* * * *
They were on their final week of the harvest. Thankfully, nothing untoward happened. The amount of grapes harvested so far had been the best The Pines had seen for years, and the Lars problem had seemingly disappeared on its own. When days and then weeks passed, everyone relaxed their vigilance. The general consensus seemed to be that with Lars, knowing there were nine other werewolves on the property at all times, he had been scared off. Far outnumbered, Lars didn’t stand a chance of winning against them.
With the grapes just about all harvested, Taryn now had the job of bottling the wines that had sat aging in the cave from previous years’ harvests. It was a job she enjoyed. Being able to see the end product bottled, and ready to be sold, made all the hard work to produce it worthwhile.
Leaving the men to finish picking the last of the grapes, Taryn went to her office to look at the book she used as a log, to record the dates and what type of wine each barrel held inside the cave. Before she started any of the bottling, as the wine maker, she had to taste, smell and look at a sample of the wine from each barrel that had been aged the required amount of time.
Opening the log book, she soon got caught up in her work. She didn’t bother to look up when someone quietly entered her office. Thinking it was Wade, she held up her finger for him to give her one minute as she wrote down some numbers.
“My, my, aren’t you the industrious one?”
Taryn whipped her head up at the sound of the one voice she did not want to hear inside her office. Lars stood before her desk leering down at her. “What do you want?”
“That is no way to talk to someone visiting your winery. Don’t you have wine tastings or something like that?”
“No, I don’t. So you can leave if that was all you wanted.”
“That’s too bad. I really wanted to taste the wines of the winery I plan on making my own.”
Taryn’s hands balled into fists on top the desk. “I have no intentions of selling the winery now, or in the future. If you have come to make me an offer, the answer is no.”
“I figured you would say that.”
She didn’t stand a chance. Lars lunged at her, moving faster than a normal man could ever move. He grabbed her around her upper arms and dragged her across the desk to him. Taryn tried to break free, but it was like trying to break out of steel shackles.
Being held against her will and made to stand in front of Lars as he snarled down at her, brought all the old memories of her abusive boyfriend raging back. She was so comfortable around Wade now she had almost forgotten about her fear of men who used their greater strength as a means of control. Reacting as she would in such a situation as the one she was in now, Taryn raised her knee to unman Lars, but he proved to be the quicker. Her knee ended up connecting with his thigh as he moved out of the way at the last second. All that ended up doing was pissing him off. He growled deep in his throat and gave her a good shake until her head snapped back and forth like a rag doll.
“No more tricks.” Lars gave her another shake for good measure. “I see you’re nothing like your mother. She was weak, not fit to be a werewolf’s mate. You, on the other hand, have an inner strength your mother never had. I think I’ll have my fun with you until I get tired of you, then I’ll put you down for the mongrel that you are.”
Seeing the fear and disgust Taryn knew must be in her eyes, Lars laughed. The sound made chills run down her spine. There was definitely something not right with Lars. He was just as good-looking as the rest of his kind, but there was no mistaking the madness lurking in his eyes. Taryn knew she couldn’t allow him to take her off the property. Her only hope was to somehow alert the men working out in the vineyard of Lars’ presence. She scrambled to try and come up with a plan to somehow get away before it was too late do to anything.
Lars laughed again as if he knew what she was thinking, before slamming his mouth down onto hers. Taryn tried to pull away, which only caused Lars to increase the pressure of his grip on her arms until she whimpered with pain. Desperate, she took his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down until she tasted blood. Howling with pain, Lars pushed her away from him and used his fist to punch her in the side of the head. Seeing stars before her eyes, Taryn dropped to the floor.
Squatting down on the floor next to her, Lars used the back of his hand to wipe the blood off his mouth. He took her chin in a punishing grip, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t ever do that again. The next time, I won’t be as gentle. Get up. It’s time to go.”
