Believe he was a male of worth who deserved more than a dark, dank cell.
Then Alastair discovered them, locked Kara away and had Ryder’s legs broken.
Shaking free the memory, Ryder made a decision. Mating with Kara would unite pack members still loyal to the Mitchells. However, Aiden would never allow his sister to return home. Word was he’d bought a decrepit cattle ranch in Montana, started a new pack and was doing business with Skins, the Lupine term for humans.
Setting down the picture frame, Ryder leaned forward, choosing his words with care.
“David, in your travels, have you heard the rumor about a cache of gold Alastair owned?”
“I did hear something about gold. If there is such a treasure, Alastair would have hidden it well. Perhaps in the Shadow Forest.”
“That forest is filled with trolls, who love gold.” Ryder considered. “What about the status of Aiden Mitchell’s ranch?”
“The bank is about to foreclose. He is in great need of money.”
He’d suspected as much. Perfect timing. “Set up perimeter alarms every 100 yards along our boundaries in the Shadow Forest. I want to know if anything Lupine enters those woods. Increase the patrols on our territory to every hour.”
“Ah, Sir Ryder, please forgive my curiosity but why the increased patrols? Do you anticipate trouble?”
“You don’t have to call me sir.” Ryder drummed his fingers on the desk. “I’m sending a letter to Aiden Mitchell, telling him I have found the gold. I will send him half in exchange for one thing.”
At David’s puzzled expression, he smiled. “He sends his sister here to spend one night in my bed.”
To his credit, his lieutenant didn’t even blink in surprise. “The young alpha will not like it, sir…ah, Ryder. He will see it as a grave insult.”
“I don’t care what Aiden thinks. I’m after Kara. She’ll come here because she cares about her brother and will do anything to help him.”
“But you don’t have the gold.” David frowned. “How can you promise something you do not have? What if Kara knows where the gold is and sneaks onto the property to find it for herself?”
Waiting patiently, he watched his lieutenant puzzle it out. Then the Lupine’s expression smoothed. “Ah, that is why you want the perimeter alarms. To catch her.”
“Exactly. Get to work.”
“At once, sir…ah, Ryder.”
As the male started out the door, he called after him. “Oh and David? About those who accuse me of cheating in the challenge with Alastair?”
“Yes?”
Ryder flexed his sore knuckles. “They’re not lying.”
His lieutenant’s mouth gaped open. “But the ancient pack challenge is for honor!”
He gave a thin smile. “I don’t fight for honor, David. I fight for our people and to win. Always.”
CHAPTER 2
The Shadow Forest, Colorado, one week later
Kara Mitchell pushed her way through a thick forest of evergreen trees. A cold wind whistled through the low-hanging limbs, sending showers of needles down like stringy raindrops. Branches overhead creaked and groaned like an old woman’s bones. The wind cut through her frayed leather jacket, licked her ankles through her jeans, the denim now grubby with dirt and stains.
Taking a short rest break, she leaned against the trunk of a pine tree, inhaling the sharp fragrance. She adored the scent of fresh evergreen. It reminded her of hot chocolate sipped before a roaring fire and a certain handsome Lupine sitting next to her, his wicked smile filled with promise.
Ryder Carrington.
The lands here now belonged to Ryder, the new alpha of her former pack. Her father, gods damn his evil soul, was dead. Ryder probably hated her family for the cruel abuse he’d suffered at her father’s hands.
And now he’d chosen to exact his revenge, demanding Kara as his virgin sacrifice.
“I want to finish what I started with your sister, Aiden. If she’s still untouched, send Kara to me and after one night in my bed, I’ll return her with half the gold,” he’d written.
Aiden had crushed the letter and cursed Ryder. Other males had sniggered as if they couldn’t believe anyone desired her. Darius, her brother’s beta, had shown them the business side of his fists and put them in their place. Darius was as protective of her as her own brother.
She closed her eyes, remembering Ryder’s quick, ready smile and bold attitude. Ryder walked alone, but with a confident air belying his status as omega.
