by Dianna Hardy
“Really?” Beth looked at her incredulously, and then looked at him, incredulously. “He's a softy. He's like a big puppy dog.”
“If you like Rottweilers!”
“I do like Rottweilers. They've gotten a bad reputation because of irresponsible owners who mistreat them, but they're great herding and protection dogs – wonderfully obedient to good masters.”
Sarah stared at her, exasperated.
“What? My grandmother used to have one, remember?”
A shadow loomed over them from their right – not an easy feat considering the trees shrouded everything in darkness anyway. Their male companion had somehow managed to get within five yards of them without them noticing. In one hand, he held a mobile phone – good to know there was signal here in the deepest dark of the woods.
His nostrils were doing that flaring thing again, and he seemed on alert. For what, Sarah had no idea. And finally, she caught on to why she found his mannerisms so odd: it reminded her a little of Amil. He had had the same kind of look about him whenever something caught his attention.
“I hate to break up the party, but we need to get inside. Now.”
Beth cocked her head to one side, studying him. “Because it's safe in there?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Beth snorted. “Don't call me ma'am.” She strode past him towards the house.
Sarah went to follow, but he stepped in front of her. “My name's Pete, by the way.”
She failed in hiding her surprise, but she suspected he'd see right through her anyway with those black orbs of his. “Right … erm … thanks.”
He nodded, turned and continued on.
Sarah took up the rear with Holly, once again, linking her arm through hers, and all four of them walked through the front door.
~*~
Those were yew trees, right? Had to be. There was the oak in the middle – the only oak among a bunch of pines, and then there were three very different, smaller trees surrounding it.
Lydia came to a stop and leant against the rough bark of the oak, trying to catch her breath. She'd done more running today than she had since in her teens. Super strength was great, but werewolves still needed to breath.
Fuck it – had Lawrence said left or right at this tree?
Shit.
She should go back. Who had been using Operiphur? Was it the person who had killed Brendan? The one who had driven her truck back? What if it was a Trident? What if there were six, seven, ten Tridents hunting Lawrence down right now? What if there were more? Okay, so they were trying to hunt her down too, but she had lightning, not that she knew exactly how to use it at all times… Lawrence had one dart gun and the ability to be an arse.
A flurry of movement to her left had her scuttling around the tree trunk to hide behind it, which she then realised was a pointless thing to do if surrounded by werewolves or Tridents – they'd just sniff her out.
Her own sense of smell kicked in at that moment, overriding her fear. Taylor?
Tentatively, she peeked around the trunk and saw him bounding in her general direction, rustling the undergrowth as he went.
Thank god. “Taylor!” She stepped out from her hiding place.
He spotted her and sped towards her, shifting into his human form the second he stopped running.
“Taylor…” Five steps and she was in his arms.
“Thank god you're safe.”
“Do you know? Did you see Lawrence?”
“No. He sent a text message out to the entire pack: Meeting cancelled, Tridents here.”
“So, it is Tridents.”
“Must be. He wouldn't have sent that without having seen one.” Taylor cursed. “I can't believe they're doing this tonight – they're forsaking their own needs in order to catch us at our most vulnerable. They must be getting smarter.”
“I left Lawrence alone. I didn't want to, but he told me to leave. Maybe we should go back and—”
“No. If he's spotted Tridents, they'll be where he is. We risk running into them if we go back.” He cupped her face. “He'll be all right. He's a good strategist.”
A sound from behind her mate caught her full attention, and his.
Selena emerged from the small opening between the tall ferns looking as anxious as they felt. She froze when she spotted them, and all at once, the scent of Taylor's whereabouts became very clear to Lydia.
She growled and took a step back. “You were with her?”
“What? No. Well … yes, but only to run a check around her cottage. She said someone had been lurking. Lydia—”
Another step back, and backwards was good, 'cause if she went forward, she may just let rip and go straight for the female.
“Lydia … this is me. I would never betray you. I was helping her as a friend, you know this.”
She did. Somewhere deep down, she knew it completely; trusted him implicitly; but that didn't help the wolf in her. Where mating was concerned, the animal reacted to primal instinct, not logic. The fact that Selena took in the scene with a self-assured smirk on her face didn't do any of them any favours. Nor was it okay that Taylor was as naked as the day he was born – that obnoxious woman was getting an eyeful of what Lydia knew she'd die to get her hands on.
Taylor glared at Selena. “I told you to lock yourself in the house.”
“You told me about the Tridents and then you took off – I was worried about you.”
Lydia's growl deepened; grew louder. “It's not your prerogative to worry about my mate.”
Selena tutted. “So egoistic, Lydia. I worry about all of my pack.”
“And it's not your pack. It's mine.”
The two females now circled each other, Taylor in the middle looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Selena's smirk disappeared. “I was here first … You. Selfish. Cunt.”
Shades of greens and browns whizzed past her before she knew she'd taken a flying leap at the bitch who posed a threat.
The two women collided mid-air, but Lydia, being mated, and therefore more 'werewolf' than Selena, had the upper hand.
