Cam. Where are you?
His chest ached and his eyes burned. That crazy bastard better not hurt you. If he does, I’ll kill the asshole with my bare hands.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Randy punched in Jake’s number with shaking hands.
“Blackstone.” Jake never bothered much with niceties on the phone. He was usually all business. “What do you need to report?”
“That lunatic just snatched my brother. You’ll have to send someone else to meet Galen and the Mortensen woman. I’m going after that crazy son-of-a-bitch.”
“You need to get to Galen. I’ll send out another team to find Cameron. That’s an order.”
“I don’t give a good damn about your fucking orders right now, sir. Kick me out of the pack if you want. I don’t give a shit. I’m going after my brother and you better hope to God you find that lunatic before I do.” Randy ended the call just as the nozzle clicked off.
After rehanging the fuel nozzle, Randy slid behind the wheel and tried again, to reach Cam.
Cam? Are you there? Answer me, damn it!
Taking a moment, he rested his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes. Why hadn’t Cameron waited for him? His hardheaded brother should have waited before he set the tracking device on their truck.
“The tracking device!” Randy pulled out his cell phone again and opened the special app the Alpha and healer Bastien’s cousin, Luke, had designed to help them track that crazy-ass doctor.
“There you are.” Heart lighter, Randy grinned, started his car and took off in pursuit of his brother and his abductors.
“What now,” he asked when his phone rang. Glancing at the identified number, he almost sighed with relief. It was Jace, not the Alpha. “Hello,” he practically barked the word into the phone.
“Hey, aren’t we supposed to be heading Northeast?”
“You are. I’m going after the fuckers who just kidnapped my brother.”
“Holy shit!” The younger man paused for a moment. “Have you called the Alpha?”
“I have and he doesn’t want me to go after him. Probably because he knows I won’t be able to keep this from being personal.” It was already personal. The asshole had terrorized the woman he was drawn to and now she didn’t want anything to do with men, at all.
Randy refused to let him fuck up his brother’s head, too.
“You go ahead and meet up with Galen. I’m going to follow Thornton and Martin and get my brother back.”
“I’ll go with you. You’ll need back up.”
Randy might have smiled at that if he wasn’t so damned worried about his brother.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on trying to save him by myself. I’m going to follow them and only proceed if I think I can save him without putting us both in danger. Tell Jake that Cam had half a dozen or so trackers on him. I’m locked onto the activated one of them now.”
“I’m not calling Jake. I’ll call Natalia, that’s Bastien’s sister, if you didn’t know. She can’t order me to do shit, but she can pass on the message.”
He knew who Natalia was. He’d met her when he met Cassandra. Randy sighed as he thought of the curvy research scientist with the golden blonde hair and blue eyes.
Randy wanted her, but that asshole had tortured her. That lunatic who called himself a doctor, had drugged her and sent a man in to repeatedly assault her while she was under the influence and couldn’t fight him off. Luckily, he hadn’t impregnated her, though he’d tried his damnedest to do so.
He would have loved to have been the one to kill the bastard, but it had been Bastien and Carly who had gotten that honor. At least the asshole was dead and he wouldn’t be forcing himself on any more defenseless women.
Maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t been able to be with Cassie. He might have mated her and he was now sending himself on what might turn out to be a suicide mission to save his brother. At least she’d be able to live out the rest of her life instead of dying when he did—especially considering he could very well die in the next twenty-four hours.
Randy pulled out his phone and called her. He needed to hear Cassie’s voice one more time before he put his life on the line for his brother.
Chapter Twenty-two
Kendra opened her eyes and stretched. Her stomach kept up those strange little flops and her heart pounded. When did Galen plan to stop at another hotel? She needed another shower, whether or not he thought so. They had made a roundabout trail through several states and she was ready to stop—at least for one night. Hell, tomorrow was Easter, for crying out loud.
“Are we going to stop any time soon?” She yawned. She might have gotten more sleep than he did but sleeping sitting up in the front seat of a truck wasn’t very restful.
“There’s a hotel just south of Nashville where we can stop. It’s owned by shifters that I’ve known for quite some time. It’s what we call a safe house. We’ll stop there for a few days and call in some back-up.”
“Back-up? I hope that means you plan to call in some friends of yours for added protection, so we won’t have to make such a circuitous route back to Michigan.” She sighed. “This is a nice SUV, but I’ll be glad not to have to look at the inside of it for a few days.”
“I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”
She loved it when he called her sweetheart, though she probably shouldn’t. She was an educated woman. Such attention from a man shouldn’t give her such a warm and fuzzy feeling, but it did. Kendra was intelligent enough to know she didn’t need a man to be or feel complete. However, knowing that didn’t change how she felt deep inside when he looked at her with those expressive eyes that told her she belonged with him—to him.
He reached over and patted her hand as it rested on her left leg. “We’ll be there in a few hours. They have a huge indoor pool and I’ll get a room with a hot tub. Would you like that?”
