Coveted (25 page)

As her eyes adjusted,
what she had assumed was a wolf was actually a young man strapped to a hospital
bed. His beast stared at her boldly. She knew those eyes, recognized his older
brother in them.

She hurried forward, dismayed
to see the kid was so young. His eyes widened at her approach. A strap of
leather was stretched across his mouth, biting cruelly into his flesh. He
rocked back and forth, trying to break free, but remained stuck like an insect
pinned in a science experiment.

“You must be Shawn.”
The kid immediately stilled. “You have one very determined brother. He never
stopped searching for you.” What she had assumed was an IV was actually a bag
of blood.

They were draining
him.

She yanked out the
needle, wincing when a trickle of blood dribbled from the wound. “Sorry.”

Her fingers, still
stiff from the cold, fumbled with the metal re-enforced leather straps at his
wrist. His fingers clenched and unclenched, anger radiating from him like a
furnace. She’d just gotten the first loop undone when a light flicked on in the
room.

“What the hell are
you doing?”

Shayla whirled at the
clip British accent. Temporarily blinded by the light, it took a second before
her eyes finally focused on the stunning woman in the entryway. This had to be
the woman who had lured Aiden and countless other wolves to their doom. The
type of woman Aiden normally dated…tall, model-skinny, and gorgeous.

The complete opposite
of Shayla.

“Nora, I presume?” Her
temper threatened to snap. For tempting Aiden. For betraying and imprisoning
these people, and abandoned them here to be murdered.

By the time Shayla
could see without spots, Nora had slipped a cattle prod off the wall and
sauntered toward her, electricity sparking between the prongs.

“And you must be the
stupid cow who hurt Jacob. You’re going to pay for ruining his face.”

Shayla heard the man
on the table moving. All she had to do was buy some time, two against one and
all that. “Can’t bear to have him touch you anymore?” Shayla shuddered, not all
of it fake. “Just trying to get his face to match the ugliness inside him.”

Shayla retreated a
step, battling the instinctive need to reach behind her for the knife. It would
do her no good against a human, especially if Shayla couldn’t get near enough
to use the darn thing.

When Nora jabbed the
weapon forward, Shayla lunged for it.

And nearly got
stabbed for her trouble. This wasn’t the first time the woman had used the cattle
prod. The gleam of malice in her eyes spoke volumes. She enjoyed inflicting
pain. Being in charge.

Shayla leapt out of
the way of the next thrust, her hip crashing into the IV cart. The whole side
of her body stung at the impact. She snatched up the three blood-filled bags
and tossed them at the woman one at a time.

Nora’s eyes widened
in alarm, and she dropped her weapon to catch them. She managed the first, but
the second smacked her in the chest, slid through her arms and crashed to the
floor. Blood splattered everywhere. The third bag followed the second, the
thick blood spread across the floor like a living thing.

Nora gave an enraged
howl and glared at Shayla. “You idiot. Do you know how much you just cost us?”
Her teeth flashed, more of a grimace as she smiled. “I’m going to enjoy feeding
you to the pets.”

A snarl rose from the
other side of the room. Nora whipped around to see that the boy had almost
freed himself. He frantically jerked on the last strap imprisoning his leg. Fear
tinged her expression for the first time. Instead of following through on her
threat, she sprinted for the door, skidding on the blood, crashing to her knee before
she caught her balance and ran.

Shayla debated
helping the kid, but took off after Nora instead. She couldn’t be allowed to
sound the alarm. By the time Shayla sprinted into the hall, the woman had a
good head start. Though Nora might be able to move, Shayla’s extra pounds were
all muscle. She caught up in no time. Without giving herself time to think, she
hurled herself forward, barreling into Nora’s scrawny back. The momentum
slammed the other woman into the wall with a sickening crunch. Shayla wasn’t
able to slow in time and collided with Nora a second time.

The impact rocked
through Shayla, and they both thudded to the floor. She lay stunned, her lungs
trying to figure out how to work again. She shoved a bony leg off her back and
pushed up into a sitting position, rubbed her stinging mouth with the back of
her hand and winced when she saw the smear of blood.

Split lip.

All the excitement
made her fingers shake, and she used her foot to nudge Nora. The bitch didn’t
move. Vindictive pleasure at breaking Nora’s pretty face helped ease the pain.

