I turned back to the thick steel door in front of me. It had a small square opening at shoulder level covered with sturdy bars. As I was staring through the hole, trying to make out anything beyond our prison, when faint voices came from somewhere beyond the door.
“Not sure why we got ta deal with them damn curs, anyhow,” a surly voice echoed down the hall. “Not untying that big beast, I’ll tell ye that fer damn sure!”
“Boss jest said ta check on’em,” another man responded, the voice drawing closer. “Didn’t say nuthin’ ‘bout untying’em. Jest wants to be sure the drugs didn’t kill’em. Long as they’re okay, we don’t have to mess with’em ‘til the buyer picks’em up.”
“What the fuck does he even want with’em?” The first voice groused.
“Boss said somethin’ ‘bout needing a stud for some wolf bitches at a zoo,” the second man’s shrug was evident in his voice. “Pretty sure there’s easier ways to get one, but what do we care s’long as the cash comes through?”
From the expression on Sebastian’s face, I could tell he heard them as well. It only took a second for the implication of their conversation to give me an idea. It didn’t sound as though our captors knew we were shifters; that might very well give us the edge we needed. Before I’d said a word, Sebastian took a deep breath and eased into a nearly silent shift. Even though I knew time was of the essence, I couldn’t stop myself from staring as the beautiful, lithe man stretched and reformed into the breathtaking black wolf. He laid down in the same position he had awoken in. I nodded my approval before wrapping the rope loosely around his four paws, giving the impression that he was still bound.
Tying myself up stood to be more complicated, so I wrapped the rope loosely around my wrists and ankles before I shifted, hoping it would stay in place. My transformation had barely finished when the door creaked open, and two ill-kempt men stepped cautiously inside. They paused just inside the door, and the one closest to us huffed in irritation.
“Fucking things ought to have woken up bynow.” He strode over and kicked Sebastian hard in the ribs. “C’mon you, stupid mutt!”
The snarl that ripped through me came without warning. I kicked free of the rope and leaped to my feet, sprinting past them to place myself between our captors and the door. Landing stiff legged, I squared myself and prepared to be rushed as they both turned to face me. Instead, the smaller man reached into his pocket and removed a small handgun.
“Mick! What the hell are you doing?” The other man exclaimed, but his partner ignored him.
“Bad doggie,” Mick cackled, the weapon giving him confidence as he leveled it at me with an evil grin.
A sudden streak of black took us all by surprise when Sebastian launched himself toward the aggressor, ferocious snarls emanating from his snapping jaws and echoing through the small space. Startled, Mick spun around, squeezing off one shot before Sebastian reached him. Omegas may be smaller than Alphas, but I've always known that that doesn't make them weak, and Sebastian? Well, the pained scream and the crunching of bones snapping when his strong jaws closing over the man’s wrist made it clear that Sebastian was no weakling.
The second man stared, his gaze pinballing between where his screeching friend was kneeling on the ground, fighting to free his from Sebastian’s teeth, and where I stood blocking the only exit. He made up his mind and turned, taking a step toward my Omega. The light glinting off the blade he pulled free from his pocket made that decision his last.
I was standing over his inert body, my jaws stained red, when Sebastian suddenly slumped down, his eyes rolling back as he released his grip on our other attacker. Mick looked up at me and opened his mouth, but it was too late. I tossed his carcass over to rest with his partner’s and lowered myself to Sebastian’s side, seeing the glisten of wet fur on his shoulder for the first time. Fuck. The bullet had hit him and he hadn't even whimpered. Instead, he’d stood his ground until he lost enough blood that he passed out.
Cursing the beautiful black fur that had hidden his injury so effectively, I shifted and gathered him into my arms, pulling the heavy door closed behind me as I searched for a place to help my Omega. Laying Sebastian on a bed in the first room that I came to, I quickly and silently searched the rest of the house. We were alone. A cursory examination revealed no telephone, no computer, no means of communicating with the outside world. A quick look out the window showed a thick forest and no nearby neighbors.
Swallowing my frustrated groan, I set a pan of water on the stove to boil as I searched the kitchen. Collecting supplies that I could use to remove the bullet, I tried to ignore the voice in the back of my head reminding me that if they'd known what they were hunting, if the bullet had been silver tipped, it was unlikely that I’d be able to save Sebastian.
Knives of several sizes, a turkey baster, an absurdly small pair of silicone tipped tongs that I was hoping would work as forceps – I dropped them all in the boiling water and began searching for bandages. Settling for an unopened jar of organic honey and a stack of clean dishtowels that I found in a drawer, I wrapped the sanitized items in a clean towel and headed for the bedroom where I’d left the injured wolf, all the while praying to the Goddess Eir to guide my hand.
