“She’s not going anywhere with you. You think she’s just going to let you carry her off?” Gage wasn’t laughing.
“What choice does she have?” Hunter’s hands tightened around me. “Do either of you have any choices?”
His words sunk in. We had no choices. No control. Still, I had to try. “Please, can I sleep alone?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But I promise to respect your decisions on anything else.”
Gage laughed dryly again. “Yes, the gentleman werewolf.”
Chet punched him.
“Ugh,” Gage grunted.
Chet stood over him. “We said not to call us that.”
I shrugged Hunter’s hands off me and walked over to where Gage sat on the floor. At least he’d sat up. “Considering what we have been through, I think you can cut him a break.”
Hunter put a hand on my shoulder. “Come to bed, Mary Anne. Chet and Falcon will take care of him.”
“Take care of him? You mean hurt him? No. I'm not just going to walk upstairs with you.” I’d done that before, and it hadn’t gotten me far.
“What do you suggest? I give him the guestroom?” Hunter stood, pulling me to standing with him.
“Why not?”
“I can’t trust him.”
“In other words you don’t want him near me.”
Before Hunter could answer, Marni jumped in. “I can watch him. I don't mind.”
Her quick offer bothered me. She claimed to be with Chet, but was she into Gage? I didn’t like the idea of her spending the night in the same room with him.
Chet growled. “I will too.” Evidently he didn’t like the thought either.
“It's not much of a guestroom if he's sharing it with two people…I mean Were’s or wolves.” Then a thought occurred to me. “Are you a wolf, Marni?”
She grinned. “Yes. Did you doubt it?”
“I didn’t know. You’re the only girl here.”
“Not the only one anymore.” She grinned even bigger. “Finally a break from all the testosterone.”
“We’re not staying.” Gage and I said at the same time.
Hunter returned to the earlier line of conversation, ignoring our declaration. “He's not staying in the guestroom; he stays with Chet.”
“Then I'm not sleeping with you.” I crossed my arms. Maybe pretending I had power would actually give me some. I knew it wasn’t likely, but Hunter kept saying he wanted to give me what I wanted.
“Yes, you are.”
“No.”
“I’ve already explained to you that he’s expendable.” Hunter leaned in close. “Completely expendable if he gets in my way.”
I shivered. “Then let him go. He won't tell.” I didn't want Gage to leave, but he'd be safe and then Hunter wouldn’t hold Gage over my head. Gage would tell. I had to believe he would. His feelings for me aside, he wouldn’t leave me to rot in this crazy house.
Hunter laughed. “Like that's happening. We are going back to bed.” Despite my protests, he picked me up again and slung me over his shoulders. Seriously?
“Put her the fuck down!” Gage's cry rallied me to punch and kick Hunter’s back with all my might.
“I'd tell your friend to follow orders. Sometimes my men don't know their own strength.” Hunter’s voice had an edge to it that wasn’t there a moment before. He was losing his patience. Mine had been lost hours before.
“Stop this! Stop this! I still don't know what the hell is going on, but I don't like it.”
“What don't you get?” Hunter asked without putting me down.
“Please, put me down.” I couldn’t concentrate with the blood rushing to my head. I was already dizzy, and he was making it much worse.
Surprisingly he listened.
Back on my feet, I tried to stall him. Anything to put off leaving Gage. “So we're alive? This isn't a dream?”
“It's real, but if it was a dream I'd be saying the same thing, wouldn't I?” Was Hunter trying to mess with me?”
“Yes…”
“Next question.”
“And you are really wolves?” I glanced around Hunter at Gage. I wanted him. I needed him.
Chet sighed. “I am not shifting again to prove it.”
“Please don't.” Gage was probably hoping to avoid seeing him naked again.
“And we are not allowed to leave?”
“I thought you were a smart girl.” Falcon sneered. I’d noticed him checking me out earlier. I preferred the sneer to the ogling.
“I am… sort of, but that has nothing to do with believing the impossible.” It was the rational part of me that struggled to accept it. There had to be another explanation.
I yawned. Exhaustion and alcohol had caught up with me. I was ready to fall over.
Hunter steadied me before I could actually fall. “We are not going to settle anything tonight and you need rest. You sleep in my bed. Gage can take the guestroom. Everyone else will sleep in shifts.”
“Where will you sleep?” I asked with hesitation. I couldn’t handle getting into bed with him again. Even if I believed he’d stay on his side, I still wasn’t keen on lying down underneath the same sheets with a guy who wasn’t human. Honestly, human or not, I didn’t want to lie down with anyone but Gage.
He watched me like he was trying to figure out what I was thinking. There was no way he could read minds. If he had been able to he would have predicted our attempted escape. He must have just been really perceptive and good at reading facial expressions. “I will sleep on the floor like I offered last night. Based on what you did earlier it's safer for all of us that way.”
I nodded. What other choice did I have? As he’d emphasized earlier, there was nothing we could do. We were completely at his mercy, and that terrified me. But that didn’t mean I was giving up. “Do you promise Gage will be safe?” I knew his word might not mean anything, but I had to try.
“You have my word that he will not be harmed tonight.” Hunter gazed into my eyes. “My word is law. It will not be broken.”
