“I don’t think so,” Lock says.
“Alright,” I say. “How do we get out of here?”
He grins. “You leave that to me. In the mean time, you might want to take a shower so we aren’t as easily traceable.” He rummages in a drawer and tosses a towel to me. Then he hands me some of his pajama bottoms that tie in the front and a large shirt.
“Be quick,” he says. “We’ll want to leave soon, before they realize we’re in here. I think I can stall them for a while, but not long.”
“Right,” I say, heading into the bathroom. I shut and lock the door behind me, and allow myself a moment of freak out time as I slump against the closed door.
Then I strip off my clothing and get in the shower to erase Lindon’s touch and scent. I don’t need them anymore.
Chapter 4
Lock’s idea for escaping the mansion isn’t much different from mine. We go out the window, but this time he’s carefully lowering me, tied in the drapes, to the ground.
He comes down behind me and we walk quietly around the side of the house. His motorcycle is going to make this a whole lot easier. His pants stay up on me due to a drawstring, and I’m grateful for both bras with his thin tee shirt. We make it around the front of the house undetected. The alphas are probably still busy harassing Lindon and making him answer for his villainy.
But it wouldn’t have been villainy in my mind if he had just finished what he started, or not ended it on such a bitter note.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Lock asks, gently opening the fence and waiting to make sure no one heard. Then he goes to his bike and hands me a helmet.
“Oh, you know,” I say. “Things never go how you think they will. How you want them to.”
“And sometimes they go better,” he says. “You never know until you try.”
“Right,” I say, getting on the bike behind him as he puts his own helmet on.
He starts up the bike with a loud rumble and pulls out down the driveway. I can hear shouts from within the mansion, but we’ll be gone before they can come down and find us.
Lock turns sharply and I hug his waist as we head up into the hills, out into the darkness.
It’s evening now, the sun is setting, and it’s beautiful out here. I love watching the tree line and the mountain ahead of us, and watching the cars on the highway in the distance and the mansion become smaller as we zoom away.
It’s wonderful to just feel the cool air on my clean, warm skin. It’s wonderful to just hold Lock and know that he wouldn’t push me away, wouldn’t say what he wanted and then change his mind.
We drive farther and farther into the hills, forking off onto side roads, going far from the mansion. It gets darker as there are less street lamps and as the sun sets. The darkness only makes it more romantic, and all I can feel is his warmth and the exhilarating air and speed of being on the bike.
This was the perfect escape, and when we go back, I’ll be thinking more clearly, more able to look at the situation right. Maybe even able to forgive Lindon. Man, he’d have to grovel though. And that seems unlikely. I mentally face palm and hold Lock a little tighter.
“You ready to go back?” he asks.
I shake my head against the back of his neck. “No.”
“Good,” he says. “There’s something I want to show you.”
I nod and rest with my eyes closed against his back as we drive. I could almost fall asleep here, lulled by the roar of the bike and the feel of the road.
When he finally stops, we’re at a small clearing that’s off the side of the road. I look out over the valley so far below us, the twisting roads leading up here like a maze. It’d take a miracle for anyone to find us.
Lock puts up the kickstand and lifts me off the bike. He reaches into the pack on the back of his bike and pulls out a lantern, which he switches on, and a blanket, which he throws over his arm.
There are a few trees near the edge of a ridge below us, obscuring the mansion from view. I guess that also means people below can’t see us.
For the first time, a little thrill of uneasiness goes through me. I eye Lock as he puts out the blanket and sets up the lantern. Do I really know how well I can trust this person?
Men are wolves, right?
He sits on the blanket and looks over at me. “You coming? I’m not going to eat you. You can trust me, Misty.”
I nod. If he bothers me, I’ll fight him off. “Yeah, I know.” I walk over and sit next to him. It’s a little cold and I can feel the dampness of the grass through the blanket. But it smells amazing up here, like fresh mountain air and just that hint of burnt vanilla that is Lock’s scent.
He runs a hand through his soft hair and I watch him curiously.
“What?” he asks.
“Can I touch it?” I motion to his hair.
He laughs, a deep, full-bodied sound. “Sure.” He leans forward so I can reach him.
I put my hands in his hair. It’s as soft as I thought it would be, and I wish I could see its gorgeous dark red color better right now. I take my hand out though. I don’t feel the same things touching him as I feel with Lindon.
In fact, the thought of anyone else touching me kind of grosses me out.
Just my luck. I go 28 years alone and then get totally set on someone I can’t have.
“Misty,” Lock says quietly, leaning back on his hands. “How would you feel about mating me? I come from a good pack, nowhere near as elite as yours or Lindon’s, but I’d take good care of you.” He gives me a wink. “And we’d always have fun. I guarantee that.”
“Hm, so the player is willing to settle down?” I joke.
Something flashes in his eyes for a moment that looks a little like irritation, but the next moment it’s gone and that easy smile is back. Except that easy smile looks a little strained. “I don’t know about that so much. More like, I need to.” He drops the smile and looks at me seriously. “I don’t want to force you, Misty.”
My skin crawls as I slowly turn to face him. “Force me to do what?”
