“I wouldn’t try it, human.” Then he smiled at her and Laney’s stomach sank. All she could see were two rows of strong white fangs gleaming back at her.
“What’s going on?” Laney asked, stalling for time. She had been shadowed most of the night and no matter what Jones had said, she knew the pack wouldn’t leave her alone for long. She hoped.
Reaching out, he grabbed hold of her shoulder and pressed down. The last thing Laney thought before the blackness took her was Heath is going to be pissed.
* * * *
Laney’s ears were ringing when she finally started to come around. Taking stock of her body, she was relieved to see she didn’t seem to have any real damage, nor was she tied up. She was face down on what felt like dirt and leaves. Slowly she moved her hands under her and pushed up.
“Ah, you’re awake, good. I was worried I had pressed too hard.”
Shaking her head, Laney forced her eyes open to glare at Christophe.
The man sat on the other side of the clearing with his back against a large fallen tree. Overhead the canopy of trees was thick, but Laney could see the moon high in the sky. Clearly she hadn’t been out too long as it was still dark.
“You realise that you just made huge errors in judgement don’t you?” she asked as she moved to sit back against a tree trunk.
“And how did I do that, human?”
Laney watched as he stretched his legs out in front of himself, seeming to get more comfortable. There wasn’t much space between them, less than five feet total.
“Let me list them for you.” Laney raised a hand and started ticking off on her fingers. “You just took me from what can only be described as a large group of human sniffer dogs.” She casually glanced around the small clearing he had taken her to. She couldn’t see any landmarks so she wasn’t sure how far they were, but from the unhinged look on his face she didn’t think they had gone far.
“That is something I’m counting on. Marsterson is a pretentious upstart not worthy of the Alpha title. He stole it from me and I aim to get it back.” Christophe ended his words with a sneer.
“Two. I heard he kicked your ass from here to the town border.” Laney shrugged. She gave herself a silent cheer as the smile faltered on his face.
“I assume you have more on your list?” he asked with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“You seem to have forgotten that I come from a family who really doesn’t like their baby sister messed with.” She pulled down another finger.
“You seem to think I should give a damn about some pointless humans who will be dead long before they realise you are missing.” Christophe sighed.
He threatened everyone she loved. She prayed Heath and his pack would get to her before Christophe could make good on his promise.
Laney narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. He may be a wolf shifter who could kill her with a swipe of his claws, but he had made one fatal mistake. She felt a dangerous calm settle over her.
“Do you want to know the biggest mistake you made?” Laney asked as she gave him the sweetest smile she could muster, the smile Duke called her “viper look.”
“Please share with the class.” Christophe smiled back at her. Laney sat forward, pulling her knees up so she could wrap her arms around them.
“You took me,” Laney growled before she launched herself at the shifter. Part of her mind was frozen in shock at the action, clearly screaming and asking her what the hell she thought she was doing? He was going to kill her! The other part of her mind—the part that had grown up with older brothers—calmly reminded her that she only had one chance at this and if she got it wrong she would be dead.
As she closed the small space between them, she grabbed the sides of his head. Taking handfuls of hair in each she smashed his head back against the tree trunk.
Laney didn’t know if it was his age or simply shock that stopped Christophe from swiping her throat out with his claws. Instead he grabbed hold of her wrists and tried to push her off.
Laney forced his head back again and again until he let go of her and slumped back. She didn’t waste time checking to see if he was alive. She turned and ran. Unsure of her bearings, she headed towards the moon.
She moved quickly away from Christophe. She had to figure out where she was and then she had to warn Heath. He had to be told that Christophe was back and he was out for blood—Heath’s blood.
The howl broke the silence of the night. Laney didn’t stop or turn back; she had seen too many horror films where the girl would head towards the scary noise or trip over the hem of her flimsy dress. Not this girl. Reaching deep, she pulled out all the strength she could; she needed to get away now.
