by Kasey Belle
Paul leaned back and rubbed his hands over his face. “Nowhere. We are getting nowhere. I am no closer to finding my mate that I was when she called out for me. All I know is where she’s not. That’s it, that’s all I know. God dammit!” He slammed his fist down on the desk top. Her absence in his mind was making his chest and head ache.
Kell stood. “Come on. Let’s go to the kitchen and get some coffee. Maybe stepping away from that endless loop will help you gain some perspective.”
Paul was loath to leave. He felt as if he were walking away from his only link to his mate, which was ridiculous. He still felt her in his heart.
Kell laid a hand on Paul’s shoulder. “Come on, you won’t do her any good if you can’t think straight.”
“You’re right, I know you’re right. I need to step back, even if it’s only for a few moments. It’s not as if I don’t have the worst sixty seconds of my life memorized. I really need some caffeine.”
Kell stopped in the doorway, his expression unreadable. “Can you say that again?”
“Say what again?”
“That I’m right. You hardly ever say it though we both know it happens more often than you like to admit.”
“Smart ass.” Paul shoved his brother out the door.
Just as Paul entered the kitchen, they heard the front door open and slam shut. Luke. He could feel his cub’s sadness and fear. Paul stepped back and looked down the hall in time to see Luke round the corner. His cub ran straight for him with tears streaming down his face. Paul scooped him up into his arms.
Luke wrapped his arms around Paul’s neck and cried. Paul carried him into the kitchen and sat down. He rubbed his boy’s back soothing him. “It’s going to be alright, cub.”
“Who took my mom?”
“I don’t know, son, but I am going to find her.”
Luke leaned back and looked Paul in the eyes. “You promise?”
“Of course I do. I won’t stop until I find her.”
“Ms. Fee said you knew Mom was still alive? Did you talk to her?”
Paul shook his head. “No, I feel her, in here.” He laid his palm over his heart.
“How come you can’t talk to her with your mind?”
“The person who took your mom drugged her. I bet she’s still sleeping.”
“How do you know Mom’s on drugs?”
At any other time, the way Luke phrased that question would have been funny. Paul wouldn’t go into details with Luke, but he wouldn’t lie either. He didn’t want to give his cub a reason not to trust him. Luke needed honesty and reassurance. “I saw it on the security footage from the grocery store.”
“Can I see it?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You don’t need to see it and your mom will kill me if she found out I let you watch it.”
Luke smiled. “Yeah, Mom wouldn’t be happy. I know you promised me, but if something bad happens and,” Luke sobbed, “um, what happens to me? Will you still be my dad?”
Paul’s eyes burned with unshed tears. He used his thumbs to wipe away Luke’s tears. “You belong to me, like your mom belongs to me. I will always be your dad, but your mom is coming home.” Paul would make it so. His cub had been through enough in his short life.
Luke nodded and hugged his neck once more. Jay and Emma Grace, both with tears in their eyes, came up behind Luke and began rubbing his back, along with Paul, to sooth him. Jay must have used his omega abilities because Luke stopped crying and his body relaxed.
“If Uncle Paul says he’s gonna find your mommy, then he will. She’s his mate.” Emma Grace looked up at Paul. “Isn’t that right, Uncle Paul?”
“That’s right, pixie.”
Jay and Emma Grace smiled at him. Jay put his hand over Paul’s hand that was currently rubbing Luke’s back, including him in the blanket of calm and caring Jay had wrapped around Luke.
Paul wanted to keep things as normal as possible for the cubs and knew they had an after school routine. “How about a snack?” He chuckled when Emma Grace’s face lit up. Someone had an envie.
“Oh, yes Uncle Paul. Grandma Maddie?”
“Yes, sweet girl?”
“Would you happen to have any of those licious cookies?”
Paul and Maddie shared a look when Luke’s and Jay’s heads popped up. Sadness gave way to hope at the mention of the special treat.
Maddie frowned in confusion while merriment danced in her eyes. “What licious cookies?”
Emma Grace put her hands on her hips. “You know Grandma Maddie, the licious chocolate chip ones with peanut butter.”
