The Wolf's Heart Read online

  Now, though, he made her uneasy. “Take your hands off me.”

  “I can’t do that, Lainie. I’m sorry.”

  “No!” She struggled when he put his arm around her waist to hold her close. He half dragged her to the opening that had just a few minutes ago beckoned her with the promise of freedom.

  Now that she looked at it closer, she saw it as something else. An entrance to hell, and the devil himself waited on the other side in a big black SUV. Jacob Caulder sat in the back with a smile on his face.

  “You traitorous bastard.” She squirmed in her captor’s grip, mad enough to spit.

  “Yeah, I know, but a wolf’s gotta do what a wolf’s gotta do. Dog eat dog and all that.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s so fucking funny. I’m laughin’ it up. Cocksucker.”

  “You got a mouth on you, Lainie.” He jerked his chin toward the vehicle that waited on the road. “He’ll cure you of that soon enough.”

  Lainie met Jacob’s eyes and shivered. Unfortunately, for her, the asshole was probably right. She started to scream and alert the others, but he anticipated her actions and clamped his hand over her mouth. “Now, now, you can’t be doing that.” He slung her into the backseat and Jacob’s arms went around her.

  “I see the reports of your demise were greatly exaggerated.” He laughed at his own joke.

  “Marcus will kill you.”

  “I am waiting for him to try.” Jacob’s eyes lit with amusement. “Get in, if you’re coming.” He waited until the other man did so, then slammed the door and motioned for his driver to move.

  Lainie watched the house she’d thought of as her prison growing smaller when the car sped off down the road. Funny, the farther away she got, the more like a haven it seemed. They said hindsight was twenty-twenty and they were right.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Lainie kept her eyes closed, pretending to sleep. It wasn’t very hard, she was exhausted from all the running around she’d done the night before. She hadn’t slept much afterward either. While Marcus had been trapped inside her, she’d taken that opportunity to bitch at him. He hadn’t tried to stop her, which was telling. He let her call him every name in the book, and some new ones she’d made up on the fly.

  She knew this man wouldn’t do that. He’d beat her if she opened her mouth, probably worse. Jacob and Marcus were like night and day. Oh, they had that one thing in common; she’d figured that out pretty fast. Werewolves were much more prevalent than she’d ever imagined.

  Not that she had imagined it, thanks to Joanna and David. Hypnosis sucked. All the bad dreams about those things chasing her, they really happened. They’d been bubbling up into her subconscious this whole time.

  Then the fascination with wolves that always left her feeling unsettled and frightened. That too was explained away. Marcus, the man she’d decided was for her back when she was ten-years-old was a different story entirely. He made her feel so alive, so fulfilled, so damn satisfied that it was almost scary. Okay, it was a lot scary. He wanted her, too, and he didn’t seem to mind letting her know it.

  Her thoughts stuttered to a halt. He didn’t hide much else either. Now that she had a little time and distance away from him, it all started to become clearer. He cared. In spite of it all, he cared for her. He was thoughtful, kind, considerate and hotter than hell on the Fourth of July. If he lost his cool and got a little bit possessive sometimes, she had her ways of dealing with that.

  She snuck a glance at Jacob from beneath her lashes. Now she knew why Marcus hadn’t wanted her to leave the house. This twit had been waiting for his chance to nab her.

  As for the asshole who’d just handed her to him on a platter, she knew he’d get his too. Men were idiots, werewolves seemed to be even more so. However, Marcus was her idiot and she aimed to keep him.

  Now if she could only get back to him. She tried to send her thoughts to him, only to get a headache for her efforts. Why couldn’t they be all psychic and shit like in the movies? Vampires were psychic. She stopped on that thought.

  “Er.” She licked her lips and spoke for the first time since getting into the car with Jacob. “I have a question.”

  He turned and smiled at her and she was struck by just how handsome he was. He still scared the shit out of her, but he was nice to look at. Too bad she knew for a fact that beneath his pretty exterior beat the heart of a true monster-and she didn’t mean the furry variety. “Yes, Elaine, or may I call you Lainie?”

