by Sarah Makela
“Kelly, are you okay?” Jacob wrapped his arm around me, taking some of my weight from my foot.
“I might’ve twisted my ankle.” I hobbled along with him, trying to go as quickly as I could. Only when I couldn’t run another step did I slow down. Besides, the adrenaline pumping through my veins made my aching body worse.
“We can’t slow down.” He lifted me into his arms, cradling me to him. “They might still find us. We’re not far enough away. It shouldn’t be too much longer until we reach my car.”
I pulled him closer, kissing his lips and sweeping my tongue against his. My body burned at a fever pitch, and my skin craved his touch all over again. When we reached safety, I had to have his body in mine again.
Jacob stared at me, his eyes heavy-lidded with desire. “I could get used to that, and I hope you feel the same. Desire overwhelms our wolves during full moons.”
I blinked at him. “Are you saying I’ll be this horny every full moon?” I leaned my head against his shoulder, still winded by the run.
“Yep. You’ll need someone around to help satiate your urges.” He quirked his lips in a wicked grin and jogged onward. However, his jogging was much faster than most people ran. He made it seem so effortless.
I ran my hand over his chest. “And I bet you’re the man for the job, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “You had any doubts?”
“I don’t know how you found me, but thank you for coming for me, despite what happened earlier.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m sorry I pushed you into being intimate.” Jacob sighed. “Now you know why I got carried away, I guess.”
Did I ever. With going through this, I couldn’t believe the level of control he’d shown in my apartment. He had to have amazing willpower. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too. I didn’t realize what you were going through.”
Silence drifted between us for a moment. The only sounds were of an owl hooting in the distance and leaves crunching beneath Jacob’s feet.
“Thank you for getting the badge from the scientist. I’m glad you’re safe. I have wanted you as much more than a study partner.” He stared deeply into my eyes. “I want you to be my mate.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Yes, I want that too.”
From the science classes I’d taken, I knew wolves mated for life. The idea of becoming Jacob’s mate both thrilled and intimidated me, but what mattered most was it felt so, so right.
The knowledge of him being mine made my heart soar. Through the trees before us, I spotted the gas station that Jacob mentioned with a jeep parked out front. It looked like somewhere one would want to avoid on dark nights, but I much preferred it to the inside of the cage.
We were home free. We’d get out of this mess.
They might be able to find me at my apartment, but I would be packing my things and moving. Maybe even with Jacob, especially now that we were... alike. But I couldn’t let myself get too distracted. That was fairytale thinking, and we weren’t in a fairytale. What we needed to focus on now was getting out of here and fast before the guards were able to find us.
“Is that your jeep?”
Jacob’s jaw clenched. “No, I don’t have a jeep. There are men around. We need to hurry.” He jogged to the back of the building where he set me on my feet beside his car, then dashed to the driver’s side. He bent near the front wheel and pulled out a spare key.
A loud thwap ripped through the air, and I dodged to the side. The dart smacked into the car door where I’d been standing. My heartbeat hammered with fear and, strangely, the need to fight. The beast within me growled, and the sound trickled from my lips.
Jacob pressed the car key into my hand. “Get in the car. You’re vulnerable out here.”
“Wait.” I grabbed him by the shoulders before he could go. “What are you doing? We have to get out of here.”
Anger darkened his eyes, and I flinched. He wasn’t upset with me, but I wanted us to both be happy and safe. “There are two guys. If I don’t fight them, then we might have them follow us to wherever we try to hide. I wouldn’t be able to go to my brother or the Pack without them knowing where we’re at.”
Chewing my lower lip, I knew he was right. While we had escaped the tracking devices, if these men came after us, the chances of slipping away to safety were a distant dream.
“Just be safe.”
He nodded, then pulled me in close before he took off toward the shadows. My beast wanted to follow him, stand by her mate to protect him, but we both knew Jacob was capable of defending himself.
I crawled to the driver side door. If the dart had hit the passenger side, then the men were facing that direction. However, the soft crunching of gravel approached the front of the car. If there had only been two men, then I’m sure Jacob would’ve taken out the one closest to us first before incapacitating the guy farther away.
I shrunk back toward the rear of the vehicle and took a deep breath. My senses exploded with so many details I could barely sift through to find the ones most important to me. A garbage can nearby still had trash in it that smelled like it had been there for years, Jacob’s car had the scent of car wax which explained the shine it gave off even in the dark, and the distinct smell of three men plus Jacob. Jacob and the other two men were several feet away, but the third one was almost on top of me.
This wasn’t good. While I’d taken out Dr. Peacock, he hadn’t been carrying weapons. Besides, there had been bars between us. For some reason, the bars made me a little more insulated from danger. He couldn’t have hurt me unless he’d had his guards with him.
If I didn’t take this man out, I could be risking Jacob or the possibility of him capturing me again. I wanted neither of those. Only to curl up at Jacob’s side in a warm safe bed miles away from here.
