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Rutley’s jaw went slack. His eyes darkened as he
realized they were talking about Liam’s death in detail. The blood in his
veins began to boil with each passing second. With each detail leaving their
lips, he took it as a confession of their sins; and oh, how they would find
themselves meeting their maker before they’d even know what hit them.

“I think…” Luke lifted his hand into the air, watching
as his claws extended. “I’m going to start with clawing your face to shreds,”
he growled. “So that when a hunter comes along in search of some food, instead
he’ll find you. Ain’t nobody gonna be able to recognize you when I’m done.”

Just stay put,
Rutley thought to himself,
listening to the first cry of pain as the two wolves started their assault on
the helpless male.
Wait for the right moment. Catch them off guard.

Laughter and cries of agony
bounced off the trees as the night sky blanketed them, and that’s when Rutley
attacked. A bullet zoomed through the air and easily penetrated the skull of
the first laughing wolf. He fell over without a sound, causing his companion
to stop what he was doing.

“What the….? Georgie?”

Georgie. What a God awful name to have,
Rutley
thought as he finally stepped out from behind the boulder. He lifted his rifle
again, his aim lined up perfectly with the center of Luke’s forehead as the
werewolf’s eyes began to glow. He released a guttural roar, but it was
immediately silenced when Rutley pulled the trigger.

As the second wolf fell to the ground, he moved closer
for a better view. Dimitri was lying against the leaves, panting for air as
blood seeped freely from the claw marks on his face. The male’s mouth was
hanging open as he sucked in each shallow breath, his hazel eyes lifting to
gaze at his rescuer.

“Need a hand?” Rutley asked, thrusting his free hand
out towards the timid man.

“You killed them,” Dimitri managed to say after a moment,
letting his head fall back against the leaves as he closed his eyes. “Why’d
you do that?”

Rutley smirked, lowering his rifle to his side as he
gave a roll of his shoulders. “That’s my job.”

Six

A
rnold Goult was beyond tired. Five days in the
woods and they’d managed to learn nothing new. If only they could catch a damn
scent….why couldn’t they find a scent? He couldn’t even pick up on the stench
of the werewolves!

He wouldn’t even be returning to civilization if it
wasn’t for the fact that Davey Berdine was having chest pains. The old man
needed a rest, and it took a hell of a lot of convincing for Arnold to even
leave the woods, but he eventually gave in.

Richard Bamey was right –and Arnold hated to admit
that-but they were safer in numbers. Being on their own would only make them
vulnerable to the werewolves. Enough of them were missing as it was, and if
they wanted to have any chance at getting their kids back, they’d have to
regroup and set out again when the sun came up.

Even though he
really
wasn’t comfortable with
leaving the woods, he did it in hopes of being refreshed and recharged by
dawn. He would return on his own if he had to. He wouldn’t give up on
Presley.

He was distracted with worries as they entered the
Bamey home and the small hunting party retired for the night. Some wanted to
sleep; others wanted to take showers; Arnold only wanted to hold his niece in
his arms and keep her safe.

“Here,” Richard grunted as he offered a mug of coffee
to his longtime friend. “Drink this. It’s gotta be better than that creek
water we’ve been sipping on for days.”

Arnold reluctantly accepted the steaming mug of
caffeine as he gazed at the fireplace blankly. He wasn’t in the mood for
conversation, truth be told. He would never be in the mood for anything ever
again if Presley didn’t turn up, safe and unharmed.

This is my fault,
he thought as he took a small
sip and let the bitter liquid slide down his throat.
I never should’ve let
her come back.

He couldn’t help but to feel he
was responsible for everything that had happened. What if he’d just told her
the truth from day one? He could’ve reared her in the ways of the ursithropes
by the time she started kindergarten. She never would have wandered off to be
with that idiot boy Tim had she only known the truth.

I’m so sorry, Presley,
he thought as he took
another drink. He pulled the cup away to gaze at it, frowning. Too bad he
didn’t have any whiskey to add in.

“Arnie, you can take Liam’s room for the night if you
want,” Mrs. Bamey stated tiredly as she entered the living room. “I’m sorry I
didn’t have any supper ready. I guess I was just so exhausted.”

“It’s okay, Darlin’,” Mr. Bamey said as he approached
his wife. He wrapped his arms around her, leaning in to press a kiss against
her cheek. “You deserve to get some rest, too, you know.”

