by A. P. Jensen
Jillian’s claws sank into their seats and she didn’t reply. Brant fluffed his already massive fro.
“That’s not normal,” Brant said uneasily.
“Where did they attack you? In the city?” Lan asked.
“No, I was with Mac.”
“You mean Cormac? He watched them do this to you?”
Jillian tried to suppress her bloodlust. “N-no. He wasn’t there, but he let them have me. Same difference.”
Brant and Lan glanced at each other.
“That doesn’t sound like Cormac.”
Jillian hissed. “It happened on his property. He’s been helping me. Maybe I’m too damaged for him to help.”
The rest of the drive was done in silence and Jillian reined in her wolf. Soon, she whispered to the snarling creature. Soon, all of this would be over.
When Lan pulled up in front of a rundown shack, a man strolled onto the porch. He was tall and burly with red hair and stunning blue eyes. He had a goatee and short cropped hair. Jillian got out of the van and he swaggered towards her.
“So, you’re Jillian Conway,” Rex said.
“Jillian Marks,” Jillian corrected.
Rex looked like a lumberjack. In comparison, Olivia was petite, almost childlike. Imagining Rex abusing her to the extent he had made Jillian sick. When Rex reached out a hand to touch her hair, Jillian knocked it away. Brant and Lan froze. In the next moment, Rex had Jillian’s face grasped in one hand and his face was a breath away from hers.
“Don’t you ever pull away from me,” Rex hissed.
Jillian swiped his face with her claws and he staggered back, eyes wide.
“Don’t touch me.”
Brant was frantically shaking his head behind Rex’s back while Lan watched without expression.
“Do you know who I am?” Rex demanded.
“Yeah, you’re an abusive asshole,” Jillian said.
Rex took a step towards her. Jillian brought up both of her claws and looked at him through wolf eyes.
“You let those men kill my mother,” Jillian hissed.
Rex shrugged dismissively. “She’s human.”
Jillian leapt forward and realized too late, he expected her to attack. Rex wrapped his arm around her throat from behind and whispered in her ear.
“You belong to me, Jillian. You’re going to respect me, stand by my side and bear my brats. We’re going to be the strongest alpha pair in North America and I’m going to enjoy taming you.”
He applied pressure on her neck and everything went black.
Hands swept over her breasts and abdomen. Jillian’s eyes flashed open and she tried to jerk her hands up, but they were tied down. Rex crouched over her, eyes filled with lust and excitement. Her hands and feet were spread and chained. She bucked and Rex grinned.
“Fight me,” he taunted.
Jillian reared up with her incisors extended. Rex pinned her down with one hand wrapped around her throat and kissed her nose. Jillian hissed and snarled, tugging on her restraints with all her might, but they didn’t give. Rex chuckled as he used one claw to rip her shirt down the middle. Jillian watched as he leaned down and licked her breast. A shiver of revulsion made goose bumps erupt all over her.
“I can smell another man on you,” Rex murmured and lifted his head. “Another wolf.”
Rex slapped her across the face. Her face burned and rage as she’d only felt when her mom was killed, erupted inside of her.
“You let another wolf touch you when you were promised to me?” he hissed, eyes wild with jealousy and madness.
“I was never promised to you,” Jillian retorted.
Another slap and her ears began to ring.
“Your father owed mine money. When I took over the pack, I called in the debt. Bobby offered you to me instead and I accepted. Therefore, you’re mine. If I ever find you with another man, I’ll kill you.”
“Kill me now because I will never accept you,” Jillian spat.
Rex calmed and pet her face with surprisingly gentle fingers. “You don’t know me yet. You’ll learn to love me.”
“I’ll never love someone like you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Like what?”
“You can’t even face me like a man. You have to tie me down to have me? Why don’t you win my love by showing me how great you are,” Jillian nearly choked on the words and prayed he would buy them.
Rex said nothing for a long minute. He ran his hands over her breasts idly and then shrugged and pulled a key out of his pocket.
“You’ll be more bloody this way, but I think I’ll enjoy that,” he said with a smile and began to unlock her wrists.
