If they figured out what she was they'd tear her apart just on principal. For a moment she considered screaming for Caine as she had when she was a child, but she couldn't do that to him. Besides, she didn't need him, she told herself as the first large brown beast cut off the path in front of her.
She skidded to a stop as the large beast bared its teeth, sending a warning growl as it lowered its large head and moved into a crouching position. Taking a slow step back, she gripped the edges of her shirt tightly together and looked over her shoulder only to find that way cut off by an even larger beast with a deep black sprinkled throughout its fur.
Another one moved to her right and then to her left before several more werewolves surrounded her, leaving her with no way to escape. As she looked around at the werewolves who scented the air and looked more than willing to tear her apart she had a feeling this was going to be one of those moments where she was going to hate not being able to die.
Please don't let them eat me, she thought as her stomach twisted into a knot at the idea of being alive while she was feasted upon.
A loud howl had all of them shifting their large heads to look past her and somehow she forced herself to take her eyes away from them and follow their glances. As soon as she did she wished that she hadn't. One of the largest werewolves she'd ever seen came crashing through the woods. When it saw her, it growled and came straight for her at a full run.
She automatically reached for her weapons only to remember that she was traipsing through the woods in only a torn dirty men's shirt. When it was fifteen feet away she prepared herself for the attack that she knew was coming only to gasp as the large black wolf shifted mid run into a man, a large gorgeous naked man with shaggy black hair, rich tan skin, a great physique and a really pissed off expression on his face as he slowed down until he was storming up to her.
"Where the fuck is he?" he demanded, getting into her face and startling the living hell out of her.
"Who?" she asked, confused that he wasn't commencing with the chomping, but also very relieved since she was pretty sure that she'd never get over someone chomping on her liver while she watched.
"Don't play coy with me, sweetheart, I can smell the bastard all over you," he said, glaring down at her through beautiful silver eyes.
This was embarrassing, but probably not as embarrassing as not being able to scent them before they were able to ambush her. She'd been able to smell wild animals, but all the scents were a bit overwhelming. She had a difficult time weeding through them and focusing on any of them. It was something that she was going to have to learn and soon.
"Can't help you," she said with a shrug. No matter how much Caine pissed her off, and holy hell did that man have the ability to piss her off, she wasn't about to sell him out, especially after everything he'd done for her. He'd been there for her when she was a child when no one else was. As much as she hated to admit it he'd also taken care of her when the cancer was kicking her ass and she hadn't been able to protect herself. So for that she planned on keeping her mouth shut.
"Oh, I think you can more than help me," he said, leaning forward to run his nose over her hair and neck. When she moved to step away he grabbed her hand and gave it a warning squeeze as he continued to scent her. "Tell me where your mate is," he said, giving her wrist another painful squeeze as the large beasts watched them.
Even as a human she wouldn't put up with this bullshit. If he thought he could intimidate her with a little manhandling then he was sorely mistaken. With a bored sigh she twisted her hand, using her newfound strength to her advantage. She forced the naked jerk forward before her other hand shot out and delivered a blow to his nose that had his head reeling back. He cursed up a storm as he released her in order to cup his face, but she wasn't done.
Not by a long shot.
While he was cupping his face, her hand shot out, palm out, and slammed into his chest, sending him flying back with a surprised "oomph" before he tripped over a root and slammed into the ground, but still she wasn't done. Calmly, she walked over to him, ignoring the warning growls from his pack. When she was standing over him, she placed her foot on his throat and pressed down in warning, he stilled even as he glared up at her.
"Since I don't have a mate I can't help you," she bit out as his pack moved to take her down.
"The hell you don't," Caine said as he stepped out of the woods.
Chapter 26
"You might want to tell your pack to back off my mate," Caine drawled as he walked into the small clearing. He ignored Danni's exaggerated sigh, probably at the mate comment and not really caring.
She was his and she really needed to get the hell over it. He'd grudgingly accepted the situation and she would, too. She was just being too stubborn to realize that she belonged to him now. Once she realized that she never had to worry about anything ever again and that he'd protect her and support her then she would no doubt be grateful for their situation. Until then, he was going to have a hell of a time stopping himself from strangling the stubborn woman.
His eyes narrowed on her foot placed at the base of Jax's throat. He ran his eyes up her smooth shapely leg and nearly cursed at the sight that greeted him. No wonder the bastard wasn't shoving her away, he thought with an inward groan.
He walked between two grey werewolves, ignoring their warning growls and stepped up to Danni's side. He put his arm around her waist and yanked her back as he leaned down to help the grinning bastard to his feet.
"Enjoy the show?" he asked as he yanked Jax up.
"Highlight of my night," Jax said with a huge grin.
