A Handful of Wolf (18 page)

There was little of anything in the tree house, but she did a visual scan again, just in case she’d missed something. Two folding recliner garden chairs, a half full bottle of water, four dusty cushions, a pile of ancient, once-glossy magazines, now with faded covers and curled pages. A dried out ballpoint pen and the remaining pages from a long-ago notebook.

If she were Angelina Jolie and this were an action movie, she’d manufacture a trap out of the folding chairs, or just punch the dog on the nose and run away. However…she eyed the chairs again. If she stripped off the cushions, could she use one like a lion tamer would? A mechanism for keeping the beast at a safe distance? Anything would be better than sitting here totally useless. It had to be worth a try.

* * * *

Sasha couldn’t tell Phillip the truth: Megan had been taken by a psychotic rogue wolf with some hidden agenda against his pack Alpha. “There isn’t time to explain. I’m being threatened by this guy, and he’s taken Megan to get at me. I don’t know what he wants, or what he plans to do, but he’s trouble.”

“Have you called the police?”

“No. I took his call a couple of minutes ago, then came straight here.” Phillip looked to be dialing on his phone and Sasha lifted a hand to stop him. “Before you call them, and we have a million questions that we can’t answer, let’s try and find her first. You know her work number, I guess, and you can ring her brothers.”

Suspicion and distrust flashed across Phillip’s face, but he tapped the keypad of his phone. “I’ll put it on speaker.” He rang a series of numbers: her office, her brothers, her father, her friends Lou and Nessa. If they didn’t answer, he left a terse message. Her work colleague told them she’d gone home feeling unwell and that seemed to be the last sighting. Sasha’s stomach churned with every minute that passed. Finally Megan’s brother Alex answered.

“Yeah, she came home at lunchtime, said she had a migraine. What’s up?”

Sasha grabbed the phone. “Is she there now? Have you seen her?”

Alex made a surprised noise. “Who is this?”

“It’s Sasha, I’m with Phillip. Please tell me, is she there now? This is important.”

Phillip joined in. “We think she’s been kidnapped. There’s no time to lose, man.”

“I’ll go check her bedroom.” They heard the sound of running footsteps and doors banging, and Alex shouting her name. “She’s not here. Let me go see if her car’s there.” This time he fired questions at them as he ran outside. Who’d taken her? Why? What had Sasha got to do with it? Did they want money? Was it to do with their father? Where was Phillip now?

Sasha’s head spun at the torrent and he was unable to speak. In his head he worked out how long she’d been missing. Over an hour. “Her car isn’t in its usual spot.” Alex sounded out of breath.

She could be anywhere.

The rogue wolf’s words dug into his brain, horrific images flooding his head. Megan not understanding why they’d taken her. Megan being hurt by the shifters. Megan frightened and alone somewhere. Her body still and lifeless.

All. His. Fault.

Megan stripped the faded and dusty cushions away from the chair frame and then checked the wood to make sure it still looked sturdy. It felt solid enough and so she picked it up and played around with the balance of it. Holding the seat felt safest, with the chair legs sticking out. Would it work? Or, would she end up turning into a wolf-look-a-like chew-toy? At least she wore jeans and flat shoes. She’d run away at the earliest opportunity.

She sat on the edge of the platform, ready to climb down the short ladder, and stared down at the dog. “It’s just an overgrown mutt.” She spoke aloud, the sound of her voice making her feel less alone.

The dog growled in reply.

You can do this, Megan. Wave the chair at it and it’ll keep a safe distance.
The alternative was sitting in the tree house for hours. She inched closer to the ladder and the dog growled louder. Its teeth looked obscenely vicious. With the size of its jaws, it could easily break her arm, as well as shred her. Stop thinking what
could
happen. Her pulse kicked up a notch.
Here goes
.

With one arm looped through the chair frame, she used her free hand to hold the ladder and dropped to the ground from a couple of steps up. She landed lightly and immediately repositioned the chair, just as the dog hurled itself at her.

Fuck
. The animal smashed into the chair legs and she heard them crack, the force shoving her back and nearly knocking her over. She squealed and clung tightly to the chair. The dog rammed into it again and she heard another crack. Her hands were slippery on the wood and her knees were shaking, and now she was stuck. It’d pushed her away from the ladder and she couldn’t climb back up to safety.

