She spit at him, “you don't own shit. Now get the fuck off me or I'm gonna tear you apart."
Anger caused his jaw to jerk, and with a quick movement he had pinned both of her wrists under his left hand, freeing his right. He reached down and grabbed the collar of her t-shirt. He wrenched downward, ripping the shirt from her chest.
Kita screeched and fought against his hold. She was now exposed beneath him, still trapped under his weight and unable to fight him off of her. Panic screamed in her veins and she struggled to keep it from reaching her rationality.
"I'm going to enjoy this.” Ramsey informed her as he used his free hand to grab her breast.
"Get your filthy hands off me!” she demanded as she thrashed on the ground. “Don't you fucking touch me!"
He laughed, excited by the fear and the vulnerability in her eyes. He continued to grope her breasts roughly, bruising her skin with his harsh touch. His eyes darted downward to her jeans. His hand abandoned its attack on her chest, and trailed down her stomach until it had settled on the button of her pants.
"Don't you dare, don't you fucking dare!” She yelled, thrashing harder against his unrelenting grip.
He paid no attention to her threats, and continued to unbutton her pants, sliding the zipper down as he looked at her eyes. She was near tears. He could see sparkling droplets in the corners of her enraged sapphire eyes.
"What's the matter, kitten, you can give yourself to Sasha but not to me?” He pretended to be insulted as a tear rolled from the corner of her eye.
She whimpered and fought against him, feeling sick to her stomach as a cold ball of hatred and dread rolled within her gut.
"Shhh, the more you fight me the more this is going to hurt, Nicky.” He shushed her as he hovered over her, “stop wiggling, you're going to make it worse."
Tears began to spill more rapidly from her eyes as Kita begged him, “Please don't, Ramsey. Please don't do this..."
He laughed morbidly. In his mind she deserved this, and to see her pleading of him through tears made him relish it all the more.
Kita bucked underneath him, gasping when she felt him against her skin. She couldn't get him off of her no matter how hard she tried.
A howl suddenly tore through the cabin, echoing off of the walls before ricocheting back into Ramsey's ears. It had come from nearby, just outside the cabin walls. It was too close for comfort, and it made him freeze in mid-motion. An unexpected shudder rippled down his back along his spine. His arousal withered and his grip on Kita relaxed.
Kita let a relieved sigh escape her trembling lips, “Sasha...” more tears streaked her cheeks.
Ramsey stood and buttoned his pants, freeing Kita to scurry away from him.
* * * *
Sasha was livid. He had been the moment that he found Kita gone. He had tracked her through the forest, allowing the search to absorb most of his anger, but nothing, absolutely nothing had enraged him more than what he heard as he neared the cabin.
He heard Kita pleading, he could taste the salt of her tears, and he could smell the lust on Ramsey's skin all in the softest breeze. He wanted to break the door down, tear the cabin apart and Ramsey with it. The smell of silver was the only thing that stopped him. Somewhere in the dark of the cabin Ramsey had a ready gun. Sasha howled to get the other man's attention and it must have worked. The cabin had gone silent.
He paced the trees that circled the cottage. There was blood on the branches of several of the trees. Some of the blood was Kita's. She had been hurt at some point in the forest. It was on the tree bark and along branches that she had brushed against thereafter. It did little to ease his rage, knowing that Ramsey was the cause of the blood.
The rest of the blood was from a human, probably the owner of the cabin. He bristled. Ramsey must have killed the man in cold blood.
He continued to circle the lodge slowly, looking at every vantage point, noting his surroundings. Strangely, the cabin had only one window, and it had been boarded up tight, preventing him from seeing the inside. It didn't really matter, he relied more on his hearing to tell him what was going on, anyway.
Sasha made his way around the home, finally stopping in the shadows of the trees just outside of the door. The evening sun was fading, and a full moon was rising into the heavens to take its place. He looked into the open space between the trees and the cabin. The faded green of the grass was beginning to glow white with the moonlight. He sat down patiently. He could wait as long as he had to for Ramsey.
* * * *
Ramsey stood quietly behind the door. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at Kita. She was glaring coldly at him.