Jillian rolled on the opposite side of the bed the minute she was free. She faced Rex with clawed hands and averted her eyes from his tented crotch. This guy was sick. Ridding the world of him would be her pleasure. They both shifted into wolves and Jillian backed up against a wall. The room didn’t allow much room for maneuvering, but then again, she didn’t need it.
Rex launched himself over the bed and bit into her side. Jillian let out a sharp bark and wheeled around and bit his muzzle. Rex snarled, but didn’t release her. Jillian bolted and felt her flesh tear. She ignored the pain as he charged. They clashed, biting each other as they went on their hind legs and refused to back down from each other. Rex was a vicious fighter and Jillian felt a trill of fear. What if she couldn’t win against him? She reached deep and thought of her mom. Even if she didn’t win this, all of this would be over when he killed her.
“Christ!”
Jillian opened one eye. Her throat was crushed and she was drowning in her own blood. Lan and Brant stood in the doorway and stared at the room splattered in dripping red. Rex lay nearby, unconscious. Brant shifted, padded over to Jillian and began to lick her throat. His tongue lapping at her gaping wounds was so painful, she tried to growl, but it was beyond her. Gradually, she felt the skin begin to mend itself and she swallowed.
“Kill him,” Jillian gasped.
“We can’t,” Lan said grimly. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Olivia skipped into the room and tiptoed over to Rex with her mouth hanging open. “Is he dead?”
“Not yet,” Jillian said and tried to drag her body towards Rex.
Lan stepped between her and her target. “You need to go to Flora.”
“Give me a second to-”
“No,” Lan said and picked her up.
“Don’t you want me to kill him?” Jillian demanded.
“No. If we lose our alpha, we’re strays. It’d only be a matter of time before we’re run down and killed.”
“Couldn’t you join another pack? He’s a sadistic bastard-”
“He’s all we have. I just want you gone. Hopefully, he’ll realize you’re too dangerous to have around. I’ll take you to Flora and protect Olivia when he wakes.”
“Are you okay, Jillian?” Olivia asked, following Lan out of the house to the van.
Jillian smiled wanly at her. “Fantastic.”
“You almost beat him and he’s a nasty fighter. He’s killed a lot of humans and stray wolves for sport.”
Jillian started to fight Lan to get back inside, but Lan jostled her in his arms and tossed her into the backseat. Her battered body shrieked and she let out a weary hiss before she faded into unconsciousness.
Chapter Thirteen
“You bastard!” Jillian spat at Bobby once the numbness faded from her face and she could talk.
“My parents were mated, so technically-” Bobby began with a smile.
“You don’t care whether I live or die, but you use me to pay your debt to Rex?” Jillian shouted. “You’re the asshole of the world!”
Bobby shot her a cool glance. “At least your existence is good for something. I don’t have money to pay off my debt to Rex, but when I told him you might be an alpha female, he got starry eyed.”
“He’s a serial killer!”
Bobby shrugged. “Depends what kind of mood h
e’s in. After you nearly killed him, he realized you were his soul mate. He paid my way back from Europe so I could find you. Apparently, no one’s able to handle you. I didn’t know where to look, so it took me a bit of time.”
“You don’t have money to pay off your debt, but you live in Europe?” Jillian asked scathingly.
“You can give Rex all that sweet talk.”
“If you kept tabs on me, you must know mom barely made ends meet!” Jillian said with deadly softness. “You steal what little she had and leave her pregnant? What kind of man would do that?”
“First of all, I’m not a man. I’m a wolf.”
“All wolves aren’t like you.”
Bobby glanced at her. “If they’re not like me, why didn’t you claim Cormac Mercer?”
“None of your business.”
“He did something, didn’t he? You know what I’m capable of, yet you leave his protection and look what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Bobby taunted. “If you claimed him, I would’ve told Rex he had to fight Cormac for you, but you had to be stubborn.”
