Un.Requited (Claimed Series) (39 page)

A palm tapped her smartly across the cheek. It was a soft tap, a light-and-day difference from Joseph’s previous slug across the face. Hayden blinked up at Devan’s looming face, the other female’s eyes wide and full of turmoil. Her hands
were raised
in a soothing gesture, a feeble attempt to calm Hayden down.

“Relax, Hayden.”

Hayden leaned closer to her, pushing harder against the wires. The pain was at the point of feeling so good. “He’s late,” she persuaded again. “Nicolas is waiting for Cole, testing him. You and Joseph won’t have any chance of getting back to town undetected. And Cole will be cornered here alone.”

Devan’s hazel eyes darkened and a distressed gleam seemed to carve her face from stone. “Joseph,” she called softly. “Help me get her out of this.” Without waiting for his approval, Devan began tugging at the wire, her hands becoming slick and stained red from Hayden’s blood. “Give me a knife!” she demanded fiercely to her lover.

When no response came forth, Devan and Hayden glanced back at Joseph, spying the man’s stiff posture. All movement ceased as they became aware of the darkening environment.

The dried leaves on the forest ground began to rustle, and light footsteps, sounding especially like muffled heartbeats, began to surround them from every angle. Several pairs of amber eyes appeared and gleamed from the dark brush and the depths of the trees. Everywhere Hayden looked a hunched figure of a wolf sat, veiled by the
darkness
and lying in wait for a command.

Then she saw
him
.

He was a lone figure, an approaching silhouette of a tall and lean man. His knee-length coat fluttered behind him as he gracefully and slowly advanced toward the trio. As he neared, his sharp-featured face came into view.

His demeanor, his expression, and his eyes were cold. Everything about him was cruel and impassive. Even his aura had a chilling power that easily forced those in proximity to submit and remain passive.

Hayden stared at Nicolas, digging past her initial fear in order to see signs of his relation to Cole. When she had first come across the two men, she hadn’t seen much of a similarity. However, after experiencing some of Cole’s withdrawn and cold moods, she could see the resemblance to his brother.

Both men had the same chiseled face and muscular, yet agile bodies.
Though
, the similarities all but ended there. Cole had a wild, warm, and almost mischievous air to him. Nicolas, on the other hand, was unemotional and refined, his pale blue eyes like shards of ice.

Being in Nicolas’ presence wasn’t as nearly overwhelming as it had been when she first encountered him in New York. Maybe it was because she had gotten stronger since then, or maybe it was because her worry for Cole outweighed any sort of desire to be submissive to this man.   

Joseph shifted, putting his body in front of Devan and Hayden. “You’re over a half-an-hour late.”

Nicolas planted his feet in a solid stance, his eyes coolly assessing Joseph before they flickered over at Devan and proceeded to land on Hayden. He took in her
nearly-healed
wounds across her cheek and the blood-soaked clothes near the wires.

A single eyebrow rose. “A little unnecessary, don’t you think?” Nicolas’ inquiry was unfriendly as he disregarded Joseph’s earlier comment. “If I knew you couldn’t handle her, I would have bargained with someone more suitable.”

“It was self-inflicted,” Joseph snapped impatiently. He flinched when Nicolas brushed past him without another word.

With her fingertips, Hayden punctured the soil beneath her, a useless gesture meant to give her support as Nicolas approached. Sheer determination alone kept her eyes open and locked on his face. She tried to ignore the small tremors that quivered inside her body as the rogue Alpha crouched before her.

It definitely took a great deal of effort to look into those haunting eyes and keep her face blank at the same time. All she could see in front of her was a brother and a son who had betrayed and destroyed his family.

Nicolas seemed to take her lead and kept his own emotions under control, though his eyes were extremely expressive. “You’d better hurry,” he drawled.

With only a marginal turn of his neck, Nicolas spoke to Joseph and Devan while keeping his gaze firmly locked with Hayden. He seemed curious to see how long she could keep challenging his stare. “I overheard that there was an unannounced inspection in your room, Joseph. They found many incriminating items in your belongings.”