Red and strawberry-blonde hair merged in a tangled mess.
Lydia caught a handful of Selena's tresses and slammed her head into the ground.
Selena yelped and retaliated by elbowing her in the face, right across her nose.
Something cracked; the scent of fresh blood became apparent although it was impossible to tell which of them it came from.
Growls, howls and rabid barks rebounded off the trees, all coming from the two of them as they tussled on the ground, and she almost didn't hear the clapping. Almost.
It seemed that Selena heard it at the same time.
They both locked into suspended position, arms and hands clutching at face and neck, and anywhere they could get a good, painful grip.
Not trusting the other enough to let go, they turned with apprehension to where the noise had come from.
“Nothing like a good bitch fight,” grinned a black-haired man, with cruel-looking grey eyes. Not a man – a Trident. She could tell by the smell, which became more prominent when at least six other Tridents came into view, some of them having shifted, some grinning, some panting with excitement; all of them sporting massive erections at the sight before them.
Mega gross.
Selena grasped her face and threw her sideways. “Get off me.”
She did, but not because of the stupid she-wolf. It was because one of the non-shifted Tridents held a gun aimed at Taylor and she'd bet anything there was a silver bullet in there.
Taylor stood still as a statue, no doubt trying to figure out the best move.
“Don't hurt him!” cried Selena, and Lydia bristled. Another female coming to her mate's defence felt just as destructive as any actual infidelity, but she tried to get a grip on herself. She needed the animal calm so she could think and these fucking feelings were just getting in the way.
“He won't be any trouble to you,” the strawberry-blonde continu
ed.
Lydia ignored her and whatever the fuck she thought she was doing. Eight Tridents altogether, she counted. All spread out in front of them; none behind them. If any of them moved, Taylor could get shot, but Taylor, himself, might be fast enough in wolf form. If he shifted and ran, he'd make a harder target, and since he was the only one out of the three of them that could shift, he was their best chance of getting help.
Shift and run, she communicated to him, mentally. You're fast enough to dodge them – get help.
I'm not leaving you!
Taylor, think – logically: I can wield. I'll take out the guy with the gun first. Lightning's fast when it strikes. You run when it does.
She was already gathering clouds in the sky.
Their leader looked up with a glint in his eye. “I've wanted to see you in action for a while, little wolf. But it's going to have to wait 'til you're on a leash.” From some tie on the side of his trousers, he produced a collar – an actual fucking leash – made from rubber or something.
Hell, no!
She brought the lightning to ground before the storm had even rumbled to life beyond the clouds; too quick for them to notice straight away. She aimed her electric tendrils at the gun.
Taylor shifted and ran.
A shout.
A shot rang out, and then, the most excruciating pain tore through her middle.
She screamed and fell on the grass, clutching her abdomen, and she had no words – couldn't think – because it felt like someone had punched a hole through her front, grabbed her spine and then tore it out her body. The very core of who she was – gone.
Her lightning danced across her skin just as it had in the warehouse a month ago, with her feeling trapped beneath it, unable to move. She was no longer in control of it.
Other screams sounded around her and Taylor's was one of them. That's when she spied him a few feet away, fallen. He hadn't gotten very far. He was in human form again, and gripping his torso in the same way she was.
The third scream belonged to Selena. She ran towards Taylor.
“NO!” It felt as if Lydia's wolf was tearing at her skin to get out. What the fuck is happening?!
Selena landed by Taylor's side, laid her god damn hands on him and turned him over onto his back.
He'd passed out.
Right now, she sort of wished she could pass out, because the pain was unbearable. Tears of agony and loss streaked her face.
Something was fastened around her neck: the collar.
The Trident in charge pulled the leash tight and then pinned it to ground under his foot.
She growled.
He pulled it tighter. “Now, now … just be thankful it's not silver.”
Whatever the fuck that collar was made of, it dissipated her electrical charge. She was still producing lightning, but its impact had been reduced to almost nothing. And it meant the bastard could touch her, which he did.
Running a thumb up and down her stomach through her dress, just above her belly button, he brought his face right into hers and took a deep breath in. “Aaaaah! Can you smell that? The sweet aroma of an unmated female.”
Oh, god, no – she hadn't heard that right, had she?
“I didn't think the old woman could pull it off. You can't unmate someone, I said.” He grinned. “Goes to show, you learn something new every day.”
She glanced over at Taylor, unconscious, Selena hovering over him. “No…” She'd done this! But how? How had she done this? Was she working with the Tridents? Traitor. SHE'S the traitor!
“Yes, my dear, but never fear. The storm is upon us, the moon will be rising shortly, and this…” he produced a syringe filled with yellow liquid and held it in front of her, “is your lucky day. Do you know what this is?”
She stared at him with rage, wishing he would die somehow.
Yes, the storm was here. Thunder cracked overhead and the first drops of rain fell, but she had no control over any of it – couldn't even move a muscle.
Unmated.
She swallowed back a sob.
Somehow, she was unmated again. That's what the pain that sliced through her was about. Taylor had felt it too. What about Ryan and Lawrence?
