by Zoe Chant
But she had only just learned about shifters this week – perhaps it was all too strange and different for her to understand, or to want in her and her son’s lives.
His lion whined in pain, heart clenched in fear.
She wouldn’t do that, he argued with himself. She’d talk to me first. She’d tell me to my face.
His lion’s paws scrabbled against the loose earth and gravel that lined the car parking area as he made his way up the slope.
His truck was definitely gone – and recently too, if the scent of exhaust fumes still lingering in the air was anything to go by. Casey laid his lion’s nose to the ground, sniffing, trying to make sense of what had happened. Behind him, he could hear Joe doing the same, putting all his lion’s senses to work to figure out what had happened here.
Exhaust fumes.
Natalie – her scent. I’d know it anywhere.
But then, other things began to filter through to him.
Unfamiliar humans. Two men. Danger.
A growl rose deep in his chest.
And beneath the scent of the two men who smelled of danger, there was something else again – something sickly sweet and chemical. Something unnatural, that didn’t belong.
Raising his head, Casey scanned the area. His lion had a poor sense of sight, relying instead on its smell and hearing. But over short distances, its sight was fine – and even it could see the small shape lying on its side in the driveway, just next to where his car had been.
Shifting, Casey ran over to where it lay in the dirt, and picked it up.
It was Micah’s little stegosaurus toy – the one he’d been clutching in his arms the first day that he and Natalie had arrived here. Casey had been able to tell that the toy meant the world to him – it was well-worn, and well-loved.
There was no way he would have left it lying here in the dirt – and no way Natalie would have discarded it so easily, knowing how attached her son was to it.
They’ve taken her.
The knowledge hit him like a sledgehammer.
The unfamiliar two men he had smelled – they must have taken her.
And Micah – is he –
Casey closed his eyes, pushing his senses to their limits. But everything told him that Micah was safe – he could detect him inside the ranch house, unaware that anything was wrong.
But Natalie… Natalie is –
“Casey.”
He turned at the sound of his brother’s voice behind him. One look at his face told Casey that he too had put together the pieces of this puzzle – that he too had realized what had happened here.
“I have to go after her,” Casey said, fear and rage boiling in his chest. “I have to –”
Joe nodded, fury simmering in his eyes. “Of course you do. And you know I’m with you – I’ll come too, if you want me to.”
Casey closed his eyes, trying to think clearly through the unfathomable anger in his chest. Then, he shook his head.
“No,” he said, his voice coming out as little more than a growl. “No – she’s my mate. This is my responsibility. I should have known – I should have been here –”
Joe shook his head. “It was a trap. You’re not to blame. These people are mate-stealers. They lured us away, then sent humans to do their dirty work. This is foul.”
Joe got angry so rarely that to see him so furious now, even in these circumstances, sent a chill through Casey’s veins. But it was justified: mate-stealing was the worst of crimes. Anyone who would disrespect the mated bond deserved nothing but the harshest of punishments.
Kill them! his lion bellowed, its claws and teeth glinting. Kill the ones who took our mate! Make them suffer for what they’ve done.
I will, Casey promised it.
“I need to do this,” he said through gritted teeth. “I thought Pritchard would at least respect shifter law – but it seems he doesn’t give a shit about it after all, unless it suits him. But I’ll show him how things are done. I’ll go after her myself.”
Joe looked into his eyes for a long moment, his lips pressed into a thin, tight line. Casey thought he was about to argue with him, but then, he simply nodded.
“It’s the right thing to do, Casey. Do this the right way. The shifter way.” He pressed his lips together. “Someone should stay at the house, anyway. This might be another trap. I don’t like to split up, even for tradition’s sake, but we don’t really have a choice. Someone needs to make sure they’re safe.”
Casey drew in a deep breath. He knew his brother would understand.
“You go back to the house,” Casey said. “I don’t want to worry Micah – just tell him I’m with his mom, and we’ll be back soon. Promise him that.”
Again, Joe nodded. “I will.”
Clenching his fists, Casey turned away from him. Anger pounded through his veins – both at Pritchard and at himself.
I let her be taken. I should have protected her, and I failed.
“I’ll be back,” he muttered. “Soon.”
He shifted before Joe could respond, allowing his furious, raging lion to come forward and take over his senses. The idea that his mate was alone, frightened, and waiting for him filled it with rage.
Does she know I’m coming for her? Casey thought as he took off across the fields, following the scent of exhaust fumes – of Natalie and the men who had taken her. Does she know she’ll be safe soon – that I won’t let her come to any harm?
Power surged through him. His lion bounded over the fence that followed the road bordering their pridelands.
He would find Natalie, and he would bring her home.
And he would make the ones who had taken her pay for what they’d done.
Chapter Fourteen
Natalie
“You idiots!”
At the sound of the infuriated yell, Natalie slowly blinked her way back into consciousness. Her head felt heavy and strange – like she was seeing and hearing everything through a wrapping of cotton. Blinking, she shook her head, trying to clear her senses. But the only thing that achieved was to make the world reel sickeningly around her.