  “Whatever. Is there such a thing as vampires?” She frowned when he began to laugh, a rich sound that filled the car. “Hey!” She struggled when he reached out and pulled her beside him.

  He put his arm around her shoulders. She wiggled, but he squeezed her until it hurt. Then he sniffed her neck. Gross. “No, lovely, there are no vampires.” Jacob’s mouth moved over her jaw. She jerked her head away and he sighed. “Why do you ask?”

  “No reason.” She wasn’t going to tell him that vampires were always telepathic in the movies and books. “I think I’m going to be sick, tell him I ain’t lying, idiot boy!” She glared at the man on the other side of her.

  “She’s not.”

  She hopped out and lost what little she’d eaten in the scrub brush on the side of the road, crouching down with her head on her knees. “I want to go home,” she mumbled to herself, realizing when she said it, she meant Marcus’s house. No, that wasn’t quite right. Home just meant Marcus.

  “Get up and come on.” Jacob sounded disgusted. Good, he’d keep his filthy paws off her from now on. Ha! He did have paws. She began to giggle and couldn’t stop. He finally had one of his men lift her up and put her back in the SUV. She huddled up into a ball and this time succeeded in escaping by falling into a deep sleep.

  Her regular chase dream began immediately. However, she was tired of running so she turned and faced the monster this time. “I know what you are now, so just go away.”

  It tilted its furry head and glared at her. A long line of saliva dripped from its huge muzzle and hit the ground. Yeck! The creature’s body was covered in sliver fur. The requisite broad shoulders blocked out the moonlight as it loomed over her but she’d stopped feeling intimidated.

  Marcus had told her she belonged to him. Well, damn him, that meant he belonged to her. Since he was the leader, this made her— Wait, she wasn’t actually sure what it made her but she was going to say it was the queen bitch and act accordingly. Drawing herself up to her full height, she glared at the Wolfkin. “Stop following me. If you were worth a shit, you’d go do one of those Lassie things like when that boy kept falling in the well.”

  “Lainie.”

  “I mean really, how many damn times can a kid fall in the well? Why in the hell didn’t they call child welfare? I think that was a big old red flag for abuse.” She folded her arms and scowled.

  “Lainie.”

  “Hush, don’t interrupt me while I’m bitching.”

  “Elaine!”

  “Ack! What?” She looked up at the Wolfkin. Only, he’d changed into David, thankfully clothed, as she didn’t want to be dreaming of him naked. He’d become a father figure to her long ago, and that would just be nasty.

  “Where are you?” he asked. “Hurry, I can’t do this for long.”

  “I don’t know, heading toward an airstrip. I heard him talking about it. Somewhere in one of the national parks, it’s where they have their lab or whatever he wants to call it.” Lainie took a breath and he interrupted her.

  “How are you?”

  “Oh, just fuckin’ peachy,” she snapped, her eyes narrowed to thin slits. “How the hell do you think? I’m cooped up in a car with Jacob and—” Her eyes went wide. “I have to tell you! We have a traitor in our midst. He tricked me, I’m telling Marcus on him, too!”

  “We already know about it.”

  “What?” She stomped her foot, angry her news had been preempted. “Well, shit. Hey! Where are you going?” David was beginning to fade.

  “I
can’t stay long; this isn’t really my strength, more Joanna’s.” David frowned at her. “I want you to keep quiet. Don’t provoke him.”

  “Please don’t leave me.” She tried to concentrate, to make him stay, and to their surprise, he began to solidify again. “Er, did you do that?”

  He shook his head. “I think you did. Look, don’t let your mockin’ bird mouth overload your hummin’ bird ass, you hear me, Lainie? He won’t put up with it like Marcus does.”

  “I’m not stupid.”

  “Sometimes, I wonder.”

  “Hey, asshole.”

  “Buh-bye.” He waved, and this time, succeeded in winking out of her dreams.