Joseph jerked in surprise.
“Y-you
bastard.
You promised us that Devan and I would remain undetected.” 

The small sigh that escaped Nicolas’ mouth
could have been considered
a breathless laugh. His eyes became half-lidded as they watched Hayden. “Promises don’t mean anything to me,” he informed softly.

Hayden forcibly tore her gaze away from Nicolas to watch Joseph tremble uncontrollably. The rage coming off him was palpable, frightening. His fingers twitched near the waistband of his pants and Hayden braced herself, knowing what he was planning. The sudden scent of silver was evidence enough, and her suspicions were only confirmed when he pulled out the gun.

As the next Alpha of Falco’s pack, Joseph already seemed to have inherited the powerful aura of a leader. His movements were quick and precise as he cocked the gun at the back of Nicolas’ head and pressed his finger on the trigger. There was no hint of hesitation on the man’s face as he fired.

Only, Nicolas was in a league of his own. One moment he was watching Hayden tauntingly and the next moment he disappeared. Like a shadow, the rogue Alpha suddenly appeared at Joseph’s side and took possession of the other man’s arm. He twisted the appendage effortlessly with one hand, swiping it in a complete arc until it snapped gruesomely.

The gun fired a second later, the bullet imbedding into the ground at Joseph’s feet.

Never giving his enemy the time to recover, Nicolas threw his elbow out and slammed it into Joseph’s face. Expertly, he wrestled the gun from the owner’s limp hand and swiped Joseph off his feet. The dark-skinned Alpha landed on his back, never even having the chance to blink, let alone raise a hand to defend himself.

Hayden could only stare, wide-eyed, as the brawl unfolded in front of her. Nicolas was frighteningly good. In fact, she had never seen anyone move with such quickness, such simplicity. She swore only a fraction of a second had passed between the time Joseph took aim at Nicolas and the moment his back touched the ground.

Not possessing a single shred of mercy, Nicolas lifted the gun, aiming it precisely between the defeated werewolf’s eyes before firing.

Hayden flinched, squeezing her eyes shut. She opened them a second later when she felt a breeze fly by her, ruffling her hair. Devan’s familiar presence was no longer standing near Hayden, but was now crouching protectively in front of Joseph.

A hitched sigh escaped the female’s lips as she buckled, boneless to the ground. On her chest, the pinprick crimson stain blossomed and spread unpleasantly across her shirt, evidence of her determination to protect Joseph at all costs.

“
No
,” Hayden breathed quietly as shock paralyzed her senses.

She didn’t care that Devan never considered her part of the pack. It didn’t even matter that Devan had betrayed her. What mattered was that Hayden had cared enough for Devan to consider her a member of the family. She didn’t want to see her life end this way.

Joseph appeared shocked as he frantically touched Devan, his broken sobs trying to escape past the block in his throat. Trembling hands clutched Devan closer, searching for and covering the gunshot wound on her chest. He curled against her back, bodily protecting her from any oncoming harm.

Nicolas kept his gun raised and aimed, his gloved finger still resting on the trigger. He seemed fascinated by the scene, a bitter smirk lifting his lips.

“Love makes us fools.” The gun in his hand inched closer to Joseph, the muzzle pressing against the other male’s temple. “Love makes us weak,” he educated icily as Joseph remained motionless under the threat of
being shot
.  

All that mattered to the fallen werewolf was being a solid barrier between Nicolas and Devan. He refused to move an inch as he cradled her body closer.

“Is that why you killed your own mother?” Hayden wondered cruelly. “Is that why you constantly aim to destroy your own brother?” She blinked away her tears in order to gaze back at Nicolas as the Alpha snapped his neck around to stare at her. “I think you’re just afraid of love and jealous of the people who experience it.”

A lipless smile crossed Nicolas’ mouth as he lowered his weapon. He then kicked Joseph with the toe of his boot. “You’re dismissed,” he ordered cruelly. “Who knows? You may even be able to save her if you hurry.”

