Skin Walkers: Taken (7 page)

“Rohm?” she finally whispered into the darkness.

“Sleep,” he commanded.

Too many questions ran through her mind. 
What did he mean, I’m his?
  She needed distance to clear her head.  “I want to get up.”

“No,” he growled. “When a female accepts a Keeper’s claim, it is draining on the female.  You’ll need your strength for tomorrow.”

“What…what happens tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow you set us free.”

That just gave her even more questions, but Rohm pulled her tight, tucking her up against him as he expelled a deep breath.  Silence reigned, but Nyree’s mind was going a mile a minute.  What did he mean,
she
would set them free?  And why had he called her his?  When his breathing evened out she knew he was asleep, which meant no answers would be forthcoming.  She relaxed into his arms and surprisingly, locked in a cage half-naked in some unknown location, prisoner of a madman and a monster, she was in Rohm’s embrace and felt safer than she had in a very long time.

Chapter 12

The sound of swaying pines as they creaked in the harsh wind and the light swooshing of hard flakes as they bounced off the crusted snow’s surface was all Bellis StCroix could hear.  Monroe’s favored Walker assassin, he’d been sent to ghost the Walker teams tasked with retrieving Rohm and Nyree.  That wasn’t his mission though.  No, he was going to bring in the traitor, the one Monroe had told him about.  His head canted as he watched her now. 

Dark-haired and pale-skinned, she was actually quite beautiful.  Her eyes were odd though.  They were blue, but no color blue he’d ever seen…well almost.  His own eyes were inky black with mere pinpoints of neon blue in the center.  Her eyes nearly matched the blue of his own.  Her hair was trimmed to where it barely brushed her shoulders.  It wasn’t curly, and it wasn’t straight.  Wavy, and not quite as dark as the form-fitting black bodysuit she wore.

Bellis eyed her clothing.  Odd.  It was shiny, and fit her trim body like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination.  Her breasts were full, her hips and ass rounded in just the right places. 

She’d come rushing from one of the dilapidated buildings that mirrored several of the other structures in what was left of the ghosted-out mining town.  Dozens of these old, forgotten towns peppered the state.  This particular building held the scent of Walkers, Keepers, humans, and Megalya.

Once the door slammed behind the female she’d thrown herself back against it as a sob wrenched from her throat.  She was staring up at the sky, her breath leaving her in harsh pants that exploded in little cloud bursts in the frigid air.   

Studying her, Bellis felt an odd sensation he chalked up to disgust.  Even from this distance he could scent her regret and…Walker blood!  It had to be her, the one Monroe had sent him for.  This female was the traitor.  Monroe hadn’t said the traitor would be female, and Bellis wondered at that.  His first instinct was to seek out a male. 
Hmph!
  You never knew what to expect when dealing with Monroe StoneCrow.

Dipping his head, frowning as he watched the female, he let his nostrils flare as he drank in her scent.  He didn’t want to forget it, to lose it.  If something happened and he couldn’t get to her now, he wanted to have her so firmly imprinted on his memory that he’d know her anywhere.  Her scent, covered in the blood of his people, had his inner beasts stirring.

The Dominant Skin Walker’s mate—or Angel as Walkers called them—had been injured.  In the Dominant’s stead his second, King Mulholland, had sent his best teams in search of the missing.  Word had been sent to the Keepers that their services were not needed, but Bellis knew they’d ignored the directive.  He’d watched as Keepers covertly deployed from StoneCrow, following the Sentry teams who were seeking
out those who’d been taken.
 
Waiting on specific Intel about the traitor, Bellis had been the last to leave.
 

Monroe was distracted with the injuries his mate had sustained, leaving Bellis with only one clear directive.  Bring the traitor to the Dominant. 

Delayed, he’d followed Fatal’s Keepers Hero, Battle, and Valor as they ghosted the Walker teams.  He’d heard the Keepers discussing the traitor, and wondered where they’d gleaned that highly confidential detail.  Truly, Bellis didn’t care.  His job was to bring the traitor in, and no Keeper could, or would, stop him. 

