Kasey laughed deeply and reached out to gently caress his mate’s pale cheek. “Is my kitchen the only reason you want me?”
Seth lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug with a you-caught-me expression. “Now that you know, are you going to keep me anyway?”
Leaning down, Kasey murmured into Seth’s ear, “You bet your cute ass I am.”
An indignant squeak left Seth at Kasey’s words, but the tall Cheyenne covered his mouth, quickly erasing all thoughts of anything but the taste of his sheriff.
Kasey groaned when he pulled back reluctantly. “If I don’t leave now, I’m not going to work, and I have to today. There’s a big meeting with the town council about the Created one.”
“Go. I’ll be fine,” Seth assured him. “Nick’ll be here soon, and you said yourself some of the others are patrolling the property.”
Kasey still felt strange about leaving Seth, but he figured his wolf merely wanted to stay and protect his mate. “All right. The house is yours. Make yourself at home, pup. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He planted another smoldering kiss on Seth’s lips before wrenching himself away and swiftly heading down the stairs two at a time. If he’d stayed a moment longer, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere.
On the way to the station, Kasey put in a call to his father to ask that he make sure the others kept a very close eye until he returned.
Seth decided to explore Kasey’s house, since he’d only been there once, and he’d been way too nervous to notice anything in particular other than the beautiful kitchen. He started in the bedroom, looking around at the dark furniture—a mahogany dresser with matching end tables, the intricately designed four-poster bed, and stainless steel lamps. On the dresser there were several picture frames that immediately grabbed his attention. He recognized Kasey’s parents in a few of the photos, and in another Kasey stood with the brother he’d met last night, Thayne. Seth’s teeth elongated at the photo as he remembered Nick’s pain caused by the other wolf.
The other photograph had a dark-haired, dark-eyed man almost as tall as Kasey standing beside him. He looked vaguely familiar, but Seth couldn’t place him. Their arms were around each other’s shoulders, and there seemed to be an almost affectionate look on their faces. His wolf perked up and snarled inside him. Someone else his mate found important. Seth stepped back and turned away, trying to soothe his inner wolf. Kasey loved him, so the past didn’t matter.
Wandering out of the bedroom, Seth headed downstairs, slowing to look at the other photos hanging on the wall of the staircase. There were many of Kasey with many other Cheyennes. He wondered if these were pack mates. They must be. His hand trailed along the wooden banister lightly as he continued down to the first floor of the house.
Dark and heavy furniture gave the house a masculine air. A beautiful fireplace dominated the living room, and more framed photos graced the mantelpiece. He knew for a fact the black leather couch in front of the fireplace was extremely comfortable. A large hand-woven rug with tribal symbols on it covered most of the floor between the couch and the hearth. A flat-panel TV hung on the wall above the fireplace, and he could see a built-in shelf holding a DVD player. Another shelf built in on the other side of the TV held a bunch of movies in various genres.
In the back of the house he found a study containing quite a few books, several of which were contained in his own spare bedroom library. Seth couldn’t help but be impressed with how well-read his mate seemed to be. He saw everything from Shakespeare to James Patterson. It didn’t surprise him Kasey liked to read detective novels, and it brought a smile to his face as he trailed a finger over the spine of one. Aside from horseback riding, what else did his mate enjoy doing in his spare time?
It was too early to start making lunch, so Seth decided to go ahead and get dressed. After dressing in the jeans he’d worn yesterday and one of Kasey’s T-shirts, Seth went back downstairs and out the front door. He knew if Kasey found out he’d gone outside the man would have a fit, but he couldn’t stay cooped up inside for too long. He’d go stir crazy with nothing to do. Besides, the other wolves were there if anything happened.
Seth looked at his surroundings and breathed in deep, taking the scent of the trees into his lungs. He closed his eyes briefly, giving a small smile. He could definitely get used to this place, peaceful and quiet and so much room to stretch his legs. He just hoped he would get to stay here.
