Vanessa, where are you?
Silence.
His eye sockets burned, and he opened them as he heard someone approach. Patrick stood in the doorway of the kitchen.
“Travis, the Outlander Pack is outside.”
The Outlander pack?
He stood up from the table and almost stumbled before catching himself on the corner of the kitchen counter. After spending the whole night searching the woods and the neighboring pack’s lands for any trace of Vanessa, the baby, and his sister, desperation and panic were slowly eating at him as visions of what was happening to those he loved flashed across his mind.
No clues. No trace. Nothing.
He walked out to meet Vanessa’s brother.
“Aiden, what are you doing here?”
He stared at Travis and the six men surrounding him.
“I think I know where they’ve taken Vanessa.”
He straightened, his hands clenched as his eyes hardened. “Where?”
Aiden nodded towards the east. “Not enough time. I’ll explain on the way. Let’s go.”
I’m coming, baby. Hold on. I’ll be there soon.
Travis’s faint voice echoed in her head, and tears slid down the side of her face. Her throat was raw from screaming, from begging, and her entire neck ached. Her wrists were bloody from trying to get free, and her ankles weren’t much better. She tried to shift but had soon realized that he must have shot her up with drugs that stopped the shifting process, as it had when she was a wolf. The pull was there, but she remained a human, much to her and her beast’s disgust and panic.
She looked around, noting the dank smell, almost like mildew, and the concrete walls that surrounded her. She was lying on a narrow metal cot, the springs of the mattress digging into her back.
A basement. I’m in a basement.
It wasn’t very big. Maybe twelve by twelve with a small staircase leading up to the first floor. She strained to hear past the terror flooding her, the ringing in her ears as her heart hammered against her ribcage. Strained to hear Ava’s cry. But she heard nothing.
Don’t be scared, Ava. Mommy’s coming…
Taking a deep breath, she winced as she moved her arms, using the blood from her wrists to slide free, but the tight rope wouldn’t budge.
She closed her eyes and attempted to shift again, but like before, nothing happened. Her wolf was in a rage, as the fear for her baby ate at both of them.
A noise reached her, and she stilled. It hadn’t come from the staircase but somewhere behind her. Panting, she waited. A creak enhanced her fright.
Slim fingers touched her wrists gently.
“Vanessa.”
Her eyes broadened.
“Samantha?” she asked, almost afraid to hope, fearful she was imagining it.
“Yes.” The ropes loosened, and she wanted to cry. She saw Travis’s sister bend down over her legs and untie the restraints there. Vanessa would have stumbled in her haste to stand if she hadn’t caught her.
“Where’s Travis?” She expected him to be right there, offering reassurances that they would get her daughter back, but he wasn’t in the room.
Samantha shook her head.
“When you ran out of the house, I followed you. I saw them shoot you and then throw you in a truck. I stayed hidden. I was almost too late.
Two men stayed behind and–” She paused, her face pale.
“What?”
“There isn’t much left of Charles,” she said grimly.
Vanessa couldn’t find it in herself to care. She had to get her baby back. Strength began to seep into her limbs, and she straightened, using a nearby wall to hold her up. She still couldn’t shift yet, but it was only a matter of time now.
Nodding back towards where Samantha had entered, she noticed a small gap in the wall.
“Go back. Wait for Travis. Lead them in,” she ordered quietly.
Samantha started to shake her head, but Vanessa interrupted her.
“Yes,” she hissed, her eyes on the staircase and the closed door at the top. She was not going to argue about it. Her neck was still bloody from Dominic’s bite, which Samantha definitely noticed. She didn’t need the reminder that she again smelled like him. Luckily, it hadn’t been completed. Not only had she been unwilling, but he hadn’t raped her, not yet. The plan was there, and he would be back, but by then, she would be ready. She wasn’t going down again. She had too much to live for, to protect.
“If both of us are captured again, they won’t be here in time. Go. Now.”