Suddenly she burst through the trees into another clearing. Skidding to a halt she looked around, trying to see anything she might recognise. It took a minute for her to realise she was less than a mile from the pack house. Turning towards safety she started to move again but she had taken too long to orient herself. A large black and grey wolf came screaming out of the trees behind her.
Laney hit the ground a second before Christophe leaped for her. He sailed over her head. She tried to scramble away but he recovered quickly and pounced. Christophe caught her leg in his jaws and pulled her towards him.
“Oh hell no.” Laney hissed as she scrambled to get away. He held on too tightly; she could feel his teeth push through her jeans and into her ankle. She clenched her teeth against the pain. Twisting as much as his hold would allow, Laney tried to kick him off with her free leg. But Christophe held strong.
Laney refused to give up. There was no way in hell some old man was going to take her down. She had been taught better than that.
Another howl pierced the air, and somehow Laney knew that sound belonged to Heath.
“Heath!” she screamed, praying he could hear her. She fought harder; there was no way Christophe would kill her. She had too much to do, too much to say.
Fighting like a woman possessed, she kicked at Christophe’s head again and again, forcing the wolf to let her go. Scrambling backwards, Laney tried to get far enough away so she could turn and run, but she wasn’t quick enough. Christophe recovered and jumped at her again.
Laney screamed as another wolf leaped over her from behind, taking the old wolf down.
The golden shimmer of the wolf’s fur told her this was Heath. At that second her heart stopped. She needed to save him, couldn’t let Christophe hurt him. As she tried to scramble forward, large arms came around her, pulling her back.
“Let me go!” She fought against the man who held her.
“Laney, calm down, it’s me, Wall, you’re safe now.” Wall tried to soothe her, but Laney didn’t want to be soothed. She wanted to help Heath.
“You have to let me go, I have to help him.” Laney continued to fight Wall’s hold with everything she was. Not once had she taken her eyes off the fight between the two wolves. It was vicious and bloody but Laney refused to look away.
She needed to get there and she needed to do it now. She remembered what her brothers had told her about defending herself. Raising her booted foot she slammed it down on Wall’s instep. The man howled in pain but his shout was cut short as Laney threw her elbow back into his stomach, forcing all the air from his lungs and loosening his hold on her.
Laney didn’t waste time. She ran forward, grabbing the biggest lump of wood she could find as she went. The fight still raged. Laney could now see blood covered Heath’s side. Inside, deep inside, she knew Christophe was hurt too, but all she could see was the damage done to Heath. The strange calming rage came over her again. With two long strides into the clearing Laney raised the large piece of wood over her head and brought it down on Christophe’s back.
The black wolf yelped and spun towards her.
“I told you, you made a mistake taking me,” Laney said as she smiled into black eyes.
As she swung the lump of wood back and forth, she waited for the wolf to make his move. Out of the corne
r of her eye, she could see Heath moving and she hoped he would stay back long enough for her to do what she had to do.
When Christophe crouched low and dived at her, everything slowed down. Laney slung the lump of wood at him at the same second Heath lunged. Their combined attack caught Christophe unaware, so quick and fierce the sound of bone snapping seemed to resonate around the clearing. The lifeless body of the black wolf slumped to the ground.
For a second there was an unnatural silence in the woods. Then all hell broke loose.
Heath shifted as he yelled at Wall.
“Wall, get her out of here!” He turned to Laney and gently pushed her towards the other man. This time Wall was prepared for her, swinging her up and over his shoulder before she could get her bearings.
“Wait!” Laney yelled as she planted her hands on Wall’s naked butt and lifted herself up so she could look back at Heath.
“Go!” Heath yelled. Laney wanted to argue that she needed to make sure he was all right; she could see the bite and claw marks on his body, but the words left her when she looked at Heath and all she could see reflected back at her was pure white-hot anger.