Forty minutes later, the bullet was lying on the bedside table, the wound had been cleaned, packed with honey, and bandaged, but Sebastian still hadn’t woken up. I closed the door to the room we were occupying and slid the heavy bureau over to block it. Then, I crawled into the bed next to the Omega, drawing his small form against my chest and allowing the Alpha pheromones that I so rarely used to wash over him, deepening his sleep and encouraging his body to heal.
For two days Sebastian lay on the bed, silent and still, offering no clue as to when he might wake. Even though he was slender, the Omega could survive many more days without food, but I knew that the immediate danger was dehydration. To that end, my new obsession became spending hours using the turkey baster that I'd resanitized after irrigating his wound to dribble fresh water into his mouth, stroking his throat until he reflexively swallowed before starting again.
As each hour passed without improvement, I had to continuously remind myself that as long as his pulse remained steady, he was improving. I ventured out into the forest twice a day, once each morning to hunt before wrapping my body around Sebastian to sleep, and once each evening to explore our surroundings in an as yet vain attempt to determine where in Hades we were. I couldn't be sure how far we had been transported before we woke, and without even the vaguest idea of our location, I was hesitant to trust in the relative security of the forest enough to leave Sebastian alone for more than an hour at a time.
As Sebastian lay unmoving on the third evening, I ventured out to dig a grave for the two kidnappers. As I covered their bodies, the faint sound of music caught my ear. I kicked the final layer of dirt over their resting place and then, with a single fretful glance back toward the house where Sebastian lay unconscious, I eased deep into the forest to investigate the source. Uncertain what I was facing, I hugged the twilight darkness. From my spot deep in the shadows, I saw a small village that was alive with the sounds of a festival. The scent of roasted meats permeated the air and the humans – many who were dressed as wolves - danced and sang in the moonlight. I was weighing the pros and cons of revealing myselfand asking for help when a dog and goat were led to the high stage in the center of the dancers, their lives ended with the sudden flash of a blade as the dancers attempted to catch the free-flowing blood in their hands.
Horrified at the seemingly wanton killing, I drew further back into the shadows, confident that the sudden appearance of a large wolf would be met with anything but a warm welcome. I picked my way back to the cabin where I coaxed my sleeping charge into swallowing a bit of broth that I'd boiled down from the carcass of the small mule deer I'd taken the day before. Then, I curled around him to wait out another day. When I woke, Sebastian's warm human flesh was pressed against my body and startling blue eyes were watching me.
ChapterSeven
Sebastian
I was wrapped in warmth, the air around me permeated with delicious Alpha pheromones as I drifted awake. The first few attempts at opening my eyes failed, the effort proving to be too much for my weakened body, so I nuzzled into the softness under my cheek, drawing in more of the Alpha scent swirling around me, and allowed myself to float in the drowsy space between sleep and wakefulness. My internal clock wasn’t registering, so any amount of time could have passed before I tried again. This time, my eyelids crept open, slowly, creakily, like the rusted gate on the old wrought iron fence I'd had to pass through when I left Peaceful River. My vision was hazy as I fought to focus my eyes in the dim late afternoon light that was creeping in through the drapes at the window.
I took in everything I could see without actually moving; instinctively I knew that my body wasn't up to that yet. Once I could make out the detail of the ugly purple checkered paper on the wall I was facing, I fought the urge to panic. Even in my confused state, I was able to tell that there was nothing in my line of sight that I recognized; I had no idea where I was.
Trying to remember how I had come to be in this place – my last solid memory was of Alrick stopping my fall at the lake – I was startled when the warm cocoon I was wrapped in suddenly shifted under me, a low grumble vibrating under my cheek. Moving slowly, I tipped my head back and my breath caught in my throat, the cloud of Alpha pheromones suddenly making perfect sense. Alrick's face was creased in sleep and my cheek was resting on the thick fleece of his barechest, my body was draped down his torso, his muscular arms and one corded leg wrapped around me, holding me tight to the warm strength of his body.His hot, hard,nakedbody. Oh, Hell.
I didn't think I had moved, scared to even breathe, but something triggered the Alpha's instincts and he caught me staring when his violet-rimmed eyes blinked open.
"You're awake," he observed, his deep voice sliding over my naked flesh like a caress.
Despite my dry mouth, I swallowed. Hard.
