Lesser of Two Evils (10 page)

Kerry watched Luke standing in the
doorway eating a chicken leg. “Pretty soon you’ll be cooking my dinner and
warming my bed.” His smile was evil. She didn’t answer because she was trying
to keep the vomit down. The cuffs were a lost cause. She’d been trying to break
free for an hour, and since she was cuffed, she couldn’t shift into the wolf
that would try to kick his ass. He took another big bite of the chicken leg.
His cellphone chirped in the next room and he turned to go find it. She pulled
and twisted, trying to free herself. “I was starting to think you liked it like
that,” he said, filling the doorway again then disappeared. “Don’t worry
darling, I’ll take care of you.” He called from the living room.

He returned with a key and unlocked
the cuff on her right wrist. Her arm was numb and useless. He wrapped one big
rough hand around her throat. “Give me any shit and I will snap you in half.
Feel me?” She nodded, staring at the chicken bits in his unkempt gray beard. He
unlocked one leg, then did the same to the other limbs. She rubbed her
shoulders, trying to get feeling back into them. Luke hauled her off the bed
and put her over his shoulder. He opened a hatch in the floor and slowly went
down the stairs. When he got to the basement, he flopped her on a mattress. “No
doors and no windows. Stay there and keep quiet, or I will make you suffer.”
She believed him and nodded again. He went back up and closed the hatch. She
heard him sliding furniture over it. She’d known it was here. Eric showed it to
her once. She shifted into her wolf, then back, to ease her stiff muscles. She
did it several times and ended up staying wolf. It was chilly down here. Was
this to be her life now? A prisoner in a dank basement, alone and cold? She’d
said she felt like a prisoner to Ethan. Now she knew that was farfetched. She
was hardly a prisoner there.

There were noises outside, but they
were muffled because sound did not penetrate the dirt walls or the wooden floor
above. Kerry paced. No one would hear her if she screamed, but no one would
challenge Luke anyway, so that didn’t matter. The damp dirt assaulted her nose,
and she huffed. She knew what she had to do. If he  opened that door again, she
would mow down anyone in the way to escape.

***

The yellow truck eased to a stop.
No one was around. “Ghosty. Hmm, wonder where they are?” Ava said, climbing out
of the truck. “Here, wolfie, wolfie, wolfie. Come out, come out, wherever you
are,” she sang loudly. The old Alpha stepped out onto the porch of a small
wooden house. It was unkempt and looked as though it should be condemned. Anger
surged, and Ethan wanted to tear him apart, but that wasn’t the plan. Ava put her
hand on Ethan’s arm when he snarled. “I’m Ava.” Her voice was high pitched, and
she sounded like a teenager. Ethan had seen this act before, and it was an Oscar-worthy
performance today. “I’m looking for a friend of mine. Her name is Kerry. Have
you seen her?” She quirked her eyebrow while she glanced at the van sitting on
the other side of the porch.

“Can’t say that I have,” he
answered slowly.

“Hmm. That’s quite a mystery because
I’m scenting her, so I’m calling bullshit. You’re lying to me,” she said evenly
as she climbed the steps slowly, watching him. Everyone else was watching her.
Her hips swayed, but she moved like a predator. Luke raised a hand, but she
kept advancing, and when she got very close, she cupped his balls viciously.
Ethan felt for the guy. Then something happened that no one expected, Luke
struck with long fangs and bit her. He tore a hunk of flesh out of her
shoulder. Wolves from Luke’s pack came out of nowhere, surrounding them. They
were angry, protecting their territory and their Alpha. They circled Ethan’s
smaller group. If they knew why he was here, would they back off? Probably not.
What the Alpha said was law to a pack.

“Nobody but him dies,” Ethan said
to his pack and the other enforcers. Julian was beside him then.

“Where is she?” he asked.

“My guess is in there.” Ethan lifted
his chin toward the house where Luke stood guarding the door. Julian turned to
signal Elijah, they mounted the steps together. The battle began. Ethan saw
Mikey take out two of Luke’s pack members closest to the porch without doing
permanent damage. Ethan mounted the steps and slipped inside, walking right
past the scuffle. He hurried from room to room looking for her. He scented her
and the old wolf in the last room he searched off the kitchen.