Lars let go of her chin and grabbed her arm to haul her back up onto her feet. Still slightly disoriented, Taryn dragged her feet. Once they stepped outside, she opened her mouth to yell for help, but before she could make a sound, Lars turned and slapped his other hand across it. “I can see you’re going to cause me no end of trouble. I suggest you keep your trap shut, or I’ll be forced to shut it for you. It may not be pleasant for you, but I know I would enjoy it. Do I make myself clear?” After Taryn nodded her head, Lars removed his hand and started walking once more.
Taryn searched the yard, hoping one of the men had returned from the vineyard. The yard was empty. She knew that from the area of the vineyard they were working none of them would be able to see what was happening near the house.
As Lars pulled her down the driveway to the road, Taryn thought if only she were a werewolf, she would have been able to give Lars a run for his money. If she had been able to, she would have shifted into wolf form and sunk her teeth into Lars’ ass. The thought of him jumping around in pain as she hung from the seat of his pants made Taryn laugh out loud. She knew she was losing it, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Not stopping their forward motion, Lars turned his head to scowl at her before he looked at her in a way that said he thought there was something wrong with her head. That only caused Taryn to laugh harder. He probably thought she was a little nuts. It had to be pretty bad when a raving lunatic thought you were a nut job.
When they reached the road, Taryn’s laughter died away. There was a car parked on the side of the road a few feet away from the entrance of her driveway. Lars dragged her toward it as she dug in her feet, hoping it would slow him down. All it did was make him yank even harder on her arm. At the car, he used his keys to open the trunk. He was about to shove her into it when a yell stopped him.
Lars quickly pulled her to him so her back was against his chest. He then wrapped an arm around her neck and his other around the top of her head. Seeing her father standing at the end of the driveway, Taryn wanted to cry out with relief, but instead she began to whimper with fear as Lars applied pressure to her head. She knew in this hold he could easily snap her neck.
“I would stay right where you are, Drake, if you want your daughter to live to see another day,” Lars yelled to the other man.
“Let her go, Lars, your argument is with me, not Taryn.”
“Why should I? It’s so much more enjoyable to watch you suffer. I think I’ll be keeping Taryn for a while.”
Taryn watched Drake take a step toward them, only to cry out a second later as Lars applied still more pressure. Drake instantly stopped moving. A tear trickled down her cheek at the look of pure frustration that crossed Drake’s face. She knew he was powerless to do anything. Lars would have no qualms about breaking her neck. Right now, she hoped none of the others showed up. If they did, there was no telling what Lars would do to her.
When Drake made no further moves to come nearer, Lars slowly turned her as he prepared to shove her inside the trunk of the car. Drake yelled to him.
“I challenge you, Lars. I know you were the one who murdered my mate. By rights, I can challenge you to a fight to the death. Let’s end this once and for all. Or are you so without honor you would rather take the cowardly way out?”
Lars growled at the insult. “I accept your challenge, but your daughter still comes with me. She will be my insurance that you won’t try to hunt me down before the challenge. Meet me tomorrow night, at mid
night, at the woods and we’ll have our fight to the death.”
With that said, Lars pushed Taryn into the trunk and slammed it shut. Enclosed in darkness, Taryn heard Lars start the car and then pull away, sending gravel from the side of the road flying in his wake. The sound of her father’s howls of pain reached her, echoing inside her head.
Chapter Fourteen
Wade growled as he slammed his fist through Taryn’s living room wall. He didn’t feel the pain it caused him. All he felt was his helplessness, his inability to save his mate. Too clear images of what Lars could be doing to Taryn at this very moment filled his head, making it so he couldn’t think straight. Just the thought of Taryn in pain made him see red. Hauling his arm back again, Wade punched a second hole in the wall.
Braedan caught Wade’s fist before he could put it through the wall for a third time. “I don’t think Taryn would appreciate you punching holes in her living room walls.”
Pulling his fist free, Wade instead slapped the wall with the flat of his hand. “I can’t do this. I can’t just sit here for over twenty-four hours and not try to get Taryn back.”
“I know what you’re feeling. Taryn is my niece. It’s hard, but it’s something we have to do. Besides, we have no idea where Lars took her. He’s a lone wolf, he could be anywhere. I have enough to worry about without you losing your head and doing something rash. Drake is not handling this well at all.”
