Claimed Mate Page 15

  “You’ve got it all wrong. We were meant to be together.” He came around the rock. His eyes were wild, and his clothes and hair streamed with rain. “Come to papa and we’ll take the Bite together.”

  “You’re out of your mind, Vince.” She had to get away. She’d be faster in wolf form, but her wolf was on the edge, her inner mating time clock running down. She’d been desperate enough Serena had almost mated with Sam, the wrong brother. What if her wolf saw Vince as a strong mate?

  Out in the physical world he was a slight man, with eyes a little too close set and a prematurely receding hairline. But here, he’d fixed all those issues. His physique wasn’t massive, but he had sculpted muscles on his biceps and forearms. His hair, despite the drenching rain, was full and thick. And she swore he’d even made himself a few inches taller.

  She tentatively touched her wolf, asking if this man was what they wanted, but her wolf recoiled inside. No! That was enough confirmation for her. Serena shifted. As soon as she did, the senses of her wolf took over. Vince’s dream form, as strong and enhanced as he’d made it, had a rotten odor to it that carried over the distance between them like the sweet smell of carrion.

  “Ah, I see you want to run together as wolves. Good thinking, Serena.”

  She wrinkled her muzzle and snarled. Not staying to watch his shift, she put four to the floor and ran down the trails she knew so well. But as a hedge of thorns sprang up before her, she realized she was in her worst nightmare.

  Vince had taken control.

  She dug her paws into the dirt and ground to a stop, using the momentum to push her body in the other direction. She couldn’t let him do this. Sam would come, she knew he would.

  But what if he didn’t?

  Everything was dark and hard to see. Storm clouds had covered up any light in the sky, and she wasn’t sure of her path. Think, Serena, think. This was her world, not his. Yes, Vince was a dreamwalker, but she’d spent many more hours here than a normal sleeping person possibly could. She’d trained just for this situation, never imagining it could happen to her.

  Dream therapists controlled their sessions. They gave their clients a safe haven to work out whatever was bothering them. She had to trap Vince here and wake up so she could set herself free. Otherwise she lay vulnerable and in the same bed with him. If he woke up before her, he could keep her drugged and asleep for as long as he wanted to. As long as the drug held out.

  And God only knew what he would do while she lay sleeping.

  She ran faster, avoiding a pit that gaped suddenly in front of her and leaping over the jaws of a trap. He had her on the run now, and that wasn’t going to stand. This was her world. She was in charge.

  She gathered the stuff her dreams were made of, and while her wolf ran on the ground, she floated her consciousness above, letting the beast’s instincts keep them from getting ensnared in the traps Vince continued to throw in front of them. He was behind her, running as a black wolf that was very difficult to see in the shadows of the storm, but she could tell by his aura that he was having trouble. It flickered and flared as he worked hard to make the traps for her, and he was falling behind in the race.

  A surge of elation poured through her. She could do this. She could do exactly what he was doing but better, because she was skilled enough to be two on the dreamscape. She could lure him forward with her white wolf, while at the same time setting a trap for him.

  She floated down, one part of her mind busy keeping her wolf running far ahead while she worked. She pulled part of the astral in to form bars, lacing them with pieces of her own aura. When the cage was done, it glimmered and gleamed with power. Now, she just had to get him inside and trap him.

  She snapped back inside her wolf, the rejoining making them miss a few steps. Branches broke behind them, and she felt the hot breath of the black wolf on her tail. She sped up. He was panting, getting tired.

  Good. She wouldn’t get tired, here on the dreamscape. She knew how to feed her astral body so she could be here for days, weeks even, if she needed to. But Vince hadn’t had any of the advanced training. She slowed down, just enough to keep him on her trail, and looped around in a circle, leading him back to the trap.

  Things were a little fuzzy, the drug blurring the edges of the dream. Had she remembered everything? If she hadn’t there was a chance she’d be the cornered one, and not Vince.

