RANGER

by Samantha Leal

  “What the hell are you trying to do?” the leader of the group asked, quirking his eyebrow at her. “You’re a pretty little thing. Seems kind of stupid to risk messing a face like that up over a couple of records. So, what is it that is making you so thirsty for trouble?”

  Valerie opened and closed her mouth, unable to speak. In all honesty, she had no idea what she was doing, trying to insert herself between these three men and the record store. All she knew was that if she let them go in, Randall would never trust her again. She would never get the full-time hours at the record store she needed. He would blame her for everything that was going wrong and she would spend the rest of her time in Stonybrooke feeling like a failure.

  It would be even worse than it was already, being barely able to make ends meet, forced into trying to suck up to a shifter who might be stupid enough to let her make some money. Most jobs in the area were reserved for shifters only, it had been miraculous that she had found anything, and she already knew that humans never received full-time hours.

  What she was asking herself now, however, was, was that worth risking her life? She had been at the bottom once, and found her way back up. She could certainly do it again. But what she didn’t know, at this point, was just what was going to happen. Gabriel had thrown her whole life out of sync, and she had to figure out which way was up again. She was a strong woman, even though she was young, and she had to figure out exactly where she stood with or without him. It was hard enough for a human to exist in a shifter community, without going around asking for trouble like this.

  “She’s too stupid to speak,” the tallest of the men said, cackling wildly.

  “Now, she’s just scared. But I have to admit, it was pretty damn stupid of you to be running up here like that. You know you’re going to have to come with us now, right?”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” Valerie said, shaking her head defiantly. “And if you try to take me, you’re going to be sorry.”

  The sudden conviction she spoke with surprised all of them, but for some reason, she felt sure things were going to work out fine. She had Gabe on her side, whether she could count on him or not. If he knew something had happened, she knew his instinct would take over, one way or another. He would find her.

  “Is that right?” the leader of the group asked, tilting his head and gripping her by the shoulder. He shoved her against the door, kicking it open with one powerful strike. “Because it seems to me that everything I’m doing right now is pretty much going according to plan. Everything except you, anyway. And now I’m going to take care of you just like I take care of everything else.”

  Fear coursed through Val’s body as the menacing man shoved her back inside the dark record store. The group split up immediately, leaving her in the grips of the leader, whose name she gathered was Hacker. Hacker made a beeline for the back of the store.

  The others surged through the racks of records callously, throwing things around and leaving them littered all over the floor.

  “It just sort of does,” Val growled.

  This made the men laugh and go about their destruction with more mirth than they had before, and suddenly, she was down inside the dark basement of the record store, the obnoxious laughter following them down the stairs and then becoming muffled when Hacker slammed the door closed.

  “Maybe you would now, since you were in here overseeing everything. Is there anything strange in these parts? You know, when you’re hanging around down here, do you get spooked out of nowhere or do you hear things?”

  “What kind of things?” Val asked, glaring at him. “This is a record store. All I hear is music.”

  “Of course, it’s a record store,” Hacker said, turning his back on her and running his hand along the cool pale bricks of the basement wall. “That is what I’m asking you. You get any funny feelings down here? And if you do, where do you usually feel them at?”

  “I really don’t get any funny feelings at all,” Val said. “The only thing I can think of was today when I was about to leave. I felt like something bad was going to happen. And look at me now.”

  The man’s face broke out into a broad smile and he laughed heartily as he continued along his search in the basement. “Well, that’s still pretty impressive for a human, I guess,” he said with a slight nod. “Although, I would much rather hear about the feelings you have down here.”

  “The only feeling I have down here is that I want to get the hell out of here and go home. It’s late. I’m tired.”

  “Sorry, but you have to stay with us now. I can’t run the risk of you blabbing to the SBPD about what you see here. That just won’t look good.”