“Ohhhh.” Maddie walked over the pantry, pulled out a large, round green tin, and brought it to the table. She made a big production out of opening it. “You mean these cookies?”
“Yes. You’re silly Grandma Maddie. You were trying to fool us.”
“Three each and I’ll get y’all some milk.”
Paul grabbed a cookie and was about to bite into it when he felt Cathy stir in his mind. He closed his eyes and said a prayer of thanks to the Fates when she called for him.
Chapter 28
Cathy slowly became aware as the drug wore off. She could feel her pulse in her skull and her stomach rolled as if she had been on a week-long bender. Her shoulders burned with pain, her hands and fingers were numb. Her body was one big massive ache. She was alive, and right now she would take what she could get and count herself lucky. If she could open her eyes, she would consider that a bonus. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds, it took her a few tries, but eventually she opened her eyes. Big mistake. The light in the room caused a stabbing pain, and she wished she’d kept them closed. It felt like someone shoved an icepick through retinas to her brain. She tried to pull her arms down from over her head, but they wouldn’t budge. Cathy looked towards her hands and whimpered, more in fear than pain when she realized arms were tied above her head to the metal frame. The dizziness hit her quickly and her stomach gurgled. Oh, man really bad idea. Cathy’s stomach rebelled, bile rushed up. She rolled over enough to hang her head over the side of the cot and empty the contents of her stomach. When she was finished she flopped back onto the mattress causing the springs to groan and squeak.
She tried to calm her breathing when her vision blurred once again and her head felt as if her head was filled with cotton. Cathy couldn’t focus or think, and all she wanted to do was drift back to the obliviousness of sleep. She knew she was suffering from side effects of whatever drug that fucking bitch gave her. She wasn’t about to give in. Luke must be so scared. Cathy was scared, but she also felt a blinding rage so fierce it felt like its own entity. As if it were this whole other being inside herself. What the? She gasped. It wasn’t her; it was… Paul!
“Cathy. Oh, thank the Fates. I thought I lost you. Are you alright, kitten? Can you tell me where you are?”
“I’m fine. My head hurts and I threw up, which is gross, because it’s still on the floor next to me. I don’t know where I am. Is Luke okay?”
“He’s fine, sweet mate. He’s worried about you. Look around you. Tell me what you see.”
Gazing around the unfamiliar room, she took note of the one door on the left side of the room and one window on the right. The sun was beginning to set, but that was all she could see from her vantage point. She tried to lift her shoulders for a better angle to look out the window. Shifting on the bed caused her to whimper with pain and her stomach to protest again. She held still, taking deep breaths until her nausea was under control and the need to vomit passed. How she had anything left to vomit was beyond her.
She laid back and closed her eyes. She was tired and thirsty, and she just wanted to be back in the arms of the man she loved with all her heart. She wanted to hold her son again.
“You will, mate. I will find you. I love you and you aren’t getting away from so easily.”
“I have never loved anyone the way I love you, Paul. If, no, when I get out of this, we are going into the playroom, y
ou are going to give me that awesome flog massage, and then you are going to totally sex me up. After I hug Luke, of course, then we are doing that.”
“Are you attempting to top from the bottom, little sub?”
“I’m not attempting it, I’m doing it, Paul. I guess you should find me so you can spank me.”
His growl of pleasure filled her soul and alleviated some of her fear. Her current situation pointed out to her how uncertain life really was and she wanted a life full of everything. Every want, need, desire, and dream. Paul was right when he said the Fates knew what they were doing. Paul was her perfect other half. He was no more like Bud then a cobra was like a bunny. Paul was her heart and soul. She had just found him and she didn’t want to lose him. Cathy wanted a complete family, with Paul, not only playing the role of mate, but also loving husband and doting father. Life was too short and to live in fear of a stupid word or piece of paper was ridiculous. She taught Luke if he wanted something or someone with his whole heart and soul, then he should go after it. Well it was high time she took her own advice. She already accepted Paul as her mate, but she wanted the whole world to know. It may be only a simple piece of paper, one she swore would never again bear her name, but she wanted it. She wanted everyone on know her as Mrs. Catherine Celeste Creed.
