by Sierra Brave
“My pleasure. Stand back.” He lifted his leg, but the door flung open before he could knock it off the hinges.
Derrick stood in the entrance with his weapon still slung over his shoulder. “Backdoor was wide-ass open.”
Mal rushed past him. “Suki?”
His friends were on his heels. “No one’s here,” Wayne said as he walked in from a side hallway. “But she was here.” He held up a bowl with Suki’s name painted on the side.
“What the fuck?” Mal grabbed the plastic dish, studying its size and weight. Realizing he was holding something meant for a dog, he threw it against the wall as hard as he could, leaving a gash in the drywall. “Where’d you find that?”
Wayne stepped in front of him, spreading his arms to keep Mal from leaving the room. “There’s a basement back that way, but you don’t want to see.”
Rage boiled in his gut. “The hell I don’t!” He lifted his friend, spinning him around and tossing him out of his way before dashing in the direction Wayne had come from. In short order, he found a hallway leading to a door to the basement. The rickety stairs jostled beneath his feet as he took them three at a time, storming into the center of the room.
His eyes bulging, he gritted his teeth as he turned in a circle, fully taking in the horrors. He picked up a picture of Ollie oiled up and preening. Frowning, he threw the framed photo at some trophies as hard as he could. Glass shattered, cheap awards tumbled and the shelf where they’d been displayed fell off the wall. “Suuuki!” He kicked the dog kennel, knocking the prison on its side before lobbing a few more pictures at the wall.
“Feel better?” Wayne’s words infuriated him more.
Mal spun around on him, his face blazing and his fists clenched. “Hell no! I’m going to kill that mother fucker.”
“She’s going to be okay.” Wayne held some sort of leather restraint in his hand, fingering the opened lock still hanging from its shackle. “Your lady’s smart. The paperclip she used to bust out of this was still stuck inside when I found it.”
Mal lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t have to tell me. I know she’s brilliant, but what did he do to her in here?”
Dash poked his head in from the door above. “How about we focus on finding her instead. I located some fresh footprints and motorcycle tracks. Your girl needs us now. Find me something I can scent.”
Mal reached down and grabbed the blanket that had half-fallen out of the dog crate when he kicked it before rushing off to Dash. “Let’s go!”
How far do these woods stretch? I thought I’d run into a street or at least a neighbor by now. Even her horse was tiring, and Ollie was hot of her trail just a few feet behind her. She shuddered to think what her punishment might be this time if he caught her. The idea of wearing the dog mask again filled her with dread, but she couldn’t gallop much longer. Time to fight.
She stopped short and reared her back legs. The sound of Ollie’s scream hit her ears seconds before her hoof connected with his bike, sending him and his ride flying. She swung around, charging his location. He groaned, holding his head. As his eyes focused on her, he reached for his stun gun, but she reared up her front legs and brought the full weight of her second form down on his tibia. She could practically hear the bone crack, but his howls of agony and the way he clutched his leg confirmed her suspicions.
She started to head back toward the house but remembered he had her phone and his as well as all the keys to the vehicles. She turned, coming at him again. He screamed and begged as she stopped and stood her ground. Ears back she showed her teeth. She put her head down as she blew a breath from her large nostrils only a foot from his face.
“Please...you broke my damn leg. I’m helpless already.”
She considered his words. She’d need to shift to take the keys from him, but what if he was faking. In her human form, she’d be no match for him. She tilted her head.
“I’m a shifter too, but I can’t run on a broken leg.” His voice sounded whiny.
She couldn’t trust him. Picking up a hoof, she touched it down on his leg again, pressing against his wound. He hissed and carried on as if she’d taken another smack at him. He was either a huge baby or a decent actor. Her gaze fell on his empty holster and she jumped to the side just in time to miss his attack. He’d lunged at her but hadn’t been able to move the leg. Still, he’d answered a question for her. If she shifted, he’d fight her as best he could even with a broken leg. She couldn’t get close enough to take the keys without him using the stun gun. She couldn’t ask him to give them to her in her horse form, and even if she stood far away and told him to throw them, he’d probably tell her to go fuck herself.
