“You aren’t stronger than me, bitch.”
She didn’t answer. Her head lowered and body stiffened as she stayed still.
Without another word, he turned and headed towards the metal door. Almost as if his men were in tune with their pack leader, they opened the entryway and Dominic left, the door slamming shut behind him and the lock clicking into place.
Vanessa collapsed onto the cold concrete in the silence that followed, laying on her side as she fought to get her ragged breathing under control. The fight against his willpower had taken its toll, and her heart raced with dread at what he had planned next. She didn’t like his parting shot, not at all. Not saying a word, having figured pharmaceuticals would be involved, especially since she hadn’t complied with the order to shift.
You’re mine and will always be mine, he always said. Remember that.
Like fucking hell.
The entrance opened again, and as before, she froze. Had he returned to finish what he came for? If he had stayed much longer and kept ordering her, she wouldn’t have been strong enough to resist.
She turned her head and watched as Dom’s lackeys brought her fellow captive back, slung over Mitch’s shoulder. With a grunt, he threw the unconscious form back in his cage, and the two men left, never even sparing her a glance.
She pressed up against the bars, watching the slow rise of his chest.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Vanessa laid back down and rested her head on her paws, observing him. She knew they didn’t have long. It was only a matter of time before they had to fight each other. To worry about the other would be disastrous, especially when they had to kill to live.
I’m so tired…
Chapter 5
Travis opened his eyes, encountering Vanessa’s gaze. He scanned the warehouse, and for once, he didn’t hear anything. No sounds of fighting or screaming. He looked over at the window. It was dark. Returning his gaze to the prone wolf on the floor, her eyes were on him.
How long was I out? he asked.
A day this time.
Have you fought again?
Yes.
His respect for her survival skills knew no bounds as he looked over at her, at the weary slump of her shoulders as she lay on the floor. Thinking back, he remembered hearing how the sister of the Outlander Pack had disappeared six months before. In fact, her brother had just about gone insane, tearing up eight counties looking for her. No one had believed anyone in the pack would care, but her brother proved them all wrong. Travis hadn’t bothered, not with their pack’s connection. Aiden Burns had tried to contact him, but he refused to meet with him. Figured it was justice, but now…
Son of a bitch. This is what had happened to her? Fighting for six months? And she’s survived?
Travis felt sick, but before he could convey anything more, the door opened, and two men he was starting to hate entered. Hate was too mild a word for this emotion. He wanted to tear their throats out and watch as they bled to death.
The two henchmen separated. This time, each carrying a gun as they stopped beside the cages.
“Time to get this party started,” the tall one drawled, grinning.
Travis growled and hunched low, his eyes focused. From the corner of his vision, he glimpsed Vanessa doing the same to the shorter one.
The larger asshole laughed, his voice rough as if he smoked a pack a day. Raising the gun, he shook his head.
“You should know better by now, mutt.”
With that, he pulled the trigger, and two darts hit the bigger wolf in the shoulder. He howled and jerked back, his two front legs folding beneath him. A different kind of drug was used. This one almost instant.
Fuck. Too soon.
He heard Vanessa howl as the two men laughed, their loud amusement grating on the ears.
A shock of pain made him gasp and jerk back as his eyes flew open. Six black boots filled his blurred vision, and he looked up, encountering the electric pointer one man held.
“Come on! Get up!”
Before he could move or shift to his feet, he received another shocking jab and black spots swam in his eyes. He gasped and choked on dirt as he stumbled to his feet.
A howl filled the room, and Travis looked over, spying Vanessa in the corner. Three men surrounded her, each with a long stick, electrical sparks flying from the tips.
Rage.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar aspect of being Alpha, but the consuming fury diminished what control he had left. His wolf hit against that power, struggling against the bonds between man and wolf as another jab and howl filled the air. They might be from different packs, but Vanessa was in the same position as he was.
The bastards would die for hurting her.
As the thought crossed his mind, Vanessa met his eyes. Regret and resignation were clear, and again, the rage threatened to choke him.
Chest heaving, the two wolves watched the men as they moved back, holding those electric prods in front of them. One had a long barrel rifle slung over his shoulder. Their tormentors separated and stood by the wall that caged them inside, surrounding them.
“Fight!”
Travis looked over at Vanessa, and his gaze hardened.
He wouldn’t fight her.
He scanned the crowd rapidly, looking for an exit, anything, some idea, but nothing came to him.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Suddenly, he saw a man standing in the middle of the audience, two rows up, and their eyes met. His glare hard—cold with hate.
Vanessa must have seen where Travis’ gaze had landed because she inched backwards until her hind end was to the wall and something flashed in her eyes—a green ball of fury and loathing. But there was something else there too, something he couldn’t pinpoint.
The roar of the crowd faded. The male folded his arms, eyes hardening even more. Travis bared his fangs, the meaning clear.
He refused to fight. Period.
The other person’s chest moved with a chuckle or a sigh; Travis couldn’t tell which. But he knew what was in his hand. A gun, the barrel pointed straight at him. Thanks to excellent hearing, the alpha watched the guy’s thin lips move.
