Nik rushed off, and Law picked up the girl. His eyes blurred with unshed tears, and his heart ached for her people. “I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said to the lifeless body cradled to his chest. If they didn’t stop Tobias, Bianca might be the next corpse left on his doorstep. Law growled softly.
****
Chessa tasted something nasty. She smacked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. Her whole body ached, and she was freezing. Opening her eyes, Chessa gazed at the gray-pink morning sky stretching above her head. Horrified, she realized she was lying stark naked in the frost-dusted grass. A soft whimper of alarm escaped her as she looked around desperately for cover. Joy materialized beside her, clothed, and holding a clean dress. The clothing, too big and ugly for her, was all she had so Chessa pulled it over her head as fast as she could. The rough fabric was more precious than silk as she pushed herself up to her knees. Joy helped her stand, and they stumbled away together. Most of the pack slept in the meadow. Chessa could only remember bits and pieces of the previous night.
“Being the wolf will get easier,” Joy said. “You did well for this being your first shift.”
“Is everyone else asleep?” Chessa whispered.
Joy nodded. She motioned for Chessa to follow her back toward camp.
“We could run, escape,” Chessa said.
Joy shook her head fiercely and hugged Chessa close. “Don’t let anyone hear you talk like that.” She pulled the collar of her shirt away from her neck. A thick puckered scar ran around her skin. “Six months chained to a tree, in the winter, I barely survived.”
Chessa saw red. The hair on the back of her neck and arms stood up. As her eyes narrowed her shoulder, muscles tightened. She growled low in her throat.
“Who did this? I’ll kill them!” Chessa shouted. She stood up with her fists clenched, panting.
“Lower you voice.” Joy took Chessa’s hand and tried to pull her down.
Confusion mingled with Chessa’s still-present outrage. “Why?”
Joy looked away. “Because they can. I learned my place after that. Stay quiet and out of sight. Give them what they want. Don’t fight.”
Running now would leave Joy alone and possibly blamed for her escape. Chessa reluctantly let Joy pull her down and settle her next to the burned out campfire. Joy built a small fire and set the ingredients for pancakes to the side. She worked with practiced skill. Smelling frying bacon made Chessa lick her lips.
“Make mine as big as the griddle,” said a cheerful male voice.
Chessa looked up and saw a handsome boy in his late teens. He wore jeans and a t-shirt and had shaggy brown hair. When he looked at her, she felt heat creep up her neck. Intensity simmered in his chocolate brown gaze. She bit her lip and swiped at her hair, pulling a dry leaf out of one of her blonde tangles.
“Trax, you know I won’t feed one of Avery’s kin. Wake one of his women if you’re hungry. Clint would cut my hands off.”
Trax? He turned to grin at Chessa before frowning at Joy. “Yeah, he probably would.”
“What kind of a name is Trax?” Chessa asked.
Trax shrugged. “Before I ended up here I was the star of my high school track team. My last name is Traxler, so the nickname just stuck. I’m even faster on four legs than I ever was on two.” He held out his hand. “Evan Traxler.”
She shook his hand with graceless self-consciousness. “How did you end up here?” Chessa cringed as she realized how rude her question sounded.
“How did you end up here?”
Chessa pressed her trembling lips together and blinked the surprise moisture from her eyes. She couldn’t peer into soulful gaze another second, so she looked at the ground. “They murdered my father.”
Silence.
When she gathered the courage to see if he was still there, he wore a dark scowl. “You got a mom?”
“Yeah, I do, but I don’t want to make her sick.”
“I get it. You’re too bright and shiny for this place, kid.”
She wasn’t a kid. “Chessa. Chessa Archer.” She stuck out her hand, but he didn’t shake it.
“Not Monstre?”
“Not Monstre,” she confirmed.
Trax shrugged. “You should take the name. If anyone asks, you are Chessa Monstre.”
Joy pretended to ignore them, but Chessa could tell she followed the conversation.
“I won’t be someone else. So who is Avery and why can’t Joy give you some food?”
Trax shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. What does matter is the day you ended up in this hell you became someone else. Take the name.”
