Filthy Wolf

by Liza Street

  Jessica grimaced at the ramshackle cage walls. "I don't know, but we're not staying here."

  24

  Marcus woke to a thudding smack against his cheek. His head rocked sideways, and he blearily opened his eyes.

  Standing over him was Jase. He wore a grim expression.

  "Is Blythe okay?" Marcus asked, sitting up. As soon as he could stand, he would go again and try to free her.

  Jase held out his hand, and Marcus took it. Jase hauled him to his feet.

  "It's not just Blythe now," Jase said in a low voice. "They have Jessica, too."

  It took a moment for the words to take on meaning, but when they did, Marcus felt his heart tear in two.

  "You were supposed to protect her." Marcus couldn’t keep the rage from his voice, and he clenched his fist.

  Then he took a closer look at Jase. The entire left side of his face was bruised, and his shoulder looked off, like it was dislocated.

  "You tried to defend her," Marcus said in understanding.

  "Fuckers snuck up on me," Jase said. “We need to get her back.”

  “Fuck yes we do.” Marcus swayed on his feet, but he willed the dizziness away. He had to get to Jessica. She was scared, and she could be hurt.

  He took stock of their surroundings. They were close to the boundary, but in the dump area of the Junkyard. Barnum, or maybe it was Alleman, had dragged Marcus here after knocking him out. They’d tied him up, too, he realized when he saw the ropes surrounding him. Jase had cut him loose.

  Nodding at Jase, he said, “Are both of the women in that cage?”

  “I don’t know about a cage,” Jase said.

  “It’s why Barnum and Alleman knocked me out. I heard Blythe scream, so I ran out there. They had taken apart the RV to get her, and when I arrived, Barnum was forcing her into a cage. Alleman came up behind me.”

  “If they’re in a cage, they might be safe for now,” Jase said.

  “But probably not for long,” Marcus said. “Barnum and Alleman moved the fight—it’s tonight.”

  “Fuck,” Jase said.

  Sure enough, as soon as he spoke the words, a roar rose up from the other side of the dump.

  He looked at Jase. “It’s starting. Let’s go.”

  “We should check it out first,” Jase said. “It would be smarter.”

  Marcus darted forward. “Dammit, I am not about to put the woman I love in danger just so we can be smart about this.”

  “I’m not asking you to put her in danger.” Jase grabbed Marcus’s arm. “I’m asking you to keep yourself alive long enough to save her.”

  Marcus spun around, ready to hit him, but then he stopped. Underneath his alarm was a rational person, one who could think strategically. He had to be not only strong, but smart.

  Nodding at Jase, he said, “Okay. We’ll go in from the south, slowly, see who’s there, who we’re up against. Maybe some of them are like you, and they’ll fight just for the women’s freedom, not for any twisted sort of claim.”

  “You have rather high hopes for our ragtag group,” Jase said.

  Marcus shrugged, remembering something Jessica told him. “Sometimes you have to look past someone’s reputation to find out who they really are.”

  Not waiting for Jase to respond, he moved toward the southern boundary of the Junkyard, the place where their ice chests of food were dropped off each Sunday. His head ached, but at least he could see clearly and he was no longer swaying.

  Jase followed a few paces behind him, likely keeping a closer eye out for threats than Marcus was. Marcus could barely be bothered to take in his immediate surroundings—his focus was on one objective—finding Jessica and beating the assholes who’d dared to take her from him.

  They reached the fighting ring, which was a dirt circle outlined in old tires. Several guys milled around the ring, and inside of it stood Alleman and Vezirov. Marcus didn’t know Vezirov at all, just that he’d come into the Junkyard a week or so after Marcus had. Marcus didn’t remember what Vezirov’s charges were, so he had no guesses as to whether Vezirov would be an ally or enemy.

  More important than the shifters were the two women huddled in a crudely formed cage that sat off to the side of the ring like an afterthought. It was too close to the others for Marcus to even consider sneaking over to it and freeing the women.

  Jessica and Blythe sat next to each other, their hands out of sight. As Marcus watched, one of them looked at the ring, then said something, and then the two of them scooted over a foot.

