“You have to Chloe otherwise he’ll know something’s going on and I’ll never get out. He’s close angel, hurry.”
Her heart twisted within her chest as she lifted the metal. It was unexpectedly warm within her grip reminding her that mere minutes ago it had been pressed within her mate’s mouth, eating away at his flesh. With trembling hands, she inching the bar closer to his bruised mouth.
“Wait!” he called. Her eyes widened questioningly. “A kiss angel. A quick kiss to tide me over until we can be together again.” He was breaking her heart with every word. The kiss was quick and gentle. Mindful of his bruised lips, she gently brushed her lips against his, wishing that they could have more, the few minutes they’d spent together hardly seemed enough. Seeing him had only made her want to be with him more, she missed him already and they hadn’t even separated. “Now put the bar in and run, pull the rope up behind you. I’ll distract him for as long as I can so he doesn’t see it. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, you have to make it back up to your room unseen. Don’t come back down, promise me angel.”
“I promise.”
Though it pained her almost like a physical injury, she placed the bar in his mouth, tears running down her cheeks as the smell of burned flesh filled the air. His head jerked to the side, silently telling her to be quick and leave. She backed away from him, her eyes locked with his until she reached the window. She hesitated when the rope was clasped tightly in her palm, wondering whether it would be better for her to simply wait with him and confront her father head on. No. I have to go. If I’d listened to Ryan in the first place, he wouldn’t be in this situation. I have to listen this time around. His family will come and help him. Both hands now on the rope, her body tensed to leap from the window, she turned back to him. “Ryan, don’t forget to look for the key. When I come back with help, I’m going to need it.” He nodded quickly, eager for her to be out of the room. “I love you.”
Her hands shook as she climbed up the rope, desperate to reach the top before her father or anyone else could see what she was doing and know what she’d done.
She had just made it past the window when she heard a voice float out onto the wind from Ryan’s room. “Are you ready to talk now mutt?” The sound of her father’s voice made her heart sink. In the back of her mind, she’d still been desperately hoping that her father wasn’t guilty of hurting Ryan but Harry’s voice was unmistakable.
There was a muffled reply before Ryan’s voice could be heard. The words were faint, the sound of his voice getting weaker the higher she climbed but from his tone, Chloe guessed he was telling her father to piss off. When she was about half way up the rope, the light from her open window shining into the night like a beacon, she heard Ryan’s first scream. She stopped, her eyes looking downward instead of up towards her final goal. For Ryan to scream out in pain something horrendous must have happened. Remembering the promise he’d extracted from her, she forced her eyes to look upwards, pulling herself up the rope.
He screamed again but she didn’t stop, she needed to reach the top. Her eyes began to water, tears running freely down her cheeks as his agonised screams filled the night air. Her destination was blurry now but she continued moving steadfast, the motions stiff. One hand in front of the other, pull. One hand in front of the other, pull. She repeated this mantra, instructing her body to move until her bedroom window was in reach. Unconcerned for her own personal safety, she swung hard, throwing herself inside the room and pulling the rope up behind her before she sank to the floor. It was harder to hear his screams from her bedroom, but she strained her ears to do so, silently offering Ryan her support all the while increasing her determination to help free him from this place.
Don’t worry Ryan, I’ll do whatever it takes to help you escape. Whatever it takes.
Chapter Forty Seven
If I manage to pull this off, I think I deserve an Oscar, Chloe decided as she checked her appearance in the mirror. Her eyes were swollen and red with deep bags beneath them. The night had been the longest one she could remember and it showed on her face. She had spent the majority of it awake on her bedroom floor, crying as Ryan’s screams floated through the air to reach her ears. It was only in the early hours of the morning that his yells had subsided and she had allowed herself to succumb to the lure of sleep. Her haggard appearance would however work in her favour. She’d told Ryan she had access to a phone, it was time to make good on her word.
She walked towards the door and opened it as though she had every right to walk freely about the place. Her independent adventures lasted mere moments before a heavy hand landed on her shoulder stopping her a few feet from her bedroom door. I was definitely right to pick the window over the door, she decided. I would never have made it to Ryan and I wouldn’t even know what was going on. She smiled at the man who was preventing her from moving on, it was part of her plan to get caught. So far everything was going well.
