Untamed Hearts (BBW Biker Werewolf Romance)

by Catherine Vale

In the distance, he heard the roar of a sports car. His hunch was right. Adrian was heading to the trail.

  Gunner sprinted down the road, the highway visible through the screen of overhanging trees. He was about twenty feet from the end of the road when the red car flew past.

  “Damn.” Gunner slid to a halt in the slick mud. He’d been too slow, stuck in the mud, dodging tree branches, and Adrian was going to get to the trail ahead of him.

  He wasn’t going to be able to save Claire after all. He’d failed her...again.

  * * *

  Claire had been watching the side mirror as they hurtled down the road, catching an occasional glimpse of Gunner behind them, crouched low over the Harley. Each time she saw him, he was a little closer, and she had a hard time controlling the excitement that bubbled up inside. He was coming to save her. He hadn’t given up.

  But then, suddenly, he dropped back. She straightened, frowning, as the car shot forward and Gunner disappeared. Swiveling in the seat, she looked back over her shoulder as they rounded yet another curve. In the distance she saw Gunner and watched in disbelief as he slowed, then turned the bike off the road, disappearing into the underbrush.

  “Looks like the big animal gave up on you, Claire. Finally came to his senses.” Adrian’s nasty laugh filled the car. He reached across the console, grabbing her knee. “You’re back with me, kid. Just where you belong.”

  “I’m not yours.” Claire dug her nails into Adrian’s hand. He laughed again, giving her knee a cruel pinch. She slumped back into the seat, moving as far away from Adrian as she could get in the cramped space.

  She wondered if this was the final straw for Gunner, if being bested by a half-changed shifter would make him throw up his hands and turn his Harley back toward his old life. She wouldn’t blame him if he did. This whole save-the-damsel-in-distress gig was probably turning out to be more than what he had bargained for.

  Along with that, his involvement with her had uncovered his true father, and that terrible fact that Adrian was his brother, or half-brother, at least. No matter how much chemistry they had, she didn’t think that was enough to overcome everything that had happened to Gunner in the past twenty-some hours. Fate, or bad luck. She was betting he would probably pick the second option.

  Adrian kept the car at top speed, still swinging from lane to lane. The terrain had changed, the road leveling out, although the twists and turns continued.

  Suddenly Adrian braked and Claire jerked forward, slamming her hands on the dashboard. The car skidded violently, almost sliding into the shallow ditch, the stench of burning rubber and brake pads filling the car.

  “What the hell? Are you trying to kill yourself as well as me?” Claire turned to Adrian but he ignored her, scanning the roadside.

  “Something like that...” He yanked the key out of the ignition. “Get out. And don’t run. You know damn well I can catch you. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy the chase, but I don’t have time to waste.”

  Claire opened the door, stepping out into the briars that filled the ditch. Waiting for her to pick her way through them was too much for Adrian. He came around the front of the car, grabbed her arm, and pulled her by force up to the pavement.

  “Stop dawdling, Claire.” He pushed her ahead of him, and she stumbled onto the chipped edge of the pavement.

  “Do I have to carry you? I will, you know.” He grabbed her elbow, dragging her down the road. She tried in vain to grab the front of her shirt, to pull the tattered edges together over her bra, but Adrian had her arm wrenched almost to shoulder height. Finally she gave up, letting her shirt flap in the breeze.

  “Where the hell are you taking me?”

  “It’s a surprise.” Adrian’s voice was harsh, cruel, his breath rasping from his throat, and it was clear to Claire he was again desperately trying to hold on to his human form. He’d been more or less human on the ride from hell down the side of the mountain. Whatever the hell was wrong with him, it was bad, scary bad, like nothing she’d ever seen before.

  Suddenly he pushed her down the side of the road, toward a scarlet trail marker nailed to a tree. Claire lifted her head, looking up the steep trail, then beyond at the bulk of the mountain rising above her. They were at the bottom of the mountain, the same mountain where Gunner’s cabin was. This was the trail he’d said ran below his cabin.

  But why the hell would Adrian drag her back to where he’d taken her from? What the hell kind of plan did he have for her?

  Adrian pushed her hard from behind, and she stumbled down the narrow dirt path. “Adrian, where are we going? What are you doing?”

