Clothesline

by Amanda Anderson

  “She’s a bitch.” Harmony said with venom.

  “Yeah, but that’s expected.” He grinned as if he’d told a funny joke.

  “There’s a party tomorrow night at the Full Moon Saloon. We have been invited. It’s a big deal. Full moon brings lots of people out. Men wanting to join up, men who already have. Lots of head men looking to share information and get a lay of the land. River wants you there.”

  “Me? Why?” Fear was crawling like a living thing in Harmony’s stomach. She hadn’t been out of Lost Lakes since she’d come to live there, and she was afraid to leave, even if she felt imprisoned there.

  It made no sense.

  “Hell if I know. You don’t understand what is going on and I probably don’t either. You are here under my protection, but since you and wolfy got jiggy, you are under River’s rule.” His nostrils flared. “Definitely River’s rule.”

  “What? I never...I... I don’t…”

  “Save it. We all heard. We all smelled, and you bonded. That bond is what gives River rule over what is ultimately best for you. Since Line ain’t around. I have to take you.”

  “Don’t I get a say in it?” Harmony was panicking.

  “No.” Creed said, and she saw the end of a cigarette glow in the darkness, lighting his face.

  “I’m not going. I’m safe here. I want to stay here with Reed. I... I won’t go.”

  Creed let out a long breath. “You are putting me in a damned hard place right now. Listen. You go to the party. Have some fun and we will come right back here after. I’ll be there with you. The other old ladies will be there too. Go, have some fun and you can come back after.” His eyes bore into hers. “It’s important. I swear you will be protected.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She said plainly.

  Creed laughed. “Yes, you do. You know I’m not lying to you. You can tell when someone is.”

  “What if River refuses?” She was really afraid now.

  “I’ll figure something out.” He stomped out the cigarette before picking it up and tossing it into a bucket of sand. “We will go in the morning, so the girls can help you get dressed. It’s a show. The Howlers must look whole and since your man is MIA, you need to be there and put on a happy face. It’s important. More important than you can imagine.”

  “It’s bullshit.”

  Creed grinned and she could see the flash of his white teeth. “Everything is sweetheart. Every single thing in this life is bullshit. Now that you know it, you can expect it. You are ahead of most.” He finished off his beer. “Don’t worry, we will be watching your ass and so will everyone else in the place. Put some steel in that backbone. You’ll need it.”

  She stood and faced him. Creed was a mystery to Harmony. She could feel that he was dangerous, but he concealed it behind a smart-ass mask and sharp wit.

  “Is he dead? I know you know more than you’re saying and if I’m bound by some bond that gives me no control over my own life I think I deserve to know.”

  Creed looked at her as if she were crazy. “How the hell would I know? I don’t share a bond with him. The only people that know that are… well, him and whoever is with him… but in this case, you and River. You are both bound to him and if I’m guessing, River wants to get his hands on you, so he can feel that bond. He’s probably as worried as you are.”

  For some reason this settled some of Harmony’s fears. It made sense. River wanted to know if she felt like the bond was still there. Since she’d only realized what it was, she wasn’t going to be much help, but maybe if she was close to River she would find something out.

  Creed laughed. “And just like that, she’s convinced.” He shook his head. “Get some sleep.”

  “What about you?” She asked when he settled back on the seat he’d vacated a moment before.

  “I don’t sleep.”

  She left him there in the darkness and made her way to her own room. She hoped she could sleep. She would need her wits if she had to be present at a gathering of shifters.

  “Oh Line, where are you? I can’t do this without you.” She Whispered into the darkness, but he wasn’t there.

  She rubbed her chest where it burned. Would she know if he were gone? Would she feel a coldness in place of the warmth in her heart?

  She didn’t know, and she was afraid to find out.

  6

  Clothesline opened his eyes. Her voice had called to him and he sat up expecting to see her there beside him.

  She wasn’t.

  He was in the heart of a damned cold forest, following a lead on the man that would have been Harmony’s husband. Line had thought he’d killed him in his first raid, but somehow, he’d gotten away. Pete would bleed this night. He would bleed, and it would all be over.

  It was taking him too long. He hated it. He felt his wolf fighting him, wanting his mate, but he had to finish this first. He had to make her safe.

  He’d left Pie in a whore house outside of Tucson. He would pay for that, but he needed to do this alone, everything in him screamed for him to do it alone. He rolled out of his bedroll and stretched like a cat. His back was sore and he was anxious. He didn’t understand it. He wasn’t in any danger. These freaks couldn’t hurt him, so why was everything in him telling him to turn back.

  “Fuck. he’s the last one and then I can go the fuck home.”

  He looked up. The moon was nearly full, that had to be what was making his skin itch.

  He shook off the feeling and cleaned up his camp. It was a five-mile hike into where the little asshole was hiding out. He would hike up and wait or maybe he would do it during the day, no one to see. May as well get it over with. If he hurried he could do it before the sun came up and then hit the road. He could be back for the full moon and debrief and onto see Harmony within twenty-four hours.

  The need for her was driving him like a man with a whip now. He needed her more than he needed air in his lungs, water in his belly. He needed her.

