Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 1)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Home? Was she crazy? What the hell was wrong with all these people? How were there so many psychos living within hours of where I grew up? Of where Mary Anne grew up? It was freezing out, and she couldn't move. How long could she survive? Despite my feelings about him, I hoped Hunter came back and found her. He was probably her only hope.

  “What's wrong, honey?” The red head looked at me. “You're not thinking about her are you?”

  I said nothing, I couldn’t. She’d taken away my capacity to speak.

  “You're going to enjoy your new cage—I mean home.”

  The dark-haired girl giggled. I vaguely remembered her friend calling her Helen, but I preferred to leave her nameless. After all, she was the one who drove away from Mary Anne.

  Cage? They wanted to keep me in a cage? I didn't care. All I wanted to do was get back to Mary Anne. Once again I'd let her down.

  The driver turned off the road and the red head climbed over the center console to the back seat. She ran her nails down my back. “You really are a nice one. All muscle. I like muscle.”

  Without warning she ripped off my shirt. Now I’d had plenty of fantasies about attractive women ripping off my clothes, but none of them involved me being frozen in place, after said attractive woman left my girlfriend to die on the side of the road.

  She raked her eyes over me. “Nice.”

  The red head turned around. “Very nice. He'll be fun.” She laughed. “Lots of fun.” She sucked my earlobe into her mouth and ran her tongue over it. Ugh. I’d have done anything to push her away. “I'm Vanessa by the way. What’s your name?”

  “Oh yeah. You can’t talk.” Both girls laughed.

  “Let’s call him Sprinkles. He has these adorable freckles on his chest,” Vanessa traced her fingers over the handful of freckles.

  What the fuck? Sprinkles? What, was I a dog?

  “Oh yeah. That’s a great name. Landa is going to love him. She loves the tall, dark types.”

  “Are there any other types?” Vanessa laughed.

  “I like a nice blond once in a while.”

  “Can you believe we got a dark haired one with freckles? What a find.”

  If I hadn't just spent a week with a pack of wolves I would have thought I was dreaming. I went back to the Hell idea. A bunch of hot girls who are bitches and kill off the only girl I care about? That was Hell.

  We continued along the dirt road until the SUV came to a stop in front of a cottage. It was old and looked like it came from a fairy tale. What, was this Hansel and Gretel?

  “We're home, Sprinkles.” Vanessa opened the door and pulled me out. It seemed like my body moved when she wanted it to, like she’d taken over all control. “Landa? You home?” Vanessa called out.

  “Yes.” A striking blond walked out of a cabin. “OH MY GOSH, HE’S SO CUTE!”

  She came over and put her hands on either side of my cheeks. “What's his name?”

  “Sprinkles.”

  “Because of these freckles?” She ran a finger over my chest.

  “Yes!” the other girls shrieked.

  “Let me go get his collar.” Landa walked back inside. She came out holding a leather collar.

  “Let me put it on.” Vanessa put the black leather around my neck.

  “Here’s the leash.” She attached a chain to it. “Come on, Sprinkles. Time to see your new home.”

  “Tootsie, come show Sprinkles in.”

  Another guy with a similar collar came out and took my leash. “Of course, Madam. I will take him in.”

  Was this guy going along with them?

  He pulled me along around the side of the cottage to some sort of barn. He pushed open the barn door and towed me behind him. He paused in front of a cage. Yes, a cage. They weren’t kidding. Inside were two twin mattresses lying on straw. One of the mattresses was occupied by a guy staring at the ceiling. In addition to his collar, he was wearing a hemp necklace around his neck. Tootsie leaned in to whisper. “Do what they say, or you'll end up like Granola over there.”

  Granola? I assumed the guy could thank the hemp necklace for that name.

  Tootsie pushed me in. I hadn’t figured out where his pet name came from yet, but I probably didn’t want to know. “The freeze will wear off soon, but do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut.”