The air hung heavy with grease and
chicken. His wolf surged at the sight of the cuffs, and he nearly lost control.
Where was she? The one thing he did not scent calmed him. Her essence. That
beautiful scent that filled his soul when he buried his head between her legs
was not there.

He heard her whine then. It was her
wolf’s whine, and it was under him. The same noise she’d made when she was
balled up under the tree. But how? Ethan searched for a door until he stepped
around the coffee table and heard how hollow the floor sounded there. He pulled
the table out of the way and moved the throw rug under it.

When he opened the hatch, a big
black wolf with yellow eyes burst through the front door. His coat was ratty,
and his eyes wild. He lunged at Ethan, who took his weight and let himself drop,
throwing the wolf across the slick floor. A brown wolf leapt from the hole in
the floor and bolted out the door, running for all she was worth. Kerry. The
black one streaked after her. Ethan stripped his clothes away as he ran after
them. He caught up to the black wolf and hit him hard. The black wolf rolled
and scented like a part of Kerry. This must be her father.

Kerry did not care for him because
he’d been mean to her and her mother. If she had liked him, Ethan would’ve been
gentler than he was about to be. He attacked him and quickly took him down by
the throat, making him submit. As mean as this wolf was supposed to be, he
submitted faster than most pups. That was when Ethan knew. He was a bully. He’d
bullied his mate until she left, and he’d bullied Kerry. Ethan bit down harder.
He’d hurt Kerry, and for that he would pay. Ethan snapped his neck. They would
call that collateral damage. It must’ve happened in the takedown of the camp,
is what he would say. Ethan turned in the direction Kerry had gone, and flew
after her.

She was in a clearing, panting and
walking in circles. Her beautiful coat gleamed chestnut and brilliant reds in
the swath of sunlight she was standing in. It filtered through the leaves
overhead and put her in a spotlight. When she scented him, she turned, already
snarling. Ethan sat and lifted his chin, then scented the air. It was blowing
in her direction. Let her choose, he thought. Choose him or flee. He would give
chase if she chose the second. He would make her submit, but when they were
finally home, he would hear the final decision from those pretty, pink lips.

She stalked slowly toward him with
her head and tail low. He waited. She growled low in her throat, and he watched
her, amused. He had to give it to her, the wolf put on a good show, but they
both knew that she didn’t stand a chance if they fought. Her nose was a hairs breadth
from his, but he didn’t move, didn’t flinch, and just gazed at her. If his
beast had an eyebrow, it would be cocked now.

Her nose twitched along his muzzle
and tickled his whiskers. He huffed a breath at her, and she licked his nose.
He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. No one had ever done that to him before.
She was looking into his eyes and no longer aggressive. Walking around him
sniffing, she came up on his right side and nipped his neck, then sat beside
him. He swung his head around and looked at her, then licked her nose. She
nuzzled him.

He got up and walked slowly back
toward the houses. She was following him when he looked back. He waited until
she was beside him, then walked on. When they neared her father’s house, she
turned toward it and went around the back. She shifted into the Kerry that he
knew and went up to the door. The knob turned and she went inside. Ethan
watched from the yard. When she came back out, she was wearing a pair of shorts
that were too small and a bright green T-shirt that read “Air.”

Kerry came down the stairs and
scratched his head, then turned the corner around the house. He stayed beside
her, and when they approached the small waiting crowd, Ethan stayed between her
and them. Julian had Luke tied at the hands and feet, sitting on the ground by
one of the Jeep’s tires. “You’re Kerry?” he asked. She nodded. “Is this the man
that took you?” She nodded again, and Julian kicked him hard in the side. Luke grunted
and growled. “I told you not to lie to me.”

Ethan went up the steps, shifted, and
went inside. When he came out, he saw Kerry gasp. The corners of his mouth
lifted slowly. She liked this, the rougher him, the professional killer. Ethan
sauntered down the stairs, keeping his eyes on hers. She was nibbling her lip,
and he got hard.

He held his hand out as he reached
the bottom, and she came willingly to take it. Ethan pulled her into his side
and wrapped an arm around her. Lifting her chin gently, he tasted her lips.
“Are you okay?” he asked, resting his forehead on hers.

