CHAPTER SEVEN
Everyone was in place and ready to go by two-thirty. All his senses were on high alert as Kenyon sniffed the air. Sage stood next to him, her jaw set in rigid determination. Last night’s confession had upped the stakes tonight and with every bone in his body, he wanted her to stay behind. Three members of his clan were there as well, to help them with the escape. When the parking lot went dark, they planned to move fast to open the gates and allow Nik to leave the enclosure. Kenyon tried to turn off his mind and stop thinking of the million things that could go wrong.
This was the worst possible night to plan an escape. Friday night, first of the month, tourists still pouring in as late as two A.M. At least the traffic had slowed a little by two-thirty, and their chances of having a hostage situation with the tourists had dissipated. The kid who worked the night shift was going to be a minimal issue as soon as Kenyon subdued him, but there were still so many little things that could go wrong. Carlos was working to tap into the security system to override the cameras, while Woods was working with the blow torch to make sure they had enough fuel.
Kenyon had driven his large SUV, one with more than enough room for one adult tiger as long as the backseats were folded down. He had a dart gun slipped in a holster at his belt, realizing they may have to tranquilize Nik to get him out of the cage. This could be more than a fifteen minute operation.
One of his cousins, Jonas, pulled up in a dark delivery van, just in case they needed extra cover. Two other members of the Maddux clan met them near the cage. One was Lorenzo, the first born of Kenyon’s uncle and the third born to this generation of Maddux men. Lorenzo was tall and wide, built like a football player. In fact, he’d played for LSU for one season before deciding college wasn’t for him. Now he owned a chop shop and ran an illegal street racing business. One of Sage’s alter egos had bailed him out more than once, and he was probably the one who had ultimately placed the call to her in order to bail him out. Standing next to him was his brother, Woods, the sixth born Maddux of this generation. The birth order of the Maddux clan was extremely important.
Sage knew all about birth order as her family was set up the same way. Back when her great, great grandfather decided to make nice with the other family of shapeshifters, the second born of each generation was promised to one another. This meant that Kenyon and she were bonded at birth. His older brother, Nik, had dodged that bullet as had her older cousin Raven. They were free to live whatever life they wanted while Kenyon and she were bound to carry out their family’s blood oath, something that did not bother Kenyon nearly as much as it appeared to bother her. The fact that he couldn’t keep his hands off her and wanted her more than his next breath made her his.
In the last generation, Kenyon’s father’s sister had been second born and Sage’s father’s brother had been the second born. They married and, as is the curse of the second born, did not produce children. Tigers and wolves couldn’t produce offspring, whether in the wild or as shapeshifters. Of course, Lula and Hawke loved one another and had from the moment they’d first met. They didn’t have the kind of volatile relationship that Kenyon shared with Sage, the kind that coursed through his veins making him wonder if the next breath would in fact be a blessing or a curse.
From the corner of his eye, Kenyon watched as Sage checked her weapon, then slipped it into the waistband of her dark jeans.
“Guess it’s show time. Let me see if I can get our little night clerk to hand over the keys to the castle,” she said, turning away from the tiger cage. Kenyon grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, his eyes focusing hard on her face, which was beginning to turn into someone else’s, someone he didn’t recognize.
“Be safe,
shila.
” He used the endearment term of his people, one that meant
my rock
. That was exactly what she was to him, whether she knew it or not. She grounded him, made him stronger and better. If only he could convince her of it.
“I’ll just be glad when this is over.” Her words cut straight through to his soul. While he was showering her with endearments, she was preparing to leave him. Even after everything they had shared in the past twenty-four hours, even after the way her body had responded to his.
He let her pull away, understanding fully that she was taking a piece of him with her. She wanted this to be over, and he needed to find a way to keep her.
Kenyon watched her walk away from him. He knew that when she had made it to the door of the convenience store, she would be a carefree, eighteen year old sexpot who could lure anyone to do her bidding. That kind of disguise would work on even the most dedicated employee. She hadn’t been gone for five minutes when Kenyon received the text.
Not working. Get in here.
Whatever her plan had been for subduing the clerk had gone wrong, and Kenyon knew he had to act fast. They were on such a tight schedule, trying to plan all this during the least active hours of the night. Carlos had already sent the message saying he would be able to scramble the security cameras, but he hadn’t disabled them yet because he didn’t want to alert the clerk.
When Kenyon entered the store, he made his way immediately to the back near the sodas, ignoring the way Sage was leaned over the counter, her fingers twirling her hair as she flirted mercilessly with the kid. He looked to be about twenty-one and as fresh faced as a farm boy with a wiry build and shaggy blond hair. It wouldn’t take much to get him under control, but Kenyon had to weigh his options carefully to be sure the kid didn’t press an emergency call button in the process.
Grabbing a soda, Kenyon made his way to the front of the store, noticing how the guy’s demeanor changed as soon as they made eye contact. He knew he was a scary looking fucker, but at three in the morning, he could be downright terrifying.
