“I’m usually alone so no one’s used this room for a while. I imagine you’ll be staying?” She didn’t sound like she was waiting for an answer. “Anyhow, here,” she said, leading Kayla into the bathroom. “I hope you like bubbles. Jasmine is my favorite scent,” she smiled.
“It’s fine. Thanks.”
Rachel put a hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be ok. Elijah’s a good guy, I promise.”
“People keep making promises,” Kayla said, looking into her strange eyes. One was blue, a clear sky blue and the other, palest brown.
“I’ll get you some clothes.”
* * *
A few moments later, Rachel walked into the living room where Elijah waited. “She’s scared.”
“I know.” They sat on the couch. “They want her because she carries the gene.”
“How did you find her?”
“I knew of her father and did some investigating. Her mother had taken her away when her father was killed and Kayla never knew a thing. I’d been staying close, a part of me knowing what I had to do to rebuild my family, I suppose. The incident you heard about was her boyfriend getting ready to gang-rape her with some of his friends. I couldn’t leave her behind with the bodies, Phillip would have figured it out, so I took her with me. She was beginning to trust me when they found us two nights ago. She’d come across my research and I didn’t have a chance to explain it to her.” Elijah considered how much more to tell her. “Listen, Rachel, there’s a chance Marcus and Collin are alive.”
“What?” Her whole demeanor changed; she became that little girl again.
“I don’t want to get your hopes up; I’m not sure it isn’t bait, a trap. Eric Maddox helped us to escape and I’m trying to piece it all together. I know he wanted Phillip dead, but then he couldn’t take a chance I’d run with Kayla. Telling me my brothers were alive would ensure my returning to find and free them.”
“Marcus is alive?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Rachel, I won’t know until I go and find out for myself. I’m going to leave tonight, but I need you to keep Kayla hidden here with you.”
“What if it is a trap and you don’t come back?”
“I can’t allow that possibility,” he said. “Would you mind giving us a little time alone together? I need to make sure she’s ok before I leave.”
“Sure, I need to run to the store anyway,” Rachel said, standing.
“Thank you.”
“If he’s alive, bring him home.”
He nodded. Rachel gathered her purse and left.
Chapter Thirteen
Kayla lay in the tub, eyes closed, listening to the sound of bubbles in water. It was all too much to process. Everything she’d learned about herself, her father. What she’d witnessed in her apartment and at the lab. The thought that she was now hunted by these men who would use her to breed a new pack of werewolves chilled her.
A panic that had been building finally seized her and she opened her eyes. She needed to get out of here, that was all there was to it. They were only three flights up and she’d noticed the fire escapes on the other houses. She climbed out of the tub and reached for the towel Rachel had left her. She was leaving. Wrapping herself in the towel, she went into the bedroom and to the window. She leaned her head out. The ladder reached almost all the way to the ground floor. This was probably her best option. She turned to get dressed, slipping on the skirt and blouse Rachel had left her. She opened the window wider and swung one leg out, tentatively feeling for the rung of the ladder as she reached for it with her right hand. Once she had it, she shifted her weight and brought her other hand out, then her leg. Looking neither up nor down but concentrating on her feet, she took the first step, then the second. She’d always been afraid of heights and looking up was somehow worse than down. This was only three floors; she could do it.
She didn’t notice the rusted state of the next rung and when she set her foot down, it creaked beneath her weight, giving a little at first before the whole ladder rolled noisily down to the second floor. She screamed and sealed her eyes shut, gripping the ladder tight, jolted when it suddenly stopped.
“Breathe,” she said to herself. She could do this. She had no choice but to do this.
The ladder shook and she opened her eyes to find Elijah on it, climbing down much more swiftly than she had. He reached down and one hand closed around her arm.
“Let go of the ladder, Kayla,” he said, his voice remarkably calm.
Her hand was sweaty, slippery already, and she did as he said. As soon as she did, he lifted her, gave her a look that told her how much trouble she was in and, pressing her to his chest, climbed back up and into the open window. Once inside, he closed the window and sat her shaking on the bed.
“Are you all right?” he asked after a few moments of pacing.
She nodded.
“Do you have any idea how stupid that was?” he asked, closing the space between them. “You could have gotten killed!”
She looked at him, nodding, crying. She wasn’t sure if the tears were of relief or fear of the punishment she knew would soon follow.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“What were you going to do if you got down anyway? Go where? Do what? You have no money, no car, no way to get back home where I’m sure Phillip’s men are stationed and waiting as it is. What the hell were you thinking?” he asked.
“I don’t know, Elijah!” she cried, standing. She fisted her hands and pounded them into his chest. “I don’t fucking know! I don’t know anything anymore! Just let me go!”
He took both wrists into his one hand. “Calm down, Kayla. Look at me.”
She only made some sound before bringing her knee up, aiming for his crotch. She hit his thigh when he shifted his leg to protect himself. He turned her around so he held her wrists at her back and sat down, pulling her across his lap, bottom up. He hit her hard, the first spank landing on her right cheek, shocking her.