She and Ryder had shared a mutual attraction as strong as the mating bond could get between Lupines. But her father had caught them kissing and punished Ryder severely.
And me…An icy chill raced down her spine.
Ryder had no idea what her father had done. Kara touched her left cheek. If he saw her, his desire would melt like sugar dumped into boiling water. She must find the gold and smuggle it back as quickly as possible.
Shadows danced within the vast tangle of oak and pine trees. The Shadow Forest seemed to whisper and the whispers were dark and cold, like death. But the entrance to the tunnel where Alastair secured the gold was in these woods.
The only other entrance was in the pack lodge.
A rustling sounded in the holly bushes to her left. Kara went still, her Lupine senses searching out the intruder. She smelled evergreen, decaying earth and the freshness of the nearby stream wending through the forest.
And the sharp, bitter scent of sweat, moss and something… nasty and dark.
You can do this. You can do this. Even if there are trolls here, you’re a Lupine with fangs and claws. Kara headed for the secret entrance to the tunnel. The woods seemed sinister and so very old, filled with a dark magick.
Branches and dry leaves crackled beneath her worn leather boots.
A branch cracked to her right.
She set down her pack, every hair on her nape saluting the air.
“I see you, fat girl,” said a high-pitched voice.
A giggle sounded, playful as a child, but lurking beneath was something dark and nasty.
“I smell you, troll.” She held her nose, satisfied to hear an angry hiss of breath.
A rustle of leaves to her right. Kara peered at the undergrowth. Stray sunlight caught a glint of steel in the shadows. The troll stepped forward into the light, a small knife clutched in one hand. Warts dotted his purpled body and his pubic hair was forest green. Shining in greed and spite, the troll’s gaze focused on her rucksack.
Then he looked at her and recoiled, nearly dropping his dagger. “What happened to your face? Did an ogre mistake you for kindling?”
Kara ignored the insult. She’d been mocked by experts. “Let me pass.”
The troll tapped his chin with the blade. “I have seen you before. You are Kara Mitchell, daughter of Alastair. You seek the gold he hid.”
“I came back because I forgot my toothbrush. Now let me pass.”
“Show us the gold and you will live,” the troll hissed.
“Let me pass or you will die.”
He grinned, showing green, pointed teeth. “You’re but an ugly, fat female who can’t even outrun us. You have no power here.”
More rustling from the undergrowth. Armed with stubby, sharp blades, three more trolls surrounded her. They eyed her pack and then her, making the same looks of horrified incredulity.
Kara fought a surge of fresh panic. Four trolls against one Lupine. I’ve come too far to let them win.
Trolls were stupid and blinded by greed. She knelt and unzipped her rucksack, withdrawing the gold key to the vault. “Want this?”
Greed shone in their eyes. “Give us the key,” one demanded.
Kara dropped the key back into her bag and zipped it up. “Come and get it, boys!”
As they rushed her, waddling like chubby puppies, she clasped her heavy rucksack and then swung it around. Who you calling fat now, asswipes?
Whack! The pack brained all four. They fell like bowling pins, su
rprised looks on their faces.
“Strike,” she murmured. And then she glanced up.
Hellfire and brimstone. Three more trolls emerged from the dark, shadowy trees. Her heart leapt into her throat. Kara dropped her pack and reached for the dagger sheathed at her leather belt.
Trolls were clumsy and slow, and their shorter height placed them at a disadvantage. She could take them.
As the first troll rushed forward, raising his blade to slash at her legs, she kicked him in the stomach, sending him rolling like a green beach ball. Another rushed her from the left, howling, but she sank her dagger deep into his throat.
Kara pivoted on her heels and saw another troll running for her, a knife extended.
She slashed it in the face. The troll howled with pain and retreated.
The trolls she knocked out with her rucksack regained consciousness and slowly staggered to their feet. She was cornered. No way could she take all of them.
Loud growls suddenly filled the air. Kara’s Lupine senses automatically urged her to shift. She dropped the dagger and called upon her magick. Bones and muscles lengthened, and sleek gray fur covered her body.
