It drove him insane thinking about losing her forever, either way.
Kraven opened his eyes, drawing Drantos’s attention. “Bat?” His fear showed on his features. “Is she breathing? I don’t hear her.”
“She lives but she’s unconscious.” Velder crouched again and caressed his son’s face. “You acted quickly enough when they leapt out of the trees. You took the brunt of the attack with your back and seemed to have cradled her when you were thrown clear of the truck. Don’t try to talk.”
Relief etched across Kraven’s pained features. “We must protect her.” He turned his head to meet Drantos furious stare. “I heard Dusti claim she was Bat. I couldn’t move but I was conscious. She allowed them to take her to save her sister. She should be safe until Decker realizes she lied to his men to dupe them into taking the wrong woman.”
Drantos threw back his head to roar out in rage again. It made it worse that Dusti had purposely put herself in danger and lied to be the one taken. He paced, unable to keep control of his beast. Not only were his claws extended but his fangs elongated. More hair sprouted down his body. “I’m going after my mate!”
His father stood to confront him. “No, you’re not. The clan comes first.”
“She needs me.”
“She renounced you. It is forbidden for you to go near her.”
“She doesn’t understand our ways!”
“It is still the law. It’s up to our trackers to find her and bring her back.”
“No,” Drantos snarled. “She’s mine.”
“We’ve been attacked and some of our people are injured. Your own brother is hurt. You need to calm and allow our men to find Decker’s granddaughter. They will bring her to safety. Our people are your priority right now.”
“Let him go, Dad.” Kraven coughed up blood, rolled to his side, and reached for Bat. His hand rubbed her leg where he could reach her. “They took what they want. They won’t be back. He needs to go after his mate.”
“She’s not his mate.” Velder shook his head.
“I exchanged blood with her during sex but I didn’t tell her we had begun the mating process. I planned to explain everything once I had her safely inside my home.” Drantos forced his mind to work. “She’s wearing Red’s jacket. It masks her scent.” He glared at his father. “Do the trackers know that?”
Velder hesitated. “Take a walk with me.”
Drantos spun, marching a good ten feet away. He glared at his father. “What?”
“You need to pull yourself together. The woman will be found. I sent two good trackers after her.”
“That's not good enough.” Drantos dared his father to tell him otherwise. “You can’t talk me out of it.”
His father grabbed his arm. “I forbid it! Our clan is in danger and I have one son down. I need you, Drantos. The men I sent will find her. Your place is here.”
“You’re wrong.” Drantos glared into his father’s stunned gaze. “Ban me from the clan if you must but I’m going after her. Decker might realize she’s not completely human if she’s injured and bleeding. I won’t allow Aveoth to have her. She’s mine to protect and I will die to do so if that’s what it takes.”
“You can’t risk your life for a woman who has shunned you.”
Drantos jerked out of his father’s hold. “And you can’t take what she said seriously.”
“Laws are still laws, son. Several of us heard her say she doesn’t want to live with you.”
“Dusti is my mate regardless of what she claimed.”
“And I’m your clan leader, and I’m ordering you to help me escort our injured home.”
Drantos was furious. “No!”
His father snarled. “Do what you’re told!”
People around them turned their heads.
Velder lowered his voice. “My orders are clear. Follow them.”
“You’re being unreasonable. You’d go after Mother.”
“She’s my mate and birthed my children.”
“Dusti is my mate will birth my children one day.”
“You’re disobeying your clan leader. We are keepers of the laws. You can’t just ignore protocol because you’re obsessed with this woman. Our family needs to stay united. The other clan leaders won’t tolerate family squabbles. You know this. It’s a bad reflection on me as a leader. They’ll demand I punish you for defying me if you go after her, like any other clan member would be.”
“Fine. Punish me when I get back. I’m still going.” Drantos met his father’s grim stare. “You need to understand that she’s already mine.”
His father growled. “Don’t do this, Drantos,” Velder warned. “I raised you not to break the law.”
“You also taught me to do the right thing and to follow my heart. That’s Dusti.” Drantos held his father’s gaze. “Don’t give me orders where my mate is concerned. I’m going after her.”
Drantos turned, shifted into his beast form, and sniffed the ground. His father tried to grab his tail but he shot forward in the direction he knew they’d taken Dusti.
He’d committed his life to living in accordance with the laws of the VampLycan, but none of that mattered if he lost his mate.
He had to slow when the trail of the attackers broke apart into different directions. He studied the ground instead of following the scents. One set of tracks dug into the Earth deeper than the rest. His nose told him to follow another trail but he chose the deeper prints. One of the males carried Dusti’s weight. They would have no choice. She couldn’t shift and in skin, she’d be too slow for them to have a real chance of escape.
Decker’s men were good but Drantos knew he was better. His father’s trackers had veered off after the other four sets of prints, following the wrong ones. A soft snarl tore from his throat. When he caught up to the enforcer carrying Dusti, he would kill him. No one touched his mate and lived.