  She thought ahead, covering the bars of the cage with the image of a small cottage. Then she created a doppelganger of her white wolf, racing ahead of her. She put on a burst of speed, raced around a corner, and ducked behind a bush. The doppelgänger of her white wolf ran on, straight into the house. Vince ran after it, and she slammed the door closed.

  His howl of rage made the trees shake, but Serena didn’t care. She danced on four feet with excitement. This was her territory. She was the alpha bitch here, and she’d won!

  The little house shook. The walls collapsed into dust, leaving nothing but the bars and a black wolf. Vince threw himself at the bars over and over again, pounding them with the full enhanced strength of his wolf on the dreamscape. Serena caught her breath, but the gleaming cage held, and she exhaled in relief.

  Finally, he stopped, pacing back and forth staring at her. His eyes held a wild, yellow gleam, and he bared his teeth at her and snarled. She snarled back. She’d won, and he was trapped, held in sleep until she released him. He’d come into her dream uninvited, and now he’d have to pay the price.

  As he calmed down, she tried to wake up, but the drug still held firm. Damn. How much had he given her? Too much and she could have an overdose—be lost in the dreamscape for days, maybe even months. Would anyone find her, or would Vince let her waste away while waiting for her capitulation? She’d never know. Without an alarm to wake her up and left under the influence of the drug, she could be here until she died.

  The black wolf gave a long howl and shifted into Vince. Tall and proud, he stood naked before her, his body rippling with muscles he’d never had. “Serena, let me out.”

  She shifted to her human form, the long white dress billowing in the last of the storm winds. “I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t think so? You have to love me. I’m the one who got you the job. I’m the one who got rid of those Wulfric brothers for you. I’m the one who understands you. Now you need to understand me.”

  She’d tried understanding him. She’d done things as if playing along with him would keep him calm. That hadn’t worked. Time to try a different tactic.

  “You got me the job? Bullshit. I got that job, and I made Nancy roll over. You just sit at that desk and do her bidding like a young pup.”

  His face turned red. “You think you’re so smart? See what you can do with this.” He grew transparent.

  “No!” He shouldn’t be able to do that. She’d made the cage strong, but her heart sank as he faded out, his insane laughter ringing in her ears.

  She’d thought she was stuck in a nightmare before, but now she knew it was worse. Vince was leaving her trapped here. He was waking up next to her comatose body, while she slept on under the influence of the drug.

  GABE SKULKED AROUND the corner of the enforcer cells, looking up the stairs to where the back entrance to the building lay. Behind him, in his empty cell, they’d tied up and locked in Chuck. They’d used his own handcuffs and fastened him to the bars, then they’d hunted through pack records on the computer to find Ethelwulf’s fishing cabin. They had an address, now all they needed was Serena.

  “All clear?” Sam growled.

  It had been bad enough smelling Sam’s fever in the next cell, but seeing it face to face had his wolf up and raging. “I think so,” he whispered back.

  “Then what the hell are you waiting for?”

  Gabe swallowed down the urge to turn around and go for Sam’s throat. “Let’s go.”

  He led the way up the stairs from the basement, taking only a quick peek down the hallway leading past the few offices and Cheryl�
�s reception desk before heading to the rear exit. He stopped at the back door and hesitated.

  “What the fuck is wrong?”

  Sam’s breath was hot on the back of his neck, and it raised a growl inside his chest. He shoved it back down. “What if they changed the code?” His own voice was a rumble of held-back hostility.

  “Quit being a pussy.” Sam reached around him and punched in the code. “If the alarm goes off, run like hell.” Gabe held his breath, but the light went green. He went to high five Sam, but stopped at the look on his brother’s face. They were partners today, but only to a point. His elation died, and he turned the knob and opened the door.

  The late afternoon air was fresh and the sun felt amazing on his face after being cooped up in the enforcer basement cells for too many hours. Any other day he would have stopped to take it in, but now his need and his wolf’s need, both pushed him hard. Serena, they had to find Serena. He ran after Sam, heading for one of the station’s Jeeps, suddenly aware that he didn’t have much time before he’d be lost in the wolf’s need.