Wade looked up at the ceiling. After Drake had informed them what had happened to Taryn, he had gone upstairs to her bedroom and hadn’t been seen since. Wade could only guess what was going through the other man’s head. To have found the daughter he had thought dead, only to have the same person who murdered her mother take her hostage, would be a devastating blow to anyone. But allowing himself to give into his pain wouldn’t do Drake any favors. He was the one who would be fighting Lars at Muir Woods, which was the traditional place where werewolf challenges were fought. This wasn’t an ordinary challenge of honor. This was to the death. Only the one left alive at the end would be declared the victor.
“All right, I have myself back under control. I’ll go talk to Drake. While I’m up there, Braedan, could you call Beowulf and let him know what’s going on?”
“Consider it done.”
Giving Braedan a nod, Wade headed up the stairs to Taryn’s room. The door, which had been repaired, was shut. Wade tapped on it once before he opened it and stepped into the room. Drake sat on the bed, slowly flipping through one of Taryn’s photo albums. On the floor next to him sat the box Wade knew contained the things Taryn’s uncle had left her. Drake didn’t look up as he neared the bed.
“Are you going to sit up here all night feeling sorry for yourself?”
Drake’s head snapped up. He pulled back his upper lip in a snarl and growled softly. His eyes glowed mutedly. “Watch your mouth, pup.”
Wade snarled back. “Back off, Drake. I only came up here because Braedan is worried about you. You have to keep things together if you hope to defeat Lars tomorrow. I don’t trust crazy people to do what they’re supposed to do.”
“Lars wasn’t always the way he is now. Our fathers were friends when Lars and I were growing up. At one time I considered Lars one of my good friends. But once we reached adulthood, things started to change. Lars would go into a rage anytime I did anything that could in any way be considered an accomplishment. Eventually, it got to the point he tried to take anything I valued for himself, even the women I took an interest in. It got so bad I had to cut all ties with him.”
“With friends like that, who needs enemies?”
Looking back down at the bed, Drake picked up the picture of himself with Taryn and her mother. He touched a finger to the image of his mate. “I knew when Lars found out Lisa was my mate he would want her for his own, regardless that she was a mortal. I blame myself for what happened to her. I should have forced her to come back to me instead of waiting for her to decide on her own that she couldn’t live without me.” He let out a short laugh that held no humor. “I was an idiot. I may have accepted Lisa as my mate, but she never accepted me as hers. The tie was only one sided—mine. Even before I told Lisa what I truly was, she couldn’t take me into her heart and soul. I didn’t want to acknowledge that she didn’t love me the same as I did her. So I let her run from me. If I hadn’t, I would have been able to stop Lars. Now I’ve failed my daughter. I should have been watching her more closely. I knew Lars wasn’t going to just go away. He was only biding his time.”
“We’ll get Taryn back. Losing her to Lars is not an option.”
Putting down the picture he held, Drake turned the page of the photo album he had been looking at when Wade had walked in. It was filled with pictures of Taryn and her uncle at various stages in her life. “I’ve missed so much. I’m sad, but at the same time furious. Lars did this to me out of jealousy. All I can think about is ripping the bastard’s throat out.”
“Good. Remember what you’re feeling now and use it against Lars tomorrow night. Make him pay for all the pain and suffering he has put you through. And know that we’ll be there for you during the fight.”
Drake scowled up at Wade. “That is against the rules of the challenge. I’m to meet him alone.”
“It will only be me, Braedan and Beowulf. We’ll be well out of sight. Drake, you can’t meet Lars alone. The man is crazy. Do you think he’ll follow the rules of the challenge?”
“No. To be honest, I have no idea what to expect from him. I’m not going to leave my daughter parentless. All I know is that I have to win.”
Wade clapped Drake on the shoulder. “You will. Now come downstairs and reassure your brother that you haven’t sunk so low that you won’t be able to defend yourself tomorrow.”
