The sight of Vader’s blood-covered, unmoving body would haunt Gwen’s dreams. Only knowing the wounds wouldn’t end his life stopped her from breaking down. He’d live, and he’d come after her. She knew it in her soul. His determination wouldn’t save her from her fate, however. Nothing would.
“Here’s your prize.” Reno gripped her shoulders and shoved her.
She gasped and collided with Xander’s chest, then automatically twisted, trying to get away from him. She didn’t get far. He wrapped his thick arms around her and locked her to his body, burying her face against his chest and holding her in place with his hand cradled around the back of her skull.
Something cool and sticky touched her cheeks, her mouth. The scent of heaven invaded her lungs. Her mouth watered with a hunger she couldn’t explain.
She licked her lips. Chocolate. The flavor exploded in her mouth. It was delicious, decadent, and dangerous. Swallowing it had been a mistake. The man didn’t taste of chocolate. It was his blood—the blood of a Royal shifter—and she’d just taken it into her body. For the next few days, until it wore off, she’d smell of him, triggering his instincts with each breath he took.
Possessiveness would consume him. He would know that. Why would he push her face against his chest where getting his blood in her mouth was a real possibility? Unless…unless he wanted his scent clinging to her. He had said she was important to him.
Xander slid one hand to her bottom, the other between her shoulder blades. His touch brought her back to the present and the danger she was in. He slid his hand lower. Her feet left the ground. Xander’s warmth and heavenly scent surrounded her.
She linked her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder, settling into his embrace as if he’d carried her countless times before. The automatic reaction struck her as odd as the sensation that had settled over her when she’d looked into his eyes.
Xander moved before she could take the thought further. Minutes passed. The sound of a helicopter’s blades grew louder with each step. So did the tension radiating from Xander, but he didn’t slow his steps. He quickened them.
The howling of a wolf clued her in as to why he’d picked up the pace. Vader had healed the injuries that would’ve killed a single shifter or a human, proving Xander’s assessment right. Vader was strong.
She’d suspected as much. The other Shifter Affairs agents who worked with her stepdad always gave Vader a wide berth. They never met his gaze either. Then again, she’d avoided him too. The intensity in his expression had left her feeling unsettled and aroused. The conflicting responses had confused her. They still did.
“Where are you taking us?” Xander’s growled question held a demand.
“Not too far. Don’t worry.” Reno’s voice came from her right. She didn’t look at him. She couldn’t. The anger over his betrayal was sharp. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep it in check, and saying the wrong thing would only make matters worse.
She knew better than to trust any of the shifters who ran the hunts or the fights, but Reno was the one who’d locked up David after she’d stabbed him. Reno had also promised to reassign him to a different part of their compound, far away from the cell she shared with Killer…if she made Reno’s virgin hunt successful.
“He’s already following us.”
Xander’s voice roughened, becoming barely discernible. His skin warmed. Both hinted at the close proximity of his primal side. Neither sign frightened her. Actually, they comforted her. He would fight for her. Would he trust her, though? She needed that above all else.
“Unless he has access to a helicopter or can run fast enough to track us in one, we’ll lose him.”
“You don’t know him as I do. He’s an excellent tracker, and Gwen is his beloved human. He’ll come after her.”
Beloved human.
She knew that term. It referred to humans who’d been claimed by shifters as belonging to them in a very primal way. Sometimes they were lovers, sometimes treasured friends. No matter why they were claimed, the outcome remained the same. The shifter who’d added his or her scent to the person by licking a deep wound would be wickedly protective and possessive of their human.
A forgotten memory surfaced—Vader licking her hand, sealing a gash caused by a broken lamp. He’d been drunk, and she’d been a flustered teenager, confused by the needs spiraling within her.
“Even if he does find the house we’re taking you to, we’ll be long gone by the time he gets there. You won a night with the girl. That’s it. She goes back with us tomorrow. Vader won’t find us that quickly.”
“You promised a second one.”
“I lied.” Reno laughed, a depraved sound that made her skin crawl.
Xander turned, angling her body away from Reno, and grabbed the other shifter’s throat in a move she barely registered. “Never lie to an alpha, Reno. I want my second night, or your soul will return to your clan’s leader for judgment when I rip your head off.”
Reno’s eyes widened. “I had to. She has to be returned to her cell by tomorrow night.”
Or else Killer would snap, attacking everyone and anyone he could get his hands on. They’d never be able to enter him into another fight. If he got free of his shackles, he’d tear through the crowd. His handlers would have to kill him.
“No. She won’t go back tomorrow, because she’ll be in my bed.”
“I’ll return half your entry fee, or let you enter another hunt for free.” Reno glanced over his shoulder. “A solo hunt where you’re guaranteed to capture a female.”
Xander’s grip on her bottom tightened, but he didn’t get the chance to respond. A wolf snarled.
Gwen whipped her head in the direction of the sound. A gray wolf bolted toward them. Vader. She’d recognize those hazel eyes anywhere. He’d often sat in the woods around her parents’ house when she’d lived there.
Another wolf, a white one, intercepted him. The two shifters rolled, snapping and biting at each other. Vader’s wolf clamped on to the hind leg of the wolf attacking him. Blood sprayed over Vader’s fur. The injured shifter yelped, then retaliated, taking a hunk out of Vader’s flank.
“No!” She pushed against Xander’s arms, needing to get to Vader.
Xander tightened his hold on her. “Stop, Gwen. You’re only human. You get between fighting wolves, and you’ll get hurt.”
He didn’t have to tell her that. She understood the danger, but the desire to go to Vader, to comfort him somehow, was undeniable. Xander’s unyielding grip on her didn’t allow her to give in to the overwhelming urge.
“But Vader—”
“Is a Winchester,” Xander replied.
