Chapter Thirteen
Rayne
For the second time today, Rayne lowered her head like a battering ram. The little building looked almost identical to the one she found Zac standing in. Metal bars covered a lone window and the door looked flimsy like paper. She slammed into the wood door making it splinter and the hinges popped away. A short scream came from her daughter and she knew Annmarie was close. Hope flooded her system as she lifted her gaze her eyes took a moment to adjust to the low light of the setting sun with a few dozen candles trying to compensate in the room. Half a dozen hunters stood near Annmarie, most looking right at Rayne. Zac stood by her side moments later and two more came in from a different room. Fear zipped down Rayne’s spine. The odds weren’t in their favor, but she didn’t want to wait and lose them. I hope the alpha drives fucking fast as hell.
“Get her out of here,” an older guy yelled as he twirled a silver blade in his hands. Annmarie struggled to get to Rayne, fear tinting her marshmallow scent. A silver collar hung around her neck with sharp points facing inward. Rayne’s heart broke seeing her daughter in such a horrible state. Blood caked her flesh and Rayne let go of her roar. Two guys lunged for Rayne and her wolf grinned. Images of ending every single one of their lives flashed through her mind while she lunged herself onto one attacker. Her beast craved blood and Rayne knew she would spill it. She just prayed she didn’t die in the process.
Her claws sunk into his chest making him fumble back onto his ass and the thud he made gave her hints of satisfaction. Her teeth sunk into the soft flesh of his neck and clamped down. Blood coated her tongue sending her stomach into a frenzy. Sharp silver dug into her side, but she ignored the almost blinding pain and pulled out the man’s windpipe. Gurgling rang in her ears. One down a few more to go. She reminded her beast she didn’t have time to dwell in the satisfaction of ending the filth’s life. Blood flowed from her attacker on her paws while more silver dug into her side. She dropped the flesh to the ground and faced the man cutting up her side. A growl vibrated through her lungs, but it didn’t faze the guy.
“I’m not a newbie like him.” He smirked at Rayne. Zac worked on his own two attackers while the older guy hung back.
“Mommy! Zac!” Annmarie called out, but Rayne didn’t see her on the floor in the same spot. Where is she? Rayne’s heartbeat slowed and almost stopped.
“Shut it, mutt,” Another male voice hissed from the back of the shack, the view blocked by a wood wall. A small whimper from her pup made her stomach turn. Maybe I can sneak out with her. Her heart tightened as a door squeaked opened then slammed closed in the back.
Rayne tried to slip by the hunter in front of her, but he kept blocking her advances. This fucker is going to pay! She bared her teeth, but he just smirked and pulled out another silver blade from his jeans. One gleamed in each hand from the low light. She thanked the goddess above for having good sight even in low light. A growl vibrated through the small room and Rayne glanced at Zac. He fought with ease and clawed at the hunters. Blood sprayed the old wood floor. Is he fighting for me or Annmarie and myself? She didn’t know the answer.
Part of her wished they were home arguing about staying together instead of fighting for their lives. But life was never simple, not when hunters were constantly trying to kill wolves all the time. She returned her focus on the fucker blocking her way. More coppery blood filled the air making her stomach twist, the urge to vomit slowly winding through her thoughts.
He balled up his fists then swung toward her neck. Rayne lurched forward to dodge it, but the impact was inevitable. This is probably going to… no it really fucking hurt my cheek. A whimper left her lips and she fell to the ground. Most of her rage had been focused on Jacob and now she had minimal energy for the fight of her life. Damn it! The hair receded on her paws first and she tried to avoid shifting. Her wolf shook too weak to keep the form and seconds later, Rayne lay on the floor in her human form. A chill raced through her body as her naked flesh pressed into the wood, blood caked to her chin and chest.
Cuts from the silver littered her side and one stung against her face from where he had punched her. The hunter chuckled and stomped his feet toward Rayne. In this form, she was too exposed. Her mouth dried out at the sight of her attacker. Come on, this is for Annmarie. She gritted her teeth trying to will her wolf forward but her beast shook her head.
