by Susan Bliler
Marko roared loudly and took a step, but this time he staggered.
King directed, “Hit him again, Conn.”
Another loud pop sounded, and Marko spun giving the teams his back to protect Thea. She recognized it now. That’s what he was doing. He was protecting her.
Marko’s back arched, and he snarled as he started running with her. Behind them, she heard King shout, “Goddamn he’s strong. Hit him again. We can’t let him get away.”
There was another pop and then another as Marko raced away. A few hundred yards later, he staggered to a walk and then one of his knees buckled. Thea shrieked and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was worried about him passing out and crushing her and the baby, but she didn’t know what else to do besides hold on.
Marko’s head dipped lazily, and his crystalline eyes slid to hers. When he blinked an explosion of color filled them. It wasn’t just any color either. It was the dark, whiskey color of Marko’s eyes.
Groaning, he lowered his other knee, and as his eyes rolled back in his head, he twisted his body and palmed Thea’s head to protect her from the impact as his body hit the ground.
The Skin Walker teams rushed them, but Thea didn’t care. Before they got to her, she rolled off Marko’s body and crawled up his chest to cup his cheek. He’d saved her…again.
Chapter 28
Marko woke chained to a wall. Lunging forward, he snarled when the chains on both wrists held firm. He knew where he was from past experience, only last time he’d been in the hangar at Apex, he’d had a Skin Walker enemy chained to the wall, not himself.
Movement up in the gallery overlooking the hangar drew his attention, and he slid his angry eyes to where Tyce and some woman were staring down at him. Fucker! Marko lunged again, the bare muscles of his torso bunching and flexing as his breath heaved from him. From beneath the inky fall of the hair in his face, he shot Tyce the darkest, most mutinous look he could muster.
Days. He’d been chained up here for days, and all he wanted was to see Thea. No one would talk to him. They treated him like a deranged beast, and he supposed he understood. He’d shifted into some fucked up snow-creature form and had been stuck in it for several days. Even after he’d finally shifted back to human form, he’d been as monstrous as he’d been in his fucked-up snow beast form. Even now, he was parched, starving, and exhausted from going too long without aid. He knew Apex’s doctor, Pyper Ames, could give him supplements and IV fluids to sustain him, but his new beast wouldn’t let anyone get near.
Sound drew his attention. Wires were hanging from him that were attached to machines that beeped incessantly. As much as he knew he should be worried or at least curious, he wasn’t. His head was consumed with Thea. He could scent her. Hell, with his lips and teeth parted in a pant, he could practically taste her. She was here, and just that knowledge had his body straining against the chains that held him. He knew he was angry and worked up, but he felt too hot. It felt like his skin was on fire, and he knew his body was bulked up larger than its normal size. He was partly afraid that he’d go back into his snow monster shift and never come out.
At the opposite end of the hangar, a door opened, and Marko tensed. His eyes narrowed in like lasers on Pyper as she walked in wearing her typical lab coat and staring down at some device in her hands. Behind her, Bronco entered, and something about the male set Marko off. His lip ticked up in a snarl that died when his eyes locked on Thea as she was brought into the room.
She wore a pretty blue sundress and no shoes. Her golden hair shone brightly around her shoulders, and the second her bright blue eyes locked on his, she staggered back a step as if startled to see him. She faltered only a moment before taking a step toward him. Her second step was halted by Bronco’s hand grabbing her arm.
Mine!
Thea flinched away from Bronco’s touch, and Pyper barked, “Use the gloves!”
Bronco released Thea long enough to slip on thick gloves before he grabbed Thea again. This time, the other male’s touch didn’t seem to hurt Thea, but it was still offensive to Marko.
His chest started heaving. Eyes locked on Bronco’s grip on Thea, he felt his inner beasts all fighting for dominance to determine which one would go after Bronco, but the new monster in his middle silenced them all with a deafening roar. No males were supposed to touch Thea. No one but him!