By the time Shayla
could look up without her stomach crawling up her throat, the young man stood
in the hall, wolf eyes still blazing from his human face.

Though dangerously
pale, he cautiously made his way toward her, sniffing her scent, all gangly
arms and legs. Shayla smiled, but ruined it when her lip cracked and fresh
blood welled. “I don’t suppose you know where the key is located?”

The boy held out a
hand.

Shayla hesitated,
then accepted his offer. He pulled her upright with more strength than she’d
expected and she crashed into him. They both staggered, clutching each other to
remain upright. When she would’ve stepped back, he tightened the grip on her
arm and tugged, pulling her back the way she’d came.

Shayla resisted, dug
in her feet, but couldn’t gain any traction. “That’s the wrong way. I need to
get the key.”

The boy didn’t even
look back, hauling her behind him. “We have to leave here. You can’t be
caught.”

The words were
garbled as he tried to talk around some very pronounced canine teeth. Blood
trickled from his lips. He reached up to touch his mouth, but dropped his
hands, angling his face away from her.

She hadn’t realized
how traumatizing it could be to be turned. When he noticed her stare, he ducked
his head as if ashamed.

“Monster.” His voice
cracked on the world.

Shayla’s heart broke.
Aiden said kids didn’t change until puberty. He was caught between human and
wolf. The pain had to be excruciating. She tugged on his hand, not flinching as
his wolf peered up at her.

Praying she knew what
the hell she was doing, Shayla touched the necklace. The shadowy shape of his
wolf materialized next to him, barely discernable in the tunnel. He was painfully
skinny, scruffy and fading, nothing more than a young pup compared to Aiden’s
beast. If she hadn’t rescued him, she had no doubt neither of them would be
alive right now. “Not a monster, but a long line of ancient warriors. Right
now, you’re going through your first transition. It’s painful and terrifying
but very normal.”

Shayla could tell he
was listening, even his wolf stopped pacing, and a fragile hope gleamed in his
eyes. “Really?”

The necklace warmed
under her touch. “There are very few of you left. I know someone who can help
you gain control and train you. I’m not afraid, and you shouldn’t be either.”

“Then you’re an utter
fool.” They both whirled at the voice. The boy cowered, his shoulders hunching,
his body curling up to protect itself. A rumble spilled from his parted lips,
turning into a pained whimper as he trembled. He tugged on her hand, trying to
pull her behind him, determined to protect her in spite of his terror.

Shayla squeezed his
hand and planted her feet. She refused to let anyone harm him. Not while she
could still fight.

A man sauntered out
of the darkness. He looked at the woman on the ground, then casually stepped
over her without a second glance. When he lifted his head, Shayla barely recognized
him as the man who’d taken such pleasure in torturing Aiden.

“You.”

The difference in the
man was shocking. His once-pristine appearance resembled a character from a
zombie flick. Stained clothes hung on him. The stench of sweat lingered like a
toxic cloud, stinging her nose with its potency. The glitter in his eyes warned
he’d stopped caring about anything but revenge.

Four prominent
slashes marred his face. The smile he gave her wasn’t pleasant, twisting the
scars on his cheek until the wounds Aiden had inflicted gaped open despite the
Frankenstein stitching. “You and I have things to discuss.”

He ran a finger down
the ruined side of his face, his eyes almost feverish. “Where is your wolf
man?”

Fear for Aiden rocketed
through her. She’d been a fool for running off by herself. She had wanted to
help, but instead had given this maniac the perfect bait. Shayla cast about for
something she could use as a distraction, something to give them time to run.
That’s when he produced a key. It was tied to a string. Even as she watched, he
wrapped it around his hand and dangled it in front of her. “Looking for
something?”

Trapped.

Tension melted out of
her. She wasn’t going anywhere without that key, and if his relaxed posture was
any indication, he knew it, too. She had to get the kid out of there. She had
surprise on her side. Doing the unexpected was her best weapon. “What do you
want?”

“Why, you, of
course.” His grin was not nice.

She turned toward
Shawn and smiled. His eyes widened, and he shook his head as if he knew what
she had planned.

“Wait until I tell
you to move. Do you understand?”

