by Multiple
He came to the woods with a small group of hunters and then he'd come across the Werewolves, but…he couldn't remember what happened before meeting the hunters.
“Jason.”
He waved Ming off. Something wasn't right. He'd been arrested for murder in Texas, the most electric-chair happy state in America. He was never supposed to get out of prison.
“Jason, please.”
“Silence!” He thought back hard. He remembered the cell, remembered getting into a fight with a new inmate. The man had approached him in the showers, tried to touch him…he'd beat the hell out of the guy and ended up in solitary.
Nothing else. He didn't remember getting out of that dark hole. He didn't remember walking away from the prison, traveling across states all the way to North Carolina.
But he knew these woods, had been here before, with her…with this beautiful black wolf. He'd visited this place before time and again in his dreams. And he was dreaming now, in that dark little hole they'd thrown him in after he'd stomped the hell out of that man in the showers.
He looked at Ming, read the fear in her wide, glossy eyes, in the way she swallowed hard. But this wasn't a dream. He couldn't have felt that much sexual pleasure in a dream.
“What the hell is going on here, Ming?”
Chapter Five
Ming's heart lurched in her chest, and she found the simple act of swallowing extremely difficult. How was she supposed to explain this magical realm where reality and dream became hazy?
Did it really matter now? She looked away, blinked hard to suppress the tears threatening to fall. He hadn't said the words. He'd mated with her, ferociously like a true Were, took her to great heights of erotic pleasure but he hadn't said the damn words. He'd been too busy worrying about impregnating her, as if that were a bad thing.
“Ming, I asked you a question.”
She looked at him, noted the blazing ire in his eyes. The anger there made them glitter like dark emeralds. His nostrils flared, his lips thinned. He looked like a warrior, a pack leader…but he would never become one if he didn't make the vow. He would never truly be hers, and she would never be free of Rong.
“Ming.”
“I heard you.” She pinned him with a hard glare, angry that she didn't have the right to be mad. The moon vow couldn't be forced or even taught. It came natural, was ripped from one's heart by sheer force. If he didn't truly love her there was nothing to be done about it, but…
Hope flared to life. The moon cycle wasn't over yet. He could still make the vow to her.
“Where am I, Ming?” His gaze on her was lethal, his eyes steadily grew darker. “I'm supposed to be in solitary confinement, but I'm in the woods with you. And this shit isn't a dream!” His voice rose with the last statement. “I don't know what the hell this is, but it is way too real to be a dream!”
“It's real,” Ming forced her tone to come out cool and neutral. If there was any chance of getting her vow, or more importantly—getting Jason out alive—it was imperative he believed the situation they were in was real. For the most part, it was. They could both die in this realm, and they really were being chased.
She received a frenzied report through her mental link with the hawks. The gray wolves had left the immediate area but a trio of Weres assigned to search for them were headed in their direction.
“Weres are coming this way. We have to move.” She dealt Jason a hard look, warning him now was not the time for standing around discussing how he'd gotten into the woods. She grabbed an edge of jagged rock, trusting he'd follow behind.
“What about the regular wolves?” His voice came from close behind her as she cleared the hole leading to the open night.
“They're back in the woods trying to find us.” Her skin warmed as she said a silent thanks that they'd not been lingering around when she'd screamed as loud as her lungs had allowed. It had been a stupid move on her part, but completely beyond her control.
“Where are we going now?”
They sank into the lake once more, and Ming was keenly aware of Jason's shirtless state. He'd apparently chosen to leave the tattered T-shirt behind.
“We're following the hawks. They'll find us somewhere safe to rest by morning. Hurry to the ground over there.”
She nodded her head toward the direction she wanted him to go and took off at a quick swim, anxious to get away from the lake. According to the hawks, the familiars had relayed to the Weres the location they'd lost them. It was no coincidence their trackers were headed toward the lake. Unlike the familiars, they would investigate the little island.
Ming rose from the water and planted her booted feet firmly on the ground. She wrung the moisture out of her hair and looked toward the sky for direction. A hawk flew overhead in circles, subtly moving in the direction they were to follow.
“Where to?”
She glanced back at Jason and studied a bead of water as it trailed down the finely chiseled muscles of his chest to disappear into the waistband of his jeans. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to go in after it.
“Follow me.” She took off at a quick pace, focusing solely on the hawk flying above to keep her mind off the pain in her heart.
“You didn't answer my question, Ming.”
So much for focusing solely on the hawk. She let out a sigh of frustration but didn't feel any better for it. “The Weres will be prowling all night, in between mating and pack-fighting.” She didn't look back, half afraid she'd be tempted to stand still and ogle the perfection of Jason's naked torso, which wouldn't help them to outrun the Weres. “We'll have to keep moving in order to avoid being found, unless my forest friends find a safe place to hide. Even if they do, it'd be best if we didn't sleep until morning, when the Weres are resting from all the nighttime activities they partake in during the week of the moon cycle.”
She overstepped a fallen tree branch along the narrow trail they traveled and pointed toward the thatch of green, three-leafed plants twisting around a tree to their right. “That's Poison Oak. Be careful.”
