by Jenny Penn
“Okay. We’ll—”
“Give me that.” Chance yanked the phone clear of Davis’s ear. “Dad? What’s going on?”
Having gotten everything he needed for the moment, Davis didn’t bother to fight over the phone. Instead he stepped around Chance to gather up their limp and dazed mate.
* * * *
Blinking sleepily up at him, Lacie didn’t resist as Davis began pulling her up. Offering him a small smile, she couldn’t control the yawn that overwhelmed the gesture. “Mmm. I need a nap.”
“And a bath,” Davis agreed. “And I know just where you can get both.”
“Really?” Roused enough by his insistence that she sit up, Lacie stretched and glanced around. “You going to throw me into the pond again?”
“Actually I was thinking of bubbles and jets.” Davis winked at her, his devilish smile assuring her he was thinking of other things too. “Sound good?”
“Sounds heavenly.” It also sounded like a distraction. One probably designed to keep her from noticing that Chance had moved off with his phone. “It also sounds like we’re leaving.”
“You’re looking a little red.” Davis assisted her to the ground, focusing more on making sure she could stand on her own two feet than answering her. “We don’t want you to get burned, so it’s time to take things inside.”
He was lying. Something else was going on, and Lacie strongly suspected it was going wrong. Her mouth opened with the sudden surge of questions, but the words stilled on her lips as reason and emotion warred for control of her actions.
Her pride demanded she stand up to him and make sure both her mates understood she would be included on all conversations regarding their safety. Reason, though, had Lacie hesitating. She didn’t know how to fight demons and had never proven herself to be good in a panicky situation.
Knowing the details would only leave her with nightmares, something Lacie suspected she’d be suffering from anyway. It might be cowardly to keep her lips sealed, but Lacie could live with that more than she could with whatever had Chance’s features hardening.
“Come on, honey.” Davis handed her a clean, dry shirt. It was long enough to be one of theirs and had come from the storage box bolted onto the bed.
Tentatively, unsure of how much to prod, Lacie curled her fingers into the soft fabric and accepted Davis’s gift. “Where are we going?”
“A cabin.” Chance’s curt answer didn’t invite any follow-up questions as he reappeared looking grim enough to scare her. Not daring to tempt his anger, Lacie nodded and busied herself with pulling on the first bit of clothing they’d allowed her all morning.
“It’s secluded,” Davis explained, his tone as soft and coaxing as the hold he took on her elbow. Guiding her toward the cab, he gave her a reassuring squeeze of his fingers. “We’ll be safe there.”
“Safe?” That comment broke the leash Lacie had over her fear, letting her worries roll right off her tongue unchecked. “What are you saying? Aren’t we safe here? Did something happen? Did you find Carver? What’s going on?”
“Relax, honey.” Davis tugged her into his arms for a quick hug. “It’s going to be all right.”
“Then you found him,” because that’s the only thing that would make her feel any better.
“I don’t know.” Davis pushed her back enough to meet her gaze. “Won’t know until we get to the cabin, and then I’ll answer whatever questions you have. Okay?”
Lacie nodded numbly. It really wasn’t all right, but Davis couldn’t be faulted for that. Neither would being difficult help Lacie’s circumstances. All she really could do was climb up into the cab and leave the rest to them.
* * * *
Chance waited for Lacie to slide on into her seat before nodding at Davis to shut the door. He didn’t want Lacie overhearing what his father had told him. They only had bits and pieces right then, not enough to build a full picture but more than enough to drain the rest of the color from Lacie’s cheeks.
“What’d he say?” Davis didn’t hesitate to get right to the point as he came around the back of the truck, keeping his voice low and out of range of Lacie’s tender ears.
“There is no TJ Carver.” Yanking out a pair of fresh jeans from the storage box, Chance tossed them at Davis before returning to work on his own buttons. “But the FBI has been tracking a serial killer who’s been dubbed ‘The Carver.’”
“Could be coincidental.” Tugging his jeans over his erection, Davis grimaced.