“Nothing would make me happier than to have you officially where my name, kitten. But in order to do so, you need to give me something to go on.”
“I can’t see out the window, Paul. My hands are tied to the bed. It tried pulling on them, but they won’t budge.” She heard the panicked rise in her voice in her head, so she knew Paul wouldn’t miss it.
Footsteps sounded outside and she could see a shadow under the closed door.
“Shh. Someone’s coming.”
Paul snickered despite the grave situation. “They can’t hear me, Cathy. Be still and keep our link open.”
Cathy quickly closed her eyelids and concentrated on breathing deeply. Maybe if that crazy bitch thought was still unconscious, she would leave her alone. She heard the door open and curses followed when her captor stepped inside the room. Cathy had to work hard to keep up her charade because she so wanted to laugh. Never had puking her guts out brought so much pleasure. She was happy she made a mess and the bitch, whoever she was, would have to clean up after her.
“Oh, gross. Hey, look what your bitch did. You are going to have to clean this up because I can’t.”
Paul growled. “Mina.”
“You know her?”
“Yes.”
“That’s right, she is mine, so watch your mouth. I am the only one who is allowed to call her that.”
“Oh shit! Oh fuck! No! No, no, no!” Cathy knew that voice, she lived with it and heard it in her nightmares. It was Bud.
“Mate? Talk to me, baby. What is it, what’s happening?”
“It’s Bud. He’s here.”
“Bud is dead, kitten.”
“Then he’s a fucking zombie, because he is here in the room with me. Oh, please help me, Paul.”
“I will, kitten. I will find you. You do whatever you have to do to stay alive until I do.”
“What if-”
“Anything! Completely unshield your mind. Allow me to see what you see, hear what you hear. Feel my love for you. Believe I will find you.”
She heard Bud come barreling into the room, and the smell of fast food wafted to her nose. That mixed with the scent of body odor and sweat was enough to make her want to spew again.
“Go get some rags and a bucket.”
“Why do I have to go get that stuff?” The bitch whined and Cathy fought her need to imitate Luke and his perfectly mastered adolescent eye roll.
Mina continued to whine and Cathy could have sworn she heard her stomp her foot. “She’s your responsibility. You’re the one who wanted to kidnap her and bring her here, of all places. You could have fucked her unconscious body, killed her, and left her for the animals. We are surrounded by acres of shallow grave potential. But no, you had to pick this, this shack.” Crazy cunt kicked the cot and Cathy bit back a moan as pain radiated through her body. She opened her eyes to slits, trying to peek at her kidnappers. “I get why I want Sheriff Creed, he is perfection. You said yourself she’s nothing special. In fact, she’s less than, she’s,” the bitch looked her up and down, “fat, had hideous red hair, ugly-”
Bud grabbed the crazy chic by her hair and bent her over backwards to look in her face. Cathy had been on the receiving end of that little maneuver before and it fucking hurt. She almost winced in sympathy, then she remembered this crazy cunt helped facilitate her kidnapping and deserved whatever karma threw at her.
“You are pissing me off, woman. Do what you’re fucking told,” Bud snarled.
“Okay. Okay.” Cathy nearly hurled when Crazy Cunt purred in pleasure. “I just don’t understand why you want her, that’s all.”
“Don’t worry about why. Mind your own fucking business.”
“Don’t get your tighty-whiteys in a twist. We shouldn’t be so close to town. The Sheriff will find her before I am ready for that. He’s very good at his job.”
Bud scoffed. “Ain’t no way he’ll find us before I am good and ready. I am gonna have some fun with my wife.”
Cathy felt him looking at her. Chills ran up her spine and she couldn’t stop the shiver that followed. Hands grabbed at her ankles and pulled her body taut. Her shoulders and wrists screamed in pain. She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the cry of pain from erupting between her lips.