Whatever made her think this was a good idea? Adrenaline surged and she tried to swing the chair remains in the dog’s face. Hit the fucker, you can do it. Terror made her clumsy and the movement was wild and uncoordinated. The dog flew at her again and this time, the legs sheared off. All that stood between her and the crazy dog was a chair seat. Tears blurred her vision and she stumbled from the force of its lunge.

One last thing to try. Her breath whistled in her lungs as she tried to get her balance. She’d throw the last piece in its face and then leap for the ladder. Please God, let this work. She was too young to die.

*

Phillip was in agreement they head out to Churton Park and start the search from there, and they set off in his car. Sasha didn’t know much about cars, but this one was flashy and fast, and Phillip didn’t waste any time. “You’re going to tell me the truth of what’s going on.” He gave Sasha a savage look. “If not now, then later.”

“Of course,” he lied. Sasha could have retorted that he’d just been fired for something he didn’t do, and where was the truth in that, but it was a waste of energy. He could do without the petty distractions. Connor rang him at that moment anyway, wanting an update.

“Megan was last seen at home, around an hour ago. Her friend is coming with me and we’re starting the search there. It’s Churton Park, can you spare anyone?” He wanted more wolves with their keen sense of smell and excellent hunting skills.

“Heading there now. He needs to be dealt with and I’m bringing my enforcers. Give me the address, we’re about ten minutes away.” Enforcers? Sasha had no idea what role they played in Connor’s pack, but they sounded lethal. He gave the address, as relayed by Phillip. “The politician’s place?” Connor sounded shocked. “You’re playing in some risky circles, choosing such a high profile Mate.”

Sasha refused to get into
that
conversation. He watched the trees and roads flying by and shortly after, they parked outside her house. Alex ran to meet them. “We’ve found her car, it was here after all, tucked away behind the garage. Out of sight. Either she went somewhere on foot or in another vehicle. I rang the Police and they’re on the way.”

“Where might she have gone?” Phillip threw the question at nobody in particular.

She’d gone home sick, but what if she was just confused and stressed? Might she have retreated to her bolt hole, the tree house? It was a large estate and there were plenty of other places she might have been going, if she was even here at all. The rogue wolf could have taken her in a car and they’d have no way to track it.

Something told Sasha she was here. Whether it was the Mating bond or some other connection he couldn’t explain, he
knew
she was close by and he burned to find her. She was in danger. She needed him.

Alex and his father headed toward the back of the property, matching shotguns in hand, while Sasha led Phillip to the tree house. Even before they could see it, he heard the menacing roar of an angry wolf and he smelled her unique scent on the air currents. Caramel spice overlaid with the acrid tang of fear…and fresh blood.

*

Time seemed to slow down for Megan. She had enough time to steady her grip on the tattered remains of the chair and to decide the perfect moment to hurl it at the dog in the fraction of a second before it would drag her to the ground. It roared, blue eyes glowing in the dark face and for a moment she thought of Sasha, imagined he was there with her. Her arms ached from the strain of fending off the beast, and somewhere along the way she’d ripped a gash in her left hand. Blood flowed easily from her palm yet she couldn’t feel it. Every atom of her was focused on the dog.
Sure it’s not a wolf
? Saliva dripped from its mouth and the lips curled back even further, sharper teeth exposed.

Now or never
. Megan swung the chair to her side to get some momentum and then hurled it at the animal’s head.

Not quite a direct hit, it bounced off the side of its face and it yelped, surprised.
Go
, she commanded her wobbly legs and she lurched toward the ladder. Only two steps away, but it could have been a mile. She had one hand on the ladder when the bastard caught her. With a furious roaring noise, the dog slammed into her, knocking her to the ground, face first. Every drop of air whooshed from her lungs and pain ricocheted down her back along with a heavy weight that pressed on her shoulders.

The dog stood on her, pinning her to the ground. Hot breath panted on her neck and she screamed. Panic took hold. She had to get free, had to keep moving. “Get off me,” she wailed, the words punctuated and rasping, every breath an effort.

