by Kele Moon
He inhaled, his nose flaring a little before he frowned. “You’re frightened and it’s understandable. I know you were attacked by wolves, but they won’t come after you here. They’d never come close to my home. I promise you that you’re safe now.” He crouched down next to the couch and offered her his coffee mug. “Do you want a drink? It’s hot coffee. Maybe it’ll help you wake up.”
She struggled to sit up despite her apprehension. This stranger was huge and she’d seen him turn from a black wolf into a man. Had she been drugged when the men grabbed her from the gas station? She couldn’t possibly have seen this man as a wolf.
Her head throbbed and it made her thinking fuzzy. Jason silently watched her, still offering his coffee, and she felt like she needed it. She wasn’t super excited about sharing a drink with this stranger, but she was desperate to wake up a little. Her hands shook as she reached for the coffee.
He turned the mug and offered her the handle. “Careful. It’s hot. I don’t want you to get burned.”
His large palms closed over hers as she brought the coffee to her lips. She stared at him as she blew a little and then took a sip of the coffee. It was hot, but it didn’t burn her. She was still shaking and she was grateful for the big warm hands holding her steady as she took another sip. She had seen him drink from it so she was sure the coffee wasn’t drugged, but she’d heard him admit that he was planning on drugging her later. As kind as he was being now, she couldn’t allow herself to forget that. She pushed the cup away.
He took it and set it on the coffee table, before he turned back to her
“I’m Jason. What’s your name?”
She hesitated, studying him uncertainly before she shrugged. “Brandi Compro.”
“What were you doing in the woods, Brandi?”
She hesitated again, and then decided to tell him the truth. He’d rescued her. Regardless of the fogged memories she had about Jason as a wolf, one way or another he’d obviously saved her, since she was safe on his couch rather than scattered in pieces across the forest floor.
“I was grabbed from a gas station. Two men in a white cargo van kidnapped me.”
Jason’s mouth pressed together in a tight line. “Have you ever seen those men before? Do you know them?”
“Never. I’m not from this area. I was driving to see my best friend, Jenny. Her place’s five hours from where I live. I pulled off the highway in Dryer for gas. They grabbed me, threw me in the back of the van, and I was locked in like an animal. There was a cage wall between the front and back of the van. The doors wouldn’t open.”
“What happened next?”
She stared into his soft brown eyes and remembered the black wolf once more. “I think they drugged me.”
“Did they make you swallow pills or put a rag over your face?” His voice was lower, more of a growl. “Did they inject you with something?”
She felt her cheeks heat and lowered her head as she admitted, “No. It’s just… I saw things that weren’t real. That couldn’t be real.”
He breathed a small sigh of relief but didn’t say a word, just waited silently as she tried to find a way to tell him the twisted story.
“They drove me into a clearing in the woods and opened the van door. I tackled one of them and clawed his eyes with my fingernails.”
Shock crossed his features before he let his gaze drift over her body in a long, lingering look before he lifted his head and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You attacked one of them?”
“I know I’m not very strong looking, but I have an older brother. He taught me how to fight. He said I needed to be strong to protect myself. I figured they were going to rape and kill me, so I backed up in the van and when one of them opened the doors, I shoved off from the side and barreled into him. I had the advantage. I was higher and he wouldn’t have expected me to come out like that. When I landed on him, I went for his eyes. The other man pulled me off the one I hurt. Then I realized there were five of them and—”
He frowned. “Five? Not three? Are you sure?”
“Five. Trust me. I’ll never forget it. There was an older man. He seemed to be in charge. He didn’t come after me into the woods. He…” She chewed on her bottom lip, studying the man crouched on the floor within feet of her. Jason was close enough to touch and she found herself itching to do it. She folded her hands in her lap to fight the odd impulse as she winced over the memories. “He freaked me out the worst. He was like their fucked-up teacher or something.”
“What made you think that?”
“Because of what he said. I was supposed to be a learning exercise. He said they had gotten too soft or some such bullshit. I was in shock so don’t quote me.” She held up her hands, giving him a look because she knew this all sounded insane. She had a feeling she’d be in a white jacket already if she told the police what she was telling Jason.
“He told them to hunt me like an animal. He called me a doe. Whoever reached me first got the kill. He wanted them to—” She shuddered, lowering her head once more as her voice caught. “They were supposed to tear me up and scatter my body parts. He ordered them to leave my head alone so it was obvious I was a woman when the Nightwinds found my body tonight, whatever that means. Then they were supposed to be out of the woods by dark because that’s when my body would be found. This all sounds crazy, I know, but—”
Brandi looked up and saw real anger tightening Jason’s face. He looked furious enough to frighten her. She tensed and pressed her back tightly to the couch, but she couldn’t go anywhere else since Jason was still crouched in front of her. He blinked and then his harsh features relaxed.
“Did you catch any names?”
“Just one. Chuck. He’s the one I scratched up when I jumped out of the van.”
“What did the older man look like?”