“I knew you were playing possum. Surprise, guess who ain’t dead. Miss me, wife?” Bud ran a hand up her calf. She wished she had a camera to capture the slack-jawed shock on his face when she kicked at him.
“Oh, found your claws did you?”
Cathy looked at her ex-husband as he loomed over her. He truly was a beautiful man. He possessed all the attributes of society’s perfect man, blonde hair, cerulean blue eyes, high cheekbones, straight nose, square jaw, perfect white teeth, and a gym fit body. He was perfect until you peeled away the superficial layers to the evil that lurked underneath. She once again questioned her intelligence and cursed herself for how easily he fooled her.
No! Damn it! That is the old Cathy talking. You aren’t her anymore. She wouldn’t cower in the metaphorical corner. She raised her chin and looked into those calculating eyes and saw all the vile things he wanted to do to her. He didn’t expect her to fight back. He expected her to accept what he did to her, like before. Well, she wasn’t the person she was then, no, she was a strong vibrant woman who deserved love and passion. He might take from her before Paul rescued her, but she wouldn’t give it to him. She would stay alive that didn’t mean she had to meekly resign herself to Bud’s intentions.
“I am going to enjoy breaking you, whore.” He turned his attentions back to, Mina. “When I’m done, we will dump the body where he can find it. Then reel him in, like you wanted.”
Mina rubbed the palm of her hand up and down Bud’s chest. Cathy wasn’t sure if she was trying to soothe the beast or turn him on. Either way it made her want to gag. “Are you sure you sure he won’t find us, to soon? I have to be able to step in and help him through his grief. He was supposed to be mine.” She turned her crazy glare on Cathy. “You messed it up.”
“I told you I was sure. I don’t like being questioned or repeating myself. I watched this place while I waited for the cunt to come back. The old man who owns it doesn’t have any livestock, so no one comes out here anymore. No one does. Hell, the only animals the old man has are fucking goats and a hundred-year-old dog that moves as slow as he does. Only other person who comes here is some teenage kid who takes care of the animals. The old man’s probably senile and forgot this old shack exists. So stop being a whiny bitch and do as I asked.”
“I know where you are, kitten! We are on our way. Don’t fight him. Stay alive for me. I love you.”
Chapt
er 29
Mina came back into the room with a roll of paper towels and cleaning supplies. Cathy moved as far away from Mina as she could when the woman knelt down beside the bed. Mina muttered to herself in between dry heaves as she cleaned up Cathy’s sick.
“My Master will be so sad when she’s dead. I will have to be extra good for him. I will make him happy unlike, her. He will love me, whip me, and I will wear his collar.” Mina dropped the last of the soiled paper towels into the trash bag and sat back on her heels. She looked at Cathy and she could see the insanity in Mina’s eyes. Mina giggled and clapped, “We will live happily ever after. Just like in the story books.”
“What story books? Little Red Riding Sub? Beauty and the Big Bad Dom? Hansel spanks Gretel?” Cathy hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but when Mina’s head popped up, she knew she had.
“You will shut up. You don’t matter. You never did. He’s mine, all mine!” Cathy didn’t see it coming, but she sure felt the impact of Mina’s palm on her cheek. Her skin burned and she could feel it tighten as her face began to swell.
“Christ on a cracker. This bitch is insane, Paul. I can’t believe you stuck your dick in her.”
Paul’s amused laughter filled her mind. “For the record, I didn’t stick my dick in her. I love the fact that you are jealous, but now really isn’t the time, kitten. I’m almost there, less than twenty minutes. Brax, Traynor, and Dragan are closer to you. They will make it before we do. If they can get you out safely they will, if not, they will wait for me. I know you are scared and angry. I can feel it. Do not antagonize them anymore, mate. I mean it. I will turn you over my knee and tan your perfect ass.”
Paul’s denial eased Cathy’s anger. She took a calming breath and focused on the fact that he would be here within minutes. However, her inner vixen seemed to only be able to focus on the fact that Paul called her ass perfect and was currently doing the happy dance.
“What are you smirking at, ugly bitch? You find getting smacked in the face funny?”