“A pity,” was murmured, his gaze shifting between the two wolves.
Travis stiffened and crouched down. He knew a losing battle when he saw one, but he refused to fight Vanessa. Lowering his gaze, he could feel the female’s eyes on him.
Fight me. Her words came across weak and faded but there.
No.
He’s going to kill you.
I won’t fight you.
Concentrating on the bastard, Travis waited.
Just then, a shout went up as shots were fired. The man in the middle didn’t move, but his finger had twitched. The blast was coming. At the last second, Travis lunged to the right just as the bullet blew past him, nicking him in the shoulder. He didn’t care. He moved over next to Vanessa as men stormed in, guns blazing. People rushed towards the exits; however, the two of them stayed still. Wavering on his feet, he stiffened his legs and crouched down, waiting.
Travis felt Vanessa jerk and looked towards her, expecting to see blood. Instead, joy flashed in her eyes, an emotion he had never seen from her before.
He followed her gaze and saw a black-haired man standing in the doorway of the arena, his gray eyes scanning the ring. Finding Vanessa, the same joy overtook his lean features.
Who is he? Confusion and concern enveloped him.
Total chaos surrounded them. His focus was pulled to an interloper slinking in behind the black-haired man.
Fuck.
The glimmer of the blade caught his attention. It was longer than a traditional knife, but not as lengthy as a sword by any means. His intent was clear. Travis crunched down, his muscles tensing. He didn’t know who the man was who held Vanessa’s eyes. Who had put that joy on her furry face, but he wasn’t going to see it disappear, not after what he suspected was months of hell for her.
He saw his chance. A split second of hesitation that he us
ed to his advantage. Jumping, his feet leaving the concrete, he aimed for the unseen person coming up behind the man at the entrance. Fangs bared, everything faded but the bloodlust. The urge to tear out the throats of his captors.
The scream was cut off as Travis bit down, the crunch of bone snapping.
An abrupt howl made Travis jump, his reflexes saving him yet again as he jerked back, growling. Immediately, Vanessa was in front of him, snarling up at the man who held a gun on him.
He hesitated and looked from Travis to the dead man on the ground.
Realization lit his eyes, and he dropped his arm, though his glare was still tapered. He looked down at Vanessa, and tears glistened.
“Vanessa,” he choked.
She walked up to the other wolf, and he could have sworn he saw answering teardrops in her own eyes.
Another guy walked over to him, as well.
“Hey, man, you okay?”
Travis looked up at him, and he hated the fact he couldn’t shift yet. Being an alpha was a form of power, and right then, for the first time in years, he was powerless.
Nodding his head, he was thankful the room had stopped spinning. Bodies littered the floor, men and beast alike.
From his peripheral vision, he saw Vanessa walk over to the man who held her attention and rubbed her head against his leg. He fell to his knees and put his arms around her neck, burying his dark head against her fur.
“Vanessa. God, I thought I lost you.”
Travis felt like rolling his eyes and saw another wolf off to the side, staring at the embracing couple. The strange animal barked and growled, and the tall man stood up, nodding.
“You’re right. Let’s go!”
Chapter 6
Vanessa stood beside her brother, his rough hand on her head. He kept looking down at her as he talked to another man, his second in command, and she knew why. She wasn’t shifting.
Ignoring his looks, she stood still, her eyes ever moving, watching.
The warehouse had been cleaned out, and the captive wolves released, the few who had managed to survive, anyway. She couldn’t think of that, couldn’t think of the man responsible or what he had done.
She was free. Alive.
She tensed as another fellow walked up to Aiden and patted her head with a reassuring rub.
“It’s rigged,” he said.
Aiden nodded quickly.
“Let’s go!”
He motioned to Vanessa and Travis, and they took off, keeping pace as they ran through the long hallway towards the first floor. The stairs were tight, and they filed behind each other, jumping through the portal. Vanessa spied the open door and the darkness of night beyond. Another burst of strength propelled her out. They both kept running, their legs thundering against the ground.
Heart pounding, Vanessa couldn’t breathe. Her sides ached from the shocks and jabs suffered from the fighting. Even her old wounds pinched, but she pushed herself harder. Anything to get as far from the hell behind her as possible.
She spied the vehicles at the edge of the surrounding woods just as heat licked her back, the building that had been her prison for months exploding. The blast tossed their group through the air. Vanessa watched the ground rush at her. Yelps and shouts filled the air as everyone slammed into the terrain. She lay there on her side, stunned for a minute.
Vanessa, are you okay?
The communication from Travis came through stronger than before. The drugs were wearing off. In fact, he should be able to shift now. She climbed to her feet and shook her head to clear the ringing from her ears.
Yes.
She looked around, her eyes wild as anxiety tightened her throat.
Where’s my brother?
Your brother? It was said with shock, but she didn’t have time to analyze that.
Looking around wildly, panic grew into fear until she saw Aiden climb to his feet mere inches from the giant tree where he had landed. She raced over to him, hearing a sigh of relief as he located her.
Almost as one, Vanessa and Aiden turned to stare at the burning mess at the bottom of the valley. Travis walked up beside her, staring down at the inferno as well.
