“About what?”
“I told him I would never take advantage of you. Now, here we sit, covered in each other’s scents.”
Kendall put her head on his shoulder. “I’m the one who took advantage of you. Vance will understand.”
Eldon kissed the top of her head. “I think it was mutual.”
Kendall smiled as she closed her eyes and waited to be rescued.
Chapter 33
Once the phone call came through that Kendall had escaped, Demi insisted on going with the shifters. Saxon was upset, but she reminded him that she would be surrounded by plenty of sentinels.
Per Eldon’s warning about Kendall’s heat, the females were going in one vehicle to pick up Kendall, and the males were going in another to pick up Eldon.
Demi put her hands on his chest. “She risked her life to save mine. I need to see that she’s okay for myself.”
“What if Donald Wright follows Kendall and this Eldon guy to where they’re waiting for us?”
“It’s raining out. You even said that makes their scents harder to track.”
“Fine,” Saxon said, obviously not happy.
Demi lifted her brow. “I wasn’t asking your permission. I was simply helping you understand where I was coming from.”
Sudden applause sounded behind them.
“Tell him, girl,” Tegan said.
“I like her,” Phoenix commented.
“I can’t wait to tell Kendall about this,” Raven, a wolf-shifter sentinel, said.
“Whatever,” Saxon said and narrowed his eyes at the female sentinels. “You let her get hurt, I will make your life a living hell.”
“Come on, Saxon,” Vaughn said.
Saxon kissed Demi on the lips and turned and followed Vaughn out the door.
Everyone was following Eldon’s directions to the gas station, and then the men were going to have Eldon show them where Donald’s clubhouse was.
The women were going to take Kendall home and help her with whatever she needed to get through her heat.
Demi got in an SUV with Tegan, Phoenix, and Raven. Phoenix was behind the wheel, and Raven sat in the back with Demi.
Tegan turned around in her seat as they followed the large SUV in front of them. “I cannot believe Saxon. You are certainly making an impression on him.”
Hearing this warmed Demi’s heart, but she played it cool. “Oh, really?”
Phoenix looked at Demi through the rearview mirror. “Really. Saxon and I have been friends for some time. I’ve never even seen him date anyone.”
“Yeah, up until now, the female he’s been closest to is Phoenix,” Tegan said. “I think the only reason he let her in was because he knew Phoenix was made of stone-cold ice.”
Phoenix gave Tegan the finger. Tegan ignored it.
“He knew that Phoenix would never want to mate with him and have his babies, so he was safe. But Phoenix surprised us all when she mated Dante and had his baby. Saxon barely escaped her clutches.”
Phoenix pushed Tegan, who laughed at her own joke.
Phoenix met Demi’s eyes again. “We’re close, but it’s only ever been friendship. And, now that I’m mated and I have moved out of the bunkhouse, we’re not as close as we used to be.” She looked at Tegan. “Saxon never had to worry about me wanting him like that.”
“So, what about you, Demi?” Tegan asked. “Do you want to?”
“Do I want to what?”
“Mate with Saxon and have his babies.”
“Oh.” Demi had not been expecting that question. “I don’t think that’s on the table. Saxon has pretty much confirmed that he’s a lifelong bachelor. I think the two of us together right now is just due to extenuating circumstances.”
“He doesn’t have to let you sleep in his bed,” Tegan pointed out. “Saxon is not that nice.”
Well, it’s not like he’s not getting something out of it, Demi thought. The two of them had had sex every night and almost every morning, too.
“I guess I’ll have to take your word on that.”
“You never really answered my question. If it were an option, would you want to be with Saxon?”
Demi felt weird about answering that because she didn’t know. She suspected, if she let herself consider it, she’d say yes. But, as long as she told herself that she couldn’t have Saxon forever, she would be okay with saying good-bye.
“Tegan, leave her alone,” Raven said. “She’s obviously uncomfortable.”
“Okay, fine.” Tegan turned around and faced forward.
