Throwing me onto my back, the snarling beast began to tear off my jacket.
CHAPTER 34
Ace
After we’d learned Kane’s new plan, Mad Dog, Kierston, and I jumped into our SUV and drove over to the abandoned gas station. Our back-up—Blitz, Domino, Gunner, and Cage—were following close behind us in a second vehicle.
Since we reached the gas station before the others and there was no time to wait, we headed off into the woods immediately. They wouldn’t need Kierston’s map because they could use our scent as a guide. If that failed, I’d reach out to them through the pack bond.
There was no way a witch could keep up with a ware running anywhere, let alone a steep incline. Despite some protest, Kierston hopped onto Mad Dog’s back, and he carried her as she navigated the map.
Sniffing the air, I caught the delicate scent of my mate on the cool night breeze. “She’s close,” I hissed, my inner wolf aching to break free and find her, “I can smell her.”
“Good,” Kierston returned, folding up her map and tucking it into her back pocket, “because Cat’s signal just went offline. I can’t see where she is anymore.”
“They must have gone into one of the caves up ahead,” Mad Dog suggested, as he visually gauged the terrain. “Can you find the rest of the way by her scent, Brother?”
I didn’t care what it took, I was going to bring my mate home tonight. I wouldn’t fail her. Not again.
“Yes. Follow me,” I confidently replied, turning to continue on.
Mad Dog came to a sudden halt and helped Kierston down off his back. “Kay, you stay here and wait for the others. They’ll arrive in a few minutes. I’m not taking the chance of Kane striking out at you when Ace and I confront him. It’s too big a risk to take.”
Kierston was clearly furious with his chivalrous speech. “Nathan, I won’t be a hindrance to you or Ace. I’m a witch. I can help.”
Mad Dog tossed his gaze my way before saying, “I know you’re strong, Kierston. I know you handle a lot at the bar, but this is different. This is ware business. Things are about to get a little… aggressive. Besides, the others will be here in just a few minutes. You can help us by filling them in on what happened and where we’re going.”
Looking like she wanted to argue, but knowing time was of the essence, Kierston reluctantly agreed. “Fine, but I’ll be there soon. I won’t hold you back, and I’m not staying out of this fight altogether.”
Mad Dog smiled at her audacious statement. “Understood.”
Running into the night, we switched over to the pack bond and I could immediately feel my brothers in my presence despite their physical absence. Feeding them the images of what I was seeing, of where I was going, and what I was planning on doing, they all, in their own unique ways, conveyed they were close and ready to join the hunt as soon as they could.
CHAPTER 35
Cat
Kane shredded my jacket in mere seconds. When he paused to unzip his pants, I scrabbled backward. My hand brushed up against something hard and rough under my fingers. A weapon? Yes. The best kind.
Discretely seizing upon the baseball-sized rock, I concealed it in my hand and waited for the right moment to strike. Kane straddled my hips and tore open the front of my shirt. Screaming in earnest, I began to try to buck him off of me, but his weight held me firmly in place.
“Even better than I imagined,” Kane said greedily.
He leaned forward, his fingers trailed through the plump divide of my ample cleavage, and it took all of my strength not to fight back. When his attention became fixated on the heaving mounds, I brought the stone smashing down onto his head.
Kane might be one of the strongest creatures alive, but even his skull was no match against stone. Immediately, the ware’s skin split and began gushing a torrent of thick, stinking blood.
Rearing back with a roar, I used the momentum of his momentary stun to shove him sideways off of me. Kane’s eyes flashed almost as red as his gushing wound. “Bitch! You’re going to pay for that!” he threatened, as he began to swipe the offensive liquid pouring into his eyes.
I only had a split second to act. Summoning what little energy I had left, I hucked my makeshift weapon directly at his face. This close, and blinded by the blood as he was, my missile struck its target dead center.I didn’t take any time to savor the surge of satisfaction I felt when the evil bastard howled in pain.
Seizing my moment, I crawled on hands and knees toward the mouth of the cave. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I sure as hell wasn’t staying here. With a surge of adrenaline that awoke my sluggish body, I broke free of my earthen prison. Then, I ran.
My legs began their wild descent back down the mountainside with a will and drive of their own. I knew I could never hope to outrun Kane, but maybe I could hide from him. Fit into some crevasse he couldn’t?
It was unlikely, but I had to at least try. More desperate than I’ve ever been in my entire life, my lungs expanded to accept the oxygen that was flooding my body and fueling my desperately pumping leg muscles.
“Where are you going, Kitty Cat?” Kane shouted into the dark night. His sing-song voice caused gooseflesh to erupt along my legs and arms. “Do you want me to chase you? I’ll chase you, my little morsel. Hunting is my favorite sport.”