The barn he’d gone into the night he’d met Kasey loomed across the yard, and he headed toward it, intent on checking on the horse and foal. A strong smell of hay and manure assaulted his nose when he opened the barn door to step inside. Horse hooves shifting in the hay drew his attention. The horse let out a small wicker at seeing him and snorted, nervously prancing in its stall. He set his hands on the door, letting the horse get used to his scent. “Hey, beautiful,” he murmured. “I’m not going to harm you.”
If Seth hadn’t allowed his guard down, he might have realized the horse wasn’t afraid of him but of something else. As he started to open the stall door, he heard a creaking sound above his head. Seth jerked his gaze upward to see a hulking shadow above him. A scream stuck in his throat, and he whirled around to run, but he didn’t get far before something slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground.
Seth grunted as he hit the wood floor of the barn. Hot breath wheezed over his neck, sending terror straight down his spine. This time he managed to get out a yell, screaming as loud as he could, but the wolf on top of him clamped its jaws down on the back of his throat, crushing him just enough to cut the sound short. Seth’s vision swam as he tried to drag in a breath. The beast’s claws dug into his back while it attempted to pull him back over the barn floor.
Kasey’s horse let out sharp squeals of fear and stamped its feet hard into the hay beneath it. Seth prayed the others had heard him and if not him, then the horse. His consciousness slowly faded, and just before the darkness consumed him, his last thought was of Kasey and how sad he’d be when he found his body.
Kasey
was just attempting to calm the town council after revealing the details of the Created one in the area when a sudden gut-wrenching fear gripped him tightly. Sweat broke out over his brow as the realization that something had happened to his mate jolted through him. Without even saying a word to the council members, he raced down the stairs from the podium and straight out the front door of the hall. His hand reached for his cell as he dashed to his truck. First he tried to call the house, but there was no answer, and his anxiety grew by leaps and bounds.
The next call he placed to his deputy. “Julian,” he barked into the radio.
The radio crackled with static for a second before Julian’s voice came over the speaker. “What’s up, Chief?”
“Did you drop off Nick yet?”
“Negative. An emergency call came through on the way. Heading there now.”
Kasey growled fiercely at his deputy’s words. The certainty his mate was in trouble grew by the second. “Get your ass over there, now!”
Nick’s voice came over the radio then. “Something wrong, Sheriff?”
“Something’s happened to Seth. I can feel it. I’m on my way now.” Kasey gunned the engine and turned on his siren, pushing the truck as fast as he could. He also contacted his father, because it was very possible the wolves on patrol were injured or worse.
Anger and fear warred inside him. His wolf rose up fast, demanding he let it take over to protect his mate. If Seth was hurt, there was no telling what it would do. He saw no signs of movement when he reached his property, his truck coming to a halt in a plume of dust. Seth’s scent led him straight to the barn. A roar built up in his chest when he caught the smell of blood and saw the evidence of a struggle in the barn. But the barn was empty. They’d taken Seth! His heart squeezed inside his chest when he realized he’d failed his mate. He should have taken Seth to town instead of leaving him there.
Unable to stop himself, he shifted in a quick blur. His wolf grew even more furious when he immediately caught the scent of another wolf, unknown to him. His lupine eyes narrowed just before he set forth a long, loud howl. Tires pulling into the driveway brought his head around. Kasey trotted outside, fur rippling angrily.
Nick and Julian were just getting out of the vehicle when Nick spotted him. “Kasey? Where’s Seth?”
The wolf growled low in its throat, causing Nick to step back. “It’s just us, Kasey. We would never hurt Seth. We want to help find him.”
Kasey lifted his nose to the air to scent for his mate, and another howl broke free when he caught Seth’s scent. He darted off into the woods, following the cinnamon smell he loved so much, barely aware of Nick and Julian giving chase, already transformed. Nothing mattered to him except finding Seth and ripping to pieces the bastard who’d dared take his mate.
A few hundred feet into the woods, they came upon the two wolves set to guard Seth for the day. One, badly injured, could hardly breathe. It most likely had a punctured lung. The other wolf had already been killed. Julian came to a halt next to them, nudging at the wolf still alive. He whined, looking toward Kasey and Nick. They would have to continue on without him. Someone needed to help their pack mate.
