I tried again carefully, and he stirred. “I told you not to leave. I begged you not to,” he said in barely a whisper.
I held my breath.
“You should have stayed.” His voice sounded weaker this time. Was he sleeping?
“Stay,” he murmured against my hair.
He was definitely sleeping. Was he talking about me? Did his fear of my safety really transcend into his dreams?
I couldn’t think about it long. I pushed up against his arm for the third time, and this time I was able to slide out from under it. He mumbled again before rolling over. Phew.
I waited a few moments to make sure he was really sleeping before slipping out of bed. As silently as possible I pulled on my sweater and pants—I had my jeans back. I’d left both my coat and boots downstairs.
Halfway down the stairs I collided with a body. My chest clenched.
“It’s just me.”
I relaxed once I heard Gage’s voice. “Thank goodness.”
We hurried down the stairs. Gage handed me my coat. I zipped it up before pulling on my boots. “Are we ready?”
“Yes. Let’s do this.”
The ground was still covered by at least a foot of snow, and Hunter was right about the layer of ice. At least it was easier to walk over since my boots didn’t sink in as much.
The first tentative steps onto the frozen ground were slow, but then we picked up the pace, determined to get off Hunter’s property before he realized I was missing. The wind picked up the farther into the open we moved, and the effect had snow blowing all around us.
We were getting close to the road. We had to be. Reaching the road would only be the beginning of a full day journey, but it was easier to delude myself into thinking it was the goal.
Gage’s hand remained wrapped around mine. Even through our gloves, the contact provided comfort. Despite the doubts Hunter tried to put in my head, I knew there was more between us than sex. Gage’s feelings for me were more than that, and so were mine. It was crazy how much had changed between us in just a few days. I guess extreme circumstances can do that to people.
A single howl made me stop short. “The wolves!”
“Let’s hope they are farther away than they sound.” Gage tightened his hold on my hand and pulled me forward.
Three more howls filled the night. “They sound closer.”
We picked up the pace, and I chanced a glance behind me. That was a mistake. Several large grey wolves came into view. “Run!”
Gage didn’t need to be told twice. He broke into a run without letting go of my hand.
I ran as fast as possible over the frozen snow, but we didn’t get far before the wolves started circling around us. “Oh my god.” Could things get any worse?
“You have to make a run for it.” Gage’s voice quivered. “They’re going to kill us.”
“I’m not leaving you.” I tried to stay strong, and I kept my eyes locked on the wolves. There were five of them. All of them were massive, much larger than any wolf I’d seen before, but one of them was even bigger and had a large silver streak running down its back. That wolf seemed to be staring right at me.
“I’ll distract them. You run. I’ll catch up.”
I spotted an opening next to one of the smaller of the wolves and went for it. I didn’t make it far before one of the wolves stepped in front of me. I froze, paralyzed with fear before my legs were knocked out from under me. Suddenly, I was lying in the snow with a giant wolf hovering over me.
“We’re fucked.” Gage voiced exactly what I was thinking.
The silver streaked wolf stared down at me. It’s almost glowing eyes bored into mine. Was I really going to die as half-frozen food for a giant wild animal?
Then things got hazy and the air seemed to buzz. Moments later it wasn’t a wolf on top of me—it was a man. A completely naked man with a faint scar across his face.
“What the heck?” I tried to scurry back, but Hunter didn’t move. His very exposed parts nearly touched me. I didn’t want to notice his size, but I did. He was huge. He also didn’t look remotely concerned with the cold.
His lips brushed against my ear. “Were you going somewhere?” His voice came out scratchy, and his eyes didn’t leave my face.
“Yeah. We’re getting the hell out of this place.” Gage sounded confident. I was impressed. I could barely breathe. Then again maybe he didn’t have a giant naked man nearly on top of him.
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to her.”
I tried to turn to look at Gage, but Hunter captured my chin and made me look back up at him.
“To me?” My voice didn’t sound like my own. It was shaky and low.
“Yes. I thought we had a deal, Mary Anne?”
I tried to stay calm. Maybe I’d imagined the wolf part. But then why was he buck naked? “We were just going for a walk. I was having trouble sleeping.” I had to try.
“I’m sure that’s what you were doing.” Hunter shook his head. “If I were you I wouldn’t try this again. I don’t take well to losing something of mine.” In one swift motion he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.
I fought against him. “Put me down!”
“Put her the fuck down, asshole!” Now back on his feet, Gage yelled.
I looked in time to watch him fall flat onto the snow. Someone must have punched him. As I glanced around I realized that Hunter wasn’t the only one naked.
“What do you want with us?” I pounded against Hunter’s bare back.
“It’s you I want, but now Gage has seen too much. I’m guessing you’d rather we kept him around?”
“Don’t hurt him.” The tears started as Hunter carried me back to the house. “Please bring him inside. I promise I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Be careful the kind of promises you make.” Hunter’s voice was hoarse. “You’re lucky I don’t plan to hold you to it.”
“You said it’s me you want. What do you want with me?” My gut told me it was more than the obvious—sex. He could have had that already.
He patted my ass. “You’re about to find out.”