Without giving
herself a chance to hesitate, Shayla threw herself at Jacob. She had no way to
defeat him, so she had to use underhanded tricks. Right before impact, she
dropped and slammed into his stomach with her full weight behind the blow.

Air swooshed out of
them both. As he struggled to pin her, Shayla pulled the knife from her
waistband, and slashed at his hand.

The key dropped to
the floor with a ping.

Shayla lunged for it,
only to be tackled from behind. Refusing to give up, she clawed forward until
cool metal met her fingertips. She shoved the key toward Shawn, watching it
skim the ground. “Run!”

Reflexes took over.
Shawn bent, the movement a blur, catching the key without fumbling. He clutched
the metal in his fist, surprise widening his eyes. When he looked up at her,
his body tensed as he debated joining the fight.

A new fear took root,
and Shayla frantically shook her head. “Move your ass. That’s an order.”

Power flowed out of
her and hit Shawn directly in the chest. He took a tiny step back, reluctant,
but unable to disobey. Then he turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Shayla was hauled
backwards. Twisting, she brought up the knife again. She’d never expected to
use the weapon on a human, but felt no remorse. Jacob deserved to be carved up
and so much more.

But the blow never
landed.

He knocked her hand
away, slamming it against the stone floor. Her knuckles split open. Her fingers
grew numb, and her hold loosened. She watched, helpless, as the knife spun
beyond her reach. Rage twisted Jacob’s face, and he slowly wrapped his hands
around her throat.

She kicked, but her
legs weren’t able to budge his weight. Fighting only made his fingers clamp
down harder until breathing became impossible. Black spots danced in her
vision. Shayla raked her nails against his fingers, then forced herself to stop.
It wasn’t helping. Then she remembered her brother’s words about kicking
someone when they’re down…aim for where it hurts. She bent her arm, and rammed
her elbow into the injured side of his face.

They both grunted at
the impact.

Stiches popped and
blood ran down his face.

“You’re going to pay
for that.” Warm breath brushed her face as he whispered into her ear. He picked
her up and slammed her down, her head smacking stone. Her vision dimmed. Her
arms were suddenly useless. As Shayla struggled to remain conscious, she felt
arms wrapped around her from behind. Then she was being dragged. Her arms and
legs dangled uselessly. She wanted to fight back, but her mind was too sluggish
to form a plan of attack.

“We can’t allow the
beastman to find you too quickly.” The grip on her ribs tightened cruelly,
squeezing the last of the air from her starved lungs. “He has to suffer first.”

 Chapter Twenty-six

A
iden was stilling
breathing heavily, observing Lassie as he bent and checked on his men. The
young wolf was close to going feral over the loss of his brother, but he was
holding it together for now.

They needed to get
out of there as quickly as possible before he lost it altogether. The prisoners
were all in one place, a blessing in disguise. It made escape far easier. They
separated him so he couldn’t incite the others.

Clever.

They understood wolf
mentality too well.

Aiden slowly became
aware of the silence behind him. Emptiness hovered in the air, and a hollow
feeling of dread slithered around him like a coiled snake as it slowly
tightened. Aiden spun, already knowing that Shayla would be gone.

The damned little
fool went to find the keys.

She’d stolen away like
a thief while he’d been unable to stop her.

Anxiety skittered
over his flesh like thousands of spiders. It was his fault. He should’ve never
allowed her to help.

“Shayla!” Her name
was a bellowed demand, as if she’d magically appear if he wished it hard enough.

Everyone stopped
moving. Stopped talking. A few wolves cowered, while others perked up, as if
her name was a battle call.

His wolf carved up
his insides, challenging him for control. Aiden almost gave into the fear, the
craving to hunt and kill anything that got in the way of finding Shayla, but
that way lead to danger. Ironically, the drugs that weakened his wolf were
probably the only thing that allowed him to remain human.

If he turned wolf, he’d
be able to track Shayla, but the wolfsbane would eventually incapacitating him.
It already swam in his bloodstream. It was only a matter of time before he
succumbed.

The two sides of his
soul battled, and he struggled for balance. He needed both or they’d lose Shayla
forever. His wolf huffed in agreement and stopped fighting.

A thick cloak of rage
from the beast nearly smothered him. Instead of shaking it off, Aiden welcomed
its embraced.

He needed every
advantage if he was going to track Shayla.

But he had an edge
going for him…months in prison had given him a tolerance for the drug.

