Mandy's Story (4 page)

Her heart sank as she thought about the
reality of keeping him in a cage. She knew locking him up for a
year was out of the question and wondered if she’d even manage to
make it a week. He was being a complete dunderhead. If he really
wanted out, he’d call his liege, Dmitri, to rescue him. With that
thought in mind, she decided to go ahead with plan B and see if it
got her anywhere.

She began making Honey a meal fit for a
king and included a homemade chocolate cake. He was huge, and they
said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. At this
point it couldn’t hurt. It took over an hour to prepare the meal;
the fish weren’t much of an appetizer, so she knew he’d be
hungry.

Carrying a large tray laden with her
home-cooked meal, she made her way to the truck. Looking inside,
she noticed the uneaten fish lying in front of the cage. He was
resting, his body curled and facing away. “Wake up, sleepyhead; I
cooked you something special.”

His head turned, and his dark eyes
drilled into hers. For the first time, his voice didn’t carry a
growl. “You can’t keep me in here. I’m done playing your game,
Mandy. Take the food and leave me be.” He laid his head back down,
no longer looking in her direction.

Mandy stood there not knowing what to
say. He had to eat… something. Sitting the tray down, she pushed it
toward the cage. He didn’t move. She went back into the cabin,
returned with another gallon of water, and pushed it close, too.
After standing there for ten minutes and not seeing so much as a
muscle flinch, she left.

This wasn’t part of her plan. Beastkind
burned calories at alarming rates. There was no way he could resist
food for more than a day or two. If he didn’t eat tonight’s dinner,
she would continue cooking and entice him into giving up his
ridiculous form of rebellion. Thirty minutes later, she cut a large
slice of cake and carried it outside. The previous food remained in
the same place and his back stayed facing her. She sat the cake
down and then removed the fish, which was starting to smell worse
than fish should. He uttered not a sound. Dejected, she returned to
the cabin and cleaned up for bed. Sleep came in fitful chunks, but
she refused to go outside and check on him.

Chapter Six

Honey’s stomach growled with the
delicious smell of the food she brought, but he refused to give in.
If what she said was true and her wolf chose him as her mate,
twenty-four hours without food would be her breaking point. He
eventually fell asleep and dreamed about mountains of chocolate
cake.

The sun was peeking over the horizon
and casting shadowy streaks of light into the truck when he woke.
Turning slightly, he saw Mandy carry away the previous night’s
dinner. Fifteen minutes later she returned with another tray. He
turned his back again and refused to acknowledge her. The smells
floating around the small confines of the truck made it nearly
impossible to resist the food, but he had no doubt, in the long
run, his hunger strike would be effective.

Hours later, the food disappeared and
lunch replaced it. His mouth was no longer watering because the sun
was heating up the inside of the truck, causing fluids to leach
from his body; more than anything he needed a drink. He
concentrated on his inner bear, using that strength to fight
temptation.

He heard her enter and then her anger
blast with intensity, “You’re being a stubborn ass. Even if you
don’t eat, you must drink water. Dehydration will kill you. I know
you think I’ll give in, but I won’t. If it gets so bad you pass
out, I’ll drive into town and get intravenous supplies. All the
feed stores carry them.”

Fighting the urge to argue with her was
hard, but knowing that ignoring her only added to her irritation
made it possible. The fact she was challenging him meant his
refusal to eat was getting to her. He didn’t move or say a
word.

“
You are the most stubborn
nincompoop I’ve ever known. Fine, lay there and starve. I’ll buy
extra-large needles to stick you with.”

He heard the clatter she made as she
angrily jumped from the back of the truck and stormed off. His
shoulders started shaking with laughter. She was such a fireball
and she was losing the war.