“I’m sorry but you can’t walk around here alone,” the man instructed, guiding her back towards the bedroom.
“No one told me,” she responded innocently. It was true. None of her family had ever said she was meant to be a captive in her room, their actions implied it, but they hadn’t ever said the words directly to her. “Well if I’m not allowed to leave then maybe you could help me.”
“With what exactly?”
“I want to talk to one of my brothers or my father, anyone of them is fine. Could you bring one of them down here?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks.”
She was once again within the confines of her room, standing in the doorframe. The man’s eyes wandered over her frame, noting how she swayed weakly, a frown becoming etched on his face. “Are you sure you want to talk to them now? I think you should get some rest, you look like you need it.”
“Thanks for your concern but really, I’m fine. I probably look terrible right?” He nodded silently and she scowled silently. Ryan would never say that. He’s really spoilt me; a normal man will never be good enough now. Only my own personal werewolf will ever do. She forced herself to smile. “Trust me when I say that I know my limits, I look a lot worse than I feel. I’m a little tired and I’ll rest…as soon as I speak to one of them. Don’t look so worried.”
The man nodded and left, closing the door lightly behind him. A few minutes passed before Daniel walked into the room, his expression concerned. The guard must have passed on my dishevelled state. Chloe’s heart stuttered at the sight of him and she had to force her body to stay still. He was torturing her mate and yet he had the audacity to look innocent, worried for her over lack of sleep. She’d spent a great deal of the night thinking about her future, hers and her family’s. They were the monsters that Ryan had described to her and they were torturing her mate but they were still family. She’d loved them unconditionally her entire life, it was a habit that was hard to break. The thoughts had plagued her the entire night during the gaps in Ryan’s torture and she had yet to come to a conclusion. Conclusion or no, it didn’t prevent her hands from forming into small fists, her nails biting against her flesh, preventing her from raking them over Daniel’s face.
“Jesus Chloe, what happened to you?”
You tortured my mate into the early hours of the morning, that’s what happened to me. “Nothing,” she shrugged.
He stepped closer, tilting her chin up to better look at her face. “You look awful, don’t tell me that nothing happened.”
“You’re so good for a woman’s confidence Dan,” she scoffed, moving her face from out of his grip.
“Chloe, talk to me, tell me what’s going on.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to talk to you, I want to talk to Hannah,” she began mentioning a friend from work.
“Chloe, why can’t you talk to us? We’re all here for you. You’ve been through a traumatic experience, we know what’s going on, we can help you.”
The only traumatic experience I’ve been throug
h is seeing Ryan stabbed, bruised and burnt. Inwardly she cursed, outwardly she sighed. “And how exactly would you Christian or Jonathan be of use in this situation? You guys are wonderful brothers but you’re horrible to talk to when it comes to matters of the heart. Christian is a well known womaniser. When was the last time you had a relationship that lasted more than two months? And Jonathan? Jonathan is a workaholic who doesn’t even have time for a goldfish let alone a woman. I spent all night crying over that bastard Ryan, now I just want to speak to a friend and talk about how horrible the male species is. I’m sorry but you just wouldn’t understand. It’s at times like this that I wish I wasn’t the only female in this family.” She rolled her eyes and held out her hand expectantly. “Look, just give me your phone so I can call Hannah, have a girly talk and then get some well needed rest. Then you won’t have to worry about me. Trust me, I’ll feel much better after talking to her.”
Her description of each of their romantic exploits was surprisingly accurate and so it was on a dejected sigh that he handed her his mobile. “Promise you’ll go to sleep as soon as you’re done speaking to Hannah because Chloe you look terrible.”
“It’s no wonder you’ve never had a relationship that lasts long if that’s the sort of thing you tell a woman.” You could probably do with taking some tips from Ryan. He can be impulsive but he definitely knows what to say to warm a girl’s heart. Her fingers were nimble as they dialled the number that Ryan had given her the night before and she waited anxiously as the phone rang for someone to answer.