  They were trying to break out of the cage without calling attention to themselves. Smart. But hopefully they wouldn’t need to break out. Hopefully, Marcus and Jase would fight off everyone who threatened them, and those who would be left would be willing to leave them alone, learn to respect them.

  It might be too much to hope for, but hope was all Marcus had at this point.

  He took in more details, his focus caressing Jessica’s face. Her eyes were wide with fright, but her mouth was set with determination, her chin jutting out with her usual stubbornness.

  Tearing his gaze away from Jessica, he looked again at the assembled shifters.

  There were three guys he knew for sure would be bad news—Alleman, Barnum, and Buenevista. Vezirov was an unknown. Markowicz was out there, and he seemed okay. Stetson was there, and he was good people. Ephraimson was there, too, with his big, dark blond beard. Marcus was surprised—Ephraimson was a loner like Stetson, not much of a joiner. He usually kept to his truck where he experimented with making moonshine.

  So far, the fighting looked to be taking place in a somewhat orderly fashion. Two guys in the ring at once. Marcus guessed that as the night progressed, everyone would start becoming more feral, fighting as beasts instead of men, and the “rules” of the fights would turn into mere suggestions before becoming laughably forgotten.

  Didn’t matter. He wasn’t letting the night progress that far—he would get Jessica out of here long before then.

  Vezirov threw a punch at Alleman and connected with Alleman’s jaw. Alleman’s head snapped back, but Alleman was quick enough on his feet and backed up so he wouldn’t fall over. He ducked slightly, lowering his center of balance. Marcus saw it for what it was—a preparation for a leg-sweep, but Vezirov wasn’t as experienced. He tried to dodge Alleman’s leg, but he didn’t quite make it. As soon as he fell, he was up again, a snarl on his lips.

  Marcus couldn’t be bothered with watching the mechanics of the fight. He was more concerned with calculating his and Jase’s chances of success.

  “What do you think?” he whispered to Jase. “I run in, and you get anyone you can on our side. Stetson, at least, will be with us.”

  Jase shrugged. “It doesn’t look great for us, but we have a chance if we join the fray at the right time.”

  “The right time is before Jessica and Blythe can get hurt,” Marcus said.

  “I don’t disagree, but—”

  A sick thud filled the air and Vezirov flew back, his head knocking into one of the tires lining the ring. His eyes closed and he lay still. He was breathing, but unconscious.

  “I’m the first winner!” Alleman shouted. He leered at the cage, at Blythe and Jessica.

  The women sat huddled together, their hands behind them, no doubt working furiously at the metal and wire, searching for weaknesses.

  “There are no winners yet,” Buenevista said, his eyes flashing with irritation.

  “Says who?” Alleman made a lap around the ring, then jumped nimbly over Vezirov’s unconscious form.

  Several guys booed him.

  “Which one of you will be my mate?” he asked, peering into the cage at Blythe and Jessica. “Not sure either of you can open your mouth wide enough to take all of me. Maybe I should hold auditions.”

  Marcus growled and tensed his legs to spring.

  “Wait—” Jase started.

  Marcus pulled away and took a flying leap into the ring, both of his arms up, his single fist clen
ched. Looking Alleman dead in the eye, he said, “I’ll kill you before you can even finish opening the cage door.”

  He vaguely heard Jase behind him saying, “Aw, hell.”

  25

  Jessica gasped when Marcus leaped from the shadows. She’d never seen him so full of rage as he was now—his fist poised to strike, his mouth twisted in a snarl, his eyes murderous.

  He was here. She knew he’d come, and she knew everything would be all right.

  Then again, there were a lot of guys around here. How many would join Marcus and Jase? How many would fight against them, instead? She had no way of knowing.

  As she watched, her throat clogged with anxiety, Marcus tackled Alleman to the ground with a roar.

  Chaos broke out among the other men, some of them cheering Marcus, some cheering Alleman. Some of them looked as if they’d jump into the ring and join the fight.

  Were there rules here? She looked around, trying to see what was stopping those clustered around the tires from wading into the melee. Jase stood nearby, holding up his hand. Thank God he was okay. The last she’d seen him…she’d feared the worst.

