Mark of the Wolf (6 page)

“
I should go home and see if my dad is
there,” she said quietly. The thought of her father suddenly
terrified her. Would he punish her for what had happened last
night? A sane, logical person would say no – but she knew the kind
of man he was. He didn’t need a reason to beat her, and having the
house half destroyed was more than reason enough, even if it wasn’t
her fault. He would probably blame his debt on her too, since she
had refused to be kidnapped.

“
It might still be dangerous,” Gareth
said.

“
But if you drive me, then I won’t be
alone,” she said quietly, unsure of what his response might be.
“Just drop me off long enough to see if he’s home… and if
not….”

“
Then you should grab your things and
come to my place,” he said, his face unreadable.

A thrill of excitement ran through her at his
words, though it was accompanied by nervousness and a stab of
sexual awareness that left her hot and aching. It scared her to
think of what she might do if she spent the night at his place; how
far she might go if he pushed her. She wanted to see for herself —
wanted to test the boundaries.

“
Alright,” she finally
agreed.

He leaned forward again. Her breath caught
and she tensed, readying herself for another kiss, her lips already
buzzing with anticipation – but he just reached across and opened
up her door, his long, tan arm flexing, brushing tantalizingly
against her nipples. She sucked in a breath and held it. Had he
done that on purpose?

Then the door was open, and there was nothing
left to do but get out.

“
I’ll see you later, then,” she said
awkwardly, once she was standing on the sidewalk. She shuffled her
feet, hovering, unsure of what to do. There should be something
more to say to the man who had just kissed her three times. “Three
o’clock, right? Same place?”

He was looking at her through the car door.
He motioned briefly with his hand, and she leaned down, once again
feeling that surge of excitement, wondering what he would do next.
Maybe a goodbye kiss was in order after all? She was horrified to
discover that she really, really, really wanted one.

But he just reached up and pinched her chin
lightly, that teasing smile back in place. “Beautiful eyes,” he
said. Then he released her, gave a small wave, and she took the
hint. She shut the door, her heart pounding.

She watched him drive away. She didn’t want
to seem desperate, but she couldn’t stop looking after his car,
even after it had turned around the corner and disappeared from
sight. He was gone, at least for now… and she felt like a part of
her had left with him.

Then she turned back to the tall,
intimidating stone buildings of her school. The bell rang, and she
knew students would begin pouring out into the halls, most likely
on their way to lunch. She sighed. Time to tell everyone that she
was still alive, and explain her head wound, for that matter… and
then fail her math test. She couldn’t wait.

Her feet dragging, she headed for the front
gates.

* * * *

He watched her out of his rear-view
mirror.

His erection was so hard, it was painful. Her
smell, her voice, the way she kept talking and just wouldn’t be
quiet – he loved it. And her arousal. It was obvious by her lazy
movements, the tremor in her voice, but even more so by the way she
couldn’t stop looking at him. Of course, she was his lifemate; he
could feel the arousal coursing through her blood, and it only
turned him on more. He was trying to go slow, to give her something
of romance before he had to claim her, and it was driving him nuts.
He loved spending the energy on her, but his own body had its
demands, and right now his cock was so painfully hard that he
either had to rub one off or piss on the ceiling.

Thank god she was innocent, otherwise the erection would
have been impossible to miss. And he liked that about her – he
liked
everything
about her. Never been touched. Never been kissed.
His.
He had been with
enough women to know how to treat her, to understand what a woman
wanted, to enjoy the attachment that followed sex. He couldn't
imagine sharing her with some clumsy, idiot boy. Wolves did not
tolerate competition.

But one thing did make him frown. It was her
fear – the fear he had sensed on her that morning, which had stayed
with her throughout the day to varying degrees, and then had
suddenly increased at the mention of her father. He knew there was
something wrong with her family; he knew because that was how he
always found her, terrified and crying, sometimes bruised, hiding
in the forest. But up to this point he had forced himself to stay
uninvolved; he was a stranger, a lone wolf, it wasn't his business.
But he had worried about her before, and he worried about her now.
She was scared of her father, and if the man did to her what he was
beginning to suspect, he would have to stop him. Knowing his animal
nature, he would probably eat the bastard alive.

She flinched a lot. It bothered him. There
was only one reason why a girl would flinch like that.

He checked the clock and let out a soft
curse. Late for work. Not so important, since he owned the garage
he worked at, but lost time meant lost money, and in a human world,
money was all important. He hit the gas, speeding to the other side
of Black River where his car garage was located, already ticking
off the list of things he had to do today. He could be finished in
time to pick her up, and besides, business was usually slow in this
small town. Nothing to worry about.

He rubbed his pants in annoyance and growled,
a feral sound that issued low in his throat. Soon, he promised
himself. He had Marked her, nipping at her lips just enough to draw
blood, and now his scent was on her, no other werewolf would dare
come near her. It bought him some time to bond with her. Soon he
would claim his mate, and reclaim his life.

* * * *

“
Did you get the pictures?” his voice
trembled over the phone. His hand was sweaty where it clutched the
receiver in the rundown motel room. He had got this room with money
he didn’t have, running up a credit card that didn’t have his name
on it. But luckily he knew the manager here, and the guy owed him a
few favors. That’s how the world worked, after all – a favor here,
a favor there. Too bad Owen Baker had ran out of favors now. He was
in a fucked up situation, and he had to get out of it as soon as
possible, or else risk an untimely death at the end of a gun
barrel.

There was a breath on the other side of the
phone, as though someone had just exhaled cigar smoke. “We got
‘em,” the voice said; it was deep and gruff. “She’s a pretty little
thing. How old did you say she was? Eighteen?”

