by Sarra Cannon
Zack hissed, his eyes darted from one child to the other. The skin reminded her too much of a lunatic for her liking.
Note to self, no more talk of their demon wolf blood.
“Take the next right.”
They were in a perfectly lovely suburban neighborhood complete with white picket fences and all. He directed her for a few more minutes. The babies in his arms were squirming and wailing by the time she parked.
“Welcome to my home or should I say our home.”
Her demon let out the tiniest of snarls. Her gums tingled, but that was the end of it. No super human strength. No way out of this. For now at least. The house was just like any of the others. They crossed the lawn. Zack handed one of her daughters to her as he fumbled for his keys. Both babies were crying and the skin looked flustered. They went inside. Either Zack was gay or a woman had decorated because the place was decent. Nice leather sofas with cushions that matched the curtains. What really gave it away were the small touches.
“Where is the lady of the house? Your mate?”
His eyes flashed briefly with pain before darkening. “There is no lady of the house.”
Maybe she had been mistaken. There was no time to think on it because the little one in Zack’s arms started crying in earnest.
“They’re hungry.” She didn’t like the way he held her daughter away from him like she offended him. “Give Alexandra to me.” She sat on the nearest sofa and lifted her shirt. With one flick her bra was open. This time milk leaked freely from her breasts. She placed the little girl she’d come to think of as Cameron on her left breast and the little one latched on sucking greedily. This time she didn’t even feel the sting as her daughter bit down. Zack handed her Alexandra. That same heated look was back in his eyes and she didn’t like it. It scared her to death. She wouldn’t be strong enough to fight him. There was no one around to save her this time.
“Why did you take us?”
“We’re going to be a family.”
“Excuse, me?”
He was madder than she thought.
“Your parents gave you to me, so...”
Childbirth must’ve affected her hearing. “Excuse me? Did you say my parents?”
“You heard right.”
“I don’t have parents,” Gaby meant every word.
“It’s skin Lore. You’ve been given to me by your blood parents and that makes you mine. That makes your children mine.”
“They gave me away when I was just a little baby, they have no right to...”
He took a step forward, his face a mask of anger. “It’s done so no use arguing about it, the Lores are clear. How do you think I feel? I had everything. I was happy.” Spittle flew from his mouth. “Do you think I want a wolf’s leftovers? Do you think I like the idea of raising another man’s children?” He looked down at the girls like they were filth. “I understand that you are...attached to them so I will let you keep them, but only so long as you do as I say. Step out of line and they...” He smiled and it was like a knife twisted in her gut. “It’s on you, Gaby.” His eyes were hard. The madhatter meant every word. Zack planned to use the children to get her to do whatever he wanted. Lord help her, she’d do anything to keep them safe.
“Why me? You don’t know me. Find someone who actually wants you.”
“Unmated skins are hard to find. Bonds normally form at a young age. The chances of an unbonded skin coming of age in time to save me are zero.”
“Save you?” It seemed that Zack didn’t have many choices in this as it seemed in fact that the mad edge that surrounded him was starting to look more and more like desperation.
“My children died...” His voice cracked and for a second she felt sorry for him. “During the birthing. One was perfect, the other had something wrong with him. Of course, being skins, they both died.” His face clouded with pain. “It was a difficult time. My mate...” his voice broke and a single tear tracked down his cheek. “She couldn’t live without them. Couldn’t cope with the loss. I will die without her...without a mate to complete me.” His eyes turned hard with determination. “Your parents gave you to me. Let’s put the babies down, I will mate you now.”
Definite madness.
“I need to change their diapers.” Anything to buy some time. Her demon was getting stronger. Not nearly strong enough though. At least not yet.
“Hurry.” He grabbed the diaper bag and took Alexandra. Her first instinct had been to refuse him the child, but what good would that do? Zack gestured for her to follow.
“I think you’ll find everything you need in here...”
She rounded the corner and ground to a halt. It was a nursery. All done up in predominately white cotton with small brown teddy bear motifs. Shivers raced up and down her spine. The nursery of Zack’s dead children. From the sounds of things, they were not long in their grave. All she wanted to do was to back up out of there. But she couldn’t use her babies as a shield. Especially considering Zack had made it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. He meant every word. It would be best if they were in another room and out of harm’s way.
She changed the children’s diapers and put them into one of the cribs. Her daughter clasped her finger. Both looked content.
Zack slipped his hand around her waist and her demon went berserk.
“Please don’t do this.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice. Right or wrong. Taking the right path is not always easy.”
Instead of answering, he tugged her away from her babies and half carried her down the hall in the opposite direction of the living room.
This time when her nailbeds tingled she could feel her claws descend, just a little bit. They entered what had to be the master bedroom.
“How can you do this? You slept...made love to your mate in this room.”
“She’s dead. You’re very much alive,” he let his eyes roam over her body. “To think I was dreading this. I thought it would be a task. By the Gods I was wrong.”
Gaby’s nails descended some more and she slashed him across the face. It felt good to feel her claws dig into his soft flesh. To feel his skin slice apart under her nails. “Fuck you, asshole.”