Chance shared that anguish with his friend. Despite the gloom and doom, his cock hadn’t deflated a bit, just the opposite. Knowing a threat loomed over his mate had sent a rising surge of primitive emotions that had flooded Chance’s dick with a need more painful than before.
The only thing worse was trying to button his fly down over the massive bulge. Grunting, he sucked in a breath and managed to shove the final three buttons slipped through their holes.
“Dad says no.” Chance released his breath, testing how hard it would be to move in his condition. “All the victims had demonic symbols carved in them.”
Davis fingers stilled as his whole body tensed. “What kind of symbols?”
“Blood spells.” That’s all his father had said. Chance didn’t need to hear anymore to be overwhelmed by the itch to get Lacie to safety. It made him rush as he moved around Davis to start packing up everything spewed across the bed.
Davis on the other hand hadn’t even appeared to take a breath when all of sudden he jolted, turning around to confront Chance. “What kind of spells? Most magic doesn’t work in this world.”
“Most,” Chance agreed, balling up the quilt. “And which spells do, I don’t know. Dad’s getting the answers now.”
“Jesus,” Davis sighed.
“Don’t start sweating.” Chance snapped the lid down on the picnic basket and sent it sliding across the bed. “Our perimeter is secure and the kings are headed this way.”
“Yeah, that’s relaxing,” Davis muttered, turning his attention to buttoning up his own jeans. “The kings aren’t coming all the way out here for nothing.”
“True enough.” Chance snapped the tailgate closed and headed for the cab, pausing to give Davis his own truth. “But I’d rather have the fight now than have to wait for it.”
Chance could see Davis consider that point before his gaze sharpened with renewed focus. “I’ll keep Lacie covered. You make sure this son of a bitch ends up dead.”
“His own mother won’t be able to identify him,” Chance vowed, meaning every word.
Chapter 10
A half hour later Lacie stood rooted in the doorway of the secluded cabin Chance had driven them to. The ride had been quiet and tense, a perfect breeding ground for worries. Her head had filled with an endless list of them.
Of course, arriving to find a swarm of trucks and a large group of grim-faced lycans milling about in the front yard hadn’t helped her nerves. Something really bad had either happened or was about to.
More importantly, nobody intended on filling her in. Chance hadn’t even bothered to introduce her to his father before he’d ordered her into the cabin. His curt, dismissive manner had hurt, but Lacie hadn’t dared to defy him in front of so many witnesses.
Instinctively she knew that would only make the situation worse. Instead she’d let Davis lead her away without objection. Beyond her annoyance with Chance’s attitude, Lacie really did want to escape. Wearing nothing more than a T-shirt that barely covered her ass made Lacie all too aware of the number of men looking in her direction. She did not appreciate the attention.
Blushing, she’d rushed for cover. All those concerns, though, had evaporated the second Davis had thrown the door to the cabin open. Almost instantly, Lacie completely forgot about the audience behind her.
Flowers littered the room, filling in almost every corner from the foil-wrapped pots cluttering the bookcases to the thick-glass vases lining a pathway through the veritable indoor jungle. There were even baske
ts brimming with brightly colored buds hanging from the ceiling.
“You like?” Clearly tickled by her shock, Davis waited just inside the small, wooden house. The tough looking lycan wore a grin wide enough to tell her how pleased he was with himself. “Another thing I arranged just for you.”
And Lacie loved him for it, but she could barely see the furniture peeking out from under all the massive blossoms. “It’s very nice.”
“But?”
“Don’t you think…well…” Lacie hated to say anything bad, not wanting to deflate his gloat. Trying to soften her criticism, she offered him a tentative smile. “Don’t you think it’s a little much?”
“Go big or go home.” That was the Texas motto. A creed Lacie had often noticed lycans tired to outdo. “Trust me, honey, you’ll appreciate that attitude when it comes to the bathroom.”
“Are there rose petals already floating in the water?” Lacie teased him, a little unnerved by what he might mean by that.