Thank you, mouthed Demi to Raven.
No problem, she mouthed back.
As they got to the location they’d been given, two figures stood up. Demi saw Kendall for a moment before the man, presumably Eldon Conrad, moved in front of her in a protective stance.
The SUV the females were in had barely stopped when Raven jumped out, her arms full of the clothes they’d been told to bring. Raven shoved a few articles at Eldon and then pushed him out of the way to hug Kendall.
Demi opened her door and got out of the vehicle, too.
“What are you doing?” Saxon yelled from the other SUV.
“Going to talk to Kendall.”
“Demi,” he growled. “You’re supposed to stay in the vehicle.”
She ignored him and kept walking.
“Hey,” she said when she reached the three standing at the gas station.
Kendall and Eldon were quickly trying to put on their clothes.
“The guys are waiting for you,” she told Eldon.
“That’s what I heard.”
She held out her hand. “I’m Demi. Thanks for helping Kendall. I owe her my life. And the life of my best friend.”
Eldon chuckled and took her hand. “Yeah, I kind of know who you are. I’m Eldon.”
“You do?”
“It’s a long story. One I’m sure you’ll hear about later.” Eldon turned around to Kendall. “You going to be okay?”
Demi decided she liked Eldon right away. First, he’d stood in front of Kendall, and now, he was making sure she was okay before he left. The two had obviously bonded.
Kendall smiled reassuringly at him. “I’m more worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine.” Eldon finished pulling on the shirt they’d brought for him and went over to the SUV.
Demi and Raven continued to block Kendall from the road, so she could finish getting dressed.
“Why are both of you practically naked?” Raven asked. “Eldon said nothing happened.”
“It was too hot. We were miserable. And then, when Eldon finally got us free, we didn’t think to get dressed first. He had to carry me because my heat was so bad.”
Raven scrunched up her nose. “You seem okay now.”
“Yeah, I think it’s over now.”
Demi barely noticed Kendall’s hand brush over her lower abdomen.
“At the time, I was pretty miserable, but I’m feeling much better now.”
“You smell like him,” Raven said.
Kendall shrugged. “Yeah, well, we’ve been locked in a room together for days while I was in heat. Our hormones were going crazy. I’m not surprised.”
Raven pulled Kendall into her arms again. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to pry. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Raven released Kendall.
“I’m good. At least, now, I am. I could use a long shower and a warm bed. Now that the stress of escaping is over and my heat is gone, I’m completely exhausted.”
Demi hooked her arm with Kendall’s. “Thank you for rescuing me and Siya. And, if that’s what you want in repayment, I’ll punch anyone in the face who gets in the way of your shower and nap.” She tilted her head toward the SUV. “Let’s take you home.”
Chapter 34
Eldon felt like a bug under a microscope as he rode with the group of cat and wolf sentinels to the location of the clubhouse. Despite the rain, he was sure he smelled of Kendall. It took all his energy not to blurt o
ut, Yes, I had sex with her. Please, don’t kill me.
It was as if all his years of training in working for the Minneapolis Police Department had left him. He hadn’t been a rookie for years, but you’d think he’d just come upon his first crime scene.
At least he wasn’t naked.
“Thank you for the clothes,” he said to the group of males.
“You’re welcome,” the one next to him said. The guy had blond-and-brown hair. “I’m Saxon.”
Eldon put his palm out. “Eldon.”
Saxon looked down at Eldon’s hand. He wasn’t sure if the guy was going to shake it at first, but Saxon slowly raised his arm and shook Eldon’s hand.
“Up there is Damien Lowell, driving. Does that ring a bell?”
Eldon nodded slowly. The wolf-shifter alpha. Another slice of guilt ran through him.
“In the passenger seat is Vaughn Llewelyn. I’m sure you know him, too.”
“Yes, of course.”
Vaughn turned. “My father sends his regards. You’ll be meeting him soon.”