Hesitating, Travis’ sister met her eyes and conceded. Vanessa was an Alpha’s mate, and therefore, in his absence, her word was law. She nodded and turned but stopped at Vanessa’s soft words.
“Thank you, Samantha.”
Nodding again, she disappeared through the hole in the wall, using her hands to guide her through the dark. Turning back towards the steps leading upstairs, the skin on Sam’s face tightened, and her sharp teeth prolonged, cutting through her gums. She willed the shift to wait as she climbed the stairs on silent feet.
Chapter 22
Travis stared up at the large brown house, the white ten-foot wall surrounding it an obstacle. It would be tricky but not impossible.
“We’ve searched the structure and haven’t found a way in yet,” Patrick said, coming up beside him.
Travis didn’t answer but knew he was running out of time. Vanessa and the baby were inside, and possibly his sister, too.
The small pack heard a noise and turned. His eyes enlarged as he took in the woman running towards them.
“Samantha?”
She leaped over a log, her black hair flying behind her as she closed in. Travis met her halfway and pulled her into his arms, the relief that she was okay hitting him. He pulled back and looked down at her.
“Vanessa?” he asked urgently.
Samantha nodded towards the house and then back behind her, indicating the way she had come. “There’s a way in. A tunnel in the woods,” she answered breathlessly.
Her gaze shifted to the right, over Travis’s shoulder, her body tightening. She jerked back, and for a split second, Travis wondered at her reaction, but it slipped his mind as the relief turned to joy with the rage of his wolf a close second.
“Let’s go, now!”
Vanessa climbed the stairs to the second floor, straining to hear any sound. Only silence answered her, which raised a red flag itself. For being such a big house, it was awfully empty.
Something is wrong.
She looked in each room and then climbed another set of stairs to the third floor, her heart pounding hard, her breathing ragged.
Please be okay, darling.
A small noise reached her, and she froze. It almost sounded like a giggle. Holding her breath, she approached the last door on the right and peeked in. Seeing it empty but with a crib in the middle, Vanessa took a step inside, her eyes watchful, scanning every shadow, every corner.
Nothing.
Small arms thrashed in the crib, and tears filled her eyes. Vanessa ran over and picked up her baby. “I’m here, darling. Mommy’s got you. Let’s go, sweetheart.”
She turned and met Dominic’s eyes.
He shook his head, his skin already tight and his canines long, glistening in the dim light.
“You just continue to surprise me, don’t you, Vanessa?”
She didn’t take her eyes off him as she put her daughter back in the crib against her wishes. All she wanted to do was run with her, but she knew she wouldn’t make it far, and Ava could be hurt in the process. She wouldn’t allow that.
Her hands free, claws engaged, matching the pace of her fangs. Skin tight, she had one goal in mind. “I’m going to kill you,” she said quietly.
She was barely holding on to the shift, her wolf pushing against her control. Calming her animal down was nearly impossible, but the timing had to be perfect. It was the only way.
Dominic laughed, his chest shaking in his mirth
. Black hair emerged, his own shadowy eyes glowing with the malice of his wolf.
“You bitch. You should have died with the rest, but I wanted you,” he said in twisted desire. “And I’ll fuck you again before I kill you.”
He lunged, and she swirled, dodging to the right as the shift finished and she landed on all fours. Growling, she ran out the door, anything to get the bastard away from her daughter. The plan worked. He followed, snapping at her heels.
Shattering pain filled her body as he made contact, latching onto her leg, cutting through the muscle. She fell and bucked, her other hind leg kicking his throat, dislodging some teeth. She jerked back and stood, her own chest heaving.
After entering the tunnel, Travis and the small party made their way through, eyes glowing in the darkness as they shifted in motion. Four wolves entered the basement, their sense of smell and hearing heightened. He picked up on his love’s scent. And him.
With the staircase in front of them, the wolves inched up the stairs.