  “We’re going where I take you. And as far as what I’m going to do?”

  Claire tripped, falling to her knees, pain slicing down her right leg. The cut was deep, warm blood trickling into her shoe. Adrian grabbed her arm, jerking her back to her feet.

  “I’m going to put you out of your misery.”

  She limped several more yards down the trail, cold fear pooling in the pit of her stomach. Besides that, her heart hurt thinking about Gunner, or trying not to think about him. He’d abandoned her, although she couldn’t really blame him.

  “Here. Stop here.” Adrian shoved her hard, and she fell again to her hands and knees. The pain in her leg was worse, the cut bleeding freely. Claire hung her head, hair falling across her face, hot tears gathering in her eyes. Through gritted teeth, she spoke.

  “So this is it? You’re going to just kill me here in the woods?”

  “This isn’t some random place, Claire. It’s a very special place. Someone else met their end here, and now you will, too.”

  Finally she looked up at Adrian, dragging air through parted lips, finally letting the tears fall. It didn’t matter now if she cried in front of him or not. “Why? Why me? I left you at the altar...did I embarrass you enough that you want to kill me?”

  “There’s fuck all you don’t know, you know? You’re a little person in a big world. But now you’re involved in something bigger...you and that animal of yours. You need to go away, and so does he.” He leaned over, and to her surprise, brushed a tear from her cheek. Then he cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face up to his.

  “I’m going to kill you, and then I’m going to kill him.”

  Chapter Six

  Gunner tore through the forest, his paws barely hitting the ground. As a wolf, he could cover far more ground than in human form. He wasn’t sure being in wolf form was how he wanted to meet Adrian, but it was too late now.

  The trail was just ahead, and he caught a whiff of Claire’s scent. She was hurt, bleeding, but he couldn’t tell how badly. The hot, coppery scent of her blood sent his rage at Adrian almost out of control. The bastard had hurt Claire, and Gunner was going to make sure Adrian never had the chance to do it again.

  He could hear Adrian’s voice and he slowed, sticking to the thickest areas of underbrush and shrubs. The trail wasn’t that far ahead, and he didn’t want to lose the element of surprise. Gunner was pretty sure Adrian had seen him following them. Now he hoped Adrian thought he’d given up the chase.

  Gunner crouched low, slinking forward. Glimpses of Adrian’s white shirt, now streaked with blood and dirt, were visible through the brambles and bushes. Gunner moved forward, peering through a screen of leaves.

  Claire was on her hands and knees, blood seeping through the leg of her jeans. Adrian was pacing in front of her, his face contorted by his broken nose and the hideous grin he wore. Gunner watched him closely for a moment; the guy was on edge again, barely able to control his body. And, Gunner suspected, his emotions.

  That bothered Gunner. If the guy wanted to shift, why didn’t he? He hadn’t shifted at the cabin either. Something either kept him from shifting or kept him from completely holding on to his human form. A memory tugged at the back of Gunner’s mind, a quick flash of firelight, being a small boy, listening to his father. But before he could grasp anything else, it was gone.

  Now wasn’t the time to figur
e out what was wrong with the guy anyway. Adrian’s voice had risen, his tirade continuing. If Gunner didn’t do something, chances were pretty good Adrian would hurt Claire again.

  Gunner waited until Adrian’s back was to him, then crept to the edge of the trail. He tensed, watching, waiting. Adrian was yelling at Claire now, his face close to hers. Claire was still on her knees, hunched over, looking up at Adrian.

  As Gunner slowly circled behind Adrian, Claire glanced up. She gave a small gasp, eyes widening, then snapped her eyes back to Adrian.

  But it was enough to get Adrian’s attention. Gunner growled a curse, then did the only thing he could do. He tensed, back legs coiled like a spring. Digging in, pushing off, he launched himself at Adrian.

  * * *

  Adrian’s rants were growing more and more incoherent as he paced in front of Claire. Somewhere in all his yelling, he’d accused her of not only leaving him at the altar but of being the one responsible for the downfall of his entire pack, that his father blamed him for all of it.

  None of it made much sense, but what was clear was he was angry and all of it was directed at her.