“I would love that.” Kendra sighed and rested her head back against the headrest. “I know you said we don’t really need to shower, but I feel grubby, all the same.”
“You would.” He chuckled. “You’re not used to using your shifter abilities in that way.”
“What are you talking about?” She smiled with a shake of her head. “I’m not used to using shifter abilities at all.” Except for the few times she couldn’t stop herself from shifting into a wolf, she had used no mystical powers at all, beyond forcing the change back to being human.
For whatever reason, the wolf always came on without warning. She couldn’t stop the shift into her animal form. However, the shift back to her human side kept getting easier and controllable. As long as she remained a wolf for at least fifteen minutes, she could force a shift back to being human instead of waiting for her body to bring about the change.
The last time it had happened, she didn’t fight it at all because she had been too damned tired. Instead of struggling against her wolf, she reached for it. It surprised her. The change came quickly and easily—almost as though she’d been doing it all of her life.
The best part about her last change was the thirty-minute nap she’d had yesterday afternoon.
Galen was right about not needing much sleep in their animal form. It had been a long time since she’d been so rested. With her classes and grading papers, the neighbor girl’s incessant cymbal practice and her sojourn into the glass-cell hell, Kendra hadn’t gotten much rest over the past several months.
Her nap had been great. It was almost like heaven waking up with the feeling as though she’d slept for ten hours straight.
“So, how far are we from this hotel?” She couldn’t wait to take a long, hot bath and sleep in a proper bed. Her cell had contained a queen-sized bed that hadn’t been much better than sleeping on a load of bricks, and Galen’s vehicle, while comfortable as luxury vehicles went, wasn’t as comfortable as a bed by anyone’s standards.
“We should be there in a few hours.”
“A few hours,” Kendra repeated, unable to keep th
e disappointment from her voice. She stared through her window and wished they were there already. “I supposed I shouldn’t complain, but I’d hoped you would say fifteen minutes.”
Galen sighed and Kendra squeezed her eyes closed. She knew he was doing his best to keep her safe and to get her where they needed to go. She just wasn’t used to being caged and as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, this truck was almost as much of a cage as her cell in the laboratory had been.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to complain.”
“I never thought you did,” he replied keeping his attention on the road in front of them. “I only wish that I could have contacted the men I assigned to follow us. Since I don’t know what happened to them, I don’t want to take any chances with your safety by calling them and giving away our position.”
“And I’m glad for that. Really, I am.” Kendra reached out and, for only the second time since they had climbed into the truck three days ago, made voluntary contact with Galen, by resting her hand on his muscular thigh.
The muscles there clenched and released beneath her hand and she frowned. Did that hurt? She bit her lip. She didn’t know what spending so long in his human form could do to him and he’d spent most of their time together as a man. Except for about two hours when he’d let her drive so he could get some sleep in his wolf form, Galen had remained human. For all she knew, he was in agony. The rippling muscles surely meant something.
“Are you in pain?” she asked. “I’m sorry if my touch bothers you.” Slowly, she pulled her hand from his leg.
“No.” He reached down and grabbed her hand, pressing it against the thick muscles of his thigh again. “I’m not in pain.”
Kendra watched him for a moment. The telltale signs were there. His leg muscle clenched again, his face bore a stoic, almost pained expression. She glance down to her hand resting on his leg, her eyes widening as the blood rushed to her face when she discovered the reason for his reaction.
It wasn’t quite what she had expected. His cock pressed tightly against his pants. The long thick erection straining against his jeans, looked as though it would burst through the thick material if his zipper didn’t give way first.
“Oh.” She pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” Her cheeks burned with mortification as she stared out through the windshield, not even daring to look his way.
“I never thought you meant to cause me discomfort, sweetheart.” Reaching over, he grasped her hand, pulled it up to his lips and kissed the back of it. He glanced at her for a moment, their gazes locked. “You know how I felt a few days ago.” He took a deep breath. “Well... that feeling has multiplied over the last couple of days to a point where I need. My wolf needs and I’m afraid the animal side of me might force the issue.” A muscle jumped in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. “I want you to know I would rather die than harm you. Please remember that.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Galen kissed Kendra’s hand again. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled her mouth-watering scent one last time before he reached across the seat and placed her hand on her lap.
He wanted nothing more than to pull her onto his lap and press their bodies together. The need to touch her, to have her touching him was nearly overwhelming. But Galen wasn’t certain he could keep driving if he didn’t maintain at least a small amount of space between them.
Minute after minute ticked by. Mile after mile, her glorious scent called to him. He wanted to stop, to kiss her senseless and to claim her and make her his, but there was some part of him that maintained his sanity at the forefront of his control, the need to protect.
Though he knew he needed her, his body was raging to mark her, mate her and make her his, there was another part of him that knew he must put her safety above all else. That meant making it to the safe house before he even dared to kiss her again.