  “To be honest with you, I don’t really care how it looks. I’ve been awake since four o’clock this morning. I had work, I had school, and I had work again. And now, I just want to go home. I always eat take-out at the place down the corner from here after work…why don’t I go get some food while you look for whatever it is you came for?”

  The man chuckled again but didn’t answer. He took another long look around the basement and then let out a heavy sigh.

  “I don’t think this spot is going to help me any,” Hacker said with a genial shrug. “I guess it was a good try.”

  Valerie almost replied, but her response was cut short by the man’s rough hands, grabbing her again and shoving her up the stairs. Another jolt of fear electrified her body, and she kept her mouth clamped shut, trying not to panic about the state of the record store as the man began to lead her outside.

  “Come on guys, get the car,” the man said.

  His hand was wrapped around her neck, his fingers digging into the pressure points there. She had to work hard not to stumble over herself as he roughly led her to the alley beside the record store.

  His lackeys disappeared and Val was on the ground, the leader above her, his face sadistic and his eyes wild.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Val exclaimed, trying to push him off her. “Get off me!”

  But he was too strong. The abrupt weight that had been thrust upon her body was lifted just as suddenly as it had come and a vicious growl filled the air around them. Valerie’s heart soared; she knew immediately who it was. Gabe had found her, and he was going to protect her, no matter how angry he was that she had kissed him.

  But the panic of the moment had been too much, and suddenly, the world became unsteady and her limbs grew heavy. She slumped down against the wall of the alley, the last thing she saw being the sleek silver gray form of Gabe’s wolf as it tore into her attacker and got rid of the threat once and for all.

  11.

  “You’re awake! Thank God,” Gabe said, sighing heavily.

  “Where am I?”

  Valerie’s voice came out in a soft whisper, her beautiful face creased in confusion. Gabe’s chest tightened at the sound of her voice, and he gently swept the dark blonde hair away from her face as her long lashed eyelids began to flutter open.

  “I brought you back to my place, where you’re going to be safe,” Gabe said.

  “The record store!” Val exclaimed, sitting up a lot more quickly than she should have. She winced in pain, her dark green eyes narrow as she brought her hand to her forehead.

  “Take it easy, kid! Are you trying to kill yourself?” Gabe exclaimed, pressing his hand on her shoulder and easing her back into the bed.

  “No, it’s just that I was trying to get full-time hours. They’re not going to let me do that now. I let the place get broken into.”

  “What you did was nearly get yourself raped and abducted!” Gabe said, unable to contain the anger broiling in his chest. When he had seen her there, so hopeless and defenseless, it had been all he could do to keep from tearing the man’s throat out right then and there. And truth be told, Gabe had left quite a mess in the alley, once he knew the kid was unconscious and wouldn’t see the brutality of the attack. He wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself for showing her what a monster he could be when i
t came down to it. She was important enough to him that he would fight for her. He knew that much now, anyway.

  “Why are you naked?” Val asked, her voice hushed and an attractive flush creeping across her cheeks. He stiffened when the wolf inside him caught the alluring scent of her arousal. But there was no way he could let himself act on it. Not after everything that had happened. “I don’t remember you being naked…”

  “What do you remember, exactly?” Gabe asked, hoping to divert the attention away from his body. Maybe if he got her talking, he would be able to ignore the deep intensity of her desire. At least enough that it wouldn’t get him all fuzzy brained. But the truth was, it had been a long time since he had been with a woman. Maybe too long.

  “I don’t really want to think about it,” Val said quietly. Gabe nodded. He could hardly blame her for that.

  “What the hell were you thinking, anyway? Why were you out there so late?” Gabe hesitated before speaking his real fear. “You weren’t looking for me, were you?”

  If the girl had been out there looking for him and had gotten herself into trouble like that, how would he be able to live with himself? It had been his own damn fault that he had claimed her. She couldn’t help it if the whole thing just confused her. That was all on him.

  “No,” Val said, shaking her head and trying to sit up again. “I was working late today. Randall had a family emergency…”

  “Randall…” Gabe said, a small growl reverberating in his voice. Val laughed softly.

