Running with the Pack: Cannon Pack, Book 3 (12 page)

“I know. And I’m not mad.” Maybe he should use Tucker as a sounding board for the crazy ideas he had about Lauren. Like keeping her for a long time. Like getting to know her. Not just sexually, but for real. “Come on, Tucker. I can’t work any longer. Let’s get a drink.”

“Or several?” Tucker’s wide grin wiped the hurt from his expression.

Daniel laughed. “Definitely several.” Together, they moved down the hallway.

A scream ripped into him and sent him running. He recognized the voice.

“Lauren.”

Fear clutched his heart, propelling him into action.

Chapter Six

Daniel dashed toward the room where Lauren was held captive, sliding around the corners of the halls until, at last, he came to her open doorway.

“Holy shit.”

Tucker’s exclamation echoed in Daniel’s ears, saying aloud what he was thinking. Bracus, one of the pack’s guards, was on top of a struggling Lauren. In much the same way as Daniel had done, Bracus secured her arms over her head. Everything else, however, was different. Bracus had his legs between hers, his huge body, larger than most werewolves, crushed against her lower half, forcing her pelvis against his groin. He growled and bent his head to bite at her nipple through her shirt. Lauren, pinned to the bed, thrust her body every way she could. Her wild eyes met Daniel’s, the raw plea for help shining through her tears.

Daniel couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Instead, he released the beast inside and changed, his clothes tearing away from his body with the rapid contortions. The bones of his jaws elongated and fangs burst through his gums. Claws sprouted from his fingertips as fingernails fell off. Clothes ripped away as human muscle gave way to animal strength and bones broke then reformed. Lowering to all four paws, he crouched, then leapt into the air. He struck Bracus on the back, digging his claws into flesh, pulling him to the floor.

Bracus roared his surprise and scrambled from under Daniel. Daniel, however, caught him, clamping down on his ankle, breaking it with a resounding
snap
. The larger man yelled in pain and rolled onto his back into a submissive posture. But Daniel didn’t care. Blinded with rage, he jumped on top of the man who didn’t shift, could only lay shaking, belly exposed and waiting for death.

“Daniel!”

Tucker’s shout did nothing to stop him. He wanted Bracus dead. Dead for disobeying his command to leave the hunter alone. Dead for daring to come near her. Dead for touching her as he had touched her.

Daniel bellowed, opened his jaws wide and pushed the man’s chin up to expose more of his throat. Saliva dripped from his fangs onto the whimpering man and he wrenched his mouth wide, ready to sink his fangs deep into his jugular.

“No! Stop, Daniel!”

Her tone, so forceful yet pleading, stopped him, commanding he twist his head around to stare at her. She sat, sheet drawn to her chin, her hair wild, her eyes glistening. Keeping the man’s head under his paw, he snarled at her, unable to believe what she’d said. “What?” Daniel croaked out another question. “Why not?”

She shook her head, the plea in her eyes eating at him, but not answering his question.

Tucker stood at the end of the bed, his brow furrowed, claws extended, but not fully transformed. “Answer him, Lauren. Bracus has disobeyed a direct command which has dire consequences. Daniel’s letting you make the call. Not that I get why.”

Lauren wiped away the tear streaks on her cheeks. “I want you to let him go. I don’t want anyone hurt.”

Tucker’s face dropped. “Damn, darlin’, I was so hoping you’d say rip out his throat. Things have gotten boring around here.”

Her horror at the idea had Tucker laughing again and Daniel tilting his head. With a swish of his tail, he stepped off the frightened man. He stretched, his facial features growing wider, shorter, with fangs withdrawing. Flesh flowed along his skin, replacing fur, and paws cracked as knuckles returned. Hands and feet replaced claws while fingers grew longer with nails. His body changed, a liquid skeleton molding into a different form, returning to human. Daniel watched the awe on Lauren’s face, her eyes locked on him, taking in every nuance of his transformation. He hoped her wonderment wouldn’t turn into fear. Or worse, disgust.

Returned to human form, Daniel came to her side, careful to cover the bare areas where his torn clothes gave him no coverage. “He didn’t follow my order to leave you unharmed. For that alone he should receive a severe punishment. But for what he was about to do to you…” He glanced at her body, checked for any signs of injuries, and noted the bruises on her wrists. Had he left those bruises, or had Bracus? “Tell me you’re okay.” He couldn’t bring himself to ask her which of them had caused the bruising.

