Chasing Seth (24 page)

“Why? What’s going on?” Seth tried to step down, but Nick shut the door, forcing him back into his seat. He stared in shock at Nick. “Dammit, Nick. What the hell is going on?”

“Stay in the truck, Seth. Don’t come into the house,” Nick commanded fiercely. “Sheriff, I think you should come with me.”

Dread speared Seth’s heart like a sharp knife as he watched Kasey following Nick into the house. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

Kasey stopped dead in the doorway and just stared at whatever had caused Nick to act so out of character.
No…
, Seth thought, his hand blindly reaching for the door handle. He ignored Nick’s command. His legs trembled as he stumbled toward the house, his face frozen with fear. His blood pounded in his ears, and he didn’t hear the profuse swear words Kasey let out when he saw Seth.

“Seth, no, don’t!”

He shoved clumsily past Kasey, coming to an abrupt halt before dropping to his knees. An anguished sound ripped from his throat, and he wrapped his arms around his waist. “No,” he keened brokenly, unable to speak further as great sobs racked his body.

Chapter Twelve

Blood
was spilled everywhere, splashed over the white walls of his living room, standing out starkly and searing the message written with it into Seth’s brain. It was a message that was clearly a confirmation that Taggart was indeed alive and coming for him: “
You can never escape me.
” But where the blood had come from was evident by the gruesome remains of Bullet. Taggart had taken his time ripping the poor creature apart. His legs were thrown on opposite sides of the house, his tail and torso strewn across Seth’s couch, and the head placed in the middle of the small coffee table, as if to rub in the fact it was Seth’s fault Bullet was dead. Seth rocked back and forth, making incoherent sounds of grief as he stared unblinking and wide-eyed at the horrifying mess that had once been his loving animal.

Strong hands gripped his forearms and lifted him from the floor, but he didn’t feel it, didn’t notice it. The heartbreaking sorrow filling his chest numbed him to everything else around him. Somehow he found himself back in the truck while Kasey called his deputy and his father. He couldn’t seem to pull his gaze from the front door he’d just realized hung haphazardly off its hinges. The door had been forcibly opened by a brutal assault to it.

A hysterical laugh built up in Seth’s throat. Taggart would never let him go. The urge to run away again, to keep running as he had for two years, never stopping for longer than a day or two, jabbed at him fiercely. He looked over at the keys Kasey had left in the ignition. He’d been stupid to think he could ever stop running or could ever escape Taggart.

Seth didn’t stop to think of what it could do to Kasey if he left or how much he would hurt after leaving Kasey once the numbness wore off. He just slid over the seat and into the driver’s, turning the key and throwing the truck into reverse the instant the engine turned over. Kasey’s and Nick’s heads swung around, and they started shouting, racing after him as he squealed out of the driveway. He spun the truck as he backed out, slamming the gears into drive and stomping on the gas. Kasey and Nick were yelling at him to stop, but instead his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, almost shattering the thick plastic with his strength.

Infuriated at himself for leaving the keys in the truck, Kasey swore harshly. He’d been stupid to do something like that knowing how unsteady Seth was. But it had never occurred to him that Seth would leave him, would run from him instead of to him. “Fuck!” He spun around on his heel and raced back to Seth’s house, grabbing the keys to Seth’s car off the island counter. “What the hell is he doing?” he demanded of Nick as he darted past the other wolf.

“Running,” Nick called after him. “Like he’s always done.”

Kasey swore again and tore out of the driveway as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. He sped off in the direction Seth had gone, pushing the little car until it practically shook. It took all of his strength to keep the little car on the road, its size clearly not meant to go at those speeds. He just prayed he could make Seth understand he wasn’t going to let Taggart anywhere near him. He’d gut the bastard first. It hurt that Seth didn’t know that already, but he shoved the emotion aside to be processed later. The only thing that mattered was getting Seth back.