Her stomach dipped as she thought of Rex. Fear permeated her mouth. She failed to kill him the last time. She began to worry about the state Flora, Lan, Brant and Olivia were in. Her memories were still fuzzy, but she estimated that she left Rex’s house about two weeks ago. What had Rex done to his pack when he woke and found her gone? Lan risked all their hides by taking her back to Flora who healed her and drove her to the anonymity of New York. If Benji met her at the cafe that day, she definitely wouldn’t be on her way back to Rex.
Jillian willed her body to move. She wouldn’t last a minute against Rex if she was incapacitated. She had to save her energy for Rex and this time, one of them would end up dead. Bobby turned on the radio and tapped his hands on the wheel. She refused to look at him. If she managed to kill Rex this time, Bobby better watch out. Good ‘ol daddy-o was next on her list.
She focused on purging the drug. She shifted subtly in her seat and when Bobby drove up to Rex’s House of Horrors, feeling returned to her feet and hands, but nothing else. Rex appeared on the steps. It was a replay of the last time she’d been here. Jillian was clammy with terror. Back then, she thought she was strong enough to kill him and now… Now, she wasn’t sure. Rex strolled over to the passenger door and opened it. She couldn’t shift or protect herself and she braced herself for a hail of blows. To her astonishment, Rex gently lifted her out of the passenger seat and dropped his face onto her shoulder and inhaled.
“Let’s skip the preliminaries, shall we,” Rex said and bit her neck.
Jillian hissed and tried to break free, but her body was sluggish and unresponsive. Rex lapped at her blood before he cupped the back of her head and kissed her. Jillian gagged when she tasted her blood on his lips. Rex laughed and brushed kisses over her face and neck while she tried to buck him off without luck.
“Thanks, Bobby,” Rex said.
Bobby leaned against the hood of the car and pulled out a cigarette. “No problem.”
“What did you do to her?”
“She got a little excited so I tranquilized her. It’ll wear off in an hour.”
Rex’s eyes gleamed and her heart skipped. Rex carried Jillian into the rundown shack. In a large living room Olivia, Lan and Brant stood with pale and expressionless faces. Jillian relaxed slightly, happy to see them despite the circumstances. Olivia didn’t look the worse for wear, but Lan’s face was damaged pretty badly. Jillian’s wolf stirred and tried to surface, but the drugs confused her. Jillian clenched her teeth when needles shot through her body. Come on, come on, she silently screamed.
“You all remember Jillian, right?” Rex said happily.
Stiff nods. Rex dropped his head and nibbled on Jillian’s neck. She tried to get away and saw Brant take a step forward. Jillian narrowed her eyes in warning. Lan’s hand clenched into fists at his side while Olivia wrung her hands. None of them could take their alpha and they all knew it.
“Lan told me he had to take you to Flora. I wasn’t happy to hear you hurt my witch and escaped, but Bobby brought you back, so no harm done. Last time you were here, I wanted to try you out before I claimed you. I didn’t know you were an alpha. Now, I know you’re worthy enough to be my mate.”
Jillian wanted to slash his throat, but she couldn’t do a damn thing. She was being held by a serial killer that thought she was worthy because she almost killed him? This guy was seriously off. Any guy that knew a woman would try her utmost to kill him should stay away from her. Not Rex. No, he wanted her even more.
“Jillian, do you claim me as your alpha?” Rex purred.
“Fuck no!”
“Bobby, can you come in here?” Rex called.
Bobby ambled through the front door, still smoking his cigarette. “What now?”
“She won’t claim me as her alpha.”
Bobby blew out smoke through his nostrils. “So?”
“You promised her to me.”
Bobby shrugged. “Jillian Conway, I give you over to Rex Frost who will now be your alpha.”
An electric shock jolted through her body. She convulsed in Rex’s arms. When she opened her eyes, Rex beamed down at her. She could feel his lust and satisfaction. There was a live wire, vibrating with life that connected her heart to Rex’s evil one. Through the bond, she could feel Lan, Olivia and Brant. Their emotions were muffled as they tried to hide it from their alpha. Jillian suspected Rex knew full well how his pack felt about him. He enjoyed their fear and wariness. Jillian’s hands fluttered with panic and Rex’s smile widened.