My ears perked at the creak of leather getting closer. I peeked under the car, seeing his boots near the back driver side door. Now was my chance to do something. He walked a few more steps, and I jumped at him.
He fired his gun, and a sharp sting ached in my side where the dart hit. No, I can’t let this happen. This isn’t how this should end. I glanced down my torso, my knees wobbling with effort to stay up.
“Nighty night.” The guard huffed. “Now I can get back to the big game,” the guard said, taking a step toward me as if to catch me the second I go down. I stumbled and he grabbed my arms.
The wolf growled, and before I knew what I was doing, I slammed my head into his. The guard dropped to the ground in seconds like an extinguished light.
Pops of tranq guns going off filled the night air, but the sound quieted with the crunching of bones. Jacob trudged toward me, the thick vein in his neck straining with the effort. My legs turned to jelly, and I collapsed to the ground on my back, smacking my head on the graveled parking lot. Pain exploded behind my eyes. We’d been so close to freedom.
Jacob dropped to my side, and he took my hand before slumping forward onto my chest. It was so hard to breathe, but the comfort of having him near helped ease the agony of knowing that our chance to run was gone.
“Sorry, Kelly,” Jacob whispered.
I couldn’t respond. My lungs weren’t getting enough air, and the drugs overtook me.
CHAPTER TEN
Jacob
The tranquilizer pushed me to the edge of consciousness. Part of me wanted to invite the quiet dreams inside, their whispers so tempting to my tired body, giving an illusion of safety and peace. My muscles were weak from their effects. If I didn’t burn through the chemicals, we would be stuck here while the guards had a chance to recover or, worse, if reinforcements arrived.
I blinked a few times, but the dreaming state never seemed to lift. Raising a hand to my lips, I bit into it. The painful sensation brought me back from the twilight of sleep, and I sighed a relief. Yet, I knew my war against the chemicals was just beginning.
Fighting the haze of drugs, I shoved myself off Kelly’s chest. Her breath came out in quiet gasps of air once
I moved. I wanted nothing more than hold her and tell her everything would be okay, but right now, I wasn’t so sure if I believed that.
The chances of defying my body’s need to submit to an induced sleep were slim, but I had to try. With an effort of will, I pushed aside my pain and the complaints of my already strained body. Growing up among other young wolves in a Pack had granted me much worse beatings.
Incoherent thoughts filled my mind about the earlier part of the evening, the studying, and our argument. If I hadn’t been such a jerk earlier, none of this would have happened. She was in this mess partly because of me. Her life had been changed, and there was no going back. If I failed now, we’d both be locked up again.
I refused to give these people that satisfaction. They would all suffer in due time. After I got her out of here, the Pack will be back to rescue the others and fulfill our need for revenge.
Kelly whimpered next to me, and it sped the pace of my heart. The wolf in me struggled to get its bearings and assist me. We both knew what was on the line. When I laid eyes on her, both of us, the man and the beast, knew what we wanted. Both of us had fought, in our own way, for this piece of paradise. Feeling her heartbeat made my blood flow stronger and faster.
I had someone to take care of, to protect, and I refused to fail her again. My beast snarled in agreement, pushing ever closer to the surface, until my eyes were his eyes. He expanded within me until I was almost afraid that I would shift again. If that happened, I would be able to get away, but I couldn’t get Kelly to safety.
I rolled to my stomach, then got one leg under me at a time. Little by little, I slowly rose to my knees, and then up. The effort narrowed my vision until I nearly blacked out. Taking in the deep breath of air, I stood up.
The scents of the unconscious guards were the only signs of life. Two were knocked out, the third hadn’t been so lucky. While I didn’t like killing humans, at least we’d bought ourselves more much needed time. We could not, would not, get caught again.
I scooped up Kelly, nearly falling to my knees in the process. She groaned in my arms but didn’t make any other movements. Getting her in the car took a while since she nearly toppled out of the car. If I’d thought this through more, I would’ve laid her in the backseat, but my brain wasn’t functioning much better than my limbs.
The effort to move her now wasn’t pleasant, but the amount of time it took might mean the difference between running free and being locked up. The words they spoke came back to me about me being the key to their breeding super soldiers. I refused to let them have any pups I might have, and I certainly wouldn’t allow them to experiment on my mate.
I climbed into the driver seat. My body desired nothing more than to just slump over the steering wheel and sleep off the drugs, but I refused to give in. With each moment that passed, I feared hearing the sound in heavy footsteps close in on us. My senses were hyperaware of every breath, hoot, and scurrying creature in the forest.
My hand shook as I struggled to get the key into the ignition. Any fine motor skills I possessed were nearly impossible, yet alone trying to start the car with just enough force. The car could be temperamental on the best of days. I didn’t know what I would do if it failed to start. Thankfully, I didn’t have to find out. The engine gave a throaty roar as it came to life.
In the distance, radio static came to life from one of the walkie talkies. Someone was first asking in normal tone to report, until escalating to full scale yelling over the radio. Apparently someone from the base was impatient in knowing what was going on. I forced my right hand to move, trying to shift from park, but the hand didn’t have enough strength in it.
