Primal Possession (28 page)

She turned away and strode out of the room. She didn’t need to hear pity or sympathy from a virtual stranger. Maybe she should have expected it. But she’d thought they could work past anything. Especially since he’d just been injured. What was an argument in the face of something like this?

As she strode down the hallway Ana easily caught up with her. “He’ll come around,” she murmured.

“Yeah, sure.” But she didn’t believe it. Probably not any more than Ana did. The woman was very nice and a surprisingly calming influence, but she didn’t know her family or anything about her history. She shook her head in an effort to shove those thoughts free. “Have you heard from Connor?” She knew Ana and her mate communicated telepathically. Liam had explained it had something to do with being bondmates.

Ana nodded. “They’re still looking.”

“Just the two of them?”

“No, while you were talking to the police, I called the house. Noah, the man who was here earlier, is out with everyone too. I couldn’t get hold of Jayce, though.” For the first time since she’d met her, Ana looked nervous.

While December might not understand Kat and Jayce’s relationship, even she knew he wasn’t going to handle what had happened well. Suppressing a shudder, she pulled her mittens out of her pocket and slid them on as they stepped outside.

Two uniformed officers were talking to one of the EMTs but hurried over when they spotted them. “Are you leaving?” one of them asked. At one time she’d known all the officers’ names, but Parker had hired a few new guys in the past year.

She glanced at Ana, then nodded. “Yes.”

“We’ll be escorting you home,” the same one said.

December wasn’t sure if they knew she was staying at the Armstrong ranch, but she didn’t say anything. They’d figure it out once they started following them.

The drive back was quiet, leaving her wrapped up and suffocating in her own thoughts. She’d never thought of herself as a morbid person, but visions of Kat helpless and hurt somewhere assaulted her mind. December clearly remembered what it had felt like to have that monster pin her to the floor of her bedroom and use a Taser on her. Then weeks later another stranger had punched her in the face, knocking her out in her own living room. She might not be sure exactly who had taken Kat, but she knew they were part of the same group as the men who’d come after her. A shudder rolled through her and she sent up a silent prayer for her friend.

Once they reached the turnoff from the two-lane highway onto the long, winding road that led to the ranch, the police car fell back and turned around.

After Ana pulled through the gate, she turned to her. “Why don’t you head to the main house while I park? We can wait for news together.”

Grateful, she nodded. She hadn’t wanted to go to the guesthouse by herself and simply wait for Liam to return. She might not know Ana well, but it would help to be in the other female’s presence. Grabbing her purse, she got out of the vehicle and hurried toward the house. As she made her way across the icy ground, the sound of a man clearing his throat made her jump.

She swiveled to find Jayce walking across the yard. It appeared as if the hulking shifter had appeared out of nowhere. He blended into the darkness as if he were part of it.

“I didn’t want to scare you,” he said softly, and kept a few feet between them. “Where’s Liam?”

It hit her with startling intensity. He didn’t know what had happened. For a moment, she racked her brain trying to think of a way to tell him. Nothing sounded right, so she plunged ahead. “He’s out looking for Kat. God, I’m so sorry. She was…kidnapped at the hospital. Two men in a van pulled up and took her. I tried to run after them—”

“How long ago?” His expression darkened, his eyes taking on a supernatural glow, and the deadly edge to his question sent a shiver snaking through her. If he found who’d done this, she had no doubt he’d rip them to shreds.

“A couple hours. The police have the license plate, and Connor and Liam went after her scent. I think Ana tried to call you.”

His jaw twitched once and his gray eyes turned to an inky black. She knew it wasn’t the light playing tricks on her either. “Did you notice anything else about the men who took her?” His voice was ragged and it appeared as if he was visibly trying to control himself.

She shook her head. “They wore masks and the van was white. They used a Taser to stun her.”

Rage seemed to flow off him in waves. “Do you know what direction they went?”

“No, I’m sorry.” And she was. Even thinking about what could be happening to Kat right now made her sick. The bastard who’d tried to take December from her own house had no problems punching a woman. She only prayed Kat was okay.

Wordlessly, he turned and ran in the other direction. Through the darkness she heard the sound of bones breaking and knew he’d shifted. There was a loud, animalistic roar that reverberated off the trees, almost making them shake. The air seemed to crackle with electricity for a moment.

Then a dead silence descended in the air.

Kat tried to open her eyes, but it was difficult. Blinking a few times, she shook her head until her vision cleared somewhat. When she tried to move, she realized her hands were bound above her head.

What the hell?

An icy fist clasped around her chest as she took in her surroundings. It was apparent she was in some sort of barn or shed. A removable wooden ladder leaned against a loft directly across from her. A few old saddles and some other riding gear lay in the corner of the small building. Hay and straw littered underneath her feet—she realized someone had taken her boots—and it was cold. Damn cold. The structure wasn’t big and it definitely wasn’t insulated. Wind whistled through trees outside and she could see the moon peeking through a hole in the ceiling.

She desperately tried to remember what had happened or where she was. She’d been at the hospital. She remembered December screaming, alerting her; then a man shot her with something—maybe a Taser; then blackness. Looking up, she realized her hands were bound with some kind of plastic ties and linked to a hook. Raw fear snaked through her straight to her toes, but she knew if she let her panic take over, she wouldn’t do herself any good. This wasn’t the first time some asshole had taken her. She had to keep a level head if she wanted to survive. As she started to struggle against the bindings, the sound of something rolling stopped her.

“Good. You’re finally awake.” She turned at the sound of a cold, male voice.