"I hope he kills you, I hope he tears your throat out."
"He won't even be given the opportunity, Nicky."
She tensed, fury flooding her veins in a hot rush. Her eyes shifted, grazing the opposite wall where his gun remained leaning.
Ramsey followed her gaze with his own. Kita shoved off of the wall quickly, reaching for the weapon, but he was ready for her. He intercepted her before she reached the gun, throwing her sideways as she landed into the wall with a thud.
Kita grimaced, emitting a guttural cry as her already bruised and bloodied back struck the wood. She clutched at her shirt, holding the separated cloth together to conceal her chest. Tears were burning her eyes. She was losing this battle. Ramsey was interpreting her every move. She felt weak, vulnerable, and exposed. She would give anything for even a hint of security right now.
A voice floated through the cracks in the cabin, soft, barely audible to the average ear, but with their enhanced hearing both Kita and Ramsey heard it.
"Ramsey,” Sasha's tone was casual, but hinted with warning, “Instead of picking on Kita, why don't you come join me outside?"
The were-cat smirked devilishly as he calmly loaded bullets into his rifle. He glanced sideways at Kita, watching her nervous expression as he placed the gun at the ready with a click.
"My father is going to hear about this, Ramsey. You won't get away with this."
He sighed, “No he isn't. Your father is going to hear what I tell him."
She stared at him in puzzled distrust, watching as he unlocked the door. He looked back at her.
"Come outside with me, Kita. I want you to see what happens when I put a silver bullet into your boyfriend.” He nodded thoughtfully, “you'll respect me yet, kitten, you'd be stupid not to."
She raised her jaw, “Go by yourself, Ramsey, because I'm not going anywhere with you."
He shook his head, opening the door widely, “Get out there, Kita. Don't make me shoot you."
Her eyes flew wide in surprise for a moment, but they quickly returned to narrow slits of defiance, “You wouldn't dare."
"Remember what I told you earlier, Nicky. Don't test me."
She tilted her chin, and the gesture was enough to set him into motion. He grabbed her arm impatiently and dragged her outside, pressing her against the side of the cabin beside him.
"Don't move,” he demanded.
She inhaled softly, searching the shadows for Sasha. She didn't see him. She couldn't hear him either. He had disappeared, melted into the darkness.
Ramsey cocked his gun with annoyance, “come on, Sasha, where in the hell are you?"
He was met with silence and Kita chuckled under her breath. Sasha wasn't a fool, he was going to wait, bide his time like a strategist. He was an experienced fighter. He hadn't earned his scars by letting others fight his battles for him. Ramsey was underestimating his rival and she knew it. She pushed away from the wall, there was no use standing in the cold waiting for a ghost.
Ramsey slammed her roughly back into the wall, bringing a soft cry from her lips, “Don't move,” he hissed.
"Do that again and I'm going to shove that rifle down your throat."
Ramsey smiled. The threat hadn't come from Kita. It was a whisper from the forest, a warning from Sasha.
"You want her come and get her, Alpha.” Ramsey
called into the darkness.
"Don't be stupid, Ramsey,” Kita grumbled while she rubbed her sore arm, “You've got a loaded gun, how reckless do you think he is?"
His head snapped sideways to look at her. Thought stewed within his black eyes, as if something she had said sparked his recognition. Instinctively Kita began to edge away from him. His eyes were so dark, so full of danger—of madness—that it sent a flash of alarm through her body.
Suddenly Ramsey reached out and grabbed her, thrusting her in front of him. He used the muzzle of the rifle to shove her forward, encouraging her to walk ahead of him. She whirled around in confusion, but he jabbed her ribs with the cold metal nose of the gun.
"Turn around,” he barked. “Sasha, if you want her you're going to come and get her."
Kita spun around angrily, “knock it off, Ramsey!"
She saw his hand on the trigger, and a sudden twitch of his finger. The barrel of the gun jumped with a bang, and a shot of white light fired outward. Pain tore through her left shoulder. She dropped to the ground in agony. Her hand clutched at her wound, as if she could hold the blood in with her palm. Her eyes lifted, and she saw Ramsey step backward.
