Kasey’s horse let out sharp squeals of fear and stamped its feet hard into the hay beneath it. Seth prayed the others had heard him and if not him, then the horse. His consciousness slowly faded, and just before the darkness consumed him, his last thought was of Kasey and how sad he’d be when he found his body.
Kasey was just attempting to calm the town council after revealing the details of the Created one in the area when a sudden gut-wrenching fear gripped him tightly. Sweat broke out over his brow as the realization that something had happened to his mate jolted through him. Without even saying a word to the council members, he raced down the stairs from the podium and straight out the front door of the hall. His hand reached for his cell as he dashed to his truck. First he tried to call the house, but there was no answer, and his anxiety grew by leaps and bounds.
The next call he placed to his deputy. “Julian,” he barked into the radio.
The radio crackled with static for a second before Julian’s voice came over the speaker. “What’s up, Chief?”
“Did you drop off Nick yet?”
“Negative. An emergency call came through on the way. Heading there now.”
Kasey growled fiercely at his deputy’s words. The certainty his mate was in trouble grew by the second. “Get your ass over there, now!”
Nick’s voice came over the radio then. “Something wrong, Sheriff?”
“Something’s happened to Seth. I can feel it. I’m on my way now.” Kasey gunned the engine and turned on his siren, pushing the truck as fast as he could. He also contacted his father, because it was very possible the wolves on patrol were injured or worse.
Anger and fear warred inside him. His wolf rose up fast, demanding he let it take over to protect his mate. If Seth was hurt, there was no telling what it would do. He saw no signs of movement when he reached his property, his truck coming to a halt in a plume of dust. Seth’s scent led him straight to the barn. A roar built up in his chest when he caught the smell of blood and saw the evidence of a struggle in the barn. But the barn was empty. They’d taken Seth! His heart squeezed inside his chest when he realized he’d failed his mate. He should have taken Seth to town instead of leaving him there.
Unable to stop himself, he shifted in a quick blur. His wolf grew even more furious when he immediately caught the scent of another wolf, unknown to him. His lupine eyes narrowed just before he set forth a long, loud howl. Tires pulling into the driveway brought his head around. Kasey trotted outside, fur rippling angrily.
Nick and Julian were just getting out of the vehicle when Nick spotted him. “Kasey? Where’s Seth?”
The wolf growled low in its throat, causing Nick to step back. “It’s just us, Kasey. We would never hurt Seth. We want to help find him.”
Kasey lifted his nose to the air to scent for his mate, and another howl broke free when he caught Seth’s scent. He darted off into the woods, following the cinnamon smell he loved so much, barely aware of Nick and Julian giving chase, already transformed. Nothing mattered to him except finding Seth and ripping to pieces the bastard who’d dared take his mate.
A few hundred feet into the woods, they came upon the two wolves set to guard Seth for the day. One, badly injured, could hardly breathe. It most likely had a punctured lung. The other wolf had already been killed. Julian came to a halt next to them, nudging at the wolf still alive. He whined, looking toward Kasey and Nick. They would have to continue on without him. Someone needed to help their pack mate.
Nick and Kasey set off after Seth alone. Kasey knew Julian would bring the rest of the pack to help once he’d gotten back to the reservation. Nothing would make Kasey wait any longer to find his pup. The trail couldn’t be more than half an hour old, and the more time that stretched between them allowed the Created one to get further and further away with Seth.
Silence reigned in the forest as their feet padded on the mossy floor, twigs snapping with precision beneath them. The birds were silent, as if they sensed something wasn’t right inside their home. Seth’s scent continued deep into the forest, almost to where he’d tumbled over the ridge the first night Kasey had touched his pup; then it twisted sharply along the ravine. Kasey kept from howling in frustration when the scent abruptly ended just where the path to the bottom began. His lip curled in fury, but Nick head-butted him sharply, shaking his head.
Nick lifted his nose to the air and breathed in deeply. It took several attempts before he could pick up a faint smell of cinnamon. He immediately darted off down the trail into the ravine.
Kasey followed eagerly on his heels, trying desperately to calm himself. The only way he could save Seth was if he kept a clear head. If he let his anger get the better of him, as it did at times, it might well cause Seth to lose his life. His teeth gnashed together harshly at the thought that he might never again see Seth's smile or feel his supple body beneath him. If there was even a scratch on his pup, the bastard would feel a thousand times more pain than any being in this world had ever felt.
The banks of the river were already at maximum capacity. It would not be long before they broke and the water flooded the ravine. Kasey prayed they would reach Seth in time. His paws dug into the damp earth, kicking up mud as he ran. The sound of the roaring water echoed off the ravine walls and took away any chance they would be able to hear how close they were. Seth’s scent was faint, covered by the musty smell of wet wood and rocks.
Seth groaned as he struggled toward consciousness. Where was he? He realized someone was carrying him over their shoulder, and each step jarred the blinding headache beating against his skull. The noise of rushing water beat at his eardrums, but his hands were tied, and he couldn’t cover his ears to drown out the sound. He could only hear his captor’s heavy breathing over the roar. He knew trying to get away would be useless at the moment. He would have to wait until his captor set him down and became distracted.