  Sam was already there, his hands all over the undercarriage of the vehicle. “Where is it?”

  Gabe ducked down behind him. “Come on, Sam. Chuck will be getting out of that gag and when he does the whole station will be on us.”

  “Got it!” He slid out from under the Jeep, the little metal key box clutched in his hand. “Here.” He pulled out the key and handed it to Gabe.

  “You want me to drive?”

  Sam snarled, his face contorting with the change. “I don’t think you want me driving.”

  Gabe took the key, his palm wet with sweat, and stared at the wolf pushing through his brother’s features. His own wolf rose to the surface, and he fought it down hard, making his hands into fists as the seconds drew out and he struggled to stay human. The same struggle rippled across his twin’s face, the bones sliding back and forth as Sam’s wolf fought to get free.

  “Get in the car.” His voice was barely recognizable, even to himself. Sam nodded and got into the front seat. The air in the Jeep was full of wolf and need and fever, but Gabe slid the key into the ignition. “We’ll drive as far as we can.”

  Sam nodded and leaned into the door, putting as much space as possible between them. Gabe only wished he could do the same.

  Focusing on the road was much more difficult than he’d thought it would be. He put it into first, grinding the gears and sending dirt flying as he maneuvered the Jeep onto the main ranch road.

  “Your driving sucks. Can you even see straight?” Sam’s voice was low and gravelly and the musky scent of his wolf rose in the close area of the Jeep’s cabin.

  Gabe knew he shouldn’t be driving, but every mile the Jeep made was a mile closer to Serena. A mile he didn’t have to run.

  “Fuck off, Sam, and let me drive.” It was all he could do not to shift and face his brother’s threat.

  “If you can’t drive, we should get out and run.”

  His wolf rippled under his skin.

  “I can see your bones moving.”

  He careened around another corner and the Jeep slid onto the main road, the transition from dirt to gravel-strewn pavement shrieking under the tires.

  “Slow the fuck down or we’re going to be running to save her with broken bones.”

  Gabe’s wolf roared forward in challenge and the Jeep swerved. The steep drop-off of the opposite side of the road loomed. Gabe yanked on the steering wheel, using his whole body as if he could push the car in the direction he wanted it to go.

  “Shit!” Sam yelled and reached for the steering wheel, shoving his arm in Gabe’s space. Rival, screamed Gabe’s wolf, and he opened his mouth, stopping just short of sinking his teeth into his brother’s forearm. Together they hung on to the wheel, using all their combined weight. The Jeep lifted up on two wheels and skimmed the guardrail, sparks flying.

  The road curved back in their favor and the Jeep moved off the guardrail, dropping to all four wheels as it sped down the steep slope. “Let it go,” he ground out at Sam, trying to make the wheel behave.

  “You need me.” Sam’s face was close to his, his body nearly in Gabe’s lap. Gabe’s hands contorted, and he let go of the steering wheel. Sam jerked the wheel and Gabe pressed down on the brake, even as the shift into his wolf wracked and twisted his body.

  The Jeep flew down the road, taking the next hill at a wild pace and missing the curve. They sailed up, over empty air, before crashing into shuddering silence.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Vince stared down at Serena sleeping in his bed. His gut seethed with acid that rose up into his throat.

  She didn’t want him. She’d caged him. Rejected him.

  He didn’t understand. She was meant for him, he knew it. On the dreamscape his wolf had seen hers, and it had been as if they were in the physical world together. White to his black, yin to his yang. But then she’d had to go and ruin it all.

  She hated him. She was going to tell everyone about him. She’d taunted him, locked him in a cage, and he’d seen the truth in her eyes. When she woke up, she was going to ruin the rest of his life. It dawned on him, watching her lovely, sweating face, her hair sticking to her forehead—if she woke up he’d have to do something. Or he’d lose everything.

  Suddenly sick, he ran to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet.