***

“I’m okay. Who are your friends?” she
asked, looking them over. Her old pack was still gathered, and they were
anxious. She could feel it. Luke was beaten to a pulp, and she was glad for it.
She also thought that stretching him in a set of cuffs for a week would do him
good.

“Julian,” He pointed at the one
that spoke to her before, the one that looked like his hair was on fire.
“Elijah.” He nodded, “Mikey and Ava.” Ava gave a little wave with her good arm.
Mikey only stared. “They are enforcers, and the council sent them to help. They
will take Luke and Eric to the council for judgment. We will have to testify. Are
you up for that?”

“Yeah, but Eric…”

“Was brought here from school to
tempt you back to the pack. He has found his destined, and everything he said
to you this morning was a lie.”

“I’d know if Eric was lying to me.”
Kerry’s mouth flattened into a white line.

“Not if that’s all he ever did,”
Luke chortled, and Julian kicked him again, ending his laughter.

“Oh.” Her whole youth was a lie?
What had that gained him? Why act as if he liked her if he didn’t? No one
forced him to be her friend. Everything he told her couldn’t have been a lie.
It just couldn’t have. “They need a leader. There isn’t a beta, and if you’re
taking Luke, someone needs to look after them.” Her pack was watching her. Most
of them were much older and watched her grow up. They were nice to her, and she
couldn’t abandon them thoughtlessly.

“You’re very sweet, do you know
that?” Ethan murmured against her ear, and she blushed. “Who wants to stay and
play Alpha? Ava, you’re out,” he said when he saw her stepping forward. “Not
because you’re a girl. Don’t climb up on that soapbox of yours. You’re hurt.” Ava
walked over and leaned down in Luke’s face.

“This is your fault, you backbiting
pussy.” She punched him hard with her good arm and blood flew from his nose.
“Fine. I’ll stand down now.” She went to the side of the yellow truck and
climbed inside.

“Elijah?” Elijah immediately
started shaking his head. Kerry grinned.

“Hell no. Got a date you’re already
keeping me from and she’s a sure thing, too.” Ethan rolled his eyes. “I thought
we decided Mikey will do it. He’s been thinking along the same lines that you
have lately anyway. It will be good practice for him.” Mikey went to the yellow
truck and pulled a duffle from the bed.

“No problem.” Mikey went up to the
little ramshackle house that belonged to Luke and disappeared inside. 

“Elijah and Julian, follow us home
to get the other one, and then take both  pieces of shit back to lock up. Ava
and Kerry will go with me. Julian, my beta will help you so Elijah can go get
laid.” Julian nodded and Elijah grinned wickedly.

Ethan stepped around to the
driver’s side of the pickup and pointed to the passenger seat. Ava’s shoulder
was beginning to heal, but Ethan could see that she was in pain and still
bleeding. His suspicions were confirmed when she slid across the seat without
arguing. He let Kerry get in to sit in the middle and climbed in after her.

Ethan started the truck and circled
the gravel area in front of Luke’s house. His bed was full of pack members. The
Jeep followed, as did Thelma’s pickup. The pack members in the bed behind him
looked happy and healthy. He supposed that they should. They’d just bonded over
a rescue of their Alpha female. It wasn’t often that a pack had to do that in
this day and age. Kerry scooted closer to him and buried herself against him.
He grinned down at her and wrapped an arm around her.

“You guys are cute together,” Ava
said, smiling across the cab at Ethan. “I’m glad you found someone.”

“It’s what I always wanted.” Ethan
said.

Kerry listened and watched the road
in front of them. She wondered who this female was to Ethan and why he was
bringing her home with them. He’d said that she was an enforcer, but she didn’t
look like one. The others were rough and hard looking, but she looked like a
pop star. She was too cute to kill people for a living. She wondered how long
Ethan planned to keep her with them and hoped it wasn’t long.