“I might be aroused if I didn’t know you’re a filthy wolf.” His hand dug into Rayne’s hair and pulled hard, a few strands popped away from her scalp. She fumbled to her feet and tried to think of what to do. Zac continued to fight with his own hunters, two lay dead at his feet but another one kept swinging the silver blade at him. She couldn’t distract him, he would die if she did.
Rayne clenched her fists and slammed it into the hunter’s gut. His awful breath whooshed out toward her face from the impact. His grip loosed but not enough to get away. Why can’t I be just a bit stronger?
“When I kill you today, I’ll make sure to tell your mutt of a daughter, maybe then she’ll submit like a good little pup.” The evil grin made her stomach turn and instead of trying to calm herself down she let all the assaulting scents take over. This might be a bad idea, but nothing else came to mind. She faced him and let go of the vomit building inside. Isn’t this in some horror movie? Her knees trembled, threatening to give in. He dropped her onto shaky feet and stumbled back away from her. His hands shook as curses flew from his mouth. The knives clattered to the floor as he tried to get the vomit off his face. Serves him right. She grinned seeing the disgusted grimes on his face. She cleared off her face, trying to breathe somewhat fresher air. She didn’t want to completely surrender to dry heaving like in the mornings.
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.” She scooped up the knife, the blade made of pure silver burned her palm. Rayne held back a wince and put on the best mom look she could muster.
“How does it feel holding something you shouldn’t?” He smirked. She pushed down the pain keeping on thing in mind, ending the guy’s life. All the other noises fell away.
“It will feel good once it’s in your heart.” She took a step forward, ready to end the guys life when a sharp sting raced across her back. White lights flashed through her vision as the pain roared like a beast through her nerves. Before she managed to think it through, she tightened her grip on the blade and swung toward the man behind her.
The handle tugged against her burning skin as it dug past more flesh at the other end. A gurgling sound rang in her ears and she let go. Energy vanished from her body and she dropped to her knees. Black inked on the edges of her vision. Two down. No clue how many left. Her wolf gave a short nod but gave no sign of having enough strength to shift again.
“You bitch.” She barely caught the image of a fist coming toward her face before it slammed into her cheek. Her body banged into the unforgiving wood floor. The sun no longer spilled in from the window, the only light pulsed from the twenty or more candles grouped in sets of five around the shack.
A roar shook the floor and her vision blurred even more. Figures danced around the room, but she couldn’t make out who was who. I should shift so I can heal. But her wolf shook her head. Too much silver littered her flesh making it hard to stay awake. Yet the need to save her daughter kept her eyes open. She tried to move her legs sending more pain up her back. Rayne barely stifled a whimper. Strong arms rolled her up and she wanted to keep fighting but her hands didn’t move. Fuck no!
“Rayne, look at me.” Zac’s voice filled her mind, but her focus faltered even as she tried harder to meet his gaze. Her breath came out shaky and her heart pounded in her ears.
“Go save my daughter.” No one moved behind him setting her at ease. But Annmarie wasn’t there anymore.
“I need to stay with you till the alpha gets here.” His warm hand rubbed her hair away from her face. More black inked into her vision. The unfocused view of Zac pushed hope past her despair. Only small hints of silver touched
his skin.
“Wait, and we won’t get her back.” She swallowed hard. “Go, I’ll be fine.”
Zac’s head turned away then back to her and reached for a few things. She closed her eyes, listening to his strong heartbeat. He’ll find Annmarie for me. She hoped he wanted to find Annmarie home to bring the family back together. But she didn’t want to give herself too much hope. He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “You better not die on me. The alpha should be here any moment.”
“Hurry.” She opened her eyes, nothing focused for her. Her mind drifted to her unborn baby, Rayne hoped the little one was safe inside her. Having one kid missing had been hard enough to swallow, she didn’t know how she would get through a miscarriage.
Zac kissed her quickly and then set her head on bits of shredded clothes forming a pillow. After a moment she heard his two feet turn to four and they faded going north. Rayne’s eyelids slid closed and she sunk into a pit of pain and nausea. She hoped with every fiber of her being he would get to her little girl.