“Ice-cold green eyes. They were freaky looking.” She stared into Jason’s warm brown eyes to fight the shudder the memory caused, not that she should feel any safer around him, but she did for some reason. “Cold and just evil. He had some scars on his face.” She touched her cheek, still caught in the nightmare. “Here, here and here. He was about fifty-something, in good shape, maybe six feet tall. Oh, and he had marks on his left arm. They were about two inches apart and went from under his T-shirt sleeve down to his elbow. I saw three of them.” She touched her arm to show him. “Scars.”
“I don’t know him. Damn. That’s bad. If I knew him, we could take care of him for good, and I could promise you he wouldn’t be attacking any more women. They used the term ‘hunt’ or did you come up with that one?”
“That was his term. He said they were going to hunt me. He gave me a fifteen-minute head start and laughed.” The shock was wearing off and she was getting pissed off. “He laughed. He was amused over them hunting me like a deer. He told them to tear me apart. I don’t even know this jerkoff. They even stole my car and hid it in the woods so no one would know to look for me.”
She took a deep breath, the anger making her forget just how crazy her story sounded. “I need your phone. I need to call the police. To call my friend Jenny. She’ll be worried that I didn’t show up.”
He hesitated and looked away for the first time. “My phone is down. We had a storm a few days ago. I don’t carry a cell phone. I’m sorry.”
He was lying, and Brandi glared long enough for him to look back to her. The guilt showed on his handsome face as he let his gaze run over her once more, as if trying to hide from her disappointment. “Do you want a shower?”
She looked down at herself. Her shirt was torn in a few places and dirty. Her khaki shorts had tears and were beyond filthy. She saw red stains mixed in with the grass and dirt, and touched them, feeling the color leave her face. It was dried blood smeared over all her clothing and she fingered her shorts in horror.
“What else happened? You said you thought they gave you drugs.”
She stared at him, but didn’t say a word.
“Brandi? What m
ade you think they gave you drugs?”
She moved fast, her bare foot making contact with his naked chest. She had no idea what happened to her shoes and she wasn’t going to worry about it when she kicked him hard enough to send him crashing into the coffee table.
Brandi jumped off the couch as she heard glass break and Jason’s loud cursing. She sprinted for the front door, pulling it open wildly before dashing outside. Finding nothing but forest, she ran toward the black SUV parked in front of the cabin.
She reached it and jerked on the door, only to find it locked.
“Where are you going to go, Brandi?”
She gasped and spun to see Jason directly behind her. She backed up and leaned against the truck. “Stay away. You’re lying to me. You have a working phone or a cell phone or something. I just heard you talking on it. You’re planning on drugging me later!”
“Shit.” Jason sighed. “You heard that?”
She just grunted in response, eyeing him fearfully. She couldn’t get over how wide-shouldered and muscular he was, which was unfortunate when she considered having to fight him to get free. Jason had one of the best bodies she’d ever seen. The guy had to work out often to get that kind of body mass and definition, that was more than obvious, since he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Every muscle was ridged down his stomach to the waist of his faded jeans.
She could make out his tattoo this time, the silhouette of a wolf howling at the moon in black ink on his arm, with the word Nightwind written under it. It was simple, making it look more like a brand.
Not good.
“I told you that you’re safe here.” Jason reached out to her, but she flinched and he dropped his arm. “I was going to give you something to help you sleep so I could leave you alone. The woods aren’t safe to roam in, and I was afraid you’d try to leave after I went out tonight to hunt for the other men who brought you to my territory.”
She flinched again. Hunt. Just like those other men. He hunts. Did I really see him change from a wolf into a man? Oh god! Her mind reeled as she tried to flatten herself against the SUV in a vain attempt to get out of this situation.
Jason inhaled deeply and took a few steps back. He lifted his hands, palms out, and then backed up a little more. “Easy, Brandi. You’re terrified and there’s no reason to be. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I saw.” She pointed at him accusingly.
Jason blinked, paling a little despite his tan skin. “What did you see?”
She inched along the SUV to the back. “They stripped out of their clothes in front of me and went down on their hands and knees.” She cleared her throat, her voice a hushed whisper. “I saw. They changed in front of me…and then I saw you. You were the black wolf.”
Jason moved with her, inching sideways, but didn’t come closer to her as they stared at each other. “That’s why you think you were drugged.” It wasn’t a question. “You know you’ve got a nasty bump on your forehead.”
She made a soft sound in her throat. “That’s what I thought until I saw the blood on my clothes. I thought they’d drugged me or I hit my head too hard, but the blood doesn’t lie. You killed those wolves and you changed into a man. Then you lifted me. You were covered in their blood.” She glanced down at her clothes and then her head jerked up. “It really happened. The proof’s staining my clothes.”
“Easy,” Jason said softly. “Don’t panic. I see it in your eyes. You’re not in danger, Brandi. I won’t hurt you.”
Brandi turned and ran.
She heard Jason curse behind her as she took off down the dirt road. There had to be a main road at the bottom.
She was running downhill and she didn’t hear anything behind her. Her bare feet pounded along the soft dirt. Her body ached from her previous run, but she needed to get to a main road. She could flag someone down and call the police. She needed to get away from the man who swore she was safe because she knew she wasn’t.