He moves a little closer, and I move a little away, and he wraps an arm around my waist and draws me in against him. “Misty, you know someone’s trying to hurt you, right?”
I nod.
“Well, the only way to stop them is to get mated. If you’re mated, killing you would do nothing, because they wouldn’t get what they’re looking for.”
“My parent’s money?” I say.
“Yeah, something like that,” he says. “Anyway, I know who they are, and they’ll stop at nothing until you’re out of the way. But if we were mated…”
I frown and look over at him, trying to hide the horror breaking over me. Let him think I trust what he’s saying. Let him think I’m going along with whatever it is.
“I was waiting to see if Lindon would do it, and then I could talk to him afterward, but that’s looking unlikely. Asshole can’t pull his head out of his butt long enough to see that the best thing that could happen to him is standing right in front of him.”
“And you?” I ask quietly. “Would it be the best thing for you?”
He rubs the back of his head nervously. “I don’t know. I’m in trouble, Misty. I got in with some bad people. I’m not going to do what they want me to do, but I also can’t just send you back to Lindon, knowing he’s not going to do what’s needed to protect you.”
“Hm…” I say, pretending to consider it. “So, you’d just be doing it for me?”
He nods. “Yeah. Well, it’d help me, too. Once we were mated, I’d have the money to pay off the people hunting me.”
“Oh.” I guess some of the anger shows in my face because he puts up both hands and quickly starts explaining.
“You have to understand, they’re threatening Thor. I’d do anything for him. Anything. I told you that. I’m his big brother, I’d do anything to protect him.”
“He’s an adult now,” I point out, buying time to think.
“He’ll always be my little
brother,” Lock says, voice increasingly strained. “Besides, Misty, this will be good for you too. I’m a player, I can’t promise to always be faithful. But I’ll look the other way if you want to swing too.”
Disgust roils through me but I nod and hide it, listening to whatever he wants to say.
“I’d be a good provider, well, protector. And we’d have fun. We get along great.” He flashes his canines in a wide grin. “The sex would be great.”
That’s the only thing he’s said so far that I trust. My heart is struggling with all of this news. My brain is trying to stay calm so it can figure a way out of this. I’m not one of those heroines who just waits to be saved.
“It would,” I say. “But what if I’m not ready to be claimed? What if I don’t want to be claimed by you?”
His eyes darken and his mouth tightens. “Then you’d leave me no choice.”
I put up my hands. “Fine, fine. Let’s get this over with. You say I’ll be out of danger when we’re done, and you’ll be out of danger too? And Thor?”
He nods. “I should be.”
“Okay, then,” I say, lying back on the blanket and waiting, mind ticking like a well-oiled machine. “I guess if I have no choice.”
“I’d like it to be your choice, Misty,” Lock says, unbuttoning his shirt and undoing his belt. “After all, this will be good for you, too. It’ll keep you safe from the people trying to hurt you and it’ll also give you someone to love so you don’t have to humiliate yourself chasing after Lindon anymore.”
I blink back tears at that thought. I guess I did want to be over Lindon, but if I don’t get myself out of this situation, I really will be free of him forever.
“So you won’t be faithful?” I ask.
He looks over my body. “Do you want me to be?”
I snort. “Of course.” I motion to his bare chest. “How could I not?”
His eyes flash with pride. “I could do my best. I do care about you, Misty. More than I thought I could. I don’t want anything to happen to you. At the same time, I’m in a bind.”
I take a deep breath. “I understand.”
He runs his hands over my shoulders and I suppress a shiver. “I’m glad Lindon was too stupid to know a good thing when he saw it. I would have had to go crawling to him for money, and that would have sucked. Not to mention, you really are a prize, Misty.”
“Thanks,” I say flatly.
His eyes flash to mine, and I swallow, wondering if he suspects at all what’s going on in my mind.
“Well, be easy with me,” I say. “It’s my first time.”
“Even in the human world?” he asks, looking astonished.
“Even then,” I say. “This may be hard to believe, but I’m just not as desirable there.”
“Or maybe you didn’t put yourself out there enough.”
I shrug. “Does it matter? I’m getting what I want now, I guess.”
“Right,” he says.
I lift my arms toward him. “Come here. Hold me first.”
He does, leaning over me with his belt undone and the top button of his jeans open. I hold him around the neck like I did with Lindon.
Then I close my eyes, focus, breathe out, and bring my knee up between his legs as fast as I can in a hard, snapping motion.
He lets out an unearthly howl and rolls off of me, holding himself, and I grab the lantern and run. I push through trees and hear him swear. I drop the lantern over the edge of the ledge and run through the dark. I try to turn into my wolf, but I’m too tired.
I stop at the edge of the ledge and look down. It’s steep but I think I could run down it in wolf form. I focus, trying to block out the sounds of Lock trying to regain his footing, trying to stay calm. I think of feeding Lindon strawberries, and can feel my body changing.
I grab my clothes in my teeth in case I need them, and head down the ledge. My paws slip in the loose, damp soil, and I run to keep from tripping and rolling. I hit a loose rock and lose my footing and roll a couple of times anyway, and only stop when I hit up against a large rock.