Enraged at Thea’s clear dislike of Bronco’s hands on her, Marko lunged with a roar that promised retribution. The chains held him firmly secured to the wall.
Across the room, Thea gasped and jerked back. She didn’t get far because Bronco’s large body blocked her escape. Bronco released her and dropped to a knee as Pyper handed him something. Marko didn’t pay attention to Pyper though because his eyes were riveted on Thea. She looked…afraid. Of him?
Hearing chains, his eyes shot down to see Bronco securing Thea to the opposite wall with a long length of chain secured around one delicate ankle.
No!
He hated it! He hated his One being chained up like she was some fucking animal. They were treating her like she was him! She wasn’t a monster like he was. She was better than him, better than all of them! It didn’t bother him in the least that they’d chained him up. He’d been held prisoner before, but his Thea was too good for all of this.
Mine!
Bronco turned and headed toward the door, and Pyper followed. Once they exited, Marko and Thea were alone, each chained to the wall on opposite ends of the hangar and Marko wanted to shoot Tyce a glare and ask him his end game here, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from Thea.
Fuck, she’s beautiful. The dress made her seem more feminine, and the color brought out the creaminess of her skin and the brightness of her eyes. She was all pale hair and cool blues. She looked like a snow queen. No wonder his snow beast loved her.
Minutes ticked by as the two simply stared at each other. Marko dipped his chin. His brows speared down, and his eyes narrowed on Thea as he drank in every detail. She looked so damn perfect with her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she watched him. A worried expression marred her pretty features, and he didn’t like the look on her.
Finally, Thea broke eye contact to look down. She grabbed the chain with trembling fingers and tugged hard where it was secured to the wall. It didn’t give, and she tried again.
Marko watched her curiously, his head angling as he studied every inch of her. His eyes settled on her belly. She wasn’t showing yet, but even from here he could scent his babe growing inside her. He rolled his head as he felt his chest expand even broader than it had been.
Thea’s yanking grew more and more firm with each attempt, and when it was clear she wasn’t going anywhere, Thea slapped the wall and shoved off it, pacing the length of her chain before stopping several feet from the wall to drop her head into her hands with a sob.
The sound was like a trigger, and Marko lunged forward again. Mine! Keep safe!
Thea’s head whipped up at the sound of Marko’s chains rattling, and she recoiled back when Marko lunged forward again, this time snapping the chains that held one of his arms.
A horrified gasp left Thea, and she stumbled back, falling as her foot caught on the length of chain. She went down hard, and a whimper left her lips at her jarring impact with the ground.
No!
Someone pounded on the glass up in the gallery, but Marko didn’t even bother looking. Half free, he lunged again with a loud growl.
Thea struggled to her feet and limped back to the wall where her chain was secured. Frantically, she jerked and jerked trying to get loose. Her fear filled eyes kept shooting back to him over her shoulder. She was definitely afraid of him, and he wondered why. He knew his eyes would be all blown out right now with the partial shift he was using to break free, but Thea knew him. She had to know he could never hurt her.
Inside, his beast ignored his rationale and demanded, Get to her.
Thea’s actions though stayed him. She seemed afraid, and he didn’t know
how to convince her that he was the good guy.
Thea worked harder at tugging on the chain, and Marko decided that helping her get free would show her.
Both of his hands gripped the remaining chain that secured him. Eyes still locked on Thea, he planted his feet, took in a breath that expanded his chest, and yanked hard.
Get Thea!
The chain ripped from the wall, sending fragments of cinder block shooting halfway across the room. He was free.
On the other end of the room, Thea worked harder, but the chain was too secure. She couldn’t get loose.
Marko’s eyed darkened as he took his first step toward her.
Get her!
Chapter 29
Thea aborted trying to pull the chain free of the wall and dropped to the ground. Something was still wrong with Marko. He looked…scary!
She hadn’t seen him since they’d brought her to Apex. She’d seen their doctor, Pyper Ames, about a hundred times, she’d met their Dominant, Tyce Steele, she’d even formally met all the Walkers that resided at Apex, but there’d been no sign of Marko. Even when she’d asked about him, she’d been told he was “recovering”.