  “Down boy,” she said, touching his arm lightly. She drew back immediately, as if she had touched a flame. “Sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” Gabe said, his eyes dark as he studied her. “Are you all right? They didn’t…did they?”

  “I’m all right,” Val said.

  The wolf wasn’t satisfied with this, and Gabe found himself trying to gauge the scents around her body to determine whether or not she was telling him the truth. She was, but there was something disturbing about the scent of the man who had attacked her. Something familiar.

  “You’re sure?” Gabe asked, quirking his brow at her.

  “I’m sure,” Val said, yawning. “It’s just been a long night. I haven’t eaten since two in the afternoon. I usually pick up dinner on the way to the gas station but I had to call off.”

  Gabe was startled by the revelation and immediately left the room. The girl worked herself to the bone to be able to afford living in Stonybrooke. The place was rife with dangers. She probably had no idea who the men were that had attacked her, but after confronting them for himself and placing the scent of their leader, Gabe knew it was bad news.

  But he would have to think about that later. For now, it was his job to take care of the girl. To feed her; to make sure she was safe and sound.

  He set to work cooking a dinner unlike any he had made since his wife had passed away; an elaborate shifter meal, but a quick one, and then brought it into the bedroom where the girl was dozing lightly on the bed.

  “Please, eat something. I’m worried an empty stomach may have contributed to your fainting,” Gabe said. He wanted to be angry that she was there; that she looked so good; so right stretched out and sleeping peacefully between his sheets. But all he could do was gaze upon her and try to fight the warmth that her presence stirred in him. There was just something about her he liked. He couldn’t help himself.

  “Thanks,” Val said, sitting up and taking the tray from him.

  He watched her closely as she ate; so closely that it seemed to make her uncomfortable, but he wasn’t going to leave until he was certain she was well on her way to feeling better.

  Finally, he took the empty plate from her and whisked it into the kitchen, catching a glimpse of himself in the glass cabinet. He was still naked. It was shameless. But the wolf wouldn’t be embarrassed by anything. It was at home, and felt perfectly comfortable strutting its stuff in front of the girl.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabe said, walking briskly into the bedroom and grabbing a pair of pajama pants. He slipped them on and Val averted her gaze, another heavy scent of arousal filling the air between them. Gabe swallowed hard, doing his best to ignore it, but when he looked at Val again, her eyes were heavy lidded with desire.

  “It’s all right,” she said softly.

  “You’re bleeding,” he said, gripping her hand in his and twisting her arm gently to look at her elbow.

  “I’m fine,” she said, a little breathlessly. “Really.”

  Gabe shook his head and retrieved a small first aid kit from the bathroom. He dabbed gently at the cut with a cotton ball full of alcohol and then dressed the wound, Val wincing the entire time.

  “There,” he said quietly. “That should do it.”

  But when Gabe looked back into Val’s eyes, he knew there had been no point in denying what he already knew. The wolf wanted her. Badly. It had claimed her for a reason, and now that she was there with him, her body rife with desire, there was only one thing he could do. Give in.

  12.

  Heat pulsed through Val’s body when Gabe’s lips suddenly met her own, and she closed her eyes, her loins engulfed in flames. He pushed her shirt up over her head, burying his mouth against the soft flesh of her breasts, and she bucked her hips against him, completely consumed by a powerful wave of longing unlike anything she had ever felt before.

  A soft moan, and then a whimper of ecstasy, escaped Val’s lips as the soft skin of Gabe’s sculpted abdomen brushed up against her exposed navel, and she felt the hard urgency of his desire firm against her middle. She shuddered in longing, anticipation mounting wildly as Gabe showered her body with hot, sensual kisses, both tender and demanding.

  Val ran her hands through Gabe’s thick hair, gripping it as he tore the rest of her clothing off and devoured her body with his lips, kissing her from the nape of her neck all the way down to her thighs, a deep rumble vibrating against her groin as he growled, barely able to contain his animalistic desire.