“I know you’re awake,” his captor growled. What caught Seth’s attention was the voice. He frowned as he tried to pinpoint it. It wasn’t Taggart’s. Taggart’s voice had barely been human near the end.
“Who are you?” Seth demanded, trying to sound more ferocious than he felt.
The unknown assailant laughed almost mindlessly. “You do not recognize your own mate, Seth?”
“You are not my mate,” he bit out. “My mate is Kasey Whitedove, the sheriff of Senaka.”
“No!” the man roared. “I am your mate. You would know it if they hadn’t taken you from me!”
Seth would have laughed if it wouldn’t have further ignited the stranger’s anger. “Who are you?”
Instead of answering, the stranger leapt with preternatural ability onto a large boulder in the center of the river and then across to the other side. Seth groaned as the impact jarred him harshly. His bound hands came up to cradle his head, but his captor continued moving. It suddenly grew dark as they entered some kind of cave. Seth could smell the mold growing on the rocks surrounding them. It stung his canine senses, and he wheezed slightly.
The stranger tossed him none too gently into a corner of the cave. After taking a few precious seconds to collect himself, Seth looked around him. There were supplies stacked in one corner, along with some kind of wrought iron cage. Seth’s eyes widened and terror struck him. Not again. He couldn’t be caged again. He stood to run, but his captor easily overpowered him in a second, throwing him against the unforgiving rocks. Pain shot through Seth as sharp edges dug into his back before he collapsed to the floor, coughing at the agony flowing through him like pure fire.
The sound of the cage door opening brought a sob to Seth’s throat. He stifled it, refusing to allow the bastard to see him weak. He felt a sharp pinprick to his bicep before the stranger picked him up and dumped him inside the cage before slamming the door shut. The lock clicked into place with a snick, leaving hopelessness to invade Seth along with the sense of weakness from whatever the other wolf had injected him with. He tried to push it back. Kasey would find him. He could
n’t lose hope that Kasey would find him.
“Just a little something to keep you from attempting to escape, my love. Now, then, shortly we shall deal with the dog who dared claim you as his.”
“No!” Seth shouted, shakily pushing himself to stand. He gripped at the bars as best he could, glaring at the stranger. “If you lay one hand on him, I’ll fucking kill you,” he growled ferociously.
The stranger threw his dark head back and laughed. “Temper, temper, my beautiful mate. You are going to be a spirited thing, I can see. I can hardly wait to tame you.”
Seth studied the man, trying to place him. He stood taller than Seth, at least six feet, with dark-brown hair and strangely light-green eyes that sent a shiver of fear down his spine. The crazed look about him suggested he wasn’t entirely sane. Something about him struck a chord in Seth’s mind, but he still couldn’t remember where he had seen the other wolf before. “What do you want?”
“Tsk, tsk, Seth. I would think you’d already understand what it is that I want.” The man stalked toward the cage, smiling smugly. “You didn’t think you could hide forever, did you? If only your parents hadn’t stolen you away from me all those years ago, you would know me as your true mate. Instead you believe that filthy Indian is your life mate.”
It clicked inside his head as Seth heard the man’s words. He searched for the name Nick had mentioned a few days prior. Charles… Charles Drakson. “Drakson,” he breathed out.
“Ah, I see you remember me, then, Seth. You should, as I am your true mate.” Charles drew himself to his full height, once again smiling arrogantly. He stepped closer to the cage and reached out to touch Seth. Seth reared back in horror, his skin crawling at the thought of the bastard touching him.
“You aren’t my true mate,” Seth bit out between clenched teeth, his blue eyes blazing at the deranged wolf in front of him. “Kasey Whitedove is my mate.”
Fury flooded the light eyes gazing at him, and Charles snapped his teeth. “No! You are mine. I will make you forget about that dog once I have rid myself of him.”
Seth feebly threw himself at the bars of the cage in his own desire to protect Kasey. He wrenched at the bars ineffectively. They wouldn’t budge. Tears burned behind his eyes, but he stifled them, refusing to allow his weakness to overcome him when Kasey needed him. “How did you know?” he asked quietly. “About Taggart and the Triad?”
An arrogant smirk curved the corner of Charles’s mouth as he prowled the cave restlessly. “Who do you think set the fire that night, Rho? I tracked him to the warehouse. There had been rumors of a Created one mated to a Rho spreading among the other wolves. Taggart bragged about you to anyone who’d listen. Whenever he came into contact with other wolves, he’d tell them all about you.”
Shock widened Seth’s eyes. They had never been able to figure out why the fire had started, only been grateful it had. Charles gave a bark of laughter. “What? Did you think you managed to escape on your own that night? You and that mutt? As if Nick Cartwright has ever been anything but reckless. Did he tell you Taggart found you because of him?”
“No!” Seth denied vehemently, yanking at the bars ineffectively. “You’re lying!”
Charles chuckled with malice. “You really are blind, Seth. Nick was Taggart’s original mark. He and Nick engaged in a… shall we say… one-night stand before Taggart became a Created.”
Seth’s breath caught in his throat. Had Nick bitten Taggart?