Chapter Thirteen
Gage
We were dead. When the car careened off the road we had died. There was no other explanation for the naked wolf-men. I remained sprawled in the snow where they left me. Based on the sex with Mary Anne, I’d have thought we were in heaven, but considering the wolves we had to be in Hell. Maybe the car sex was more like a test. A purgatory of some sort. Something irresistible had been dangled in front of me, something I wasn’t supposed to have, and I hadn’t resisted. I hadn’t resisted at all.
“Are you listening?” A female yelled.
“No.” If this was Hell she probably knew what I was thinking.
I was thanked for my honesty by a slap across my face. Marni. Of course she was the only one of them who hadn’t been standing buck naked in front of us. Just my luck. Not that I was looking forward to seeing anyone but Mary Anne naked, but I was already in Hell, might as well make the most of it.
“I’d suggest you listen.” She nodded toward where Hunter had Mary Anne slung over his back. I assumed the other wolves had returned to the house already because I didn’t see them anywhere. I got up with a start. Dead or not, I wasn’t leaving her with him.
I jogged back through the snow to the house. I kept expecting someone to grab for me, but no one did. I guess they were confident I wouldn’t get far. I was fast, but I couldn’t outrun a wolf. I also wouldn’t leave Mary Anne behind. That was probably what they were banking on.
Inside Hunter had put on a pair of pants and had Mary Anne pressed tightly against his chest. She looked anything but comfortable. At least he was standing near the fire. If she had to be near the monster, she might as well be warm.
I’d taken two steps toward her when my arms were grabbed from behind. I guess the trust exercise was over. “What the hell are you people?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Chet smirked.
He was enjoying the situation entirely too much.
“Werewolves?” Mary Anne’s voice wavered. “You’re werewolves?”
“We don’t use that name.” Hunter adjusted his hand around her waist. I wanted to smack his arms away. This monster was touching her.
Mary Anne shifted uncomfortably. “But I wasn’t imagining things. You were wolves.”
“Yes,” Hunter whispered in her ear, but his voice remained loud enough for me to hear. “What do you think about that?”
She sighed. “I think I’ve lost my mind.”
“I think we’re dead, but I can’t imagine how Mary Anne ended up in Hell. She’s too sweet for that.” I watched her wistfully.
“You’re not dead,” Hunter snapped. “I assure you, you are completely alive.”
“But you’re wolf-men.” Mary Anne’s face was completely drained of color. She was going into shock.
Hunter tightened his hold. “You can call us Weres for now.”
“For now?” she asked shakily.
“I’m not going into more details until I know I can trust you.”
I laughed dryly. “If we’re not dead, and you’re actually Weres,” I accentuated the word to show I was trying to play along. “What do you want with us?”
“Mary Anne already asked that question.”
“And your answer?” she asked, her voice slightly stronger.
“We’re keeping you safe.”
This time it was Mary Anne who laughed. “Keeping me safe? I’ve been kidnapped by a bunch of wolves, and you’re telling me it’s for my safety?”
“You have no idea what’s out there.”
“What’s out there?” I chortled. “You’re going to pretend there is something worse than you guys?”
“If we wanted to hurt you, we would have.” Hunter’s eyes set on mine.
“No, you just want to keep us against our will and keep my girlfriend in your bed.” I felt my anger about to blow. “I wouldn’t exactly call that friendly.”
“This is friendly. You don’t want to see what we get like when we’re not friendly.” Falcon scowled.
“Please, just let us leave.” Mary Anne started shaking. I needed to get to her. I struggled against Semi.
“It’s okay.” Hunter turned her in his arms. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Cut the crap.” I wasn’t just going to stand there and listen to him talk to her like he was a freaking hero. “She knows exactly what you are. She doesn’t want a wolf.”
“And she wants you then?” He watched me over her head.
“Yes.” Mary Anne answered.
He ignored her. “You think she wants a man who’s using her?”
“Oh, and you’re going to treat her like a fucking princess then? You want to live out a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ fantasy? Is that it? Well, she might be a beauty, but she’s not yours.”
“None of this is real.” Mary Anne spoke softly. “There are no men who can turn into wolves. Maybe you’re right, Gage. We’re dead. Or maybe I’m in a coma, or I’m doped up on pain meds. The accident was worse than we thought.”
“I still refuse to believe you’d be in Hell, but we could have imagined the wolf thing.”
“Imagined it?” Hunter turned to Mary Anne. “Chet, show them.”
Chet took off his pants.
“Oh no. Please, I’ve seen enough.” I looked away from his junk, but I didn’t need to worry for long. A second later the air buzzed, and he’d transformed into a giant grey wolf.
Mary Anne whimpered.
Hunter moved one hand to her shoulder. “You’ll need to get used to us in our animal form.”
“She needs a drink.” Marni stood up from where she sat on the arm of the couch. “Maybe we all do.”
“A drink?” I asked incredulously. “You want us to accept a drink from you?”
“You’ve been eating our food for a few days already.” Chet had transformed again. Thankfully he’d put his pants back on before talking.
“I need to lie down.” Mary Anne blinked a few times.
