The wolf leaped again and the sheer weight of him took Quinn down. He rolled and managed to get free, but not before the larger wolf snapped at his foreleg. Sharp fangs scraped over skin and Quinn could smell blood, coppery and warm as it rolled down his leg. Thankfully, the beast missed the bone and the wound was only a surface one. He didn’t know if he’d be that lucky next time the wolf struck.
He caught a glimpse of Bethany struggling to shift in order to help him. Her nails turned into claws and then back into hands. Her jaw elongated and shrunk again. Shifting was too new for her to be able to do it on command under such extreme circumstances. It didn’t matter that her first change had come easily. Emotions affected everything and she still thought of herself as more human than wolf. The change came much easier to purebloods than to half-breeds.
Undaunted, Bethany screamed and surged forward. She bent down and grabbed a piece of rusty pipe off the ground, clasping it in her hands like a baseball bat. She swung at the large wolf but it ducked and the pipe whooshed over its head. The beast snarled at her.
Fury the likes of which he’d never known exploded inside Quinn. He leapt at the other wolf, landing on its back. They rolled across the ground in a snarling, snapping heap of fur and teeth.
Suddenly the beast pulled away, turned and ran. Quinn started to give chase but Bethany’s cry stopped him. He turned back around to find her kneeling on the ground, the pipe abandoned beside her.
The rest of their group was racing toward them. Quinn quickly glanced down the street, but both werewolves were gone. And with them, his chance to find his sister.
He tilted back his head and howled his grief. Beyond him, he could see Craig, his brother’s face filled with despair. They’d been so close. But they’d lost her.
Isaiah opened the back door of the van. “Get in. The cops are on their way.” Sirens screamed in the distance.
Bethany climbed into the van and Quinn jumped in beside her. It was Craig who thought to gather Quinn’s clothing, the spent bullet casings and even the pipe that Bethany had used as a weapon. Her fingerprints would be all over it and they didn’t want to leave anything behind that would lead the cops to their door.
And speaking of weapons. He glanced toward Teague and sighed with relief when he saw his 9mm tucked safely away. The van pulled away and he allowed the change to take him. The shift back from wolf to man wasn’t physically painful, but it was emotionally devastating. It represented his inability to rescue his sister. Being a werewolf wasn’t helping in his search for her. As a half-breed, he wasn’t as strong as a pureblood. He’d failed Chrissten yet again. And he’d almost failed Bethany.
“Your arm is bleeding.”
He shrugged off his brother’s concern as Craig handed him his clothing and he pulled on his jeans and sneakers. He took his shirt and wrapped it around the gash in his arm. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch.” Their gazes met and Quinn could see the tears in Craig’s eyes. His brother’s disappointment hit him with the force of a sledgehammer.
He didn’t want to look at Bethany but couldn’t help himself. She was sitting beside him, her back against the wall of the van. Her legs were pulled up close to her chest and she had her arms wrapped around them and her face buried against her knees.
She was shaking.
God, his life was a mess. He’d let down the two women he loved most in the world. Chris was still missing and Bethany had almost been recaptured. He didn’t doubt for a moment that had been the goal of the purebloods. Once the males were taken down they could have easily subdued the two half-breed females. It ate at his guts to know he’d almost allowed that to happen to her. Only pure luck and Teague’s willingness to fight the two stronger wolves had given him time to get there. The rogue wolves had run off when the rest of the pack had arrived, taking with them any knowledge of Chris.
He wanted to touch Bethany, to reassure himself she was unhurt. It might be selfish of him considering the wall he’d put up between them after their mating, but he needed to feel her warmth and smell her sweet scent.
Teague held his wife in his lap, running his hands over her back and arms as if to reassure himself she was okay. Kevin and Hank kept their gazes averted, both lost in their own thoughts. Craig stared out the back window. Michael was driving the van with his brother sitting beside him, but he knew they were as aware of Bethany as he was.
In the close confines of the van it was impossible not to smell her musky, seductive scent. Where she’d only had time for a quick wash she stilled smelled like sex, like him.
He put his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. “Everything is okay.” The words were meaningless but he had to say something.
She shook her head and didn’t speak. None of them did. A deep sense of failure settled over the group. When they finally parked in the alley behind Haven, Quinn was more than ready for some time alone. But it wasn’t to be. Not yet.
They trooped into the large kitchen. Teague went straight to work putting on a pot of coffee while Neema pulled out several large skillets. The last thing Quinn wanted was breakfast, but maybe Bethany was hungry. He worried about her. She was still too thin from her ordeal.
He swallowed hard as thoughts of his sister threatened to choke him. What about Chrissten? Was she hungry? Scared? Had she given up hope? So many questions without answers.
Isaiah and Meredith faced the group. Anger radiated from the alpha male. Was he angry about Quinn shifting in public? Too bad if he was. If they wanted him to leave, he would. And he’d take Craig and Bethany with him.
That is if she’d even go with him. So far, she hadn’t so much as looked at him. But why would she? He’d failed his sister again and put Bethany in danger. Some mate he was.
Frustration ate at him as fury fueled him.
“We obviously missed them by minutes. Did you recognize either wolf?” The question was fired at Bethany. Quinn bristled at Isaiah’s tone and moved to stand behind his mate, resting his hands on her shoulders for support.
He was surprised when she nodded. “Yes. The larger one. The one Quinn fought with. That’s Brian.”
His fingers tightened, digging into Bethany’s shoulders until he felt her flinch. He rubbed the abused skin in mute apology. Brian. He didn’t doubt the bastard has raped his sister. He knew Bethany thought so too even though Chrissten had never confirmed it to her. The fact that his sister could shift into her wolf was confirmation enough that some wolf had taken her. And since Brian was the doctor’s assistant it stood to reason he was the bastard who’d done it. He wished he’d been able to kill him when he’d had the chance.
“I don’t think the other male will make it.” Teague was busy breaking eggs into a large bowl. For a guy who looked more like a gang member, the half-breed was a whiz in the kitchen. Already he had several skillets filled with bacon and onions. “I shot him at least three times with those silver bullets. Once in the chest. And Quinn had already hit him.”
“Good.” Isaiah nodded. “Anyone else have anything helpful to add?”
“I do.” Quinn turned to his brother. “I got a partial plate on a white van that left the area in a hurry. Don’t know if it’s related to our search, but it couldn’t hurt to look.” He rattled off what he had and Craig nodded.
“If no one needs me, I’m off to run this.” When Isaiah inclined his head, Craig took off for the office.
“The rest of us need to shower and get some rest.” Meredith was in full mothering mode as she shooed them toward the door. “Come down and get something to eat before you settle down to sleep.