Nine timber wolves emerged from the shadows. All males, their balls swaying heavily as they advanced, their sharp teeth bared in wolven snarls.
She watched them with great wariness, unsure if these strangers wanted to tear the trolls to pieces.
Or her.
Things could be worse. Fur ruffled, she stood her ground against either comer.
And then from the shadows came an enormous gray wolf, his muscles moving with fluid power. Black fur streaked its muzzle. Kara’s muscles tensed. Ryder.
The wolves attacked, chasing after the trolls who squealed and fled into the woods. Ryder targeted the troll closest to her, baring his fangs and pursuing the troll into the woods. High-pitched howls of fear abruptly cut off. Wet, ripping sounds followed. A shaky sense of relief filled her.
The wolves returned to the clearing and loped over to the stream. They drank and washed the blood off their muzzles. Still in wolf form, she eyed the path ahead. Maybe she could make a run for it…
But then they turned and started toward her. Inching backward, she retreated to hide among the shadowy trees. A burst of sunlight dappled the pine boughs and spilled onto the forest floor like a spotlight. She moved away from it.
Ryder turned and stared into the trees as if trying to sense her hiding place. Mild speculation fast turned to male Lupine appraisal. He’d caught the scent of her approaching heat.
Oh yeah, things could always get worse.
Kara had nearly forgotten how intimidating Ryder was in wolf form. Muscular, weighing probably over 200 pounds, he had thick gray and black fur that rippled in the wind. His piercing blue gaze glittered like sunlit sapphires.
Then he nodded. The wolves shifted into their Skin form and clothed themselves by magick. She did not recognize any of them from her former pack.
Ryder shifted into his Skin form. Virile and strong, he stood well over six feet, with well-defined legs and arms, and a flat abdomen rippling with muscle. His tousled brown hair looked thick and silky, cut shorter than before. Kara’s heart constricted as she remembered running her fingers through the strands as he’d kissed her.
Hunger and weakness from the long journey had proven too taxing to hold onto her wolf form. Kara shifted back, clothed herself by magick and hovered in the shadows.
He stood naked and confident, his stride silent as he neared her hiding place. In wolf form, he could rip out an enemy’s throat in a heartbeat. In human form he was equally dangerous.
“Come out, Kara. We will not harm you.”
“Put your pants on and maybe I’ll believe it.”
A small, amused grin touched his handsome face. Ryder waved a hand and clothed himself by magick.
“Kara, come out. You cannot run from me any longer, sweeting. I promise, I will not hurt you.”
Stepping out from the dark shadows was the hardest thing she’d ever done, even harder than summoning the courage to return for her father’s gold. She had not willingly shown her scarred face to a male since the day Aiden spirited her away, half-dead and bleeding, to save her from their father’s wrath.
Kara stepped into the little pool of light.
Nine males gasped. Some turned away, refusing to look. Shame kicked her in the guts. Lifting her chin, she told herself not to care what they thought.
But she did. She always did. Men found her horrifying, men who once called her pretty.
Please, don’t do this to me, please, she thought, the lump in her throat turning to a baseball. Ryder would not want her in his bed now. He’d probably recoil in disgust.
Finally she summoned the courage to lift her gaze. He did not flinch or turn away. Instead, his look was slowly appraising and thoughtful. The warmth of his smile erased her fears.
“Take her backpack,” he instructed the males.
“What about the girl?” one Lupine asked.
“She’s so ugly, I’m surprised the trolls didn’t die of fright after seeing her,” another muttered.
Ryder backhanded the Lupine, sending him sailing through the air into a thick tree trunk.
“Don’t insult her,” Ryder snapped.
He strode forward and lifting her as easily as a sack of sugar, dumped her over his broad shoulder. The flat of his palm gently stroked the curve of her bottom as he faced his men.
“She’s mine,” he told them. “Meet your new queen. My mate.”
CHAPTER 3
His… mate?