The taillights of the truck appeared ahead of him on the main road out of town, and he gunned the engine harder, slowly creeping up behind Seth. He flashed the lights to try and get Seth to pull over, but Seth just picked up speed. “You little fool,” he growled under his breath.

He pushed the pedal down further, crawling up next to his truck. He slapped the button to bring the window down and started shouting at Seth, “Pull over!”

Tears streamed down Seth’s face, and it wrenched Kasey’s gut how much pain his mate was in. He shook his head furiously at Kasey, and Kasey scowled in agitation. “Dammit, Seth, pull the fuck over!”

A car appeared ahead of Kasey, the headlights shining brightly in the front windshield. He saw Seth glance at him then, but he didn’t pull back, choosing to continue alongside the truck. Seth’s gaze turned frantic, and he looked at Kasey again, clearly expecting him to fall back behind the sheriff’s vehicle. When he didn’t, Seth’s expression turned to one of horror as the approaching car got even closer. Kasey’s mouth set into a grim line of determination. His trust that Seth would pull over before the other vehicle got to them held firm. Seth would never allow him to get hurt. It was instinctual to protect your mate no matter what.

Seth realized Kasey didn’t intend to pull back and let the other car pass by them. The closer the other car got, the harder his heart pounded. His palms started sweating as his anxiety rose even higher. He had to pull over or Kasey would hit the other car head on! He yanked the wheel and slammed on his brakes as he hit the shoulder. The tires fought for traction on the loose soil and grass. Just as the glare of his headlights caught mere feet in front of them, the tires caught and held, kicking dirt up in a high plume behind the truck. Seth shakily put it into park as Kasey wrenched the door open and practically lifted him bodily from the car into a crushing embrace. “What the hell were you thinking?” a gruff voice murmured into his ear shakily.

He clung to Kasey, trembling and overwrought. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed, his face pressed tightly against Kasey’s chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around Kasey’s back, his fingers gripping at the fabric of his shirt. Warm hands traveled up and down his back in a soothing caress as Kasey crooned in his ear to calm him down.

“Don’t run from me, Seth,” Kasey begged quietly once Seth’s body had stopped quivering. “Don’t run from us. I need you to trust me.”

“I do trust you, Kasey, but I’m scared,” Seth admitted hoarsely.

Kasey rubbed his chin on the top of Seth’s head. “I will protect you, pup. Until I draw my last breath, I swear it. Please don’t run away from me again. If you trust me, trust me enough to keep you safe.”

The underlying tone of pain in Kasey’s voice brought Seth’s head back so he could look up at his mate. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Seth said softly, reaching up to cup Kasey’s cheek.

Kasey leaned into Seth’s touch, his dark eyes closing at the affectionate touch of his pup. He’d been terrified when he’d thought he wouldn’t catch Seth in time. Never being able to touch, to hold, or kiss his mate again seemed worse than death. He had no idea how anyone survived losing their mate. It would be hell on earth never to see Seth smile again. “Let’s go home,” he said gently.

“I can’t go back there,” Seth whispered in pain. He couldn’t see the gruesome remains again or the message that chilled him from the inside out.

“I meant to my home. I don’t want you going back there. Come on. I’ll lock up your car, and we’ll take my truck. I can radio Julian and have him drop Nick off at my place.” Kasey reluctantly released Seth and went to move Seth’s car from behind the truck. He locked the doors and jogged back over to where Seth still stood, leaning against the side of the truck. “In you go, pup,” he said, patting Seth’s hip.

Seth didn’t react as he would have if he hadn’t been so shell-shocked and just slid into the passenger’s seat from the driver’s side. He leaned his head back against the headrest and stared out the window at the trees rushing past the window of the truck. He vaguely heard Kasey speaking with his deputy, but he didn’t pay attention to the outcome of the conversation, his thoughts a jumbled mess over everything. Taggart had destroyed Bullet because he knew the dog meant something to him. Would he try to do the same to Kasey? Seth would never be able to live with himself if the sheriff, his mate, was hurt or worse because of him. His heart thudded hard and painfully against his ribcage at the thought of Kasey’s lifeless eyes staring up at him from a pool of blood. His teeth sank into his bottom lip at the agony flaring through him.

