Tobias like this.
“If you only knew of all the things I’ve done for you.” Tobias walked toward him. “I’ve lied and killed to make sure we were together and this is the thanks I get?”
Tears filled Carl’s eyes the closer Tobias got to him. Tobias telling lies wasn’t a surprise but who had he killed? And why? He didn’t u
nderstanding what Anton and now Tobias were trying to say. “Tobias.” The poker drew his attention away from the man. “What are you talking about? Who did you kill?”
Tobias came to a stop in front of him and placed one of his big hands on Carl’s chest. “Take your pick, my pet.” Tobias’s face distorted into a mask of evil that frightened Carl more than the boogey man did as a child. “The alpha, pack members, the nice older lady who use to come visit you and your brother, and your parents,” Tobias said with glee.
Carl’s breath caught in his throat and his chest started to heave. “What?” he asked breathlessly. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “Why?”
“Because I wanted you.” Tobias started to caress his hand over Carl’s chest right where his heart lay. “The alpha could tell I had a strong infatuation with you and tried to keep me from you. He didn’t understand how hard you made it. Every time you’d see me, you’d run to me and want me to hold you or play with you. You never gave me a moment’s rest.” Tobias curled his fingers into Carl’s pectoral muscle, his claws digging deep. Carl clenched his eyes shut and bit back a scream.
“When I tried to explain that I thought we were mates the alpha was insistent that I leave until you were of age.” Tobias chuckled. “Like I could leave you.” He uncurled his fingers and Carl’s bright red blood coated Tobias’s fingernails. “So naturally he had to go. I recruited Anton and a few others to help me. It was easy getting rid of him. He was old and couldn’t take on five young wolves. Then your father became a problem. I was never for certain if the alpha told your father about my feelings toward you but it didn’t matter. He became suspicious of me.” Tobias swiped a finger over his throat. “So Mommy and Daddy dearest had to go.”
At Tobias’s confession Carl fought against his bindings. He wanted to rip the man apart with his bare hands. How could Tobias say he loved him then go and kill his parents like that? To leave two young boys without their parents was beyond cruel. “You’re a monster.”
“I’m your monster.” Tobias patted him on the cheek. He turned around and walked back to the fireplace. “Then that friend of your mother’s.” Tobias huffed out a breath. “Filling your head with notions that would never be for you. I knew by the time you turned eleven that we weren’t true mates but it didn’t matter. I still wanted you and when you came to live with me it became obvious you wanted me as well.”
“I was only a kid, Tobias. I just lost my parents. I was lonely.” Carl started to cry. “You were always so nice to me. I thought you loved me but this isn’t love.”
“How can you say that?” Tobias whirled around to face him. “I took care of you for five years before I ever let my true feelings be known. I even refrained from killing that annoying kid brother of yours. If anything I love you too much, Carl.”
In a way Carl pitied Tobias. The man didn’t know what loving another person meant. Because it certainly didn’t involve killing the family of the person you claim to love.
“So tell me, did he follow you here?”
“Who?” Carl didn’t bother lifting his head to look at Tobias. All because of him, Tobias murdered his parents and so many others. It was a heavy weight for him to bear. How would he ever be able to explain all this to Casper?
“The man you let bite you.” Tobias looked over his shoulder. “Because if he did, it’ll make it a lot easier for me to kill him. I do hate having to be away from you and that’s what would happen if I had to go hunt down this animal you let mark you.”
Think, Carl, think! You can’t let him kill Jake, too. Lie. Tell Tobias whatever you have to to keep Jake safe. His mind screamed. “He didn’t follow me,” he said softly, praying Tobias believed him. “I shot him so he might be dead for all I know.” What he said wasn’t a total lie.
Tobias picked the poker up out of the fire place once again and walked back to him. “But you said he was so kind to you and told you the truth. How can you expect me to believe you?”
“Because.” Carl lifted his head to meet Tobias’s steely stare. “I love him enough to know he deserves better than me.” A hot tear rolled down his cheek. It hurt to say but more so because it was the truth. Jake did deserve better than him. Carl had been used and abused and came with a shitload of issues. Jake shouldn’t have to be saddled with a man who at times feared his own shadow. He’d never be Jake’s equal.
“So very noble of you, Carl.” Tobias raised his hand to grip Carl around the throat. “I’ll take you at your word but just so you know if he ever comes looking for you, I swear I’ll rip him limb from limb and make you watch.”
He tried to nod his head but Tobias’s grip prevented that. Carl blinked his eyes in understanding because he had no doubt Tobias would kill Jake if he got the chance. Part of him hoped that Jake, Seth, and Holden had abandoned him. At least that way they’d be safe.