“Hello?” Tobias’ voice was groggy with sleep but even then it was so distinct that she instantly recognised it.
“Hannah? Hey, it’s Chloe.”
“Chloe? Ryan’s Chloe? Of course it’s you, I recognise your voice. Who’s Hannah?” His voice was becoming more alert, though she could tell he was tired.
Having three young children would do that to anyone, she supposed. For a minute she contemplated the wisdom of her plan. If Tobias was exhausted, he wouldn’t be much use to Ryan. The moment passed quickly, he was a werewolf; he’d shake off his fatigue quickly once he knew the situation. “Yeah, I know, it’s been a while since you heard from me.”
“I spoke to you a few days ago. What are you talking about?” Tobias demanded confused.
“I’m sorry about the way I just up and left. It was a very strange period of my life. How’ve you been? How’s Josh?”
“Josh? Who the hell is Josh? Where’s Ryan? What on earth is going on? Tell me right now!”
Her eyes wandered to Daniel who was lounging against the door, looking for all intents and purposes as though he was settling in for a long stay. “No, no, no I didn’t resign I promise. There’s been a huge misunderstanding. They haven’t given my job away to someone else have they?”
“Chloe,” he growled, forcing her to move further away from her brother in case he overheard. “You aren’t making any sense. We resigned on your behalf so that you could be with Ryan. He let you leave only because you said you wouldn’t try to run from him, are you going back on your word?”
“Well that’s good, at least I know that I have a job to come back to. So much has happened since I last saw you. I’ve got so much to tell you.” She put her hand over the phone. “Dan?”
“Yeah?”
“Privacy? Ever heard of it?” She looked pointedly at the door, shooing him.
He rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Fine, let me know when you’ve finished.”
“I will.” She smiled widely though the friendly action pained her. When she was certain that he was gone, she put the phone back against her ear. “Tobias?”
“Well you’ve finally got my name right. Who’s Hannah? Who’s Josh? Where’s Ryan and what’s going on?”
“Tobias, listen to me. None of that’s important.”
“Where’s my cousin?”
“Tobias, they caught him. They’re hurting him. Oh God, if you’d seen him,” she sobbed. “He told me to call you.”
“You’re not making any sense. Start from the beginning.”
“I went to meet my family and you guys were all right. They’re hunting you. When I found out I called Ryan, asked him to come and get me so we could go home and when he got there they shot him.”
“Ryan’s been shot? Are you okay?”
“What sort of a question is that? Ryan was the one that got shot.”
“And it’s you that he’d want me to be worried about,” he retorted calmly.
She was silent for a moment, how could she come back from that? He was right. “I’m fine now.”
“Now?”
“I was bleeding pretty badly for a while back there. But I’m fine now.”
“And Ryan?”
“They’ve got him tied up to this table with silver shackles, there are knives all over his body and God only knows what else happened to him last night. He was screaming, Ryan never screams.”
“But you’re fine?” he pressed.
“Yes,” she snapped, increasingly angry with his line of questions. “What have I got to do with anything? It’s Ryan that’s being tortured.”
“Yes, but the fact that you’re fine means something.”
“And just what would that something be?”
“That he’s made a deal with his captors to protect you. Hunters normally go for the vital spots on a body, the ones that can kill you if damaged, like the heart. They’re having to be creative now.”
“How can you be so calm about this? Ryan could die.”
“They won’t kill him. They want you alive. And if you could see me right now I don’t think you’d be saying that I was calm. I’m not calm; I’m just not worried. I’m thinking things through. Ryan’s tough and he knew that we’d be coming for him. The hunters won’t know what’s hit them. Do you know where you are?”
“No, how will you find us?”
“We’re wolves, we’ll track you. How many people are there?”
“I don’t know exactly. There are men all over the place. I didn’t know I was meant to be counting.”
He paused for a moment, his mind working frantically. “Chloe, the men there, do they all have the mark? The mark of the hunters?”
“Do you mean that tattoo thing on their necks?”
