“Why don’t we take a thermos and a blanket and go for a drive, anyway?” Sax asked. “We can go to the beach. We won’t move far from the vehicle, but it should be safe enough. There have been no bear sightings for a week, and I’ll have the sat phone and my cell phone.”
“All right. Let me grab my camera and sort out the thermos.”
“I’ll do the thermos,” Sax said. “Take a warm jacket. Can you get one for me too? Any one will do. Ran or Tate won’t mind me wearing their clothes.”
Churchill was quiet when they drove down Kelsey Boulevard. Lights shone from windows, and it was obvious customers still warmed seats in the pub, but Kendall didn’t see any people or other vehicles out on the road.
They left behind streetlights and civilization. Few clouds spoiled the view of the night sky. Once they reached the rocky beach, Sax parked.
“Grab the blanket and we’ll huddle on the hood of the SUV. Polar bears are quiet, and I don’t want one sneaking up on us.”
Kendall shivered. “I watched a television show last week featuring dangerous animals. A stupid woman climbed over two fences at a zoo so she could get a better photo of a polar bear. The bear grabbed her. It was so quick.”
Sax reached for the thermos. “Which is why we will not go walking in the dark and are staying near the vehicle.”
“The stars are pretty.”
“Not as pretty as you.”
“You’re not even looking at the sky,” she chided.
Sax poured a hot chocolate, and Kendall caught a whiff of rum as he handed her the cup. He poured another for himself and fastened the lid. “You’ve changed our lives, Kendall. We’re happy—happier than we’ve been for a long time. One thing that makes us curious though. What is up with your mother? Why does she persist in calling and texting you when it’s obvious you don’t wish to speak with her?”
Kendall shot him a side-eye. Her flash of anger died a quick death. Sax was right. She owed him and his brothers an explanation, except she didn’t want to do it now. She reached for Sax’s hand and squeezed it. “You’ll get your explanation, but I’d prefer to do it once when we’re all together.”
“Fair enough,” Sax said.
“You and your brothers have changed my life too. For the better. I love you, Sax.”
Sax curled his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “I love you too.”
Kendall smiled at the sincerity in his voice. If only she knew what the future held when her work visa expired and Sax, Ran and Tate moved on to their next job. This time in Churchill was a short reprieve. She tipped back her head and glanced toward the horizon. “Sax, look.”
Awestruck, she stared at the light show playing in front of her. Flashes of green and purple danced across the sky, stretching out like grasping fingers. No, more like the surge and retreat of the waves. Stars twinkled behind the vibrant colors, and they reminded Kendall of jewels in a crown.
“Each time I see the lights, they look different.” Sax drew her against his side. “The colors, the way the lights dance.”
“I see pink and blue.” Kendal picked up her camera and squinted at the settings before trying to take a video. “I’m not sure if the video will come out.” She altered the settings again, took two quick photos and set her camera aside. Sometimes it was better to relax and enjoy the scenery instead of hiding behind a camera lens.
Sax cocked his head.
“Can you hear something? Is it a polar bear?” Kendall’s gaze darted around the area, attempting to pierce the gloom. Was that—? Had something moved over to her right? She widened her eyes, the surge of alarm quieting when she realized it was a rock. Of course, it wasn’t moving. Her imagination had leaped into overdrive at the merest suggestion.
“No, it’s not a bear. A vehicle. I guess someone else is coming to watch the lights.”
“I wish they’d go in the other direction. It’s romantic watching the lights here with you.” As hard as Kendall tried, not a sound came to her. Another few minutes passed before a black truck pulled up beside their SUV.
Sax let out a low curse, and Kendall stiffened, alarm sliding through her.
The driver leered, and she swallowed hard, squirming under the smarmy gaze. She pulled away from Sax and the new arrival laughed—an amused and jeering sound that upped her unease.
Jamie Anders.
The last man she wanted to see, let alone speak with. Now, they were alone with Jamie and his three brothers.
16 Abducted
“What do you want?” Sax asked.