Mrs. Bamey gazed at her husband
worriedly as she shook her head. “I know that, Richard, but I don’t even
remember going to bed. It seems like I was doing the dishes and then the next
thing I know, you’re coming through the front door. I can’t recall how I got
to bed.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mr. Bamey smiled reassuringly.
“We’re all entitled to sleep, Sweetie. Besides, we’re big boys. We can fend
for ourselves when it comes to eating. Ain’t that right, Arnie?”

Arnold wasn’t really listening to them as he sipped at
his coffee again, his gaze remaining on the fire currently blazing. He watched
as the flames licked at the blackened bricks.

“Arnie?”

He blinked, lifting his head to meet Mrs. Bamey’s
concerned expression. “Huh?”

“Why don’t you go lie down for a bit?” She asked,
offering him a warm smile. “I promise if I hear anything I’ll wake you up.”

“Oh,” he exhaled loudly as he pushed himself up from
the couch and raked his fingers through his hair. “Yeah….that’s probably not a
bad idea,” he admitted.

As Arnold Goult disappeared down the hallway, Mrs.
Bamey turned to gaze at her husband again. She frowned as she shook her head.
“Richard, what are we going to do? This is going to eat him up alive. It’s
already making me lose my mind.”

She blinked back her tears, swallowing the painful lump
forming in her throat as a shaky breath escaped her lips. “I want my baby
back.”

“I know,” Richard Bamey whispered as he enveloped her
in his strong arms. “I want him back, too, Baby. We’ll get them all back.
Just wait and see, okay? We’ll catch a scent tomorrow and there won’t be any
stopping us. I’ll get Lorcan back home, safe and sound.”

“And Presley?” She asked, lifting her head to peer at
him.

“And Presley. And Greg,” he smiled. “And even that
wolf you seem to be so fond of.”

Mrs. Bamey stared at him pointedly, lifting a brow
slightly. “He was Liam’s mate. He is a part of our family now.”

“Yeah,” Mr. Bamey sighed. “I know he is. That’s why
I’m gonna save his ass, too.”

“Good,” she whispered, burying her face against his
chest once more. “I just want things to go back to how they were.”

“Me, too,” Mr. Bamey agreed, though he knew deep down
that things would never be the same again.

–––––––-

Rutley wasn’t by any means weak, but
damn
, this
guy was heavy. Perspiration glistened on his temples as he took each careful
step forward, trying desperately not to drop him on the ground.

“I reckon you’ve been knocked around enough tonight,”
he grunted, hoisting the injured fellow back into a more secure position on his
shoulder. “But hell, I am
not
enjoying this.”

He received no response, which he expected; the guy had
been unconscious for the last half mile of Rutley’s trek out of the woods. He
knew it wasn’t because the kid was losing blood-no, it had to be something
else. He was awfully weak, and his speech was slurred when he was actually
capable of speaking. Maybe he was drugged or something…..

Almost there,
he thought as he felt the familiar
burn in his thighs. Getting up the incline to make it out into the clearing
would be the hardest part of this journey. It would literally be all downhill
from there. Pacing his breathing, Rutley took each step with great
determination, keeping his arm locked around Dimitri’s waist as they finally
made it out of the woods.

“Shit,” he muttered, easing the male onto the ground
before wiping at his brow. He released a low breath, shaking his head. “What
the hell do you eat?” He wondered aloud.

With the bright moonlight overhead, Rutley managed to
steal his first good look at the bruised man lying at his feet. He wasn’t
terrible
looking.

Jesus H. Christ, Rutley,
he rolled his eyes.
Are
you really going to ogle at the man you just saved?

He pulled his gaze away from Dimitri’s face, despite
the fact he really needed to get a better look at the claw marks on his
cheeks. Instead, he settled for gazing at his broad, chiseled chest.

Yes, that’s the more reasonable thing to
do,
he chastised mentally. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth,
bending down to pick him up again.

“All right,” he sighed. “I need to get you out of
here. I’m sure my dad’s going to have a few questions for you whenever you
wake up.”

The other male mumbled incoherently as Rutley slowly
made his way towards his car. This was going to be a fun night.

“You better not get blood on the seats,” he added
quietly. “That car’s almost paid off.”

–––––––—

She wasn’t entirely sure what was going on when she
heard muffled laughter sounding in the distance. Was it overhead? Was it
beneath her? Was it just in the room across the hall? She felt so damn
disoriented as consciousness finally returned to her.

