Dark Wolf: 1 (Spirit Wild) (30 page)

Now he saw his world as one filled with possibilities. He’d always had so much love to give, but there’d never been anyone there for him. Not even his mother who had lived in fear of the monster she’d married—so much fear, she’d been unable to love her only child as fully as he’d deserved.

Sebastian’s memories, his history, his hopes and dreams and fears were Lily’s, but with everything pouring into her mind, she held on to his love. Unblemished and pure, it was all for her.

Time seemed to stand still, but in the back of her mind was the knowledge that Annie needed them, that Alex waited for them, and after what felt like forever but probably lasted mere minutes, Lily slowly allowed her side of the link to fade.

Sebastian did the same, slipping out of her innermost thoughts, though the link didn’t close entirely. They were truly bonded. Finally she understood what her parents had found with one another.

She’d never felt a link so close, had never known such a feeling of satisfaction, of pure, unadulterated love. Sebastian’s love. She shifted, becoming human as quickly as Sebastian, and they lay there in the damp grass, staring at one another in the darkness.

A tiny sliver of moonlight reflected off his fascinating teal blue eyes, and the magnitude of their bonding was swamped by that stark reminder of the mission ahead of them. “The moon is rising over the ridge,” she said.

Sebastian nodded. “We need to hurry.”

She stood and gazed about her to get her bearings, but Sebastian was behind her, wrapping his big arms around her body, and kissing the side of her neck. “We have time. We’re not that far from the site,” he whispered. “Goddess, Lily. That was amazing. I was with you when you met the Ancient Ones. I know the Chanku history, just as they gave it to you. You have lived such an amazing life, it will take me months to assimilate all I’ve learned.”

He kissed her lips, sliding softly over her mouth, and his mind was open to hers, his thoughts cascading through her mind in a rainbow of images. His dreams for the two of them, for the children he hoped to have one day. His own family to love. “I’m so sorry we had to rush. I promise to make it up to you.”

She turned in his arms and kissed him hard and fast before whispering against his lips. “You’re damned right you’ll make it up to me. We’ve got a job to do, but I’m holding you to your promise, big guy. I love you, and right now you know me better than I know myself. Just as I know you, but when it comes to this ridge, I think you’re more familiar with the area than I am. What’s next?”

“Link with Alex. Find out if he’s heard from Annie. I’ll concentrate on Aldo. But, Lily? Be careful. He’s a dangerous man, and I don’t know anything at all about the rogues, what kind of control he’s got over them. They’re not quite human, even when they look human.”

She nodded and hugged him again. It was so hard not to touch him with the link still buzzing between them like an electrical charge, with arousal and desire and just plain old lust a living, breathing entity, but this was not the time. Then, just at the moment she prepared to shift, Alex’s voice popped into her head.

T
hank the goddess they’d taken her out of that damned sack, though what they had planned for her couldn’t be anything good. It was dark out, but Annie knew she was on the mountain not far from home. It smelled familiar, like home should smell, though the air was tainted with some kind of herbal stink, something she didn’t recognize.

The only ones around were more of those huge men, and two of them were carrying her. One held her arms, the other her feet, and it didn’t matter how much she tried to break out of their grasp, these jerks were strong. Annie fought them, anyway.

She’d tried shifting, but something blocked her so that she couldn’t find her wolf. That had never happened before. Since the very first time she’d shifted, when she was just a little girl, her wolf had answered. She’d even tried other creatures. None had responded. It felt as if part of her had died.

She was naked, and while no one had raped her, they’d had their filthy hands all over her body, pinching and poking, leering at her and making stupid threats. She’d ignored them. One thing she’d learned from some of the older women in the pack—evil men could do terrible things to a woman’s body, but they couldn’t touch her soul.

These idiots hadn’t even come close.

She knew Alex had to be nearby. Goddess, she’d been calling out to him for what felt like forever, but there’d been nothing. Where the sense of him had made up the brightest corners of her mind, there was nothing but darkness. He’d been a part of her since the moment he’d rescued her in town, and the feeling had only grown stronger since their mating.

Then just after those horrible men had stuffed her into a big sack, Alex had blinked out of her mind. He couldn’t be dead. She’d know it if he were dead, wouldn’t she? Their bond was new, but they were linked forever.

So where in the hell was he? When she couldn’t get Alex, she’d tried to reach her father and Anton. Nothing. As powerful as Anton was, he should have answered. She’d never felt so totally cut off from the pack before.

She couldn’t shift, couldn’t mindspeak. She wanted to scream in frustration, but no sound came out. But she could still bite, damn it, and she twisted in the grasp of the guy holding her arms and bit down hard on his wrist.