He’d eventually fall
prey to it, but not until Shayla was safe and once more in his arms.

The near-silent slap
of feet caught his attention. He wouldn’t have heard it if he hadn’t been
listening for her. Aiden signaled his men, and they scattered in an instant,
hiding themselves among the other wolves.

Aiden put his back
against the wall, his arms and chest bulking up, readying for battle.

A shadow darted
forward. Instinct took over and Aiden’s arm shot out, his nails grazing the
small form, the little piss-ant nearly too quick to grab. He hefted the slight
weight off the floor. Dark amusement brought a smile to his face when the kid’s
feet continued to run as if unaware he was no longer going anywhere. Aiden
shook him until his legs stopped moving.

He listened for a few
more seconds but heard nothing beyond the panicked breathing of his quarry. He
hauled the little fellow closer, the fast tempo of his heart making his beast
ache to sink his fangs into the delicate flesh. “You’re going to tell me
everything you know about this place.”

Before he could
finish his threat, a small fist came at him. Aiden didn’t move. But instead of
striking him, the blow landed just short of hitting him. The arm trembled but
didn’t lower.

Aiden barely
registered that the kid was wolf when his focus dropped to the dull piece of
metal fisted in his small hand.

“She told me to give
this to you.” The voice rose barely above a rough whisper.

Unable to prevent it,
Aiden’s hold tightened. The boy gave an alarmed squeak then went limp like a
young pup.

“Shawn?”

Lassie shoved
forward, and ripped the boy from Aiden’s grip. The kid gave a muffled sob seconds
before being engulfed in his brother’s arms. Aiden turned and watched the
tunnel until his eyes dried out then stared some more, afraid to blink lest he’d
miss Shayla’s lush form.

And was greeted by a barricade
of all-consuming blackness.

It felt like losing
her all over again.

He wanted to howl
with the pain. His skin itched with the drive to hunt when he turned to face
the kid. Though he wanted to give the brothers more time, the longer they
waited, the less he’d be able to contain his wolf. “Where is she?”

The boy retreated,
shoulders stooped, his frame too sparse to provide the calories needed to fuel
his new body. “She made me go. I tried to argue, but she told me to run.”

Aiden could sympathize.
Shayla was a force to be reckoned with. “Why didn’t she follow?”

“He took her. The man
with the scars on the face. She insisted that you needed the key, and
sacrificed herself to get it.”

Aiden closed his
eyes, engulfed by fury. That bastard had dared to touch her. His hands fisted
tight, his claws piercing his palms as he battled the change, wanting nothing
more than to rampage and tear this place apart.

“Aiden?”

He slowly lifted his head
to see Lassie stand in front of him, though smart enough to keep his distance.

“We need the key.
With all of us searching, we’ll get her back that much faster.”

Aiden looked down and
slowly uncurled his hands. Blood pooled in his palm. The cast iron key was tacky
with his blood, a slight bend in the metal where he’d gripped it.

Aiden tossed it to
Lassie. “I’m not waiting. Get everyone you can out of here and back to the
castle.” Power from his wolf swelled over him, hair sprouted along his body.
Bones cracked, muscles stretched and pulled, bulking him up into his two-legged
wolf. The process took only a few minutes, age and strength granting him the
ability to change faster than the more excruciating ten minutes it took for
others.

Lassie stepped back, barely
able to stand his ground. Without once taking his attention from Aiden, Lassie
bent and unlocked the first prisoner.

“Those of you who are
able, follow the bodies.” Aiden’s command was no more than a growl, but every
wolf straightened to attention.

“I can show you where
he grabbed her.” The timid offer caught Aiden by surprise. The young boy stood
quaking before him. Despite the stink of fear rising from his skin, the boy showed
courage. Aiden opened his mouth to let him down gently when the kid rushed to
speak.

“There are miles of
tunnels. I can get you to the spot where I’d seen her last.”

Aiden took a deep
breath, unwilling to waste any more time. “Are you able to keep up?”

Pride had the boy
standing straighter, and he nodded once. “I’ve been here the longest. I know
the way to the draining tanks.”

“Lead the way.”

They ran. The boy
stumbled a few times but plowed ahead. Aiden had to give him points for
resilience.