“Mmm,” she groaned softly, lifting her head to gaze
around the darkness of the room. Oh, how she’d hoped to awake and realize it
was all just a nightmare; but somehow she knew better than that. This was her
reality. She could in fact turn into a bear, werewolves had indeed abducted
her, and she had seriously boned Lorcan freaking Bamey a few days ago.

It’s official,
she thought as she squirmed
against the restraints binding her wrists.
I just totally tossed sex with
Lorcan into that observation. Does it matter that I’m about to die? Nope! I
just had to go remembering that, didn’t I?

She let out a frustrated
whimper as she pulled against the chains again. If only she could get free…..

She froze instantly when she heard the hinges on the
door slowly creak, and she lifted her head to see a figure in the doorway.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.
She held her breath,
keeping her eyes on the silhouette of the person entering the room. What did
they want? Was it Breslin again? She really couldn’t handle any more torture
tonight.

“You’re awake,” the voice said softly. “Good.”

It was distinctly female, and Presley had to wonder if
this was another one of Breslin’s tricks. Was he sending a woman to make her
scream for a little while? Did he get some sort of sick pleasure out of making
her bleed? Her heart plummeted into her stomach as she trapped her lower lip
between her teeth.

“Don’t be frightened, Presley. I’m here to help you,”
the woman stated as she came into view.

Presley was able to make out the woman’s facial
features then. She was very pretty. She possessed prominent cheek bones and a
perfect chin. Her pale green eyes glowed gently in the dimly lit room as she
leaned forward, lowering herself to Presley’s level.

“Look at you,” she whispered with a small smile.
“You’ve grown so much.”

Presley was taken aback, and confused. Why was this
woman speaking to her as if she was a small child? Why wasn’t she torturing
her as so many had over the last few hours? Sure, there was something running
through her system, but Presley was more than aware of everything that had
happened since Breslin’s visit earlier that evening.

In fact, memories from that visit made her tremble.
She didn’t want that to happen again. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be
out of these chains and back in the safety of Uncle Arnold’s house. She
wanted…..

The chains hit the floor with a
thud
and
Presley’s arms were freed from their uncomfortable angle. She quickly pulled
her hands into her lap, rubbing at her wrists in turn as she stared up at the
other female. She could make out the smile on the woman’s face as she frowned.

“What’d you do that for?” Presley asked quietly. “Are
you taking me to him?” Her eyes widened slightly as she squirmed out of the
chair and tried to stand. Bad move. She stumbled forward and her knees
slammed against the floor as she gasped. Damn it. Why wouldn’t her legs work?

“Presley, be careful,” the woman whispered.

She felt a gentle touch against her back, and Presley
turned over quickly to stare up at her. “You can’t make me,” she said through
clenched teeth. “I refuse to do that.”

“Shh, shh, no,” the woman shook her head furiously.
“No, Presley. I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?”

Staring at her apprehensively, Presley’s brows knitted together.
“It depends on what you’ve got to say,” she admitted as her voice quivered.

The woman tilted her head to the side, studying her for
a moment. “I’m letting the Etorphine exit your system,” she explained in that
same soft voice. “I’m sorry I had to drug you…..it’s the only way I could keep
you from hurting yourself, but I promise you’ll be back to normal by morning.”

Presley scowled. “You drugged me? I knew it,” she
hissed. “That’s why I couldn’t change? Wow, what a favor.”

“Presley,” she frowned. “I know you may not believe
me, but I am trying to protect you. I’m not your enemy, all right?”

Truth be told, Presley wasn’t sure who she could trust
in this place. The stench was god awful-and she couldn’t even smell the mangy
mutt smell; it was that
take-your-breath-away-and-make-your-lungs-burn-like-hellfire scent that was
driving her insane. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, swaying back and
forth a few times before the woman reached out to steady her.

As their gazes locked once more, the woman’s smile grew
bright.

“Has anyone ever told you how much you look like your
mother?” She asked softly.

Presley fought the urge to roll her eyes. She
hated
that she resembled her mother at all; that good-for-nothing woman.
Ugh
.

“I’ve heard it a few times,” Presley admitted as she
licked her dry lips. What she wouldn’t give for something to drink. “So, if
you’re not here to torture me and you’re not going to take me to Breslin,” she
quirked a brow. “What the hell do you want from me?”

The woman pursed her lips together, heaving a sigh as
she lifted her hand to touch Presley’s cheek gently. “I want you to run,” she
nodded. “After I leave, Lorcan will come for you, and you have to get far away
from here, Presley. I mean that. Go back to your uncle. Backup will arrive
and then you can make your next move. Right now, my main concern is getting
you out of here.”