Two arms locked around her waist and she was forced back into a hard wall of bare skin and rough jeans. Her feet left the ground. She screamed and tried to throw her head back to hit him in the face, but Jason tilted his chin out of the way and her head slammed into his chest instead.
“Damn it,” he rasped. “Don’t fight me! You’re so little. I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”
She screamed out again and clawed at the arms banded around her waist like warm iron. Jason cursed loudly as she raked her nails across his skin. She knew she scored blood. He shifted her weight in his arms and put her on her feet. Brandi tried to kick him as he yanked her off her feet again and into his arms. He turned and started walking back to the cabin.
“Let me go!” she shouted, more than a little nervous that he’d drop her because she wasn’t exactly a pixie.
“Calm down.” He crooned. “It’s not safe for you to be running around. You’re going to have to deal with me until I’m sure you’re safe. You said it yourself. You saw their faces. The older man you described will hunt you until he’s certain you’re dead. Believe it or not, I’m the best friend you’ve got in these woods.”
She stopped struggling. It was useless. Kicking didn’t seem to faze him and he was incredibly strong. He wasn’t hurting her or crushing her to keep her still. She could feel his muscles since she was locked in his arms. Never in her life had she felt more tiny and weak as he carried her back to the cabin, and it was infuriating.
The front door was wide open. He walked inside, turned, and used his foot to kick the door shut. Then he headed for the stairs.
“You need a shower. I’m going to take you to the guest bathroom. It’s the only one with a window too small to crawl out of. It’s pretty bare but I do have towels and soap and stuff you can use to get cleaned up. I’ll get you some clothes, and then we’ll talk. Don’t try to escape. I really don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”
He walked to the first door on the right, down the hall from four other closed doors. He gently stood Brandi on her feet, but refused to let her go completely. One massive hand gripped her upper arm as he reached over and flipped on a light in the bathroom. It only had a toilet, sink, and open shower stall. He gently pushed her into the shower and released her. He gripped the frame of the stall as Brandi backed away from him.
His brown gaze locked with hers. “Take a shower. There’s shampoo, conditioner, and even a few new toothbrushes in the drawer. I’ll leave you some clothes in the hallway. There’s a lock on the door. Use it if you want, but it’s not necessary. I’ve never forced a woman in my life and I am not about to start now. Shower, calm down, and then we’ll talk. I’ll fix you something to eat. I can hear your stomach rumbling.” He stepped back and shut the shower stall. “I’m out here, so don’t try to escape again.”
Brandi lunged and flipped the lock once he’d left the bathroom. She tested the door, making sure it really was secured. She heard a soft male chuckle from the other side of the door.
Brandi backed up and sat down on the toilet lid, shaking from head to toe.
Chapter Three
Now clean, with her skin rosy from being scrubbed nearly raw to get the dirt and blood off, Brandi had to admit she felt better as she studied herself in the mirror. The towel was wrapped tightly around her body. Her long wet hair was already bouncing back to its usual curly, unruly state. Her light blue eyes were rimmed with dark circles. She had a bump on her forehead with a thin, healing cut running through the center of it, but it still had to be an improvement over how she’d looked before.
She touched the wound, surprised that it was tinged green rather than black and blue. Usually it took a week for bad bruises to fade. Maybe she hadn’t hit her head as hard as she’d thought.
Brandi shrugged and decided to brush her teeth with the new toothbrush and toothpaste she found in the drawer. She did feel a hundred times better and more like herself, but she still found herself eyeing the door with dread after she finished brushing her teeth. She’d have to unlock it, and see if he’
d left her clothes. Was it a trick? Would he be waiting to grab her?
Jason hadn’t attacked her yet. And she’d been unconscious. If he were a pervert, wouldn’t he have taken advantage of her then? He hadn’t picked the lock and trapped her naked in the shower. A monster would have done that.
She sighed and walked to the door and pressed her ear against. When she heard only silence, she bit her lip and reached for the knob. She unlocked it, tensed, and when nothing happened, she eased the door open.
The hallway stood empty. She looked down and saw neatly folded clothing on the floor. She grabbed the clothes and slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it. Her heart pounded as she put the clothes on the counter.
The T-shirt he gave her smelled like fabric softener, and it was easily two times too big for her, but it was warm and soft. She tugged it down her body, letting it fall past her knees. She frowned as she picked up the second and last piece of clothing. It wasn’t pants. It was a pair of black cotton boxer briefs. Men’s. She uttered a soft curse and put them on.
They were a little big but they fit. She lifted the shirt and stared in the mirror. She’d never worn men’s underwear before. They were soft and comfortable. She sighed and dropped the shirt. At least she was covered and the clothes were clean.
A tap on the door made her jump.
“Hey, you hungry yet or are you going to hide out in there all day? Did everything fit? I would have given you pants but my jeans would fall off you and my sweats will probably tell the same story.”
She stared at the door and sighed. “I don’t know if I want to come out or not. You’re a liar at best and a crazy wolf-man at worst. With my luck, you’re both.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. I lied to you. I have a phone. I just can’t let you use it, but I’ll tell you what. You come out and eat something with me and I won’t lie to you anymore.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You were the black wolf, weren’t you?”