It’s done. You’re free.
So are you, she murmured.
They turned and looked at each other, the others fading for a split second. Fire danced in Travis’s blue eyes. Whatever he was thinking was hidden, but she was okay with that. There was only one thing she cared about, and that was returning home. Why she didn’t know. There wasn’t much to go back to except her brother, but at least there, the danger was familiar. Something she could fight.
“Let’s go!” her brother shouted again.
Vanessa and Travis followed Aiden through the woods, the rest of the pack behind them. She didn’t know how long they walked, but the fact that her legs shook and trembled spoke of her exhaustion. She had passed tiredness a long time ago, not being able to remember the last time she slept through the night. Even before her capture, she had always had to keep one eye open. Her legs threatened to cave, and unexpectedly, Travis was next to her, the side of his long body holding her up as they walked in tandem.
She saw the vehicles and wanted to cry. It had been so long since she had shown weakness, she wasn’t about to start now. Silently, they all climbed into the jeep with Aiden, the others following close behind. She sat between her brother and Travis.
She felt a jerk, and the sound of bones snapping into place filled the air.
“Oh shit,” Aiden muttered.
Reaching beneath his seat, he pulled out a blanket just as Travis shifted beside her, turning from a wolf to an extremely hot and sexy wall of muscle. Strands of black hair fell across his broad forehead, and his blue eyes, now a darker shade, scanned the woods before turning towards her.
Travis took the blanket from Aiden. His thick arms dusted with black hair were in her line of sight.
“Thanks,” he muttered, wrapping it around his waist.
She felt his eyes on her but ignored his expectant look.
“If I can shift, you should be able,” he whispered.
She felt the two men’s intense stares, but there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn’t ready to explain why she refused to shift, at least not yet. Now that Travis’s smell was back, he would soon learn why, as would Aiden, eventually. Either when he shifted, or when one of the pack came near in wolf form. It was only a matter of time, she knew. But right now, she wasn’t ready.
I better be ready by the time we get to the house, she thought, resigned to the inevitable.
Sighing, she ignored the two of them and their now concerned looks and stared out the window, her thoughts racing.
It wasn’t over. It was only beginning.
The travel was long. They drove all night, crossing into New Mexico. Vanessa lay on the seat between her two protectors and still hadn’t shifted, but Travis didn’t think she was sleeping. If she were anything like him, she was aware of everything going on around her.
He was confused but took his cue from the man behind the wheel. He had seen the concerned looks her brother had thrown her, but no words were spoken, and he didn’t break that silence. Staring out his window, he watched as the plains of Colorado changed to a dusty flatland bare of color. A few hours passed, and those plains morphed into lush greenery with mountains in the background.
Another hour went by before they topped a hill to reveal a large house in the valley. Aiden pulled up next to the porch and parked the truck. Without a word, the two jeeps behind them drove away, leaving them in a cloud of dust.
Travis followed the other man up the steps and into the foyer, being pointed down the hallway to the right.
“Second room on the left,” Aiden said. “It has a shower. I’ll see you in the morning.” With that he left, vanishing around a corner.
Travis looked around for Vanessa but didn’t see her. She had disappeared.
Chapter 7
For the first time in months, Vanessa
woke to the birds chirping and sunlight streaming in from her slightly open window. A soft breeze filtered in, bathing her fur with a warm caress.
Holding still, the recent events of the night before flashed through her mind, and she slowly opened her eyes, taking in the warm tones of her bedroom, the whites and browns with the beige carpet.
I’m home.
Wishing she could hide, she remained calm and thought about where she was. How she got here in her bedroom.
Gulping, she looked over at her closed door.
Did they know?
She was afraid of the answer to that but knew worrying was of no use. She would have to face it eventually. If they didn’t like it, tough. She wasn’t changing or shifting.
Dropping down from her bed, she walked over to the door. Thankfully, it wasn’t closed all the way, and she nudged it open with her nose. The creaks of the hinges made her flinch and then go motionless. Voices drifted up from the kitchen, so she followed them down the hallway and stairs.
Stopping right outside the doorway, her heart pounded as she listened to the harsh tones, quiet but clear.
“Son of a bitch, Aiden. Tell her to shift and get rid of it!”
Well, that answers that question.
That edict came from the second in command, Ethan Williams.
“That’s her decision, Ethan. If she hasn’t shifted by now, her answer is known, and after everything she’s been through, I’m not taking that away from her!”
Vanessa had never loved her brother more than she did right then. If her dad were still alive, he would have demanded she shift and, helpless to resist, she would have lost her baby. Thank God, her brother wasn’t like that.
Instead of entering the kitchen and interrupting the heated conversation, Vanessa turned and headed outside. She stopped in the hallway and looked up at the closed door leading to the woods.
Shit. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. Sighing, she started to turn when a large hand reached past her and opened the door. She looked up, way up, and met Travis’s eyes. He must have just come from the shower because his black hair was wet and curling against his neck. His dark jeans fit him like a second skin, and god, he was beautiful.
Crescent Vendetta (Vendetta Series Book 1) Page 4