  His chest burned.

  She needed him.

  He could feel her tugging at him through their bond and he wanted to drop everything and run to her. She was afraid, and she was hurting, but he would be home soon and then he would never have to worry about her, she would be safe.

  He packed up his gear and started out at a run. The quicker he got it all done, the better. The trees blurred as he ran at a speed he usually didn’t allow. There was no one to see him, no one who would live to see the next sunrise, so he ran, and it felt good.

  He reached the glade where the shabby little house sat faster than he’d thought he could. Sweat beaded on his brow and he wiped it away with an impatient hand. His nostrils flared as he scented the air.

  Nothing.

  That made the fine hairs stand up along his body.

  There was always something to smell, rabbits, squirrels, something, but he picked up nothing alive. What had scared them all away?

  Pain blinded him as something shot into his neck at the base of his skull.

  He screamed in agony and jerked the dart from his neck. It had a purple plume on the end and was made of solid gold.

  What the hell?

  He hit the ground writhing as he felt whatever had been shot into him burn through his blood. His wolf howled in pain along with his human.

  Line opened his eyes to see a blonde woman dressed in a very provocative dress standing over him.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the rabbit you’re hunting has been dead for some time. We only dropped the hints to bring you to us, where you belong.” She used one pointed shoe to lift his chin. Her golden eyes ran over him like he was a prize she’d won. “You are going to give me impeccable cubs. Stay.” She pointed one red tipped finger at him.

  He fought what was happening, but his body refused him. He wasn’t paralyzed, but something inside him was refusing to disobey this woman.

  “Good boy.” She said, and he felt something vibrate in his throat. His body warmed as if he were pleased with
her praise.

  It made him sick.

  “Bring him.” She said to someone he couldn’t see, and he was lifted, and half dragged to the house.

  He smelled them then and everything inside of him screamed out. He’d fought his whole life to stay away from these people and now he was at their mercy and there was nothing he could do about it.

  The monsters that had haunted his childhood, kept him on the run.

  “Bathe him and make sure he’s clean before you bring him to me.” The woman spoke and the men who held him nodded.

  “Aww don’t look at me like that my pet. This won’t hurt a bit and you may even like it. Just think, you will sire cubs with me, your queen. It’s an honor. One you do not deserve, but one I give to you because I need your bloodline to secure my position. You will be my king.”

  She ran a red tipped nail down his chest.

  “You are mine.” She said, and the words gripped his heart and his head until he fell to his knees. He was fighting her hold on him, but he was weakening.

  “I’d rather die than touch you. You are not my alpha.”

  Her head tilted, and she watched him like a cat watching a bird. Her grin was wicked.

  “I like your spirit. You are strong, but I will break you.” she leaned close. “And I will enjoy it.”

  He could smell her excitement. She was turned on by his refusal.

  “Clean him. Hurry. I want him.” She hissed.

  Line fought the men holding him, but whatever he’d been given was making him weak.

  He was scrubbed and clothed in only a linen cloth tied at his hip.

  “Lie down.” The woman spoke in a voice he couldn’t refuse, and he obeyed.

  He felt shame as she looked at him. He was helpless in the presence of her desires and he hated her for it.

  He thought of Harmony and how she’d lived for so many years. She had suffered this humiliation more times than he could fathom, and she’d lived through it. She was so strong.

  He was seeing just how weak he really was.

  The woman slowly stripped off her clothes and stood before him in feminine perfection. She was perfect in every way. Her breasts were perfect globes sitting on her chest. Her mound was bare and he could see the sheen of excitement on her lips. Her belly was flat and her skin was the color of sand. She was beautiful in body, but her soul made her ugly.

  She reached and untied the tie at his hip and he felt air on his body. He clenched his teeth and tried to force his body to move, to strike her, but he was helpless.

  “I’m going to need you hard if this is to work.” She scowled when his cock lay limp and unmoving. “I can’t have cubs without a hard cock!”

  He snarled at her.

  “Make him hard!” She screamed, and a mousy woman ran in and grabbed his cock in soft hands.

  It took all his strength of will to keep the damned thing soft.

  “Use your mouth! If you don’t make him hard I swear you will suffer. I will beat you. I will strip the hide from your worthless bones!”

  The woman’s golden eyes begged him as she lowered her quivering lips to the head of his limp cock.

  He had fucked hundreds of women, what was one more? But no, things were different and his wolf was scratching at his bonds. He wouldn’t, couldn’t be with anyone but Harmony. She was his mate and that meant something to him. His wolf wouldn’t allow it.

  In that moment his wolf broke free and he changed in an instant. They might kill him, but they would never make him betray his mate.

  Nothing would ever make him betray Harmony.

  7

  Harmony stood at the bar of the Full Moon Saloon and gathered the beers she’d come to get for her, Shauna, and Mallory. She was restless, and her chest was burning like hell fire and had been since the night before.

  She felt eyes on her. The place was packed and now that she knew what she was, she could understand some of the smells that met her nose. Creed had been helping her and it had gotten her mind off the situation for most of the night.

  He was so funny. He’d just grab somebody’s hand and hold it to her nose and describe the scent.