  Keep my mouth shut? Like that was going to happen.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Mary Anne

  My nose itched. That seems like such a small detail considering my situation, but it was reassurance that my entire body wasn't frost bitten. For the first hour I kept expecting them to reappear. Gage would find a way to move, and he'd be back. He’d never leave me behind. He’d find a way to return in time.

  Eventually that delusional hope disappeared and was replaced by despair. What a way to die. At least I'd had sex with Gage—multiple times no less. That was something.

  Just when I thought the itch on my nose couldn't get worse, I realized I could move my arm. Maybe whatever the witch had done was wearing off. At first I couldn't move my arm past my elbow, but eventually my finger made contact with my nose. A dull ache like you get after a tetanus shot had me resting my arm moments later. I had to work up some energy before I could move it again.

  I tried to move my legs, but it was a no go. Nothing else worked. I looked up and noticed at least ten crows lined up on the power lines above me. Great, they were already circling like I was dead. If the birds thought I was a goner, what kind of hope did I have?

  A low howl in the distance gave me a shot of hope. Was that Hunter? Would he find me? But what if it was Falcon? Either wolf would be angry, but Hunter would be less likely to hurt me. After a few moments of hesitation, my freezing body, a desire to live, and a determination to find Gage won out. I tried to scream. Nothing happened. Evidently my voice wasn't back.

  I heard another howl, this time closer. I tried to yell, but it was pointless.

  Another howl announced the wolf’s approach, and before I could process what was happening, there was a blur of fur and a large gray wolf with a silver streak was in front of me. Hunter. He’d found me. I felt a mix of relief and fear.

  I blinked my eyes—they were blinking again, and Hunter was standing in front of me in all his naked glory. “Mary Anne.” He pulled me into his arms. “Who did this to you?”

  I couldn't talk.

  “It was Vanessa.” He answered his own question. He ran his hands down my arms. “You're freezing. We need to get you inside.” He picked me up and held me against his chest as he ran through the woods. For the second time in a few days I was being carried by a naked Hunter. It was starting to feel like a pattern, but this time Gage wasn’t with me. After seeing what the witches could do, I knew one thing. He was in more danger than me. At least I knew what Hunter wanted.

  I tried to keep my eyes open as Hunter ran us over the snow, but eventually my lids closed. The only thing I was aware of was the beating of his heart and the chill of the wind.

  “Stay with me, Mary Anne. Stay with me.” His whispered words kept pulling me from the sleep I wanted to sink into.

  “Gage.” My voice returned, and I needed Hunter to know. He needed to help me save him.

  “No, it’s Hunter. It’s always going to be me.”

  I tried to lift my head to explain more, but I felt too weak. I stopped trying, and let Hunter carry me back. I couldn’t help Gage until I had my strength back.

  “Is she okay?” Marni’s voice pulled me out of my fog as I was met by a wave of warmth.

  “We need more warm blankets, everything you can find.”

  “On it.”

  I eventually opened my eyes to find myself in Hunter’s arms in front of the fire.

  “Sit down on the couch with her, we can cover you both better that way.” Marni was taking charge. Despite everything, I smiled to myself. I’d never heard Hunter listen to anyone else.

  “Good idea.” Hunter sat down, quickly reminding me of how naked he was.
At least he wasn’t aroused.

  He shifted me slightly, and I wrapped up in the blankets. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Hunter brushed my hair back from my face.

  “Thanks for saving me.” I knew he’d saved my life. Of course I’d have never have been in that situation if he hadn’t been helping the witches.

  “You know I’d do anything to keep you safe.” He held me tighter against me. “You need to stop running.”

  “We need to find Gage.”

  “Don't worry about that now. You're safe. You need to rest.” He kissed my forehead.

  “Rest?” I pushed off the blankets. “I can't. We need to save him.” I knew I was crazy to think Hunter would help, but it was Hunter's ex-girlfriend who took him.

  “You have to forget about him. He's gone.”

  “No.” I stood up, nearly falling over.

  Hunter steadied me. “Yes. Those witches aren’t giving him back.” He’d let the blankets fall when he stood up, and he was just standing there naked. I couldn’t even worry about it. All I cared about was getting Gage.

