Danielle’s black eyes narrowed and began to glow in the gloomy room. “It’s not a Ménage, you stupid slut. It’s called a triad, but you wouldn’t know that being mortal and all.”
Annie saw the long sharp blade in her hand. She began to wave it around. Toying with Annie.
“We can’t just kill her.” The man eyed the long blade in Danielle’s hand, but his voice was raspy and unsure.
“I most certainly can. It’s the only way, my love.” She reached a hand up and patted Dwayne softly on the cheek. “I’m doing this for us. The three of us are meant to be together.”
“The three of us,” Dwayne repeated lamely as if he had heard her say it a thousand times.
“Belong together! You are a lying bitch, Danielle, and everybody knows it now!” Annie screamed.
That made Danielle laugh. “What are you talking about, um, screaming about? You really shouldn’t waste your breath either, as we are miles away from everything.”
Annie saw Dwayne was confused, so she continued hoping just a tad of what she had to say made it through to his brain. “You are doing this for yourself. Not for Bill or Dwayne. But for the power of being the mate of the leader of the pack. And you’re trying to finish what you started in Florida when you crashed into my car.” Annie was also trying to stall for time. Filling in the blanks for Dwayne might not work, and counting on him snapping out of whatever delusions Danielle had fed him wasn’t her only motive. She was hoping Bill had discovered her absence, or one of the other wolves the pack leader had sent out to search for his son and Danielle would find her.
“What are you talking about?” the man asked, his eyes clearing slightly.
“Didn’t your girlfriend tell you she tried to run me down in Florida? Tried to kill me.”
“No. She didn’t do that. I was with her the whole time, and we just followed you around a couple of times. She didn’t do anything to you w hile we were down there. I was with her, except . . .” he paused, clearly remembering something. He looked at Danielle and she laughed.
“She must’ve given you something like she did just now over there in the corner. But she most certainly did try to kill me and we have photographs to prove it. Bill has them on his phone. He showed the pictures to your father.”
Again Dwayne looked from Danielle and back to Annie. He wanted Danielle to be happy and she had made it clear that only a triad with him and Bill would do that. And he knew that she had been giving him medicine, help with his severe allergies, but drugs? He couldn’t believe his mate would do that to him. Manipulate him in that way. He turned on Annie and snarling asked, “Then why didn’t you go to the police? I don’t believe you. Danielle loves me and Bill. We will be great together.” His words started out strong, but weakened towards the end. Something was sinking in.
Annie knew she had struck a nerve. She looked Dwayne directly into his faded blue eyes before speaking. “Great together? You’re a joke right now. We had a meeting with the pack tonight, we showed them our proof, and they are hunting her as we speak. She’s been sentenced to death by your father.”
“You lying, bitch!” screamed Danielle as she climbed onto the mattress waving the knife directly in Annie’s face. Annie pressed her face to the wall and covered it with her hands, kicked her feet to stop Danielle’s progress.
Luckily, Dwayne stopped her. “Let me go, Dwayne, she has to die. We can clear this up with your father. Just let me kill her.” The knife swung toward Annie, a mere inch from her face.
“No!” came the strangled voice from the now open doorway. A cold blast of arctic air came into the room. It was Bill, and his eyes were ablaze with fury. In just a few seconds he transformed into his dire wolf for the first time before Annie. And though she was terrified, she thought he was the most beautiful creature on earth. Even with his jaws wide open and his teeth bared.
Both Dwayne and Danielle shifted into their wolf forms. Bill charged at Danielle and went right for her throat. Dwayne grabbed a hold of one of Bill’s hind legs and tried to pull him off of Danielle. Annie watched as Bill’s head flayed from side to side until blood began to seep on Danielle’s fur and arcs of the fluid sprayed Annie. Bill was ripping out her throat and her moans of pain gurgled as blood began to fill her lungs.
Several other wolves charged into the small cabin, filling it. They pulled Dwayne off of Bill while he finished the job of ending Danielle’s sorry excuse for life.
Dwayne transformed back into his human form and begin to wail at the loss of his mate. He held her crumpled body in his arms. One by one, the other wolves began to transform into their human forms and stand erect. They were all naked until one of the wolves removed a bag slung around his neck and passed out long pants and long blousy shifts for the women.
The horrific scene that played out before her had ended. But the brutality of it had marked Annie. She knew she would have nightmares about it for a long time to come.
When Bill transformed back into his human form, he saw the look of horror on Annie’s face. He reached for her, but she pulled back. And that action spoke volumes to him. His mate, his love, was disgusted with him. He couldn’t blame her for her reaction to what she had just witnessed though it broke his heart.
Theodora went to her son and helped him to stand. “Son, you need to come with me.”
Seeing her, Dwayne reluctantly let Danielle go, and allowed her to lead him out of the cabin. But before he left he took one look back, and one look at Bill. “I’m so sorry, Bill. I honestly didn’t know.”
Bill gave his former friend a look of disgust. His attention needed to be on Annie. She was in shock. “Get help,” he told him. That was the best he could do.
Bill’s mother, Kathy, stepped forward next. She had been part of the search party. “Let me take her to my house, Bill.”