Taking a deep breath, Natalie tried to steady herself, and lift her hands up to support her aching head.
It was only then that she realized her hands were bound in front of her, tied together with some kind of cable.
Snapping suddenly into full lucidity, Natalie gazed around her, horror creeping into her chest.
Now that she could see clearly, she realized she was in the back seat of Casey’s truck. It was parked in some kind of large building – maybe an abandoned barn of some kind? – and there was a large group of men and women standing at the far side. Some had their arms crossed over their chests. Others had their fists clenched by their sides. Natalie could tell at a glance that the atmosphere between them was far from friendly.
What’s happening? Where’s Casey? Where’s Micah?
Panic tore its way through her chest as she thought of her son. But a quick look around the cabin of the truck told her that he wasn’t here. Inching forward, desperate not to draw attention to herself, she scanned the crowd in front of her, but again, he was nowhere in sight.
Please. Please let him be safe.
As she sat there, trying to piece together the fragments of her memory, she recalled what Ken and his companion had been arguing about as they stood in the driveway of the ranch house: The boy’s got shifter blood, no matter how weak. We can’t touch him. But she’s human. She’s fair game.
Natalie closed her eyes, sending a silent prayer to whatever might be out there and listening that this meant that Micah was safe at home, and hopefully with no idea what was happening.
Please, at least, let him be safe. And Casey…
Natalie swallowed, her heart clutching. Would Casey come for her? Would he know how to find her?
Oh God. Please… Casey, please find me.
He had told her that he would protect her no matter what, and she believed him. She had seen how
he’d reacted when Pritchard had threatened her at the school. She couldn’t believe Casey wouldn’t be twice as angry now that he and his gang had taken her away to… to wherever this was.
Sitting up a little straighter on the truck’s seat, Natalie cautiously looked around her. She recalled now the furious yell that had awoken her, and the angry group of people standing a short distance away.
Leaning forward, she tried to catch a little more of what was going on – and what they were talking about.
“It wasn’t my fault – how was I supposed to know?”
Natalie couldn’t help but sneer – she’d recognize Ken’s wheedling, pathetic tone anywhere. He loved to pretend he was a big man, but he’d only ever threaten people he considered weaker than himself. The minute someone tougher came along, all his bravado collapsed and he became a sycophantic whiner.
Clearly, that was what was happening now.
Moving her head a little, Natalie caught a glimpse of Pritchard’s tall, muscular form, still dressed in his impeccable suit, standing at the center of the crowd.
“You told me you could get the boy,” he yelled, his face livid with anger. “I said nothing about taking the woman!”
“But Pritchard,” Ken said, his voice coming out high and frightened. “I just thought – I didn’t want to come back with nothing –”
“Then you never should have said you could do it!” Pritchard thundered, so loud that Natalie jumped. “Do you know what you’ve done, you idiotic fool?”
Ken’s eyes were on the floor. He looked half terrified, half enraged. “I told you, I didn’t know. How could I have known?”
“It wasn’t your place to know! I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out – but clearly I underestimated your stupidity! I give you a chance to make up for your transgressions, and this is what you do! You bring an angry shifter here, looking for his mate!”
“I didn’t know she was his mate,” Ken said, finally raising his eyes from the floor. “If I had, I wouldn’t have –”
“I’d hope not, but given how few brains you’ve shown, I wouldn’t have been surprised,” Pritchard snarled. “As it is, I still don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation.”
Ken’s lip curled. “What situation? So he comes back to get his mate – who cares? There’s one of him, and how many of you?” He looked around the watching crowd. “You saying the lot of you can’t take one guy?”
Natalie caught her lip between her teeth, sucking in a quick breath.
She wanted to feel relieved – from the way Pritchard was talking, it seemed that it was fully expected that Casey would come for her. We’re mates. Of course he’ll come for me. He promised.
But even if she wished he were here at this very moment, she realized that Ken was right. If he came, he’d be badly outnumbered. Even if he brought Mason, Joe and Lincoln too, there’d still be far more of Pritchard’s gang than there were of them.
They couldn’t fight all of them.
Oh, Casey…
Icy fingers squeezed her heart. He had told her he wouldn’t fight unless he absolutely had to, but what if he had no choice? She couldn’t stand the thought of him getting hurt, or maybe even killed, because of her. Because she had made the silly mistake of stepping outside the house. Because she had gotten involved with a bastard like Kenneth Walker in the first place.
Pritchard was shaking his head. “You really have no idea, do you?” He spat, disgusted. “I don’t know what I was thinking, giving you a second chance. I should have just put you to work and taken your wages until your debt was paid back – never mind that it would have taken twenty years!”
Ken tried to stare him down, but eventually he dropped his eyes. “I still think –”
“No one cares what you think!” Pritchard roared. “You’ve brought disrepute to my pack! You’re lucky I don’t kill you where you stand! When I found you, you promised you’d make this right, but the only thing you’ve done is make it worse. You’ve made me into a mate-stealer!”
A mate-stealer.
Natalie blinked. She supposed that was exactly what it sounded like – and it seemed like Pritchard wasn’t happy about it at all.