As such, he was strong, and, unless he lost his head, immortal. That was the point Xander was trying to make. There was no misinterpreting the respect in his voice. He’d already commented on Vader’s strength and tracking abilities.
She tore her attention from the fight, where a third wolf had launched himself at Vader’s back, and focused on Xander’s face, needing to understand his motives. He met her gaze for the briefest of moments. It was long enough to see the truth. The exchange between him and Vader had been faked. They were working together.
To rescue her.
Xander adjusted his grip on her body, urging her to wrap her arms and legs around him. Making a decision, she clung to Xander, burying her face against his chest to block out the sight of the fighting wolves behind her and giving Xander her trust. She didn’t have any other option. He was right. She’d get herself mauled if she went to Vader. The one time she’d tried to help Killer, he’d accidentally injured her.
A cold wind washed over her. The sound of the helicopter’s blades blocked out everything, including the pounding of her heart echoing in her ears. She snuggled closer to Xander, and he climbed into the helicopter, never easing his grip on her.
They settled on a seat. She straddled him, ignoring the intimacy of the position, and rested her head against his chest. He didn’t speak to her or grope her. For both, she was grateful. She had to figure out her next steps. Getting Xander’s agreement to follow her back to the facility where she lived with Killer was essential.
The flight didn’t last long enough to come up with a plan, unfortunately. Before she knew it, Xander’s warm breath heated her skin and his lips brushed the sensitive spot right below her ear. “We’re here. You can ease your death grip on my hair.”
Embarrassment seized her. She untangled her fingers from Xander’s hair. She hadn’t realized she’d been fisting it. No doubt she’d hurt him. Great. She probably reeked of fear too. Maybe sorrow. Not the impression she wanted to make if she expected his help. Once she shared her plan, he’d laugh at her, claiming she wasn’t tough enough to go back to the bear shifters or break a feral male out of his bonds. True or not, it wouldn’t stop her.
She was leaving with Reno in the morning and freeing Killer. All she had to do was sneak in the small knife Reno had given her. She could stick it inside her boot. It’d hurt to walk on, but she’d manage. Then, if she worked on jimmying the locks on Killer’s collar and chains, she’d eventually break them. She hoped. If not, she’d figure out something else. Giving up wasn’t acceptable. Friends didn’t abandon friends.
“I’ll get a fire started in the master bedroom, then bring some food up, but it might take me a little bit since it’s just me.”
Reno’s statement forced her to lift her head from Xander’s chest and look at Reno. “Where’s David?”
“He stayed behind to play target practice with Vader.” Reno chuckled, obviously amused by David’s plans.
“Aren’t you afraid Xander will kill you and steal me?”
Reno’s laugh deepened. “You’re a sweet piece of ass, Gwen, but don’t think you’re more than that, especially for Xander.”
Xander’s chest expanded as if he was going to speak. Not until she did. She couldn’t let Reno’s comment go. She was not worthless. “You know him well, then?”
“Never met him before today, but I’ve met other alphas, other dominants. They all come for the same thing.”
“And that is?” Irritation laced the question. The caution she’d normally embraced around Reno was gone. Xander’s doing, probably. Her heartrate had slowed to normal too. She felt safe in his arms.
“To embrace his primal nature.” Reno’s voice softened as if he were talking to a child. “To glory in his strength. To screw the rules of human society and take whatever he wants. That’s what all shifters crave, little Gwen. The chance to be the animals we are without suffering for it.”
Xander cradled her closer and climbed out of the helicopter, hopping to the ground with ease, despite the burden of her weight and the awkwardness of moving with her in his arms. “Leave the food in the hall if we’re occupied. You come into our room while we’re busy, or if I find cameras anywhere, you’ll suffer. Understand?”
“Perfectly.”
Xander didn’t react to the amusement in Reno’s voice. He headed toward the house, a simple two-story that looked as if it had seen better days. Paint flaked off the wooden structure. Plywood covered a few windows. And several tiles were missing from the roof.
The sight of its state of disrepair didn’t faze her. It could’ve been a hut for all she cared. The only thing that mattered was the remoteness of the place. Woods surrounded them, and the narrow lane leading down the mountain didn’t look as if it had been used in a long time.
Vader would have a hard time finding them. He couldn’t. He’d never agree to her plan. He thought her weak. That was why he’d always watched over her, why he’d made her his beloved human, why he’d come after her. To protect her so Lena wouldn’t be hurt if Gwen died. Vader loved Lena. With that thought, came another. Vader had sworn he’d mate Lena. Had he?
Ugh. Gwen squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t think about her sister in bed with the man she’d lusted over since the day she met him. Those thoughts would upset her. Or anger her. Neither were acceptable at the moment.
She glanced at Xander’s strong profile. He didn’t give off the same protective vibe Vader did. She’d triggered his instincts back in those woods. His promise to fill her up until his seed was dripping down her thighs spoke of another motive. He wanted to claim the prize he’d won, exactly as Reno suggested.
With Xander’s sharp kick, the porch door splintered. He knocked the pieces away and carried her over the threshold. Reno rushed ahead of them and opened the front door before Xander could destroy that one too, then Reno stepped back and gave Xander plenty of space, exactly as she’d seen others do for Vader.
Reno closed the door behind them, cutting off the cool breeze.
Stale, dusty air filled her lungs. She took in the sight of the main room. A sheet covered a couch. Boxes were stacked along the wall. Cobwebs decorated the corners. Xander didn’t pause to look at any of it. He zeroed in on the stairs. His fingers flexed on her bottom. His breathing deepened. She could almost taste his excitement on her tongue, an odd thought but a real one. He hungered. For her.
A hard knot formed in her belly. She’d done this to him by triggering his instincts, and she was going to capitalize on his primal drives. Again. She only hoped he didn’t hate her too much for manipulating him.