Maybe her Lupine hearing had gone awry. Kara felt deeply confused as Ryder jogged through the forest, carrying her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a sack of cotton. After a few minutes, the woods opened to a wide clearing with a dirt road. Parked near a tall pine was a gleaming black pick-up truck. Ryder opened the passenger door and gently put her on her feet.
He reached into the truck and retrieved silver handcuffs. Alarm raced down her spine. Staring at the cuffs, she drew back. Silver did not kill Lupines, but made them weak and helpless.
Giving her an apologetic glance, Ryder snapped the cuffs on her wrists. Her knees sagged and she grabbed a fistful of his shirt to remain standing. His touch seared her with heat as he lifted her by the waist into the truck.
“Sorry for the restraints, but I can’t risk you running off. When we get home, I’ll remove them.”
“My home is back with Aiden. Who, by the way, will be furious when he finds out what you’ve done.”
He shut her door, then climbed into the driver’s seat and switched on the ignition. “By the time your brother discovers your abduction, you’ll be naked in my bed.”
Arousal bit at the possessive note in his deep voice. She imagined Ryder’s strong, gorgeous body heavy on top of her as he parted her thighs and slid deep inside. Pushing aside the tempting thought, Kara scowled. “What makes you think I’d agree to this insane plan?”
Ryder glanced at her. “The money I’m sending to your brother in exchange for you. Or does Aiden have the funds to pay off the loan on that rat trap he calls a ranch?”
“Money. Not gold,” she said slowly, thinking fast. He hadn’t found it. Yet.
“Just hard, solid cash.”
“I knew you were bluffing. You didn’t find my father’s treasure.”
“No. I said it to lure you here.”
“Why? So you could humiliate me by taking my virginity and then dumping me, like my father dumped you into a prison cell?”
His expression turned fierce. Ryder clasped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“Humiliate you, the only Lupine who ever saw me as a male of worth? I’d sooner cut off my balls, sweeting. I lured you here because I need a mate.”
More confusion. He didn’t want a night of intense sex, but a mate.
“I’m sure you have plenty of females to choose from, so why me? Do you want vengeance against my family for what Ala
stair did to you?”
“I had my revenge when I defeated your sire in a pack challenge for leadership. It’s done. Now I must have a mate as soon as possible.”
“Take out a personal ad.” She tugged at the handcuffs. “Why now and why me and why this? This is not a nice way to court me.”
A gleam lit his gaze. “I’m not a nice guy. I’m a wolf, and it’s time for me to mate. And ever since the day I kissed you in the hallway, I’ve wanted to strip you naked, push you up against a wall, spread you wide and fuck you senseless.”
A furious flush ignited her cheeks. Kara’s heartbeat increased at the evocative visual. “Guess that answers my question. You always did speak your mind.”
“That’s what got me into trouble with your father. He hated me for not being a meek omega. When I dared to kiss his daughter, he took action.”
Self-consciously, she put a hand over her right cheek, turning from him, feeling the pull of old scar tissue. “You weren’t the only one he punished.”
Damn had not meant to let that out. Kara stared out the window.
A strong, warm palm captured her chin. Ryder forced her to face him. Humiliation crawled through her, thick and dark and clogging. She faked a smile. “Like the view? I’ve changed since you last saw me.”
Gently, he thumbed her scarred cheek, though his gaze turned hard as flint. “I killed him too fast. Should have taken my sweet time with him for what he did to you instead of giving him an honorable death.”
He dropped his hand and put the truck into drive. They bumped and bounced as he guided the vehicle down the mountain. Kara bit her lip. She had to get out of this before they reached the ranch and the pack saw her.
“Release me, Ryder. You want revenge on Aiden and my family. Keeping me here won’t prove anything. The pack doesn’t give a damn who you choose for a mate.”
“Perhaps. The elders only advised me to find a mate, quickly, and fill her belly with my young.”
“You could have your choice among all the single females.”
“I want only you. You bring out the wolf in me.”
Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance Page 88