“Nice night.” He glanced down at Sage, eyeing the way her cleavage was on prominent display.
“Yeah. I was just trying to talk Kirk here into having a little fun with me. You look like the kind of guy who likes to have fun.” The sexy blonde reached out and touched his arm, and all Kenyon could feel was Sage beneath the façade.
“I like to have certain kinds of fun. Depends on what you’re thinking.”
“Well, danger is pretty exciting, and I’m trying to talk him into going out by the tiger cage and, you know, fool around. Unless you think you might be up for it.” The way she stroked his arm went straight to his cock, setting a fire inside him. Oh, he was up for it all right, and he would show her exactly how much as soon as all this was over.
“I never said I wasn’t interested,” the kid protested. “But I’m not much into sharing.”
“Believe me,” she purred. “I know enough tricks to satisfy two men at once.”
The kid’s mouth hung open, and Kenyon could tell he was mulling it over. Sexy girl like that offering up a carnal fantasy...Kenyon was pretty sure Kirk had never had that kind of offer before. “I think I’d like to see you try that,” Kenyon agreed. “What do you say,
Kirk
, you want to see if we’ve got enough to wear this little girl out?”
Just saying the words made him want to bend her over the counter and have his way with her here and now. Every time he was near her, all he wanted to do was be inside her, have her legs wrapped around him, stake his claim on her so she would never let him go. She straightened, as if the word ‘play’ was finally getting to her. He watched as her chest flushed a little and her tongue darted out over her bottom lip.
“Or I could just take you right here and now,” he murmured, low enough to have the words rumble through his throat.
Kirk cleared his throat. “I wasn’t planning on a third person tonight.” He was obviously uncomfortable with the thought of sharing.
“Then you can go first. I’ll wait my turn.” Kenyon didn’t take his eyes off Sage as he spoke. As soon as the kid stepped from behind the counter, Kenyon planned to grab him. He already had a set of handcuffs tucked into his back pocket, and knew it wouldn’t take much to secure him.
“Well...” Sage turned her attention back to Kirk, pressing her breasts together for effect. “You want to go or should I just take this one up on his offer?”
The kid swallowed hard, his face turning red. “I don’t think it’s very safe to go out there. Been a lot of trouble around here lately.”
“You got a back room?” Kenyon asked. “I can watch the front while you take your time.”
He could tell the kid was mulling it over, wrestling with what he knew he should do and what he really wanted to do.
“I could always go and get started without you.” Sage offered. That was what did it, the catalyst to get the kid moving.
Grabbing a packet of condoms from behind the counter, he shoved them into his pocket and made his way around to Sage. Kenyon could see his hands were shaking as he pushed them into his pockets and began to rock nervously back and forth on his feet. “We’ve got a back room. An office.”
“Good.”
Sage grabbed him and wrapped her arms around him, putting her face close to his neck. Then she managed to spin him around a little so his back was to Kenyon. It only took a second for him to slide the handcuffs over the guy’s wrists and lock them into place. By the time the kid realized what was happening, it was too late.
“Now, about that office.” Kenyon used the handcuffs to guide him forward, pushing him toward the office area. “Get a message to Carlos about the cameras.” He nodded to Sage.
“Fucking...what are you doing? Fuck! I should have known.” The kid struggled and jerked, but was no match for Kenyon’s strength as he pushed him forward.
“Shut up, kid, if you plan to live through this,” Kenyon growled.
“Cameras disabled,” Sage called as Kenyon shoved Kirk into the office.
“Good. Let me take care of this and I’ll be back out there.”
“Sorry, kid.” Sage smiled, then turned on her heels.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sage’s entire body shook once she stepped back into the night air. Even though she knew the whole encounter between herself and Kenyon just now was a ruse, she knew how much she wanted him, and his words went straight to her core.
She had almost made it to the tiger enclosure when Kenyon caught up to her. As was his custom, he didn’t announce his presence, he just reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her against him so her back was pressed firmly against his chest.
“Quite a show in there.” The words rumbled through her head. “You feel how much you turn me on?”
Yes, she could feel it, could feel him pressing into the small of her back, hard and ready for her. If he knew how much she wanted him, he would abandon the rescue efforts and take her here on the ground like the animal he was. Her breath hung in her throat as his hand closed over her neck and tilted her face to the side. When his lips made contact with her tender flesh, she wanted him to sink his teeth into her, to bite, to leave a mark on her. Instead, he placed a gentle kiss there before releasing her.
“Later,” he promised.
Her entire body shook as she followed behind Woods and Kenyon. Kenyon was whistling to Nik, but the tiger hadn’t stopped pacing back and forth. He was still roaring that low, threatening tone, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up as they moved to the side of the cage.
One of the cousins had already been working with the blow torch and almost had the first door open. Sage watched as the sparks flew off the metal and disappeared against the ground. She knew how those flames felt, because her insides were raging in the same way, sparks that were floating down and disappearing.
