He gave her a little grin. “We'll just have to break the combination."
"Are you crazy? It could take weeks to go through every combination. I doubt if we'll be here that long."
"That may be true. But either way, I'm getting out of here."
"Oh Michael, don't even think of that. If anything happens to you..."
"Nothing bad is going to happen; I promise.” He moved his fingers to her face. “I love you, Altheia,” he said softly. “Look, I want you to go over by the door. You have to let me know when he's coming."
"But I can't hear him; the floor is carpeted."
"Then sit in front of the door so he can't barge in. Then I'll have a second's warning.” He stroked her cheek for a moment. “Go on, the sooner I start, the sooner I can get us out of here. And pray the combination starts with a low number."
As she moved across the room, he started with 1-right, 1-left, 1-right then 1-right, 1-left, 2-right. It was going to be a long night.
About 2:00 a.m., his fingers started to go numb and the muscles in his thighs were cramping up. He'd found the marks on his wrists and ankles and knew he'd been tied up. He must have wrenched some muscles then.
He looked over at Altheia. She was stretched out in front of the door, asleep. She looked so uncomfortable lying there. Calling softly, he got her attention.
"Go to bed, baby. You need your rest."
"That's all right, I'm fine right here."
"No,” he said gently. “Besides, I'm a bit done in myself. I'll get a few hours sleep and then wake you and I'll try again."
She wouldn't let him sleep on the barred floor. Taking the bedspread from the bed and one of the pillows, she managed to squeeze them through the opening in the door. She pulled the mattress from the bed and pushed it to the cage. Lying down, she could just clasp his hand as she slept.
* * * *
Michael woke around daybreak. The rest had done him a world of good. His recuperative powers had purged his system of the effects of the tranquilizer and his sprains had healed. As long as he wasn't caged too long, he would be at his peak.
Altheia was sleeping on her right side with her chin resting on her left hand and her right arm was stretched through the opening in the door. He could smell her rich musky scent.
He gently took her hand in his ... so warm. Her fingers curled around his in her sleep. His mate; he still found it hard to believe. His heart began to beat a little faster. Lowering his head, he placed a kiss in her palm. His tongue licked over the spot he'd kissed, then up to the inside of her wrist. Honey and salt ... his eyes closed slowly. His breathing grew shallow and he began to pant. Lust suffused his senses and he felt himself begin to harden with desire. He wanted her.
Shaking his head, he pulled away, sitting back on his heels. This was neither the time nor the place to let his needs distract him. Damn, he thought. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he stood; he had to get them out of here.
Dropping to his knees, he shook her gently. “Wake up, Baby."
Her eyes jerked open and she sat up in surprise, then groaned as her stomach asserted itself. Scrambling to the wastebasket, she threw up.
Michael was frustrated. He couldn't go to her, help her. This was all his fault. If he hadn't been so careless and followed his own rules, she would never have gotten pregnant. She wouldn't be getting sick now. He paced his cage, hands clenched at his sides. He was unable to do anything to help her.
Then he thought, a child ... his child. He wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
A short time later, after she'd cleaned up, she refused to let Michael baby her. She took her position by the door while he challenged the lock.
Breakfast came about an hour later. The stalker didn't talk and only stayed long enough to push the tray through the door and take the dinner tray out with him. Breakfast consisted of cold cereal and milk. Michael ate it quickly and went back to work on the lock. Altheia nibbled a little dry cereal, but left the milk for Michael to have later.
Lunch was a couple of bologna sandwiches and coffee. Dinner was the same as the night before. Boring, but at least they were being fed.
The stalker didn't talk to them; he just brought the food and left. At least they had time to work on the lock. While Michael ate, Altheia would continue to try to break the combination.
Thursday evening when he brought dinner, the stalker didn't leave right away. He stood by the door watching Altheia. Michael was sitting at the back of the cage, out of sight as usual, watching the stalker warily.
"What are you going to do with us?” she asked.