“Why? My body is in a cell.”
Ming whipped around and planted her fists firmly on her hips. “Anything that harms your body here will harm your body there.”
His eyes widened, but to his credit he didn't make any sounds of worry or alarm. He did step away from the Poison Oak.
“Tell me the truth. What's going on? How can I be here and there at the same time?”
“Does it matter?”
“When my life is on the line, yes. Is my life on the line?”
Tell him it's all a dream so he'll feel better.
Ming jerked as Rong's taunting voice entered her head, followed by a hearty chuckle.
Get out of my head, you freak. This isn't fair.
Now, now, sister dear. Don't speak to your twin like that. I'm your closest relative.
Ming balled her hands into fists at her side, blinking back hot tears of anger. You're the only relative I have now that you’ve killed our father.
It had to be done.
His tone all business, not a trace of remorse filtered through the mind link. Ming's stomach turned over.
You're an animal.
You, me, and the rest of the pack, or have you forgotten what we are?
I'll never let the wolf take my humanity.
“Ming, are you all right?”
She blinked, breaking the watery film over her eyes to see Jason looking down at her with worried eyes, his mouth pulled into a frown. He wiped a warm tear away from her face with a soft thumb, and her breath hitched.
The hawk screeched above her, urging her to get moving again and she was pulled from the trance she'd started to go under. “We have to keep moving.”
Yes, Ming. Run. It's so much more fun to catch prey when it runs.
Screw you! she mentally threw back at Rong, and planted her feet firmly on the ground. She would not let him cause her to panic.
&nbs
p; Tsk, tsk. What a foul thing to say to your brother. Are you upset the man of your dreams mated with you and didn't give you a vow?
She gasped, her very bones chilled from the fear icing over her body. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Know what?” Jason asked, deep frown lines etched into his face as he peered down at her.
Ming shook her head and opened her mouth to respond but the deep timbre of Rong's laugh rang through her head.
I'm your twin. I feel what you feel, and what you felt earlier…I wouldn't be surprised if the whole pack picked up on the vibe. Unfortunately, all that carnal bliss turned into sadness. I wonder why.
Ming closed her eyes, tuning out Jason. He was saying something to her, trying to figure out what was wrong, but she couldn't listen to him and Rong at the same time. Nor could she listen to the hawk screeching above her.
Just leave him alone, Rong. Let him go.
No, Ming. That wasn't the deal. You said you'd met your soul mate and all you needed was the chance to mate with him in a physical realm. You begged me to spare you from the breeding requirements of the pack females. I promised you your freedom if he gave you the vow. He hasn't, so once I catch you, you're staying with us and he…he will be my personal meal.
No, Rong!
That was the agreement, sister. I never promised his safety. You were the one who brought him here, you and your childish wishes.
No! Ming shook her head despite Rong not being there to see it. I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for you to hunt him down like this!
Oh, now, don't worry. I'm sure your little jailbird knows how to defend himself. He did, after all, tear off one of my wolf’s muzzles. Rong’s last few words dripped with venom.
If you had any decency in you at all, you wouldn’t do this, Rong.
If you were half the wolf I am, you wouldn’t be so weak.
Loving someone doesn’t make you weak, or any less of a wolf. We’re supposed to mate for life.
Rong let out a hearty laugh. Unfortunately for you, your mate doesn’t seem to want to.
She took in a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. Surely, the evil man who used to be her best friend would pick up on her desperate uncertainty if she did. The cycle isn’t over yet. I can still get a moon vow.
When? While the moon is at its fullest? Only the strongest matches are made then and you, dear sister, do not really think a convicted felon is worthy of such a match. Or you? You don’t even want to help your pack. His words were laced with condescension, his tone bordered on pity. My poor sister, I should kill you now and spare you the agony your mate’s rejection will cause when the cycle is over and he leaves you with no vow.
Ming ground her teeth together, refusing to let him bait her. I could get it tonight.
I doubt that, came her brother’s amused reply. I plan to kill your man tonight to make sure it doesn’t happen.
~~~
Ming stood stock-still, her head tilted to the side and her facial expression alternated between blank, angry, sad and scared. Jason had said her name ten times, waved his hand in her face, done everything but haul off and smack her, yet she didn't budge. It was the same way she looked when she spoke with the hawks, but judging by the way the hawks, plural—there were three of them now—screeched and turned in frantic circles above them, desperate to gain her attention, he didn't think she was speaking to them.
No, she had to be speaking to her brother, the man she said she had a special link with and now he knew what it was. The bastard could get in her head.
“Ming, dammit, I think something's coming!”
No response. Shit.
The sense of approaching danger grew stronger as the hawks' frantic cries increased in volume. The damned things were going to lead the Werewolves right to them if they didn't get moving. Or maybe the Weres already knew where to find them, Jason thought with a sick feeling in his gut.
If Ming had a mental link with her brother, the pack leader might have some sort of homing ability, too. Hell, he was probably locked in to their location and leading his wolves straight to them like a GPS.