“Yes,” he responded, his voice excited.
“Yes, but I don’t see what that’s got to do with anything. Ryan needs help.”
The hunter’s headquarters? If that’s where they are then we could finally eliminate the threat to our species. “I know Chloe. We’re on our way. I’m gathering the people right now. Just sit tight. Help is on its way.”
Her grip on the phone tightened. “What do you mean? Please Tobias, I’m scared for him. Tell me what’s going on.”
“We’re coming to get you Chloe. Don’t worry about Ryan, he’s tough and they won’t do anything too horrendous, they want him alive. He hasn’t been there all that long so he should still have the energy to heal from his injuries. Until we get there don’t do anything to attract attention or suspicion to yourself. If you get hurt Ryan will be uncontrollable. You said he’s tied to a table?”
“With silver shackles.”
“Right,” he mused. He was quiet, trying to think of the best way to get his cousin out of the hunters’ grasp. Ryan was a fighter, one of their best, but he was just as susceptible to silver as the rest of them. “If he could get free then we could launch a two pronged attack. Most of us would be on the outside and we’d attract their attention, they wouldn’t even notice him coming…” His voice was low as though he were talking to himself rather than her but Chloe interrupted, Ryan was her mate, her input was just as important.
“I can get him out.”
“No. You stay where it’s safe.”
“I’m going to help him no matter what you say. I’m not your mate, I don’t have to listen to you.”
“I’m king,” he retorted.
“Not of me you’re not. The only wolf
I listen to is Ryan and even that’s at a push. I’m doing it regardless so you might as well get used to the idea.”
“If you get hurt he’s going to come for my head and I have responsibilities that mean I need it in one piece. I’ll be forced to fight back.”
“Trust me, I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything unreasonable.”
“Fine, if you can free him without getting hurt then do it, if you can’t then stay safe. We’ll get him out either way.”
“When will you get here?”
“I don’t know where ‘here’ is, but we’ll be there by nightfall at the latest.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Wolves are quick and my cousin’s mate has asked me to help her, how can I make her wait?”
“You’re not as scary as I first thought, a little bit difficult, but not scary. I think being difficult is in your genes, only Sebastian has managed to overcome that.”
“You need to have a long talk with Erica once this is all over. I think you’ll quickly change your mind. I’ve got to go now Chloe, remember, stay safe.”
“I will.” The line went dead as Tobias hung up. She walked to the window, leaning out and whispering on the breeze. “I’ve done it Ryan, I’ve called him. Now just hold on ‘til tonight.” The chances that he heard her were low, very low but a faint smile crept onto her lips regardless. This was Ryan and when it came to her, he was capable of extraordinary feats. Below her feet, tired but not truly beaten, a matching smile crept appeared on Ryan’s face as Chloe’s words drifted to his ears. The words were muted whispers but he heard them as clearly as though she’d been standing right beside him. When his mate spoke to him how could he not hear her and listen? What were distance or volume when it came to matters between mates?
Chapter Forty Eight
Her cheeks ached and it was with a sigh of relief that Chloe closed her door, leaning heavily against the thick wood. The day had dragged on and on with seemingly no end in sight. Her body had been in a conflicted state of turmoil since she’d spoken to Tobias earlier that morning. Spending the day with her family had been a nerve wracking experience, one that she didn’t want to repeat. She had been in a constant state of alertness, watching and waiting for Tobias to arrive, all the while being forced to interact with her family as though nothing was going on. The smiles she’d made that day had been forced and her family knew it. They all knew each other too well not to notice when something was going on. Their concern had however only made her more anxious, while they were fussing over the bags beneath her eyes, they were hurting Ryan. Each time one of them disappeared she had wanted to cry, to scream, to hurt them enough that they couldn’t hurt him but Tobias’s words had weighed heavily on her shoulders. She had to act as though nothing was wrong otherwise Ryan’s escape might be put in jeopardy and so she’d smiled, she’d laughed all the while she felt as though she were dying inside. To be in the relative sanctuary of her room was a relief.
A Wolf's Pride Page 39