  “Yes. The witches. You never did tell me what they did to their slaves.”

  “It's not worth worrying about.” He reached out for me. “You need to forget him. He’s gone.”

  “Forget him? Are you crazy?” I stepped back.

  “Please calm down.”

  “How can I calm down?”

  He sighed. “You do realize none of this would have happened if you’d just stayed here. If you hadn’t tricked Falcon.”

  Falcon. I'd almost forgotten. I looked all around.

  “He's not here.” Hunter’s jaw clenched.

  “Where is he?” I didn’t like the guy, but I hoped Hunter hadn’t hurt him too bad.

  “I found some other jobs for him.”

  “It's not totally his fault…”

  “I imagine you must have been rather convincing.” He stepped toward me. “Maybe you'll exert that kind of effort for me sometime.”

  My relief at Falcon being gone didn't last long. I made the mistake of glancing down. So much for Hunter not being aroused. I scanned the room for Marni. We weren’t alone, were we? “We only ran away because you were keeping us captive. If you’d have let us leave when we wanted to and driven us into town they never would have found us.”

  “That wasn't an option.”

  “I need to go find him.”

  “Absolutely not.” His hands clenched into fists. For the first time I was actually scared of Hunter. Every single muscle was there on display for me, and I knew if he wanted to he could hurt me in the blink of an eye. “They’ll kill you.”

  I mustered every ounce of courage I had. “I have to try.”

  “They left you out to die once before. Do you really want to face that again?”

  “Gage is worth it.” I knew that unequivocally.

  A look of admiration crossed Hunter’s face. Was he surprised that I’d risk my life for Gage? The look quickly faded. “And what? You expect me to save him for you?”

  I put a hand on my hip. “No. I expect you to let me go.”

  “Why? So you can leave me for him? So you can sacrifice your life for a boy who shouldn’t mean anything to you?”

  “But he does mean something to me.” Everything.

  “I'm not letting you.”

  “Then you'll have to keep me here by force.”

  “Are you seriously threatening to run again? Even after what the witches did to you? After what I've told you?”

  I decided to throw caution to the wind. I was willing to agree to anything if it meant getting Gage back. Hunter was acting like it was a lost cause—like he wouldn't survive. That couldn't happen. Hunter was right, I had no chance against the witches, but he did. I just had to give him enough of a reason to help.

  “I’ll stop running if you bring him back. I’ll stay here. I’ll let you keep me safe.” I used the words I knew he wanted to hear. They had to be enough. Even if it meant being stuck with the wolves for longer, it was worth it. After even just a few minutes with the witches I knew they were dangerous. Who knew what they could be doing to Gage?

  “If I bring him back, the rules stay the same. “

  “Yes. I promise.”

  “And you’re done running? I’m not going to have to keep you here by force?”

  I let out a deep breath. A vision of Gage’s face when he was pushed into the SUV flashed across my mind. “Yes. I’m done running.”

  “Prove it.”

  “Prove it?”

  He watched me. “Give me something to show me that your word means something.”

  I stepped toward him. “Okay.” I leaned up and brushed my lips against his. “I promise I'll stop running.”

  I expected him to try to deepen the kiss, and I prepared myself for it. Anything for Gage. He didn't. Instead he pulled me into a hug. “I'll be back with him. Then I expect you to keep your word.” He let go. “I shouldn't have to post a guard, but I'll have Marni come by to keep you company.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Yeah, well, there isn't much I wouldn't do for you.” He brushed some of my hair away from my face. “You keep running, but what you don't understand is you belong here by my side. Only I can keep you safe. Only I can protect you.”

  My heart hurt. Why did he care so much? Was I some sort of replacement for his ex-girlfriend? But how had he ever loved her? How could someone like that have loved a girl so cruel?

  I didn't have too much time to think about it before he walked out the door. “I'll be back soon. Try to relax and stay warm.”