She tugged the sheet higher. “I’m fine.”

Tucker lifted Bracus off the floor. “What do you want me to do with this reject?”

Daniel arched an eyebrow at her. “Well?”

“My answer is the same. Don’t do anything to him because of me.”

“Are you sure?” The hunter confused him. She could shoot shifters, but she didn’t want one punished for attacking her. “But you know what he would’ve done to you, don’t you?”

Lauren nodded, keeping her eyes on Daniel as though she were avoiding Bracus. “I do. But he didn’t.” She reached out and placed her hand on top of his. “Thanks to you.”

The heat from her palm rushed into him, sending mixed messages of warmth, caring and desire. She was a contradiction of enemy, friend and something he couldn’t quite comprehend. All of which made her both frustrating and intriguing.

“Okay. Whatever you want.” He lifted his head to find Tucker gazing at him, his brow furrowed, his attention darting between them. At last, his gaze settled on their joined hands. Daniel jerked his hand away from hers, cleared his throat, then gave the order. “Tucker, take that skuzzy mutt out of here. I’ll decide what to do with him later.”

“Sure thing.” Tucker clutched the shifter’s sleeve. His knowing gaze dug into Daniel. “Aren’t you coming?”

“In a minute.” Daniel shook off Tucker’s inquisitive look, but knew he’d have to explain later. “Lock the door on your way out, Tucker. I’m going to question the hunter.”

Tucker chuckled. “Sure thing, boss. You definitely need to
question
her.”

“I don’t get you.”

“Sometimes I don’t get me either.” Lauren resisted the impulse to take his hand, hoping he’d make the first move. Yet she couldn’t help but be pleased that he cared enough to want to understand her.

“Why wouldn’t you want an attacker, especially a werewolf, punished?” He narrowed his eyes, his examination making her squirm. “Or is it because he’s one of mine? And one of your captors?”

“What does that mean?” He didn’t have to say anything. She interpreted his answer by the haughty lift of one eyebrow. “Are you serious? Do you think I instigated the whole thing? That I lured him into the room so I could seduce him and win him to my side?”

“Sounds like a plausible plan to me. You get him hung up on you, then you talk him into setting you free.” He crossed his arms, daring her to deny his accusation.

“Right. Mister, you’ve got a big problem if one of your men can be
talked
into betraying you with sex.” Her tone dripped sarcasm and she added the air quotes for good measure. Did he really think she was that underhanded? That deceitful? She paused. Wait a sec. Did he really think she was that
sexy
?

“A beautiful woman can turn a man’s head in more ways than one.”

She let his description of her play in her head awhile longer. So he really did think she was that attractive. After all, he’d called her beautiful. And no man had called her beautiful in a long time. Too long. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time John had complimented her. But wait. Did he think…

“Do you think that’s what I was doing when I… When we did what we did?” She couldn’t believe what he was implying, hoping he’d deny her allegation before she had to say the words. But he only continued to stare at her, suspicion written all over his face. “Are you thinking I had sex with you so you’d let me go?”

“Well, it does seem odd that you’ve already had a wrestling match with two of us.”

She’d bolted out of bed and thrown the vase before she realized she’d picked it up. He caught it in midair, gingerly setting it down on a nearby table.

“Hey, watch it. That and most of the other pieces in this room are expensive. Like the finer stores say, ‘You break it, you buy it’.”

“If I had hit you, it would’ve been worth the price ten times over.”

He studied her again, the amber growing stronger in his brown eyes. She returned his silent attack, determined to give as good as she got. He drew her in, pulling her deep into those golden-russet orbs, diving past the pupils and into his very soul. Yet instead of seeing hate, she saw something more. Something akin to confusion. She peered harder, wanting to fall into those depths, and was startled to find something even more amazing and familiar: sorrow. At once, her irritation vanished, squelched by the desire to understand what caused his pain. She knew it was more than mere physical pain. His ache came from a place of sheer agony that only heartbreak could cause. The kind of gut-wrenching sorrow caused by great loss. The kind of sorrow that came from guilt.