Charles waved a hand at Seth’s look of horror. “Oh, Nick isn’t the one who made Taggart. But he is the reason Taggart became a Created. Taggart wanted more than one night with Nick. He wanted Nick to continue being his fuck buddy, as you young ones call it nowadays. Only it wasn’t what Nick wanted. Taggart stumbled into a den of rogue wolves one night and ended up fodder for them. Except he didn’t die. He managed to survive and became a Created.”
Trembling at what Charles’s words meant, Seth shook his head with sheer disbelief. “It’s all lies,” he whispered.
“Nick led Taggart straight to you, Seth.” Charles cocked his head to the side, a pitying look on his face. “Did you really think Nick cared about you? He only stuck around because he felt responsible for you. The pack decided Nick had watched over you long enough and relieved him of the duty a few years back. They needed him back in the fold.”
A few years back? Seth’s heart leapt as he realized if Nick hadn’t truly cared about him, he never would have stayed after rescuing him from Taggart. Nick had been there every step of the way as Seth pushed through the pain and fear. If it hadn’t been for Nick, he never would’ve met Kasey. It wasn’t Nick’s fault Taggart had fixated on him. Seth gritted his teeth as he stared at the bastard who had tormented him over the last week. “You were the one who destroyed my clinic and killed Ginger and Bullet!”
Charles lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “I needed you to run again. I figured the only way you would is if you believed Taggart was alive. Oh, he died in the fire that night along with the rest of them, but you couldn’t know that for sure. I used the fear you still have of him to coax you into leaving town. You almost did too. If it hadn’t been for your stupid mutt, you’d have run, and no one would have been hurt.”
A growl built in Seth’s chest, rumbling deep and harsh. He had to get out of this cage. It was the only way to help Kasey. Closing his eyes, Seth took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
Charles stood at the opening of the cave, sniffing at the air. A malicious smile curled his lips as he swung around to look at Seth. “It seems the sheriff is almost here.”
Charles disappeared through the mouth of the cave, and Seth wrenched at the bars again, almost ready to scream from the fear and frustration. A long loud howl sent a shiver of awareness down Seth’s back, and he quivered in terror for his mate.
Chapter Fourteen
“Kasey!” Seth shouted the moment his mate appeared in the entrance. “Be careful!”
Kasey shifted on the run, racing to the cage that held his lover. “Seth, are you all right?” he demanded, grabbing at the bars.
“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me, but he injected me with something. My strength is gone. It’s not Taggart, Kasey.” Seth reached out and touched his mate’s jaw.
Nick materialized next to Kasey. “It’s not?”
Seth shook his head quickly. “No. It’s Drakson.”
Before Seth could explain further, the wolf in question, now in lupine form, snarled from behind them. Kasey and Nick whirled around to face their adversary. In seconds, the two men shifted, but the cave was too small for them to circle around Charles. Seth held his breath as he watched his mate and his best friend waiting for the crazy son of a bitch to attack. His fingers tightened on the bars until they turned white. He felt so damn helpless locked in the cage and unable to help.
When Kasey had seen Seth behind the bars of the cage, his heart had nearly stopped, but the sheer joy on his mate’s face when he’d seen Kasey jump-started it again. He gnashed his teeth together that someone had locked his lover in a cage again. The bastard would pay. When Seth told them it wasn’t Taggart, he’d been surprised, but a regular wolf would be easier to face off against than a Created, especially with two on one. He snarled at the dark wolf before him.
Nick crouched slightly, waiting for Drakson to make a move first. Drakson’s eyes flashed for a moment before he turned and darted back out of the cave.
Fat raindrops began to fall as Kasey and Nick gave chase. Mud snatched at their feet as they raced after the other wolf, reminding Kasey of just how dangerous the area really was. The rain over the last few weeks had really increased the flow of the river. It rushed past them at a menacing pace. Drakson stopped several yards ahead of them, turning abruptly. Kasey also halted, but Nick leapt straight for Drakson.
Drakson snapped at Nick’s throat, missing it by centimeters as Nick danced around him, but his paw lashed out, catching Nick in the side. Nick let out a whine of pain, although he didn’t stop m
oving. The rain became so thick it was hard to see. Nick’s paws sank into the mud and water gathering around him. Kasey watched at the way Drakson kept to certain areas of the ground, places his feet wouldn’t sink. He lowered his head and growled as he realized Drakson had an unfair advantage. Something hidden beneath the mud kept him from floundering the same as Nick.
Kasey launched himself onto Drakson’s back, earning a loud yelp as his teeth sank into the other wolf’s shoulder. Drakson struggled to dislodge him, stumbling around until his paws slipped from the object he stood on. He immediately sank several inches into the mud. Kasey bit deeper, wrenching his jaws to dig into the hard muscle to the bone. Drakson shrieked loudly and tossed around wildly. Memories of Seth’s face upon entering the cave strengthened Kasey’s desire to bring down the bastard who’d almost cost him his mate. But he didn’t anticipate the dam ten miles upriver giving way and releasing a deluge of water that reached them in a matter of minutes, sweeping the three of them up in the rush.
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