She blinked. Her head drummed, pounding to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Confusion swirled in her brain and she staggered to her feet, staring at Ramsey in disbelief.
"You shot me...” she whispered.
He looked at her for only a moment. His eyes were cold and uncaring. Suddenly his gaze tore upward and he jerked the gun up to his shoulder, aiming it.
Kita couldn't move. Everything seemed to go into slow motion, like time had stopped in this instant.
She gasped. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a black figure launch from the shadows of the trees. Ramsey cocked his firearm, and she heard the snap to her side. The black form didn't stop. It just kept coming with its long, determined strides, undaunted by the metal gun barrel that was now pointed directly at him.
She swallowed, still frozen in place and in a numb trance as time edged by. Her eyes found Ramsey again. He squeezed the trigger, slowly.
An arm reached around from behind him, knocking the gun barrel sideways as a loud crack burst from the rifle. Bits of bark shattered as the stray bullet slammed dully into the thick base of a pine tree.
Kita blinked, desperately wondering what was going on. There was a brief struggle between Ramsey and an unseen force behind him. The gun fell to the ground. A flash of silver glinted in the moonlight, hovering for a moment in front of Ramsey's face. It was the blade of a knife, still attached to some hidden being. The knife was pressed up against Ramsey's throat, and the struggle stopped.
The owner of the knife leaned over to whisper into the were-cats ear, and Kita started to swoon. His head was shaved, his eyes were gold, and he wore that same distinct metal piercing. He looked like Sasha, but younger, and more baby faced. If he was one of Sasha's Beta's she had never seen him before.
Her eyes flicked sideways at Sasha. He was frozen in front of Ramsey, his attack interrupted by the stranger. He looked at the man holding the knife. Bewilderment was bare in his golden eyes.
Kita felt herself go light. Her strength ebbed away and she dropped to the forest floor under the glow of the moon. She felt only pain and the pulsing of silver as it began to sink into her bloodstream.
CHAPTER 12
Sasha stared straight ahead of him. He couldn't believe his eyes. He shifted onto two legs, back into human form. His jeans were torn, just barely covering his thighs and his waist. He had been in such a hurry to go after Kita when he found her gone that he hadn't even taken the time to get them off. He was glad that he hadn't now.
"Yuri?” He was barely able to speak.
"You look like you could use some help, Sasha.” The man replied, still holding his blade tightly against Ramsey's throat. He nodded towards Kita, “you might want to get that bullet out of her, brother. I can hang onto this one for a bit while you do that."
Sasha shook his head, in his surprise he had almost forgotten about Kita. He spun to face her, and when he saw her lying on the ground with blood slipping through her fingers he dropped down beside her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him.
"Kita, look at me, sweetheart.” She looked at him through frightened blue eyes, “Kita, I need to take the bullet out. It's going to hurt, baby."
She nodded.
"Look in my eyes, Kita.” He gently stroked her arm, worry and regret swirling in his eyes, “I failed four of my pack mates. I'm not going to fail you."
His voice was like a sweet whisper, his touch the caress of an angel's wing. Kita blinked, struggling just to remain conscious. Somehow she managed to keep her eyes steady long enough to focus on him.
In an instant she was transported somewhere else as the gold in his eyes drew her away. She saw herself, safe in his arms as he held her on the bank of the river. The water was sparkling like a thousand rolling diamonds under an orange sunset ... she felt a stinging sensation in her shoulder that made her gasp, but it vanished as the dream in Sasha's eyes continued. He kissed her, sweeping her up in his embrace as he held her closer. She could feel the heat of his mouth against hers as if it were real. He sheltered her with his presence, protecting in another place and time. She was safe, there was no bullet, no Ramsey here in this dream, only she and Sasha. She felt his hands placing a piece of cloth over her wound, tying it around her shoulder to keep the blood from escaping. He drew away from her and she licked her lips. She could taste him on her tongue, and then it registered. The kiss had been real, more than a mere vision.
She sighed weakly, glancing down at the bullet that was now cupped in his palm.