***

The man was the biggest, pig-headed
dolt she’d ever met. Storming around and kicking furniture did
little good, so she removed her clothes, shifted, and took off
through the woods. She’d been to this area as a child. The property
belonged to Nicolas, the Northeastern alpha. The main residence,
now destroyed, was more than fifty miles away, and she figured when
choosing a place for her hostage’s seduction that this would be the
safest area. Nicolas and his new pack were now hunkered down with
Amy and Marcus’s clan in the southern territory.

There were no scents of danger and she
went farther than she had the day before. She circled around and
eventually found herself back at the cabin a few hours later. She
looked with longing at the truck, but decided not to say hi or give
him the satisfaction of conversation, even if it was only one
sided. She took a long shower and thought about her next plan of
attack. Eventually, she located a key for the storage shed and
found what she wanted. Dragging the large grill outside, she went
back into the small room and picked up the charcoal and lighter
fluid. Honey could be as stubborn as he wanted, but she’d make sure
the food he wasn’t eating smelled better than anything he’d scented
in years.

She prepared baked potatoes and a large
salad. Late in the afternoon, she put the steaks on the grill and
then pulled a rickety card table out of the shed along with a
chair. Wandering out a little ways, she found some wildflowers and
made a vase from a canning jar she found in one of the cupboards.
Moving the table and chair, she set everything directly in front of
the back opening to the truck. A plate, utensils, glass of wine,
and her impromptu flower arrangement made her little romantic
setting a piece of art. Honey never turned around.

She finished grilling, made them both a
plate, and set them on the table.

“
I’m going to sit here and
eat. I figure you don’t know a lot about me so I thought I’d tell
you.” She refused to let his silence get to her. “My mom and dad
adopted me and my brother. Our sperm donor father was Malcolm the
rapist. Caleb and I have different mothers. We never doubted our
adopted parents loved us, but because of our birth father’s crimes,
many of the pack members never tried to get close to us. Brandt
killed Malcolm before we were born, so we never even knew the evil
man. I always wondered why Brandt treated us so good. Besides his
slight mental breakdown when he wasn’t communicating well with
anyone he made us feel like treasured members of the pack. I’m glad
Emily has him. Caleb’s another story. He should have left for the
military, but with the pending war with the cat clans, he can’t
leave. My brother is a domineering jackass with entirely too much
testosterone. I have trouble believing any woman could ever see
past his current personality problems.”

She finally took a breath and enjoyed a
few bites of the delicious dinner. “I must say I outdid myself
tonight. I’m sure you can smell the steak. It’s cooked rare and
literally melts in my mouth. The potatoes and salad are good, too.
I’ve decided to have some red wine with my meal.”

She noticed a slight twitch to his
shoulders. She was too young to drink alcohol and had actually
never tried it, but when she began hoarding supplies for this trip,
she thought she and Honey could celebrate their union with a glass.
She drank the dark liquid and was actually glad he wasn’t looking
when she grimaced.

“
This is really good. I’m
thinking if I drink the entire bottle I may get drunk for the first
time in my life. It’ll be a pity not to share my inebriety. I hear
your inhibitions lower when you drink. I already think of you
sexually, so just imagine the great dreams I’ll have
tonight.”

A small sound came from Honey, and she
smiled because it sounded like a low growl.

“
As a matter of fact, I’m
a little warm.” She pulled her t-shirt over her head and then
unsnapped her bra and removed it. “That’s so much nicer. The more I
drink the more sensitive my breasts become. Are you sure you don’t
want to join me? I’ll even cut up your steak.” She took a long pull
of wine and this time managed to appreciate the sweet flavor. “I’d
like to discuss children with you.”

This time his groan was clearly
audible.

“
I want at least two. If
Zenya and Nicolas’ creating a baby isn’t a fluke, we wouldn’t have
any of the trials associated with human mating. Before I met you,
I’d decided to get the whole human thing done and have a pup or two
before I found my mate. After my wolf recognized you, the thought
of someone else touching me went right out the window. When Trent
kissed me, I tried to enjoy it, but seriously nausea made the
entire experience disgusting.” Mandy could hear his breathing
increase. She also smelled a stronger odor of bear, which usually
preceded his change.

