Tagging Her Lynx (Alaska Lynx Clan)

by Abby Wood

  "Chloe?"

  She stopped and turned around.

  "We'll give our children that." His brows came down. "They'll have the perfect childhood with parents who stay around for many, many years."

  She nodded, smiled, and turned around again to head to the kitchen. A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed. The doubts of her fertility reared their ugly heads.

  Chapter Ten

  "Fuck." Granger whipped around and stared at Tucker, and then turned his golden eyes back to the scene in front of him. "How did they manage this?"

  "Are we sure they are humans?" Tucker trilled and moved over to make room for Lance, who joined the cats up on the snowbank.

  "Yes." Granger stood up. "I'm going in. I'll try to hurry."

  "Careful, my brother," Tucker said.

  Granger stepped forward, paused, and gazed back at the handful of cats hidden in the landscape. "Don't let them get back to the others."

  In a silent slink, Granger moved along the outskirts of the camp.

  With three durable winter tents fitted for sub-degree temperatures, these men took their hunting seriously. He'd have to shift at the right time, surprise them, and rush back into his lynx form. Naked to the elements, he'd not last long and would have to work fast.

  He had no idea there were two groups of men that posed a threat to his clan. They regularly watched the larger group, but this one appeared smaller. What did they want? Were they after the shifters too, or were they illegally harvesting animals?

  Hate coursed through his body, warming him up for the task, the only surviving witness from the refuge incident his main target. He would take care of the other men later if they pressed on and threatened the Lynx clan. He wished he'd had more time to plan an attack.

  Fighting in the summer was much easier for the lynx.

  He slowed once he reached the back of the nearest tent. His ears perked up, straining to pick up a voice he'd recognize. A cough and some rustling inside gave him no clues. He moved on to the next canvas wall. The two voices inside were unfamiliar. That left one more.

  The third tent sat farther away from the first two, and he dashed away from the camp in case any of the men decided to come outside. The winter sun still hadn't shown itself, but he wasn't going to depend on the dark for coverage. Chloe's happiness rode on him getting back to her in one piece.

  He stopped once he was out of sight from the tents, and his eyes narrowed in delight. He'd left his mate curled up in bed, satisfied beyond anything she'd ever experienced. Hell, he walked out of the house with an extra spring in his step.

  A zwing from a zipper drew his attention, and he crept low on all four paws. His heartbeat sped up at the sight of the overweight man from the refuge. Holding his position, he curled his upper lip into a snarl. The man made this easier than catching a chinook during spawning season.

  Without making a sound in the snow, he approached the man at a steady pace. Shifting at the last possible moment, he flew through the air and tackled the man. Unbalanced and caught off guard, the man lay face down in two feet of snow, probably wondering what the hell hit him.

  Granger's arm wrapped around the beefy neck, and once he grasped the man's chin, he gave it a quick snap, breaking his neck. He shifted and, keeping to the man's boot prints, worked his way along the path the men used to hide any evidence that a lynx caused the death.

  "It's done." Granger sprinted across the land. "Tucker and Lance, stay behind and make sure everything is okay. The rest of you—he caught sight of the cats up ahead—let's go home."

  He didn't break his run, and the others gathered on each side of him to follow him back to Lynx territory. Pushing himself, he wanted to jump back into bed before Chloe woke and found him missing. Not that he'd hide what he'd done this morning, but why worry her now that the problem was resolved?

  None of the others milled outside once he reached the cabins. He shifted, walked through his front door, and hurried to close it to keep the cold from rushing in. Bouncing on his toes, he padded down the short hallway to the bedroom.

  His lips curved into a smile at the thought of Chloe's toasty warm body. He stopped inside the doorway. Something wasn't right.

  The sweet, wild smell of his mate didn't fill the room. His hand swept the wall and hit the light switch. Chloe wasn't in bed, and a heady, putrid smell filled the room, telling him another man had touched his woman.

  He whirled out of the room, out of the cabin, and shifted while throwing out a call for help to the others. Cats gathered in the center between the houses and waited for direction. He joined them and scanned the faces with the hope of seeing Chloe's.