“There’s no going back now,” Rex murmured into her hair. “You belong to me.”
“Take it back!” Jillian screamed at Bobby.
Her father watched clinically as she tried to punch Rex in the face. Rex laughed and walked over to the couch. He cuddled Jillian on his lap and ran a soothing hand up and down her back. She could feel his need rising and knew it was only a matter of time before he acted on it. Jillian was torn between mortification, panic and rage.
“Your heart is pounding,” Rex whispered.
She shuddered. “Don’t touch me!”
“Then you touch me.”
Rex pulled his hands away and she balanced precariously on his knees, which was awkward since her ass was numb. Her back tingled as feeling returned and she wanted to shiver with relief. She wanted to toss herself off of him since he was getting aroused by her body, but she couldn’t walk. She would fall flat on her face and she didn’t want to give Rex anymore ideas.
“Put your arms around me,” Rex ordered.
“Fuck off, buddy-”
There was a sharp tug on the bond and she gasped as her arms, of their own volition, wrapped around Rex’s neck.
“Kiss me,” Rex said, eyes fixed on her lips.
“No-”
It felt like someone shoved her head towards his. Their lips mashed together and she trembled against him. This couldn’t be happening. Through this bond, Rex could order her to kill herself. She suddenly realized the full implications of the pack bond and knew why Olivia, Lan, Brant and Flora obeyed. They honestly had no choice and now… she didn’t either.
Even though she could move her limbs, they wouldn’t obey. Only Rex’s orders mattered. Rex slid his tongue into her mouth and when she tried to bite, he pulled away. His hands cupped her breasts and squeezed. Was he going to screw her right here in front of his pack and Bobby? She turned her head to look at her father. Bobby didn’t avert his eyes while Rex fondled her. She loathed him. His eyes, the same shade as her own, were cold. If she ever had the chance, she would kill him.
“Look at me.”
Her head snapped around and she stared at Rex. His hand slid under her shirt and when she tried to karate chop him, another order made her freeze. She sensed the other pack members anxiety rise and knew Rex was getting a high out of Jillian’s rage and their fear. He even liked that Bobby was watching, the fucker.
“I’ve been waiting
for you to come back to me,” Rex said and leaned close. “You still smell of that other man.”
She clenched her teeth when she felt poisonous jealousy fill his heart. It shot through the pack bond and Brant and Olivia slammed to their knees. Lan stood shaking and refused to cower under his alpha’s wrath.
Rex grabbed her face. “You were meant for me.”
Jillian didn’t answer and his eyes flashed with madness.
“Tell me you belong to me.”
Olivia whimpered as the pack bond vibrated with Rex’s rage. Jillian fought the bond, which compelled her to obey. She shook like a bow on a string and her lips moved to form the words, but she refused to utter them. Screw Rex. Pain hit them all and she arched against Rex and saw him lick his lips. She knew he was eager to see how much pain she could take before she broke. She wasn’t sure if the pain lasted seconds or hours. Knives stabbed into every inch of her and fire raced through her veins. When it faded, she limped against Rex who cooed and twined her sweat soaked hair around his fingers.
“You’re stubborn,” he said approvingly. “Is he stronger than me?”
“Let’s see.”
Jillian wondered if she was hallucinating as Mac walked through the front door with Paul and Remy. Rex didn’t react. He stroked his hands over her and smiled at the newcomers. Lan, Brant and Olivia were in a corner of the room and made no move to interfere. They were exhausted from the torture inflicted on all of them through the pack bond. Bobby continued to watch the festivities through a haze of smoke.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Rex said without looking away from Jillian.
“I’m here for Jillian,” Mac said and his voice trembled.
Paul and Remy grabbed his arms. They made sure to make skin contact with Mac to keep him in human form, for now. When Rex tried to kiss Jillian, Mac took a step forward before his brothers could stop him. Jillian slapped Rex across the face. Her movements were jerky and there wasn’t much force behind it, but it broke through the silence. Mac’s harsh breathing filled the air and Rex laughed uproariously and rubbed his face between Jillian’s breasts.