There was no doubt in Galen’s mind that if he touched Kendra again, he would lose himself in her. Both of them would lose themselves and they would be vulnerable if he couldn’t get them to the motel where they would be surrounded by shifters he could trust.
His mind and body ticked away the minutes and miles. His control stretching ever tighter as the wheels of the SUV ate up the miles to the safe house.
Galen knew he was skirting the edge of sanity when he finally saw the sign. Not only was it a safe house. It was a hotel for shifters and humans alike. Shifters, as a rule, attempted to keep to themselves. However, times being what they were, at least they had to try to fit in with the local population.
Since the lodge had been there for a long, long time, the operators and the shifter council had thought it best to go public with the lodge. The more people who had visited the lodge and found nothing unusual with it would lay to rest any claims from someone who might attempt to cause trouble for them.
“Grizzly Gorge?” Kendra glanced at him, that little crease appearing on her forehead. “There aren’t any grizzlies in Tennessee are there?”
“Not now.” He smiled. “At least there aren’t any animal grizzlies that I’m aware of.” He turned onto the long drive and headed for the large entrance of the log structure which was flanked by huge trees. The proprietors had added onto the place throughout the years until the result was a huge lodge made of hewn logs. They’d done a good job. It blended in with the surrounding forest.
He pulled up in front of the enormous building, the tires sliding in the inch or so of dirt that covered the parking lot to give it a more rustic appearance of a dirt parking area instead of asphalt.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” she said as she leaned forward, peering through the windshield.
“Neither have I,” Galen replied, but he wasn’t looking at the lodge. He kept his tired eyes firmly locked on his mate’s face. “I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”
She glanced at him, her face turning bright red when she realized what he meant. “I was talking about the lodge.”
“I wasn’t.” He grinned, shut off the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition. “Wait there. I’ll be around to get you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of opening my own door,” she replied dryly as he slid from the truck.
Galen knew modern women and wasn’t surprised to find her standing just outside the passenger door when he rounded the front of the truck. She pushed the door closed, stretched and smiled up at him.
“Please tell me this is where we’re staying. I don’t think I can spend another minute in your vehicle for at least a day or two.”
“This is it.” Galen held his arm out. “Shall we go inside?”
The muscles of his forearm bunched beneath her hand when her fingers curled around and made contact with him. His wolf crouched low inside him, obviously ready to pounce. It sent out its psychic tendrils, trying to sense anything off with their surroundings.
Other than the parking lot being empty, nothing seemed off or felt strange.
“Is it closed for renovations, or something?” Kendra asked as she spun around, looking at the deserted resort. The large main building had almost entirely double paned glass floor to ceiling walls on the ground floor facing front.
They could see the large indoor swimming pool, a center floor fireplace and a long, polished bar past the tables and chairs Galen could only assume was the restaurant, though it was bigger and in a different place than it was the last time he’d visited.
“I bet it’s gorgeous on the inside.”
“It is gorgeous on the inside.”
Galen and Kendra both stepped back and looked up. The owner of the deep, deep voice stared down at them from a second-floor balcony. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Bear. Is he around?”
Bear was the owner of the Grizzly Gorge—at least he used to be. Galen had no idea who this young cub was staring down at them.
“Oh, he’s on vacation with Mom.” The man stared down at him. “You look familiar. Do I know yo
u?” He waved his arm. “Wait a minute, hold that thought, I’ll be right down.” The young man didn’t go inside, as Galen expected. Instead, he hopped over the railing, and landed on the ground in front of them.
“Holy Mother of God!” Kendra stepped back. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”
“He’s a shifter, darlin’.” Galen stepped closer, wrapping his arm about Kendra’s waist in a show of possession.
“Don’t worry, old man. I’m not after your mate,” the young bear said with a shake of his head. “I’m nowhere near ready to settle down and have no plans to challenge anyone for their woman.” He grinned. “At least not yet.” He led them to the front door and opened it. “I take it you need a safe house?” He held out his hand. “I’m Blaze, by the way.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Galen shook his hand with a frown. “I didn’t know that Bear and Marietta had any cubs.”
“You wouldn’t. It’s not like they advertised it. They wanted to keep us safe until we became adults, so we weren’t in the public eye much.” He leaned over and whispered. “It’s not like there’s a lot of us around these parts.”
“We?” It surprised Galen to find one cub in residence. Was this young man telling him Bear and his mate had more than one child?
“Yes. We,” he said with a twist of his lips. “I’m not the only one. Mom had three pregnancies.”
“Oh, there are three of you then.” Kendra peered around them as though expecting the others to emerge from the woodwork.
“Not hardly.” He raised his face to the ceiling and let out a bellow. “Get your butts down here, you guys. We have visitors.”
Galen thrust Kendra behind him when it seemed as though all hell had broken loose. It sounded as though a herd of cattle was heading toward the stairs. When he glanced up, he saw five more boys and two girls headed their way.
“Holy shit! Your mom had two sets of triplets?” He knew it was common for bear shifters to have more than one cub at a time, but it wasn’t a given.
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