Canting his head, he balled his large hands into fists, watching the female.   Someone would pay for the breach at StoneCrow, for the injured and the dead.  His eyes narrowed on the female as he watched her drop to her knees in the snow and frantically scrub her hands with fistfuls of snow. 
She
would pay for what had been done at StoneCrow. 
She
would pay for any injury sustained by the missing Keeper, Walkers, and human staff who had been taken.

Decided, Bellis was about to take a step when he suddenly tensed.  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement.  He didn’t look in that direction, didn’t even move.  Just his eyes flicked in that direction before cutting back to the woman.  She was still panting in the snow, trying to scrub herself clean, oblivious to the fact that now two predators were hunting her.

***

Hero held up a hand, halting his fellow Keepers.  Rohmulus was close, he could sense it, but he had another objective as well.  Monroe’s men were seeking a traitor, but Fatal wanted him first.  When the female rushed from the building, scenting of blood and regret, he knew they’d found the one they were seeking. A woman! His gut instinct was to rush her and take her into custody, but something held him in place.  He could sense another presence. He slowly scanned the forest, startling when inky-black eyes opened up in a dark recess.  Then the shadow moved, and he realized the eyes were part of it.  There wasn’t a man in the shadows, the man was the shadow. 
Demon?
  The creature looked directly at Hero and it took a step, separating itself from the darkness where it hid…and yet not.  The beast was all black, like the area where it had hidden.  Coal-black skin, jet black hair, even its dark eyes held just mere pinpoints of neon blue to indicate where it looked.  Right now, it was looking directly at Hero, and Hero held the gaze.  When the demon’s eyes cut to the woman, Hero knew they were both after the same thing.

When the creature took another step forward, all but ignoring Hero, the Keeper inhaled deeply and drank in the beast’s scent, attempting to place the creature. 
Skin Walker!
  Disbelief had him staring harder at the dark one.  He scented again, and it was undeniable.  This thing was a Skin Walker, but not like any he had ever seen.  Hero slowly shook his head at the beast, whispering, “
Mine
.”  While he’d meant to convey that the female would be a Keeper captive, the word felt heavy, as if it conveyed a deeper meaning than he’d intended. 

The dark Walker looked at him, shaking his head with a sneer and countered, “
Mine!
”

Just then, Battle and Valor stepped from a clearing between Hero and the Walker.  They postured up, obviously having heard the exchange.  It was a damn good thing too, because Hero wasn’t sure he could take the menacing-looking Skin Walker.

A noise had the woman gasping, which drew Hero, Battle, Valor, and the dark Walker’s attention.

Perion, Battle’s Soul Sentry, a Bengal tiger, stepped into the clearing and snarled at the female.

To everyone’s shock, she scrambled to her feet, balling tiny blood and ice crusted hands into fists and sneered, “Run now, Walker, before you regret the decision.”

Perion canted his head, staring at her curiously.  Hero pulled his eyes from the woman and the tiger, but when he looked to where the dark Walker had been, he was gone.  Hearing a roar his eyes cut back to Perion and the female, but now the female was gone as well.

“Hero?”  Battle and Valor eyed him, waiting for instruction.

“Did you see which way they went?”

His gut twisted when both Battle and Valor shook their heads. 

“Split up!” 

Valor faltered.  “What about Rohm?”

Shit!
  Hero glanced over his shoulder at the rundown wooden structure.  Rohm was their first priority, not some female who’d betrayed the Walkers.  “He is here.  I can sense him.”  He turned back to Valor, then cut his eyes to Battle.  “Valor and I are going for Rohm.” His eyes narrowed on Battle.  “GO!” he commanded on a snarl.  “Bring me the woman!”

Battle was already moving.  Valor turned to face Hero, but stalled to release his Soul Sentry, a mighty falcon that beat its great wings and flew high before dipping down and dropping to perch on Valor’s shoulder.  Tilting his own head back, Hero spread his arms wide and light shimmered in the center of his chest before his cheetah, Favian, burst free.  The two Keepers and their Soul Sentries rushed the building as Battle and Perion disappeared into the forest to hunt the dark Walker and his captive.

Chapter 13

Nyree startled awake when the lights flared to life.

“Good morning, lovebirds.  How did you sleep?”

Rohm leaned over her, covering her body with his own, glaring at Chambers and his guard as they entered. 

