A Cougar Among Wolves (4 page)

The dire need to protect her and stay by her side clenched his heart. If only he could make her understand the wild desire. If only he understood it himself. Had he become a 18

blundering idiot over a maiden in distress? Or was this deep-seated need a result of saving her life? None of it made sense.

“Of course.” Bastian tucked her gown over her and eased her into place. “How does the wound feel now?”

“Less intense.” She rolled her shoulders and cringed. “Still hurts like hell.”

“I can give you something for the pain.”

“Won’t do any good. It’ll burn out of my system before it does anything.” She waved off the offer.

“Will she be able to walk?” Ryker was relentless. Did the enforcer really need her gone that much?

“She’ll need time,” Seth interceded. Then, his breath hitched. Why was she sneering at him? Hadn’t he just helped her? To rush her out the door before she was healed, and send her on her own would have been callous and risky. How did this suggestion make him the bad guy?

“We’re getting to that part soon. The doctor went to the foot of the bed and pressed the tip of his pen against her the soles of her feet. “We’re almost done. Can you feel this?”

“Yeah, I can.” She wiggled her toes.

Sensation in the feet was a good sign, wasn’t it?

Doc continued to test other parts of her legs. She flinched and gasped.

“Sorry, I want to be sure there are no complications from the wound.” He tucked the sheet over her legs.

“I’m not paralyzed, I feel everything,” she whispered.

“You need to stay on bed rest for a while before I release you.”

“I have nowhere to go.” She stared up toward the ceiling. Tears spilled down the sides of her face.

“Klaya, I’m Ryker, Drew’s….”

“His enforcer, second in command, I know who you are. And Bastian Storm, the doctor, and the kid over there is Seth,” she scoffed.

His heart sank. “Kid?”

“Now we’re finished with the introductions, can you all leave me alone for a while?”

“Not yet.” He shook his head. “Who did this to you?”

19

“I don’t know who they are.” Tears filled her eyes.

The sweetness of her scent shifted. A peppery spike in her pheromones revealed her fear. The pulse behind his ears thrummed and the hair on the back of his neck spiked. He stepped closer to shield her from any more interrogation.

If Ryker picked up on the same cues he had, the enforcer didn’t show it. “Where were you when they attacked?”

Klaya’s chin quivered. “Our cabin in Keystone.”

“What happened to Griffith?” he persisted in his typical cold monotone.

“They shot him,” she barked.

Ryker nodded once. “That’s it?”

The cougar white-knuckled the cotton sheet draped over her and glowered at Ryker.

The rapid beating of her heart echoed in Seth’s ears.

“No, first they shot us with tranq darts. When we woke up, they had us chained up in some cellar and they tortured him.” She gritted her teeth. “They sliced my arm open and shoved something inside it.” She inspected her bandaged forearm. “Before they could do anything else to me, Griffith attacked them to give me a chance to escape. Even though he sacrificed himself, they still tracked me down in the forest. After they shot me, I can’t remember anything else.”

The enforcer remained silent.

Klaya snarled. “That’s it, there’s nothing else to tell.”

Another nod.

“Where’s Drew?” she demanded

“Busy.” Ryker headed for the door. With a wave, he motioned Bastian to follow.

Seth lingered on the spot, his heart aching for the pain and suffering she had endured.

“What do you want?” she barked at him.

His stomach churned under her spiteful glare. “Uh, nothing.”

“Stop flashing the pity eyes at me and leave me alone.” Her chin quivered.

“I’m not, I….” Her bitterness was justified, but her words stung.

“Seth, time to talk,” Ryker called from outside. “Allana will stay with her.”

Despite the need to remain, he complied with the enforcer’s command.

On his way out of the doctor’s office, Seth passed Bastian’s mate, Allana on her way 20

in. Seth chewed the inside of his lip with frustration. Despite the constant distraction of the unpleasant exchange with the cougar, he tried to shake off his incessant need to shelter her.

He joined the enforcer, Gee, and Rogue at the picnic table behind the bar building and settled on the squeaky wooden bench with weariness. “She’s gonna be a handful.”

“She’s hurt, scared, and in mourning. Being a little aggressive is a sign she hasn’t lost her fight.” Gee grinned.