She whispered, afraid a louder tone of voice would hurt him again. “What happened to make you so angry?”

He blinked, opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, then took a breath. “You know. Hunters and their damn guns killing my people. Why else do you think we brought you here?”

“I understand that’s why I’m here. That you meant to hurt a hunter but then took me prisoner instead. Although why you’re keeping me safe from the others, I don’t understand.” She waited, but he remained silent. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.” She took a step toward him, wanting to touch him, to make the pain go away. Maybe if she could fill the hole in his heart, she could ease a little of her own weighty guilt. “Something happened to you. Something horrible. Something you want to blame hunters for.”

“Hunters
are
to blame. Just like your group is to blame for Tyler’s death. And maybe Mysta’s too if she doesn’t come around soon.” He mirrored her moves, staying just out of her touch.

She took a steadying breath. “No. That’s not it. This sorrow I see inside you—” she fisted her hand to her chest, “—is older than that. Worse than losing your friend.” She reached out, urging him to take her hand. “Tell me.”

His face was inches from hers in a split second, his hand hooked around her neck. “Look, Doctor Freud, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but stop trying to analyze me. You’re a dentist, remember? Not a shrink.”

She swallowed her fear and watched his eyes take on more amber. If he shifted, who knew what he might do. “Please. You’re hurting me.”

A flash of regret was there and gone in the next instant. He backed off, pacing to the opposite side of the room. “I need information. I need to know exactly what happened.”

Gone was the barely controlled anger. And gone was her connection to him. He was all business.

“I didn’t shoot at Mysta and I’ve already told you about Tyler. I shot into the air. Just like when I shot over your head.”

He paced around the room, circling her like a predator toying with his prey. “I’m not talking about them. I want to know about the other time. I want to know about the she-wolf you murdered a year ago.”

Murdered? He couldn’t have hurt her more if he’d physically struck her. “Why is that one so important?” She wiped away a tear.

“Because that’s the one you admit you actually shot.”

A chill ran through her. Hadn’t she already told him about that awful day? Why did he care so much when it happened so many months ago? “I don’t like talking about it. In fact, I wish that day had never happened. If I could change things, bring her back, I would.”

“You’d sacrifice yourself for her?”

“I would.”

“Tell me how it happened. What she did. What you did.”

She turned away from him, trying to smother her sob. “We found her just inside the city. She was so beautiful, so wild. I envied the freedom she had.”

Daniel’s tone was cool. How could he have grown cold so fast? “I don’t care about your observations. I want facts. Details.”

“I was new to the hunter group so John told me to take the first shot. I did exactly what he told me because I trusted him. When he told me to shoot, I pulled the trigger. God, I was so stupid, so naive.”

She turned toward him. His eyes were closed, his body rigid.

“What happened next?”

“Other shots came after mine. She jumped into the air, her body twisting as though she tried to dodge the bullets. Oh, God, I can still hear that horrible screeching sound she made.”

Opening his eyes, he glared at her, and she fought to keep from cowering under his harsh scowl. “How many times did you shoot her?”

“Just once. Before I could think about what I’d done, she lay on the ground.” Another sob wracked through her, shaking her shoulders. “I rushed over to her and knelt down beside her.” She reached out to plead his forgiveness. “Once I saw her, once I looked into her eyes, I knew I’d made a terrible mistake. I could see the human side of her pleading for my help. Then when she spoke to me, I knew I’d done an unspeakable thing.”

He clenched his fists and ground the words out. “But you didn’t help her, did you?”

Lauren bowed her head. “I wanted to. But, I don’t know, I think I must’ve been in shock. She wasn’t anything like I expected.”

“What did you expect? An insane monster, an unthinking killing machine? Do you think werewolves are the devil’s spawn?”

“I don’t now, but I did. John and the other hunters always talked about how vile and inhuman shifters were.”

She lifted her eyes to his and ran a tongue over her lip. His gaze held hers, then dropped to her lips, and he growled. For a moment, she’d seen how much he wanted to kiss her. But then why the growl?

“But I know better now, Daniel. Hell, that was the night when I realized everything they’d told me was wrong. Whoever that she-wolf was, she’s the one who changed me.”