“Ow!” she screamed, kicking her legs.
He held her wrists tight, pressing them against her back and swung one leg over top of hers, effectively trapping her. He struck again, several in quick succession.
“You’re going to get yourself hurt if you don’t learn to listen to me,” he said.
“Stop! You’re the one who’s hurting me now!” she called out, struggling without success. He pushed her skirt and panties out of the way, baring her bottom. His hand came down again and again, covering both cheeks, both thighs. Kayla wept, but gave up her struggle quickly. When her body relaxed, he released her wrists, but held her close to him by her waist. She brought her hands to the floor and remained as she was throughout her punishment as he chastised her. She needed exactly this. As strange as that thought was, she knew it was the truth.
“You have to do as I say,” he said, “I can’t keep you safe if you don’t and I can’t take the chance you’re not here when I get back.” The spanking worsened and although she’d surrendered herself to it, to him, she cried throughout, listening to his words, to the desperation there. “Christ, Kayla,” he said, “what if you’d fallen?”
His voice cracked and, as if he’d just realized the consequence of that, the blows came harder and faster, punishing her, but also somehow evicting the weight of the panic she’d been feeling from her chest. She gave herself over completely to the pain of the spanking, to the sting and heat of each blow of his big hand, to his fingers digging into her waist, bruising her to keep her close, to hold her to him.
He only stopped when her bottom and thighs were numb and there were no more tears left to cry. She sniffled, wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. He lifted her, laying her on her back on the bed. He tore her blouse off and yanked the skirt and panties the rest of the way down and off her legs. With one hand, he pulled his t-shirt over his head and unzipped his jeans, releasing his cock. He pushed her legs apart and she pressed her hands to his chest when he laid his weight
on her.
“Elijah,” she whispered, his cock at the entrance of her pussy. “No.” Her voice was weak and without resistance. After the punishment, she needed this. She needed him inside her to fill her, to complete her.
His mouth closed over hers, his eyes still open. Taking her wrists, he spread her arms wide. “Mine, Kayla,” he said, his face inches from hers. He drove his cock hard inside her, forcing her to cry out with the pain of it. “Mine,” he said again, pulling out and thrusting again, the thick shaft forcing its way, penetrating deep into her core. He nipped at her lower lip, then pushed her face to the side with his chin, holding her down still, her legs wide with the weight of his on top. He licked the side of her neck, her ear, biting a little, drawing a moan from her, her pussy adjusting to accommodate his length, his thickness, lubricating the passage for him. He pulled out again and his thrusts came faster, harder, went deeper, punishing her. His mouth at her ear whispered that same word again, “mine,” and she was lost. She gasped and turned her face to his as the walls of her pussy clamped down around his cock, her orgasm stealing her every thought. The sound she heard, the long, almost inhuman sigh of absolute fulfillment, she knew came from inside her as his cock pulsed, releasing thick, hot semen deep into her womb, sealing their union.
“Mine,” he said again, collapsing on top of her.
* * *
It was a long time before they moved. Kayla was limp as Elijah settled on the pillow, drawing her to him, cradling her head against his chest. The warm stream of his semen slowly leaked out of her, tickling her inner thigh. She tightened her muscles, wanting to keep it all inside her, to keep a part of him inside her.
She felt better; she was no longer panicked. She’d needed to cry like she had; she’d needed to let go of the fear that gripped her.
“Kayla,” he whispered, caressing her hair.
She nuzzled her face closer to his chest.
“You’re mine, do you understand?”
“Yes,” she said, tucking her knees underneath her, almost climbing onto him in her need to be closer, closer.
They heard the opening and closing of the front door.
“Rachel’s pretty,” Kayla said.
“Are you jealous?” he asked, teasing.
“No,” Kayla pouted.
“She’s like a sister to me and she’ll be a good friend to you. Besides, I prefer blondes,” he said, “one blonde in particular.”
“I don’t want you to go.”
He sat up, bringing her with him, forcing her to look at him.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Even if it weren’t for my brothers, we wouldn’t ever be free with them out there. They’d hunt us, our children, forever.”
She looked at him, wondering why it wasn’t strange he should say that. Why it felt so natural.
“When will you go?” she asked.
“In a little while. I’ll first dump the car a few hours away, then go through the forest. You have to promise me you’ll stay inside while I’m gone. I mean it, Kayla.”
“I promise. I’ll stay with Rachel, pick her brain a little. Find out what I can about who I am.”
“That’s a good idea,” he said. He looked out the window. Night was coming fast and he rose to his feet. “I’m going to have a shower. Get dressed and wait for me downstairs.”
She nodded.
* * *
“The safe room is in the basement,” Rachel said, leading the way.
“Whose house is this anyway? I mean, no offense, but you seem kind of young…”
Rachel smiled. “I am. It’s been in my family for generations. It was always a safe house. I’m the last survivor, right now at least, but I’m hoping to change that soon.”