The rolling sound had been a large wooden exterior door. As she stared at him, confusion settled over her. “Greg? What’s going on?” She occasionally worked with the blond-haired ski instructor.

As his dark gaze raked over her, she felt as if she were naked. Exposed. The look of lust in his eyes made her want to puke. She swallowed hard. “What are you doing?”

Finally he looked her in the eyes. “I’m just supposed to watch you until the boss shows up, but we’re going to have some fun.”

The way he said “fun” made her gut roil. “You’re one of those APL members.” It wasn’t a question.

“And you’re a shifter-loving whore,” he spat.

As he came toward her, she kicked out at him with her socked foot. She missed him, but the gleam in his eyes told her he didn’t care. He wanted her to fight.

When he came at her again, she managed to kick his shoulder. He grunted in annoyance and cursed under his breath, but it didn’t faze him.

He just kept coming. Without her hands it was hard to defend herself. No matter how many times she kicked at him, she didn’t have much strength behind the blows. He’d strung her up so she was poised on the tips of her toes. Her shoulders felt as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. Arched like that, she didn’t have a good position and the more she tried to kick, the more she hurt and the more out of breath she became.

As she kicked out at him again, he grabbed her calf and used it as leverage to get closer. His viselike grip didn’t lessen on her leg as he slammed his body against hers. She tried to use her other leg as a weapon, but he pinned her against the wall with the full force of his weight.

“If you don’t fight, I’ll go easy on you,” he whispered in her ear. His unmistakable erection pressed against her abdomen.

She dry heaved at his words. Her reaction evidently
pissed him off. He punched her hard in the stomach. She coughed and tried to catch her breath, but it was impossible because he hauled off and punched her again.

It was as if someone had slammed a two-by-four across her middle. She tried to bite it back but the cry escaped regardless. Tears rolled down her cheeks when he slapped her across the face.

When he grabbed the front of her sweater and ripped it fully open, she managed to kick out again, but it was useless. Using his weight again, he pinned her back against the wall as he unbuttoned her jeans and shoved them down.

Kat screamed as loud as she could, even though instinct told her they were alone in the woods somewhere. When she did, he slapped her again, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. She lashed out again and this time managed to clip him in the groin.

“I told you I’d go easy on you!” he shouted at her. “Now you’re going to pay,” he growled, sounding angrier with each word.

The pain in her stomach had lessened, or maybe she was becoming numb, but her face still throbbed as she watched him. He strode to the other side of the barn and picked up something. When he turned to face her, she realized he was holding a whip of some sort.

The long, brown cord uncoiled and hit the hay-covered dirt with a soft thud. He lifted it and cracked it once against the ground.

She flinched at the slapping sound it made, because she knew what he planned to do. She could see the coldness in his soulless eyes. When he lifted the whip and struck out at her, she tried to turn away the best she could.

The end sliced into her outstretched arm and down
the side of her rib cage. As her skin tore away, she screamed again. She might not beg for her life, but she couldn’t stop the screams. She managed to twist around even more, but he just continued beating her. The edge of the whip sliced across her back and legs. Over and over. A merciless torture without end.

With each blow she screamed until she realized she was screaming Jayce’s name. But he never came for her.

L
iam watched the barely perceptible rise and fall of December’s chest. Sleep hadn’t come easy for either of them last night and after he and the rest of the pack had returned home, he’d gotten only a couple hours.

The thought of Kat out there, at the mercy of a bunch of crazy radicals…He didn’t know how Jayce was dealing with it. December had told him the enforcer had left to hunt for her. He still wasn’t back as far as Liam knew.

Reaching out, he gently pushed back a curl that had fallen across her face. She stirred but didn’t wake up. She looked so peaceful with her bright red hair pillowed around her face and her pink lips slightly parted.

His throat constricted as he stared at her. Last night it could just as easily have been her. The knowledge shredded his insides with razor wire. If he’d never walked into her store, never pursued her so insistently, she’d still be safe. The APL wouldn’t have a reason to target her. This was his damn fault. She’d told him she didn’t want anything to do with him and he hadn’t listened. Instead he’d listened to his most primal side and now she was on the radar of
some crazy assholes. The threat to her before had seemed manageable somehow. Now it just felt insurmountable. What if these maniacs
never
stopped coming for her? His pack was making some progress in ferreting out the local group’s intentions, but that might not be enough.

He and December hadn’t talked much about a future. Sure, they’d made a big step in their relationship, but she’d never said she wanted to become his bondmate. If she did that, she’d turn into a shifter and have the same longevity as him. But if she decided to stay human, she’d always be weaker. If someone else decided to come after her again, who was to say he could stop it? Despite the fact that he’d like to be her permanent shadow, he knew he couldn’t always be there for her. Not every second of the day. And neither of them would want to live like that anyway.

No wonder Jayce had questioned him if he’d ever worried about his involvement with a human. Bringing a human into their world was insane. Now Kat was paying the price. He would never forgive himself if something else happened to December.

How could he have been so stupid? So blind? For the first time ever, he finally understood why his brother had walked away from Ana half a century ago. He’d done it because he loved her and had wanted to protect her. That was real love.

What Liam had done had been selfish. By barreling his way into her life, he’d put December in mortal danger. Last night was proof enough he couldn’t protect her all the time.

Once they killed these APL bastards—and he had to believe they would—there would be someone else filled with rage and hate ready to take the place of them and hurt anyone he cared about.

“What’s wrong?” December’s soft voice sliced through the quiet room.