Danni shoved his hand away, but he noted with an odd sense of pleasure that she didn't move away from him. At least she was starting to realize that she needed him. The knowledge somewhat appeased the anger he felt earlier when she pulled away from him. He'd forced himself to lay there and pretend to be asleep as he waited anxiously for her to make her decision.
Part of him hoped that she felt the same pull as he did and that she'd be unable to leave him. It surprised him how badly he wanted her to want to stay with him. When she made her choice it further surprised him that he was disappointed. He shouldn't want her to need him, to feel this connection with him, but he did, desperately.
If he was going to be stuck with the overwhelming need for her then it was only right that she have the same problem, but she didn't and he knew that the second she was able to walk away from him. As soon as she walked away he tried to convince himself that it was fine, that he didn't need or want her, but he'd been lying to himself.
He needed to know that she was safe, that he could go to her whenever he needed her, and the only way that was going to happen was if she was under his protection. Not knowing where she was or who she was with would have been pure torture. Since he wasn't a masochist he decided that he was going to take the decision out of her hands. She was his after all, his responsibility, his mate and his woman. If the shifter didn't stop running hungry eyes over her, he was going to forget their truce and beat the shit out of the bastard.
"We're going to need clothes," Caine said, drawing Jax's attention back to him and away from Danni.
With a smirk, Jax ran an assessing eye over him. "Clearly," he agreed with an amused twinkle in his eye.
"And a bite to eat," Caine said, ignoring Danni's questioning look as he looked around at the ten beasts that were still growling softly at them. He tilted his head to the side and inhaled and picked up the scent of at least eight more taking refuge in the woods. They were far enough away that their scents normally would have gone undetected, but close enough to provide help if the pack needed it.
He looked up at the pinkening sky and nearly sighed with relief. The pack would shift back soon. It was the perfect time to feed from a shifter. Their blood would still hold the power from their change and would make a hell of a meal. It would give him the strength he was going to need to keep the Master that was no doubt after them now at bay and keep Danni protected. The
only problem as far as he could see was that when they shifted back they would need to work off excess energy, they'd need sex.
Normally he wouldn't hesitate to fuck one of the females while he fed, but after what he just did with Danni the idea of having sex with one of the females left him feeling.......wrong. It was ridiculous and something he was going to have to get over. She might be his mate, but that didn't mean they were going to have some happily ever after bullshit. He didn't plan on leading a life of monogamy and maybe this was the time to let Danni know that. She was his mate and he'd accepted that, but that didn't mean that he was going to let it control his life.
"I'll need a female or two," he said, ignoring the way Danni stilled by his side.
As far as he was concerned she had no right to bitch about this. She left him this morning with the intention of never coming back so if he wanted to fuck a shifter or two then that was his business.
Jax nodded, looking thoughtful. "I don't think that will be a problem. Just remember my rules," he said, gesturing for his pack to go. A few sent them questioning looks as they trotted past them. He didn't miss the way a few of the females practically purred with interest as they passed him.
"I haven't forgotten," Caine said as he gave Danni's ramrod straight back a gentle nudge in the direction the pack was headed. Jax's rules were pretty simple, no pregnancies and no drinking past the point of no return. Neither would be a problem for him. He hadn't drunk from the source in years, but he hadn't forgotten all of his old tricks.
"Do you have some extra clothes?" he asked as they walked towards the camp the pack made the night before. He already knew that they would, but for some reason Danni's cool manner was starting to make him a bit nervous.
"I suppose we could spare a few things," Jax drawled as he sent a questioning look over his shoulder at Danni who trailed behind them, looking bored. "Do you need to feed as well?"
Caine opened his mouth to tell the shifter that she was fine and that if she needed to feed that he'd take care of it, but she beat him to it.
"I could eat," she said, running her eyes over the naked shifter as she gave him what could only be described as a coy smile.
"Then it will be my pleasure to feed you," Jax said in seductive rumble as he ran his eyes over Danni in a way that really pissed Caine off. It didn't help that he could smell the lust practically rolling off of Jax.
"Is there a stream or river where I can wash up first?" Danni asked, throwing him a pointed look. She wanted to wash off his scent, the same scent that marked her as his.
Oh, fuck no, that wasn't happening.
Jax slowed his pace to match hers, not even bothering to hide his aroused state and Caine swore that if Danni looked down that he was going to throttle her.
She looked down!
Son of a bitch!
He slowed his pace to match theirs, but of course they ignored him. If the shifter so much as brushed up against Danni he was going to tear his throat out. She was his and the shifter knew it. The man should also know that just because he was going to continue sleeping with other women that didn't mean Danni was allowed to be with other men. It didn't matter that the man was a shifter and they mated for life whether they wanted to or not, and most of them didn't. They both came from a time when fidelity and marriage did not go hand and hand, not that he was married to Danni. He wasn't. By changing her he'd made her his responsibility and his body's mate, nothing more. He felt the need to have her and protect her, but that wasn't going to dictate his life.