“I’ll come down in a few minutes.”
“You’d better. This is where I sleep and I’d hate to have to throw my father-in-law’s ass out in the hall.”
Drake gave Wade a half smile. “You can always try, pup.”
Giving Drake a nod of his head, Wade left him to go back downstairs. He hoped Braedan had gotten hold of Beowulf. As pack leader, he needed to be there tomorrow night just in case things got messy.
* * * *
Beowulf arrived at The Pines the following afternoon. Much to Wade’s surprise, Roxie was with him. Wade met them out in the front yard. He had been out working in the vineyard with the rest of the men. With Taryn absent, and to help make the hours go by more quickly, they had all decided to finish up with the harvest. Today was to have been their last day anyway. After working so hard for the last six weeks, none of the men wanted to leave the job unfinished.
Roxie gave him a kiss on the cheek once he reached them. “How are you holding up, Wade? You must be ready to climb the walls by now.”
“I’ve been better. Drake has been the harder hit. What are you doing here, Roxie?”
“She refused to be left behind,” Beowulf explained. “Roxie feels it’s her right to be there during the challenge considering she rules over the packs now.”
“Well, I do. So the both of you can stop looking at me as if I have done something wrong. Where are all our guys by the way?”
Wade shook his head, knowing full well Roxie would not change her mind and stay away from Muir Woods. “We’re finishing the harvest.”
“Beowulf and I will help.”
“We will?” Beowulf asked, lightly.
“Of course we will. What else do you have to do? If everyone else is out in the vineyard working, we can’t very well just go and sit in the house doing nothing, waiting for them to finish.”
“No, of course we couldn’t,” Beowulf said, blandly. He then said under his breath, “Though I can think of another way we can keep ourselves entertained until they call it a day.”
“What was that?” Roxie arched a brow at her mate.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“Yeah, right. I think you have sex on the brain, Beowulf. Don’t you think of anythi
ng but that?”
“I do, occasionally. It’s just hard to think of anything else when I know you really wouldn’t complain if I were to sling you over my shoulder and take you to the house to have my way with you.”
Roxie gave Beowulf a heated stare that said he was all too correct. She then turned back to Wade. “Take us to the vineyard. Now. The faster we get there, the better.”
Wade looked over Roxie’s head at his brother. Beowulf was staring at his mate with the affection he felt for her showing in his eyes. Before finding Taryn, Wade had found Roxie and Beowulf’s banter sickening at times. He hadn’t understood how his brother could go from being the strong-willed leader of their pack one moment, then change into someone who could let his guard down completely around his mate, joking and teasing with her. Now he did. He’d even acted in very much the same way with Taryn.
Resisting the urge to gnash his teeth at the unfairness of it all, Wade turned on his heel and led Beowulf and Roxie to where the rest of the men were working in the vineyard. As he walked along, he decided after he got Taryn back he would get Roxie to try the spell on her that night. He couldn’t help feeling that if Taryn had been a werewolf she would have been able to get away from Lars. He never wanted to go through this again. Taryn needed to be able to protect herself. If the spell didn’t work, he didn’t even want to think about it.
* * * *
In agitation, Taryn paced the large bedroom Lars had locked her in. It was a beautifully decorated room with a king-sized bed and a bathroom en suite, but it was a prison nonetheless. The one window had bars in front of it, which she couldn’t have slipped through even if she had been able to open the window. The bathroom had no windows, so there was no means of escape there either. It made Taryn wonder who else besides herself had been held captive in this room. She didn’t think Lars had gone to the trouble of making this room a prison just for her.
When her pacing brought her back to the bedroom door, Taryn grabbed the handle and pulled. It was still locked from the outside. So far she hadn’t seen Lars, or anyone else for that matter, since he had shoved her inside the room and locked her in. But that didn’t necessarily mean Lars lived here alone. The quick glimpse of the house she’d had before he hauled her inside was enough for her to see he lived in a mansion. It figured the crazy man was also stinking rich.
Taryn’s Wolf Page 12