“Nick is going to stay in town with Julian tonight,” Kasey said, disrupting Seth’s thoughts.

Turning his head to the side to look at Kasey, Seth nodded in understanding but didn’t speak, his throat too tight to force words out. It felt like a lump of rock had wedged there, and he could barely swallow or breathe. Things had been so different before. He’d had nothing to lose. His parents had already been dead by then, and he’d had no one except Nick in his life. Now he’d already lost his dog, but would it only be a matter of time before Taggart took Kasey from him too?

Worry wound its way through Kasey as he saw how quiet his mate had grown, felt how unsettled he was. He carefully wrapped his hand around Seth’s, bringing it to his lips to press a kiss to the backs of Seth’s fingers. “Seth?”

Fear and anxiety churned through Seth’s stomach, twisting it cruelly. He made a small grunting noise to let Kasey know he had heard him. “Tell me what’s on your mind,” Kasey said gently. Nose scrunching up as Seth suppressed hysterical laughter again, he merely shook his head. “Talk to me, Seth. How can I know what’s going on inside that gorgeous little head of yours if you won’t tell me?”

“Because it won’t change the reality of my situation,” Seth croaked, his voice strained as his throat worked to stem his emotions.

“It helps to talk it out, my mate. I want to be there for you. Will you please tell me what you’re thinking?” Kasey pulled into the dirt entrance to his ranch, pulled up to the porch, and shut the engine off. Twisting in his seat, he looked at his pup. Seth sat huddled against the door with such a sad expression that Kasey’s wolf almost let forth a keening cry.

Seth stared straight ahead, unable to meet the dark gaze locked on him. The feel of Kasey’s hand on his was warm and alive. He could feel the beat of Kasey’s blood pulsing underneath his fingers. “I never thought I’d find someone I could be happy with after Taggart. I always thought I would be alone because it just seemed I was meant to be.” A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Then you came along and everything changed again. No matter how much I pushed you away, you stayed. I fought against it because I was afraid you would turn out to be just like him. That you’d use me too.”

Now that the dam had broken, the words kept spilling out, overflowing from the river of his emotions. “But you haven’t. You’ve been kind to me. Caring. Nothing like him. I didn’t know what to do with you. Whenever something went wrong, Nick was the first one I ran to, but now the first person I think of is you. Tonight when I ran, I knew it would hurt you, but I couldn’t stop myself, and it only made me feel worse. At first I didn’t think you’d come after me, but when you did, I was happy. Happy you cared enough to come after me.”

When Kasey went to speak, Seth stopped his words, two fingers against his lips. “But I was scared, too, scared you would be hurt because of me and that what Taggart did to Bullet, he would do to you. I’m still terrified he’s going to hurt you, but I can’t run anymore.” Anguish rattled in his voice, and his lips trembled. “I can’t run from you, and I don’t want to.”

“Thank God,” Kasey breathed, yanking Seth over the bench seat and into his lap. He pressed his nose against the side of Seth’s neck and breathed deeply. “The pack protects its own, pup. He won’t have the chance to hurt me. Dad’s going to inform the rest of the pack about you and the Created one tomorrow at a pack meeting. Until then, he’s spoken with several of his most trusted members, swearing them to secrecy and assigning them in shifts to run patrols through the forests and surrounding areas until we catch the son of a bitch. Julian already knows about everything. Taggart won’t even get within a hundred yards of you before we’ll catch him. And you won’t be going anywhere without someone guarding you at all times.”

Seth’s legs stretched across the front seat of the truck from where he sat in Kasey’s lap. The fingers of one hand tugged unconsciously at the seam of his jeans, and the other hand rested on Kasey’s shoulder. He shifted in discomfort at the thought of others, strangers even, risking their lives for him. “Taggart’s cruel,” he said softly. “I… I don’t like the idea of others risking their lives because of me.”