Nick and Kasey set off after Seth alone. Kasey knew Julian would bring the rest of the pack to help once he’d gotten back to the reservation. Nothing would make Kasey wait any longer to find his pup. The trail couldn’t be more than half an hour old, and the more time that stretched between them allowed the Created one to get further and further away with Seth.
Silence reigned in the forest as their feet padded on the mossy floor, twigs snapping with precision beneath them. The birds were silent, as if they sensed something wasn’t right inside their home. Seth’s scent continued deep into the forest, almost to where he’d tumbled over the ridge the first night Kasey had touched his pup; then it twisted sharply along the ravine. Kasey kept from howling in frustration when the scent abruptly ended just where the path to the bottom began. His lip curled in fury, but Nick head-butted him sharply, shaking his head.
Nick lifted his nose to the air and breathed in deeply. It took several attempts before he could pick up a faint smell of cinnamon. He immediately darted off down the trail into the ravine.
Kasey followed eagerly on his heels, trying desperately to calm himself. The only way he could save Seth was if he kept a clear head. If he let his anger get the better of him, as it did at times, it might well cause Seth to lose his life. His teeth gnashed together harshly at the thought that he might never again see Seth's smile or feel his supple body beneath him. If there was even a scratch on his pup, the bastard would feel a thousand times more pain than any being in this world had ever felt.
The banks of the river were already at maximum capacity. It would not be long before they broke and the water flooded the ravine. Kasey prayed they would reach Seth in time. His paws dug into the damp earth, kicking up mud as he ran. The sound of the roaring water echoed off the ravine walls and took away any chance they would be able to hear how close they were. Seth’s scent was faint, covered by the musty smell of wet wood and rocks.
Seth
groaned as he struggled toward consciousness. Where was he? He realized someone was carrying him over their shoulder, and each step jarred the blinding headache beating against his skull. The noise of rushing water beat at his eardrums, but his hands were tied, and he couldn’t cover his ears to drown out the sound. He could only hear his captor’s heavy breathing over the roar. He knew trying to get away would be useless at the moment. He would have to wait until his captor set him down and became distracted.
“I know you’re awake,” his captor growled. What caught Seth’s attention was the voice. He frowned as he tried to pinpoint it. It wasn’t Taggart’s. Taggart’s voice had barely been human near the end.
“Who are you?” Seth demanded, trying to sound more ferocious than he felt.
The unknown assailant laughed almost mindlessly. “You do not recognize your own mate, Seth?”
“You are not my mate,” he bit out. “My mate is Kasey Whitedove, the sheriff of Senaka.”
“No!” the man roared. “I am your mate. You would know it if they hadn’t taken you from me!”
Seth would have laughed if it wouldn’t have further ignited the stranger’s anger. “Who are you?”
Instead of answering, the stranger leapt with preternatural ability onto a large boulder in the center of the river and then across to the other side. Seth groaned as the impact jarred him harshly. His bound hands came up to cradle his head, but his captor continued moving. It suddenly grew dark as they entered some kind of cave. Seth could smell the mold growing on the rocks surrounding them. It stung his canine senses, and he wheezed slightly.
The stranger tossed him none too gently into a corner of the cave. After taking a few precious seconds to collect himself, Seth looked around him. There were supplies stacked in one corner, along with some kind of wrought iron cage. Seth’s eyes widened and terror struck him. Not again. He couldn’t be caged again. He stood to run, but his captor easily overpowered him in a second, throwing him against the unforgiving rocks. Pain shot through Seth as sharp edges dug into his back before he collapsed to the floor, coughing at the agony flowing through him like pure fire.
The sound of the cage door opening brought a sob to Seth’s throat. He stifled it, refusing to allow the bastard to see him weak. He felt a sharp pinprick to his bicep before the stranger picked him up and dumped him inside the cage before slamming the door shut. The lock clicked into place with a snick, leaving hopelessness to invade Seth along with the sense of weakness from whatever the other wolf had injected him with. He tried to push it back. Kasey would find him. He couldn’t lose hope that Kasey would find him.
“Just a little something to keep you from attempting to escape, my love. Now, then, shortly we shall deal with the dog who dared claim you as his.”