She thought for a quick second and
pictured the words from the latest romance novel she’d read. “I’ve
heard when you’re sexually attracted to someone and they kiss you,
your nipples pebble. I didn’t examine my nipples after the kiss
until later that evening, but I assure you there was no pebble
action. I pulled on them for a few minutes and got the desired
results, but seriously, it was quite a disappointment that Trent
didn’t cause it.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Oh look,
my nipples are tightening just by talking about Trent. I wonder why
that is.”

She barely finished her recitation when
Honey’s roar poured out of the truck, though surprisingly, he did
manage to stay in human form. “Shut up, you crazy lunatic,” he
bellowed.

He was now half crouching in the cage,
his eyes glued to her breasts, which began to ache in earnest. She
took a shaky sip of wine, not removing her eyes from Honey’s while
he fixated on her chest. She sat her glass down carefully. “It’s so
nice of you to join me. I was hoping you would discuss the
possibility of having children immediately. Added to the benefit of
keeping Brandt and Emily from killing you, I really want your baby.
Don’t you think I have the perfect nipples for the job?” Her hands
went beneath her breasts and lifted slightly, pushing them
together.

Honey’s bear burst from his skin and
his roar no longer came from human vocal cords. Mandy let her
breasts slide between her hands and then covered her ears. If the
truck didn’t surround him on three sides, she was sure his
caterwaul would have attracted attention for miles around. She
finally lowered her hands and very calmly cut another piece of
juicy steak, placing it between her teeth.

Chapter Seven

He couldn’t move an inch while in bear
form within the small confines of the cage. Great huffing breaths
left his mouth, and holding onto his sanity was nearly impossible.
The sight of her bare skin, her… sitting there calmly, eating, and
displaying her breasts was more than his bear could take. His
heightened senses in beastkind form didn’t help to calm him either,
but hunger, thirst, and frustration finally did and he shifted to
human.

Mandy had no idea how little control
bears had over their beast once pushed past their limits. It’s why
his kind stayed mostly away from other beastkind breeds. And this
little pint-sized she-wolf had him on the very edge. He managed to
inhale deeply and count to twenty silently before speaking, “Mandy…
this will never work. If I was truly your mate, keeping me in a
cage would be impossible for you. Think rationally and you’ll see
this entire situation is ludicrous.”

She very calmly put her fork in the
steamy potato and took a bite. After swallowing, she slowly wiped
her mouth. “You’re cranky because of lack of food.” She cut another
piece of steak and stood up with it dangling from her fork.
Stepping around the table, she approached the cage, holding out the
fork.

Her eyes mesmerized him. She licked her
lips and the sight zinged straight to his loins. Her hand stilled,
too far away for him to take the bite. He opened his mouth and saw
her eyes follow the movement. He leaned his face closer to the bars
and her hand came nearer. He struck and immediately pulled hard on
her wrist, bringing her body against the bars. She gave a startled
cry, but it didn’t faze him. Grabbing the key hanging on the chain
around her neck tightly within his fist, he tugged and broke the
links. He tossed the key to the back of the cage and pulled her
closer, his mouth against her ear.

“
I want the combination.
Now.” All his rage poured into the words.

“
No.” Surprisingly, her
breathing slowed and her heart rate evened out.

Through the bars, he wrapped an arm
around her chest as he released her wrist. Using his free hand, he
circled her throat and put a small amount of pressure against her
wind pipe. “I’d rather not hurt you, but I’m getting out of this
cage.”

“
You won’t hurt
me.”

“
You have no idea what
you’re talking about. You’ve taken away my freedom, locked me in a
small cage meant for a dog, and forced me to piss and shit in
bottles and bags. My bear wants nothing more than to wring your
neck and I’m getting tired of fighting him. Give me the damn
combination.”