Davis didn’t offer her any reassurance, but gestured silently for her to follow him. Feeling like she was forging into Wonderland, Lacie had to brush back the thick vines cascading overhead as she took the flower-lined path toward the backdoor.
It was actually the only door in the room. Not large by any measure, the cabin’s tight confines only made Davis’s over-the-top gesture more dramatic. Even the kitchen, open in the far corner was overgrown with blossoms of every color.
Not exactly a welcoming sight when she considered they’d be cooking their meals amongst all that dirt. Then Davis opened the door to the bedroom, and Lacie realized that their plans probably didn’t involve a lot of cooking.
More shocking than the sea of flowers in the main room was the overwhelming amount of leather filling the bedroom, or more accurately the toy room. Lacie stalled out for a second time, her feet refusing to move forward as her eyes took in all the equipment that would have made even the most exclusive brothel jealous.
The bed alone would be the envy of kings. Massive with four intricately carved posts, the dark wood and shiny metal rings adorning the head and footboards would have also sent any virgin into a faint.
Not attached to the frame, the rings were linked into a pulley system that could clearly be used to bend whoever was restrained into any position her captures wanted her. Just the idea of how Davis and Chance would want her had Lacie’s pussy going wet with need.
What they’d do to her in that bed would probably pale in comparison to what they intended to do with the rest of the rooms unique features. There was a table with its own restraints and a mechanical base that clearly allowed the top to be angled for a range of convenient positions.
Lacie imagined that was for the benefit of whoever decided to recline in one of the large leather chairs facing out at the room. It was the perfect place for somebody to sit and watch the show. Of course, Lacie would be able to watch her own seduction in the mirrors surrounding the whole room. Even the ceiling was adorned with the reflective glass.
The only space not filled in with mirrors was the small stretch of wall behind the oversized chairs. Adorned with toys of all sorts, shelves lined the wall, packed full of everything from body oils to dildos with whips and clamps hanging in an organized row beneath.
“Come on, honey.” Davis latched on to her hand and pulled her into the room, dragging her toward another door. “Don’t get shy on me now.”
“If I was shy, I’d already be dead of heart attack. What is that?” Lacie stumbled as her gaze caught on a swing-like device strung from the ceiling. It was oddly shaped, almost like a saddle.
“Something you’re going to enjoy.” Davis tugged on her hand, forcing her to start moving again.
“Please tell me this isn’t our bedroom.” Lacie meant on a permanent basis because it was quite clear the cabin didn’t have any other bedrooms. Of course she could sleep in the garden. Lacie figured there had to be a couch somewhere under all those flowers.
“Temporarily, yes.” Davis confirmed her suspicions. He actually paused in front of the door he led her to, giving her his full attention for a second. “This is the honeymoon cabin. All new mates stay here until they get their woman pregnant. Trust me, it has everything we need to accomplish that task, plus something for you.”
Before Lacie could take him to task for that last bit, Davis threw open the door, revealing a bathroom made for a queen. A massive oval tub was centered on the far wall. Big enough to easily fit five, it was flanked on the right by a shower equally as impressive.
Outfitted with jets and multiple showerheads, Lacie couldn’t help but notice that even the shower came with metal rings and yet another pulley system. With visions of just how steamy things could get making the ache in her cunt flare, she still managed not to betray her lusty thoughts when she lifted a curious brow in Davis’s direction.
“You sure this room is just for my pleasure?”
“Everything is for your pleasure, honey,” Davis vowed with the kind of smooth charm that had her snorting. “Well, how about that?”
Davis nodded toward the other side of the tub, directing Lacie’s gaze toward the massage table set up in the corner. There were towels, oils, scented candles, all the trappings of a five-star spa. Not that Lacie could ever afford to visit one.
As if reading her mind, Davis slipped behind her, his hands settling on her shoulders to rub some of the tension from her muscles. “Have you ever had a massage?”
“No,” but she’d always dreamed of having one.