Outside, one of the guards in the tree line stood slowly, rubbing at his eyes. Damn it! He must’ve woken up from the chatter on the radios. I should have thought about bending their rifles into useless junk when I had the chance.
The gear finally hit home, and the car lurched forward. I put my foot on the pedal. Each moment behind the wheel took concentration, an effort to keep the car from sliding into a ditch or swerve into the opposite lane. My muscles wanted only to relax.
A bang resounded from the door, followed by another. Darts. I had to get down the road before they managed to break a window and stick me with another.
As I steered it out to the main road, I felt a pang of pain on my left arm, but I couldn’t afford to pay it any attention. When we made it a safe distance, I needed to call my brother. There was no way around it. If he didn’t come help us, we—
I didn’t want to think about the possibilities of what might happen if Shane didn’t head out to help. While I knew he was probably indulging in his own sex-crazed wolf run with his latest fling, I needed his help. He’d always been there for me before. I had to believe that he’d be there for me now.
The gas station was now firmly behind us, and I glanced over at Kelly who was slumped into the seat. The dart still stuck out of her side through my black t-shirt covering her torso. Any other time, I would’ve removed it, but right now, I was too afraid of flopping onto her lap and sending the car careening off the road.
The thought of burning myself with the cigarette lighter to stay awake slipped into my head. While the thought was tempting, I couldn’t risk an accident. Besides, the idea of doing that to myself felt wrong and made my wolf growl.
Distracted, I had slowly slipped to the other lane, and the correction I was forced to make caused Kelly’s head to droop in an uncomfortable manner. I could kick myself, but that was for later. Right now, I needed my full attention on the road.
My eyelids grew heavier, and I clenched my fist on the wheel. The turnoff for the highway was just ahead. Signs pointed to it in the distance. If I didn’t pull over now and call Shane, I might not be able to later.
When we were safely on the side of the road, I reached for my phone in the center console where I’d dropped it before heading to the research lab. Knowing I was going to be caught by them, I hadn’t wanted them to confiscate my belongings. However, it hadn’t allowed me to reach out sooner.
I fumbled with my phone, nearly dropping it a few times. Finally, I managed to dial Shane’s number. It rang and rang and rang. My heart pounded in my chest. This could not be happening to me. I hung up and tried again, hoping against hope that he just hadn’t heard the phone the first time.
No luck.
“Shane, I need your help. They’re after us. These men... they’re studying us—” The roar of a jeep speeding toward us filled the rearview mirror. Panicking, I dropped the phone. “Shit!” Tires screeched behind us, and I punched the gas pedal.
Not now, not like this.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you for reading Cold Moon Rising! This story came together abruptly when I saw a fun call for submission from an anthology. It played with ideas that I originally planned to put into The Witch Who Cried Wolf, however, that novella took on a life of its own when I wrote it, shirking the plot I’d imagined for it.
Jacob and Kelly started out as fun people I’d like to hang out with, but I’d been focused on holding firm with the plot I’d imagined this time. As the story progressed, my heart ached for them with all they go through, and they became more and more real to me. To date, they’re characters two of my favorites that I want to revisit very much in the future! I can’t wait to see how their story unfolds.
I hope you’ve loved this novella as much as I do. If you did, please consider leaving a review at the retailer’s website or even Goodreads. Also, if you’re interested learning more about my books, sign up for my newsletter and connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Mäkelä loves her fi
ction dark, magical, and passionate. She is a paranormal romance author, but she's written all over the romance spectrum with cyberpunk, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy...even a sweet contemporary romance!
A life-long paranormal fan, she still sleeps with a night light. In her spare time, she reads sexy books, watches scary movies (and Ghost Adventures), and plays computer games with her husband. When she gets the chance, she loves traveling the world too.
EXCERPT FOR THE WITCH WHO CRIED WOLF
CHAPTER ONE
Mia
Jessa’s New Age shop—Eternally Magick—was empty. Usually, Jessa was around. But, right now, she wasn’t. I leaned against the front counter, resting my forehead against the cool glass. Athames, crystals, jewelry and really cute dragon statues were locked in the case beneath my fingertips. While I enjoyed hanging out at the shop and seeing what new potions were available, I wished Jessa had given me some kind of clue as to why she wanted me here. But she was my best friend and mentor; the reason had to be important, if for nothing else to spend much needed time together.
I glanced over my shoulder at the wall of ingredients lining the shelves, ripe for the picking. It had been a while since I’d made a new potion. Maybe if I could stock up on a few things...
“Not what you’re here for,” I whispered to myself. The urge to see what she had nearly drove me away from the counter, but I held myself in check.
Making potions was one of my hobbies. I loved the creativity and excitement that went into building something from nothing, and the brief connection with my power.
Tapping my fingers on the counter, I stared at the curtained-off backroom. Worry crept into my chest. Why wasn’t Jessa here? She never stood me up. This wasn’t like her.