Travis froze as a thump sounded above the ceiling, and he heard his daughter screaming. Heart in his throat, he took off regardless of the internal calls of his pack. Jumping the last three steps, he was suddenly sent off course by an unknown force crashing against a hard wall. Dazed, he shook his head and looked up just as a black wolf came at him, his fangs broad and deadly. Travis twisted to the right and dove, aiming for the other’s throat.
Blood filled his mouth, and he yanked, spitting out the muscle and flesh as the lupine went limp. Travis jumped over the heap of fur and ran towards the stairs, the banging still taking place above him.
Heart pounding, he took no notice of anything else, understanding his pack and Aiden watched his back with each growl or vicious attack behind him.
He reached the third floor and skidded to a halt as the two wolves in front of them circled each other, their fangs dripping with blood. His stomach dropped as he spied the crimson liquid that coated Vanessa’s white fur. He started to take a step forward, to jump in the middle, but Aiden suddenly blocked him, his eyes dark.
No. Leave her.
Travis growled, his incisors growing.
If you interrupt, you’ll lose her, Aiden said.
He’ll kill her!
This is her fight.
Travis took a step back, his eyes intent on the two opponents. Fuck. Her brother was right. If he interfered, Vanessa would never forgive him. She needed this, needed to kill the bastard who had caused so much pain to so many, but that didn’t make it any easier.
Fear made it hard to breathe as he watched, his throat tightening.
Vanessa circled the enormous beast, pain radiating up her legs and back. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold out. Her wolf worked to heal the cuts and broken leg, but the wounds were coming too fast. The son-of-a-bitch was swift, and she didn’t doubt that he loved playing with her, taunting her. It was all over his bloody face.
After I finish you, the brat is mine. I’ll raise her to take her place among my pack, to be a leader and love the art of killing.
Vanessa growled and circled, waiting for her moment to strike.
Suddenly, Dominic jumped, his aim for her throat.
She dodged but wasn’t quick enough as his teeth sank into her shoulder. Howling, she tried to throw him off, to kick and twist, but she was fading, black spots dancing in front of her. The pain was bringing her down.
She saw images of Travis then. He had shifted and was holding her daughter in the doorway of the nursery back home, tears in his eyes. Home. The only place she’d ever been accepted. The only place she ever wanted to stay. The place she fell in love for the first time.
I can’t lose you, baby. Fight.
Her gaze shifted down to his arms where her precious one was watching her, vivid green eyes wide.
We need you.
A single tear slid down his lean cheek, his eyes on her.
Fight, damn it.
Vanessa imagined it all ending right then, and flashes of her child ran through her mind. A young woman dulled and her spirit destroyed as Dominic stood behind her grinning. Another flash of her going through life with no control whatsoever…
That was when her wolf’s fury flared. Vanessa would rather die than see her child in the hands of the murdering bastard. Although Travis would never let that happen, there was still a small chance if Dominic went before the shifter council. He was Ava’s biological father. He would have the right.
Infused with the new strength, Vanessa jerked back, muscle tearing and blood spewing from her shoulder and his mouth. She whipped her body around and sank her fangs into his neck. He jerked in surprise and shock, twisting to get free, his howl a timid breath as her canines perforated his vocal chords.
Bone crunched, and blood ran down her throat, but her teeth were embedded, and she refused to let go. He had to die for her baby’s sake. For forcing her to kill her own kind, for the fighting ring where he had hurt Travis, and for Charles’ death. For Aiden. She was justice for everyone he had ever hurt.
His movements slowed, and still she hung on.
Vanessa. Baby. Let go.
She ignored the voice and tightened her jaws. He had to be dead.
Baby, he’s gone. Let go.
Vanessa relaxed and opened her mouth. Dominic’s body hit the ground with a hard thud.
It was over.
Everything swirled. The walls of the hallway tilted, caving in on her. Black spots danced.
And then…darkness.
Chapter 23
She heard Travis whispering, his hushed voice gentle as he talked to someone. She frowned.