The intensity took her words. He was furious with her and she could understand why. She had brought the danger to his pack, to his family. If it had been the other way round, she would have never forgiven him if anything had happened to her family. She couldn’t accept anything less from him.
Chapter Six
The anger vibrated through Heath’s body. He was going to kill her. There was no question about it; the woman was a danger to herself and to anyone around her.
Heath stomped back through the woods. He hadn’t had to do much with Christophe’s body. The man had died as a wolf and therefore stayed wolf. Anyone who found the body would simply find a dead animal. Heath would let the rest of Christophe’s pack know, allowing them to reclaim him if they wanted. That would have to wait though, because he had a full human he needed to have a little chat with.
Heath came out of the woods near the pack house but didn’t stop to speak to anyone as he made a beeline for Laney.
“Are you hurt?” He practically snapped the question at her. A quick glance at Wall had the man stepping away from them.
Laney shook her head but wouldn’t look at him. Heath tipped her chin up so he could see the bruises on her face and on the backs of her hands. He clenched his jaw, keeping his growl locked in.
“What were you thinking?” he asked so softly he wasn’t sure she would hear him if he didn’t have hold of her chin making her look at him.
“What?” Laney frowned and Heath lost the last control he had on his anger.
“What the hell were you thinking going off like that?” he yelled. He was aware of all the noises around him stopping. In the recesses of his mind he knew two things—he could hear the distant sound of a car approaching, and a fear like nothing he had ever felt before.
Laney’s eyes widened as she looked back at him. How could she have put herself into so much danger?
“How could you have been so stupid? Didn’t you know that he was a threat to the pack?” he yelled as he moved closer to her, looming over her.
“What?” Laney asked again. He watched as she shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. The move showed more of the damage to her face and Heath growled low.
Laney took a step back and looked at him. He could see the hurt in her eyes but he couldn’t stop; he needed her to understand.
“I thought you had more sense than to leave the protection of the pack. There is danger out there and you go walking off without a care in the world, and who is left to protect you? Let me tell you, Laney-girl, do you see your brothers around here protecting you? No! It was me, my pack that had to come to the rescue!”
“You wanna tell me why you’re screaming at my sister, dead man?” They both turned at the sound of John St. Clair’s voice as he jumped out of the back of the garage truck. Wayne wasn’t far behind climbing out of the vehicle and coming to stand next to his twin.
“Oh look, the cavalry has arrived. Why don't you go run to them, have them protect you.” Heath glared at Laney.
“Heath.” Clara spoke softly as she came to stand with her brother. Heath raised his hand, silencing her.
“No, she needs to understand she can’t walk around like she owns the place. She isn’t a shifter she can’t protect herself, and clearly her family are late to the party.” Heath sneered at the men.
“You better watch your mouth, puppy,” Wayne said as he jabbed a finger in Heath’s face.
“You better get your finger out of my face before I decide I’m hungry,” Heath growled back. He needed Laney to leave; he needed her safe away from here, away from him, now.
“What is wrong with you?” Laney asked from behind him before she shoved him out of the way.
“Nothing is wrong with me. Why don’t you just let them take you home and pamper you like always,” Heath said as he turned away from the men and Laney.
“I didn’t ask for you to bring me here, remember? You had Wall drag me out of my office, you wouldn’t let me leave, I didn’t want to be here,” Laney told him.
Heath turned back to her so quickly he saw her jump. Good, he thought, she should be wary.
“That’s my mistake. Now I want you to leave.” Heath bent low, making sure she looked into his eyes as he allowed them to turn to those of his wolf. “Get off my territory.”
His chest hurt, almost choking the breath from him when he saw the tears in her eyes.
Laney spoke, but he missed what she said.
“What?” he asked.
Laney took a deep breath. “Cheese grater.” Heath reared back as if she had hit him. “Good-bye.” She turned and headed to the truck.
“You people are freaks, walking around naked.” Wayne shook his head before climbing in behind Laney, John close behind.