He slammed her hard against the side of a huge tree. Stars exploded in her head, but she tasted blood and knew she’d hurt him.

“Shit. The fucking bitch bit me.”

“Watch it. Don’t damage the goods. Here. Stand her upright.” An older man stepped into her line of sight. He was tall and dressed in a dark business suit, which was not what most people wore this high in the mountains.

For some reason, he looked familiar, though she knew she’d never met him. He ran his fingers over the side of her face, and the foulness of his touch scared the crap out of her. He felt evil, as if there were something terribly wrong about him. She shivered, instinctively drawing away.

“Good. Animals should be afraid of me.” He held up a metal collar and tightened it around her neck. Even if she were able to shift, she couldn’t now without strangling herself. He checked the clasp and then clamped some sort of metal restraints on her wrists while one of his men fastened the same things to her legs, just above her knees.

Then they lifted her up like a sack of potatoes and hung the restraints on hooks stuck in the thick bark of the tree. Her arms stretched over her head, and her legs were spread wide with her feet dangling against the rough bark. It scraped her back and buttocks, and her head was still spinning from getting knocked against the trunk, but she twisted against the restraints anyway, testing them.

Then she saw lights off in the distance and knew where she was. They’d hung her from the big oak that straddled the property between the Chanku land and their neighbor.

Sebastian’s father. Shit. She’d heard people talking about him like he was some kind of crazy. This was not looking good, but it explained why he looked familiar.

He stood in front of her, smiling at her as if he was really proud of what he’d accomplished. She wanted to tell him what a piece of shit he was, but she couldn’t talk.

Of course. He was a fucking wizard. It had to be some kind of spell blocking her. What other explanation could there be?

Alex might not have any idea where she was or who had her. If she couldn’t link to him, it stood to reason he couldn’t link to her. She’d been counting on that connection, but if she’d been magically blocked . . . damn.

She looked in all directions, but the fire burning just a few feet away cast everything beyond its glow in darkest night. She couldn’t sense anyone nearby—not even the bastards who held her. How could Alex possibly find her if she was totally cut off? Her head fell forward; despair washed over her. She needed Alex. She’d always needed Alex, but dear Goddess, she really needed him now.

 

If his father hadn’t knelt beside him in his human form with a restraining hand on his shoulder, Alex would probably be dead by now. He knew that with the same certainty that he realized men would die tonight.

Hopefully by his hand.

Poor Annie. She was so close and yet she might have been a million miles away.
The bastard’s got to be blocking her.

His dad squeezed his shoulder.
I asked Anton. He said it’s possibly a warding spell, but instead of being used to protect Annie, it’s acting like a shield, not allowing her to speak either verbally or mentally. It’s got to be blocking her ability to shift, too. Otherwise, I’m sure Annie would have been going for throats, not merely wrists.

My girl’s a hell of a fighter.
Tinker was less than ten feet away, concealed in heavy brush, and Alex sensed some sort of massive mental restraint holding the man in place. Anton? He didn’t think his own dad was strong enough.

I’m here, Alex,
Lily said.
Coming in behind you. Sebastian’s trying to get closer to Aldo. Dad’s got the pack together, and they’re building up more energy for our magic.

Then Anton was speaking.
Sebastian? Are you two there yet? Good. Look, we’ve got trouble. I just heard from the sheriff. There’s been another murder—body of a young woman discovered on our land, down where it runs along the highway. Probably happened early this morning.

Sebastian spoke. Calm, measured tones.
He’ll be much stronger, even harder to stop.

His control helped center Alex.

I know.
Anton again, sounding calm and focused. Alex concentrated on his own focus as Anton continued.

There was a long silence. Then Anton again, sounding like a man fighting powerful emotions.
Good, sweetheart. Damn good. In fact, it’s wonderful. Sebastian? You have an even greater responsibility to keep her safe.

Alex glanced at his father and then felt Lily’s chin on his back.
If Sebastian does anything stupid,
she said,
I will haunt him.

The twelve rogues moved into position in a circle around the tree, six of them in human form, six as wolves. They stood just outside of the circle Aldo was scraping into the dirt.

He stood back and surveyed the circle and then stripped out of his clothing. One of the men, acting as an acolyte, slipped a black robe over Aldo’s head and helped him tie the sash. Then he stepped back and joined the others around the tree.

Annie hung there, looking angry and frustrated and scared to death. Alex glanced over his shoulder at Lily. She shook her head.
Sebastian says he has an idea that should get Aldo to turn Annie free. Let’s see what he’d got planned. Then we attack, but we wait until Annie is free. She’s too vulnerable.

