Rae, Beverly - Howling for Sara [Night Runner Werewolves 1] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) (10 page)

She didn’t respond, and more pain seared into her head as he hit her again. She opened her eyes, saw his lustful leer, and turned her head to look behind him.

Her breath hitched in her throat and for a minute she wasn’t sure if she was seeing things. “They’re here,” she whispered, not bothering to hide the glee in her tone.

He shook his head and snorted. “Don’t try to pull that trick again. Do you really think I’m so stupid?”

“Yeah, I do.” She gave him her own wicked grin. “But this time it’s not a trick.”

Victor whirled around, falling off Sara. “No!”

She dug in her heels and pushed herself to a sitting position. Six werewolves stood outside the lean-to, their fangs exposed, their amber eyes glittering.

* * * *

Michael growled, his tail low between his legs, his ears laid back. He darted his gaze between the man and Sara. Rage ripped through him as he took in her wide, frightened eyes and the massive, purple bruise on her cheek. His inner beast howled, encouraging him to strike, to tear out the man’s jugular vein.

Ranlon, Max, and Jimmy moved to stand beside him, their jaws pulled back in snarls. William and Nick took his other side, but when William stepped forward, Michael moved to block his way. Their gazes met and Michael showed his teeth, telling him to wait. He gave the others a similar look, and although Nick and Max swished their tails angrily to disagree, they did as he ordered.

Sara’s captor reached for a metal bar, snatched her by the front of her tank top, and pulled her to his side. She struggled but she was no match for the large man. “Back off, dogs. Take one step closer and I’ll bash her pretty head in.”

Michael could barely see as the anger grew stronger, energizing him with power. No way would he let the man escape, but he couldn’t risk Sara’s life. He paced up and down in front of his friends, determined to find a way to get at him.

“Victor, let me go.” Sara’s voice trembled, but Michael could see the fire in her eyes. She looked at him then gave him a slight nod.

“Shut up, bitch.” Victor shook her but never took his eyes off the werewolves.

Michael stopped and readied himself. Sara was about to do something, and he had to be ready.

“Don’t call me a bitch.” Taking him by the wrist still holding her top, she brought his hand to her mouth and bit down. Victor shouted and yanked away, lowering the metal bar.

Michael pounced, hitting Victor and sending them rolling together over the ground. Michael got onto his paws in time to see Sara scramble out of the lean-to toward the safety of his friends. The other werewolves growled and barked their encouragement, then formed a semicircle around her to protect her.

Michael leapt at Victor again, scraping his claws down the man’s arm as he flew past him. Victor shouted profanities, stumbled, but managed to stagger away.

“Look out!”

But Michael didn’t need Sara’s cry of warning. The man changed quickly, his human form vanishing under short, brown fur. Within seconds, Victor had changed into a large brown bear.

Roaring, the bear lumbered toward Michael. Michael dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the bear’s deadly swipe. The rest of the werewolves howled and snarled, dancing in front of Sara, egging the bear to confront them, but the bear was intent on coming after Michael.

Michael knew a bear, especially a werebear, was stronger than he was. Weaving in and out, he darted in to snap at the bear’s neck. Several times he attacked then jumped away seconds before the bear could react. Victor roared again, frothy spittle flying out of his mouth as he exposed sharp fangs. He whirled around then lifted onto his back legs. Again and again, Michael outmaneuvered the bear, but his attacks on the bear’s back legs wouldn’t prove deadly.

“Help him,” cried Sara. Her word was all the pack needed and Michael growled the order to attack.

William jumped on the bear’s back, opening the way for the rest of the werewolves. They circled the bear, veering in and out to bite where they could. Victor spun in a circle, trying to defend himself from all sides, but it was useless. The werewolves were too quick for him to land a blow.

Victor shuffled toward the lean-to, hoping to protect his back. Seeing an advantage, Michael split from the others, letting them draw the bear’s attention. He ran behind the structure and, hoping the ramshackle building would support his weight, jumped onto the roof using it as a springboard to propel him onto the bear.

He dug his claws into Victor’s back at the same moment he opened his jaws wide and clamped down on the thick skin of the bear’s neck. Victor squealed in terror and rage and, forgetting the others, ran a few steps before turning to spin.

The pack attacked as one, each wolf biting into a leg or the belly. Victor’s bellows grew louder as wolf after wolf tore pieces of flesh from him.

Suddenly, the bear roared, the sound muffled by blood streaming from his mouth. He shook his massive body once, then stumbled and fell on his side. Snarling, Michael gripped Victor by the neck and tore out his throat. Blood spurted over Michael and the taste of the animal’s life force filled his mouth.

The bear’s body shuddered as it accepted death. At last, with the werewolves forming a circle around him, Victor let out his last breath. His eyes stared lifelessly at Sara.

The pack, growling low and circling their fallen prey, paused, then lifted their muzzles in the air and howled.

* * * *

Sara pulled the T-shirt over her head, wincing when the soft material slid over the many bruises and scratches covering her body. She peered into the bathroom mirror and gingerly touched her swollen cheek. Her brown eyes looked lackluster and tears welled in her eyes. Even the luxurious bath she’d taken couldn’t wash away the memory of Victor’s hand between her legs.

She trembled, once again thinking about what would have happened if Michael and the others hadn’t found her in time. She had no doubt that Victor would have raped her. Once he was through with her, he would’ve killed her and left her body to rot under the hot Texas sun.

“But he didn’t, so stop with the waterworks.” She glowered at her image.

“No one would blame you if you cried.”

Sara whirled to find Michael standing in the doorway of the bathroom. “I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.” She pulled her body straighter. “How are you doing?”

Michael shrugged. “I’m fine. He never hit me with a good blow.”