  Sweet waves of pleasure consumed her as he buried his face between her legs, his silky-smooth tongue caressing the ripe fruit of her loins and turning the fire into an inferno. Val bucked her hips wildly, desperate for a way to relieve herself of the intensity of her desire.

  Gabe held her steady as he explored her with his mouth, his tongue awakening urges in her that she had never even known she was capable of. Her body was engulfed in bliss, and Gabe seemed to know exactly what he was doing to her. It was almost cruel in a way, but her body didn’t think so. It was thirsty for more; it wanted all of him, right then and there.

  But he refused to strip himself again, no matter how urgently she pleaded for him to put himself inside her. She could feel just how much he wanted to; the testament of his longing was physical against her legs as he continued on in his pursuit to pleasure her. Never in her life had she wanted someone so badly, only to be refused again and again of the thing she wanted most.

  And yet, it was clear he was relishing in the surrender of his longing, and his tongue seemed to savor every taste of her body he was able to get. Valerie found herself writhing on the bed, beside herself with pleasure, until she felt a sudden heaviness; a tingling pressure deep inside, and she knew she couldn’t hold out much longer. Her temptation to surrender to the bliss was overpowering, and she begged one last time for Gabe to go inside her; to fill her with the one thing her body wanted more than anything in the world. With him.

  But again, he didn’t acknowledge her request, and instead, plunged a thick finger inside. She was electrified, and soon, he was pumping his fingers back and forth slowly, sensually, until the brink of her climax came upon her suddenly. Soon, her back was arching despite herself and Val gripped the sheets, unable to think of anything; her mind empty except for the consuming grip of her pleasure.

  Higher and higher, Gabe took her, until she reached the epitome and cried out, her body quaking involuntarily from its force. Soon, Gabe’s arms were around her and she was being held tightly against hi
s broad chest, the warmth of his body bringing her safely back to her own. She looked up at him, smiling sheepishly, and his dark eyes flashed. He wanted her. She knew it. But he wasn’t going to give in. And she wasn’t going to try to make him.

  “Get some rest, kid,” Gabe said. “When you get up, we’re going back to the record store to clean it up a bit. I know that job means a lot to you.”

  Val was stunned as Gabe rose from the bed and headed to the door. He hesitated at the doorway and looked over his shoulder at her.

  “I know you probably know this already,” he said quietly. “But this can’t happen again.”

  And with that, he left the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

  ***

  “What do you mean I don’t need to make any payments on the loan I took out when I began school?” Val asked. “There has to be some mistake. There was a lot that I still owed, and the interest from all the time it takes to get it done was pretty overwhelming, to be honest with you.”

  The woman on the phone laughed kindly, and Valerie knitted her brow in confusion. She had to admit, it was a little bit hard to concentrate after what had happened with Gabe. Maybe she had given the woman the wrong information and she had pulled up the wrong file.

  “You must have some kind of an angel investor on your future or something, because the entire thing has been paid in full. You don’t owe us anything anymore. All you’re going to have to pay for now are the classes that you’re taking and the fees for enrolling to graduate. You, my dear, are off the hook.”

  “Thank you,” Valerie said, dumbfounded. She hung up the phone and leaned back in the chair, taking a deep breath. Maybe she should call back and see if there was some mistake. Maybe the woman had gotten some of her information wrong and was looking at somebody else’s loan. Her hand hovered over the phone as her heart raced in her chest.

  Realization suddenly dawned on her and she remembered Gabe’s face after she had told him how hard she was working to be able to stay in Stonybrooke. This had Gabe’s masculine, obnoxious scent all over it. He felt like it was his job to take care of her, but would he really go out of his way to do something like this? Especially when it was something she had been managing to handle on her own? Where did he get off sticking his nose in her business like this? He had his own business to run; what was he thinking?