His serious expression was so focused on her she couldn’t draw a full breath. She nodded, but unsure if she’d heed his advice. No matter how sage his request might be, she was not giving up her mother’s name. Her name might be all she had left of her mom.
“Avery bit me to punish my dad. Avery is my uncle, but both he and my dad grew up human. Clint is their cousin, and he hates Avery.”
Joy made a shushing sound. She looked around with a frantic sort of head wobble that reminded Chessa of a bird. “Clint claimed me,” Joy said. “Keep your voices down.” Joy gazed at Chessa with a manic expression. “Tobias is your kin, but that won’t protect you if one of them thinks they can scare you into silence. Just keep close to me, but when Clint is around you get to your grandfather and hang close to him.”
Chessa wanted to ask Joy why she’d live with such a jerk, but Joy had been kind so Chessa kept her question to herself.
“Because she can’t escape. No one is here because they want to be except the real hardcore dickheads.” Trax’s voice was in her head.
She’d run, even if no one else had the guts, it was a matter of finding the right time. She couldn’t go home, but she didn’t want to stay with these people.
Fifteen
Bianca had never been inside the mayor’s house before. The place was lavish. She struggled against the rough hands of the thugs who grabbed her on the street. They hadn’t given her the choice to come. Her heart leaped with a flash of panic because no one knew she was here. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. A sturdy nail file from her purse, hidden in her hand, remained her only weapon. She’d palmed the pathetic protection as one of the men snatched her purse as she messaged Kloe.
Pushed through a marble corridor, Bianca took in Kane's lavish home. Pictures of the mayor, his wife, and their sons hung on the wall. If she didn’t know what they were, she’d think they were just a wealthy but all-American family.
The men walked Bianca past Tobias’s startled assistant as the woman pressed a button and picked up the phone.
“She’s here sir,” the lady whispered into the intercom. “Go right in,” she said louder in the direction of the taller kidnaper.
Bianca stumbled into the mayor’s office as the shorter of her kidnappers gave her a shove.
“Hello, Mayor Wolfe. Abduction is a very harsh way to tell me that you’ve agreed to the new budget for the community center. I thought we’d do that at the city council meeting,” Bianca said. She hoped he didn’t know she knew what he was.
“I’m still uncertain about several aspects of your budget. You and I both know that isn’t why you’re here.”
She shook off the hands of her kidnappers. “Well Mayor, I live to serve.”
He chuckled. “You live. Consider your life very carefully, Bianca, if you wish to serve our community another day.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Never. Only a suggestion. You have a good heart. The day it stops will be a sad day for Wild Rose Valley.”
“I’m not going to be thrilled about my death either. Let’s hope it’s a long way off.”
“I can help you do better than hope. We can cut the crap. When a human is brought into our—confidence, I make it my business to decide,” Kane said.
“Decide?”
“If they live or die.”
The breath caught in her throat.
�
��I can assure you I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she lied.
“You and I are both too busy to play games. Law Foster gave you his protection and made you his mate.”
“Mate? What?”
Kane chuckled. “You didn’t understand, but you accepted his protection, right?”
“He saved my life. Why would I refuse him? I think I know who has my daughter. His name is Tobias. Can you help me save her? We’ve known each other a long time. I don’t care if this town is full of werewolves, vampires, ghosts, or televangelists. I just want my daughter back. You’re people—pack, have nothing to fear from me.”
Kane was quiet a long time. He steepled his fingers and sat back. His hard hazel eyes narrowed as he rested his lips, thoughtfully, against the point of his fingers. His black hair was starting to go gray at the temples. Kane, still fit and healthy for someone his age and aristocratic features gave him an air of undeserved dignity. His handsomeness didn’t disguise his ruthlessness.
“I can’t involve myself about your daughter. She was always a sweet little girl, and I pray she is well. If I suspect you’re not honest with me, I will kill you. You’re a civic-minded woman. We have to keep this secret to protect our town. You want our fine city to continue to flourish, don’t you, Bianca?” Kane paused and leaned forward.
She realized he was waiting for her response. “Of course. I grew up just outside of town, on Rose Hill, and I’ve called this place home since my parents died.”
