The door to his prison fell to the ground, cold night air rushing around him, the sweet smell of the trees cleansing his senses. He stepped out of the small brick dwelling, nothing more than a huge box, more than likely built just to hold werewolves.
Better build a stronger cage.
Taking a minute to look around him, get his bearings, he determined there were no humans around. He found that strange. Someone so intent on killing off an entire race of beings would surely have security around his home.
All he could do was store the information. Right now, he had a mission to finish, and his woman to protect. He would not allow Trudy to be hurt.
One thing bothered him. At least two of the humans here had werewolf blood in them. He would learn the details around that knowledge. But if these humans weren’t opposed to mating with werewolves, how would they treat Trudy?
Fire burned through him with such intensity he couldn’t return to his human form. Primitive emotions too raw for any human to handle consumed him with a fever he couldn’t appease. Just the thought that one of them might touch her, try to seduce her, or in any way make sexual advances toward her sent a feeling of outrage through him that he’d never experienced before.
For right now though, he needed to secure the house, find out who was here and who wasn’t, learn their plans. That could only be done in his skin. Pain ripped through him this time while he returned to his human form, forcing the emotions that struggled inside him to ebb, at least for now.
Grabbing his pants, he struggled into them while making his way across the yard. Damp grass soaked his feet, the dew hanging heavy in the air. His predator’s instincts held strong within him, every dark shadow grabbing his attention, the shift of the breeze keeping him alert.
A beeping sounded when he opened the back door. An alarm had been triggered. Keeping his breathing slow, focusing the best he could with his human eyes in the darkness, he smelled the air. There were humans here. Or at least their smell was strong enough that they’d been here recently. He wasn’t sure.
Footsteps sounded upstairs. At the same time someone stirred in the living area. The alarm must have woken them.
It appeared he would be securing the area first and gathering information later. Adam moved into the shadows, waiting to see which human would approach him first. Slipping into the living room, he spotted the human male with beady eyes who had helped escort him to Hordan earlier.
“Werewolf, is that you?” He had a guttural tone, deep and raspy. “Get tired of your cramped quarters?”
Adam heard a gun cock. Shifting his attention to the stairs, he saw the younger guard approach, the one with the lingering scent of werewolf about him.
“Porter, are you okay?” The human werewolf reached the bottom of the stairs.
“He’s here in the living room.” Porter still sounded raspy, maybe a cold. He didn’t smell of cigarettes. “We’ve got him trapped though.”
“Don’t get cocky,” the human snapped. “Don’t ever assume you’ve got the upper hand when it comes to a werewolf.”
He moved into view, a large rifle poised right at Adam. The distinct werewolf scent was strong surrounding the man. Adam studied him, noticing the dilated pupils and thick jaw. The young human had changed partially to accommodate the darkness. His senses were heightened. Adam wondered if he had enough control over himself that he allowed the partial change, or if his emotions just ran too strong for his human form.
“And how is it that you are the werewolf expert?” Adam asked him, watching the human adjust his grip on his rifle. He raised it so Adam stared down the length of it.
“That is none of your fucking business.” Anger wrapped around the man, his fingers gripping the trigger.
He would shoot. Whatever his motives to destroy the bloodline he partially came from, he would shoot. Adam knew the look of a man intent on killing. And this young man didn’t look like he would hesitate.
Adam didn’t take his gaze off the young man with his rifle pointed steady at his face. He didn’t blink, and gave no indication of his next move. Quicker than either human could react, he dropped to his knees, grabbing the underside of the dining room table, and lifting it sideways.
Chairs toppled over. The sudden noise startled both men. In that split second it took them to react to his sudden movement, he flipped the table, throwing it toward the older human.
Shots fired in the air. Plaster showered down on them. One of them had fired at the ceiling. Upstairs, a woman began screaming. A bloodcurdling sound that rang through Adam’s ears.
“If you’ve hurt her,” the young human screamed. “I’ll kill you, if you’ve hurt her.”
The female upstairs didn’t stop her commotion. The noise obviously affected both men. Adam jumped over the sideways table, grabbing one of the chairs and flinging it at the younger human, while he lunged at the older one. A fist to the side of the head, and the older human with the gravelly voice collapsed to the ground. Adam grabbed his gun, and turned on the younger man who had half-changed into a werewolf.
Standing like a human, but with legs now incapable of being straight, he hunched over, his spine twisted in its halfwerewolf, half-human shape.
“I’m going to enjoy killing you.” His voice was barely audible, dagger-like teeth pressing hard against his still human lips.
Realizing his hands could barely hold the rifle, the human werewolf threw the gun, screaming in a rage. Adam took advantage of his fit and lunged at him, throwing all of his strength into his attack.
“Why would you want to kill your own kind?” he hissed, falling forward on top of the younger man.
He tossed the rifle he had in his hand and grabbed the thickened neck of his opponent.
“You are not one of my kind.” The growled words curdled in the man’s throat, constricted from Adam’s grip.
Surprise seemed to overcome the warped features on the man’s face when he couldn’t overcome Adam.
Adam hit him hard, a blow to the temple, and the human relaxed underneath him, his human features taking over. Within a minute, no sign of the werewolf existed.