I looked at Gage. “At least you will be nearby.” I watched for his reaction. I needed him to go along with things until we could figure out an escape. It looked like we were back to where we started the night. The difference was we now knew we were dealing with wolves.
Chapter Fifteen
Gage
I tossed and turned the rest of the night. As promised, Hunter gave me the guest room, but knowing that Mary Anne was in his bed across the hall made it impossible to sleep. The fact that there was a wolf-man standing at the door watching me made it difficult too. I’d never felt weaker or more helpless in my whole life. After the second time Chet changed I stopped trying to delude myself into thinking I was dreaming—or dead. Either of those possibilities would have made things simpler, and nothing was ever simple.
“If you’re not going to sleep, why are we even wasting our time?” Falcon asked from his spot in the doorway. I glanced at my watch. It was just after four in the morning.
“I don’t know? Why are you wasting your time messing with us?”
“We’re not wasting our time.” It wasn’t Falcon who answered. Hunter strode into my room. I was surprised he’d left his watch of Mary Anne. “We’re not wasting our time at all.”
“Is that so?” I was so exhausted it was hard to speak coherently. Too bad sleep wasn’t an option.
“Let’s go for a ride.”
“A ride? Suddenly you can get the truck out?” I had no doubt that Hunter had been messing with us the whole time, but I was surprised he was admitting it so soon.
He shook his head. “We’ll take the snowmobile.”
The snowmobile. Right. Because that’s how werewolves would travel across their property. Somehow I knew this wasn’t going to be a social ride, nor could I say no. “Are we waking up Mary Anne?”
“No. She needs her sleep.” He glanced into the hall as if he could see her. The guy was obsessed.
“How do I know she�
�ll be safe?” I glanced in the same direction as him. “Why should I go anywhere with you?”
“Because you’re not stupid, and you want to stay near her. If you want that then you’re going to listen. I’m not going to kill you. That would just upset her, and I don’t want to upset Mary Anne. “
“Because you’re so afraid of upsetting her?” I arched an eyebrow. “What, are you trying to woo her?”
“My plans are none of your business. “
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” He’d just told me as much, but I was stalling. Leaving the house, and Mary Anne, wasn’t high on my to-do list.
“No. No, you don’t.”
I stood up. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He walked back into the hallway. I pulled on my boots and followed him out. I hesitated in front of Hunter’s door.
“Keep moving.” Falcon followed behind me. I was tired of being watched.
“I’m coming.” I dragged myself away from her door. I would only cause more problems if I delayed the inevitable.
The night was cold and silent. Our boots crunched loudly in the snow. Hunter easily opened a large barn and walked into the dark space. I followed, wondering how much crazier things could possibly get.
“Get on.” Hunter barked as he took a seat on the snowmobile. I sat down behind him, my stomach twisting at the thought of leaving Mary Anne alone in that house. At least Hunter wasn’t there. He seemed to be in charge, and I hoped that meant that the other wolves wouldn’t touch her in his absence. I had to believe that.
Hunter started the engine and pulled out into the forest. I wondered if the noise was loud enough to wake up Mary Anne. I hoped not. I didn’t want her to know I was gone. I didn’t want her to doubt I’d leave her behind. I’d seen the hesitation in her eyes earlier that night. I never wanted to see that again. I wasn’t ditching her. We were in this mess together.
The wind stung as we flew across the white terrain. I hadn’t been on a snowmobile in years, and this occasion felt nothing like the joyrides I’d done in my youth. “Where the hell are we going?” I called over the noise of the engine.
“I want to make sure we're seeing eye to eye on everything now.”
“Eye to eye? Yeah, because that's happening.” I didn't bother yelling, I didn't particularly want him to hear.
“Yes, I don't think you quite understand the gravity of the situation you're in.” His eyes remained fixed in front of him.
He'd heard me? What kind of hearing did he have?
He shut off the engine and got out. “Recognize anything yet?”
I got out and followed his gaze. He was looking at the charred remains of some sort of truck. “Wait. Is that my truck?” Bile started moving up my throat. My Bessy.
“Yes. It's a shame that no one survived the accident.”
“What the fuck?” I shoved into Hunter’s chest. “You destroyed my truck? You want people to think we're dead?”
He appeared unmoved by the shove. “Why not? They're never going to see you again anyway.” His voice was flat. Emotionless. I felt anything but. Burning my truck was a statement. He wanted me to know we had no hope.
“You are seriously fucked up.”
“Fucked up?” He pulled me toward him by my jacket. I moved to shrug him off, but I found I couldn’t. This guy was strong. “You haven't seen fucked up. Keep disobeying me, or getting in my way with Mary Anne, and you'll see fucked up.”
I pushed my luck. “What’s your end game? You think you're going to turn her into your little slave or something? Preying on an innocent girl?”
“I'll treat her better than you've been treating her. You’re using her.” He glared. “Don’t bother denying it. I can read it plain as day. You figured she’d come in handy to tide you over until your next distraction. But she’s more than that. She’s special.”
“I’m not using her.” Just hearing him speak those words made me angry. Maybe I’d gone about things wrong, but I was going to fix everything once we got home. “But why do you care? Why do you want her so much? Is it just because of what she looks like? You don’t even know her.”