Jack leered at her and she cringed. She could hear Michael begin to growl quietly. She stood up slowly.
"If it's money, we can get it for you. How much do you want?"
"How much you offering?” he asked casually.
She glanced at Michael for a second. He nodded almost imperceptibly. Looking back at the stalker, she said, “A hundred thousand dollars."
Jack laughed.
She upped it, “Two hundred."
"Baby, that's not enough to keep the man from finding me if I let you get away."
"You're not working alone? Who else is there? What do they want? Do you just plan to keep us here?"
Jack clamed up, realizing he'd said too much. Turning, he started to leave.
"Wait,” she said, stopping him in the doorway. “A half a million dollars if you let us go."
Jack laughed again. “Now where would a postal worker and a mechanic get a half a mil?” he said as he pulled the door shut behind him.
"But...” She shut up when Michael touched her shoulder. She turned to him. “How much can we offer him? Can you get the whole million from your trust?"
"I don't think it will do any good. Besides, I don't think he's in charge. There's somebody else and it isn't money he wants."
"Oh God, Michael, I'm beginning to get really scared. What about the baby?” she looked at him with fear in her eyes. “Maybe he'd help us if he knew about the baby."
"No! I don't want you to take the chance. He reached out to caress her face. “Let's try the lock a little longer."
After dinner they kept trying different combinations. After two days, Michael began to see the futility. He was still only on the 1-series, but he refused to give up. The stalker apparently had no intention of letting him out of the cage. In fact, he hadn't even come close. Somehow he had to get out.
About 9:00 p.m. he made Altheia go take a shower. Maybe it would relax her. It seemed safe to assume the guy wouldn't be back till breakfast. All he had done was bring them their meals. He was starting the 2-series when he heard the shower start.
His body flushed with heat as he imagined his wife, naked and wet. With a groan, he stifled the image and returned to work on the lock.
He had just dialed 2-right, 2-left, 8-right, when someone banged on the door. Dropping the lock, he stepped back from the door.
The man called out, but Altheia couldn't hear him over the running water. Michael hoped he would go away, when suddenly the door banged open and the stalker stepped in cautiously, his gun in his hand.
Jack looked toward the cage. He could just make out the mechanic back in the shadows. The bitch wasn't in sight, but he could hear the water running in the shower. He noticed her clothes lying on the bed. Perfect, he thought. The man would be gone till tomorrow. Now was the time to get even with the bitch for her dog that attacked him. He'd planned on doing her in front of her husband, but there would be time later. The shower would be nice.
He grinned evilly toward the cage. “That's real nice of your wife to get herself all cleaned up for me.” After laying the gun on the table, he started to remove his clothes.
Jack had his hands on his zipper when a vicious growl sent a shiver down his spine. He spun around, his hand reaching for his gun. He was confused for a second. The room was empty. He could see the mechanic clearly now. He was standing at the door, his fingers laced through the bars, hatred clearl
y evident in his eyes.
"I'll kill you,” Michael managed to rasp between clenched teeth. He was barely capable of speech, his rage was so intense.
Jack chuckled. “You and who else?” he tossed back as he shucked his pants and stepped quietly into the bathroom and shut the door.
Altheia leaned against the wall, letting the warm water cascade over her tense body. She knew she had to try to stay calm. The stress wasn't good for the baby. How much longer could they go on like this?
She gasped as suddenly the shower curtain was ripped open. Her knees went weak and her heart almost stopped beating when she saw the stalker standing there ... naked.
She screamed as he grabbed her by her hair and stepped in with her.
Brutally he slammed her up against his aroused body. Her struggles excited him, made him impatient to have her here and now. He could take it slow and easy later, after he broke her.
"That's it, Baby, scream all you want. It turns me on,” he laughed as he wrestled with her slippery body. After a brief struggle, he captured her wrists and threw her up against the wall. Gripping both wrists in one iron grip, he spun her around. His free hand roamed freely down her back to her buttocks where he kneaded and pinched her soft skin.