  "No one has seen her?" He turned to Darren. "You didn't hear anything?"

  The negative answers he received made breathing difficult. Pacing, he tried to grasp how she could disappear right out from under everyone's watch. Who took her? The humans who normally hunted them were back at their camp and accounted for.

  Why didn't Chloe call for him? If danger came to her, she knew to let him know. Unless…

  He stopped, snapped his head around, and directed his question at Jonathon. "How many men are usually in the group we watch?"

  "Dominic?" He paused and waited for him to step up. "Go back to the camp, bring back Lance and Tucker, and catch up to our trail."

  He turned back to Jonathon. "Well?"

  "Eight, maybe ten at the most." The lead man on the cleanup crew stood his ground.

  Granger hissed. "I made a mistake. I thought the hunters worked for one group. We dealt with the threat to the refuge, but left ourselves open to the real threat. Now they have Chloe." He moved through the crowd, heading westward. "Same orders. The men who came with me earlier, come with me now." He turned his head. "Darren, come along."

  Cats normally didn't run around in one large group, but Granger's only thought was to find Chloe and keep her safe. Adrenaline coursed through his system, and he picked up his pace. He should have sent the others to take care of business this morning. Fuck!

  "We'll find her, bro." Darren looped up to the front with Granger. "I don't know how I missed the sons of bitches coming into our camp."

  "Just help me get her back." Granger let out a cry that echoed over the land.

  Without knowing how much of a head start whoever took Chloe had, everyone ran their best in hopes of making it to the camp they'd watched weeks ago. Puffs of frosty breath exited Granger's mouth. By his calculations, it would take another fifteen torturous minutes to arrive. He hoped they'd find Chloe there unharmed.

  The hunters had long believed in the existence of shapeshifters. They ran a lab outside of Juneau under the guise of a fishing charter business, but the clan had managed to stay out of their hands for the last five years. Losing even one shifter hurt the group as a whole.

  "I smell him." Granger darted to the left, aiming for the cover of a snow-laden brush.

  In pairs, the cats circled the camp, staying far enough away so their movements would go undetected. Holding everyone back, Granger alone moved forward to sniff out his mate. The putrid smell of the men masking her sweet scent made his blood boil. He'd kill each one of the filthy pigs who dared to lay a finger on her.

  "Aningan." He'd called her numerous times on the journey here, but so far she remained silent. "Come on, Chloe. Answer me. Concentrate. I know you can hear my voice. Give me something."

  Two crew cab trucks and a Suburban were parked where the gravel road ended. He crept under the truck, putting him within fifty yards of where the men gathered around a bonfire. He doubted that they'd hear him approach over the crackling of the flames.

  The men all seemed to be in good spirits, talking and laughing. They obviously were not expecting him or the rest of the cats.

  "Grange…"

  He scooted backward and behind the rear tire. "Thank God. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

  Chloe didn't answer right away. He held his breath. The fur at the base of his neck stood up. Why couldn't she co
mmunicate with him?

  He'd trained her well to talk in any situation.

  "Help me."

  "I will." He stepped out from under the vehicle. "Where are you? Can you see what's around you?"

  The wait for her response was killing him. "Please, Aningan. Answer me. I want to take you home."

  "Home?"

  "Yes, sweetheart. I'll take you home. Just tell me where you are?" He put a call out to the others to get ready and to tell them he'd communicated with Chloe. "The others are here too. We won't let them hurt you anymore."

  "I can't see a thing. I—her breathing became heavier—I shifted and can't get my lynx back." She moaned. "I'm in a cage, but…"

  He waited, but she didn't continue. Fuck! If she'd shifted, she'd not last long in the harsh elements. He'd have to find her fast. Where would they keep her?

  "Spread out and find Chloe. She's shifted! We need to get to her now. Take anyone down who tries to stop you." He darted for the first tent. "Whatever you do, be careful." Granger shifted. "Darren. Stay safe."

