The Liger's Mark (7 page)

“Is she down?” one of them asked.

“Good enough,” the other answered. “Grab her, and let’s get out of here. We’ve got to move quickly.”

“She’s naked and wet. Grab the sheet, and I’ll roll her up in it,” the first one ordered.

She kept blinking her eyes, trying to force them to stay open. She wanted to fight, to bite and claw and punch and kick. But her body was useless weight and nothing more. The second guy came back, and hard fingers bit into her skin as he pulled out the darts and tried to drape the pilfered sheet around her.

“Is that what I think it is?” the guy wrapping her up asked.

“Fuck! She’s mated,” the first one said.

“I’m guessing that has something to do with the changes taking place then. Did you see her fucking eyes? That animal should be locked down so tightly inside her nothing could set it free. Dr. Talbot is going to love getting his hands on her again.”

“Double check for the mark. Make sure we’ve got the right animal.”

He jerked her body over until she was on her side before gliding his fingers across the mark on her hip.

“Mark’s here,” he grunted and finished wrapping her. He covered her head without concern for her ability to breathe. She couldn’t even move to try and resist.

“Let’s go,” the first guy commanded again. “Just think, we bagged her. The only survivor of the Gestation Trials. We might get something really special for being the ones to bring her in.”

They both snickered. She had the sensation of being lifted, but she barely registered anything other than slumping over the guy’s shoulder. She heard a loud thump and only knew it was her head hitting the doorframe when the sheet snagged and had to be pulled free. Their voices were merely murmurs like the buzzing of flies as she dropped deeper under the control of whatever they’d shot into her.

The good news was she literally felt nothing. The ache was gone. The burn was gone. She swore she heard the animal inside howl in pain. She felt the beast continuing to fight as her body seemed to shut down. She couldn’t prevent it. She was cold, so very cold, and the darkness that wrapped around her was like falling into the arms of a friend.

Her last thought was of her mate, Gabriel. She could really use an angel of her own right now.

* * * *

Gabriel stepped from his vehicle and scanned the wooded area around him. His heart had been beating so fast he feared it would tear through his chest. His mate had almost been taken. He’d known it, as if she’d reached out to him. Then Holt had called saying they needed to move and why. Gabriel had sent them to the only known safe spot close to where they were—a camping ground owned by the Holloway brothers. They were people Gabriel could trust.

A man Gabriel didn’t know stood watching him. Under six feet but broad shouldered with lean cords of muscle. Gabriel didn’t sense a threat from him. There was something about the other man, some vibe he gave off that seemed to reach out and soothe the beast inside Gabriel.

“Gabriel?” the man questioned though it seemed he already knew the answer.

Still, Gabriel gave a jerk of his chin.

“I’m Dusty. Holt’s with Kenzie. Two of them got to her while the other four kept us busy. It looks like tranq darts. Shoulder and thigh. Holt said that seems to be their specialty. We caught them as they were trying to get her out of the room. Holt took a bullet to the arm rushing to her.”

Fuck! He hadn’t known Holt had gotten shot. The other man hadn’t said.

“Where is she?” Gabriel demanded. Why the hell had she been left alone when they knew they were being followed? When they’d known she wasn’t in control? Someone would pay for that error, and it didn’t matter to him who it was.

“Cabin on the end,” Dusty said and pointed it out. “She was burning up when we left the diner. Skin so damn hot she nearly burned my brother.” The way he held his arm out as if he’d been the one singed made Gabriel curious. “Now, she’s cold as ice. She was out when we got to her and hasn’t woken up, yet.”

There was no silencing the growl that left Gabriel’s chest. He heard the door open behind him and gained enough control to remember his responsibility.

“There’s a woman with me. She’s spent a bit of time as the guest of some sadistic bastards in a top-of-the-line lab. She’s still recovering. Help her into a room so she can rest more comfortably, please,” he said.

Dusty nodded. “I’ll put her in my room for now. Should I stay with her?”

Gabriel inhaled, taking in all the scents surrounding them. “No. She’s not in any danger here.” Plus Laramie and his brothers would tear apart any hunter who even tried to creep onto their land.