“But what if she . . .” Bill couldn’t finish the sentence.
“None of that. She’ll come around, my love. And though she may have not have said the words yet, she loves you. She’s just in shock right now.”
Bill nodded, despair washing over him like a cold shower, and watched as his mother crawled over to Annie on the filthy mattress. He let out a sigh of relief when Annie took his mother’s hand and allowed her to lead her out. He’d let his mother take care of her tonight. For now, he would go back to the lake house and let the pack leader know what had happened in the cabin and face his judgment. The orders had been to bring Danielle back for questioning, and that obviously wasn’t going to happen.
He gave Danielle’s inert body one last glance. It was what she deserved. No more. No less. It was a decision he would never regret.
Chapter 15
Bill stood before his pack leader. He saw a sadness in the older man’s eyes as he listened to the tale that Bill and the other witnesses told him.
“Her punishment was death and that’s what she got.” Darryl’s announcement was met with polite agreement.
Bill had only been slightly worried that the pack leader would be angry that he did not get to question her. There had been enough witnesses to confirm his story. Theodora had gone with him. As they listened outside the cabin, she’d seen and heard enough to know Danielle was behind it all, and that her own son had been drugged by the evil woman. “As for my son,” he paused and took in the whole group that was present. “I will continue to investigate further. But from the account you have given me, and my wife, it is clear that Danielle had him under the influence of some powerful drugs. He will go to rehab for that. But I will also get answers from him.”
Several of the men and women present nodded. They knew how hard this must be for their leader. He was being just and fair.
“There were a lot of drugs in the cabin,” Bill confirmed. He wanted his Annie safe, but he no longer thought Dwayne was to blame. He was another one of Danielle’s victims.
“Ron, Remy,” Darryl ordered, “Go fetch the materials from the shack on Potter’s Hill. I want to know what kind of drug she gave him and
what we are dealing with.” The pack leader turned back to Bill. “If my son had any inkling of the plan to kill your mate, you have my word that he will be dealt with.”
“Thank you, sir. And, I do think your son was under her influence. But I don’t think he deserves to die for that, if that counts for anything.” Darryl’s guilt ate at him. His son had almost destroyed Bill’s chance at happiness due to his weakness. But his son had been through a lot. Losing his own true mate, Bill’s own sister, had changed him. The man gave him a nod of thanks for his empathy in the situation towards his son.
“Thank you, Bill. Dwayne is lucky you were such a great friend to him. His actions, though they might not have been as vile as Danielle’s, show that there is a weakness in him. He may get to live yet, but sadly, he will not be able to lead this pack.” Dwayne looked to the rear of the barn where his younger son stood. Derek. He wouldn’t announce it yet. He had time, but for the first time in nearly three hundred years the pack would not go to the eldest son. His inner wolf fought against the pain that thought brought.
Derek smiled at his father. His brother’s weakness meant he would lead someday. His father did not need to say those words now.
“You may all leave. When we have more information to share, you will be called.”
Members of the pack began to leave in twos and threes, and Bill followed the people out. There was nothing left to say. Plus, he found that to be a very fair punishment. For Dwayne’s sake, though, he hoped he got the help he needed and accepted his father’s final word.
Shifting once more into his dire wolf, Bill headed for home, running through the backwoods, and hopefully to his mate. If she could accept the animal within him.
There was the crux.
Chapter 16
Bill was just about to head over to his parents’ home when there was a soft knock at his door. He rushed to it expecting to find either his father or his mother. But it was Annie. She gave him a small, sad smile that told him nothing as she passed through into his kitchen.
He had to make her understand. “Annie, I’m so sorry you had to see that?” he began.
She put her hand up. “Stop! I have something to say, and if I don’t say it now, it’s going to eat me up inside.”
Nervously, he nodded and pulled the chair out for her at his kitchen table. He sat down across from her to listen to her words. He wanted to hear it all and if she chose to end it he wouldn’t blame her, though he would try to convince her otherwise. She’d witnessed him ripping out someone’s throat. He wouldn’t blame her for being terrified of him and he would understand if she wanted out.
“Bill,” she started, “you came into my life quickly and into my heart just as fast. What I saw last night . . . terrified me . . .,” she paused and licked her suddenly dry lips. “I know this might sound crazy to you, but I wasn’t repulsed by it.”
What? That was not what he’d expected her to say. Her expression had been one of disgust. He was very confused.
Again she put up her hand to stop him before he started speaking. “I was terrified for myself and all the while I was there and talking to them, I was praying you would come and find me. Save me. And you did just that! And for that, I can’t thank you enough. I was a goner.”
“I’ll always put you first, I’ll . . .”
Again, she interrupted him. “Yes, you saved my life, but that’s not what I came here to say. Baby, you saved me another way. You saved me from never having known what real love is.”
“Baby, I . . .”
“No, let me say this.” Her voice rose. Hope began to spring in his heart. His inner wolf sensed something good was about to happen. He felt like going outside and chasing his tail. She continued when he made the sign for buttoning his lip and throwing away the key. “Bill, I love you. You almost lost me last night and I could have lost you if Dwayne had been stronger and been better able to fight. I was shocked and scared, and I froze. I didn’t like that.” She stopped and took several shaky breaths before continuing. “Though I love you, I have depended on men who have let me down before. But not you, Bill. Never.
