She paused beside Quinn. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her. Damek will be back on the hunt at nightfall.” Meredith patted his arm and then hugged Bethany. “If you need me I’ll be in my apartment,” she told the younger woman.
Bethany nodded her thanks, clinging to Meredith a few seconds longer before releasing her. “I’m going upstairs now.” Bethany made her announcement to the room at large. She glanced his way and he could see the indecision written on her face. She didn’t ask him to go with her when she left.
He watched her go, feeling the condemnation of all the other males in the room. Isaiah stood, arms crossed over his chest. “That’s a good female. A male would have to be crazy not to cherish her as she deserves.”
He bristled at the criticism even though he knew Isaiah was right. But he was trying to do what was right for her. Wasn’t he? But he was also being a jerk. They’d just mated and hadn’t even had time to talk about it before they’d run out of here to search for his sister. Bethany needed him, if only to talk. And God help him, he wanted to be there for her.
“There are other males who’d be more than happy to cherish her,” Michael added.
Quinn growled at the male. “Until she decides otherwise, Bethany is mine.” With that parting shot, he headed upstairs. He couldn’t stay away from her any longer. They had to talk.
Hot tears flowed down Chrissten’s cheeks. Normally she didn’t allow herself to cry. It was a weakness she couldn’t afford. If she gave in to despair she might never find her way out of it again.
Brian had come rushing into her cell, subduing and drugging her easily. They were feeding her less and less these days and the doctor seemed to be drawing more blood for his experiments. As a result, she was getting weaker and more lethargic.
There were other wolves coming their way. Hope had leapt wildly in her chest and she’d struggled in Brian’s arms, but with the drug already working in her veins she hadn’t been able to do much. Dr. Morton had ordered Brian to take her straight to the van. She had a vague memory of cool air brushing across her face like a lover’s caress and then darkness had closed in around her. She’d scented several wolves, including her beloved twin brother. Quinn had been so close.
He hadn’t found her in time.
Beyond her new prison she could hear Brian yelling at Dr. Morton, ordering him to save his friend, his pack mate. Chrissten had always been aware there was at least one other male wolf involved with the doctor, possibly more. This only confirmed it.
She strained to hear their conversation.
“I don’t think I can do anything. Those bullets are coated in silver. The poison is already going through his system. The one in his chest is the worst. The poison is too close to his heart. I’ll remove them but that’s all I can do.” She could hear metal against metal as the doctor set up his instruments.
“Just do it.” Something smashed against a wall and she knew Brian had thrown some object.
“It’s his own fault for attacking the other pack. You should have just left them.”
A tinkle of metal on metal and she knew one of the bullets had been removed.
“Bethany was there.”
“Ah, then I commend your forward thinking action. It would have been a coup to reacquire her.” Another clink. Another bullet. “We’ll have to stay in the city long enough to try again. Half-breed females aren’t exactly plentiful and she’s young and healthy.”
Chrissten huddled closer to the slit in the door and peeked out. She couldn’t see anything but a thin line of light. But it made hearing them easier.
“Fucking bastard attacked me. I got a swipe in but we had to make a break for it before I had the chance to kill him.”
Relief flooded Chrissten. Quinn was all right. The rest of her family was safe. That was the best she could hope for.
She was so cold. She moved away from the door, careful not to make any noise to draw attention her way. She curled up in a ball on the floor with her back to the wall. She inhaled, trying to remember her brother’s scent. It was so long since she’d seen him, hugged him. They’d always been close. The best of friends.
Another scent kept intruding. This one was darker somehow. Chrissten licked her lips, wondering who it belonged to. It made her stomach flutter and her heart ache.
She closed her eyes and tried to remember it exactly as she’d smelled it. Maybe it was something she’d dreamed. She couldn’t have scented anyone other than the doctor and Brian. There was no one else here.
Footsteps hard against the concrete floor interrupted her. Before she could sit up, the door was flung open and Brian stood there, fury in every line of his body.
“Time for you to make yourself useful, mate.”
Chrissten gathered her meager strength to fight. One more time.
Hank paced the floor of his room. It was impossible for him to relax. They’d been so close. He glanced at the two blankets folded at the bottom of his bed. A slightly dirty pillow sat next to it.
Unable to stop himself, he went to them. He picked up one of the blankets first and inhaled deeply. Her scent was fresh and he could almost feel her warmth.
Chrissten. She smelled like a fresh summer day. Like promises in the dark of the night. It was overlaid with a much deeper, musky scent. Male.
Hank growled and dropped the blanket, picking up the pillow instead. Her scent was fainter here but it wasn’t tainted by the male’s smell.
He knew she’d been a captive for more than a year. Knew she’d been taken against her will, mated to a male not of her choosing.
That didn’t set well with him. Especially since he wanted her for himself.
He breathed in her lovely scent once more and then carefully placed the pillow back in its place.
He’d find her if it was the last thing he ever did. And then he’d kill the bastard that had taken her.
Chapter Twelve
Bethany stood in the shower, letting the hot water flow over her. Her skin was still sensitive and each droplet felt like a hot stroke, making her nerve endings tingle. The water also hid the tears that rolled down her cheeks. They hadn’t found Chrissten and the attempt had almost cost Quinn his life. If the other werewolf hadn’t backed off Quinn could have been seriously hurt or killed. They were half-breeds, not purebloods.
The violence of the fight between the two wolves had shaken her to her core. It had been brutal and efficient, each trying to kill the other. This was no game, but a deadly battle where both strived to be the only one standing at the end, the undisputed victor. She shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms.
Was this what she had to look forward to for the rest of her life? Would she always be looking over her shoulder to see if some creature or mad scientist or bounty hunter was after her?
She raised her face to the spray and let it wash away her tears. At least she was safe and alive. That was more than Chrissten had.
A draft wafted over her skin and she felt someone step into the shower behind her. Quinn. She knew he’d seek her out, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to face him yet.
It was hard to act nonchalant and adult about their relationship. When he’d been attacked she’d realized just how much she loved him. She could handle the less than pleasant aspects of her new life if she had Quinn beside her.
But he was apparently only temporary. Once this was over they’d probably both go their opposite ways. After all, he’d mated her to help her and because he wanted her, not because he loved her.
Large hands rested on her shoulders. “How are you doing?”
That should be her line. “I’m fine. You?”
“Yeah.”