Eldon almost asked, I will? But then it was obvious he would go and speak with his alpha. “Thank you,” he said instead.
Saxon pointed his thumb to the third row.
Eldon turned.
“Behind us are Zane, Chase, and Ranulf,” Saxon said, each male lifting his arm when his name was spoken.
Eldon waved. “Hello.” He caught a mix of both cat-shifter and wolf-shifter but couldn’t tell who was who.
“Is Kendall okay?” Damien asked.
Eldon faced forward again. “Yes. She wasn’t hurt at all. She was pretty miserable because of her heat though.”
“Is that why you two were practically naked?” Vaughn asked.
“Yes. We were both pretty miserable. I couldn’t handle my clothes touching me anymore. Same with Kendall. When we escaped, Kendall could barely walk. Our clothes were the last things we thought about.”
“It’s probably better that way. Less to track you with.”
“I wasn’t worried about that anyway. One good thing about Kendall’s heat was that everyone left us there alone.”
“That’s such a relief. I was worried they would rape her,” Damien said.
“Oh no, those guys are fanatics. They don’t believe shifters should mix. Kendall being a wolf saved her.” Eldon leaned forward. “It’s there. Up that dirt road.”
Damien turned the car and slowly drove over the wet and now-muddy road.
“What a shithole,” one of the guys from the third seat said.
“Yeah. It’s been around awhile, and no one’s bothered to fix it up.”
Damien parked, and they all exited the vehicle.
“Where did you escape?” Vaughn asked.
“Around back.”
Vaughn nodded his head, and Saxon and Zane went to look while he went for the front door.
“Locked,” he said after trying the handle.
“Excuse me,” Ranulf said as he pulled something out of his pocket. He had a couple of metal objects out and went to work on the lock.
A few seconds later, the lock popped, and the door was opened.
The group headed inside, but Eldon couldn’t make himself. “I’m sorry. I can’t.” The thought of being stuck in there again was too much.
“I’ll stay with him,” Chase said.
“Fine,” Damien said and disappeared through the door.
Eldon leaned against the building and closed his eyes. He was exhausted, but he knew the night was far from over. For one thing, he had to tell them about his brother’s role in the whole thing. It wasn’t going to be pretty. He knew they needed to bring his brother in along with Donny before morning.
Eldon’s thoughts drifted to Kendall and the way she’d felt when he pushed himself inside her. He had never felt anything so sweet. She’d been hot and tight, and she’d given him the best orgasm ever. If only he could be back at the gas station, making love to her again.
“Eldon.”
A hand touched his shoulder, and he was startled awake. It was Vaughn.
“Sorry. I think I fell asleep.”
“It’s fine. You’ve had a long day.” He looked at the clubhouse. “No one there, just like you predicted.” Vaughn looked back at the vehicle where Saxon was throwing something in the back. “They did get your clothes though.”
“Thank you.”
“I noticed keys in your shorts pocket. But no vehicle.”
“Yeah, I’m guessing they took it in case we escaped.”
“Who has a key?”
Eldon swallowed.
Vaughn raised an eyebrow.
“My brother.”
“Your brother? How is he involved?”
The other sentinels slowly walked up to Vaughn and Eldon.
Eldon took a deep breath. “My brother is the one who shot at Demi Cross and her friend. He’s also the one who blew up the car and kidnapped Kendall.”
Everyone looked confused.
“I thought Donald Wright was behind all of this.”
“Oh, he is,” Eldon said. “This is his clubhouse. This is his club. But my brother was the one who actually carried out the actions that day.”
“You know we can’t let him get away with this,” Vaughn said.
“I know. And I don’t want him to. I had hoped my brother could be saved, but now, I know Gavin is beyond redemption.”
“We’re going to have to brief Vance on this,” Damien said.
“Yeah,” Vaughn said.
“I think we should go and pick up my brother first,” Eldon said.
A few faces looked surprised.
Vaughn clapped him on the back. “I’m glad to hear you’re with us.”