“What’s the story with you and Elijah’s brother?”
It took her a minute to answer. “I was fourteen when I saw Marcus last,” Rachel said. “I was in love with him, but of course, I was too young. The plan was for us to marry when I was old enough, but then…you know what happened, right?”
Kayla nodded.
“Anyhow, I lived with a distant aunt with no known connection to my family up until two years ago when I moved here.”
“Why did you move?”
“I don’t know. Wanted to be close to my past, I guess. We carry a similar gene, sort of like you do. It’s a part of my history and it was my destiny. Maybe still is.”
“Elijah told you, then?” Kayla asked, not sure.
Rachel nodded, a glimmer of hope lighting up her face.
“Do you believe it? I mean, do you know these men?”
“I don’t know, Kayla. I think I have to believe it. Here,” she said, opening the cellar door and switching on a light. “It really smells like a basement here! I hate it.”
“This is the safe room?” Kayla asked, confused.
“No, it’s back through here.”
She followed Rachel to the back corner where, to her eyes, there was just a wall like the rest of the walls. But Rachel maneuvered something and took the key she had dangling from a chain around her neck to open the door. It was heavy and took some effort to pull free, but she did it.
“Here,” she said.
Kayla walked inside. The square space was as big as the bathroom upstairs and against one wall stood a table stocked with bottles of water and canned goods, much like the first hut she’d been to with Elijah.
“I have a TV too,” Rachel said, looking oddly proud. “Just in case it’s a while. Plus, there are cameras around the house so I can watch what’s going on. Know when it’s safe to come out.”
“Wow. Pretty high tech.”
“Considering the state and age of the house, yes,” came Elijah’s voice.
“Your boyfriend’s handy,” Rachel teased. “He reinforced the room and set up the cameras.”
Kayla smiled, blushing when she looked at Elijah. His hair was wet, but he’d shaved his face clean and was wearing a tight white t-shirt and jeans.
“Have you ever had to use it?” Kayla asked Rachel.
“Not yet. I’m hoping never to have to.”
“But you know what to do if there’s any trouble, right? Don’t hesitate, better to overreact and be safe.”
“I know,” Rachel said, rolling her eyes at him.
“I’m going to go,” Elijah announced, his eyes on Kayla.
Kayla’s heart thumped to a faster beat. Rachel looked from one to the other. “I’ll go get some things ready for you,” she said, disappearing.
“I don’t want you to go,” Kayla said, sliding easily into his arms. “This is a trap, I know it.”
“But you also know I have no choice.”
She nodded.
“How will we communicate?”
“We won’t until I’m finished with what I have to do.” He turned her face up to his. “You just have to promise me you’ll stay here, with Rachel, and take care of each other.”
Kayla nodded. “I promise.”
“Good girl. Let’s go upstairs. The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back.”
They headed up, her hand in his. Rachel handed him a bag. “Water and a sandwich,” she said. “But I’m guessing you’ll hunt along the way.”
Elijah nodded. He hugged Rachel once, kissing the top of her head before walking to the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Hopefully, I won’t be alone.”
Rachel’s smile was both hesitant and hopeful. Kayla didn’t want her to be disappointed.
Elijah pulled Kayla along to the door where he kissed and held her for a long time. “I love you, Kayla,” he said.
Her mouth trembled and she succumbed to the tears there seemed to be a never-ending supply of.
Chapter Fourteen
Kayla left the bedroom window open while she slept. Elijah’s discarded t-shirt lay on the pillow beneath her head. She had been dreaming when she heard the cars crunching the gravel on the street. She sat up, instinct taking control. Two men were speaking in whispers on the street and she
didn’t dare look out the window. Instead, she hurried down to the second floor where Rachel came out of her bedroom, the panic on her face matching what Kayla felt.
Without a word, they raced down the stairs and toward the basement. Shadows moved outside, and Kayla spared a glance out the window to see three SUVs lined up directly in front of the house. These men were not aiming for subtlety. And she had a feeling they wouldn’t leave without what they were coming for.
She rushed to meet Rachel, who was pulling the door of the safe room open. At the same moment, they heard footsteps upstairs. They’d already entered the house.
“Go, Rachel. Lock the door. They want me and they don’t have to know about you.”
“No!” Rachel said, holding on to Kayla’s arm even as Kayla pushed the heavy door closed.
“I’ll be ok, and if Marcus is alive…we’ll be of no use to them if we’re both dead!”
“Kayla, no,” Rachel cried quietly as the basement door opened.
“Go,” Kayla mouthed and sealed the door. She heard the lock turn as she hid around the side of the washing machine.
Someone switched on the light and footsteps rapidly descended the stairs. There were two of them, dressed as they had been when they’d broken into the cabin.
“She’s here,” one of the men said into his mouthpiece, pointing a gun in her direction. He didn’t move any closer and she crouched, frozen in place.
Another, lighter set of footsteps approached.
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