“You think she will agree to the cave?” Rogue asked.

“She doesn’t have much choice. I imagine being hunted doesn’t hold much interest for her. She needs time to heal.” Seth traced his thumb over the condensation on his glass of cold water. The icy words from the mysterious redhead stilled weighed heavy on his mind. “Besides, if the tracer was still active when we brought her to the ranger station, it’s only a matter of time before they show up here. Hell, they could be here by morning.”

“The pack is ready for anyone who comes looking for trouble,” Gee piped up. “She’s healing fast, so the hike to the cave looks promising. We’ll grab what you need at the convenience store. If she can walk, I would say you should leave at first light.”

“There’s no cell phone service up there,” Ryker noted. “It’s only reachable on foot, and you’ll be out of touch.”

“We can handle it.”

Ryker nodded. “I’ll come up with Drew when we know it’s safe.”

“What are we supposed to do up there?” Rogue scrubbed his face. “She’s pissed. It’s gonna be hell.”

Not to mention the order to abstain from pursuing the voluptuous feline. I don’t know
if I have the strength to comply.
“Give her time. The last thing she should be right now is alone.” Seth nudged his brother’s shoulder. Despite the hostile glare and harsh words she shot him, a profound need to protect her festered inside his soul.

“She’s not a toy.” Ryker glared at them both.

“Got it.” Rogue shrugged. Seth side-eyed his brother when he heard the distinct grinding of his teeth. Was his older sibling was as taken by Klaya as he was?

“We know,” Seth conceded. “The last thing a grieving cougar on the run for her life would be interested in is hooking up with two younger guys, let alone wolves. We respect 21

the situation. You have my word.”

“Your word?” Ryker arched a single brow.

“Are you gonna hold that incident against us for the rest of our lives?” Rogue huffed.

“Which one?” Gee snickered.

“Oh, man,” Seth hissed. “Rogue, shut up.” His brother’s tendency to steer toward mischief and his own incessant need to follow had earned them a tarnished reputation no one in the pack forgot.

“It was only a few women…we were passing through town. We didn’t mean….” He paused, swallowed hard, and chugged his water.

“To piss their husbands off? I’m sure you didn’t.” Ryker’s cold tone speared Seth.

“No one got hurt,” Rogue fired back then slumped his shoulders.

“Shut up, dude.” Seth elbowed him in the ribs. Humiliation and anger enveloped him at his brother’s stupidity. Nobody debated with the enforcer.

“Right, because Sam Black needed to replace four tables, three windows, eight chairs, and about four hundred bucks worth of booze for his tavern.” Gee folded his arms with a smirk. “It had nothing to do with the bar brawl that ensued after you were caught upstairs in one of his rooms with all four of their wives, right? Or the fact Ryker had to haul himself to Crazy Horse to drag you both home?”

“Right.” Seth hung his head and gnashed his teeth. “Not another word, Rogue, or I’ll kill you myself.”

Gee always threw the lingering shame in their faces. It had been six months and Ryker hadn’t trusted them with a single task since—until now.
This is a chance to redeem
ourselves in the eyes of the pack, if we don’t fuck it up again.
Hooking up with the thirty-somethings in Crazy Horse was Rogue’s fine work, and Seth’s stupidity in following his big brother’s compulsive need for adventure. A fifth of rye hadn’t helped their common sense kick in either. The long scar from ten stitches on the back of Seth’s skull should serve as a continual reminder not to get caught up in Rogue’s playboy antics, but, as fate would have it, the one thing they didn’t mind sharing was women.

***

22

Clad in the jeans, T-shirt, and denim jacket Seth had dropped off for her, Klaya slipped on the hiking boots. The sting in her shoulder intensified as she reached to tighten the second lace. She eased her movements, not eager to repeat the dreadful pain when she’d fastened her bra. Exhaustion saturated her body and mind, to the point numbness had taken every inch of her hostage.

“So,” a deep gruff voice called out from the doorway of the doctor’s office. “I hear you’re stirring up all kinds of trouble, you little minx.”

Klaya’s throat grew thick at the familiar sound. “Gee?” She fought the sobs filling her chest and stood to greet her old friend. “Griffith’s…dead.” She shook her head as the words stabbed her heart.