Adam stood, listening. The female upstairs whimpered, but otherwise the house grew deathly quiet. If anyone else was here, they were waiting to attack or too scared to come out.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Adam stepped over the unconscious human and headed toward the stairs. Once he had the house secure, he needed to contact Werewolf Affairs before they sent out the cavalry. The boss didn’t like to be left in the dark. Adam had pushed his time frame to the limit; he needed to check in.
At the top of the stairs, he looked down an open hallway, several closed doors on either side except for one room. Its door was opened and the whimpering female sounded like she came from in there.
Not much surprised Adam. He’d seen things that would turn the strongest werewolf’s stomach. But it took a minute for him to quit staring when he paused in the open doorway.
“Are you okay?” he asked the young woman who knelt on all fours, chained to the wall.
She was beautiful. More than beautiful, she was stunning, breathtaking. Long black hair floated over her naked body, barely covering large firm breasts. Each nipple was pierced, silver loops embedded with jewels adorning the dark brown areolas. Tattoos covered her body, a bright red detailed rose pattern covering her hip and traipsing over her exposed ass.
She watched him with oversized black eyes, thick lashes fluttering, blinking quickly showing her nervousness. Her full lips, more red than they should be, didn’t stretch over her extended jowl. Her sharpened teeth were barely covered by her sensuous full lips. A long dark tail flitted between her legs, dusting the floor with its worried twitch.
Any man would be captivated by the submissive image before him. On all fours, staring up at him, with a studded collar around her neck, a thin chain attached to a large metal loop on the wall. Her sexuality saturated the room, a rich full smell, branded into the walls as if this had b
een her home for many years.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He felt like a father approaching a terrified child.
And in all essence he guessed that was what he was doing. Even though this woman was no child, her body displayed before him like a seasoned whore, she looked up at him with the fearful gaze of an innocent.
Whimpering, she backed up onto a large feather-stuffed pillow. The chain around her neck allowed the movement, and her graceful actions showed she was very accustomed to her confinement.
“What’s your name, Miss?” He moved closer, scanning her body with his eyes, seeing no blood, smelling no pain. She was simply scared. The noises downstairs obviously had terrified her.
“Darla can’t talk.” Christopher Hordan leaned in the doorway behind him.
Adam turned quickly, chastising himself for having been so distracted he’d allowed his senses to lower.
“She’s a damned good fuck though.” Christopher smiled; he nudged his glasses up his nose with his finger. In his other hand, he held a small pistol with a silencer attached. “She can suck some damned good cock, too.”
He chuckled, the sound almost sinister.
“And like the rest of you, she is halfwerewolf.” Adam watched closely for Christopher’s reaction.
The man ignored the comment.
“We tried to educate her when she was a child, but all she learned to do well was spread her legs. She likes it, so we indulge her.” His grin turned sinister. “She will do anything you want her to do. Care to give her a try?”
Adam saw no reason to acknowledge the insulting comment.
Christopher snorted. “I didn’t think so. You would probably upset your mate, who I’m sure is dying to know when you will return to her.”
Adam didn’t like the way Christopher mentioned Trudy. Knowledge gleamed in the man’s green eyes.
A phone rang in the other room and Christopher gestured with his gun. “This way, werewolf. I’m sure this is the call I’ve been waiting for.”
Adam moved toward the doorway. Darla whimpered behind him and he turned to look at her.
Christopher stamped his foot on the ground. “Silence, Darla,” he ordered.
She went mute, curling her body like a dog would on to her pillow, her cheek resting on her hands. It was amazing how innocent those oversized dark eyes were that stared at him. Her luscious body betrayed that innocence, making her a contradiction he couldn’t grasp.
“If you give me the information I want, maybe I’ll let her suck your dick later.” Christopher laughed, grabbing Adam’s arm and pushing him toward the ringing phone.
It crossed his mind to attack, to knock the pompous look right off of this crazed man’s face. But he was curious about the phone call, and also wondered what information the human wanted from him. The more he could tell the Bureau when he checked in, the less chance he would have of getting a reprimand for not contacting them sooner.
Dark shadows fell across the large master room that Christopher Hordan shoved Adam into. He took a quick minute to look around, taking in the elaborate furniture, the thick carpet under his feet, and the dark sinister oil paintings hanging on the walls.
Images of witch hangings from the Salem trials, graphic scenes of slaughtered villagers from a time gone by, razzings of blacks in the deep South, covered Christopher Hordan’s walls. The paintings were large, framed in heavy gold frames, the thick layers of bright oils on canvas adding to the gross intensity of each scene. Adam glanced from one to the other, realizing each picture displayed a scene where the masses were attempting to wipe out a fear they didn’t understand.
But in each case, history had proven that it had been wrong to kill these people. What kind of madness weaved through Hordan’s mind that he didn’t see that?
“What?” Hordan grabbed the cordless phone, which rested on the nightstand next to his bed. He lowered his gun, apparently confident that Adam wouldn’t try anything, although his gaze never left him.
The excited female voice on the other end of the line tickled Adam’s ears. He focused, trying to hear what she said, although her words were muffled.