She stopped screaming. She didn't want to enhance his pleasure. But she cringed and whimpered as he explored her still struggling form. His hand slipped between her legs, causing her to cry out. He roughly shifted her hips closer to him, anxious now to have her.
Altheia's scream cut though Michael's body like a knife. Her name ripped from his throat in anguish. Adrenaline poured through his system with the instinctive need to protect his mate. He unconsciously ripped the clothes from his body.
He threw himself around the cage, seeking a means of escape, as he felt the familiar tremors begin to ripple through him. Finally he threw himself against the door in frustrated rage. As Wolf, he'd be even more helpless, locked in this cage as he was.
His hands grasped the bars, shaking the door. His strength was not enough to rip the door from its hinges. If only he'd had more time. If only he'd discovered the combination.
The lock. The damned lock! His hand shot out and grabbed the lock in rage, wishing himself capable of ripping it off. The lock clicked loudly and twisted in his hand! Startled, he momentarily froze. The last combination must have worked, he thought deliriously! Another cry from Altheia brought him back to his senses.
He desperately fought his body's compulsion to change; he needed to be human to remove the lock. With shaking fingers, he forced himself to remove the lock from the staple, letting it drop to the floor when it was free. Pushing the door open, he raced across the room.
The stalker jerked around when the door was violently flung open. He released Altheia, allowing her to slip to the floor of the tub. Her husband was standing in the doorway. His lips were pulled back from his teeth in a feral snarl and his eyes shone with an inhuman glow. His fingers were curved into claws. The stalker felt a frisson of fear skitter down his spine.
He blinked as hands as strong as steel grabbed him and lifted him effortlessly from the tub. They shook him like he was a naughty child who had been caught doing something wrong.
Arms restrained him from behind and he felt a hot breath against his ear. “I'll rip out your heart,” came the guttural, almost inhuman voice.
As Jack struggled futility, Michael growled in his ear. He could feel Michael's right hand probe his stomach and then push up under his rib.
Steel hard fingers pushed relentlessly against the skin, seeking entrance. Pain flashed through him as the fingers suddenly pierced the skin and brushed past his bottom rib. Jack screamed like a terrorized rabbit, almost losing his mind as he lost control of his bladder in a paroxysm of terror and pain.
He could feel the fingers worm themselves beneath his ribs and inch their way into his chest. His breath became shallow as he felt blood bubble up his throat and flood his mouth. The agony in his chest was almost unbearable and he wondered how long he could stay conscious, as Michael forced him to his knees.
Suddenly, the pain was gone, though he could still feel the fingers continue to burrow beneath his ribs. His shocked mind no longer registered the unmitigating torment. Jack knew he was dying and found himself turning his head to look at his tormentor.
Looking into Michael's face, his terror escalated as he suddenly saw hair erupt from the pores in his skin. Just as he thought he could feel Michael's fingers slide across his heart, he felt Michael vibrate against his back.
In the blink of an eye, the wolf was standing over him. The last thing Jack saw were the slavering jaws reach for his throat.
* * * *
Some minutes later, Michael knelt on the blood-drenched floor, his hands clenched in fists against his thighs. Slowly he opened his eyes. The room was painted with blood. He took a deep breath to steady himself. The sharp metallic scent of blood assaulted him, fanning the residue of his bloodlust. Shaking his head, he slowly rose to his feet.
Altheia was sitting on the floor of the tub, her knees drawn up close to her chest, staring sightlessly. Carefully, Michael stepped into the tub and crouched down next to her. He reached out and brushed his fingers across her cheek, shocked when he left a streak of red from his dripping hand. She never even flinched.
Growling softly, he stood and stepped under the still running water. It was cold now, but he didn't care. He let the water sluice over his body, turning pink as it washed down the drain. He hoped it would cool the remnants of the white hot bloodlust that had taken control of him only minutes earlier.