  Marcus and Alleman rolled together in the dirt. Their arms and legs were moving so quickly, Jessica could barely tell who was who. The sound of fists hitting flesh repeated in her ears, over and over again like an off-beat rhythm. If she survived this, she feared she’d hear that sound forever in her mind.

  Marcus’s head flew back. He shook himself, dazed. Alleman continued the assault, not giving Marcus a chance to recover.

  But Marcus was holding on. He wasn’t giving up. He had something that Alleman didn’t have—he had honor, strength. He’d keep fighting, until his dying breath.

  Jessica needed to see him survive. “Please, please,” she murmured.

  “Hey,” Blythe nudged her shoulder. “Can you reach the piece of wire I’m holding?”

  Jessica had forgotten all about their escape efforts—she’d been too involved in the fighting. Craning her neck to see behind Blythe, she saw the shiny metal of the wire. “I think so.”

  “Good. Grab it, and hang onto it so I can find the other.”

  The angle was awkward, but she got her arm behind Blythe and grabbed the wire. “I got it.”

  Blythe kept her gaze forward, so Jessica did the same. Occasionally, Blythe’s fingers brushed Jessica’s in her search for the other piece of wire.

  “Got it,” Blythe whispered. “What do you see back there?”

  Jessica pretended to wince at the display of violence in front of her, and she hid her face behind Blythe’s shoulder. The shadows made it hard to see, but she could discern the outline of the wires. They’d been twisted together to latch a wide, rusty bar in place.

  “If we can unwind them,” Jessica said, “we’ll free the lower end of this bar.”

  Blythe tilted her head back, checking out the width of the bar and the space on either side of it. “That still won’t be enough space for us to squeeze through.”

  “No,” Jessica said, “it won’t. But we could use it as a lever, maybe pry something else loose. It’s the best chance we have.”

  While she and Blythe worked on the wires together, Jessica watched Marcus and Alleman. Her stomach lurched each time Marcus took a hit, but he gave as good as he got. Alleman leaped at him, but Marcus went low, then used his bent knees as a spring to shove Alleman away.

  Marcus lifted his head and looked directly at Jessica. Blood dripped from his nose and from the side of his forehead, but his eyes were clear. His intent was clear. He would fight for her, no matter what.

  Then he turned toward Jase and the others. Jase’s hand was lifted, but Jessica had no idea why. He looked like he was waiting for a teacher to call on him in class.

  Marcus raised his voice, shouting, “Now!”

  Jase lowered his hand. A few of the surrounding shifters looked confused, like they didn’t know what the “now” was about, but more of them sprang into action, grabbing the confused looking guys and holding them back when they could, or throwing punches when they couldn’t.

  Alleman got up and circled Marcus. He wore a maniacal grin. An angry scar on his neck seemed to pulse with malicious intent. “Come on, One-hand. Show me what you got.”

  Marcus didn’t respond. He didn’t even blink.

  Jessica felt the end of the wire she’d been working on. “I think we got it untwisted.”

  Blythe tugged, and so did Jessica. The bar behind them gave way. It was still attached at the top of the cage, but now it could swing loose.

  Nobody was watching them, so Jessica stood, and Blythe followed her lead. Together, they pulled the bar. It had been more weakly attached at the top than the bottom, and they pulled it free.

  Jessica’s hand was bleeding—she wasn’t sure what had done it, the pointy end of the wire, or the sharp edge of the bar. She wiped it on her leg and helped Blythe maneuver the bar to the side, wedging it in between the two bars that had been on either side of this one.

  “Push toward the right?” Jessica asked.

  “Yeah,” Blythe said.

  They shoved the free end of the bar and a loud wrenching sound came from the bar adjacent.

  “One good kick should do it,” Jessica said, glancing over her shoulder. Luckily, all of the guys were too occupied with their mayhem to pay attention to her and Blythe. She kicked hard at the weakened bar, and it sprang free.

  She turned back to the violence in front of her, struggling to find Marcus in the brawl. He was on top of Alleman again, holding him down with his right arm while he punched him with his left fist.

  But a leopard was approaching from behind them.

  “Look out!” Jessica yelled.