The click and scrape
of nails on stone reached his ears. His wolves were following, but Aiden didn’t
have time to wait for them to catch up. The hurried, frantic sounds of people scurrying
about echoed from a room a few yards down the corridor. He snagged the back of
the kid’s shirt before he could give away their location and yanked his scrawny
butt behind him and out of danger.

He eased forward,
clinging to the shadows. He dipped his head, taking a three-second glance through
the open door way before pulling back. No sign of Shayla. The room was a hive
of activity, people collecting vials that looked similar to EpiPens. Well-armed
guards stood watch over them.

Too many people to
take all at once.

He hated that he
didn’t have time to stop them from moving the product, but Shayla was his first
priority. That didn’t mean they would escape without justice. Wolves filled the
halls behind him, slinking into view, all silent and lethal, and hungry for vengeance.

Aiden gave a signal
and watched as a stream of wolves launched themselves into the room. Shots rang
out, screams of unholy terror echoed in the tunnels, followed by vicious
snarls. He crouched, shaking against the need to join the fight and break a few
bones.

He took a step to
continue his hunt when two humans careened out of the room. Aiden stuck out his
arm and clotheslined them. They flipped, landed hard with a crack of skulls
against stone, and didn’t move. Vials scattered and rolled across the floor.
Glass crunched as Aiden proceeded down the hall.

“Where?” There was no
response. Aiden glanced over his shoulders.

The boy panted, his eyes
dilated, seconds away from being claimed by bloodlust. Aiden returned to where
the kid stood frozen and hauled him away from the battle. “Where?”

The kid gave himself
a full body shake as if waking from a trance. “She was just up ahead, past the
pit.”

Something about his
tone put Aiden’s hackles up. “Pit?”

Shawn didn’t look at
him, his steps quickening as he nodded toward the shadowy room in question.
“Where they put the bodies when they’re done with them.”

Aiden stopped dead,
unable to suppress the fear that Shayla could be lying in that pit.

He had to know.

The beast rose to the
surface, strangely subdued. Aiden scanned the pit quickly, ready to leap in to
rescue Shayla. It took a full minute to convince himself she wasn’t there,
relief nearly dropping him to his knees when he didn’t see her bright blonde
hair among the bodies.

Corpses were tangled
together, limbs twisted and broken. Bile rose in his throat as he was
confronted with just how badly he’d failed his people. With so few of his kind
left, each loss was a blow.

Aiden vowed that he
wouldn’t fail Shayla, too.

He backed out of the
room, his sense of urgency increasing. The longer she was gone, the less likely
he was to get her back.

“The last place I saw
her was down here.”

Aiden followed the kid.
There was nothing more he could do to help the people in that pit but catch the
man responsible.

Aiden rounded the
corner to see a woman crumpled across the ground. For a heart-stopping second, Aiden’s
life imploded.

His wolf went a
little feral, seconds away from spilling out of his skin when the details
filtered in his brain.

Tall, scrawny, her
tangled, mud-colored hair nearly blending into the background.

Nora.

A snarl of outrage
curled his lips, and he strode forward, taking in the scene at a glance.

There were signs of a
scuffle.

Shayla had fought
back.

A couple droplets of
blood cracked a small fissure in his heart, but one thing kept him sane. No one
would lug around a dead body. She was alive. He just had to find her.

Aiden shoved Nora’s
shoulder with his foot until she flopped onto her back. Blood smudged her face,
matted her hair. Her face was already swollen, making her nearly
unrecognizable. He slapped her twice, but she remained stubbornly unconscious.

They were wasting
time.

“Grab me one of those
vials.”

The kid bolted down
the tunnel and appeared in seconds, a vial in his hand.

Aiden took the single
dose of the drug that started this all and slammed the end into Nora’s thigh.
She gasped for air, her body bowing upward as the drug sped through her system.
The swelling immediately shrank, small cuts healed. When her eyes snapped open,
recognition sparked in her eyes, and she scurried backwards. He missed seeing
the knife until she lunged for it. She whirled, swinging the blade wildly in front
of her. “Stay away.”

She lunged toward
Shawn and brought a weapon up to his throat.

The boy froze.

“Where is she?”

Nora shook her head
and gave a triumphant smile. “That’s not how this works. I want free passage
topside. Once I arrive unharmed, the boy will go free.