Who could he be talking to that lovingly?
Listening, her heart dropped, not even caring if she was eavesdropping. She had been so convinced…
Wait.
Her eyes flew open, and she looked around. She was back at the pack house in the master bedroom. She saw Travis by the window, cradling her Ava in his strong arms.
He must have felt her gaze because he looked up, his eyes misty. Walking over to the side of her bed, he sat down.
“How do you feel?”
Her eyes on her child, Vanessa sat up, flinching slightly. Travis scooted back and opened his mouth, but she shot him a look before returning her gaze to her daughter.
“She’s okay?” she murmured.
The fear still hadn’t left her, but she was working on it. She didn’t want to live with that feeling anymore. The fact that her daughter was right in front of her, smiling up at her and Travis went a long way to making it easier to relax.
“She’s perfectly fine. Not a hair harmed.”
With a gentle touch, he put her in Vanessa’s arms. She hugged her infant gently, eyes blurry and burning.
“Thank you.”
She looked up at the man before her as a different kind of love filled her. She swallowed and looked back down at her daughter.
“What happened?” she asked, not yet able to look at him for too long without something slipping. Distress remained, at least as far as his rejection of her was concerned.
“You killed the alpha, and we wiped out his pack. I left Patrick to organize and restructure the land. Then, I brought you and our daughter home,” he finished, whispering the last part.
Her gaze shot up and met his dark eyes. The love she saw in his eyes released the tears that had been brimming in hers.
“I love you, Vanessa. You’re my mate just as Ava is my daughter regardless of who sired her. You both will always be until I die.”
Mouth dry, she stared up at him and saw that he whole-heartedly meant every word he had just said. It made her swoon.
“I’ve never wanted to be anywhere else as much as I want to be with you. I love you, Travis,” she choked, the tears coming faster.
He didn’t answer but let his actions speak for themselves as he pulled Vanessa close and took her mouth, being careful of the baby. His hot tongue traced her lips, seeking entrance which she allowed. Wit
hout hesitation, he swept in, tasting, nibbling, and stroking as his hands rubbed her arms, her back, anywhere he could reach.
She purred and met his eyes again.
“I love you, baby,” he repeated.
“I love you, too,” she sighed.
She saw the joy at her words flood his face and regretted not telling him before.
Fear has ruled my life for too long, she thought, meeting his mouth again.
No longer.
Her daughter was safe. She had her man. And a place to belong for the first time in her life.
She was home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you have enjoyed reading book 1 of the Vendetta Series. Be sure to watch for future volumes coming soon.
~ Desiree
Books in the Vendetta Series
Travis & Vanessa in Crescent Vendetta– Available Now
Bret & Nikki – Coming Soon
Aiden & Samantha – Coming Soon
Jackson & Miranda – Coming Soon
About Desiree L. Scott
Desiree L. Scott has been writing since she was sixteen years old. There have been many influences within her life that have set her on the path that she cannot help but walk. A few of those influences consist of Karen Rose, Lisa Gardener, Nora Roberts, Cynthia Eden, Catherine Anderson, Laura Griffin, Andrea Kane, and Lisa Jackson just to name a few. This list by no means defines her own writing, but they have indeed influenced her desire to live outside of her own world and to create the thrill of her dreams.
Desiree lives on 40 + acres in the SHOW ME state with her eight-year-old daughter and the wonderful addition of four dogs and a handful of chickens. The weather is unpredictable, but the surrounding beauty of the country helps her creativity as she sits on her top deck with her laptop and coffee close by. There is one incident that will always remain with her that ultimately affected her determination in writing, and she would love to share it with her readers......
When I was eighteen years old, I had written ten very well-known authors, a couple being Julie Garwood and Nora Roberts. Now keep in mind, I wrote a very long letter asking for advice on writing and so forth. My letter was more gushing than anything else but still one author wrote me back! By hand no less.
Crescent Vendetta (Vendetta Series Book 1) Page 16