The male smiled knowingly. “Keeper, go to the back of the cage and put your arms out.  I need the woman out of the cell.”

“NO!” Rohm growled viciously. 

“Guard!”  The male didn’t take his eyes off Rohm as the guard at his side lifted his pistol.  “Go to the back of the cell, and send the female to the door, or I’ll shoot you and then her.”

“Shoot me,” Rohm challenged angrily.  “You can’t have her!”

The monster pursed his lips.  “Okay, let’s try this again.  Give me the female, or I’m going to have the guard shoot you, and then
rape
the woman before he shoots her.”

Rohm’s lip curled back as he growled deep, but refused to move.

“Fine,” Chambers took a step back.  “Shoot the Keeper.”

“NO!” Nyree struggled under Rohm’s massive weight, trying to shift him from on top of her, but he wouldn’t budge.  “Let me up,” she growled, before shouting more loudly, “DON’T SHOOT!”

Angry, clear eyes found hers.  “I am not letting them hurt you again.  You are mine now to protect,” he snarled with feral possession.

“I am not
yours
,” she hissed as she shoved at his chest. “Now get
off
me before they shoot us both!”

Rohm growled, but didn’t budge.  “You
are
mine now, and I’ll defend you with my life.” 

Please be fucking joking!  Or have a really good plan!  That’s it!  This whole ‘mine’ thing was part of some elaborate plan, right?

“Shoot the beast.” Chambers spoke coolly, and before either Rohm or Nyree could react, a loud pop sounded and Rohm’s body jerked.  That’s it.  Just jerked.  He didn’t sprawl back, he didn’t bellow in pain.  The Keeper merely jerked, then lifted deadly eyes to Chambers.

“I said move!” the Doctor yelled.

Frantic, Nyree struggled beneath Rohm.  “Rohm!”  Her hands lifted to his shoulder, which was now bleeding profusely.  “Oh my God!  You’re shot.”  She struggled to get up, but he kept his big body over hers.  “Let me up!”

Rohm growled and crouched lower, as if to shield her from view as his eyes narrowed on Chambers.

The man’s voice rose.  “If he’s not off of you and backed to the cage in one minute, I’m going to have him shot somewhere more vital.”

Nyree’s gaze jerked to him, then back to Rohm, and she braced her feet and pushed with all her might.  “NO!  WAIT!”  She struggled beneath him.  “Rohm!  Please!”  Still, he refused to move, and she stopped struggling to lift a shaking hand to his cheek.  She pulled his face until his angry eyes slid to hers.  “Please!” she begged, as tears flooded her eyes.  “I can’t do this without you.  Don’t let them take you from me.”  She sniffed back her emotion, shaking her head slowly.  “Don’t leave me alone here…with them.”

Rohm’s expression softened, and he slowly eased from his crouch over her to a standing position.  In one deft move, he manacled her wrist and pulled her easily up from the floor to tuck her behind his large frame. 

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”  Chambers clucked.  “That’s not the deal.  Step away from her, and go to the back of the cage.”

Rohm released Nyree and squared his shoulders, a low rumble filling the room.

Unwilling to watch him take another bullet, Nyree quickly stepped around Rohm and was advancing toward the door to the cage when strong hands gripped her waist.  She stilled and turned to frown at him.  “We have no choice.”  She watched as indecision warred on Rohm’s strong features. 

Finally, he pulled her close to whisper at her ear.  “Zavier has marked you.  Do not fear, my Light.  Soon, we go home.”

Pulling back, she stared at him in confusion.  What did he mean, they were going home?  And what had he called her? 
My Light
?  Well, one night of sex and his contrary attitude was out the window.  Men! 

“
Today
!” the evil Doctor barked, reminding her that she had bigger things to worry about than Rohm’s sudden change of heart where she was concerned. 

Nyree turned to pace to him.  The guard quickly opened the gate, keeping his pistol trained on Rohm until the tyrant was able to jerk her free of the cage.  The guard slammed the door closed, securing the lock before smirking at Rohm. 

“Didn’t think he’d give her up so easily,” the guard sneered.  Gun still pointed at Rohm, he turned to eye Nyree as she attempted to hide her chest with one hand while the other gripped the edges of her skirt to keep her panties from their view.  “But I guess one fuck is all he needed.”