“This,” he tapped the syringe, “is a mating formula. We carried on the good work of Dr Trident, trying to discover ways to make our species better; to conquer extinction. Each one contains a unique code that when shared by two Tridents – or a Trident and a human which is more commonly the case – combines their DNA to mimic that of mated couples. Recently, we figured out how to make the formula compatible with wolves. We have a way of mating with your kind now. And I can't imagine anything better for our survival than being mated to a storm-wielder, can you? Guaranteed coupling every full moon, and in the spirit of partnership, you may as well know this: we've almost perfected a breeding formula, too. Necessary, since The Trident have never once succeeded in producing offspring. Now, things are going to be different – finally.” He leaned into her, menace pouring off him as his pheromones infiltrated her nostrils. “I'm going to pump you 'til your belly's big and round.”
“Fuck you,” she managed to get out.
He grasped her face and plunged his tongue into her mouth, lips covering hers.
She gagged.
“You will be fucking me soon, little wolf – willingly and happily, and begging me for more.”
He wrapped his hand around her right arm, straightening it. “I wondered if unmating you from one, would unmate you from all.” He lowered his head and ran his tongue along the vein at the crease of her elbow, scenting her.
If she could vomit, she would have.
“Seems like it – I can't detect any mates attached to you at all.”
A flicker of her eyes towards Taylor told her he was still out. Selena sat astride him, licking him from his navel to his neck, scenting him in the same way the Trident was scenting her.
It both alarmed and calmed her to know that those debilitating, vile emotions of betrayal at watching the scene were, for once, not coming from her gut like they had when she was mated – they were coming from her heart; from her soul. It would have been a beautiful affirmation of her true feelings had the situation been different.
I love you, Taylor.
Something sharp pressed into the skin of her arm. She hissed at the feel of the syringe going in.
“You're going to regret this. I swear to god, I'll find a way to kill you.”
The Trident ignored her, smiled, and emptied half of the fluid into her. She felt it slide into her veins like poison.
“Half for you…” He pulled the needle out and looked down at his watch. “Five minutes until moonrise. I shall relish our union, little wolf. Until then, the rest of my pack are in need of relief.”
Oh, god, please no…
He threw her dress over her waist and pulled her underwear down to her knees.
Please no…
Three Tridents came into view. She refused to look at them, knowing exactly what she'd see.
“Boys … be my guest.” He grinned down at her as he spoke to them, letting his eyes travel places they had no business wandering over. “You've got less than five minutes – I trust that won't be a problem.”
Chapter Fifteen
She shouldn't be wasting any time, but this was just divine … and already more than she'd hoped for only last week.
Selena wiggled down Taylor's body and went for that dip above his hip once more. That spot – right there – mmmm … there were no words.
And the moon was rising – she could feel it peek over the horizon, even if she couldn't see it. Her entire being shuddered with want and tears sprang to her eyes that relief was finally hers. She glanced over a Lydia.
A Trident, shifted and in obvious lust, fell onto his knees between her legs.
Oh, god… She looked away and backhanded that vexatious guilt that seared through her – it wasn't her problem, and it's not like she could do anything about it anyway. She
had to fix herself first.
She reached into the pocket of her cardigan, and didn't register what it was straight away, that had utter dread stampeding though her system.
It's gone.
What? She wasn't computing.
It's gone. It's gone. It's GONE. “NnnneeEEAAAAHHH!” Not a scream, but a caterwaul of despair and rage rolled into one. And loss. Because time was almost up, and she'd just lost the game.
Not a game – her life.
IT'S GONE! The syringe was gone!
And then the world went to hell.
She experienced it all in strange slow motion, her hearing muffled from disbelief. Every movement took an age; every noise sounded like the thunk of death's hoof beats as it hunted her down.
There was a roar.
She turned and saw a motorbike, Lawrence on it, hurtling out of the woods, crashing through every damn thing including three Tridents. They went flying every which way, one of them straight into the beast crouched by Lydia who wasn't going to get his happy after all.
Another roar, and a white van emerged from where the bike had been. Any Trident left standing met its bonnet head on.
The van ground to a halt, its side door all but exploded open with a furious shove, and out jumped Ryan, sledgehammer in hand and Selena pressed herself further into Taylor because she was actually in fear of him. Ryan wasn't just angry – there wasn't a word to describe the look on his face.
The Trident's leader – that black-haired guy – snarled, sprouting teeth and fur, but refrained from shifting fully. That couldn't have been easy.
He brought a syringe up to his arm—
The syringe! Find the fucking syringe!
That snapped her out of her dulled state.
Both Ryan and the sledgehammer went flying at the leader, and Selena tore her eyes away from the scene, left Taylor where he was and scurried over to where she and Lydia had brawled. It must have fallen out somewhere here. It had definitely been in her pocket when she'd come upon Taylor conversing with Lydia.
Fuck! Tears blurred her vision. Where is it?
Another look up and everything was confusion personified. Men, or wolves (she couldn't immediately tell which) in white robes had joined in the fight against the Tridents. Who the hell were they? Had they come from the van?