Now, staring at him, he didn’t look anything like himself, and it was terrifying because he wouldn’t take his eyes off her. She was afraid of why they’d been chained to opposite ends of the large room. Was it so he could see her without getting to her? Was he that bad off? Worse, what did the Walkers think he’d do if he could get to her? Yes, she’d run from him, yes, she’d shot him, and clearly, he’d rescued her and something had happened to make him into that beast that had been captured right along with her. He seemed livid, and Thea didn’t know what she was supposed to do.
Lifting a knee, Thea’s hands worked feverishly at trying to remove the manacle secured to her ankle. Her frantic attempts at freeing herself slowed until she swiveled around to look across the room at Marko.
He’d only made it a few steps when the wires that were still hooked to him stopped his progress. His lip peeled back in irritation as he looked down at his chest with a snarl.
Does he look bigger? Oh God, she swore he was bigger. His eyes were certainly lightening. Trying to take advantage of his distraction, Thea tried to scramble to her feet, but couldn’t manage it. It was like her legs wouldn’t hold her. Without looking at Marko, Thea rolled to one side and rubbed her hip. She’d gone down hard earlier and knew she hurt herself.
Checking to see that Marko was still preoccupied ripping all the wires from his chest, Thea quickly peeled up her skirt to eye the area on her hip that was already bruising. It looked bad. She’d landed on the thick chain when she’d gone down and damn it hurt. She rubbed her hand over the quickly darkening bruise and hissed. She shouldn’t have.
Marko’s head jerked up, and the remaining wires still connected to him snapped free as he dropped his hands and stalked determinedly across the hangar toward her. Nostrils flaring, his eyes darkened. He looked murderous.
Thea jerked her skirt down and winced when she tried to scoot back. She was too slow though, and suddenly Marko was on her.
Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would leave her chest and as Marko knelt over her, she had to recline back to keep from bumping him. Finally, laying flat on her back, she looked up at him imploringly. Does he even recognize me? She lifted a shaky hand and settled it on his chest, just over his frantically beating heart.
One of Marko’s hands was locked behind her neck, and the other was settled on her leg, just above her knee.
Where he’d been feral mere seconds ago, his expression was now concerned as he eyed her intently. His hand slid up, taking the material of her skirt with it until the satiny white of her panties showed, and the bruise on her hip was exposed. He smoothed his hand gently over the mark and Thea whimpered, drawing his concerned gaze back to her face.
She breathed a quiet, “Marko?”
The door at the opposite end of the room, the end where Marko had been chained, opened and Bronco was back.
Marko jumped over Thea’s leg and crouched, crawling forward to place her behind him as he snarled and balled his hands into fists. He was protecting her!
Slowly he stood to his towering height and lowered his head in a clear challenge to Bronco.
In an instant, Marko was stalking across the room. Bronco suddenly stopped, but Marko kept walking toward him, and Thea knew she needed to do something.
She yelled, “Marko!”
He slowed but didn’t stop. It was almost as if he was torn. When mere feet separated him from Bronco, Thea tried to get to her feet again and went down hard. She cried out and curled onto her side with a whine as pain tore through her.
As if slamming up against an invisible wall, Marko stopped. His head jerked around and his eyes locked on her.
Rocking back and forth, Thea sucked in a breath and tensed against the pain shooting through her leg. She’d hurt herself worse than she’d thought when she’d fallen. Still, she couldn’t let Marko go to war with Bronco. Taking a steadying breath, she tucked her legs beneath her and pushed to her feet with a soft whimper. Using the wall, she managed to make it upright. Lifting her head, her eyes locked on Marko and she took a step toward him.
The instant she put weight on her leg, it gave out, and she went down. Bracing for the hard collision she knew was to come, Thea gasped when Marko was suddenly there, catching her before she could hit the hard ground.