Kane smiled, but it was a creeptasitcally dark smile. “I’ve always liked you, Bianca. When you see your mate tell him, he owes me.”
“Um, about this mate thing, he’s just my friend—maybe.”
Kane grinned. “Tell Foster he also has my sympathies.”
Bianca glared. She wisely kept her smart-mouth reply to herself. She could see Kane’s smile widen as they faced off in a silent battle of wills. He’s waiting for me to make a mistake, and give him an excuse to have me killed. Her annoyance seemed to please him. After a moment, Kane relaxed back into his plush chair.
“I need you to give me a DNA sample,” Kane said.
“Why?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Kane waved his hand in the air dismissing the question.
“It does to me.” Bianca waited for him to rescind, but he didn’t. “Whatever,” Bianca grumbled.
“Tonya will take care of my request.”
Kane went back to studying his papers. The two thugs hustled Bianca out of the office. Kane’s Tonya sagged with relief and exhaled as Bianca walked out. Maybe she thought I’d be leaving in a body bag. Clean up is probably one of her responsibilities. Tonya hurried over with a long-handled cotton swab.
“Open your mouth, please,” Tonya, ordered in an authoritative albeit awkward tone.
Bianca rolled her eyes but obeyed. There was no point fighting Kane’s wishes.
The quick rub on the inside of her cheek didn’t hurt. Bianca was just glad to be alive, but she had questions for Law.
If Kane knew where her daughter was all this time and let her worry, she was not voting for him again. If Bianca weren’t terrified, she’d have screamed every curse word she knew in his face. Bottling her aggression, she forced herself to focus on getting out of Wolfe’s domain in one piece. I’m going to tell Law off if he’s still alive. The idea of him dead twisted her up, and the quick burst of sorrow caught her off guard. Maybe Law did something to me? Mate? Oh God.
****
Kane sighed. I’m glad I don’t have to kill Ms. Archer. He’d always liked her. She had a good sense of humor, for a woman. She reminded him of a 1950’s pin up. All ass and bust with a slim waist. He opened a drawer and took out an old photo. He lost himself in memories of the blonde human who’d stolen a piece of his soul. Bianca was beautiful because she looked like her mother. Joslyn. That woman had twisted him up so badly. If the girl was anything like her mother that uptight, son-of-a-bitch Foster was in trouble. The pairing would be amusing.
His spies told him the missing teenage daughter survived a bite. The father hadn’t. He wondered how Bianca had stayed off the records. Joslyn wasn’t the carrier. So who was Bianca’s real father? Or maybe Chessa belonged to one of the wolves. Bianca didn’t seem like the one-night kind, but when it came to sex humans didn’t have the same commitment to fidelity as most wolves. Most. Kane glared at the photo before tossing the delicate piece of his history back into the drawer with careless aggression. His pain ran deep. He slammed the drawer so hard his desk rattled. When the test came back, he’d find out if Bianca carried the blood too. If his suspicion was right, the woman wasn’t going to like the direction her new family tree veered, and he was going to have the perfect weapon to keep Foster and Tobias under control.
His phone rang.
“Mayor Wolfe,” Kane answered.
“Kane, this is Law Foster.” There was a pause. Speak of the devil. Today is turning out to be quite interesting. Foster cleared his throat. “There’s been a territorial violation. Tobias left a dead wolf on my doorstep, and she’s not a bitten.”
His amusement fled. Kane growled. “Tobias?”
“Yeah, it’s his stink all over my front gate. When my father died, you said it was between us, when he killed Lucas O’Neil you said it was sloppy, but since it was on the sacred night, you chalked it up to wolves being wolves. He’s killed a born now.”
“Tobias has his war, and you have my support,” Kane assured. “Oh, and I drew up the human paperwork for you and Ms. Archer, or should I start calling her Mrs. Foster? Bring your mate and we’ll put the signatures down. No appointment needed. Your human is one of my favorites.”
“I’d stick with Ms. Archer,” Law said in a gruff tone. Kane detected embarrassment, and he grinned.
“Trouble in paradise? She’s a spunky one.”