  He poked his head underneath the canvas cover over the back window on the tent. Peering inside, he couldn't see any cages or shapes that hid a cage. Shifting back to his lynx, he stilled. The lynx's ability to heal and warm instantly was the only thing making it possible to shift out in the cold. No way was Chloe outside. She'd not survive.

  The friendly conversation within the group died down, and the men grew quiet. He curled down into the snow, shrinking out of sight. He'd like to rescue Chloe without bloodshed first. Fighting the whole group would waste precious time that Chloe didn't have right now.

  "Give me a second. I want to change and get these bloody clothes off before we take the female to the lab." One of the men broke away from the fire.

  Granger's eyes narrowed. He stayed in position behind the tent where the man opened the zipper and stepped inside. Inhaling, he didn't recognize the smell. The blood didn't come from Chloe.

  "Hey George, I'm going to start the SUV. I don't want the shifter dying before we get back." The man laughed. "Damn if that serum didn't shift her right quick."

  "Whatever." Rustling came from inside the tent. "Go ahead and take her to the lab. I'll catch up with you in the truck. Take Johnson with you."

  Granger's ears pitched forward, and he slunk on his belly along the snow to the side of the tent. Two men walked away. The snow made returning to the parking area slow for the humans.

  "Chloe's in the red Suburban. Get her out now. Two men are coming to take her back to Juneau." Granger sprinted for the snowbank to make his way around the men. "Hang on. We found you."

  Running fast and hard, he took the chance that the men would spot him and darted out from the drift. He arrived at the back of the Suburban, shifted, and without missing a step, jumped onto the tailgate.

  Darren followed him into the vehicle, shifted, and crouched naked beside the cage, frowning. "She won't wake up, but she's breathing."

  "Aningan, I'm going to help you shift." He reached through the open door of the cage and stroked her cheek. "Help me, Chloe."

  He closed his eyes and concentrated, but even with his ability to help others shift, Chloe remained in human form. "Fuck!"

  "Why isn't it working?" Darren's body shook from the cold.

  "I heard them say they used some kind of drug on her to make her come out of her lynx." Granger gazed over the seats and out the front window. "Jesus, they're coming."

  "Let's carry her." Darren unfolded Chloe's legs and pulled them out of the cage.

  Granger waved his hand. "No. We'd never make it. Not in these temperatures." He inhaled through his nose. "She's half frozen already, and there's no way we would survive carrying her out in our human forms."

  "I'll go out and kill them. It'll give us a few more minutes." Darren shifted. "Keep working on Chloe."

  "No." Granger reached around his brother and closed the back door without shutting it completely. "Jump into the driver's seat. I'll shift and take the passenger seat. That way we'll both surprise them and take them out of the picture. It'll be faster."

  Granger stroked Chloe's leg one more time, shifted, and bounded over the seats. He crouched low so as not to give away his position.

  The moment the door opened, he'd slice the main artery in the man's neck. If they got lucky, neither man would scream and alert the others.

  "Hey Grange?" Darren purred. "I think I found our answer."

  Granger turned toward the driver's side. "What?"

  "They left the keys in the rig." Darren opened his mouth and gave a lynx version of a smile.

  "Shift!" Granger's body stretched out on the seat, and he scrambled over the double row of seats to the back.

  "Go!" He shut the back door and turned toward Chloe as the engine roared to life. "Get us out of here!"

  Darren maneuvered the SUV around, the tires spinning out of control atop the packed snow. "Where to?"

  "Just drive." Granger pulled Chloe out of the human-size animal crate and cradled her in his arms. "Turn on the fucking heater too."

  The sight of the two men standing still with their mouths open almost put a smile on his face. He pulled the wool blanket Chloe's captors used to cover the cage and wrapped both Chloe and himself in it. He wanted to hear her voice and watch the way the skin around her eyes curved up when she smiled. Her breathing barely caressed his chest, and it worried him. Did the drug they gave her harm her, or did she suffer from the extreme temperatures?

  "Come on, Aningan. It's safe now. No one will ever get hold of you again. I promise."

  "Hold on! The county road is coming up." Darren sped up.

