“Fine. Let’s just do this.”
Sofia didn’t know why the thought of contacting Lars made her nervous. Maybe it was because of the way she had ended their last conversation. He hadn’t bothered trying to contact her all day. Had she pissed him off?
“Here goes nothing. Lars? Can you hear me? It’s Sofia.”
“Yes, love, I can hear you. Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine. I wanted to say thank you for taking care of my ex-boyfriend last night. I really didn’t want to have to deal with him.”
“You’re welcome. I can honestly say it was my pleasure, but how did you know what I did?”
“Chloe told me everything.”
“Good. I’m glad she did. We shouldn’t have any secrets between us.”
Sofia breathed a sigh of relief. She was comforted by the fact that Lars wasn’t upset with her. Why his feelings seemed to matter so much, she couldn’t imagine, but they did. Worrying about whether or not she had upset a man wasn’t her style. Ever.
“Would you like to come over for dinner?”
“I’d love to, but I have to be on stage in an hour.”
That’s right—her mate was a stripper. How the fuck could she have forgotten that tiny detail. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. It’s Saturday night, after all. It must be one of your busiest nights.” Sofia tried to keep the disappointment out of her mental voice.
“I really wouldn’t know. I’m not really a stripper.”
Not a stripper? Had she heard him right?
“Wait. What?”
“I swear to Odin, I’m not really a stripper.”
“Then why are you stripping at The Horny Wolf?” Had he fallen and bumped his head or something? He wasn’t making a damn bit of sense.
“I lost a bet with one of my packmates. Couldn’t you tell I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing last night? It was my first time decked out in leather, or wearing that damn G-string. And I can assure you that last night was the first time women have ever stuffed money down my pants.”
Relief washed over Sofia. Finding out that Lars wasn’t actually a stripper was the highlight of her day. What he did for a living shouldn’t have bothered her, but it did. The thought of Lars up on that stage night after night with a bunch of horny women pawing all over him didn’t sit well with her. She had never been the jealous type—until she thought about Lars giving another woman a lap dance. Her blood boiled.
“I’m actually pretty relieved to hear that.”
“Tonight’s my last night of stripping, and I promise I’m not stupid enough to make that bet again. I only have to be there for a couple of hours. Why don’t I pick you up when I’m done, and we can go out for dinner?”
“You actually want to take me out? You won’t be embarrassed by me?”
“Of course I want to take you out. You are absolutely beautiful and I would be honored to have you by my side.”
Sofia felt the ice that had surrounded her heart for so many years start to melt away.
“I’ll let you know when I leave the club. That way you have time to get ready.”
“Sounds like a plan. Lars, can I ask you a question?”
“Anything, love.”
“Are you going to give any lap dances tonight?”
“Maybe after dinner, if you’d like one.”
Sofia was glad she had swallowed her fear and taken the time to talk to Lars. She had a million and one things she should do before their date, but the only thing she managed to do was lay down for a nap. Just a short snooze to recharge her batteries was all she needed—or at least that’s what she told herself.
Chapter Twenty
Sofia awoke to her wolf going nuts in her mind. Shit! She must have overslept. She had set the alarm on her phone, but must not have heard it.
“Sofia! Wake up! You have to get up!”
“Do I smell smoke?” Sofia said aloud as she glanced around her bedroom.
“Yes! He’s trying to kill us. We have to get out of here.”
Sofia sprang from her bed. The deadly smoke had started to seep into the bedroom from around the closed door. Panic like she’d never felt before ripped through her body, holding her hostage.
“Sofia, are you okay, love?”
“Lars! My house is on fire! I have to get out of here!” Sofia coughed and ran to the window. She clawed at the lock trying to get it opened as fast as she could, but she kept turning to look at the smoke pouring in behind her.
“Concentrate on the window. Don’t worry about the smoke,” her wolf warned sternly.
Sofia did as her wolf instructed and finally got the window open. She pushed the screen out into the yard and took a step back. Her wolf didn’t waste a second, charging to the forefront and forcing the shift.
Before she knew what had happened, her wolf had leapt through the window and into the yard. Sofia looked at her once-beautiful house through her wolf’s eyes to see flames shooting high into the night sky.
The sound of sirens howled in the distance. With each passing second they drew closer to her house, but no matter how fast they got there they would never be able to save what she’d worked so hard for.
Sofia shifted back to human form and made her way across the street, a steady flow of tears streaming down her face. She sat alone on the curb waiting for help to arrive. She didn’t know how it was even possible, but Lars was the first to arrive on the scene—in wolf form.
He immediately shifted to human, and stood in front of her burning house, screaming her name.
“Lars! I’m over here.”
He wasted no time in sprinting across the street and wrapping her tight in his arms. Kissing her forehead he whispered, “Thank Freyja you’re okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done if anything had happened to you. I just met you, my one true mate, I can’t lose you now.”
“I’m fine, I promise. Pretty shaken up, but I’ll be okay.”
“What happened?” Lars asked.
