Lycan Heat

Chapter Six

Sherry thought the cabin was a beautiful place and very modern, unlike the small cabin she’d been staying in with Janine and Raze. If she had a place like this, living in the middle of nowhere might not be so bad. She opened the front door and stepped out onto the deck. She looked up at the ceiling and admired the woodwork. She stepped back to get a better look and ran smack into a solid wall. She shook her head, thinking somehow she’d walked into the wall, when a strong arm snaked around her waist and she froze.

At first she’d thought that maybe Raze was playing around with her, but when every hair on the back of her neck rose in warning and instant dread swirled in her stomach, she knew something was very wrong. Her eyes flew wide, and a scream bubbled from her throat, but was cut off when Anthony ran into the clearing from the trees and froze.

“Let her go.”

“I don’t think so. You murdered my brother.” His low voice sent shivers through her body.

Sherry watched as Anthony’s brows drew downward as if he was confused by the man’s accusation. What was going on, and how did she end up in the middle of it?

“Who is your brother?” Anthony asked quietly.

“You mean who was my brother. His name was Daniel, and he came here to talk to you about Raze along with Damon when you slaughtered him.”

“That’s not how it happened.” Anthony remained calm, but his green eyes hinted at his agitation and worry.

“I heard more than one person tell me exactly how it happened, and they all had the same story.”

He started moving down the stairs of the deck slowly, keeping her tight against his chest while he dragged her along as he inched toward the others.

When they got closer, she noticed Raze and Brent standing in front of Karen, Rindy, and Janine trying to protect them while she tried to push around Raze.

“Sherry! Are you okay?” Janine’s voice was frantic, and tears streaked her cheeks.

Sherry could barely breathe from the arm wrapped so tightly around her.

She covered the hard forearm with her hand and was surprised when electricity shot through her fingertips. He tensed behind her, giving away the fact that he’d felt it as well.

“Please. You’re holding me too tight. I can’t breathe,” she gasped. He instantly loosened his hold on her, but not enough to where she thought she could get free. She took a couple steady breaths before answering. “I’m okay, Janine.”

“Please! Please, let my sister go. Take me. Just don’t hurt her.”

“No!” Raze yanked Janine to him as she tried to get around him again.

She fought him like a hellcat, but he subdued her, and she sobbed against his chest.

“What do you want?” Raze glared over her head at the man holding her.

“He wants me.” Anthony said, who was now standing about twenty feet from them with clenched fists. “He accuses me of killing his brother during the encounter with Damon after he came to deal with your desertion from the pack.” He looked at Raze as he spoke.

“You’re Raze, aren’t you?”

Raze nodded at the man who had Sherry in a death grip.

“You are part of the reason my brother is dead. As it must be painfully obvious what I want, and also that I’m not going to get it, at least at this point, I’ll be taking her along with me to make sure I have another chance.”

He started dragging her toward Janine’s Jeep. She kicked and fought, but it was like a fly fighting a giant. Once they got to the Jeep, he opened the driver’s door and pushed her inside. He kept pushing her until she was sitting in the passenger seat, and got in beside her. She tried to jump out, but he grabbed her by the arm, his grip relentless and unbreakable.

She was terrified. Was he a rogue? Was he going to hurt her? He hadn’t hurt her yet, but who was to say what he’d do to her once they were alone?

She began praying that she’d get out of this alive and that she’d see her sister again.

They watched helplessly as the Jeep pulled away. Janine sobbed uncontrollably against Raze’s chest.

“We have to go after her. He’s going to hurt her,” Janine cried out through ragged breaths.

Her crying tore at his heart. He was going to make the bastard pay for upsetting his woman. “I don’t think he’ll hurt her.”

“How can you say that?” She gripped his shirt hard with both hands.

“I think she’s his mate.”

“Wh-what? No. No, it can’t be.”

“He could have hurt her very easily, but didn’t. Didn’t you see his eyes when she touched him?”

Janine shook her head.

“He looked like I felt when I first met you—a lost man who’d just been saved.” He stroked her back, trying to comfort her. “Trust me in this. I don’t believe he will hurt her.”

“We still have to figure out how to get her back. She’ll be terrified.”

Janine laid her cheek against his chest, and he hugged her tight.

“We’ll get her back, but if I’m right and she’s his mate, he won’t give her up easily.”

Fate was a bitch. When he’d gotten close to the deck of that cabin and caught her scent, the impact of her being there nearly dropped him to his knees. How hadn’t he known she was that close? He knew the answer to that. He’d been too focused on revenge—that mixed with her flowery scent had been enough to mask her closeness. Had she not had that damned perfume on, he’d have known of her presence last night. She was in the Jeep—the one he’d just stolen—when it had driven up yesterday. He could smell her scent, her sister’s scent, and Raze’s scent, who was obviously her sister’s mate.

He felt bad about upsetting her sister. Hell, he felt even worse about scaring Sherry, but he’d had no choice. They would have never let him near her again had he not taken her now.

He glanced at her, and his chest tightened when a tear escaped down her cheek. He gripped the steering wheel so hard it creaked under the pressure.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“You kidnapped me, and I’m supposed to believe you aren’t going to hurt me?” She brushed the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand in a choppy motion as if she was angry that she’d let him see her cry.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t here for you.” Not yet anyway.

“We are almost to the highway. Can’t you let me go and just take the Jeep?” she pleaded with him.

“Sorry.” And he was. Not for taking her, but for scaring her, and for their first meeting taking place as a hostage situation. She deserved better, but it was too late now. He’d find a way to make it all up to her somehow.

A few silent hours later, she’d fallen asleep. Her head rested against the passenger window, and her coppery hair tangled over her face. She was so beautiful. His body was in a state of constant aching for her. He wanted to claim her, love her, show her how much he cherished her, but he knew he had to take it slow with her. She was flighty, and he couldn’t blame her for being wary of him.

He’d have to prove to her that she could trust him, that he’d keep her safe and never hurt her. Throwing her down and jumping her wouldn’t be the way to earn that trust. His cock hardened when she moaned in her sleep.

Since his place was still several hours away, he’d planned to stop at a motel for the night. There was one about twenty miles up the road, but the fuel light had been on for a few miles now, and he’d have to stop and fill up before they reached their destination.

He could already picture how she’d look lying naked on his bed. Her red hair flowing over the pillows, her gorgeous green eyes burning for him, her pink lips parted in invitation, and her thighs slightly parted in welcome. He growled in frustration. He needed a fucking cold shower to calm his dick down.

He took the next exit and pulled up to what looked like a deserted gas station—most things looked deserted in these parts. He parked next to the pump closest to the road, and slid a sideways look at her. The long lashes that rested against her skin and her even breaths told him she had not awakened. He gingerly stepped out, activated the pump with his credit card, and filled the tank. Within a couple minutes, he was back on the road. It was dark as pitch out now, and the ghost town he’d just gassed up in grew smaller in the mirror as he drove away along the road thickly lined with trees. He stopped at the stop sign at the end of the road that signaled he’d reach the on ramp for the highway shortly.

Just as he started to roll on, Sherry awoke with a startled gasp, jerked the door open, and ran through the edge of the tree line. He pulled to the side of the road and parked the Jeep. He wasn’t worried about finding her. He’d have no trouble. His main concern was for her safety. She wouldn’t be able to see in the thick woods, and she could fall and hurt herself.

He sprang from the car, locked the doors, and shoved the keys in his pocket. If she had any idea how his body came to life at the thought of chasing her, she’d be petrified—more so than she already was. Lycans loved a good chase, and chasing after his mate brought out primal demands that were close to impossible for him to control. He took a deep breath and went after her.