The evil grin on Jamie’s face echoed in Jamie’s three brothers, and a dart of trepidation danced inside Sax. Every muscle in his body tensed. It felt as if he’d zapped back to his school days where Jamie, Jamie’s brothers, and friends had picked on him. Bullied him.
Jamie climbed out of the truck and swaggered up to them. He leaned closer to Sax, spoke in a harsh whisper. “What are you doing with this woman, half-breed?”
“Is there a problem?” Kendall stood and scowled at Jamie, which prodded Sax from his weird journey back to the past.
Jamie sneered. “What are you doing here with him?”
“We’re watching the lights,” Kendall said in a duh voice.
Sax bit back a smile but not in time because Jamie with his bear shifter sight saw him.
“What are you laughing about, outsider?”
Half-breed. Human. Sax had heard those words plus many others. Those were the polite ones.
“Nothing.” Sax pushed away from the SUV and straightened. He hated the way Jamie and his brothers were eyeing Kendall. “You ready to go, Kendall?”
Jamie had spoiled their night and bitter disappointment filled him. He’d wanted to give Kendall something special.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Jamie planted his bulk in front of her.
“Pardon?” Kendall snapped, her English accent crisp in a way Sax hadn’t witnessed before.
“You heard me,” Jamie said.
Kendall let out a pissed snort. Instead of retreating, she took two giant steps toward Jaime. “You have the gall to interrupt our viewing of the Northern lights, and now you’re acting like arseholes and not letting us leave.”
Halfway through her speech, she’d started jabbing her finger at Jamie’s chest, and despite the danger of the situation, pride and amusement swelled in Sax. Their woman was a warrior.
“Jamie, you’ve had your fun. Let us go home, and this won’t become a problem,” Sax said, speaking carefully to maintain an even tone. He kept his gaze to the left of Jamie’s face, determined not to issue any challenge.
“No, that’s not going to happen,” Jamie said, the obvious leader of this group. His three brothers remained watchful. Silent sentinels. Dangerous sentinels since they were polar bear shifters.
“Why are you acting so obnoxious?” Kendall demanded, her crisp English accent getting a real workout this evening.
“I’m sure Sax here has worked it out,” another brother sneered. “He was always too clever for the rest of us.”
Not so silent after all, but menacing still. In spades. The low-level foreboding in Sax rose to flood levels. Maybe if he attacked Jamie to give Kendall a chance to escape. As if the brothers sensed Sax’s intentions, they closed up on him, limiting his freedom and any hope of helping Kendall to escape.
“Let go of me!” Kendall attempted to wrench her arm free, but Jamie didn’t care what she wanted. He wrapped his arms around her and dragged her to their truck.
Sax sprang after Jamie, his abrupt move giving him the element of surprise. He grabbed Jamie’s shoulder to help to free Kendall.
“No. No!” Kendall screamed as she gazed at someone behind him.
Something struck him on the head and a wave of pain engulfed him before everything turned black.
“What the devil are you doing? Why did you hit Sax?” Kendall shouted.
Jamie pulled open the rear door to the truck and shoved her inside. Kendall fought and
whirled around to claw at Jamie’s face.
“Wow-wee!” One of his brothers whistled. “We have ourselves a wildcat.”
“I told you she was the one,” Jamie said, laughing as he restrained her.
Kendall went limp. The instant Jamie relaxed his grip, she boxed his ears.
“Ow!” Jamie shoved her away and rubbed his cheek where she’d gouged him. “Gag her until we can find something better for her to do with her mouth.”
Did he mean…? Were they intending to rape her?
“You come near me with your cock and I’ll bite it off,” she shouted. “You’ll be a dickless wonder then.”
The brothers sniggered while they cheerfully carried out Jamie’s orders. One of them slapped her on the arse, hard enough to make her yelp.
“What are we going to do with the half-breed?” The biggest brother spoke out. He had a scar down the left side of his face, which made him look as if he wore a permanent sneer.
“Leave him there. We’ll take his vehicle and dump it in a quiet corner,” Jamie said.