“What?” Christopher almost shouted. “You allowed her to escape?”
Silence hung heavy in the room. Adam struggled to hear what was being said but Christopher held the phone too close to his head.
The crazed look didn’t fade from his gaze when he narrowed it on Adam. He raised his gun toward him.
“Let her come. Head back this way. She will play right into my plan.” He actually chuckled when he hung up the phone, then without blinking an eye, he shot Adam.
Adam cursed himself for relaxing in the presence of a madman. Curiosity had gotten the best of him, and it had gotten him shot. His tongue seemed stuck to his mouth while he blinked several times, struggling to focus. Whatever Hordan had shot him with, it hadn’t been designed to knock him out for very long. His thoughts were in a cloud, but with some effort, he was able to clear them.
It did take him a moment to realize his positioning. He was standing against the wall, his arms manacled in heavy iron shackles, the kind found in museums used in another time. They were heavy, strong, and he couldn’t move his wrists. Quite possibly he could hurt himself if he changed under such severe confinement.
Glancing down, he realized his ankles were shackled together too. But that wasn’t what grabbed his attention. Darla kneeled in front of him, her dark eyes looking up at him with pure fascination.
“She’s never done a purebred werewolf before.” Christopher sounded amused. “I think she is rather excited.”
Adam stared over at the insane human who reclined in an overstuffed chair, a drink in his hand. He sipped the golden liquid, whiskey Adam guessed by the smell. To the side of the room, the two guards lay crumpled on the floor. Christopher showed no signs of caring that they lay there, unconscious.
“Darla.” Christopher snapped his fingers and the female stood, turning to him. “Give him something to drink.”
He picked up another glass that sat on the coffee table in front of him. Early morning shadows crept across the room, which otherwise wasn’t lit. Darla moved to take the glass, her long thick tail swaying behind her, almost touching the ground when she walked. He noticed her toes curled, unlike a human’s, but otherwise she held all the grace and exotic behavior of a skilled courtesan.
She turned, glass in hand, and smiled at him. Her incisors extended to her lower lip but appeared to have been filed. He could guess the reason why. Those full luscious lips would beckon most men, but dagger-like teeth would hinder her abilities to please. She ran her tongue over her upper lip, seemingly aware that her captive audience had eyes only for her.
Adam flexed his wrists against the steel wristbands holding him to the wall. Blood rushed through him, the urgency to break free and end this charade overwhelming him. He’d heard what Christopher said on the phone. Trudy had escaped. The only way they would be able to catch her would be to shoot her. The need to protect surged through him, forcing his muscles to grow and press painfully against his shackles.
Darla made a gurgling sound in her throat while she raked a fingernail over the front of his thigh. She didn’t break skin but pressed hard enough to make him flinch, the action dangerously close to his cock.
“She doesn’t like to be ignored when she is with a man.” Christopher sounded amused.
Adam realized he’d had his eyes closed, concentrating so intently on his next move that he’d managed to block her out.
“I’m sure she doesn’t,” he mumbled, glancing down at her.
Her studded piercings covered the roundness of her nipples, keeping them hard, puckered, eager to be played with. The fullness of her breasts complimented the jewelry, while her narrow waist and flat tummy implied her fragility. Completely shaved, her pussy graced a tattoo, a vine pattern covered with small roses that disappeared around her hips. He already knew the tattoo spread over part of her ass.
“But tell me.�
�� He dared to glance away from the mutant seductress. “Why did you change your mind?”
Christopher raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe I’ve changed my mind about anything.”
Adam looked down at the woman who stood before him. Darla pressed up against him, no fear in those dark eyes. Her smile was warm, content. In her simpleness, she assumed he wanted her. Her fingernails grazed over his skin while her small hand stroked his chest. She leaned into him, pressing her large breasts against his skin until he could feel her tiny heart pitter-pattering against his flesh. It beat too fast for a human.
She grunted, her lips parting, while she held the glass to his lips. He kept his gaze on her while he sipped, the whiskey burning all the way down. The hardness of the glass clinked against his teeth before she pulled it away. Her lips formed a small circle, fascination in her expression. Her emotions were so pure, so open, every reaction she had to him was like an infant discovering something for the first time. In all her beauty, all her adorned nakedness, he wasn’t attracted to her. She needed to be rescued and taken care of, not fucked.
Adam looked over her head, grateful that his mouth no longer felt like sandpaper. The headiness of the alcohol actually helped clear his head, and he wondered if Christopher had actually offered the whiskey with that intent, wanting him clearheaded while he endured the twisted torture awaiting him.
“You told me if I gave you the information that you wanted, you would allow this beautiful creature to suck my cock.” He hoped he sounded interested, that the thought of this house whore offering such a treat had him willing to do anything.
The human werewolf had a serious expression on his face, appearing to stare at Darla’s ass but not seeing it. It was as if his thoughts distracted him.
“You are going to tell me what I want to know, trust me.”
He wouldn’t trust this man as far as he could throw him. And at the moment, hurling him against the wall had its appeal.
Lunewulf 5: In Her Soul Page 13