“And Ranlon? William and the others?” After the fight, she’d collapsed from exhaustion as the terror left her body. Instead, she’d closed her eyes and listened to the comforting rhythm of Michael’s heartbeat as he carried her every step of the way back to the house. If any of them had been injured, she would’ve been devastated.

“We’re all fine. Jimmy and William are back from town. They took the sheriff and a few others out to get Vic—to recover the body.”

“Was he still a bear?” Would she ever get used to referring to people in their animal forms? Yet, she knew she would have to if she was going to stay. She dragged in a ragged breath. Providing they still wanted her to stay.

“If a shifter dies in his animal body, he stays an animal.”

“What about the townspeople? How did they treat them?”

“Now that we’ve given them the real killer, the animosity’s grown weaker. In time, they’ll put the stories in the past. They’ll never forget, but I think they’ll go back to leaving us alone.”

Michael studied her, worry lines forming in his brow. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been out like a light for most of the day.”

“I was?” She’d been worn out, mentally as well as physically. “I guess I needed the rest.” She smiled, trying to put him at ease.

Michael held out his hand for her. “Sara, we need to talk.”

She’d sensed he was there to do more than check up on her and had known this time would come. She nodded, still unable to voice the question she needed answered. Did they want her to stay? Pulling her courage around her, she took his hand and let him lead her to sit on the bed.

Her stomach churned and her pussy tightened remembering the last time she was in bed with him. And the others? She longed to have all of them in the enormous bed.

Michael touched her swollen cheek. “I can’t stand that he did this to you. It’s my fault.”

“How can it be your fault? Victor struck me, not you. If anyone else is to blame, it’s me for running off like an idiot. But when I saw you change, saw all of you as werewolves, I couldn’t think straight. I just ran.”

He ducked his head and stared at the floor. “Who can blame you? If I’d told you about us from the first, maybe you wouldn’t have taken off like that. You must’ve been scared out of your mind.”

She trembled again and he slipped his arm around her, quelling her tremors. She giggled, more out of relief than humor. “Wouldn’t you know it? With all this open land, I’d end up running into a killer.”

Michael’s dark eyes twinkled. “Yeah. First you wind up with a pack of werewolves, and then you get snatched by a werebear. Lady, your luck sucks.”

She laughed along with him before growing serious. “Actually, I think my luck’s pretty damn good. After all, I’m here with you.”

He pressed his lips to hers, gently, caressing her bottom lip with his tongue. She leaned into him, needing to feel his warmth, and covered his crotch with her palm.

He pulled away. “Sara, you don’t have to, you know. After what you’ve been through—”

She put a finger to his lips. “After what I’ve been through, I need this.”

He started to kiss her again but pulled away instead. He groaned and stood to pace to the window. He put his back to her as he stared out to the yard below.

“I want you, Sara, more than I can tell you.” He faced her, a tortured expression clouding his features. “The rest of them and me, we’re one. And we need you. As shifters, we need an alpha-female to start completing our pack. If you take me to bed, you have to take the rest of them, too. Then, later, the call will come for the others to take their mates. If you approve of each man’s future mate, all the male members will bring her into the pack by joining her in bed. But you’ll always be the first, the most important female, the one we’ll always come back to. Do you understand?”

“You’re saying I get to make love to Ranlon, Nick, and the other men? Is that right?”

He nodded and tucked his hands in his pockets. “The next time we get in bed together, they’ll be there, too. Can you accept that?”

She couldn’t help smiling. “So you’re saying that for as long as I live, I’m mated to not one, but six hot men?”

The corners of his mouth lifted. “Yeah. Even after they take an additional mate.”

“And what about you, Michael? Will you take an additional mate, too?” She wondered if he knew he was special to her and would always be her first choice.

He shook his head, almost sadly. “No. I don’t think I could ever do that.” A soft smile teased his dimples into view. “I think I’m a one-mate wolf.”

Could she tell him how happy his statement made her? Or would such a declaration be disrespectful to the rest of the pack?

She rose to come to him, but he held up his hands, warding her off. “There’s one more thing.”

An anxious knot formed in the middle of her chest. “Okay. Tell me.”

“You’ll have our children.”

Children of her own? Could the dream of motherhood become real for her? “I would love to have lots of kids. So what’s the problem?” Why was he frowning at her?

“To have our children, you have to become one of us.” His dark gaze bore into her. “Sara, you have to become a werewolf and go through the Change.”

She stepped away from him, needing the time to sort through her feelings and thoughts. She would turn into a werewolf? Could she go through what she’d seen them experience? Could she withstand her body morphing, changing, growing fur? And then what? What else did it mean to be a werewolf? Would her children be werewolves?

She turned back to him. “What’s it like?”

He came to her and took her hands in his. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this. It’s not easy. The Change, especially for the first few times, hurts a lot. Your bones bend and break. Your sight changes, the world loses color until everything takes on a strange golden hue. Your skin feels like it’s burning as fur grows over your flesh.”

She swallowed, her nerves taking hold. “Wow. You sure know how to make it sound appealing.”

He chuckled and placed his palm on her cheek. “There’s good things, too. Being a werewolf, what we call a Night Runner, is amazing. You can run for hours, alone or in a group. See things you’ve never seen. Hear better than you’ve ever heard. Smell scents you didn’t know existed. You’ll become a Night Runner and spend the night under the moon, its pull driving you to push on until you can run no longer. Then, you’ll howl to celebrate its glory.”

“You make it sound so beautiful, mystical even.”

“It is. I wouldn’t trade being a Night Runner for the world.”

She saw the glint in his eyes, a sparkle she recognized from their time in bed. She wanted to see that gleam when he looked at her, her legs wrapped around his waist.

As though he’d heard her thoughts, he added, “And the sex? God, the sex is amazing. We can last longer than humans. Trust me. The rush you’ll experience will send you soaring.”