Dusty didn’t say anything, just nodded again and moved around Gabriel to get to Laura. Gabriel moved his gaze to the cabin his mate was in and headed there without further delay. He needed to figure out what the hell had happened to Kenzie. He stepped to the door and a deeper growl erupted from his throat as he was forced to knock. He could hear the rustle of clothing, followed by footsteps padding across the floor then the door whispered open to reveal a man dressed in nothing but low-slung jeans.

Gabriel knew who he was by the scent he carried. He’d smelled it on his mate. This was the friend, the former lover, the one who knew Gabriel’s mate intimately, and the one who’d taken a bullet trying to protect her. Holt. Gabriel didn’t bother trying to throttle the snarl as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

“Tone it down, asshole. I’m the one who stuck beside her while you did the fuck and bail routine,” Holt said in a hard tone. The white bandage around his upper arm stood out in stark relief against his tan skin. Even that did nothing to calm the beast inside Gabriel.

“The only thing preventing me from ripping your throat out right now is the fact there’s no lust rolling off you for my mate,” he retorted with a snarl.

“Funny, I got the impression she was more of a one-night stand for you,” Holt stated.

Gabriel clenched his hands into fists and went to step around the other man, but Holt countered, moving back in front of him.

“Get out of my way,” Gabriel ordered.

“Focus and listen, dickwad. They must have caught her in the shower. Dart in her shoulder and thigh. They wrapped her up so tightly I wasn’t sure she could even breathe. I put her in the car, and we headed here as soon as we spoke to you.”

“Did you find the darts?”

Holt gave a sharp nod. “Tossed on the bathroom floor.”

“Any idea how much was in them?”

Holt shook his head. “Too much for someone as little as Kenzie. I bagged them. I’ll get them to the professor and Diane as soon as we get back. With the luck we’ve had lately with that damn feral virus in stuff, I had no choice but to call you.”

“I’m her mate,” Gabriel reasserted.

Holt snorted. “Not from where I’m standing.”

“Anything else I should know,” Gabriel said, ignoring the blatant jab. It was no less than he deserved.

“Yeah, it looks like they banged her up pretty good. She has multiple bruises on her stomach, arms and legs, and a nice size knot on her head. She’s ice cold, and… She hasn’t woken up. I was trying to warm her up,” Holt stated with a voice gone gruff with emotion. Concern, fear and anger poured off of him. Gabriel’s eyes followed as Holt stooped to grab his shirt and shoes from a nearby chair.

Gabriel’s chest vibrated with the roar he was barely holding inside at the thought of Holt holding Kenzie’s naked body in his arms. The man might understand what Holt had been trying to do, but Gabriel’s beast wasn’t so forgiving.

“I’ll take care of her,” Gabriel growled.

“Like you did the last time you were with her?” Holt asked, his words an obvious taunt to the beast. “I think she can do without that type of care.”

Kenzie moaned behind them, and Gabriel could hear the chatter of her teeth. The anger he’d sensed coming from Holt disappeared, and this time when he met Gabriel’s gaze there was no animosity.

“Just help her,” Holt pleaded. “Bring her back, and I’ll take care of her when you leave again.”

“My mate doesn’t require anyone but me to take care of her,” Gabriel said with a grunt as he moved to the bed and got his first look at Kenzie.

“You’d have to stick around first,” Holt muttered then Gabriel heard the door open and click shut as he was left alone with Kenzie.

He crossed to stand beside the bed, gazing at her. God, she was the most beautiful woman. Long waves of silky brown hair tumbled around her head and shoulders, falling around her in wild disarray. He’d give anything to see her blink those big brown eyes of hers open and tell him to go to hell. When he’d watched her walk through the woods in Colorado toward him, he’d fixated on how tiny she was, over a foot smaller than him. He’d been afraid of breaking her with the fierce desire that consumed him at her touch. Her size was deceptive, though. She was strong, stronger than him. She just didn’t realize it, yet. Unable to deny himself the soft touch of her skin, he reached down to touch her cheek and encountered the burn of ice against his fingers.

“What did I do to you?” he whispered as he began shedding his clothing. He owed Holt a debt he’d never be able to repay though he was sure the other man would never see it that way. He’d wanted to say thank you, but the beast was too much in control at the moment for him to do much more than growl and snarl. It wouldn’t ease until their mate opened her eyes.