Heath watched the vehicle peel out of the yard before he walked back into his house. Clara followed him. “You okay?”
“I’m fine, I just need a minute.” He nodded before he walked into his room and closed the door. He turned the lock and walked over to his bed. His legs gave way as he reached it. Heath landed on the edge as the frozen horror and fear that had taken hold of him—from the second they had caught Christophe’s scent and realised Laney was missing—fully registered.
He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, could barely think. He had nearly lost her and he had no one to blame but himself. He had instructed Wall to bring her to him. How arrogant was he? Did he really think he could protect her? She was better off with her family, with her own kind. He had no business bringing her into his life.
Heath pulled himself up farther onto his bed. Lying back he looked at the ceiling. As much as it hurt—and oh God did it hurt; it felt as if his soul were being ripped out through his chest—he knew that he had done the best thing for Laney.
She was safe now.
* * * *
A week had passed since Laney had been kidnapped. Heath hadn’t spoken to her and he hadn’t heard anything about her. Not that he had expected her to call. She had used her safe word, a word that was so much more powerful than good-bye.
Clara had started out angry with him for shouting at Laney, but as the week progressed she had gone from sending him angry glares, to confused frowns, to now looking at him as if he were a wounded kitten that needed looking after.
Now here he sat on the porch steps of the pack house watching his people shaking off the horror and tension of last week. Heath watched as his sister walked over to Wall on the other side of the yard and spoke to him. The man’s shrug earned him a slap on the arm. The move would usually have caused Wall to whine about abuse, but this time Heath watched in quiet amazement as the other man turned and looked down at his sister with a raised eyebrow. Clara would usually go toe-to-toe with anyone brave enough to try the dominant move Wall was pulling, but not this time. This time his feisty little sister took hold of the h
em of Wall’s T-shirt and fiddled with it whilst trying hard to dig a hole with her twisting foot.
Wall waited a few seconds before reaching forward and running a finger down Clara’s nose. Heath watched as his little sister smiled up at the man before skipping away.
Heath frowned; apparently he had missed something more than just Laney in the last week. The sound of a car pulling up caught his attention. Making a mental note to talk to Wall later, Heath pulled himself off the stairs and went to meet the vehicle.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw the St. Clair Garage name on the side until he realised it was Duke climbing out.
“Duke.” Heath nodded in greeting.
The other man turned and glared at him. Heath widened his stance and waited for the blow he had been expecting from him since Laney had left.
“Give me one reason not to kill you,” Duke said through gritted teeth.
Heath shrugged. “I did what I had to.”
“Not with my sister!” Duke yelled as he shoved Heath.
“I made a mistake. I know I did,” Heath agreed. He wouldn’t fight back. The man had a right to be angry. Because of Heath and his arrogance, they had both nearly lost Laney. Heath couldn’t even think about how he would have survived if something had happened to her.
“A mistake?” Duke went for him again but the sound of his name being called had them stop and turn.
Heath hadn’t scented another visitor when Duke had stormed over to him. Standing calmly by the truck was Elizabeth St. Clair, Laney’s mother.
“Did I raise you to fight in the street?” The softly spoken question was directed at Duke. The angry man took a deep breath before shaking his head.
“No ma’am.”
“Then why are you acting like you don’t know better?” Mrs. St. Clair asked.
“He hurt Laney. I warned him what would happen if he did that. Now I’m going to make good on that promise.” Duke shot him a venom-filled glare.
“Duke William St. Clair.” Mrs. St. Clair pointed to the spot next to her.
“Ma’am.” Duke sighed before walking over to the woman who, Heath guessed, stood no more than five feet tall. With the same ice-blue eyes Laney had, the woman watched her son approach. Mrs. St. Clair tapped her son’s arm once. With a resigned sigh, the large six foot plus man bent at the waist until he was low enough for his mother to reach up and smack him around the back of the head.
Leashed by a Wolf Page 7