I know. And I don’t know if we’re strong enough to take them in a fight.
He hadn’t wanted to voice that concern. Not at all, but it was wrong to deny the truth. There were twelve huge rogue Chanku, and only eight of them, counting the three packmates who’d come up through the tunnels.

Everyone else was in the meadow channeling energy. He didn’t trust magic. Not nearly as much as he trusted teeth and good old-fashioned fighting, but he forced himself to hold his position.

He wanted Annie to know they were here for her. That they’d be getting her away from the bastard who held her. Then, Goddess be blessed, Annie raised her head and looked right at Alex.

He gazed straight into her eyes and sent his love across the short distance, but he couldn’t tell if she saw him or not. He could only wait to see what Lily and Sebastian had planned.

 

Sebastian linked privately with Lily.
We have to get Annie free of him. That has to come first. I’m going out there, but don’t give yourself away. I want him to think I’m here alone.

Before Lily could say anything else, he shifted and strode out onto the moonlit ridge, but he pulled the power of the pack around him, and used their strength to mask his presence.

He felt it like a powerful drug, the energy from all those Chanku along with the added strength of the Mother thrumming in his veins. Even stronger was the power of Lily’s love.

The moon was almost directly overhead—time was growing short. Moonlight caught him just outside the circle, and he dropped the glamour that had hidden him from view, standing there tall and proud, his naked body hard and pulsing with more power than he’d ever felt.

His skin glistened in the moonlight, his muscles practically quivered with power, and his cock rode high and hard against his belly. He felt as if all the elements waited for his call.

“Master! Behind you.”

Aldo spun about when one rogue called out. He stood just inside the circle, still too close to Annie, but his eyes went wide as he realized who it was who challenged him.

“Son. I was hoping you’d stop by.”

“Let her go.” Sebastian folded his arms across his chest, and he knew he looked larger than life, that the magic flowed from him in waves of power.

Aldo took a short step back, obviously surprised. “Sebastian ? Why, son, I had no idea.” The man practically cackled as he stared at him, and Sebastian wondered what the old bastard was thinking.

Then he felt a surge of power from the pack, and he was there, in his father’s mind, and the disgusting miasma coating the man’s thoughts almost made him retch. But he knew. Suddenly Sebastian knew exactly what his father had planned.

He hoped like hell he hadn’t made a terrible mistake. “Let her go, Aldo.”

“What? You’ve always called me father. Have those foul creatures turned my only son against me?”

“There was no need for them to do anything. You are not my father. Not anymore. I want no part of you or your plans.”

Aldo smiled, a hideous caricature of pleasure. “But they involve you, my beloved son. Why do you think you even exist? I fucked that bitch just to get you. Do you think I would have touched her otherwise? I knew about shapeshifters, even though they were still in hiding—documents I took from your mother. She’d gotten them when her older sister died. She was a lab technician who worked for a government official named Milton Bosworth. It seems Bosworth had authorized secret experiments on a freak, a female who was part wolf. Do you know what fascinated me most about her? Tests showed she was practically immortal.”

Sebastian.
The authority in Anton’s voice raised shivers along his spine.
Keep him talking. We’re familiar with some of this information, but we need to know more.

“What’s your point, old man?”

“Interesting way to put it.” Aldo’s smile made his flesh crawl. “You’ll never grow old. Did you know that? It’s one of the things those Chanku bastards have over humans. You have it too. I want it. I want your power, and your immortality. I want your life force, son.”

He stared at the one who had fathered him and felt ill. The man was truly insane. “Turn her loose. Now.”

“I will. On one condition.”

Sebastian glared at him. “Name it.”

“That you take her place.”

Lily cried out.
No, Sebastian. You can’t. He’ll kill you.

I’m stronger than him.
“Set her free, first.”

“How do I know you won’t attack me? Why should I trust you?”

“Because I don’t lie. And because I don’t think you have the strength to fight my magic.”

Aldo burst into laughter and glanced at the rogues behind him. “Set her free. The boy’s got delusions of grandeur. He’s never been stronger than me.” He muttered something under his breath as two of the rogues went to Annie and unfastened her restraints.

Sebastian felt the power of the spell surround him. The connection linking him to Lily, to Anton, and the power of the pack flashed out like the blink of a light.

He stood before his father, his magic lying dead in his veins as Annie stumbled away from the tree. She reached for him as she passed, but energy from the wards sizzled and burned her hand. Stricken, she backed away.