“You can’t leave him. It’s danger—” Kendall didn’t finish her protest because one brother gagged her then shoved her inside the truck. He climbed in beside her when she tried to get back out.
“Stay there or I’ll tie you up as well,” he warned.
His set expression held determination, so she settled in the rear of the truck, her mind a jumble. What the devil did they expect to achieve by kidnapping her? And most of all why? She didn’t understand what or why they wanted her. As she sat furiously thinking, she saw Jamie walk over to Sax, who lay unmoving on the ground. Jamie murmured something to another brother. They laughed, and Jamie kicked Sax in the ribs.
One brother got into Sax’s SUV and drove away. Kendall stared at Sax’s still body, willing him to move, to show signs of life. Tears pricked. The beach was secluded. People visited the area during the day but it would be hours until daybreak. What happened if a polar bear came along? A tear ran down her cheek and she brushed it away.
The brother sitting beside her made a scoffing sound as Jamie climbed behind the wheel and the remaining brother took possession of the passenger’s seat.
“What’s wrong?” Jamie asked.
“She’s crying,” the brother sitting beside her said. “Why are you bawling? We haven’t hurt you.”
Jamie started the engine and more tears ran down her face. “Don’t waste your tears on the half-breed. He’s not worth your concern. Even his father didn’t want him.”
Jamie and the brother sitting beside her sniggered as they drove away and left Sax. The other brother remained silent. Kendall snuffled and knuckled away her tears. She didn’t understand. She didn’t know why they referred to Sax as a half-breed or why he deserved so much derision.
Sweat broke out on her forehead and her heart raced. Her gaze darted left. Her gaze darted right. She swallowed, made a choking sound. Her eyes watered as panic gripped her with icy talons. She coughed again, the noise deadened by her gag.
Breathe. Breathe.
Kendall forced herself to take even inhalations through her nose. She shoved away her panic, compartmentalizing. Terror locked down. Click. One of the skills she’d learned while living in the Devon family home and working at the family company. Worry for Sax locked down. Click.
Think.
There was no point acting on instinct. She required a plan.
Her phone was tucked inside her jacket pocket, turned off right now, but she daren’t switch it on because it would likely blow up with text and voicemail messages. If the men left her alone, she’d risk powering up her mobile, but for now, she’d wait and observe.
With the limited number of roads in the area, maybe they’d drive through Churchill, and she could open the door and jump from the truck. With her pulse racing, she stared through the window, trying to get her bearings. To her disappointment, they went nowhere near the town.
The road quality deteriorated, and she thumped her head on the roof when they careened through a pothole in the road. She cried out, but the gag contained her pained protest.
“Hold on to her so she doesn’t get hurt,” Jamie ordered.
A beefy arm draped around her shoulders and drew her close. Every inch of her skin crawled at the contact.
His hand wandered closer to her breast, and she moaned a protest.
“Her heart is beating as fast as a baby seal’s.” her captor said.
A baby seal? Weird. Kendall tried to back away, and once the road smoothed out, he let her. She caught a flash of gold in his gaze. His teeth glinted white and sharp. Kendall shivered and averted her gaze. If she got out of this, perhaps she’d get her vision checked. She kept seeing gold when the color was blue.
Jamie stopped the vehicle, and the brothers piled out of the truck. The brother who’d sat with her rounded the truck and opened the door for her. He grasped her arm and yanked her out. He was a strong sucker. If he hadn’t caught her elbow, she would’ve face planted. Good gravy. How did these people see in this coal-black darkness?
“She should be safe enough here,” Jamie said. “Who wants to stay with her?”
“I will.” The brother who still held her arm smiled at her. It wasn’t a friendly one, and Kendall’s stomach churned as fear stalked her mind.
Sax groaned, the pounding in his head sending arcs of jagged pain through his skull and down to his neck and torso. He sucked in a cautious breath and even that hurt. Confusion tiptoed on the heels of the agony in his brain. Where was he?
He struggled with the how and the why before he decided it didn’t matter.