They’d sent the prisoners on their
way with Connor and Julian, then they’d eaten burgers. Ava’s wound was dressed,
and she was resting in one of the guest rooms. Kerry was loading the last of
the dishes into the dishwasher while Ethan sipped his coffee. It was late, and
he was tired, but he wasn’t ready to sleep yet. They still needed to talk. She
came around the counter and nuzzled into his side when he held his arm out.
Good. He sighed. Kerry tried to step away, but he kept his arm banded around
her. Putting the coffee cup down, he wrapped his other arm around her and
hugged her. She patted his chest with one small hand. It felt dismissive.

“I want a shower. I feel gross.”

He nodded and kissed the top of her
head. He wanted her to have one, too. She smelled like Luke’s bed, and that
wasn’t doing him any favors. He watched her go down the hall as he finished his
coffee. They still needed to talk. He had to tell her about her father’s death.
They needed to discuss “them” too. He needed to be inside her. If he could kick
his own ass, he would for making that stupid promise about no sex until she
wanted it. However, a promise was a promise, and you’re only as good as your
word, so he would keep it for now. He rinsed the cup and put it in the
dishwasher, then went down the hall. He heard Ava snoring in her room and
grinned as he passed her door.

Kerry was coming from the bathroom with
her hair in a towel when he walked in. God, she was beautiful. His erection got
uncomfortably granite-like behind his zipper. She tossed him a saucy grin but
went to the drawer to find her pajamas. She chose a short silk nightgown that
was bound to leave him uncomfortable for the next week. She pulled it over her
head and pulled the towel out from under it. He’d been looking forward to the
towel dropping and was now disappointed. She pulled the other towel off her
head and rubbed her wet hair, then padded back to the bathroom. Ethan stripped
off his clothes and folded the leathers, leaving them in a pile on the chair.
He’d put them away tomorrow.

“Are you ready for bed?” Kerry
asked when she returned. He was standing at the big window and staring outside.

“Yeah, but we need to talk first.”
He turned around. He noticed that she’d brushed her hair, but it was still wet.

“I know I was stupid to get
captured. Don’t yell at me. It’s been a long day,” she said without looking at
him.

He held up the comforter to let her
in, and climbed in behind her. She was facing the wall and not him. “I wasn’t
going to yell at you. None of that was your fault,” he said quietly. She turned
over. “I wanted to tell you something else. Something happened at the compound
today.”

She waited, watching him. Most
people would’ve said “what?” by now. He thought about what he had to tell her
and decided it was best to just spill it. “Your dad was killed today.” Kerry
simply stared. “He was chasing you. My wolf didn’t like it.”

“Are you sure?” He nodded. “You
killed him?” He nodded again.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Why?” she asked, so softly that he
barely heard her.

“He meant to do you harm, and I
couldn’t…”

“No.” She shook her head. “Why are
you sorry? Didn’t you mean to kill him?” Her face was quizzical, and he wasn’t
sure what to make of it.

“Well, yeah I meant to
¾
”

She cut him off. “Then why be sorry
about it? I’m not. I’m glad you did it.” She kissed his cheek, and his eyes
narrowed on her. “Look, he was my father. I was born because he raped my mother
every chance he got. She never consented to him doing that to her. She didn’t
love him, and neither did I. I mean, when I was little I did, and I tried to
get him to love me, but he didn’t because I wasn’t a male. I gave up on him a
long time ago. I’ve spent years avoiding him, and I’m not sorry he’s gone. Can
your friends find my mother? Can they bring her home?”

Ethan was still stuck on her not
being sorry about him killing her father and the fact that she’d said he
repeatedly raped her mother. That explained a lot.

“Probably. I’ll ask Ava.”

She smiled then and kissed his
chin. “When I was tied to that bed, I did some thinking.”

He waited. Was this where she said she
wanted out of this?

“I told you I felt like a prisoner,
and that was wrong. When I was tied to the bed and stuck in the basement…it was
then I knew what a prisoner feels like, and I don’t feel that way here. You
were only trying to keep me safe. I get that now, so I want to apologize for
saying that. I don’t feel like a prisoner.” He smirked. “I also wanted to tell
you something else.” He raised his eyebrows. “I said that I don’t like sex.”

Here it comes, he thought, the part
where she says never again.