“
Yep, virgin too,” he assured them.
“I’m her only family; nobody’s gonna miss her. I can have her for
you in a week.”

“
A day.”

“
Two days.” That’s how it went, always
a little back and forth, a little give and take. He tried to tell
himself that he should be feeling guilty, that fathers didn’t do
this to their daughters, but she wasn’t his kid anyway. She was a
step-child, no responsibility of his own; she had always been in
the way, always between him and his wife, turning her against him,
talking shit. Then Carolyn had died and he had been saddled with
the brat. Now he could finally get rid of her. It was her future
for his, and that seemed to be an even trade. She wouldn’t be dead,
after all – just sold into a life that was worth her class.
Prostitution was not the most glamorous of trades, but it would be
a career, which was more than that brat would get by staying in
Black River.

“
Deal,” the voice agreed.

“
And you’ll have the money wired to my
account?”

“
$250,000, half now, half when we get
her. And don’t try any funny stuff, Mr. Baker. We can find you.
Easily.”

“
The thought didn’t cross my mind,” he
assured them. He didn’t need more people on his ass, and the
$250,000 would only barely cover his debt to Ronny, and maybe a few
other odds and ends that had piled up over the years.

“
When you have her, meet us at the
designated place. The instructions have been delivered to your
Motel. They will be sent to your room.”

“
Yes, sir.”

“
We appreciate your business, Mr.
Baker,” the voice said smoothly, then paused. “Oh, and
Owen?”

A shiver went down his spine. “Yes?”

“
Don’t fuck this up.”

“
Yes sir.”

The line went dead. Owen sat on the bed,
trembling, running a pudgy hand through his thinning, fuzzy hair.
He touched the bald spot on top. “Fuck,” he muttered, putting the
phone down and wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans.

He would get out of this situation one way or
another, he always did, and he would push as many people down as
necessary to do it. That’s what he was good at, after all.

Chapter 4

The cold October wind blew and she shivered,
shoving her hands into her pockets. School had just let out, and
she walked along the crowded sidewalk outside of the campus,
jostled to and fro by rushing teenagers. They laughed or shouted to
each other. She sighed; groups like this always made her feel the
most alone. People slid by her as though she were somehow living in
a parallel world. She could see them, but not touch or feel them,
and interaction was impossible.

As she neared the place where Gareth was
supposed to pick her up, she saw two things that made her heart
sink. One, that he wasn’t there yet – there was no sign of his
rusty blue Camaro, and it crossed her mind that he wasn’t coming.
Then her eyes were drawn to the three skinny blond girls that were
hanging out on the sidewalk, twirling their hair and shrieking with
laughter, and she immediately felt sick. There they were again,
always right where they could cause the most trouble. She blew out
an annoyed breath and brushed her unruly bangs from her face. She
couldn’t ignore them this time; they were standing right where
Gareth was supposed to meet her, and she couldn’t miss him, even if
he never showed.

As she approached, the three blond girls
turned to stare at her, Alex in the middle, as usual. Her two
cronies sneered.

“
Hey Muddy Maddie… heard you got eaten
by a wild animal.”

“
Yeah, but it spit you back out cuz
you were so nasty!” another jeered, and they giggled. They looked
at her like she was an insect.

“
Oh my god, Maddie... do you shower? I
mean, how does your hair get like that? Is it
natural
?” the one on the right taunted.
“Messy hair is gross. And nice bandage – what is that, a new
style?”

Maddy’s hand went unconsciously to the gauze
along the side of her head.

“
Seriously, and what kind of shampoo
do you use? Cow shit?” the other giggled.

“
Cuz you smell like ass!” they
laughed.

Alex held up her hands like a queen ready to
speak. “Alright girls, enough fun.” She smiled that cold smile
again. “Maddy, it’s so sad the way you don’t take care of yourself,
maybe more people would like you if you stopped being such a slob.
I mean really, can’t you put a little effort into dressing
yourself? You’re like a child.” She grinned, and Maddy held her
breath, telling herself to let her anger pass, that it wasn’t worth
getting into a fight over. She had just talked to the sheriff of
the police an hour ago, explaining her story and everything else
that had happened. They had let her go reluctantly; in a small town
like this, nobody wanted to cause much trouble. But she had been
given a warning – one more strike, and she was out. Suspension.
Probation. Court. That was the last thing she needed.

Alex took a step towards her, her trendy
boots clicking against the pavement. Each step caused a bubble of
rage to burst in Maddy’s chest, but she bit her lip hard,
remembering the taste of Gareth’s kiss, the blood he had left on
her lips. She took strength from that.

“
So four guys were found dead outside
your cabin, huh Maddy?” she taunted, her voice smooth and as
flawless as her deep blue eyes. “I wonder if your daddy had
anything to do with that. He is a no good loser anyway. Good thing
your mom died and got out of that marriage – I would have killed
myself too.”

Something popped in Maddy’s brain and she
momentarily saw red. Tension and heat flowed through her. She was
about to fling herself forward, wrap her hands around the bitch’s
scrawny neck and choke the life out of her when a loud, rumbling
engine caught her attention. She paused, her breath hitched, and
she turned as the rusty blue Camaro pulled up. For a moment she
couldn’t believe her eyes – it was too good to be true.

“
Wow, what a shitty car,” one of the
girls said. Then the car shut off and the door opened, and there
was Gareth, climbing from the seat and stepping into the sunlight.
He wasn’t wearing his sunglasses this time, and his eyes were
brilliantly green, gleaming like two emeralds.

The girls stared. One had her mouth hanging
open.