A cool breeze ruffled his hair and tugged at his clothes. Cold and damp seeped into his shirt and jeans from the ground. He pushed to all fours and liquid dribbled down his cheek. Rain? He touched a finger to the liquid and sniffed. Blood.
Sax waited for the discomfort in his head to equalize before attempting to stand. He ambled, but this caution didn’t ease the aching stabs to his head. Overhead, the Northern lights played in a show of rainbow colors. He turned a slow circle.
His vehicle was gone.
Kendall had been here too.
They’d been leaning against the hood, drinking hot chocolate, watching the lights.
Yeah, he remembered that. Then what?
Sax forced his brain along familiar paths. Someone had hit him.
He attempted a step and tripped over a rock. His knees struck hard gravel. His hands skidded across razor-sharp stones. He groaned as his head protested the jolt of the fall.
Once the torment ceased, he took in his surroundings. His memory solidified.
Jamie Anders.
The Anders brothers.
They must’ve taken Kendall with them. His vehicle too.
He ground his teeth together then wished he hadn’t when the action reverberated through his poor head. The bastards. Anger pumped through him until sweat and heat coated his skin. If they hurt Kendall, nothing would halt his revenge.
His phone. Damn. Both his cell phone and sat phone were inside the SUV.
The Anders bastards. Fury had him clenching his fists. They’d always taken what they wanted, and it was obvious they wanted Kendall. If they hurt her…
Heat flared inside him. He drew in a cautious breath, but his body seemed to expand until his clothes constricted him. His bones ached. His head ached. His eyes ached and watered. His vision blurred. Something cracked inside him, the sharp knife of pain sending him to the ground again.
Sax hung his head, his breaths coming in harsh pants. His bones twisted, creaked, broke. They reshaped. White hair sprouted on his hands.
No!
This was not happening.
His tortured brain came up with an answer. It made little sense.
He couldn’t shift. He’d never shifted, yet the symptoms resembled Ran’s and Tate’s descriptions of the process.
Damn, it hurt.
Sax dragged in a hoarse breath. His vision darkened and the to
rment in his head increased tenfold. He groaned, the pressure on his body intensifying until he couldn’t bear the pain any longer. More cracks, pops, and crunches sounded, bad enough to make him wince. Even that hurt.
Then, without warning, the stress eased.
In the next blink, everything seemed louder, everything around him seemed brighter and the scents almost overwhelming. Sax glanced at his feet. Instead of his boots, big paws with long black claws held him upright.
Sax didn’t know how or why he’d shifted. He had no idea how to get back to his human form, but now, at least, he had a chance of finding Kendall.
17 Rescue Me Now
Sax sniffed the ground, not sure what he was searching for but trusting the instincts driving him onward. Right where the black truck had parked he found something. An oily disagreeable stink that had him wrinkling his nose and drawing back with a growl. But the analytical part of his brain—his human part?—told him the oil had leaked from Anders’ truck. It was a slim chance, but he might manage to follow this trail.
His head pounded, but he could push the pain aside. He recalled Ran and Tate always shifting as soon as they could after an injury. They’d told him the process of shifting helped their ouchies to heal quicker. In his case, shifting had reduced the agony in his head to acceptable levels.
He ambled, searching for another drop of oil, a surge of victory leaving him dizzy. Or was that the back of his skull smarting? He hadn’t seen which one had struck him because he’d focused his attention on Kendall.
The bastards must’ve followed them since finding him and Kendall at the beach hadn’t surprised the Anders brothers. Sax had noticed them at the Lanky Moose when he’d dropped in to buy lunch.
He searched for more oil from the truck, frustrated when he couldn’t find more of the scent.
The whir and rattle of an engine had him lifting his head. Immediately, he sought cover. He ducked behind a rock and flattened himself to the ground, his heart pumping in his white furry chest. The rock wasn’t a large one, but if he remained still, he might escape notice.
A car full of teenagers. Male laughter and high-pitched feminine voices floated on the air. The Northern lights still put on a show, which told Sax not much time had elapsed since the Anders had taken Kendall.
Kendall's Mates Page 17