He laughed. Loud and forceful. “You’re just making me harder for you, baby. Didn’t you know that skins enjoy hitting, biting and yes”—he winked—“clawing. You could call it a form of foreplay. Now let’s see those lovely tits. I never thought I’d be so turned on by the site of swollen...” He moved quicker than she’d anticipated, ripping her shirt open.
“Mmmm,” he licked his lips. Using a single finger, he swiped down her cleavage cutting her bra at the middle. She felt her breasts spring free. His pupils dilated.
“Don’t you dare come near me.”
“Or what? You’ll scream? I hate to break it to you, but the house has been sound proofed. Us skins are a noisy bunch.” He took a step towards her and she took one back. “Or maybe you’ll claw at me some more. Hit me? Bite me? I beg you to do all of those things. God, I can’t wait to fuck you.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? Have you ever heard of rape?”
His face went from taut with desire to angry. “How many times do I have to tell you that your parents gave you to me? It wouldn’t be rape. Don’t you dare say that again!”
“How fucked up are you skins anyway?”
“You are one of us.” Spittle flew.
“No, I’m not. Never was and never will be.”
He took two more steps towards her and she stepped back until something soft stopped her progress. It could only be the bed, she was in so much shit that she didn’t think she’d ever find her way out.
Zack grinned at her. A cold, hard smile that twisted her gut. Two quick strides and he was on her, an unexpected fist caught her off guard. It connected with her jaw. Crack.
Gaby felt herself land on the bed. Her head was an explosion of throbbing pain. The ache prevented her from to
tally losing consciousness. She could feel that she was being touched, moved, could feel...
No, not that.
Concentrating harder on the throb in her jaw, she forced herself back from the brink of oblivion. Even though part of her craved the blessed relief, she knew that if she allowed herself to be dragged under, she would be raped by this madman. She managed to open her eyes, it hurt like a bitch.
Zack was in the process of removing her jeans and underwear. Gaby took a deep breath and pulled her legs up. Using all of the energy she could summon, she double barrelled the skin straight in the face. Something snapped, blood sprayed and the skin flew backwards landing on his back on the floor. He roared, hissed and scrambled up.
She tugged at her pants which were bunched at her ankles and only managed to pull them half way up her legs when Zach leapt at her. She somehow was able to block a backhand, using her forehead to nail the crazed skin on the nose. Another snap. This time his nose bent to the side and stayed there. The appendage poured with blood.
A high pitched hiss.
“You’re going to be sorry you did that.” He came at her.
One times furious, big male. She managed to avoid the first two blows. The third catching her in the mouth. Her lip split. She could taste blood. A slap to the side of the head left her feeling disorientated and in a world of pain. Gaby struggled against him, but couldn’t seem to come out of her dazed state enough to stop him.
Cool air hit her naked skin as he pulled her jeans off. Must fight. She tried to kick and missed. Something bit into her left wrist as her arm was wrenched above her head. Rope. The thin, plastic type. It bit into flesh. Damn him to hell.
Gaby shook her head, trying to clear the fog. Using her last remnants of strength, she pulled against him as he tried to tie her to the bedpost. The action only caused the rope to dig deeper. The pain helped ground her though. The motion unbalanced Zack. She punched him once, twice. Her blows were to the side of the head. Ineffective. He turned towards her grinning. Blood coated his teeth.
“You’re making me hard. Hit me like that again and I’ll fuck you right now. I had planned on getting into my own skin of...doing something to make this more pleasurable for you, but if you insist on hitting me then all bets are off.”
Shit. Even though he was sick, he was still far stronger and regenerated far quicker than her at the moment. If he decided to take her now, she could hit, claw and bite as hard as she wanted but there was nothing she would be able to do to stop it. Chances were good that he would enjoy it even more if she fought. He’d said so himself. The best thing she could do was buy time and prey that Phoenix would come for her. If he didn’t make it or...Lord help her...didn’t come at all, she would kill Zach herself. The skin would need to rest some time. Even if it took her weeks, heaven help her...months, he would let his guard down and she would kill him. Her girls would at least have a chance at a decent future if they were raised by their father and his pack. Killing Zack would destroy her once they were mated, but she would do it in a heartbeat.
“Good girl.” He’d obviously read the concession on her face. “On my honor as a skin, I’ll release you as soon as I’ve recovered from the change. I really want you to know who it is that you’re mating with.”
Honor. What a load of crap. He wouldn’t lie to her, but he would rape her without blinking an eye? It was almost impossible, but she forced herself to stay still while he tied her hands and legs to the bedposts.
His eyes swept over the length of her body. He palmed his rigid shaft through his jeans. “I’m almost sorry I agreed to change first. Seeing you like this...” his eyes did another languid sweep and her skin crawled. Her teeth sharpened and a hiss lodged in her throat but she held it back, instinctively knowing that a show of fangs would excite him more. She was trying to buy time.
Zack straddled her, placing his hands on either side of her head.
“You promised...”
“Shhhh. I promised to help you through this as well. See, I’m not such a bad guy after all.” He put his face just inches from hers. Gaby was so tempted to bite his nose off. She knew she could, but refrained. He would regenerate. There was no point in wasting the energy. It would only anger him more. In her current situation both she and her daughters were vulnerable.