  “Musty, stale, like wet moss and rotten bunnies. That’s grizzly.” He explained.

  The giant of a man pointed at Creed. “Batshit crazy, smells like piss and those damned cigs he smokes, but they all have that bitter smell. Coyote.”

  “Asshole.” Creed grumbled.

  “Yeah, you smell like that too, but I was gonna let it slide.” The man laughed and slapped Creed on the back.

  Harmony watched him as he lumbered over to a woman standing with Mallory and wrapped a meaty arm around her. Her wrapped the other around Mallory like she was something precious to him.

  “Who is he?” Harmony asked. He felt dominant and terrifying, but he felt safe at the same time.

  “Nick Carver. He is mated to Mallory’s friend Nancy, but not willing to tell her much. Scared of losing her.” Creed blew out a breath of smoke. “Smart of him.”

  Harmony looked at Creed and for just a second, she saw pain in his eyes before he wiped it away. She reached across and touched his hand.

  “If she is his mate, she will accept him, no matter what secrets he has. She can’t help herself.”

  He studied her. It made her want to squirm, but she didn’t look away.

  “I hope you really mean that. You may need to prove it.” He whispered.

  “Nothing could make me love Line less. It would be like loving myself less. He is part of me.” She said, and she felt her chest burn. “I love him.” She said again, and the warmth grew stronger.

  “Make sure you say that often, even when he gets back. It strengthens the bond. Think of him, love him, talk to him. Hold onto him and he will come back.”

  He said and grabbed another man as he passed and got back to their game.

  “Pissed off all the time. I don’t know if that’s a scent, but that’s a panther.”

  She knew that scent too well. Don, her step father had been a panther.

  “Woodchips and wet fur, fish. Beaver and why the hell he’s here I do not even know.”

  The poor guy looked like he would pee his pants.

  “I... I want to help...I’m smart…” The little man stammered.

  Creed shrugged. “Might be a good snack at least.”

  He laughed when the man scurried away.

  “That was mean.” Harmony chided and Creed just grinned.

  “Insanity and superiority. Tiger.”

  Lucian barely gave him a glance.

  “Money. Arrogance. Pussy whipped. Lion.” That one had gotten him a hiss from a well-dressed man who looked out of place in the bar.

  It was late when she sat down with River.

  “He ditched Pie last night in a whore house in Tucson, but that tells us he was alive last night. Pie is on his trail, but I’ve had no word since late last night. I feel like there is something wrong.”

  “But he was alive last night?” she had breathed.

  “He was.” River confirmed, and Harmony wanted to melt into her chair.

  “Can’t you order him home? I thought that’s what alphas did. What good is the bond if you can’t do anything with it.” She was grasping at straws.

  “I could if he would answer his damned phone, but he won’t. I will bleed him when he gets home, but until then, I have to rely on Pie to make sure he stays safe. All I can do now it keep the bond strong.”

  Harmony didn’t comment. She’d heard Pie was losing his mind, so he probably wasn’t the best one to send on this mission, but she couldn’t question River.

  “Here’s why I wanted you here. We have to look like nothing is wrong. You are his mate. I know he probably didn’t explain it or hell, even mention it, but that’s the deal. He is bound to you, for life and if you have a drop of wolf in you, you are bound just the same. I need you to look like a mate, act like a mate.”

  Her breath sawed out of her.

  “He will
come home to you. He can’t help himself. You have to believe that right now and go out there and have a good time. The story is that Pie and Line are on a run. They are on club business and you are waiting here for him to get back. You do this, and you’ll have the respect of the club. We have council members here tonight. You need to be convincing.”

  She nodded. “Ok. I won’t lie. They will smell that. I can be worried, but sure he’s coming back.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Ok. I can do this.”

  River nodded and looked her over. “I know you’ve lived through hell before. I swear to keep you safe until I die. Nobody will hurt you as long as I live. No matter what happens to Line.” That is my promise. You are safe.

  “You believe he’s in danger.” She said simply.

  “I know he is and if you let yourself feel it, you know it too.”

  The look on his face made her blood run cold.

  “What can I do?”

  “Just stay strong. Stay here. He will come back if he can. If he can’t, we will go get him. Give us a few days.”

  “Ok” She whispered.

  River nodded, and his lips curled into a gin. His eyes warmed.

  “Welcome to the pack Harmony. Welcome home.”

  “Home.” It was a word that had meant so many things to her.

  “Your daddy was a wolf; do you know what happened to him?”

  She shook her head.

  “A wolf needs a pack, it steadies him. I don’t know if hybrids need that, but you have it. You have a family that will give their lives to protect you. You have a place here.”

  She whispered her acceptance and took his hand. He leaned his forehead against hers and she felt warmth.

  “Welcome to the Howlers Harmony. Welcome home.”

  8

  He was in hell. There was no other explanation for what was happening to him. His body burned, and his head pounded.

  His wolf screamed in his head, but even that grew weak.

  He heard the constant drip drip drip of water somewhere and it was driving him crazy. The dankness of the room was weighing on him like a wet blanket and the smell of mildew made his stomach churn.