A smile curved his lips. “Your move sweetheart. Don’t hardly nobody live down this road but me. My closest neighbor is at work for the next few hours. No phone—no one to come get you. What’re ya’ gonna do?” He moved slowly, but she could tell he was inching toward the bike.
You damn redneck! She cut off his path and delivered a second kick to his wheels. If the damn machine started for him, the rims would still be too bent to move.
“You fucking whore!” He threw a handful of dirt at her face, irritating her eyes. She shook her head back and forth while blinking. Ollie’s audacity had finally pushed her to the limit. Her vision blurry, she reared back again, landing where she would. Turning in a circle she bucked while braying.
She saw blurs of movement and flashes of light. Two distinctly different voices called her name. She also heard screams and the growls and snaps of a dog or other animal. Calming she stilled, facing the scene.
A huge black wolf bit Ollie’s arm, shaking the limb with powerful jaws while the man pleaded for mercy. A human she didn’t recognize approached her, his hands out in front of him as he moved closer to her an inch at a time. She reared up and he covered his face with his arms. Another voice screamed, “We’re Mal’s friends.”
Her hooves dropped to the ground, and her gaze flew in the direction of the voice. Another human she’d never seen before rode bareback on a horse she’d know anywhere. Just seeing Mal, even in his second nature’s form, drained all the fear and anxiety from her body and with it the adrenaline keeping her going. Shifting as she crumpled, her body hit the ground in a heap. She curled up in a ball as all of her determination to be strong and take care of herself washed away with the tears flooding from her eyes.
As she bawled, someone placed a shirt over her naked body. She glanced up at the bare-chested human who had been trying his hand at horse-wrangling seconds earlier. She nodded even as she hugged herself and cried.
The other human hopped off of Mal, something shiny dangling in his hand. He rushed over to help the wolf who she now assumed was Dash. Feelings of forgiveness and reconciliation washed over her as she watched him scratch Ollie and drag his teeth across the man’s skin. In short order, the wolf and the human had Suki’s kidnapper rolled over on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back.
The human nearest to Suki seemed to want to pat her head to offer comfort, but after placing his palm near her head, he awkwardly moved his hand away. “Hey Suki, I’m Derrick and the guy over there is Wayne. We’re Mal’s buddies. The three of us own a gym together so I imagine we’ll see a lot of each other pretty soon.
She tossed him a sideways glance. “You’ve already seen a lot of me. Thanks for the shirt.” His face turned bright red as she smirked.
Wayne walked over, his pants unbuttoned and unzipped. “How she doing.”
“Oh, Mal’s got himself quite a woman here. You need to take a leak?” He nodded toward Wayne’s open fly.
“Nah.” He pulled his pants down, and after struggling to get them over his shoes for a few seconds, took them off before throwing them toward Mal who was in mid-shift.
“You’re gonna freeze in your boxers man.”
“Oh, and you're better? Look at your hard, bright red nips, dude.” The two laughed and even Suki cracked a smile. She understood why Mal liked them. A
few seconds later, Mal approached wearing Wayne’s trousers. “Yeah, you can keep those now. I don’t want them back after they’ve been all up against your junk.”
Mal barely seemed to hear him as he knelt next to Suki. “Hey, baby. How are you doing? He reached for her face but his fingers lingered a few centimeters away from the bruise on her cheek.”
“Looks worse than it is.” She sat up while sliding her arms into Derrick’s shirt and holding it closed enough to cover her nipples. Mal attempted to button it for her, but the size wouldn’t fully accommodate Suki’s large breasts. “You guys carry that piece of shit out of here.” Mal tilted his head toward where Ollie was on the ground still struggling and screaming obscenities.”
The two men exchanged looks and Wayne asked, “What happens to him if you can’t go to the police?”