He nuzzled into her neck, sniffing at her skin. Gaby tried not to gag even though bitter tasting bile rose up in her throat. He pulled back, looking her in the eyes. Then he smiled, exposing multiple rows of deadly fangs.
She screamed when he bit her even though his teeth barely broke her skin. Gaby screamed out of pure anger and frustration. Tears brimmed her eyes and guilt clawed at her. She screamed because even through the sting, she felt pleasure. Hated herself for it. There was nothing she could do to stop it.
“My saliva has the ability to make my intended mate mad with need. It won’t be long and you’ll be begging me to take you. I’m going to have you in so many ways and will make you come so many times, you’ll forget your own name. You’ll forget all about loverboy. I’ll brand you to the point that no other would want you anyway. You. Will. Be. Mine. ”
“No.” Even as she said it, she knew everything he had just said was true. Already she could feel her skin tighten on her body, exposing every nerve ending. It felt like her breasts swelled. Her nipples hardened. An ache resonated from deep inside. Her clit throbbed. “I hate you.”
“Not for long, baby. Not for long. I’ll be back soon.” He winked, leaned down and blew on her nipple. Her pussy clenched and moisture pooled. A single hot, tear slid down her cheek. Her biggest regret was not telling Phoenix how she felt about him.
Chapter 10
Frustration ate at him. The clock ticked steadily, every movement of the hand took Gaby and the babies further away from him. What did the skins want with her? The lack of scent in the room told him that Cade was right, the skins must be responsible. Her demon was still weak, making her vulnerable.
Phoenix, together with the Chasers, had followed Gaby’s scent to the underground parking area where it just disappeared. The most plausible answer was that they’d been put in a vehicle. With no scent trail to follow, frustration had mounted. It was Cade that had spotted the cameras and suggested that they go to security to view the footage.
There was a possible twenty minute window in which she could’ve been taken. They were forwarding through the tape, stopping for any movement. It felt like an eternity before Gaby appeared on the screen, she was holding one of the babies. A man followed closely behind holding the second twin. A rush of blood sounded in his ears and he growled. The man looked just like him. Gaby seemed to be going willingly. Did she think it was him?
Her back was rigid, her movements tense. The man that looked like him tried to put his hand on her back and she moved away from his touch. She was aware and wasn’t happy. Relief flooded him. The need to find his family hit him hard.
He knew at least what this male wanted from her and it made him fill with rage.
A feeling of dread wrapped its icy tentacles around him.
Jack was on his cell phone, Cade relayed the license plate of the vehicle. A long pause. The tentacles grew colder wrapping themselves even tighter. He struggled to breathe. His wolf pushed at his skin trying to break free. The need to run almost overwhelmed him, but where would he run to? He fisted his hands and clenched his jaw.
Jack called out an address. “It’s about a forty minute drive.”
Phoenix ran, almost flattening one of the security guards at the door. The skin had better start praying that all three of his girls were safe or there would be no stopping him. If even a single drop of blood had been spilled the male would pay.
Phoenix heard Jack shouting for him to slow down. He ignored the human and made for the parking garage. Phoenix would take one of the vehicles, there was not a second to waste.
— —
The real Zack turned out to be average height, sandy blond hair with striking blue eyes. Nothing lik
e Phoenix.
“Don’t look so disappointed.”
“Have you seen yourself?” Actually, he wasn’t bad looking. She was sure there were other species of demon or possibly a human who might’ve been interested. Pity he was a complete loony.
“Women want me well enough, as will you.” He pulled his shirt over his head. Zach was nowhere near as well muscled as Phoenix, he had more of a swimmer’s build. Again, she was sure there were women out there who would like what they saw but she was not one of them.
A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face and she licked her lips. She felt hot, burning up from her core. Her skin hurt with the need to be touched. Her nipples throbbed. Her pussy wept. Gaby had dug her own nails into her palms, she ground them in deeper. Trying to stay focused on the pain instead of the aching need for release. It slowly built inside her like a spring, coiling tighter and tighter.
Zack unbuckled his belt and moved to the button on his jeans. She swallowed hard and looked away. Gaby heard the swish as he removed his pants.
“I’m extremely patient, Gaby. I will only take you when you ask me to fuck you.”
Her clit throbbed harder. Her nipples tightened even further and she groaned. Gaby squeezed her eyes as hard as she could. No way in hell. She would rather die.
“You will beg me, won’t be much longer.”
More of her juices trickled onto her thighs. Someone was making a strange noise. She was appalled to find that it was coming from her. She was sobbing. Hot tears of anger and frustration. She hurt. She hurt badly, but she would still rather die than beg this asshole. Gaby pictured Phoenix. His wicked grin, his sense of humor, his possessive streak. She loved him so much. Would never betray him.
Never.
“Fuck you, you sick bastard,” she managed to grind out. “Go to hell!”
“It would be my pleasure to take him there,” it was Phoenix’s voice.
Her eyes flashed open as Phoenix struck Zack with an upper cut that had the skin stepping back to regain his balance. This was followed by another two blows to the head.