The enforcer had eventually slowed to a walk. They’d chosen a smaller male to abduct Dusti in an attempt to mask the heavier tread his paws left with a passenger, but it also appeared the added weight made him somewhat weaker. A quick glance at the sky assured Drantos time wasn’t on his side. His eyesight was good at night but tracks were harder to spot.
The tracks changed direction again and pure rage poured through Drantos.
The enforcer wasn’t taking her to Decker’s clan anymore—but instead headed toward the GarLycan cliffs.
Decker had probably ordered her delivered directly to Aveoth. He followed the trail a little longer until he was certain it wasn’t just a ploy to mislead him. Drantos burst into a run to cut them off. He needed to rescue Dusti before Aveoth got his hands on her. That meant stopping the enforcer before they reached GarLycan territory.
* * * * *
Pain pulled Dusti from her unconscious state. Disorientation had her rubbing her face on the hairy, soft pillow.
Hairy?
Reality and memory instantly clashed together when she lifted her head. The thing under her panted heavily. It wasn’t running anymore but instead lay on the ground. Her legs were pinned under a soft, warm belly, where the VampLycan had settled to rest. It turned its head, sharp teeth nearly brushing her jaw. A set of dark eyes met her stricken ones.
He was a man, despite looking exactly like something out of a horror movie. The bloody guy had called him Craig. She tried hard to remember that as they stared at each other. It might help combat some of her fear. He’s Craig. Not hell beast.
“Ssssilll,” he gasped.
The word came out messed up, his voice too throaty and guttural to really understand. She took a guess at what he’d tried to convey, that perhaps he didn’t want her to fight him. She didn’t even know how to do that. As a beast, he had claws, fangs, and a body twice the size of hers. All she had were fingernails and a determination to escape. The odds weren’t in her favor.
Their staring contest seemed to end when he twisted his muzzle away to drop his jaw back on the ground. His labored breathing cont
inued.
Think, she ordered her mind. Come up with a plan. She wiggled a little, tested the thick band that kept her secured on his broad back. It didn’t allow for much movement. She reached back and touched the leather-like material. It felt pretty thick and not like something she could tear with her fingers. Craig had obviously run until he had dropped. She guessed his exhaustion would be the only advantage she had.
She let her fingers trail lower along the girdle, trying to figure out how it was secured. The restraint limited her reach. Craig didn’t seem to notice or care what she did. She discovered the metal line in the material that probably held the girdle-like binding in place. It was tough to blindly try to figure out how to release the tension on it. There were no ties or holes to indicate it had locks. It was frustrating.
She tried to assess her injuries at the same time. Her jaw hurt just under her chin but she wasn’t sure why. Maybe her head had flopped around when he’d been running. Her ribs and lower back ached from being crushed between his hairy body and the thick binding but the fact that she could feel her legs made her think her spine hadn’t really snapped.
She watched Craig’s head, ready to freeze her motions at the mere sign that he might look at her again. He didn’t. A little chunk of metal on the side of the girdle jabbed her thumb. She tested it, feeling it out. It might be some kind of release.
She ignored the pain and dug her thumb against it, trying to force it to move.
It did—the tight pull around her back eased when the two sides of the belt came apart.
Craig didn’t seem to notice what she’d done. She assumed he must have fallen asleep. Dusti frantically glanced around to study her surroundings. She held still, knowing the second she tried to climb off his back that he’d awaken. She needed a plan before she tried it.
A dirt path, if it could be called such, sat a little to her left. It probably led to Decker Filmore. She turned her head, quickly spotting a very tight cluster of trees with a few large boulders behind it. The spaces between the trunks were so narrow they might not even allow her to ease through, but Craig was bigger than her. It meant he definitely wouldn’t fit. Two gigantic boulders resting next to each at an angle had created a slight curved space, where trees had grown in close proximity. The limbs had tangled in a lot of places, probably from being confined in such a shallow area. Each of the massive rocks were over thirty feet in height. She looked for a gap between them that she might be able to escape through but the trees blocked her view.
Maybe I can climb it, if there’s not enough space to get between the boulders. It seemed a daunting undertaking but her only other choice was to run along the path. Craig would be on her in seconds flat if she tried to make a run for it. The trees and rocks might keep him away from her long enough to give her a chance of escape. It was the only option.
She slowly lifted up with care. Craig didn’t stir. She took a breath and tried to ease her leg out from under him but it was pinned. She closed her eyes and silently cursed. She tested her other leg and it slid out easily from under his belly. It was just her right foot that was the problem. She leaned back down, resting against his hairy back. She pulled her left leg out more, away from her.
She wiggled those trapped toes, trying to pull her foot free. He rolled a tiny bit, to her surprise. She must have tickled him a little with that slight movement. Whatever the reason, her foot wasn’t trapped any longer.
Dusti pushed up fast and lurched to her feet. She sprinted toward the trees and the huge boulders. A loud snarl assured her that Craig was wake and not happy. The ground bit into her tender feet but she ignored the pain as she ran. She twisted sideways, tossing her body between a gap in the trunks.