  “He watches too much television,” she grumbled aloud. Thankfully that was all she said, because when she opened her eyes Jacob was staring at her.

  “Rise and shine.” He hauled her up with his hand on her arm.

  She grimaced when he squeezed a little too hard but got out of the car. There was a huge plane at the end of a dirt runway. It looked safe enough, she supposed. She didn’t really care for flying because it made her sick. Maybe this time she’d barf on Jacob. A girl had to have goals in life.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “Why are you sleeping?” Marcus stood over David and poked him with his foot. They were on the company jet, not an easy feat, with Marcus being dead and all. Nevertheless, Kane had managed it without a problem by the simple fact that he was the pilot.

  “I’m not sleeping; I’m trying to contact Lainie.” David opened one eye and glared at him. “I did, by the way. If you want me to tell you what’s going on, then I suggest you stop that.” He shoved his hand away.

  “Don’t make me hurt you, David.”

  “When did you stop calling me Uncle David?” The other man sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have the headache from hell.”

  “What happened?”

  “I have a weak connection to Lainie because of all the times I’ve had to ‘fix’ things. Joanna is much better at it than me, but she isn’t here.” He groaned and stretched his arms above his head. “The point is, they’re heading for one of the national parks, located in or near Santa Fe. We’re gonna make it there about the same time as they do.”

  “Is she—” Marcus pressed his lips together and took a deep breath to keep from howling. “Is she all right?”

  “Well, let’s put it like this. She’s bitchy and bossy as hell, so yeah, she seems to be fine.” David gave him a reluctant grin. “She’s more than a match for you. In fact, she considers herself the queen bitch now. I am telling you that to warn you.”

  Marcus smiled and sat in one of the big leather seats scattered around the plane. “I suppose she is at that.”

  “The two of you together.” David groaned and put his hands over his face. “What the hell was I thinking?”

  “Why don’t you explain that?” Marcus glared at him, which didn’t do much good in most circumstances.

  This time, however, David complied. “Because, I knew what your father had planned, and honestly, it sickened me. So, I made sure you knew what I was doing that night. I did a little matchmaking. I had someone on the inside of the facility.”

  “A woman, huh?” Ben asked with a snicker.

  “Yes, as a matter of fact.” David sniffed indignantly.

  “Why him?” Ben pointed at Marcus.

  “Hey!”

  “No, I mean, why were you Prince Charming material? David was in there too, right?”

  “I didn’t talk to her, touch her or give her my shirt to wear. All of these things appeal to the senses, hearing, touch, smell, and that started the imprinting. She stayed around him long enough for it to stick and here we are, one big old happy freakin’ family.” David pushed his long black hair out of his face and sighed.

  “That is just so fucked up.” Marcus’s lips twisted. “I don’t like that part.”

  “Why? You were just being yourself; she picked you for that reason alone. Would you rather be calling her stepmother right now?” When Marcus began to make gagging noises, David let out a booming laugh. “I thought so. Deal with it. She’s still her own person; she has her own thoughts, feelings and opinions. God does she!”

  “She’s mine.”

  “I know.”

  “Sir?” Kane’s voice came over speaker. “We’re getting ready to land.”

  “All right.” Marcus stood. “Let’s get ready.” He shrugged into an old Red Sox jacket and pulled a matching cap down low over his eyes. He completed his disguise with a pair of old jeans and scruffy sneakers. He looked like any other man until you saw his eyes. They were amber, glowing with purpose and rage.

  With a sigh, he put on a pair of shades and followed David out the door. There was no use in trying to hide that man’s huge ass. His presence was a distraction though, and Ben helped by being a total asshole about everything from the landing strip to the baggage service.

  In the chaos, Marcus slipped out of the small airport and started walking down the long highway. By nightfall, he’d have her back in his house and in his bed, where she would stay until he decided she could get up again. Maybe in a few days. Okay, probably a month.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Lainie sat in a chair with ropes around her wrists and ankles. She’d been there long enough to be getting desperate. “Hey!” she yelled. There was no answer for a few minutes, unless she counted the chorus of howls and whimpers coming from behind a thick steel door to her right.