“He has to go before the Matriarch of our clan. She’s tough but fair. Never speak of any of this to anyone. Okay?”
“Pfft…yeah, I love running around confessing to felonies.” Wayne rolled his eyes. “Your secret’s safe with us. Some things go without saying, Bozo.”
“Got it….thanks.” Mal rubbed Suki’s leg as he looked her over, perhaps checking the rest of her body for injuries.
“I’m fine.”
“Where should we put this heavy jackass?” Derrick called out as he and Wayne began to drag the screaming man. Dash followed behind them, nipping at the man’s feet and snarling.
Suki lifted her head off of Mal’s shoulder. “The trunk of my car!”
“Gotcha.” Derrick’s voice held a distinct southern twang.
Suki smiled, looking into Mal’s eyes. He leaned in, pushing his lips against hers. She opened his mouth, welcoming him, her tongue lapping at his. Their hearts seemed to sync and time felt as if it stopped while they kissed. Mal raked his hands through her hair, and as she pulled away, he groaned as if he were already missing the contact. “Baby…”
“They aren’t going to be able to get him back to the house without our help.”
He huffed. “Damn, weak humans.”
Caught off guard by his humor, she snorted before resting her forehead against his. “I was so scared I might not see you again.”
“I’m such an idiot. I should have realized something was wrong the minute I arrived at the house and you were gone.”
She pulled back, hitching an eyebrow as she stared at him. “No argument there. You think I’d leave without a word right after the most magical experience of my life.”
“Oh, there was a word. It was something like: fuck off. I got a text.”
“Oh geez, that asshole.” She snuggled close to his chest as he pulled her into his lap. “Your buddies are probably starting to struggle pretty bad by now.”
“Do I need to take you to the emergency room?”
“I told you I’m fine.” She shook her head.
“Suki, did he…do you need a pregnancy test, emergency contraceptive?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Ew, no! For once in my life, being thought of as a disgusting abomination worked in my favor.”
“Oh, thank God!” He kissed her forehead. “I saw that room. I wanted to kill him, but when I saw you, all I wanted to do was hold you.”
She stared at his face, brushing his hair away from his forehead. “Why is that?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I’d like to hear it.”
“I love you so damn much, Suki.” He tethered his lips to hers, the moist skin adhering for a few seconds as he pulled out of the kiss and dropped a peck on her forehead. “I’ll never let you go.”
“I love you too, and I don’t care about an inheritance or your dad’s money. I never did. I just wanted to be there for you. The way I felt for you…the way I’ve always wanted you; I’d hoped you’d felt or would feel the same way one day.”
“We were meant to be—fated. I didn’t notice it earlier because you hadn’t gone through puberty.” He scrunched up his nose. “Which I’m glad. That would have felt seriously messed up considering our age difference. The stars weren’t meant to align for us until now.” He kissed her again, stroking her hair. “I’m sorry about how I acted. I don’t care about dad’s money either though we’re going to have to figure out a commute or something. You can’t move—the people here need you.”
“You could move back to the mountain. Be a silent partner in your business, maybe start another location.”
Mal snickered. “Did you see those two idiots? How are they going to get along without me?”
Suki laughed. “I liked them.”
He pushed his lips into a slight pout. “You tryin’ to make me jealous?”
“Maybe.”
“It’s working. Hey, we need to see Jackson Pyke and figure out how we can get Dash’s mom’s benefits reinstated. Would that be okay?”
“Oh, my God, of course.” She gasped, her eyes widening as she realized. “Wormer!”
“Huh?”
“That son-of-a-bitch, Jason Wormer—I recognized his voice when he and Ollie took me. You remember him?”
“Wormer’s the beak-nosed idiot who was sneaking around the house…oh, I’m going to kick his ass.”
“Dash needs to arrest him. Both of those guys need to be questioned until they give up the location of the girls who are still missing.”
Mal nodded as he gingerly set her down on the ground before shedding Wayne’s pants and shifting. Suki flopped the trousers over Mal’s back before following his lead, and then the two of them caught up with the others.