“That’s not entirely true. I like
it sometimes.” She chewed on her lip, thinking, and his dick got impossibly harder.
“I didn’t like it at first. It was uncomfortable, and it hurt when I had to pee,
but sometimes I do like it. Sometimes it’s nice.”

“Nice?” he growled softly.

“Not nice?” Her mouth worked while
she thought about it. “Good?” Ethan wanted to pounce on her. “Um, some of the
things that we do, I like, and I wanted you to know that I liked them. I want
to…well, I’d like to…”

“Tell me what you liked.” The
predator in him watched her mouth, waiting to strike. He was going to kiss her,
then he was going to take her. He was going to bury his face between her legs
and not come up for a week. He was a man starved for her. His wolf paced
anxiously, unwilling to wait.

“Some of the things.” Her face went
pink.

“What things? Be specific and tell
me what you liked, what you want me to do to you,” he growled, and she giggled.
“We’ll start with what you like, and later you can tell me what you don’t like
so we don’t do those things again.”

“I like when you kiss me…” His mouth
was on hers in an instant, eating at her, and his tongue pushed inside her
mouth to taste her. He heard her heart pounding and her little cries as he
moved against her, her clothes keeping them separated. He finished by kissing
her cheeks and forehead. Her eyes didn’t open for a long time. Her nipples were
beaded into stiff little peaks. He kept her against him, loving the way they
felt on his skin through the silk that he wanted to rip from her body. He
watched the emotions play on her face and kissed the pink of her cheeks. She
was still so young and inexperienced. Most she-wolves would’ve already mounted
him.

“Kerry.”

She
opened her eyes and gazed up at him now.

“What
else do you like?”

“When you kiss me…there, I was going
to say.” He tried to hide his disappointment. “No, I liked that you kissed me.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that I didn’t like it. I liked that, too.”

“Are you sure? I wasn’t too
aggressive? I know you’re inexperienced, and all of this is probably strange
for you. I should’ve been more careful in the beginning. I should’ve taken it
slower, I
¾
” She put a finger on his
lips, silencing him.

“I knew what to expect. Mom told
me. Actually, what she described was a lot worse. You were right. We had a
rough beginning. That’s all. We just have to get used to each other. I don’t
want you to keep your promise. I want to have that with you. I thought about it
a lot, about things I said and didn’t mean. I just didn’t know how to say what
I meant.”

“But you’ll tell me now? Then tell
me.” He lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Tell me, sweetheart.”

“I need to hunt. I miss it, my wolf
misses it, and I can’t stay caged up in here all of the time.” She looked like
she felt guilty, and she shouldn’t. Wolves hunt. Hungry wolves hunt more. He
knew that, but where did that come from?

“Okay. I thought we were talking
about sex but…”

“It’s just one of the things that I
needed to say. I need to go outside, and I need to be able to do it when I want
to. I shouldn’t have to ask permission, and if I want a glass of milk…”

He was nodding. “I get it. I am
sorry about all of that. It was the enforcer in me watching over my quarry. If
you want milk, go get some. I will wait until you come back. I am going to give
you a cellphone. If I know that you have it with you and I can reach you, I
won’t worry as much, okay?”

“Really?”

Ethan grinned at how excited she
looked. “Yeah. Sure,” he said.

“I can have a phone?”

He chuckled. She was so excited
about what most took for granted. “Sweetheart, I will give you anything you
want. Just say it and it’s yours,” he promised.

“When we find my mom, can she live
here?”

“Right here?” A mother-in-law in
the house was not on his list of to dos.

“Maybe not down the hall, but is
there room? Do you have an extra house here?”

 “We have three. When we find her,
and if she wants to come, she’s welcome.” He smiled and kissed her hair again.
She pointed to her lips, and Ethan dropped a long, lingering kiss there. She
yawned a second later, and her eyes slid closed. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

She mumbled something incoherent,
and he let her sleep. Ethan held her close for a long time, thinking and trying
to get comfortable with the massive hard-on that plagued him.