Chambers’ lips twisted cruelly.  “Now, the Walker gets his turn.”

Nyree jerked.  “What?” 

The freak laughed, and the guard followed suit.  Nyree lifted hate-filled eyes to the guard just in time to see Rohm lunge, snatching the pistol from the guards grip as he stood too close to the cage.  Pulling back, he eyed the weapon in his hand while Chambers and the guard tensed.

Expecting him to lift the weapon and take out their captors, Nyree was dumbfounded when Rohm dropped the weapon on the cage floor. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”  She screamed.  “SHOOT THEM!”

Chambers was the first to react.  He grabbed Nyree’s arms in a death grip, holding her in front of him, blocking himself from any shots Rohm would be able to fire.  The dumb guard stood frozen.

“Zavier.” Rohm’s tone was deep, rumbling through the large room.  Lowering his head, his eyes narrowed on Nyree.  “Protect my Light!”

Nyree’s body convulsed, her back arching violently as the heat in her chest from the night before returned.  She gasped, her eyes rolling back as a bright light centered in her chest before rippling outward.  Seconds later, there was a flash, and then all she heard were screams and ferocious growls.  She recognized Zavier’s roar as she felt herself falling.  Shoved from behind, she heard another deafening roar as her body slumped against thick fur and slid gently to the ground. As everything turned gray, Rohm’s beast loosed another ear-splitting roar. She coughed once, and it was enough to snap her out of whatever daze she was in.  Her eyes focused, and she realized she was on the floor, Zavier standing over her, chuffing and snorting as he shifted from paw to paw in clear agitation.  Turning her head, her eyes locked on the unblinking gaze of Dr. Chambers where his body lay slumped feet from her.  His throat was ripped out and his mouth was gaping in a silent scream.  Scanning the room she found the guard lying in a pool of blood, head cocked at an awkward angle.

Groaning, Nyree shoved up from the floor, bumping the underside of Zavier.  He turned and sniffed at her before nudging her with his snout.  Rohm’s words came flooding back. 
‘I need to give you something.’
  She blinked hard. 
Oh, God!
  He’d gifted her Zavier to get them free!  Mortification washed over her as she recalled her breathy,
“Give it to me.”
  She hadn’t been referencing Zavier.  No, she’d meant something entirely different, and then she’d told him she’d wanted him inside of her!  All the while, he’d only been trying to gift her his Soul Sentry to aid in their escape.  Humiliation crashed over her, but she shoved it aside.  She had to get to Rohm!

Shoving up from the floor, she wobbled, then pitched to the side.  Emitting Zavier had taken a lot from her.

“Zavier!” Rohm commanded, and then Zavier was at her side, steadying her with his great body as she tried her best to get to the guard for the keys.  She’d just reached the body when an explosion rocked the lone door.

Nyree ducked low, covering her ears as Zavier crushed her under his weight and snarled toward the smoke that was now billowing from the door.

“ROHMULUS!” a voice shouted, and Rohm responded, “HERE!”

Nyree began coughing, her eyes burning as the thick smoke reached her.  Someone gripped her hand, and she knew whoever it was had to be an ally, because Zavier eased off of her.  Nyree looked up, expecting to see Walkers, but was startled to see one of the Keepers, Hero. 

“Here!”  He threw the keys he’d taken from her into the smoke and a second figure stormed through, making his way to the cage. Valor.

Hero ripped away part of his shirt, handing it to her.  “Cover your face.”

She did, and was slowly getting to her feet with Hero’s help when Rohm was suddenly there, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her into the smoke.

More bodies poured into the room.  “DAMN IT, HERO!”

Relief flooded her when she recognized Commander McCabe’s voice.  They were safe!  She opened her mouth to tell them about Ash and his family, but when she inhaled she began coughing uncontrollably.

“Easy,” Rohm admonished before turning his attention to Remy.  “There is a Walker, his daughter, and his Angel.”

“On it!” Remy was barking orders and Nyree heard the cell at the back of the room open even as other Walkers disappeared out the door.  Rohm followed. 

In the hall, flanked by his Keepers, Rohm carried her in the opposite direction the Walker teams were heading.  They were free.  She and Rohm had survived but things had been permanently changed between them.  She wondered what happened now.