“What do you say we correct that injustice, honey?” Davis brushed her hair back from her neck, leaning in to nibble and kiss his way across her sensitive skin. “All you have to do is relax and let me take care of you.”
Davis’s hands dipped, smoothing over her sides and pulling her back against the hard, warmth of his chest. Like heated bands, those thick fingers slipped all the way to the edge of her shirt as Davis’s husky voice teased her with just what kind of wicked plans filled his head.
“We’ll start with a shower. Long and hot, I’ll make sure every last inch of you is clean before I carry you over to that table and show you just how good I am with my hands.”
Turning in his arms, she offered Davis a smile as his hands slipped beneath the hem of her shirt. His palms molded themselves to her ass, lifting her hips up against his and letting her feel every hard inch of his cock straining to be freed.
“If you’re saving all your tricks for the massage, what are you going to show me in the shower?” Soft and thick with desire, her voice changed her teasing words into a seductive suggestion.
Davis’s grin became all teeth as his fingers tightened over the globes of her ass. “All sorts of things, honey, and you’re going to beg for every single one of them.”
Lacie was just about to meet that challenge when a flash in the mirror caught her eyes. Glancing over Davis’s shoulder, she scowled as she searched for whatever had danced over the glass. The small dot reappeared, moving rapidly in their direction.
“Davis? What’s that red light?”
“Wha—”
Everything happened so fast, Lacie didn’t know what came first, Davis’s roar, the pain of crashing into the hard, tile floor or the sudden crack as everything started shattering overhead. Bits and shards of glass rained down all over the bathroom as invisible blasts rocked through the room in an endless assault as gunfire shattered the quiet of the afternoon.
Lacie’s mind had only begun to sort through the instant panic when Davis’s arm tightened around her stomach and jerked her onto all fours. It was uncomfortable position given Davis still covered her.
“Move!”
Bent over her, Davis forced her to crawl forward, but not out from underneath him. The pain of crunching over the sharpened debris littering the floor spiked through her, clearing Lacie’s mind enough to realize that it wasn’t just shrapnel causing Davis to grunt and shudder.
With blood beginning to seep from her palms and tears beg
inning to slip over her cheeks, Lacie wished she could just make everything stop for one moment. She just needed one moment to come to terms with how she’d ended up here, how she could have avoided, or at least how she was going to survive it.
There was no moment. They were greeted instantly by a new slew of bullets as they cleared the threshold. Cursing, Davis forced her to move faster toward the foot of the bed. Only once the massive frame and mattress protected them from the endless shots tearing up the bedroom did Davis finally pull her to a stop.
Rolling off her, he released Lacie, not that she dared to move. Flattened out on the floor felt like the best place to be right then. Apparently, Davis didn’t agree. Nor did he show any of his characteristic sensitivity when he yanked her up to a sit.
“Stay here. Stay down.”
Lacie could only nod dimly at those commands, muted by the rage hardening his gaze. If she hadn’t already been scared out of her wits, Davis’s look alone would have terrified her. What Davis did next, though, left her frozen in shock.
Leaping to his feet, he not only jumped into the spray of bullets but then he rushed the widow they were coming through. Lacie screamed, watching in abject horror as blood started to well up from the litany of wounds beginning to litter his chest. With each hit he grunted, grimacing but never retreating.
Slamming into the large table, he flipped it up, shoving it fast and furious across the floor until it wedged against the window frame. For a moment the room darkened. Then one bullet at a time, the bolts of sunlight started slicing through the room.
Davis didn’t hang out to become a target for a second time. Rushing Lacie, he snatched her off her feet and had her flying across the floor. They slammed through the second door and into a massive walk-in closet just as the table cracked and crashed to the floor in a fiery burst.
Whatever they’d shot that time, Lacie didn’t know, but she could see the flames quickly starting to lick over the walls and floors. Trapped in the closet, they might be safe from the bullets but not from the inferno already starting to consume the bed sheets.