  He paced and ranted and she watched him warily, waiting for him to start hitting her or worse. His dirty shirt was stained yellow under the arms and clung to his chest, and trickles of perspiration ran down his forehead. He impatiently swiped a forearm across his face, wiping the sweat from his eyes.

  Movement behind Adrian distracted her. Gunner was there on the path, coiled, ready. A sound escaped her and she tried to bite it back, tearing her eyes away from Gunner as if it would make him invisible. But Adrian heard her. His tirade cut off in midsentence. He cocked his head, brows furrowed.

  Gunner lunged and for a moment, everything slowed down, Gunner’s taut, muscular body suspended in mid-air, teeth bared. His attack was completely silent, and the sheer power in that attack took Claire’s breath away.

  Recognition flashed in Adrian’s eyes and he made a half-turn, taking a step to the side, leaning away from the attack. It took Adrian just far enough out of Gunner’s range that Gunner missed the mark and hit Adrian in the shoulder instead. Gunner was thrown off balance, front paws scrabbling in empty air before he hit the ground hard.

  Gunner drew a shaky breath, and she saw a flash of pain in his eyes. He was hurt, but when? Then she remembered Adrian’s kick to Gunner’s body back at the cabin. Somehow, in half-human form, Adrian had injured Gunner, apparently seriously.

  Her thoughts raced beyond Gunner; what was wrong with Adrian? He was cold and calculating, the Adrian she remembered. Then he was out of control one minute, raving mad, then half-human the next with the strength of a shifter. His breath, his whole body, smelled foul, and he was sweating like a pig. Was he crazy or was something really wrong, physically wrong, with him?

  Adrian spun around, eyes locked on Gunner, Claire forgotten. Gunner scrambled to his feet, the pain in his eyes replaced with a fierce anger. A rough, guttural noise from Adrian caught her attention and she watched him, eyes widening.

  “Oh my God.”

  Adrian was changing, finally. But something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

  Claire had seen Adrian change many times. He certainly wasn’t handsome in human form, but when he shifted, he became a compact, extremely powerful wolf. Now, something else was happening. And it wasn’t very pretty.

  His limbs elongated, arms and legs contorting at odd angles, bones and tendons snapping and cracking. It looked...and sounded... hideously painful, a horrible imitation of a shifter changing. As she watched, Adrian threw his head back, a shrill cry coming from his mouth. Even Gunner seemed momentarily distracted by the awful display happening on the forest floor.

  Head back, Adrian let loose one final shriek before his body resolved into its final form, legs misshapen, body distorted. His blond coat was coarse and matted, the stench rolling off of him in waves. He gave himself a final shake, his oversized head swinging on a long gangly neck.

  The two wolves glared at each other, hackles raised. Claire scrambled away from the pair, hands scraping through the dirt and leaves at the edge of the path. But neither looked in her direction. They were locked on to each other, circling, stiff-legged, mirroring the movements of the other.

  It was Adrian who made the first move, seemingly unable to contain himself. A low, ugly growl ripped from his throat as he dove at Gunner. His speed was incredible, even for a shifter, but his attack was clumsy, rushed, off balance. He hit Gunner at a sharp angle, his body sliding alongside Gunner’s, almost deflected by the larger wolf’s mass.

  Gunner turned, clamping his jaws down on the back of Adrian’s neck with a terrible crunch. With a screech, Adrian threw his head back, jaws snapping the air over his shoulder. Gunner bore down, driving Adrian’s forelegs into the ground.

  Claire rose to her knees. It was all over, it had to be. She knew the power in a shifter’s jaws could snap the neck of any living thing, human or shifter. Adrian’s neck was thin, weak-looking. And Gunner was an immensely powerful wolf.

  But it wasn’t over. She watched in horror as Adrian twisted beneath Gunner, kicking out with his back legs, hitting Gunner in the midsection. Gunner let go of Adrian, doubling over with a coughing grunt. Adrian scuttled away. Claire’s heart sank. Gunner was injured. Adrian knew it, and he’d landed a sucker punch on Gunner’s injured ribs.

  But Adrian was injured, too. Claire watched blood well out of wounds on his neck, darkening the blond fur, dripping onto the ground. He shook his head, whining low in his throat.