  I nodded, hoping I wouldn't be waiting long.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Gage

  As Tootsie had predicted, whatever the hell Vanessa had done to me wore off. I could walk around, and I could talk. I screamed a few times to no avail. Not even Granola turned to look at me. The poor guy just kept staring at the ceiling. He looked physically fine, but I wasn’t sure if anything was going on in his head.

  I waited on the farthest side of the cage from Granola. Granola. I hated even thinking the stupid name they made up.

  I knew I was in trouble. Being locked in a cage by a bunch of witches wasn't good, but all I could think about was Mary Anne. Was she still out there? Since the spell had worn off of me, I hoped the same had happened for her. Maybe she was already on her way into town. I hoped she wouldn’t do something crazy like try to find me. She wouldn’t. She had to have some self-preservation, and I wasn’t worth her life. Even if she were back with the wolves it would be a better alternative. I didn’t like Hunter, but he wouldn’t kill her. He cared about her in his weird, messed-up way.

  “They’re ready for you.” Tootsie opened the cage door. He’d changed out of the jeans and sweater he’d been wearing when I arrived. He was now dressed in what looked like a 1950’s sailor uniform. Unbelievable.

  “They’re ready?” I turned away. I couldn’t keep a straight face looking at the guy. “What the hell does that matter? I'm not listening to them.”

  “You should.”

  “Why are you doing this?” I turned to glare at him. “Do you like being treated like a pet?”

  “It's better than ending up like him.” Tootsie pointed to Granola who was now drooling.

  “What did they do to him?” I didn't really want to know, but I needed to know what I was facing.

  “Hopefully you won’t find out first hand.” He held out the leash. “Come on.”

  I walked out of the cage pretending I was going to go along with things. I let him attach the stupid leash, and I waited for him to open the door to the barn.

  I still had no shirt, but freezing in the snow seemed like a better option than dealing with these people. There was a better chance for survival in the former.

  Once outside, I yanked the leash out of his hand and took off running. I made it a few feet before my entire body froze again.

  “What do we have here?” Vanessa's shrill voice cam
e from right behind me. She moved in front of me and ran a finger down my chest. “You aren't very obedient, are you?”

  “Obedient? In case you didn't realize I'm not a dog.” She hadn't frozen my voice this time.

  “No, dogs don't look like you.” She cupped me through my jeans. “Tell me, are you good in bed?”

  Seriously? Was that an actual question?

  “I guess I’ll find that out for myself.” She grinned wickedly. I didn’t want to discover how nuts she’d be if she had me naked. I was freezing cold, and I wasn't even able to move my arms to push her away.

  “Come along, Sprinkles. We can finish this assessment inside.” She tugged on the leash.

  “What do you want with me?”

  She laughed. “That's what the assessment is for.”

  That was it. I couldn’t just go along with it. I used every ounce of strength I had and pushed it toward the goal of resisting. I stopped short, finally breaking out of the spell.

  The victory only lasted a moment before she yanked on the leash. “Come on, Sprinkles. I don't want to have to do another spell.”

  “I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm going back to find Mary Anne.” I fought against her surprisingly strong tug.

  “Mary Anne? You mean the girl who’s probably a popsicle right now? I wouldn't worry about her. I'm sure an animal will clean up the mess.”

  I lunged for her, but my fist only made it within a few inches of her face before it was frozen in place.

  “Now, now. Sprinkles.” She wagged a finger in front of my face.

  I tried to stop walking again, but I couldn't.

  “Come along, you have to meet Gerry. She’s dying to meet you.” She tugged on the leash.

  Once again I felt the strange sensation. She must have strengthened the spell. Fantastic.

  The door to their cottage opened, and a woman probably in her mid-forties walked out. “Is this the new one?”

  “Yes, Sprinkles.” Vanessa tugged on the leash again.

  “Oh. Appropriate name.” She touched my chest. More about the freckles?

  “He's not very obedient, but I think we'll find a use for him.” Vanessa slipped her hand into the back of my jeans. If I could have moved, I would have jumped.