***

Kerry watched him sleep. The big
wolf beside her growled softly every few minutes, and she smiled. The sound
comforted her for some reason. His big chest moved slowly, and she studied the
small male nipples on his chest. They were smaller than hers, and brown. She
could see his ribs under the wall of muscle, but they weren’t defined enough
for her to count. His shoulders were big, round with power. His abdomen was cut
with ropes of sinew, but his waist was small. She wanted to dip her finger in his
navel, but he was still sleeping.

Following her path downward, she
noticed the huge erection tenting his gray boxer briefs. That looked
uncomfortable, and it was big.
How did that fit inside of her?
she
wondered and grimaced. His legs were long and on top of the covers. He had
heavy, powerful thighs and big feet. She grinned, looking down at her own feet
that her mother always said were huge but next to his looked dainty. Black
hairs curled all over his legs, and she wanted to test one with her fingertip
but didn’t want to wake him. She looked back up at his still sleeping face and
wondered if he would notice. Her hand curled into a fist to stop herself.

Kerry eased from the bed and pulled
on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Ethan and Ava would be hungry when they woke
because of all the exertion yesterday. Ava was still healing that nasty bite
that Luke gave her, and Kerry felt as though she owed her.

She padded to the kitchen to find
Ava sitting on a stool drinking coffee. “Good morning,” Kerry said brightly.
“Have you eaten?”

Ava shook her head and held up the
coffee. Kerry twisted around to see the bandage on her shoulder. “How is that?”
Kerry pointed.

“I’ll survive,” Ava mumbled into
her mug.

“What would you like for breakfast?
Name it and it’s yours.” Kerry tried to perk her guest and rescuer up. They
never had overnight guests at her house, so Ava was her first. Since Ava took
the bite, helped in the rescue, and was Ethan’s friend, Kerry thought that it
was only right to treat her well.

“Anything is fine.”

Kerry nodded and set to work. She
made blueberry pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs. By the time the bacon
finished cooking, Ethan was strolling into the kitchen, pulling his shirt on.

“I smell pancakes.” He grinned at Kerry
as she flipped one over.

“Your girl here is a wiz in the
kitchen, E. Definitely a keeper.” Ethan went and grabbed Kerry in a hug, then
kissed her temple.

“I think Ava’s right. I think I’ll
keep you.” Kerry smiled up at him, and he reached over her shoulder to grab a
sausage link from the plate. He bit it and chewed. “Yup, you can stay.” He
grabbed the plate and carried it to the table. Kerry followed with the pancakes
and eggs. She’d set the table already and everyone had a cup of fresh coffee.

“Get your next assignment yet?” Ethan
asked Ava. She shook her head. “Want to do some private work?”

“What have you got?” Ava stuffed
pancake into her mouth.

“Kerry’s mom is missing. She took
the dowry and hauled. Her father died in the fight yesterday, but Mom was
missing for a few days before.”

Ava’s brows furrowed. “I thought
nobody was supposed to die. What happened to him?” she said around a mouthful
of food.

“I killed him. He was chasing Kerry,
and he meant to do her harm. I protected my mate.” He finished the slice of
bacon he’d been holding.

“Good.” Ava said.  “One less threat
in the world.” She wiped her mouth. “Got a picture, or should I wing it?” Ethan
looked over at Kerry, who shook her head.

“I don’t have any photographs. Wait,
I’ll get you something.” Kerry got up and jogged down the hall. Grabbing her
sketchbook and her nubby pencil, she came back and sat in her chair. She
flipped open her pad and began. Ava watched over her shoulder. Kerry quickly
sketched her mother. It was a good likeness of her, she decided. She showed it
to Ethan. A look of pride filled his face.

“That’s her, the woman from the
garden center.”

“Yes.” Kerry said and ripped out
the page. “That’s my mother.” She handed it to Ava.

“You’re, like, really good at
that.” Ava looked from the sketch in her hand to Kerry. “She looks a little
like you.”

“I look more like my dad, but
thanks.”

Ava looked back at the picture. “Any
clues?”

 Ethan shook his head. “They just
said that she left.”

“Any idea where she might go?” she
asked Kerry.

Kerry thought about it for a long
time and finally said, “She always wanted to see the ocean, but he would never
let us. Not even for an afternoon.” Kerry knew she looked sad, but she couldn’t
help it when she thought about her childhood and how mean her father was to
them.