She saw a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head, frantic for help. Please someone come before this thing ripped her to pieces. So far, it just held her down and snarled, but it was only a matter of time.

That was definitely someone coming through the trees at speed. The dog paused for a second and her heart lifted. It was help, she knew it.

Dear God, it was anything, but help. Another beast ran toward her, its legs a blur. This one snarled and roared as it ran, a deadly look in its blue eyes. This was it, she was dead meat. Chew toy for two wolves—she’d given up calling them dogs—and nothing she could do. Tears skated down her cheeks and she tried to hold her arms over her head. She couldn’t watch this.

*

Sasha didn’t allow himself to think. He toed off his sneakers as he ran, ripped the T-shirt over his head and then shucked his jeans, all in the space of three steps. He’d already raced ahead of Phillip, but there was still a chance he might be seen as he shifted. He couldn’t wait. In wolf form, he gathered speed, his beast an explosive ball of rage and protectiveness.

Megan thrashed and sobbed on the ground, a massive wolf standing over her, its teeth gripping her shirt. This wasn’t the rogue wolf, but Sasha recognized the scent as one of its companions.
How dare they?
He howled his fury as he blasted into the clearing. The other wolf was larger and heavier, but Sasha didn’t care. That was his Mate lying there, defenseless and under attack. He let his wolf take control and went for blood.

*

Another weight smashed into Megan, the impact rolling her over. It took a fraught and breathless moment to realize she was free. The two wolves were fighting each other. Her heart rattled against her ribs and she sucked in a labored breath as she took in the scene. The second wolf, smaller and lighter colored—just like Dream-Sasha—snapped and lunged at the larger one, circling it and pulling it away from her.

Move
, yelled her brain and she tried to follow the command. Every part of her body ached and she couldn’t draw enough air into her lungs.
Fucking move
, she shouted to herself and slowly, pushed to her knees.
Don’t be so weak now, Megan. While they fight over you, get the fuck to safety.

The larger wolf closed massive jaws around the smaller one’s throat and she saw blood spurt, but then it wriggled free and bit back. It was like something from a nightmare. Two snarling, howling beasts, both dripping blood, crashing into each other in a deadly tangle of fur and claws and teeth.

She managed to stand, light-headed and shaking. Did she go for the ladder and get stuck in the tree house again?
Run, Cariad
. She shook her head. It sounded like Sasha’s voice in her mind. Her legs trembled so much, running would be difficult, but she’d give it a go. The smaller wolf yelped from another bite and twisted free, to hammer into the larger one again. A black stone flashed on a length of knotted cord. She blinked. The smaller one looked to be wearing a necklace. She was imagining it. Megan rubbed her eyes, hauled in a breath and staggered in the direction of the road.

*

Sasha dodged the snapping jaws again. He was tiring and knew he’d taken a bite to his hind leg, but he wasn’t giving an inch. Megan was on her feet at last, tears smudging wet trails down her cheeks and unsteady as hell, but she was moving. He taunted the older wolf again, feinting left and right before hurling himself at its throat.

“Megan,
Megan
.” Phillip’s voice rang through the trees and Sasha breathed deep. With luck, the other wolf would be distracted and he could take the killing bite. His opponent wasn’t a raw youth though, and kept his eyes on Sasha, swiping again and again for his weaker leg. Any minute now and he’d see the man approaching and slip up, giving Sasha a shot at winning. He circled to the left, drawing him further away from Megan.

A shadow in his peripheral vision had to be Phillip.
For fuck’s sake, help Megan
. What was he doing? Pain rocketed through him from his head, down his spine and pelvis and sending his legs from under him.

“
Keep away from her
.” Sasha looked up to see Phillip brandishing a tree branch, one he’d just taken the brunt of. He drew in a painful breath and scrambled to his feet, awkward and unbalanced. His ears were ringing and the other bastard wolf looked set to take advantage. Over the buzzing in his head, he dimly recognized that Phillip was yelling to Megan. “Sasha was here a minute ago. Don’t know where the fucker went. I think the dogs scared him off.” If he weren’t in so much pain and about to have his throat ripped out, he’d laugh at the irony. As it was, he forced himself to square up to the other wolf and snarl his anger.
Come on then, bring it on
.