Chapter Fourteen
Zac
Leaving Rayne on the floor with severe wounds had been the hardest thing Zac had ever done. But she was right, if the hunters took Annmarie to their base they would be at square one. He needed to end this tonight. They needed a break or a lead in this fucking hunter game they were forced to play. Getting Cora back a month ago had given them hope, but the other kids were still missing. The only thing they knew for sure was they wanted the pups alive.
He lifted his nose catching the fuel scent, then Annmarie’s after a few layers. Zac came to a split in the road giving him pause. I don’t have time for this shit! He lifted his nose scenting the air. After few paces down the right gravel road, Zac halted and sniffed the air. He didn’t catch the scents of citrus or the new scent of old musk from the older guy. Backtracking a few steps, he bolted down the left dirt road. Their traces of citrus and musk filled his lungs and he picked up the pace.
I’m coming for you bastards. I’ll get my daughter back.
He wanted to try and figure out some kind of plan of attack, but his wolf barreled down the dirt road. Rocks dug into his paws but he didn’t mind it. The silver in his arms still stung but it didn’t compare to Rayne’s body, littered with silver cuts all over. He pushed through the pain and kept running. The faster he tracked them down, the sooner he could get his little girl to safety. Zac picked up speed on the flats, but the freaking little hills were a bitch and killed the ground he gained. The last hints of sun faded away giving him only starlight and a sliver of moonlight.
A blue pickup with a DD logo on the tailgate came into view five miles ahead. Annmarie’s scent grew strong the closer he inched toward the truck. Should I go stealth or get their attention, so they stop? The south side of Denver crept into view miles ahead of him. Where are they taking her? He debated his choices as he picked up speed. The faster he took Annmarie away from the hunters, the sooner he could get Rayne home and healing. The silver wasn’t good for the baby. His heart leapt at the idea of caring so much about Rayne’s next child. Even if it wasn’t his own blood, he felt a sudden need to protect it.
But first, he needed to get Annmarie back to her mother. His wolf let go of a short howl and the red brake lights lit up. The tires slid to a stop and all four doors opened. Four against one, just fucking perfect. He reminded his wolf to take one on at a time, things would go smoother. Gears clicked in the truck putting it into park and some headed his way.
“Look what we got here?” A blonde guy pulled out a silver blade from his pocket, followed by a short brunette male. Each one had a smirk and twitching fingers.
“A wolf with a death wish, Bishop,” the brunette chuckled. Zac studied each hunter, looking for any weakness to exploit. The sooner he found one the better. Waiting for them to attack seemed to be his only advantage.
“I can’t wait to send in this report about the two who died trying to get their mutt back,” Bishop snickered.
“Can I take him first?” the guy, who couldn’t be much older than nineteen, pitched in. He was overconfident like he wanted to prove himself, and Zac kept it like a note in the back of his mind to use it against him later. Bishop shook his head.
“No Black, you stay with the mutt in the car.” Bishop pointed at the truck and his sleeve slid up his arm showing a bite mark in his flesh. Zac wondered how a human managed to withstand a bite without dying or changing. The last guy took off his jacket and tossed it in the bed of the pickup. His arms held many scars in a similar fashion, but they were all small like from pups. Zac’s stomach turned and hardened in his gut. He had dealt with many pups to get so many different size bite marks.
“Think you can handle an adult, Manny?” Bishop smirked, and Manny shook his head. Only the brunette didn’t get named as they shook out their bodies getting ready for a fight.
“Fuck off.” He flipped off Bishop and pulled out a knife. “I took my anti-bite pill this morning, did you?” He raised his brow before running toward Zac. Anti-bite pill, what the fuck is that? He pushed down the thought and focused on the charging hunter. One step, two steps… Manny had a limp on the right side and Zac dodged the swing from the left.