  Granger braced his legs against the inside of the truck and pushed his back next to the spare tire. The road crew in Alaska was notorious for plowing the main roads and leaving a hill of snow blocking any access to the side gravel roads.

  His brother drove fast enough so that the SUV wouldn't get stuck in the mound of snow. Granger's ass lifted in the air, but he held on to Chloe and cushioned the landing. The SUV bounced and continued down the paved road. He wanted many miles between them and the men he knew would follow. A big red Suburban wasn't exactly easy to hide.

  The men would follow, hunt, and prey on them to get their prize back. All these years of having no solid proof to examine, test, and mutilate, they'd be desperate to get Chloe back. Over my dead body.

  "Granger?"

  Chloe moved her hand up, rubbed his arm, and let her arm fall again. His heartbeat sped up, and he held her away from his chest. He needed visual proof that she woke up.

  "Oh, Chloe." He smiled into eyes that blinked up at him in confusion. "Are you in any pain? Did they hurt you anywhere?"

  "I—"

  "Granger. We've got trouble coming."

  The vehicle slowed down, and Granger peered out the back window, expecting to see a truck barreling toward them. He cocked his head. No car followed them.

  Chapter Eleven

  Granger whipped his head around and stared out the front window of the SUV. He wanted to cringe at the sound of sirens piercing his ears. How the hell were they to get out of here? Three naked people in the dead of winter riding in a stolen vehicle… They'd get a one-way ticket to the nearest mental hospital.

  Darren brought the vehicle to a complete stop. "Better hurry and come up with a plan, Grange."

  "Fuck." He gazed from the back of Darren's head to Chloe. "Let's try and get you back in your lynx."

  "Oh God. I can't. I…I can't even lift my head." She closed her eyes and groaned.

  "Try, Aningan." He laid her head back against his chest, closed his eyes, and willed everything in his body to give her the strength to turn.

  It took all his might to transfer enough power to Chloe so she could shift, but at last she moved in his arms. He opened his eyes and smiled. His hand stroked the beautiful thick fur at her lynx's neck.

  "Good girl." He turned at Darren's cough.

  "Shit. He's walking this way. You've got
about ten seconds to come up with a plan to get us out of here." His brother's hand thumped repeatedly on the steering wheel.

  "Shift and get back here." Granger moved from underneath Chloe, where she stood waiting for instructions.

  In no time Chloe and Darren stood beside Granger, staring at him. He purred and stretched out on the floor of the Suburban. Having the cop find no humans would buy them some time.

  "He's going to see us." Darren stepped over Granger and paced.

  Granger flashed out his paw and struck him in the side. "He's also going to have to radio this in and leave the vehicle."

  "What if he doesn't?" His brother stopped and stared.

  Granger licked his paw and ran it over his face. "What do you think the asshole is going to do? Come in and hold us on his lap? Take the cute kitties home to his daughter?"

  Chloe giggled.

  "You'll have to excuse him, Aningan. I think he loses more brain cells with each shift." He rolled onto his back, used both paws to pull Chloe down, and licked her whiskers. "God, you smell good. Feeling better?"

  "Yes. Almost perfect now that I'm back with you." She lifted her head. "I still love you, Darren, but Granger got you with that one."

  "You talked to me." Darren cocked his head and sat back on his haunches. "Did you hear that, Granger? Your mate is a true alpha female."

  "Ding, ding, ding." Granger rolled over and lay on Chloe's back in a submissive hold. "And the prize goes to…"

  His playful manners stopped at the driver's door opening. "Hurry, crouch in the corner and act scared."

  The cop stuck his head inside the door, gazed around at the interior, and backed out, leaving the door open. Granger stretched his neck to look out the front window, but the officer didn't walk back to his patrol car.

  "Hurry, out the front door!" He led them over the seats and jumped down to the ground the second the back door opened up.

  Darting off the road, they ran over the snow and didn't stop. With Chloe recovered enough to shift, they could travel back to the Lynx clan with no problems. Once surrounded by the other cats, they'd figure out how Chloe could have been taken from underneath their noses and find a way to make sure it never happened again.