I fought against Semi. I needed to get to her.
“You can lie down.” Hunter took her in his arms and laid her down on the couch. “A drink might help your nerves though. Is there something in particular you like?”
Mary Anne shook her head. “I’m not twenty-one.”
The entire room laughed. I smiled. I couldn’t help it. At a time like this, Mary Anne was worried about being underage.
Annoyingly enough Hunter smiled too. “That’s all right. No IDs necessary.”
Mary Anne wasn’t laughing, or smiling. “I want Gage.”
Hunter looked like he’d been wounded. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?” I spat out. “You keep saying you want to protect her. Why not give her what she wants too?”
“Because what someone wants may not be what they need.” What, was he a philosopher now too?
“I need him.” Her voice pleaded.
“No.” Hunter shook his head. “It’s better that you two get used to being separated.”
“And tell me, Hunter. Why do we need to get used to that?”
“Because you’re not going to be together.”
“Is that a fact?” I challenged. “And let me guess, she’s going to be with you now? Because she needs you even if she doesn’t want you?”
“She wants me.”
“No, she doesn’t.” He scowled.
“She does. She just isn’t ready to admit it yet.”
“What if I’m not okay with that?” I fought against Semi again. “Are you going to throw me out?”
“Throw you out?” He sneered. “You know what we are. We can’t do that. We either keep you or kill you.”
“And how are you going to decide which to do?” I wasn’t going to act all submissive. That would just make things worse.
“It all depends on her.” He ran a hand through Mary Anne’s hair.
“I want him here. I need him here.” Mary Anne wrapped her arms around herself. I wished it were my arms around her.
“I’ll keep him around for you. Consider it a gift.”
“I just want to go home.” Tears streamed down her face, and I fought against my captor again even though I knew the effort was pointless.
“Let’s all have a drink and talk things out.” Marni headed to the kitchen. “Scotch ok for you guys?”
“Scotch? You guys drink scotch?” When I thought of scotch I thought of rich preppy people, not wolves.
“Is there something surprising about that?” She asked with a completely straight face. I couldn’t get a read on the girl. And was she a wolf too? Or was she another innocent victim who’d been brainwashed to stay with them? Then a scary thought hit me. That would be Mary Anne. Mary Anne would be the brainwashed one who did anything Hunter said.
I shuddered.
Marni patted my shoulder. “Yeah, you need a drink.”
I nodded, not sure what else to do. Dead or alive, in a coma or drugged up, our situation sucked. If there was any chance this was real I had to fight for Mary Anne. I owed it to her to get her home. Maybe this was another test. If I could save Mary Anne, I’d redeem myself. Either way, I’d do it. In the time we’d spent together I’d already realized something. I cared for her. I would protect her with my life if I had too, and I had a sinking feeling that might be exactly what was required.
Chapter Fourteen
Mary Anne
Drinking scotch with wolves. That sounded more like a movie or book title than an actual vignette from my life, but somehow I was sitting on a worn couch with a glass of brown liquid in my hand.
“You are not used to drinking straight liquor, are you?” Hunter sat down on the couch next to me. He left so little space that his thigh touched mine. I gulped down more scotch. I probably shouldn’t have been drinking, but I was too freaked out to care.
“Not exactly. I don't even usually dr
ink beer.” I'd moved on from a state of shock to mild acceptance. I was probably hallucinating or unconscious, so I decided to go along just enough to make things easier.
Hunter rested an arm behind me on the couch. “What do you prefer to drink? I can get anything you want.”
“Ok. Stop.” I tried to scoot away from him. “Assuming I'm awake and alive, and you guys are actually wolves, why would you be concerned with getting me what I like to drink?”
He leaned in close enough that I could feel his warm breath on my face. “Because I plan to fulfill your every desire.”
New possibility. Was I was about to have my first non-Gage sex dream?
“That won't be necessary. Her desires are well taken care of,” Gage cut in. So sex dream or not, Gage was still there.
“Oh, so you are an expert on Mary Anne then?” Hunter turned to him. “On what she likes?”
“Yes,” he answered confidently. Despite everything, Gage still had that.
Hunter’s stare didn’t waver. “What does she drink?”
“Uh, girly stuff.”
“Is that true, Mary Anne?” Hunter turned his body so I was effectively pinned against the arm of the couch.
“Sometimes.” Wine was my favorite, but I kept that part to myself.
“Tell the truth, Mary Anne.” How did Hunter know what I was really thinking?
“I like girly drinks, but I also like wine.”
“We've got some wine in the cellar.” Marni took a sip of her drink “Want me to get some?”
“No. That’s okay.” I definitely didn't need more alcohol in my system.
“Are you ready to go back to bed then?” Hunter set aside his empty glass on the coffee table. Wolves with a coffee table. For some reason that seemed funny. I started to laugh. I mean really laugh. I nearly fell off the couch. After all the craziness, I’d lost it completely.
“Are you okay?” Hunter placed his hands on my arm. “Are you ill?”
“No.” I tried to stop laughing long enough to talk. “I’m just. I’m just so. I don’t know.”
“You need sleep.” His hand moved around me as if to pick me up.
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