He didn’t want to dance with the men taking his daughter but he’d kill them all and bring her home. She’s mine to protect. The words vibrated in his mind as his wolf lunged forward and knocked Manny down with ease. Before he could catch his breath, Zac sunk his teeth into the soft tissue of his throat. Blood coated his tongue as he pulled hard, ending the life of the man who put his mate through hell. He wanted to consider the thought about calling Annmarie his daughter, but he didn’t have time as the brunette ran with a short battle cry. Zac spat out the flesh then bared his teeth. He would’ve laughed at the sound if not for the severity of the situation. The scent filled his nose, the guy coming toward him had been at Rayne’s home.
“You’re going to pay for that.” He yelled with a silver knife in each hand. The man didn’t have much height on his side. Zac lowered his body, letting his hind legs tighten getting ready to spring. His claws dug into the dirt and in seconds the man was close enough. All the energy shot through his system, propelling him forward into the next hunter. One blade sliced the right side of his fur, but he dug his claws into the man’s chest. His mouth latched onto the first thing he could and pulled hard. Hints of flesh and cloth filled his mouth. Blood sprayed his face.
A scream rang out and more silver dug into his right side. Pushing down the pain, he lifted his front paws up and slammed down onto the man’s face. The cry of pain ended and blood covered Zac’s fur. He lifted his head and glared at the final hunter outside. A growl vibrated through his chest, he wanted to end each one of them. His mind wandered back to Rayne and he hoped Raymand reached her in time. No, I need to focus on the fight. Rayne is super strong. His wolf wanted to go back to her but also wanted Annmarie safe.
“Why don’t you fight me like a man? Oh wait, you’re not good enough to be considered a man.” Bishop snickered, and Zac shifted out of his wolf form. His wolf shook his head. He just tricked you. His beast huffed. The scent of dry grass mixed with the human scent of fear.
“I’m twice the man you’ll ever be.” He picked up one of the blades, the silver burning his palm, but he clenched his teeth then threw it. His burned flesh slowly healed back to normal as the knife zoomed through the air. Its sharp edge sunk into the man’s chest inches from his heart. Bishop coughed and glanced down at the butt of the weapon. The scent of fear filled the air.
“You won’t win.” He dropped to his knees and shook. Blood dribbled from his mouth and the color drained from his face. The first hints of satisfaction bloomed in his soul.
“Save it for someone who cares.” Zac yanked out the knife and slit his throat for good measure before dropping the silver. He shook out his hand as he stormed toward the truck. Zac focused on keeping the last hunter alive. The pack needed answers so they could put this issue to rest. I should keep him ali
ve. He kept trying to remind himself even as stormed up to the truck. The young pup named Black held a blade near Annmarie’s neck. His stomach lurched while the scent of fear consumed his nose from both of the truck’s occupants. She whimpered and tried to get away from the hunter but he kept her in place. His resolve to try and keep the hunter alive snapped.
“You should be dead.” His voice shook but he squared his shoulders seconds later. Zac’s heart almost exploded from his chest as it raced harder than ever.
“And yet here I stand breathing freely.” Zac inched closer, but the teen had a twitchy hand. “Come out here and face off like a man. Don’t hide like a child.” Baiting him might not work in his favor. Zac’s wolf growled at the pure terror in Annmarie’s gaze. His muscles quivered ready to strike at the opportune moment. Red filled his vision even as he tried to break through it. A blade caught the low light from the door.
Fire burned in the hunter’s eyes. He shoved Annmarie out of the way and rushed out of the truck. Before he set his foot on the ground, Zac lurched forward and cut the punks neck with the blade. Fuck, I need answers!
“Why do you want the pups so damn bad?” Zac yelled as blood flowed down to the ground.
“They make…” He gasped. “Great test subjects.” He spat blood as he wrapped his hands around his throat. “You’ll never find ‘em” The light vanished from the fucker’s gaze.
Zac punched the truck door. Shit, I should have kept him alive. His wolf nodded because without anyone alive to question they were back to no way of getting answers. Yet the idea of the fuckers still breathing after taking Annmarie had blinded all freaking reason. The body fell with a thud and Annmarie shuffled toward Zac. He waved his hands to get her to stop and she slid on the seat a few inches.
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