“I know her just as well as you.”
I laughed dryly. “I've known her for almost my whole life.” The wind picked up, blowing a coat of snow over the remains of Bessy. I was going to miss that truck. I couldn't even begin to conceive of how to explain things to Mary Anne. Our families weren’t going to look for us. They were going to think we were dead. That brought up the question of bodies. Would they find any? I couldn’t even go down that line of thinking yet. The number one priority was protecting Mary Anne and getting her the hell away from these wolves.
“She’s special, and she will be mine. Not my slave, my mate. My equal in all things that matter.”
“Your equal? You're a leader of a pack of wolves. No human is going to be your equal.”
“You need to stop drawing conclusions without evidence. You know nothing about us.”
“And you know nothing about us.” I emphasized the word, letting him know that Mary Anne and I were a package deal.
“I know plenty.” There was something about the look in his eyes that made me wonder what he was really saying.
“How’d you know this was my truck?”
“How many trucks are out here right now?”
“But it's miles from your house. Did you just search for it?” My suspicion grew. Did he have anything to do with the accident? I remembered the dark blur that made me hit the brakes and sent us careening off the road.
“I do my research.” He released my jacket. “If I were you I’d stop asking questions and get on.”
I jumped onto my seat just as he pulled away. In another lifetime I would have run to the road and saved myself. But this wasn't another lifetime, and Mary Anne needed me. Running away wasn't, and would never be, an option unless she was with me.
The ride back seemed faster. I kept thinking about the burnt out truck and the reality that no one would come searching. If we wanted to be rescued, we were going to have to do it ourselves. As much as I wanted to do it immediately, we needed to play along. Our only chance was making the wolves believe we’d given up. Aggressors tend to ignore those who roll over and play dead. The thought of doing that went against every fiber of my being, and I knew I couldn’t take it to an extreme, but I didn’t have any other ideas. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Hunter parked the snowmobile in the barn, and I silently followed him back to the house. I did everything possible to keep my face unreadable in case Mary Anne was downstairs. She’d be searching for answers, and I didn’t have any to give yet.
She was up and waiting a few feet from the front door. Mary Anne’s face flashed with relief when we walked into the house. Her eyes locked on mine, sending me a silent message that would probably have been “thank god,” had it been in words.
I tried to tell her “Of course” with mine, but for all I knew it came across as “I want you.”
Her long red hair was wet, bringing thoughts of what the rest of her looked like fresh from the shower. How was I thinking about that? Maybe because it was a far better alternative to thinking about what Hunter had just shown me. And because it was something I couldn’t have. I couldn’t have it because of a stupid wolf in the woods that may have caused our accident.
“Where were you?” She asked both Hunter and me, but I knew she hadn't really cared where he was. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible. I had no doubt about that.
“I was just showing Gage a few things.” Hunter’s voice dropped back into his softer octave. The way he talked to her versus me was like night and day.
“Things you couldn't show me?” Her voice was laced with a mix of suspicion and insult. Only Mary Anne would have been insulted at a time like that. She was probably calling him sexist inside her head.
“Things you don't need to worry about.” He strode over to where she sat on the couch, but he didn't
sit down. He just towered over her. “There are other things I'll need to show you.”
My stomach churned at the innuendo I was positive were in his words. It also strengthened my determination to keep him from spending time alone with her. There was no way he was getting an opportunity to demonstrate anything of that sort.
“Gage.” Hunter turned to me. “Chet will take you back to his house so you can shower. You will start working this afternoon.”
“Working?” Somehow that topic hadn’t come up on our snowmobile expedition.
“Yes, working. Everyone has to pull their own weight here.”
“Will I be working too?” Mary Anne crossed her legs and sat up.
“Yes.” Hunter smiled at her. “I'm sure we can find plenty of jobs for you.”
I shook my head vehemently. “I can do all the work for both of us.” Whatever jobs he had in mind for her, she didn’t need to do them.
“You will be doing different jobs.” Hunter smiled, and I wanted to punch him. I knew he was just messing with me, trying to make me angry, and it worked. Only I couldn’t let him know just how far under my skin he was getting.
“Let's go.” Chet held open the front door.
I thought about arguing, but Hunter's glare kept my mouth shut. What would happen to Mary Anne if I was gone? I also knew that “gone” likely equaled dead. Everyone was already going to think I was.
“All right. I'll be back as soon as possible.” I hoped Mary Anne understood what I was doing. Playing along didn’t mean I was giving up on getting us out. I needed her to play along too, but she couldn’t give up. Giving up for her would mean turning herself over to Hunter’s will. I’d die before I let that happen. That animal wasn’t laying a hand on her.
Hunter dismissed Chet and Falcon. “I'll meet you out there once Marni gets here.”
I felt relief wash over me. Hunter wouldn't be alone in the house with her. I didn’t like any of the wolves, but Marni seemed like the most harmless. I also realized my radar could have been completely wrong. Maybe she was just as bad. Still, I preferred her to the others. At least Marni didn’t seem interested in getting in her pants.
Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 1) Page 11