He felt no remorse at what he'd done. The rage had been more intense and even more irresistible than the need for revenge when his father had died. Nothing could have stopped him from destroying the man who had harmed his mate. All that he was had demanded nothing less.
When the water finally ran clear, he grabbed the washcloth and cleaned away the blood on Altheia's cheek. Gently lifting her in his arms, he carried her from the bathroom, carefully avoiding the body sprawled lifelessly on the floor.
Lowering her to the bed, he quickly laid her clothes over her and wrapped her in the blanket. Lifting her again, he carried her from the room without a backward glance.
He carried her down the stairs and through the living room, spotting their luggage and Altheia's pocketbook on the floor as he walked through. Stepping out the front door, he looked around. Thank God, his van was there. Retrieving the spare key from behind the license plate, he unlocked the door and put Altheia in the passenger seat, strapping her in.
He quickly went back for the luggage and pocketbook and tossed them in the rear of the van. Then, still naked, he started the engine and drove away.
About five miles away, he pulled into an abandoned gas station and climbed into the back. Finding a shirt and pair of pants in the luggage, he dressed swiftly. Remembering a pair of old sneakers he'd left in the van, he pulled them on.
When he finally climbed back in the driver's seat, Altheia was still staring silently ahead. After gently brushing the drying hair away from her face, he turned and started the van.
Twenty minutes later, he found a secluded motel with cabins scattered through the trees. With cash from Altheia's pocketbook, he didn't know where his wallet had gone, he rented a cabin at the back of the property, far from the road. He registered under an assumed name, not knowing how much they'd found out about him.
He parked the van out of sight behind the cabin and carried Altheia inside, locking them in. After stripping off his clothes, he climbed into bed with her. Cradling her in his arms, he rocked her gently.
Physically, he knew she was fine, but emotionally she was in shock. How much had she seen? Would she be able to live with him if she had watched him tear a man apart? Would she not be repulsed to know how much of an animal he really was?
With a sigh, he brushed the hair behind her ears and pressed a kiss to her temple. “It's all right, baby. You're safe now. You can relax,”
he murmured, his lips against her hair. “I won't let them hurt you again. I promise."
She released a small sigh and pressed closer, her hand splaying across his chest as her eyes slowly closed.
"I love you,” he whispered as her breath slowed and she drifted asleep.
THIRTY
The man was in a good mood. After getting in touch with his old bookie, he'd set up a meeting with the Boss, Anthony DeMarco. DeMarco was delighted to find out he was still among the living. He hadn't approved of death as a way to avoid a debt. But he was less than pleased to discover that he didn't have the money he owed him.
The man proposed to trade the werewolf to satisfy his debt. DeMarco told him he was crazy, no one really believed in werewolves. Even if they existed, what the hell would he want with one? After explaining about the invincibility and strength they were purported to possess, he suggested how an army of them could benefit his organization. He could use the werewolf he had captured to infect his own army of men.
DeMarco wasn't a stupid man. There could just be some truth to the man's claim. It could be worth investigating. So he sent his son, Alex, to New Hampshire, with orders to bring back the werewolf if he existed, then to see that the man remained dead this time.
They arrived shortly before noon on Friday. Pulling into the yard of the secluded farmhouse, the man became alarmed. Where was the van? Had Jack gone off and left them unguarded? He was getting uncontrollable and becoming a liability. Maybe he would just let Alex know that Jack had already been bitten. He could just let the DeMarcos take care of him.
He burst through the front door after finding it open. “Jack!” he shouted. When he received no response, he raced up the stairs, Alex following.
The door to the bedroom was wide open and as he reached the doorway, he noticed the bloody footprints leading from the room before fading.
"Damn!” he muttered.
The door to the cage was ajar and the room was empty. The man continued to curse under his breath. What the hell had gone on here? He saw that the bloody footprints were coming from the bathroom where the door was shut.
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