“Good, now it’s time to take care of that nasty mark.” Tobias ran his hand up the back of Carl’s neck and tightened his fist in Carl’s hair, yanking his head to the side.
Carl’s eyes widened as Tobias brought the poker up to his neck. The heat radiated off the piece of iron in pulsating waves. Tobias held him tight as he lowered the glowing edge to Carl’s neck. He screamed and screamed until his throat went raw. Tears spilled down his face as Tobias burned the skin where Jake’s mark had been. The smell of burning flesh filled the room and the stench made him want to vomit.
As Tobias dug the poker deeper Carl struggled to get away. The chains held steady and his shoulder popped out of place. He howled in pain but Tobias didn’t stop.
What felt like hours later Tobias pulled the poker away from his neck. Carl sighed in relief but the action just caused pain to wrench through his body. He tried to lift his head to see where Tobias had gone but quickly hissed in discomfort. The charred skin pulled tight with every little movement he made. He couldn’t decide what hurt worse, his shoulder or his neck.
“Sorry I had to do that but you shouldn’t have been so careless.” Tobias tried to defend what he had just done.
Carl blew out a breath to move his hair out of his eyes so he could see what Tobias was doing. His eyes were swollen from crying and he could only see partially out of his eyes. “What are you going to do to me now?”
“Well first off let’s fix this shoulder.” Before Carl could ask what he meant Tobias put a hand to his chest and one to his right shoulder and forced Carl back.
He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. The jolt had his shoulder popping back into place but it didn’t relieve all his agony. Knowing that Tobias had removed Jake’s mating mark hurt like nothing had before, even worse than the burn. If he never saw Jake again all he had were the few memories they had shared and the other man’s bite mark and now it was gone.
“Oh Carl, how I’ve missed you,” Tobias whispered softly against his cheek. Carl wanted to yell at him to fuck off but he didn’t have the power. Tobias had broken him and he was defenseless to do anything else but stand there and accept whatever Tobias did to him. “I think it’s only right for me to gift you with my mating mark.”
No! Carl wanted to cry out. He didn’t want it. He would never accept Tobias as his.
“I’m going to cover you from head to toe with my mark.” Carl cringed as Tobias scraped his sharpened canine teeth over his jaw. “We might not be true mates but you’ll wear my mark as if we were.”
With that Tobias sunk his teeth into Carl’s neck then moved to bite his other shoulder. He cried silently as the man bit every bit of exposed flesh. After the first twenty or so bites Carl started to become light-headed. Spots danced in his field of vision and his legs gave out. Tobias gripped him around the waist and held him up.
Carl hunched over, depleted of all his energy. He could feel the blood as it ran down his body to drip in a puddle on the floor. Tobias continued to bite him again and again. Carl gave up the fight and let his eyes fall shut. He welcomed the darkness as it was his only savior from the dreadful life he would
now be forced to live.
Chapter Twelve
As darkness fell upon them and they made their way around the back of the property toward the rear entrance of the house. Seth led the way. Jake kept his eyes peeled for signs of any other wolves but everything seemed eerily quiet. Only the sounds of birds and deers frolicking in the distance could be heard.
Holden stayed close to him and Jake assumed the other man feared he’d take off but Jake wasn’t stupid. His mate’s life depended on him keeping a clear head and not doing something stupid like getting himself killed.
Seth waved them over. “Do you see it?” he whispered.
Jake ducked down and squinted in the darkness. He saw the entrance that led to the door Seth referred to and it seemed rather out of place on the house. The back of the house had large windows and a sprawling patio with lawn furniture on it with a few doors leading into the home. All looked normal except that on the side of the house dug down into the ground was an entryway.
“Pretty weird, huh?” Seth asked.
“Yeah, it is.” Jake tilted his head to get a better look.
“The way they have it disguised with bushes and grass it’s like they’re trying to hide something,” Holden said from beside him.
“My guess is they probably are.” Seth removed his jacket then took off his shirt. “Let’s get ready, guys. Time to go save the day.” Seth gave a shrug of his shoulders. “Or so I hope.”
“That’s not real encouraging.” Jake stood up and kicked off his boots then started to take off his clothes.
“Hey, I’m not tempting fate. Being too overconfident can be just as damaging as being underconfident,” Seth explained.
Once they were all naked they shifted. Seth once again led the way and Jake followed close behind him. As they got closer a rabbit darted across the yard and a large spotlight went off, lighting up the entire area. Seth came to a stop and Jake bumped him from behind. The light was so bright as if it were noon on a summer day. Seth motioned with his head for them to follow him. He went wide and came up directly across from the door. The light kicked off and the three of them ran under the shelter of the entryway to the mysterious door.