He sat beside her to remove his boots and socks and groaned as she curled into his side as if she were seeking his heat. He made quick work of the laces and shoved his pants and boxers down as he stood, leaving it all in a pile as he joined Kenzie on the bed. This time he pulled the blankets back and the beast eased slightly when he realized Holt had wrapped her in a blanket before joining her in the bed. Gabriel tugged it away and caught his breath at the sight of her stiff nipples, so hard and tight his mouth grew moist at the thought of suckling her there.

He slipped under the covers with her, shivering as she moved toward him before he could even reach out to haul her closer. Her chilled skin worried him more than anything. He crooned to her, whispering meaningless words while he opened himself completely to the beast inside, allowing the animal’s keener senses full control.

His liger howled, filled with rage. He let the animal’s instincts guide him, and without questioning, he bent to her shoulder and bit down on the mark he’d already placed on her. He licked over it again and again. It wasn’t as potent as his blood, but shifter saliva was a powerful substance in and of itself. His bite provided a way to transfer some of his unique antibodies into her. It helped build their connection. He pulled her impossibly closer and touched her lips with his, dipping his tongue inside and moaning as she latched on and sucked it before following it back into his mouth where he returned the favor.

“Hold on to me,” he whispered in her ear. “Let me be your warmth, your strength.”

She whimpered, burrowing into his chest with her cold nose, her knees almost unmanning him as she curled them into his groin seeking warmth. He groaned as his cock surged to life. He wanted her, needed her like he needed air to breathe, and it scared the hell out of him.

He tried to repeat his oath in his head.

My life is not my own. I am the hand of justice. The executioner.

The beast demanded something else as they held their mate. One word resonated, drowning out everything else.

Mine.

Chapter Six

Kenzie blinked her eyes slowly open. Despite the darkness, she knew in an instant she wasn’t in the motel room. Memories shuffled inside her head, her last clear thought returning to the men who’d darted her. She tensed, one hand going to her shoulder, the other to her thigh. Had she dreamed it?

The mattress dipped behind her, and it finally clicked she wasn’t alone. Arms wrapped around her, tugging her back against a massive chest and an equally impressive erection. Recognition set it as the animal inside her seemed to purr with joy and contentment. Gabriel. Furthermore, she was naked in the bed with him. She hated the way her body responded to him. Hell, she was lucky she hadn’t woken up humping his leg. Her head knew she needed him—to deal with the extreme fluctuations in body temperature, to deal with the awakening animal. Her heart wasn’t there, yet.

“Where are we?” she whispered.

“Cabin,” he murmured against her neck.

“I’m not big on cabins, lately. Bad memories,” she said, rolling over onto her back and letting her gaze soak him in.

“Yeah, well, you were knocked out, and we needed to move you somewhere safe until you woke up,” he stated with a grunt.

“How long have I been out?”

“Five days,” he said, and a shudder went through him.

She jerked up in bed beside him, the sheet falling to her lap as she stared at him incredulously. “Five days?”

He nodded, and she pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts as his gaze kept straying there.

She glanced around the room. “Bathroom?”

He pointed behind her.

“I’ll be right back.” She started to reach for something to cover her, but her bladder was adamant that she hurry. He’d seen her naked before, anyway. She tried to clear her mind while in there, taking a few moments to wash her hands and splash cool water on her face before heading out to join him. She was still fuzzy and angry with her mate. Both were a bit hard to shake off. He held the cover back, and she slid in without comment. Her legs were a bit shaky. Better to sit than to fall.

“What happened?”

“They hit you with two darts,” Gabriel said. “You were like ice when I got to you. Scared the hell out of me.”

She shrugged then, swallowing the nasty retort hovering on her tongue about not knowing he cared. Obviously, he did. He was here. When Holt had called for help, Gabriel had come. That had to mean something.

“I hope I didn’t pull you away from something important,” she said instead.

He sat up, and when the sheet fell to his lap, there was no missing the tenting of the material. She clenched her thighs as her pussy grew damp with need. Bastard. It wasn’t fair that she wanted him so much.