Gee lumbered toward her. “I know. You’re safe now, girl. We’ve got you.” He wrapped his bulky arms around her and held her tight as she broke down.

“I couldn’t save him…the things they did to him….” Her head spun with grief and terror all at once.

“Hey, listen up,” he whispered. “The one thing he always wanted, was for you to be safe. I guarantee if he went down fighting, he wouldn’t have had it any other way. You’re here now. We’re not gonna let anything else happen to you.”

“Without him, I’m all alone, Gee. He was the only family I had left.”

“We’re your family now.” Gee was always a security blanket and comrade, as her brother had been. He knew more about her and Griffith than their own people did.

“Where’s Drew?” She sniffed back tears and eased out of his embrace.

“You can’t see him yet. Ryker notified him.”

“Have you come across any others of my Cytaana Clan since we saw you last? Is anyone left?” She searched his face for any sign of hope.

Gee let out a heavy sigh. “I’ve kept a low profile myself these past years, doll. I haven’t strayed far from the Black Hills. Although I haven’t heard of any of your clan, I wouldn’t rule them out. Survival is the Cytaana strength. Seclusion is their trait. Even if there are any, no one will know unless they seek them out.” He stepped back and met her gaze. “Is that what you want? To find your own people?”

Klaya paused. She had no clue what she wanted. “I left over twenty years ago….”

“Right now, the priority is to get you to safety.”

23

What he didn’t say told her more. The hunters might still be out there. The thought of the murderous bastards tightened her chest with terror. “I have to leave. I don’t want to put the pack at risk.”

“It’s okay. We have a plan.” He nodded with assurance. “Finish suiting up and we’ll head to the store for provisions.”

“Where am I going?” She shrugged and then cringed at the jolt through her traumatized muscles.

“There’s a special place, secluded, safe, and has everything you need to get past this.”

He flashed a grin. “Trust me, sweetheart. You will get through this.”

“You’re one of the few people in this pathetic world I do trust, Gee.” She tucked her chin down. “And Drew, and Griffith….”

“Hey, don’t give up. This place we’re sending you to is one I spent some time myself at a critical point in my life. I know it holds the elements you need to be surrounded by right now. It’s a perfect place to get your bearings while you work through this. Rogue and Seth may seem like an odd choice as protectors. They’re young and impulsive, but they can step up to the plate when needed. They’ll fight to the death to keep you safe.”

“I believe you, but I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”

“No one is going to die, not them, and certainly not you.”

“Tell me about these two who found me?” Curiosity beat out her need to be morose.

Gee let out a belly laugh before he gave the lowdown. “I give them a hard time, but the brothers are good guys. Rogue, the blond, is the dominant one and the town prankster.

He’s a little on the impulsive side, but a fierce protector. Seth, the dark-haired one, is the scholar and the follower, a good fighter, loyal and fearless.”

“Seth tried to be nice, but I was terrible toward him,” she confessed.

“One thing I can tell you about them is they are no strangers to grief and sorrow.”

24

The hike up the mountain had already taken almost two hours. All three carried jammed backpacks and a duffle bag. The boys had made sure she carried the lightest of the loads to ease her discomfort, but she’d insisted on fending for herself.

The brush was thick, the air crisp, and the conversation nonexistent. Klaya led the way, map in hand, and avoided as much interaction with the brothers as possible. Her body temperature ran hot. She had already tied her jacket to her waist, but her blood nearly boiled from the healing of her wounds.

Not far from their destination, she stopped on the stony ridge framing their path to scan the environment. It was glorious. An endless sea of green treetops topped by intricate rock formations overlooked a small river. She steadied herself to catch a better glimpse of the exquisite scenery. A quick glance over the side and her breath caught in her throat at the sheer drop from the ridge to the rocky water below. A wave of lightheadedness rushed over her, and she teetered on the edge of the rocks and lost her balance.

“Whoa,” the boys called in unison.

The heat of hands encased both her arms, pulling her to safety in mid-fall. A jolt of energy sent a sharp sting to her biceps.

“Ouch,” she snarled and tugged out of their grasp.

“Are you okay?” Seth asked.

“What the hell was that?” She stared at their hands.

“It’s the second time it happened.” The brown of his eyes intensified with his confusion.

“What do you mean the second time?”