Law cleared his throat. “Let’s focus. Tobias killed a female. She was in heat. Is anyone missing? The girl was in her twenties. Pretty. Brunette.”
Kane’s heartbeat accelerated. Garrett was out looking for his oldest daughter. Laurie had gone running with her friends instead of the family. “Brunette? Blue eyes, short, maybe 5 feet two?”
“Her eyes were closed; Tobias saw to that. Yes, she’s short and brunette. I noticed a birthmark on her thigh. It’s shaped like a little bird. She was pack raped.”
Kane let a go of a short, grief-filled shudder of emotion. The murdered girl called him Unk. Her father, Monte, was Kane’s beta. They’d been best friends since childhood. “Her name is Laurie. I know the girl. We’ll be there for the body, immediately.”
“Tell her people—tell them I regret I couldn’t save her.”
“I’m her people. She was family. Regret isn’t enough Mr. Foster. Together, we will make him pay. As for your human, she lives because I give you her life. I can take that life from you, do you understand?”
“Then you’ll be fighting two wars.”
Kane gave a mirthless bark of laughter. “For now, we are allies, Foster.” Kane hung up the phone. For a long time, he looked at a framed picture on his desk. His family and Monte’s were all at the lake house. His oldest son Kieran adored the pretty she-wolf. Laurie babysat the boys often. There will be tears today, but tomorrow I’ll have blood in exchange for every drop of sorrow the family—the town sheds for Laurie.
****
Randall heard Kloe’s phone chirp. She was busy in the other room, so he glanced at the screen. Sometimes Kloe’s office texted appointments to her, and he didn’t want her to miss anything important. He saw Bianca’s name and the word HELP. His heart raced. He unlocked the phone and deleted the message forever.
“I’m going out,” he called to his wife.
“’Kay, pick up milk.”
Snatching his car keys off the hook, he drove to Bianca’s house. The doors were locked, but her car was in the driveway. He knocked, loudly. No answer. There was no saving Chessa, but he didn’t want Kloe to lose Bianca too. Randal left. There was only one
person he thought could help.
He hated to go to Kane for anything, but he didn’t want to see Bianca die. Tonya was sitting at her desk looking more nervous than usual.
“I want to see him.”
“He’s busy, but there is an opening in his schedule at two-thirty, he could see you then.”
Randall listened, hard. He heard a woman’s voice. “Is that Bianca Archer in there?”
“I’m not at liberty to talk to you about the mayor’s appointments. I will call you when he can see you, or you can come back at two-thirty.”
“I’m not leaving here until I’m sure Bianca is okay.”
“Defiance will make the mayor doubt your loyalty. He’ll only have one option if you can’t be trusted,” Tonya said.
Randall wasn’t ready for that. He backed off. “If I don’t hear from her I’ll be back.” Damn it! I’m sorry Bianca. I’ve lived my whole life terrified of a bite with a family debt hang over my head from birth. That’s why I had the vasectomy at eighteen and told Kloe I’m infertile.
Sixteen
Things calmed down past suppertime. Law ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Thinking of Bianca helped him deal with the sorrow he’d seen. Kane’s wolves were big and mean as hell, but they’d cried. Most of the strong wolves from town had come to investigate the young woman, Laurie’s, death. Looking in her mother’s eyes hurt like hell.
“So, are you going to town?” Nik asked.
Law nodded, frowning. “I hate to leave when everyone is processing what’s happening, but I need to tell her about Chessa.”
“Yeah, you do. She needs to know. I’ve got your back. There won’t be any trouble.” Nik patted Law on the shoulder. “So are you going to ask her?”
Law shrugged. “It’s Kort who worries me, not your ability to lead. Ask her what?”
“Who the real father of her kid is. Gotta be a wolf, you know, right?”
Law avoided thinking about that question. He didn’t know if he could handle it if Bianca were in love with another wolf. “I’m not sure what I’m going to ask her. As for our pack, we haven’t been this divided in years. It’s time to find our way back to unity or we’ll never win this war.”
Moonlight's Peril (Moonlight Series Book 1) Page 10