“He locked me up, too,” Eldon said.
“Let’s go then,” Damien said.
They walked toward the vehicle when Eldon remembered. “What are you going to do about Donny? Donald Wright, I mean.”
Vaughn shook his head. “We’ve been trying to find him for weeks. He’s in the wind. Do you think he’ll come back here?”
“He’s supposed to make the exchange tomorrow, right? He’ll be back for that.”
Damien shook his head. “Not now that we’ve spread our scents all over that place. Even with the rain, they’re going to know we were inside. All it takes is someone showing up before him and warning him.”
“So, what should we do?” Vaughn asked.
“Oh, so now, you want my opinion?”
Vaughn grinned. “Sure do, little brother.”
Confused, Eldon watched Damien roll his eyes. Vaughn was a cat, and Damien was a wolf.
“Damien is mated to my little sister,” Vaughn told Eldon.
“Ah, that’s right. I think I heard about that.” It all made sense now.
“Okay. Zane, Chase, and Ranulf, you three stay here. Vaughn, Saxon, Eldon, and I will go to pick up Eldon’s brother. We’ll call and have Phoenix, Tegan, or Raven bring a vehicle out here. They can help you bring in anyone who comes to the clubhouse.”
Vaughn slapped Damien on the back. “I knew you could do it.”
Damien pushed Vaughn’s hand away. “Fuck you.”
Vaughn pretended to think about it. “Nah. I’ll leave that to my sister.”
Eldon knocked on Gavin’s apartment door.
“One second,” his brother shouted from the other side.
Footsteps sounded from inside, and Eldon didn’t even bother to hide his face from the peephole.
The door slowly opened. “Eldon?”
“Hello, Gavin.”
“I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”
The sentinels, who had been lined up along the wall out of sight, came up behind Eldon.
“I’m afraid so.”
“You need to come with us,” Vaughn said.
Gavin paused, but then in a flash, he tried to shut the door and run.
Eldon had anticipated this. He put his foot against the door to keep it open and grabbed his brot
her by the collar, much the way he used to when they were kids.
Gavin’s body slammed against his own.
“It’s over, little brother.”
Chapter 35
When Saxon and the others brought Gavin Conrad into the main house, Demi didn’t know what she had been expecting, but this guy wasn’t it. She couldn’t believe this was the person who’d tried to kill her and Siya and abducted Kendall. He was practically a kid.
“You can take him downstairs. We can talk to him in the morning. I think everyone needs to get some rest right now. Some of you are going to have to relieve Chase, Ranulf, Zane, and Tegan tomorrow. I don’t want anyone to be tired while they’re out there,” Vance said.
“You can’t do this,” Gavin said. “I was only following orders.” He looked at his brother. “Eldon, why are you letting them do this to me?”
Eldon shook his head. “You did this to yourself, Gavin. The second you wouldn’t let me take Kendall home. I tried to help you. I failed.”
“Yeah, you did. Donny always said you were weak,” Gavin shouted when he didn’t get what he wanted from Eldon.
“Take him downstairs,” Vance commanded.
Vaughn and Damien led Gavin around to the kitchen and then down the stairs to the basement.
Kendall got up from the couch where she’d been camped out since they brought her home. She made her way over to Eldon and put her hand on his arm while she spoke softly to him.
“What’s down there?” Demi asked Saxon.
“A holding cell for prisoners.”
“What’s going to happen to him?”
Saxon shrugged. “That’ll be up to Vance and Damien.”
Vaughn and Damien came back upstairs and into the living room.
“Is he secure?” Vance asked.
They both nodded.
“Damien and I talked. Reid and Lachlan are on duty tonight. The rest of us, let’s get to bed.”
“We have a problem with that, boss,” Saxon said.
Vance lifted his brow. “Oh?”
“Something has to be done about the bunkhouse. We just don’t have enough room. With all the changes that have happened the last few years, we’ve been playing musical beds lately.”
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