  The dark room, lit only by a tiny window high above her, was bare, with a concrete floor, the chair she was tied to and not much else to relieve her boredom. Speaking of relief. “Hey! Someone needs to let me up! I have to go to the bathroom, damn it.” The last sentence was more of a whine.

  “Shut the fuck up.” Jacob walked into the room and snarled at her. Literally snarled. His face was losing its humanity, becoming more and more animalistic as the day waned.

  A sense of dread pooled in the pit of her belly as she realized two things at once. One, he was a psycho, and two, it was the full moon. Oh, just freakin’ great, she was trapped in the room with a crazy doggie that had what amounted to super rabies, could her day get any worse?

  As if in answer, the huge steel door slammed back on its hinges like it weighed nothing at all. Framed in the dim light from the warehouse proper stood Samuel Bei smiling unpleasantly.

  “Hello, Elaine. So nice to see you aren’t dead after all.” He sauntered into the room, pausing to give Jacob a long, thoughtful once-over. “When were you going to tell me this bit of news?”

  “When I thought the time was right.” Jacob stood with his back to them both, looking out the window at the darkening sky.

  “And when would that be, pray tell?” Samuel’s mild tone didn’t fool Lainie one bit. She’d heard it before, after all, at times when he was being the most sadistic to someone. Cruel and taunting without even raising his voice was his specialty.

  “After you finished with the other test subjects.” The other man’s voice held a slight sneer. “You have a tendency to get distracted with this one involved.”

  Samuel’s gaze drilled through her, so she dropped her eyes to the floor, tensely waiting for his next move. His fingers slid across her cheek. “Finally, you’re where you belong.” She jerked away from his caress, wincing when his hand tangled in her hair to hold her still.

  He leaned down and met her eyes with a smile that made her blood freeze. “You’ll learn your manners, and I’ll enjoy teaching you very much indeed.” He pressed his lips to her temple. Apparently, he read her expression well enough to realize that if he tried for her mouth, she’d bite him.

  “Take your hands off me,” she snarled at him, pulling futilely at the bonds that held her to the chair.

  Jacob’s laughter echoed off the walls. “It looks like you’ll have your hands full with that one.”

  “More than likely.” Samuel sounded amused.

  “I have to go to the bathr
oom.” Lainie put her chin up and glared at him.

  “Say please.”

  She gritted out the word past clenched teeth. He smiled and patted her head as if she were the dog. She remained quiet while he undid her bonds, and then hurried to the door he indicated.

  Lainie stood at the sink for the longest time letting the water run over her hands. Dark circles were under her eyes and she looked pale and sickly, and felt it too. She wasn’t surprised. How else should she feel after being kidnapped by werewolves?

  She could probably outwit Jacob because he thought with his dick first and his brain second. Unfortunately, Sam was a cold, calculating bastard who scared the shit out of her. He’d hurt her, she knew that. He’d do what he had to so she’d come to heel for him. The most terrifying thing about him was that he was always in control of his emotions, be they rage or lust.

  Seeing him brought back memories involving fights between him and Marcus. When she’d first come to stay with them, right after she’d been freed from the lab, father and son had fought. Not physically, but verbally, with sharp words even more frightening for their quiet intensity.

  Marcus had no such control in her presence; he’d lost it around her more times than she could count. However, that lack endeared him to her even more.

  A knock interrupted her musings on the differences between father and son so she quickly turned the water off and hurried out before they decided to come in and get her.

  Sam stood on the other side, waiting. “Too bad I can’t trust you to behave.” He made it sound like it was her fault he had to tie her back up.

  She rolled her eyes, but said nothing, meekly letting him lead her to the chair. He tied her hands behind her first, making noises about the marks on her wrists. “Amateurs.”

  “She’s been pulling on the ropes.” Jacob came to gloat beside her chair. “Little Ms. Nosy.”