Part of her wanted to freeze in panic. Instead, she spun on her heels and tried to race away. She only got a handful of steps when two other large shifters emerged from the shadows and blocked her path.
“Allow me to introduce you to some of the Night Pack,” Eric said.
Her mouth parted. She took in the other two shifters, both almost as large as Eric, both with sneers on their faces as they leered down at her. They took a step toward her. She stepped back, a lump forming in her throat. They kept moving closer, pushing her back toward Eric.
“We were just scouting out the area,” Eric said, almost amusedly. “You know, to see what sort of defenses the place had.” He grinned at her, showing sharp teeth. “Seeing you is just a boon.”
That grin snapped her out of her shock and stupor. Gritting her teeth, refusing to freeze in terror again, she dropped the duffle and spun on her heels, charging towards the woods.
Eric caught up with her in three easy strides, grabbing her wrist and pulling her against him. His other arm snaked around her waist as she struggled to break his grasp.
“You didn’t learn anything from last time, did you?” he hissed in her ear, jostling her. “I knew you weren’t the smartest, but I thought you would have figured out by now that you’re not going to be able to run from me.”
She let out a scream, but his hand on her mouth quickly smothered it.
“Now, now. There’s no need to be so ungrateful,” Eric said, still grasping her so tight that he was cutting off her circulation. “You’re going to be our guest for a while.” He released her mouth.
“You’re an asshole,” she spat. “Let me go.”
He laughed in her ear, the voice a rasp, sending her back years to where he was stuck in his house. Shivers rippled down her spine.
“I will,” he said. “Assuming that husband of yours agrees to our terms. He was so eager to buy you. I wonder what he’ll do to hold onto you.”
She thrashed in his grasp, but he held her tight, refusing to let go. Her foot slammed down, her heel ramming onto his toes. He grunted, but only held tighter.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he growled in her ear, then straightened. “Come on,” he said to the other Night Pack wolves as she continued to struggle. “Change in plans. We’ll finish scouting the area later.”
The other two wolves nodded silently.
Without another word, Eric dragged her into the woods, hauling her away.
Chapter 19 - Cillian
Cillian padded along next to Franco, trying to focus on the patrol and their surroundings to see if they could uncover where Eric and the Night Pack might be hiding. But so far, they hadn’t turned up any evidence of them. They had hunted all along the west of town and come up with nothing. If the pack were over here, they had hidden their tracks well.
The problem was that Cillian was half-certain that he could be standing straight in front of the Night Pack’s camp and still not see them, considering how distracted he was at the moment. Every few seconds, his mind wandered back to Amber, and he had to drag his thoughts away. Each time, it took more effort than the last.
Why had he locked Amber in her room? It had seemed like the right idea at the time. He had done it to keep her safe, after all. But now when he thought about it, he couldn’t smother that flicker of guilt and doubt currently rippling through him. He didn’t think he would be able to forget her expression when he closed the door on her, or forgive himself for the betrayal he’d seen in her eyes.
You did the right thing, a voice said.
Did I?another asked.
The first voice didn’t have an answer.
He pushed forward, trying to focus on the patrol. He wanted something else to fixate on besides Amber. It was half the reason he had come on this patrol at the last minute instead of staying at home. He hadn’t known how to apologize to Amber in a way that would have made her understand what he had done. So he’d come out hoping for a distraction while he could get his thoughts in order.
Except it was nearly impossible in a situation where most of the time was spent walking in silence. He tried to focus on the earth, hunting for signs of their quarry: overturned dirt, broken brush, unfamiliar scents. Only if the Night Pack were anywhere nearby, they were better at hiding their tracks than he would have liked or expected.
Which was why he kept thinking about Amber.
Couldn’t she see that he was trying to keep her safe? That was all he wanted.
You’re not exactly going about it reasonably,a voice said.
Cillian snarled. If he could find Eric and put this behind them, then he could hash things out with Amber without that threat looming over them. The problem, though, was trying to find the asshole. They had been out here for hours and had come up with nothing.
Eventually, they headed back to town. Once they were out of the woods, Franco shifted, turning back into his human form. Cillian followed suit, trying to keep his scowl off his face.