With a sniff to the air, Nicolas hummed in consideration. “Just be careful. You wouldn’t want to run into any rogues on your way back into town.”

Joseph didn’t need to
be told
twice. Gathering up his resolution, he hoisted Devan into his arms and began sprinting into the depths of the forest.

Before they disappeared fully from sight, Devan’s glassy eyes slowly rolled toward Hayden. The silent apology was there, a fleeting surge or remorse, but it soon extinguished as the woman’s eyes closed shut.

Hayden hardly had the time to dwell over Devan’s condition or the chilling departure as Nicolas approached. The man carefully tucked Joseph’s gun into his long coat and crouched down in front of her. He placed a single finger against his bottom lip, appearing contemplative.

“Such eyes,” he appraised as he looked through her.
“So full of hatred.”

“You killed a member of my pack,” she said monotonously.

Her fear of Nicolas was still there, but underneath it all, the issue with Devan still shook her. It was also hard to ignore the anxiety she had over Cole walking into a trap.

“That was her choice. She was the one to jump in front of the bullet meant for her lover.”

Nicolas slid his finger into his mouth and bit the edge of his glove. Leisurely, he pulled off his leather glove with his teeth, somehow making the simple action seem seductive. “You are far more composed than I would have believed. I see Cole hasn’t extinguished you, but only encouraged you. I like it,” he approved before reaching for her neck with his bare hand.

She flinched as his thumb rolled seductively across the mating mark,
his
mating mark. “It’s pointless,” she grounded
out
. “Cole doesn’t want me like you think he does. He won’t risk his life by rushing into a trap.”

The rogue Alpha chuckled. “I highly doubt that.”

His hand then cupped her throat before sliding down to her chest. His fingers caressed the wire coiled around her torso before they uncovered the torn clothing underneath her left breast. Keeping his eyes on her, he boldly caressed the smooth skin with possessive glee.

Hayden jerked underneath his touch, feeling violated at his ministrations. Fortunately, his cold hands
were relocated
near the wire before she could properly react. Sullenly, she watched as the nail of his index finger elongated into a sharp claw.

“Besides,” Nicolas continued, “even if Cole has decided to deny his affections, he’ll still willingly come rescue you, just as he would come to rescue Fergus, Nathan, or any other member
of his pack.” With his claw, he severed one wire and proceeded down to the other coils. “But having you as the damsel in distress means I kill two birds with one stone. Destroying Cole will be easy enough and I get to have you afterward. A fair trade, I believe.”

“You underestimate him,” Hayden argued.

She remained sitting against the tree even after he cut through the wires, suddenly remembering the wolves waiting in the trees. They shifted and growled lowly, reminding her of their presence. Her confidence in Cole began to dim. She had forgotten about them.

“No, I don’t underestimate him. How can I when I know him too well?” Nicolas stood and curled his hand around the collar of Hayden’s shirt. He hauled her off the ground with a simple lift of his arm. “His pride will be too great. Asking the other werewolves for assistance will not even be an option for him.
That
is why it will be easy to destroy him.”

She knew what he was insinuating, and he was right. Cole wasn’t one to ask for help, not when he wanted to do things himself. His stubborn streak would be a factor in his decision to come alone. In the end, his enemies would outnumber him.

Just thinking about Cole’s demise made her extremely fearful. Hayden needed to find a way to get out of this herself. She didn’t want to be responsible for luring Cole here.

Nicolas abruptly unsheathed a silver dagger from his coat and lunged at Hayden. She stumbled back, holding up her arms defensively. Only, no attack came. A soft laugh startled her enough to lower her arms. She peeked far enough around her curled fists to see Nicolas offering her the hilt of the dagger.

“Take it,” he encouraged lightly. His tone may have been light, but the wild gleam in his eye told another story. “We wouldn’t want you defenseless, now would we?” He accentuated his words by nudging the dagger closer to her hands.