As soon as they secured Ollie in the trunk of Suki’s car, Dash made some calls, terminating the search for Suki on the mountain and having two other officers pick up Wormer for questioning.
Suki took the opportunity to dress in her clothes that Derrick and Wayne had picked up as they returned. She was able to return Derrick’s shirt, and Wayne, who previously said he’d never again wear the pants he lent Mal, had already put them back on before they made their way out of the woods.
As Mal’s friends saddled up in the vehicle they’d driven to Ollie’s house, Dash insisted on driving Suki’s car back since a prisoner was in tow. Mal held the back door or the Toyota open for her. “Do you mind if I ride with Dash?”
He frowned. “Why?”
“I need to talk to him about the case. It’s just a little over an hour. Then we’ll be back in each other’s arms without Dash holding me for hours of questioning.”
The corners of Mal’s mouth curved down and he looked as if someone had kicked his puppy, but he nodded. “Okay, but I better get a lot of Suki lovin’.”
She smiled. “All you can handle.”
She opened the passenger-side door of her car before hopping inside. “Thanks for coming after me, Dash.”
He looked a bit taken aback but shrugged. “It’s my job.” Creases formed on his forehead as his lips pursed.
“What’s wrong aside from all the noise that jackass is making?” She tossed a look back toward the trunk.
“We’re one step closer, but I have no guarantee those two will offer up the info we need. Hell, except for your voice identification, we don’t even have evidence on Wormer. It’s enough to drag him to Ms. Banks and search his house, but I don’t know if she’ll let us…um…how do I put it?”
Suki rolled her eyes. “Beat him?”
He bit down on his bottom lip, winging his eyebrow. “Intensely question him.”
She rolled her eyes. “My mom is the matriarch of the Marks clan. I might step into her shoes one day, and you saw what I did to that guy back there. Since he took me, Marks Clan has rights too, and my mama will damn sure let you hurt him.”
Dash tilted his head and smirked. “Suki?”
She jerked her head back, eyeing him incredulously. “What’s with that look?”
“There’s going to be a wedding between the princess of the Marks clan and a member of a well-respected house of the Banks Clan. Isn’t it time to join the two?”
“You’ve as good as been asked. He’ll get around to it. Trust me.”
She snorted, rolling her shoulders as she cut her gaze his way. “Still think I’m a gold-digger?”
He chuckled. “No, I do not. I did a bit of investigating. How come you never told us Bill Goldbull asked you to marry him?”
“Bill Goldbull…” She tapped her finger on her chin. Remind me again who that is?”
“Ha, ha…very funny.”
“Oh, that’s right; he’s the only son of a very prominent bull shifter family in Kentucky and the heir to their billion-dollar bourbon company. I had to turn him down because I was already in love with my fated mate.” She grinned, tilting her head as he opened the garage door and cranked the engine. “Don’t tell Mal. I don’t want him getting jealous.”
“You got it.” As they followed behind Malcolm and his friends, Suki’s love turned around and peered out the window at her. She blew him a kiss, and he smiled before turning around in his seat.”
“So, now’s the time to ask me questions because when we get back up the mountain, I’m taking a long bath and settling in for the evening with my man.”
Epilogue
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Mal shut his laptop after finishing his online class. “How’d I let you talk me into going back to school?”
Suki grinned as she unfastened a button on her blouse, showing more cleavage. “I’m persuasive.”
“That you are.” He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her down into his lap before pressing his lips against her neck.
“Your degree in Kinesiology is a terrific foundation for a Masters in Rehabilitation Therapy, and the skills you’ll be bringing to the clinic are so important. Think of all the shifters you could help—you’ve suffered a brain injury and come out on the other side. Plus, as half-owner, you can keep your own hours and even drive down the mountain every two weeks or so to do payroll and check on your gym.”
“Did you ask your mom about officially listing Derrick and Wayne as clan associates yet?”