I moan a little and can feel my body weakening. Can feel the change happening. When I’m back in my trembling human form, I pull on the pants and shirt I brought with me and stuff my bras halfway in my pocket. No time to strap them on now.
Wishing I had a way to hide my scent, I hide behind the boulder and try to listen. I don’t hear Lock, but that doesn’t mean he’s not just good at being quiet. I just need to get to Lindon and tell him what Lock told me, tell him what almost happened.
Even if he’s cold, even if he really doesn’t care at all, just based on his promise with his dad he’ll have to help me.
I see figures outside the mansion, people out looking. Lights far below. I just need to run out there. But there are multiple levels and roads between me and them. I step out from behind the boulder and run across the road in front of me and slide on my butt down another ledge. The rocks and sticks scrape me as I go, but I’m exhilarated by the fact that I’m making it.
I’m escaping.
As I come out of the trees to cross the road to the third ledge, I hear the roar of a car. A sports car pulls up and a tall figure jumps out. I freeze, watching him come closer.
I’m trying to think of what to say when I hear a gun slowly cock. “No quick moves, Misty,” Jack says in a low voice. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
My heart falls again. “Damnit, how many people out to get me are there?”
A rustling sound comes from the brush behind me and Lock stumbles out, looking dazed and in pain. He winces when he sees Jack. He curses and looks like he wishes he could crawl back into the bushes.
“Ah, Lock. What the hell were you doing? You were supposed to bring her straight to me.”
Man, my taste in men is terrible.
Chapter 5
“Jack?” I ask, confusion roiling through me. “Why?”
He shrugs and keeps the gun trained on me. “I’m not going to be one of those villains that monologues.”
“So, if you want to kill me, why don’t you just do it now?” I stand boldly, head trying rapidly to figure out another plan to escape.
“No,” he says. “I was, but after realizing just how powerful your scent is, I think we should wait and do some research on the applications for it. We’ll just pretend we killed you, so lover boy doesn’t come after you.”
“Lover boy?” I ask.
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid. Unlike some of the other men, I know you had your heart set on him. Kind of awful of you, wasn’t it? It just made me feel less guilty about deceiving you.”
“I wasn’t trying to deceive anyone,” I mutter.
“I believe you,” Lock says, raising a hand.
I shoot him a glare. “Shut up, you. You’re already in trouble.”
He just gives me that easy shrug and abashed grin, and I wonder if there’s anything in the world that can truly get under this guy’s skin. Other than threatening his brother, of course.
“What do you think is going to happen to Thor if you go through with this?” I ask. “Rowan’s family will go after you mercilessly, and anyone involved. What do you think will happen to him then?”
His face tightens guiltily, so I press on.
“And weren’t you the one putting him in danger in the first place by getting yourself in debt?”
“Shut up,” Lock says darkly. “You don’t know anything about me. So just shut up.”
“Don’t I?” I ask. “You act like you’re so altruistic. Yeah, you have to rape me for my own good.”
“It wouldn’t have been rape,” he grumbles.
“Well, your reasons for having sex weren’t good enough for me, in case your groin doesn’t remember.”
He glares at me and subtly moves closer to Jack. I’ve got to work fast.
“What do you think Thor would think?” I continue. “He likes me, has genuinely tried to win me.”
“Poor, stupid Thor,
” Jack says, grinning. Lock takes another minute step toward him.
“Don’t talk about my brother that way, asshole,” Lock says.
“I’ll talk about him however I want. You almost let the chick get away, and then who would have forgiven your debt?”
“I was right behind her. I would have caught her. No problem.”
“Except there is kind of a problem. According to her, you were just now trying to claim her. Trying to get the money on your own without handing over the prize?” Jack asks. His sparkling, sharp green eyes are cruel as they eye Lock. His smile is more of a sneer. I don’t know how I ever thought him handsome.
I lock eyes with Lock, trying to communicate silently that he shouldn’t do this. That if he just gets me out of it, I can help him with his problem. I don’t dare say it out loud. If he’s going to help me, I need Jack not to know about it. Hopefully I’ve tweaked his guilt meter at least a little by now.
Lock takes another step closer. Whether it’s to gang up with Jack against me or to get ready to start a counter attack, I’m not sure. I stay light on my feet, leaning slightly forward onto my toes so I can run at any moment. It’s full dark now, and I can hear shouts from the valley below, and a wolf howling in the distance.
“We don’t have much time,” Lock says. “You better take her now.”
“Right,” Jack says. “You coming with?”
“No,” Lock replies. “I’ll stay back to try and delay them so you can get away. Rowan’s boys have some damn fast cars.”
“That they do,” Jack says, putting a hand out for me. “But so do I.” He jerks his head toward the waiting sports car. “The mob pays just as well as being born a rich snot, I’m sure.”
Lock scoffs at that, but I notice him looking down at the gun in Jack’s hand with a disguised, casual interest. Jack takes a few steps forward when I don’t come toward him.
“Don’t make me shoot you, Misty,” he says. “If I hit you in a vital area with this, it will kill you, shifter or not.”
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