  Marcus turned just in time to dodge out of the way, scrambling off of Alleman in the process.

  Alleman’s attention went straight to Jessica. He saw the bars in her and Jessica’s arms and shouted, “The women are getting away!”

  Someone else said, “Yeah, but where can they go?”

  “Good point.” Alleman circled around Marcus on one side.

  The leopard kept trying to get behind him. Jessica couldn’t bear to tear her gaze away. Why was nobody helping Marcus?

  “Come on,” Blythe said. “We’ll find somewhere to hide.”

  “No, we have to help,” Jessica said.

  Blythe squeezed through the opening they’d made. “I don’t know—”

  “Those guys—some of them are fighting to help us. I think we should help them, too.”

  “You’re right.” Blythe bent down and picked something up. “Hey, I think this is my pipe.”

  Jessica squeezed out of the cage while Blythe gave her pipe an experimental swing.

  Blythe smiled. “It’s the same one. Look, there’s a piece of rebar by that tire.”

  Jessica ran over and grabbed it. “Let’s kick some ass.”

  Hefting her rebar in her hands, Jessica came out of the shadows behind the cage. The scene before them had gotten even more violent and frenzied. The scent of blood filled the air, along with the sounds of growling and thudding fists. Several of the guys had transformed into beasts—there was the leopard, a bear, and a couple of mountain lions and wolves.

  Even while she watched, glowing white lights surrounded the remaining men as they shifted into their animal forms.

  Marcus faced Alleman. “Let’s finish this as beasts.”

  Alleman nodded. “I can’t wait to tear out your throat, wolf.”

  The two men yanked off their shirts, shoved off their jeans and shoes, and crouched on the ground. But the leopard who’d been circling earlier was not giving Marcus space—he looked like he would leap at Marcus while he was vulnerable.

  “Let’s get the leopard,” Jessica whispered, squeezing Blythe’s arm.

  Nodding, Blythe inched forward with her. Jessica picked up a dirt clod and threw it as hard as she could. It hit the leopard straight in the back of the head. He turned around, snarling. Jessica knew he�
��d be fast, so as soon as he darted toward them, she started swinging. Blythe did the same.

  There was a cracking sound as Jessica’s rebar made contact with the leopard’s head, and Blythe hit him a second later. He went down hard, and lay unmoving.

  Shit, had they killed him? She nudged him with the end of her rebar, and he growled before his eyes rolled back into his head. Staring hard at his fur, she waited until she could see him breathing.

  “He’s alive,” Blythe said.

  Jessica stood taller, looking for her next opponent. But the gray wolf in the ring, Marcus, had his jaws locked on the throat of Alleman’s mountain lion.

  Alleman kicked, but Marcus only held him more tightly. Alleman went still, his eyes rolling angrily. Marcus clamped down even more. The stench of blood filled Jessica’s nostrils—Alleman’s, Marcus’s, and everyone else’s, she guessed.

  Finally, Alleman growled and lowered his gaze.

  It didn’t look to Jessica like a motion of submission that would last forever, but it would last for now, at least. Marcus let him go but stood over him.

  A white light surrounded the mountain lion. Once it faded, Marcus’s gray wolf was standing over Alleman, naked and bloodied.

  “Yes, I concede, dammit,” Alleman said, his voice a growl. “I won’t attack. Fuck.”

  Marcus shifted back into his wolf. He turned to face everyone—all of them bloody, most of them naked after shifting back to human. Jessica kept her gaze on Marcus as he spoke.

  “We’re not monsters. Doesn’t matter who dumped us in the Junkyard or why. If a woman is not willing, that is the end of your pursuit. Jessica is my mate, and Blythe is a friend. You will stay away from them both.”

  “Fuck you,” Alleman said in a raspy voice, through his injured throat.

  “If you can’t respect it, you won’t live here,” Jase said, standing tall. “We will end you, put you down.”

  Alleman spit on the ground, but his shoulders slumped.

  “We’re not fighting about this every damn night,” Marcus said. “You’re either going to fall in line and respect a woman’s right to consent, or you die. We don’t have anywhere else to throw you. So what’s it going to be?”