When the first door was opened, Kenyon stepped through it. This was nothing. The real danger was beyond the next door, the one that actually led to the cage instead of the area surrounding the cage. She nervously checked her gun again. Even if she could shoot Nik, she wouldn’t do much damage. Still, having the gun made her feel better than going in unarmed. But something wasn’t right. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, offering a warning. There was something on the wind that she couldn’t identify.
“We are here, brother,” Kenyon called as he rattled the door to the cage.
“I don’t think he hears you,” she managed, her eyes locked onto the large tiger, her stomach twisting into knots.
“He hears me,” he whispered, his voice taking on a sing-song quality. “We are here to take you home.”
Nik’s pacing became frenzied as he neared them, his eyes wild. He didn’t walk directly toward them. Instead, he sort of began a zig-zag forward motion, his steps looking unsure. His roar still hummed in her ears. For the first time ever, she was afraid of a tiger. But there was something else going on, too, something more. She could sense movement out of the corner of her eye, and by the time it registered, it was too late.
“Police. Freeze!” The words sent a wave of nausea through her as she looked out into the darkness. Three bodies appeared near the cage, and she realized they were stuck between the tiger and the cops.
Kenyon must have sensed her apprehension. He held his arm out in front of her like a parent would to protect a child. She cowered behind him, cursing herself for the need for protection. She didn’t like showing weakness and especially did not want to show it around him. But she was thankful for the bulk of his body to shield her from the new danger.
Somewhere behind her, Sage heard the clanging of the metal door and realized the cousin with the blowtorch must have gone to the back of the cage in order to cut it open. It was only a small relief, because now she heard Nik growling near her and knew he was close.
“Nobody wants to get hurt.” Kenyon raised his gun and both his hands, then tossed the gun onto the ground. With the movement, he raised his shirt enough so that Sage could see the other gun he had tucked into his jeans. This one was the dart gun, the one he had planned to use on Nik if he needed to.
“Everyone drop your weapons,” the cop in front called to them.
There were only three of them in view of the cops: her, Kenyon and Woods. All three of them raised their hands in surrender, but their surrender didn’t last long. Out of nowhere, a tiger roared and closed in on the cops. Two more joined the first one, and Sage realized that Kenyon’s family members had shifted into tigers. The new threat was enough to take the attention away from the cage, and in that moment, Nik broke free, his body tearing out of the first cage to stand in the second one.
“Brother.” Kenyon reached for his dart gun, and she knew what he was thinking. Even though it would be more difficult to take Nik out as a tiger, it may be their best chance of getting him—and getting all of them—out of there safely.
Nik raised his head and stopped pacing. He looked directly at them as they moved slowly, all of them taking a submissive position, hoping he would realize who they were and that they were not there to hurt him.
The screams and shouts of the policemen filled the air as Sage realized they had been ambushed by Kenyon’s family. One of the cops was on the ground, and gunfire was sounding every few seconds. Someone was going to die. That was the only thing Sage could think of as the scene played out in front of her. Someone was going to die.
Kenyon held out one hand in submission and grasped his gun with the other one. It was still behind his back, but they both knew this was going to be the only way. Everything that happened next was in slow motion.
Kenyon pulled the gun out and aimed at Nik, shooting him in the shoulder. When he should have dropped, he lunged forward. Kenyon rolled, pulling her with him, but somewhere in the tangle, his hand slipped away from hers. She hit the ground hard right before five hundred pounds of muscle and fur pressed against her chest.
She couldn’t breathe, and she saw stars, as cliché as that seemed. It was the first time in her life she could ever remember actually seeing stars, and she thought how silly that was to see stars as if she were in a cartoon or something. Then it happened.
All she could feel was searing heat in her chest. It felt like her entire body was becoming engulfed in flames. She tried to change, tried to make herself smaller, more powerful, trying to will her wolf to surface. She heard screaming and roaring all around her, and finally, she could breathe again, but the pain in her chest was immense.
“We’ve got him. He’s in the parking lot!” she heard someone shout.
“Where is she? I can’t see her!” someone else yelled.
“What the fuck?” someone else shouted.
Then there was more gunfire and every instinct she had told her she needed to get up and run.
Blackness was threatening to overtake her, but she refused to let it take control. Then she felt herself being lifted, which pissed her off. She didn’t want to be lifted anywhere. She wanted to walk. Her legs worked, because she could feel them pulsing at the end of her body.
Wherever she was being carried was dark and cool and all she wanted to do was snuggle into the darkness and coolness and sleep. It felt like a year since she’d slept. When had she eaten last? Why was she thinking all these crazy thoughts when she still wasn’t sure what was happening and where she was?
“Did we get him?” she managed, but she wasn’t sure if anyone could hear her.
Somewhere in the distance, she heard the sounds of mass chaos, of more guns, explosions. Then there was nothing she could do. She let the darkness take over and dreamed of a man with yellow eyes and the most wicked smile she had ever seen.