“I don’t know.” A healthy dose of sleepiness, fear, and adrenaline had taken over. Now she closed her eyes and focused on what her wolf had said to her. “My wolf woke me up screaming in my head that he was trying to kill us.”
“He who? Do you have any idea who would do this?”
The fire trucks finally rolled to a stop in front of her house, along with a police car, and an ambulance. One of the police officers sprinted across the street to ask, “is there anyone inside?”
“No. It was just me.”
“You’re lucky to have made it out alive.”
“I know.” Sofia didn’t need anyone to tell her she had been lucky as hell to get out of there. She knew her escape had been a close call—far closer than she would ever have wanted.
The officer jogged back across the street to let the firemen know that there was no one inside.
“Sofia, does your wolf know who tried to kill you?” Lars asked quietly.
“It was Sam.”
“Motherfucker. I knew I should have ripped that bastard’s heart out when I had the chance.”
“Probably.”
The rest of the night passed by in a frenzy of activity as emergency workers continued to surround her home and put out the fire. Her tears flowed freely the entire time. Her home was gone, burnt to a crisp. She had answered a million questions, and asked a million more. She was sure to let the police know that she thought her ex-boyfriend had set the fire because he was angry with her. They diligently took all of the information that she was able to provide on the spot.
When all was said and done, Sofia looked down at herself. She was a hot mess, and didn’t even own so much as a brush, or a change of clothes. Everything she’d ever had burned up inside her home.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lars watched over his mate as she finally succumbed to sleep. She had been dead on her feet when they finally made it to his hotel room. Physical and emotional exhaustion had taken its toll. Having barely made it out of her house al
ive had shaken Sofia to her core. He didn’t have to guess at the thoughts or feelings running through her mind; the mating connection they shared told him all he needed to know. Her pain, sorrow, and despair became his. As her mate, he would do whatever he could to help her through this difficult time.
He knew she worried about what would happen next. Would the police catch up with Sam, or would he be stupid enough to come after her again? Lars almost wished he would. He would love nothing more than to settle the score by putting the sick bastard six feet under. It was a vow he had easily made to his gods, and one he was fully prepared to make good on.
Protecting his mate was his top priority. He had waited his whole life to find her, and he wasn’t about to let a jealous ex-boyfriend destroy their future.
When Sofia tossed and turned in her sleep, Lars pulled her closer, reassuring her that she was safe and he was there to watch over her. Lars didn’t know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes and found Sofia gone.
Panic tore through his body. “Sofia?” Lars called, hoping maybe she was in the bathroom.
“Where is she?” he asked his wolf desperately.
“I don’t know.” His wolf was filled with his own worry for his mate.
Lars closed his eyes and imagined her beautiful face. Opening the mating connection, he called for her, but got no response.
“Where the hell did she go?”
“We must find her. Something isn’t right.” His wolf was ready to take charge and hunt down their mate.
Lars threw on his clothes and headed to the table to grab his keys. Seeing the note Sofia had left on the table calmed his frazzled nerves.
Lars,
Running over to Gabby’s to grab some clothes. Be back by 4:00.
Xoxoxo
Sofia
Then he glanced over at the alarm clock on the nightstand and saw that it was half past six. “Fuck!” Lars shouted.
“She should have been back two and a half hours ago.”
Lars had no idea where to start. He was in a strange town filled with people he didn’t know, and to make matters worse, he had absolutely no idea how to get a hold of the few people who could help him locate Sofia. He didn’t know where any of Sofia’s friends lived or their phone numbers.
“Aric Wolfe.”
His wolf was right—if anyone could help, it would be Aric. Lars grabbed his phone and hit the speed dial button he had programed for his temporary boss.
“Lars, what can I do for you? Are you looking for a more permanent job?” Aric joked.
“Not quite. I’ve got a problem that I’m hoping like hell you can help me with.”
“Sure. What’s up?”
Lars explained what had happened with Sofia and her ex-boyfriend Sam, including the fight and the fire. He didn’t hold back on any of the details. He needed Aric to come to a quick realization that Sofia was in trouble. His wolf knew it and so did he.
“Gabby lives over on Union Street. Look for the tiny purple house. I’ll meet you there.”
“Thanks.”
Lars hopped in his truck and put the pedal to the metal, not wanting to waste a second when it came to finding his mate. His berserker was on the edge of a killing frenzy. He’d never considered that part of him to be a bad thing, until now. Years of learning how to control his anger had kept the berserker side of him in check. The beast had only been set free when Lars had willed it. With his mate missing, it was all he could do to hold the anger back and keep his head clear. His priority had to be finding Sofia.
Within minutes Lars pulled up to the purple house to find Aric and Gabby in the front yard, but no Sofia. Throwing the truck into park and shutting it off, he flung open the door and dashed over to them. His heart nearly stopped when he saw fresh tears streaming from Gabby’s face.
“Lars!” Gabby ran to meet him. “Sofia never showed up today. Sam has to be involved in this.”
“Fuck! Do you know where Sam lives? Or how we can get a hold of him?”
“At one point Sofia said he had an apartment over by the old warehouse, but I don’t know the apartment number.”