  Gunner straightened, turned, gained his feet, and charged. He hit Adrian in his flank, teeth sinking into Adrian’s soft underbelly. Adrian bellowed, head flung back, catching the edge of Gunner’s ear in his mouth. Claire winced as teeth ripped through flesh and blood poured down the side of Gunner’s head.

  But Gunner held on, twisting his head, driving forward with his back legs, pushing Adrian across the path, Adrian’s claws scrabbling in the dirt and leaves. Claire shuddered as Gunner slammed Adrian against the trunk of a tree. There was a sickening crack and Adrian yelped in pain, thrashing violently in Gunner’s grip.

  There was a wild scramble of fur and legs, teeth and claws, and then Claire watched in horror as Adrian wrenched himself free from Gunner’s jaws. His body writhed and in horror, she realized he was shifting back to human form, his body wavering between the two. Blood ran from gashes in his side and neck, and where the patchy matted fur gave way to human skin, she saw bruises, deep and bloody. One front leg was held at an awkward angle, and Claire thought she saw the white ends of bone protruding from dirty fur. Nausea and revulsion washed through her, but she never took her eyes off Adrian.

  Adrian turned toward Claire, one hand now clenched in a fist. She cringed as he advanced, his jaw full of cruel teeth snapping at her, the upper part of his face slipping into human form. For one heart-stopping instant she met his eyes, full of rage—and insanity.

  “Claire...I’m not done with you yet...”

  Her name, choked out in that horrible half-growl, half-human voice, chilled her to the bone.

  Then he was gone, the underbrush rustling. She watched, ears straining, picking up the dwindling sounds as he moved away, followed by silence.

  “Claire?”

  She turned. Gunner was crouched on the path, the side of his head bloody, more blood covering his arms and the side of his body. A deep purple bruise covered the lower side of his chest.

  “Gunner!” She knelt beside him, tentatively extending her hand, not sure where the blood ended and Gunner began. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m good. It’s worse than it looks. It’ll heal.” He looked up, eyes searching her face.

  “But we need to get out of here, get me some clothes, make sure you’re okay.” He looked at her leg. “Can you walk? I can carry you...”

  “I’m okay, I can walk. But what about Adrian?”

  “I don’t think Adrian is coming back, at least for a while. He’s g
ot deeper wounds to lick than I do.”

  He stood, taking her hand, scanning the forest. Then he pointed toward the ridgeline. “The cabin is just above us on the trail. It’s the closest place.”

  Chapter Seven

  “It’s okay. Come on in.” Gunner’s voice sounded from deep inside the cabin.

  Claire stepped through the ruined doorway. Gunner was across the room, pulling on jeans he’d grabbed from his backpack.

  “I need to fix this...” He gestured toward the broken door. “There’s some plywood underneath the cabin. Wait here.”

  Before she could say anything, he was out the door. She turned toward the big window. From here, the trail they’d just climbed was visible as a faint line across the meadow. She watched it anxiously, expecting Adrian to appear, half-changed, covered in matted fur and blood, running toward the cabin. Gunner’s words that Adrian’s wounds were bad gave her cold comfort.

  She jumped at the noise behind her, an involuntary cry coming from her lips. Gunner was wrestling a large sheet of plywood into the cabin. He propped it over the doorway, blocking out the sunlight streaming in, and began hammering huge nails through the wood into the cabin walls.

  Gunner stepped back, admiring his handiwork. “There. That should slow down anyone...or anything...that wants to get in, at least for a few minutes.”

  Turning to Claire, he pantomimed twirling the hammer like an old West gunslinger before sliding it into an imaginary holster alongside his leg. Some of the tension in her body dissolved, and she laughed. It felt good.

  “We need to get you cleaned up, Gunner. You’re still bleeding.” She moved across the room, taking him by the arm. He dropped the hammer on the kitchen table as she pulled him toward the bathroom, tugging on his hand.

  “It’s nothing. It’s already starting to heal.” He tugged back, protests continuing. “You’re bleeding worse than I am.”

  She stopped and looked down at her bloody jeans. “Oh. I forgot about that. It doesn’t hurt anymore though.” Looking up, she smiled. “Like you say, it’s already starting to heal.”