But it made sense, she thought. The mated bond seemed to be all-important to shifters. Even as a human, she hadn’t been able to believe how strong her connection to Casey had been. Perhaps getting between a mated pair was considered an especially heinous crime by shifter society.
And perhaps Pritchard did care about shifter law after all, then, if he was this upset about it. The contract he had shown her might have been barbaric, but Casey had explained that it was part of shifter law – or at least, it had been, once.
“You know nothing of shifter law,” Pritchard growled, pacing. “Do you think I’d sully my reputation by ambushing a man who has come to rescue his mate – as is his right? You’re a criminal as well as stupid.”
“I’m a criminal?” Ken yelled, showing a bit of backbone for once. “You’re the one who runs a crime empire!”
Pritchard sneered. “No one cares about human laws. But now you’ve broken shifter laws. And I’m responsible for it, because as alpha, I’m responsible for you. However much I regret it now.”
Natalie realized she’d been holding her breath. She didn’t know what any of this meant – or what would happen when Casey arrived. Did this mean Pritchard intended to just let Casey take her away from here? He had said that it was his right to come to claim his mate. Surely, then –
But even as she thought it, Natalie couldn’t quite let herself believe that things would be that easy.
“Pritchard!”
Natalie turned at the sound of the voice behind her, coming from over by the barn door. After a moment, a small man dashed in, looking harried.
“Pritchard, he’s here. He’s come.”
Pritchard turned, his expression grimly determined.
“Then I will deal with him.” He turned, pointing at Ken. “But remember – when this is finished, I’ll deal with you, too.”
Pritchard turned away then, and so he missed the expression of pure terror that crossed Ken’s face at his words.
But Natalie, looking directly at him, saw it clearly.
In the next moment, all heads turned toward the door, as a mighty, infuriated roar suddenly filled the entire barn.
Natalie’s heart was in her throat: standing there, the afternoon sunlight blazing on his golden coat, was Casey, his lion form huge and magnificent, eyes blazing and teeth bared.
The muscles of his shoulders rippled as he stalked into the barn, his tail swishing, black mane spiked in fury.
If it had been anyone else, Natalie would have been frozen in terror.
But Natalie knew that all of this power, all of this strength, would only ever be used to protect her – to keep her safe from any harm that might threaten her.
All his strength and beauty was for her.
With her, he had only ever been kind – and with Micah, he had been more caring and gentle than she knew how to describe.
He would never hurt her. Even though he could turn into a lion, the king of the beasts, she would always be safe with him.
She just hoped that they would be away from here soon, and she could show him all the ways in which she adored him.
Casey’s eyes ranged across the group of people before him, and he growled low in his throat. He turned his head, and when his eyes finally found hers, he hesitated, pausing in his stride. Intuitively, Natalie realized that he was seeking reassurance that she was okay – that Pritchard and Ken hadn’t hurt her.
She gave him a quick, sharp nod – and hoped he understood. Right now, she didn’t want him to take his eyes off Pritchard, or any other member of his gang, for a second.
Casey’s golden eyes stared into hers a moment longer, before finally he seemed reassured. He turned his massive head, fringed with its shaggy black mane, back to where Pritchard stood just a short distance away.
Pr
itchard, who was now striding across the floor, his arms held out to his sides.
“Shift,” he said, his voice low and angry. “Come. We have matters to discuss.”
Casey hesitated, his hackles rising, clearly wondering if he was being led into some kind of trap. But after a moment, he reared back, transforming, his mane becoming Casey’s sun-bleached brown hair, his massive paws becoming hands again, his eyes turning from gold to brown.
But all the while, he never lost his ferocious look of anger.
He stood, tall, broad and muscular, every sinew of his body on clear display, straining against his skin. It was clearly taking every ounce of self-control he had not to throw himself at Pritchard and separate his head from his body.
“Mate-stealer,” Casey snarled once he was fully human again. “You dare to take another shifter’s mate?”
Pritchard sneered. “I never gave any such order. Kenneth was told to go and get the boy. That’s it. I didn’t ask him for this.”
Pritchard gestured dismissively in Natalie’s direction without so much as glancing at her. His eyes were locked on Casey.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s my mate – and that means her cub is my responsibility too. You had no right.”
“I had every right!” Pritchard growled, his nostrils flaring. “The boy’s father signed a contract! I came to her in good faith to explain her debts, and she lied! She told me she knew nothing – but the second I took my eye off her, she ran off and sought the protection of a lion pride.”
“That’s not what happened,” Casey argued, his eyes alight with anger. “Natalie had no idea who or what we were until later. We offered her a job – that’s it. Everything else came later.”
Pritchard scoffed. “More lies!”
“Don’t you dare call me a liar.” Casey’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled back his lips to bare his teeth. “And don’t even pretend like you have any honor. You’re nothing but a pack of criminals – all of you. The ability to shift is a gift – and what the fuck do you use it for? To hurt humans and kidnap them when they won’t do what you want!” He snarled. “Or are you trying to tell me that sending your humans to grab Natalie while I wasn’t looking was honorable?”