Her skin scraped across rough bark in a few places but she managed to squeeze through. She tripped on something just a few feet past the trunks and a sharp jab of pain stabbed at her lower leg. It sent her sprawling on her side in a bed of dirt and dry leaves. Her shoulder hurt too from the impact with the ground. A second later, she didn’t have time worry about any of that.
Craig was attempting to push between the trees to reach her but his broad shoulders hung him up. He reached in with one clawed arm to swipe at her but only caught air since she was already using her legs to put more space between them. She sat up when she felt safe, instantly spotting blood on the ground.
A snarl jerked her attention up. Craig twisted, trying to fit his chest through the gaps in the trunks. Wood creaked a little but he still couldn’t get through. He was too broad. He glared at her, snarling. There was a promise of pain and punishment in the malevolent look he gave.
She glanced around, seeing her new predicament. The two boulders turned out to be one massive one. There wasn’t a gap to be found, and the wall of rock was too sheer. It looked impossible to climb without gear. At least the trees would shield her from Craig until he either broke through or found a way to get over the boulder, maybe by climbing the trees to reach her.
Dusti got to her feet, prepared to use that time to her advantage. She’d make a run for it if he did start climbing. She put weight on her leg and cried out in pain, almost falling over. She looked down and twisted her leg a little, finally spotting the source of the blood she’d seen. Her calf was torn up, with blood all down the back of her leg and covering her heel. She stared at the wounds. It took her a second to understand.
He’d nailed her with his claws before she’d totally been out of his reach. He’d probably tried to grab her leg to haul her back but gravity and momentum had torn her out of his grasp. She glared at him.
“You asshole. You ripped open my leg.”
He snarled back and tried a new place to try to squeeze through. The trunks creaked a little, making soft popping sounds. It scared her enough to limp backward, putting more space between them. She pressed against the rock wall and glanced around, not seeing anywhere that he could fit through without a lot of effort and muscle.
The space wasn’t large, where she was enclosed by rock and trees, and her new predicament sank in. Shit! I trapped myself.
Craig disappeared from her sight and that made things worse. Where is he? It was possible he was circling the boulder to find a way to climb it. She jerked her head up, frantically searching for any sign that he might drop down on top of her.
A loud roar tore through the woods. The sound sent her heart into a frenzied beat. She didn’t need a translator. The sound of Craig’s rage told her plenty. She doubted he’d kill her since her grandfather needed “Bat”, but she wasn’t sure how sane or in control his men were in shifted form. For all she knew, the shift could totally turn them animalistic inside, incapable of having human thoughts. And she couldn’t even make a run for it with her leg so injured.
A sob tore through her chest when she saw movement through the trees to her left. The man in hell-beast form was back, pacing now. He still hadn’t found a way to reach her through the little alcove nature had made, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before he breached the space.
He couldn’t fit between the trees with his immense body unless he used his claws to hack at the tree trunks. That would take time. He might even have to shift into a man again to catch her. It would make his body slightly less bulky. Her gaze lowered to search for a weapon. It would be easier to hurt his bare skin than fur.
She bent, pretending to examine her leg. It was bleeding pretty badly and she couldn’t do anything about it. She scooped up a handful of tiny rocks and dirt, fisting them in her hand. Craig screamed his rage, still pacing the trees in front of her. He glared at her every few seconds.
“What’s wrong?” She tried to hold back the tears the pain in her leg caused. “Too hairy to squeeze in here to get me? So lose the hair, asshole.”
He stopped pacing and watched her. She had a sinking feeling he planned to pass time until the sun disappeared. She’d be in the dark, blind, and wouldn’t see him coming after her then. Would she pass out from blood loss? She couldn’t afford for either
of those things to happen.
“Are you scared of a puny human chick? What’s your name? Ball-less?” she goaded. “No wonder my grandfather chose you to be his pack mule. You probably don’t even know how to fight.”
He lay down, watching her with those evil eyes. It became obvious that he did plan to wait until she couldn’t see or had passed out. She looked away from him, not able to keep staring into that horrific black gaze. She glanced around at the ground, saw a sharp-looking rock the size of her palm, and knew she’d found an effective weapon if she could just use it on the jerk. She needed to draw him to her first, surprise him with it, and hope she could take him out.
What would Bat do? Her sister had a serious talent for driving men into rages when she opened her mouth. It made her a very effective attorney. She could send prosecutors or witnesses against her clients into full-blown rants inside a courtroom that discredited them in front of both judges and juries. Bat had made so many enemies with that winning stunt it was yet another reason why she needed the around-the-clock security her law firm provided.
Dusti took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to the asshole still staring at her. A plan formed. Bat always said the best tactic to anger a man would be to accuse him of something he wouldn’t do. They had the urge to defend themselves every time. The more outrageous the accusation, the stronger the response.
A forced smile curved her lips while she watched his eyes carefully to gauge for any kind of response. “Wow, are you going to be in seriously deep shit.” She twisted her injured leg to show him the damaged he’d caused. “Do you know why my grandfather wants you to bring me to him? He’s going to give me to Aveoth. Take a good look at what you did to me. That’s going to leave a scar—and make the GarLycan leader very unhappy. I mean, what guy wants to see that on his woman?”