"I brought some supplies and of course I know the perfect spot to bathe. I could help you if you'd like and then you could feed," Jax suggested in a seductive voice that he knew Danni damn well better resist if she knew what was good for her.
"That would be great," Danni agreed as his eyes narrowed on the woman. Not even ten minutes ago she was kicking the shifter's ass. Now she was willing to fuck the man?
Bullshit.
Danni wasn't into shifters, vampires or demons, he reminded himself even as unease crept up his spine. That was before he changed her. What if she was seeing things in a whole new light now? She sure as hell better not, he thought as he glared at the woman. She ignored him as they made their way through the thick brush.
"Let me check on my pack first and then I can help you find the pond," Jax said as they stepped into a large clearing set up with tents, supplies and shifters just starting to shift back to their human forms. "That is, if Caine doesn't mind," Jax said, drawing Caine's attention.
Minded? He was going to fucking gut the bastard.
"I'm not with him," Danni said with a careless shrug as she perused the campsite, purposely letting her eyes drift over the naked forms of the males and allowing her eyes to linger where they shouldn't.
Fuck that.
"Good," Jax said, grinning. "I'll be right back."
"Don't bother," Caine said as he reached out and wrapped his hand around Danni's beautiful raven hair and pulled her to him. Before she could tell him to go to hell he dropped his mouth to hers and showed every male in that campsite that she belonged to him.
When she bit his lip in warning he chuckled, but didn't stop. By the time he released her there would be no question in her mind that she was his mate. He didn't share and if she thought to allow another male to touch her then she'd better rethink that little plan because he wasn't fucking playing around.
********
Did he really think that she was going to let him have another go after announcing that he wanted to have sex with someone else? That really was just sad, she thought as she ignored her body's response to him and shoved him away.
But he didn't go far.
He cupped her face in his large warm hands as he forced her to look up and meet his red eyes. "You're mine, Danni," he said firmly.
She reached up and gripped his wrists. "No, I'm not," she said, shoving his hands away and forcing herself to ignore how much it hurt to say that. It felt like her very soul was screaming in protest at the claim.
Sleeping with him had been a mistake. She should have never done that. She wished she could take it back. Being with him last night had been wonderful, thrilling and felt so right, so perfect. She'd forced herself to leave before either one of them could wreck it, but apparently she hadn't moved fast enough. He ruined everything when he demanded a warm body or two in front of her like she was nothing. Did he really think that it wouldn't hurt her?
No, he probably hadn't cared.
"Go feed," she said, forcing the words out of her mouth as she pretended that the very suggestion didn't leave her feeling empty. "I'm going to get cleaned up."
"Danni,-"
"Bon appetite," she said with a mock smile before she turned around and headed for the woods, hoping that she'd be able to scent the fresh water. She prayed that it was a good distance away from the camp because she knew hearing him with another woman would kill whatever hope she had left that she meant something, anything to him.
She forced herself to walk to the woods, refusing to look back at him and let him see how truly pathetic she was. While she was hoping that she meant something to him, in truth she was just a fuck. He'd admitted as much last night, but that hadn't stopped her from hoping that she'd meant more to him. She hoped he'd realize how much she meant to him and come after her. God, she really was pathetic.
To him, she would always be an old responsibility that he couldn't escape and now that he'd turned her he was stuck with an old obligation that he clearly didn't want, she realized as anger surged through her and she moved faster through the woods until she was running. She didn't want this, didn't ask for this. Up until a couple of days ago she'd been dying of cancer and preparing herself for the inevitable.
If it hadn't been for Greg, the sadistic bastard, Caine never would have found out. Maybe they would have found a way to escape before the disease spread to her skin and gave her away, but if he had asked, and she doubted that he would have, she would have refused to be turn
ed. This wasn't the life she wanted for herself.
Being a monster with an endless life wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to work for the Sentinels, to be accepted as one and to be the best at what she did so that no one ever doubted that she belonged again. Now she didn't even have that. She could never go back to work for the Sentinels because she would be putting Caine in danger.
She hated him for making her love him so long ago, for making her think that someone actually cared about her only to have her heart broken without so much as an explanation. She hated the way he acted like he didn't know her over the years. Hated how he treated her like she was just another human that annoyed him. She wished like hell that he kept that act up and left her for dead when Greg threw the switch. Most of all she just hated him.
Tall, Dark & Heartless: A Pyte/Sentinel Series Novel Page 24