"I'm sorry, Sasha...” she whispered as her eyes began to close.
He cupped her chin in his free hand, leaning down to kiss her lips tenderly. With effortless strength he lifted her from the ground and placed her against a nearby tree to rest. He then climbed to his feet, walking over to where Yuri had Ramsey in his grasp.
"You're just fucking up left and right, aren't you, Ramsey?” he asked as he came to stand before him.
Ramsey smirked arrogantly, “I'm fucking up? You'd be dead right now, Sasha, if you had chosen to fight like a man."
"Fight you like a man?” Sasha repeated, “you're the one using a gun. You're a goddamn coward."
"I'm not the coward,” Ramsey scoffed, “you're the one who was afraid to fight me alone."
Sasha glared at him, “You shot five of my pack mates, killing four of them, and now you just shot Kita...” He bristled, “This is the second time you've shot her, not to mention the bruises and the scratches she's got from you."
Ramsey shrugged, ignoring the fact that he still had a knife against his throat, “Kita deserved it. We were supposed to be mated and she ran away. I had to track her down into gods land just to find her. And then she goes and gives herself to you. The bitch got what she had coming to her."
Sasha smiled, nodding his head as he forced his boiling rage inward, “Yuri, move the knife.” His brother looked puzzled, but he did as he was told. In an instant Sasha had his hand firmly around Ramsey's throat and he hissed into his face, “don't you ever call her a bitch or touch her again."
Ramsey was unmoved, “you werewolves get far too attached to your women. Do you honestly think that she's going to stay with you and be your mate, Sasha?” He smirked, “her father would never allow it."
Sasha leaned into him, and Ramsey's eyes darted sideways. He knew better than to match the Alpha's gaze. Sasha was called an eye-commander for a reason, one look in his eyes and he could take control of whoever was caught in his stare. The only ones immune to the effect were other eye-commanders.
Sasha tipped his jaw in irritation. Ramsey was looking away and he had a sly, smug smile on his lips. He shifted, hoping to draw Ramsey's gaze to him, but the man only pulled his eyes in a different direction, refusing the contact.
"What's the matter, you're afraid to look me in the eye?” Sasha sna
pped finally.
"Oh, come on, Sasha.” Ramsey replied slowly, “Do you honestly think that I would hunt you without knowing what you're capable of? Please, unlike you, I know what I'm up against. It's a pity you don't, or you'd know that you're outmatched and overpowered."
Sasha flexed his hand, squeezing his fingers ever so slightly around Ramsey's throat, “don't threaten me, Ramsey, you're not in a position to make threats."
Ramsey swallowed against the pressure on his lungs, “I wasn't threatening. I was informing."
"Thanks for the enlightenment,” Sasha growled sarcastically, “now let me inform you of something, were-cat. You're going to go home and tell your father that you've changed your mind about mating Kita."
Ramsey nodded, “The agreement will be off, then.” He smirked, “And Kita's daddy will not be happy ... and he'll have you to blame."
Sasha glanced over his shoulder at Kita, “I have a message for Kita's father, and you're going to deliver it personally.” He spoke low, whispering his message to Ramsey, and then he drew away, “don't try anything, either, Ramsey, because if you even think about it, I'll find you, and I'll kill you."
A sly grin slipped over the were-cat's features again, “Are you threatening me?"
"No,” the Alpha replied as he released his hold on the man's throat, “I'm informing you."
Ramsey nodded again, and he turned away. Yuri was standing behind him, holding up a bag. He smiled, grabbing up his belongings from Sasha's brother, and without another word he started walking through the woods.
Sasha watched him until he had disappeared from sight.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?” Yuri asked as he walked over to Kita.
Sasha jerked his head around, watching as his brother kneeled down in front of her and took off his shirt.
"What in the hell are you doing?” Sasha demanded protectively.
Yuri gave him a half cocked grin, “Easy, Alpha, don't get defensive, I'm just giving her my shirt to wear.” He shook his head as he helped Kita get the shirt on, replacing her torn one.
Sasha blushed, he should have known better.
Sweet Submission Page 11