“I’ll never let you down, Annie. You have my heart in your hands.”
“I know you won’t. But what I wanted to tell you today was that I want to become what you are. I want to be your equal in every way. I don’t want to freeze up and let you do all the work. I want to be your equal. Run through the hills and valleys of New York, or the Florida scrub brush. Wherever you like to run. I want to be able to come home from work every day and make love in a hammock.”
“A hammock. That’s going to be hard.”
“It’s on my bucket list, big man, so it’s going to happen,” she cut him off.
He laughed and reached for her hand. Held it, and then asked, “Okay, when do you want to do the change?”
Her eyes were earnest when she told him. “Now. I am not wasting any more time.” She pulled her hand out from under his, and fumbled with the zipper on her over-sized purse. She reached inside and pulled out a massive tube of KY jelly. “I just have one more question, Bill.” His eyes went round wondering what in the hell her question was going to be and why she had brought such a large tube of lube.
He laughed. “That’s an awful lot of KY.” He saw her smile, but she looked nervous, so he asked, “What’s your question, my love?”
“How um, bad . . . is it going to hurt?”
Bill could not hold back any longer. He got up from the table, laughing so hard tears streamed down his face. He faced the woman he loved and pulled her up to him so he could stare down into her beautiful eyes. “Oh baby, it’s not going to hurt at all.”
“Promise?”
She went into his arms, and they sealed the deal with a kiss. Her mate for life swatted her ass, the one he would plow into later that evening. He was already hard just thinking about it. “Baby,” he growled huffing into her ear, scenting the beginning of her arousal. “I promise. You’re going to love it.”
And she did!
The end.
Message to Milly Taiden Fans
I really hoped you enjoyed my first contribution to Milly Taiden’s PDA Kindle World. I am a huge, huge fan of hers, too, and I hope you think I did her world and Gerri Wilder justice in this book. I wanted to do her proud and did not want to disappoint you, her readers. If you enjoyed this book, I would love it if you could leave a review. It doesn’t have to be long.
Please. Reviews help authors so much.
Also, I hope my characters interested you enough that you will want to read more about Annie. She is a minor character in two of my books. She can be found in Afraid to Hope and Book 4 of My Bounty Hunter series; Beautiful No More.
I appreciate the chance you gave me in buying this book, and the chance to earn you as a new fan. I am thinking about making this the start of a whole new series. I have plans for Derek, Ron, and Remy, and maybe even a second chance at love for Dwayne.
Keep reading to learn more about my other books and what is coming next for me. Happy reading!
Books by MJ Nightingale
Fire In His Eyes
Afraid to Love
Afraid to Hope
Beautiful Bounty by MJ Nightingle
(Book 1 in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.)
Beautiful Bounty is the first book in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.
Beautiful Chase by MJ Nightingale
(Book 2 in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.)
Beautiful Chase is the second book in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.
Beautiful Regret by MJ Nightingale
(Book 3 in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.)
Beautiful Regret is the third book in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.
Beautiful No More by MJ Nightingale
(Book 4 in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.)
Beautiful No More is the final book in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.
Chances (Book 1 of Myst
ic Nights Series)
Chances
Triple Diamonds (Book 2 of the Mystic Nights Series)
Triple Diamonds
Lucky Strike (Book 3 of the Mystic Night Series)
Coming in 2017
Black Jack (Book 4 of The Mystic Nights Series)
Coming in the Spring of 2018
Playing for Keeps (Book 5 of the Mystic Nights Series)
Coming in the Fall of 2018
Acknowledgements
This writing journey is not an easy one. I have many loyal supporters who have been with me since I published my very first book. Thank you for being there with me from the get go, and believing in me. Thank you so much. I don’t know where I would be without you.
Melissa Gill, thank you, for creating such a beautiful cover for me. I look forward to all of our future projects. Your talent, creativity, and professionalism are outstanding. You are one heck of a talented lady.
Keriann McKenna, love and hugs, lady. Thank you for taking my books and making them better. Your eagle eye and sensitivity are greatly appreciated. Thank you for being critical when I need it. And thank you for all your great suggestions.
Milly Taiden, thank you for giving the opportunity to write for your Kindle World! I hope I did your fabulous characters justice. Gerri Wilder is amazing. You created an amazing character and world.
The bloggers who have supported me also deserve my debt of gratitude. Without your support and help this journey would be much more daunting than it already is. Thank you for featuring my books and bringing them to the attention of your readers.
I also want to thank my family who supports me, and helps me find the time to write in my crazy, hectic life, knowing that I need this outlet. I love you all, and appreciate you letting me go on this journey.
And lastly, for all my readers who found me when I published my first series of books, and have continued on this journey with me. Thank you for those amazing reviews, and your notes, and just for being the best darn fans ever. I do this for you.
Paranormal Dating Agency: In Dire Straits (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Cazenovia Pack Book 1) Page 9