“I know the area,” Aric said. “Let’s go check it out. Maybe you can pick up her scent once we get there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The five-minute drive seemed to take hours, at least in Lars’ mind. His wolf wanted to run the distance, swearing his paw-driven power would be faster than Aric’s crazy driving. His berserker didn’t give a fuck how they got there, as long as he could kill someone when they arrived. And all Lars wanted was for Sofia to be safe in his arms.
His beasts battled for supremacy, but he managed to keep his cool until they pulled up to the rundown apartment building. Even in the dark of the evening he could easily tell they were in a shady part of town where disorder ruled the block.
Lars sniffed the pungent air, but failed to pick up his mate’s scent. “What the hell do you expect to find with a human nose in this garbage dump? That pathetic thing you call a nose couldn’t find your own ass if you tried. Now, let me out so I can find our mate.”
His wolf was right. He needed to be the one scenting the area. Not Lars. If he had any hopes of finding Sofia, he had to work with the beasts in him, instead of fighting them and demanding their obedience.
The second Lars silently passed control to his wolf, the beast emerged, ready to find their mate. He sniffed the air, hoping to easily pick up her scent, but he had no such luck. The putrid stench of the city burned his nose, making him long for the clean crisp air at Black Paw. He turned to the right, then to the left, trying to pick up the faintest scent of his mate. Nothing.
The wolf huffed. His tail twitched, annoyed by the sounds of passing vehicles and noisy humans filling his ears. He tried again through the mating connection to talk to his mate. No luck. He focused on the majik of their unique connection, and whispered a prayer to Odin with the hope of finding guidance.
Before Lars had finished his prayer, his wolf shot forward. A long howl erupted from his snout. It was a call to wake his mate, and a warning to her captor that he was coming.
Gabby and Aric shifted to their wolf forms and caught up with Lars. He ran fast and hard, charging through the throngs of people meandering aimlessly on the sidewalk, staring at their cell phones.
Jesus Christ, did anyone actually watch where the fuck they walked anymore? If Lars were in human form, he would have shouted for them to get the fuck out of his way. Instead, he and the others growled and nipped at random ankles, sending the obtuse assholes scrambling for safety.
Lars had no idea how he suddenly knew where his mate was, but he did. The image of the building she was located in flashed through his mind, and he thanked the gods for listening to his prayer. His wolf howled once again as he finally picked up the scent of his mate—and of fresh blood.
With each breath he sucked into his chest, his lungs burned from the exertion as he pushed himself to run harder and faster than he had in a long time.
The building finally came into view as the trio skidded around a corner. Lars charged ahead even as he saw a man that looked like Sam exiting the building covered in blood. The berserker in him pushed harder than ever to take control at the sight of blood, but Lars somehow managed to hold the beast off. He had to find his mate. They could kill the man once he knew that Sofia was safe.
Aric shifted back to human and shouted, “You and Gabby keep going and find Sofia. I’ll see what I can get out of him.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sofia’s head pounded. What the fuck had happened? The last thing she remembered was leaving the hotel room for Gabby’s. She had made it as far as the edge of the forest. After that everything was a blank. Now the smell of blood filled her nose, and her wrists and ankles burned like a mofo.
“Glad to see you’re finally awake. I was starting to worry I’d hit you too hard. Thought maybe shifters weren’t as tough as everyone always claimed.”
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“Sam! What the fuck? Let me go!” Sofia screamed as she tried to get away, only to instantly regret moving her limbs. Fresh waves of pain shot through her body and the smell of burnt flesh scorched her nose.
“You made a complete fool out of me the other night. You think you can just get away with that? I had planned on asking you to marry me, and now you’ve ruined it. You think I wanted to live here in this hellhole for the rest of my life while you slept in your fancy house every night?”
“What the actual fuck?” Sofia asked her wolf. “I think he’s completely lost his damn mind.”
“I suspect you’re right, but we’re in no position to fight. Not with all the damn silver he has us wrapped up in.”
Sofia knew her wolf was right. She could feel her energy waning with each passing second. “Sam, you have to take this silver off of me. We can talk about this and work things out.”
“And give you the chance to escape? I don’t think so. I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“I won’t try and escape. You have my word. The silver will kill me. I can already feel it draining my majik.”
Sam appeared to be deep in thought. Sofia could almost see the hamster jumping on the wheel and starting to run as he processed his thoughts. Suddenly, Sofia realized she had never really taken a good hard look at the man she had dated. What was it that had drawn her to a man of such weak character and morals? A man who had not only cheated on her, but had set her home on fire, and now held her captive. What else had he done over the years that she had overlooked, or not been aware of? At this point, she would bet a whole hell of a lot.
Sofia tried once again to get him to remove the silver. “You know I would never lie to you.” And she hadn’t. Not once during their relationship had she ever lied to him. If he knew anything with a certainty, it was that fact.
Sam reached into the waistband of his pants, removing the gun he had tucked there, then placed it on the table beside the bed. “If you so much as try and get away, I will kill you. Do you understand?”
Sassy Ever After: You Bet Your Sass Page 6