Her leg hurt too much to do anything besides cling to Marko even as an enraged snarl left his lips. For a second she thought he was angry with her, but when she peeked up at him, his eyes were on the shackle attached to her ankle. One strong hand gripped the length of chain that still secured her to the wall and with a vicious yank, he managed to rip it out of the wall. Once Thea was free he didn’t put her down. If anything, his hold on her tightened as he lowered his head, brushing his nose against her hair. Turning, he kicked the door closest to him and growled, “Get Pyper! Thea’s hurt.”
Bronco appeared from behind them and quickly used a key code to open the door before Marko carried her out of the hangar.
She had to admit that being in Marko’s arms settled something inside her that had been restless. Even if he was angry with her, right now, she’d never felt safer. Quietly, she whispered, “Thank you for catching me.”
She watched his jaw tick, and because she had the opportunity, she studied his face. He really was too good looking for words. Dark eyes, dark hair, and dark stubble along his jaw like he hadn’t shaved in a while, he was ruggedly handsome.
“Marko?”
“Don’t thank me for shit like that, Thea.”
She didn’t know why she wasn’t supposed to thank him, and she didn’t want to ask.
“You chained her to a fucking wall?”
Thea’s head snapped up to look at him, and she followed his line of sight to where Pyper was hurrying toward them, her heeled shoes clicking loudly in the corridor before she skidded to a stop, her wary gaze on Marko. She asked, “Are you okay?” She didn’t wait for a response though. Her eyes shot to where Bronco stood behind Marko. “Is he okay? Is he safe?”
Confused, Thea looked up at Marko.
“He’s come out of it,” Bronco remarked.
Come out of what?”
Pyper took a few steps closer. “Thank God! When you contacted me, I thought our experiment failed. I thought you hurt her.”
“Nah,” Bronco answered. “She fell. It pulled him completely out of it.”
Thea had to know. Looking at Pyper, she asked, “Out of what?”
Pyper was to her now. “He’s been feral since we brought you here. We didn’t know how to bring him back. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Her lips thinned into a grim line a moment. “It was only recently suggested that you might be the key to bringing him out of it.”
“Feral?” Thea looked up at Marko with worried eyes. “What does that mean?”
Marko shook his head and stared at Pyper.
“She’s hurt.”
Pyper studied Thea. “How are you feeling, Thea? How’s your leg?”
“It hurts.” Thea rubbed gingerly at the sore spot on her leg. “I fell and landed on the chain. I can’t put any weight on it.”
Pyper reached for the hem of Thea’s dress but stopped when Marko snarled.
“Oh, knock it off,” she snapped. “I can’t fix her if I don’t see it.”
Confused, Thea looked between Pyper and Marko as Pyper inspected her leg. “Yeah, you landed hard. It looks bad, but I don’t think anything’s broken.” She settled Thea’s dress back into place. “Aside from the leg, how are you feeling?”
“Cold,” she answered quietly.
A growl vibrated Marko’s chest, and she looked up at him but asked Pyper, “Is he growling at me?”
“No,” Pyper lowered her head to shoot Marko an annoyed look over the rim of her glasses. “He’s growling because you’re hurt and uncomfortable and he wants it fixed.”
“He’s…he’s not mad at me?”
“No,” Marko answered looking down at her. “I’m not mad at you, Thea.”
“B-but I shot you.”
“Yeah, out of curiosity, why did you shoot him?” Pyper asked.
Thea felt guilt bite hard. Dropping her head, she stared at her fingers. “He told me Jenny wanted to do more tests. I didn’t want the baby getting hurt.”
From the moment she arrived at Apex, everyone already knew she was pregnant, so she’d given up on even trying to hide it. But, this was the first time she’d talked about it openly in front of Marko, and she was afraid to look at him because she didn’t think she could handle any negative reaction.
His response was, “You shot me to protect our child. I forgive you.” And, as if thinking about it, he tagged on, “Just don’t do it again.”
Turning, Pyper barked, “Bring her. I need to look at that leg.