That was it.
Jason tossed Ming over his shoulder and took off at a fast clip, not giving a damn whether he ran straight through Poison Oak or not.
She let out a soft, surprised cry as her middle hit his shoulder blade and started to push off. Jason smacked her rear good and hard, preventing her from wriggling free while he—hopefully—raced them to safety. He might not be able to speak to the hawks, but he could follow them.
“Put me down!”
“Why, so you can stand there like a statue and get us killed?” He didn't bother to restrain his irritation. He could worry about his level of politeness when the hounds of hell weren't hot on his heels.
“I'm sorry.” Her apology sounded genuine, but still he held on to her.
“I can't take a risk of you doing it again, sweetheart, not when our lives are on the line. Were you talking to your brother?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“I think I'm getting the hang of all this mystical Werewolf crap.” He whipped around a large Oak and jumped over a log. “You two have some special telepathic bond, I presume?”
“Yes, I'm sorry. He was tripping me up, trying to upset me. Let me down so we can run faster!”
The hawks cried out above them and Jason glanced up. Unease gnawed at his gut, but he didn't want to risk losing more time if Ming went into another trance-like conversation with her brother. He took his eyes off the birds soaring overhead to see where he was going and skidded to a stop as his gaze connected with a large tree standing in his way. “Shit!”
“You can't watch the hawks and where we're going, too,” Ming said firmly. “Put me down so I can lead the way. They're gaining on us!”
Jason groaned, the split second he had to decide seemed less than that, but he knew when to lead and when to follow. “You're right,” he conceded as he lowered Ming to the ground. “But if you spazz out on me again—”
“I won't.” Her assurance came out between clenched teeth as she sniffed the air, her head cocked to the side to receive instructions from the hawks.
Her eyes widened as she gripped Jason's bicep and turned him to the right. “Run, now!”
He didn't need any more prodding. When a Werewolf's eyes went wide with fear, common sense said whatever was after you wasn't anything to joke about.
They took off, trampling through the forest as fast as they could maneuver. Jason whipped out the silver blade he'd kept tucked into his belt loop and slashed at the foliage impeding their path as they reached a section of woods that hadn't been traveled enough for paths to be developed. All the while he physically felt Ming's growing fear. He would have wondered at the oddity, but his own fear kept his mind busy with what-ifs. What if they were caught? What if he couldn't protect her? What if he had to lose another woman he loved? Hold up. Loved? Where the hell did that come from? He tripped over a rock, the thought temporarily blinding him. Sure, Ming was his dream woman—in the literal sense of the title—but love? This soon?
A new fear clawed at him as his palms hit the hard floor of the earth. No way in hell was he falling in love with a woman who lived among wolves. He couldn't protect his mother from a drunken waste of flesh, how could he possibly protect this woman from creatures who weren't even human?
“Jason!”
Ming skidded to a stop and turned back for him, but he brushed away her helping hand, embarrassment darkening his attitude. He couldn't even run and think at the same time.
“I'm fine.” He rose and started running again, refusing to look at her. What the hell was he going to do about this mess?
They ran through the woods, twisting and turning to avoid the various obstacles which seemed to multiply the further they trekked, until a deafening cry from above brought Ming to a dead halt.
Jason let out an oomph as he ran straight into her b
ack. “What is it?” he managed to say while trying to re-catch the breath that had just been knocked out of him.
“We're surrounded on all sides,” Ming whispered, her eyes darting side to side.
“What? What do we do now?” Jason struggled to keep his voice low as panic filled his body and tried to leave through a scream. Images of watching Ming being ripped apart while he helplessly stood there invaded his mind, taunting him with his inadequacy.
A rustle in the bushes to their left caused both of them to spin their heads in that direction. They both sucked in air in a collective gasp.
Ming turned toward him, her eyes turning that rare shade of crimson. “Now, we hide and hope we can pick them off two at a time instead of them all barging in from different directions at once.”
Chapter Six
How the hell did I let this happen?
Ming stood with her back pressed against a large Oak and silently berated herself while listening for the soft sounds of skulking Weres.
Rong had tricked her, captured her attention long enough to allow his Weres to close in. He'd used her emotions against her, cleverly kept her concentration so she'd block out the hawks' frantic calls, knowing they'd grow loud enough to give any Were in range a way to pinpoint her location and form a circle around her, setting a trap she'd be lucky to get out of alive. He'd baited her, the filthy monster. He'd caused her to put Jason smack dab in the middle of harm's way. Hell, she was practically about to serve Jason's head on a platter.
She glanced to her right and took in the man standing with his back pressed against a tree, his hand tightly wrapped around the hilt of a silver blade held close to his side.
He wasn't a pretty man, much too rugged for that particular description, with far too much masculinity oozing from his pores and a hardness in his eyes which spoke volumes. But standing there in the glow of soft blue moonlight, his jaw set in determination and his grip a steel vice around the weapon, ready to fight despite the fear given away by the rapid pulse beating at the base of his throat, he was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.