  He stumbled back, wiping his mouth on the side of his hand and knocking the glass vial of Narcolite off the rim of the solid porcelain sink. He lunged, trying to catch it, but it hit the side of the tub and shattered, the medicine dripping down the side to pool on the stained linoleum.

  “Fuck!” He hit the side of the sink. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

  He’d never been a violent man—that was for those losers who couldn’t control themselves. He’d only been wild on the dreamscape. There, he’d been every fantasy he’d ever wanted to indulge in. And when he’d broken into his father’s dreams and killed the bastard—well, it had been an accident that he’d died in real life.

  Vince methodically filled a chipped mug with water and rinsed out his mouth. He’d dreamed of living here with Serena, building a new home together on land his family had held for generations. But the hatred in her eyes had been real, and now, none of that was possible.

  He dried his hands, his mind racing through options. He couldn’t kill Serena on the dreamscape. She’d made sure of that by caging him in her dream. He had to do it here, on the mountain. And he knew just the place.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Every bone aching, Gabe struggled to move. He was caught in his clothes, the seatbelt tangled around his hindquarters. He scanned the scene. They’d been lucky. He was sure the Jeep was totaled, but they’d made it out alive. Or at least he had.

  There was a snarl from the seat next to him. Sam’s lighter gray wolf lifted its head, clawing at his own binding seatbelt. A rush of relief filled Gabe, mixed with the aggression his wolf still felt toward his brother. The fever smell had dissipated with the odor of gasoline and crushed pine, but Gabe knew, it still seethed under the surface.

  He used his claws to scramble out of the Jeep. He wiggled his slimmer wolf hips out of his jeans, but there was nothing to do about his t-shirt. Sam climbed out of the wreck, his own Wulfric’s Family Deli shirt twisted around his shoulders.

  In another circumstance, he would have used his teeth to help Sam get out of the shirt, but right now, he couldn’t take the chance in case the close contact would send him diving for his twin’s throat. Instead, he lifted his nose, scenting the air. He smothered his howl at finding no trace of Serena.

  Sam shook his head. They took off running, cutting across the state park and heading for the fishing cabin. Gabe didn’t know if he could keep up with his twin. His previously bruised ribs and shoulder burned with a white-hot pain. But he ran on. For Serena.

  Serena swam in and out of consciousness. She struggled to orient herself. Everything was dark, and close on her face. Some kind of fabr
ic was wrapped around her head. She opened her mouth, desperate for more air, but the musty smell made her gag. She tried to wiggle her hands and feet, but her wrists and arms were numb, and she couldn’t move her legs apart.

  She rolled, and fell, hitting something hard, the fabric pulling off her head.

  “So, you’re finally awake.”

  Vince swam in and out of her blurry vision. She blinked, trying to get things into focus. She was tied up and on the floor in the living room, right next to the old couch.

  “Too bad you didn’t stay asleep for a little while. It would have made carrying you to the mine that much easier.” He reached for the pillowcase on the ground next to her and went to put it over her head.

  “Please, Vince, don’t do this.” She had no idea what he was planning next, but she knew from training that moving to a second location was never a good sign.

  “Sorry.”

  He tugged the pillowcase over her head and hefted her over his shoulder like a heavy sack of flour. The movement was dizzying, and she had to swallow back her bile as he carried her into bright sunlight. She blinked, her head aching. She thought she could vaguely make out the shapes of the house and the car through the thin, over-washed fabric of the pillowcase.

  “Vince, take me back to the ranch. I can still catch my flight. I’ll be gone from your life forever. No one ever has to know.”

  “There you go again, telling me a lie. You were supposed to love me. But you don’t. I saw your face.” She didn’t have to see his to hear the bitterness leaching through his voice.

  “I’m sorry.” His shoulder dug into her stomach. Each breath was an effort between the pillowcase and her altitude-starved lungs.

  “No you’re not. People say they’re sorry, but they never mean it. They hit you again and again, and apologize over and over. The only way to stop it is to stop them.”