Wynter's Captive (8 page)

“Get off me, you bastard!” She kicked behind her and had the satisfaction of hearing him curse when she hit his leg. But he was on her back, his claws tearing at her clothes now. Cold air seeped through the torn material of her jacket.

“Do you think Cade will want you once I’ve had you? This will teach him that I don’t joke around.” He shoved her head down, cold metal pressing up against her cheek. “You’ll be the ultimate payback.” His growled words only pushed her to try harder to shake him off.

“Fuck you!”

“No. When I’m done with you, Cade will be devastated.” He licked her neck, and she shuddered in disgust. “And he’ll know not to fuck with me.”

She bucked and kicked, her arms burning from the position he had her in. Her skirt was lifted. He tore at her leggings, cutting her legs in the process. The sound of ripping material filled the air, ratcheting up her anger. She wouldn’t let him do that to her without a fight. Cold panic was taking over, and the feel of his erection on her ass only made her more frantic to get him off. She tried the only thing she could think of, loosening her limbs as if defeated. The plan seemed to work because his grip slackened, giving her the necessary space to move. With just enough space to lift her face, she slammed her head back. Sharp pain hit the back of her skull as it made contact with his face. The sound of breaking bones propelled bile up her throat.

He groaned and stepped back. The move gave her only enough space to crawl from under him since he was still too close.

“Fucking bitch.” His growling got louder, and he swiped a claw at her back as she tried to run again. “I’m going to fuck you and then kill you.”

She screamed in pain. Angry growls made her glance up the street. A big, black wolf was rushing toward them. Cyrus shoved her to the side, and she slammed against a concrete wall. Her right side throbbed from the hit. She watched as Cyrus tore from his clothes and fully shifted into a black and gray wolf. Cyrus’s wolf was almost as big as the black one she thought might be Cade. As Cyrus neared the black wolf, he snarled and tried to bite the bigger wolf. A third, white wolf joined the melee. The black and white both swiped angry claws at Cyrus. The black wolf growled at the white, almost like he was telling him to back off. The white wolf stepped away, watching from the sidelines.

Lili slid up the wall, her entire body shaking and her back burning from the scratches. She pulled the keys out of her pocket, opened her car door, and never taking her gaze off the two fighting animals, grabbed a steel baseball bat from the car’s floor.

Taking quick, ragged breaths, she walked up to the two fighting animals. The white wolf watched her. He growled, and she wondered if he was trying to tell her to stay out of it. But she went on until she was close enough to lift up her arms and swing the bat with all her might at the wolf she knew was Cyrus.

Bones cracked when the bat connected with his furry head. The black wolf bit down on Cyrus’s throat. Hard. She heard the breaking of neck bones. He shuffled back and stopped his attack on Cyrus. Cyrus stumbled. Blood oozed from multiple bites all over his monstrous body and down his furry throat. He dropped, clearly fighting to take a breath. But Lili was beyond compassion. The bastard was going to—would have—raped her! She lifted her arms and swung again, and again, and again. Until his head was a bloody mess of broken bones. Then she focused on his big body. She beat him until she couldn’t lift her arms anymore. Her entire body shook when the bat dropped from her limp fingers.

“Lili.”

Hearing Cade call her name made her snap out of the trance. She glanced up and saw both him and Brandon cover their bodies with the long coats they had tossed aside during their shift. Their clothes were tattered all over the ground. She watched them approach her. Each one with a different level of concern on his face.

“Did he—” Cade asked, cupping her face with a shaky hand.

She shook her head. “No. But he was going to.”

“Lili, I’m sorry. This wouldn’t have happened if I—”

“Please, Cade. Stop.” She glanced at Brandon. “I want to go.” Numbness filled her. She needed to get away from the image of what Cyrus had tried to do.

“Come with me, Lili. I’ll take care of you,” Cade offered. His worried frown eased some of the shock in her system.

She shook her head.

“I need to think, Cade. I’m not sure that’s the right thing to do.” Wincing, she stepped away from him and to her car. “Please, Brandon, I want to go to Jay.”

Brandon glanced at Cade, who nodded and stepped back and away from her. She held on to the tattered front of her coat and let Brandon guide her into the passenger side of her car. Moments later he was at the wheel. Lili looked over her shoulder and saw Cade watching them drive away. A longing to go back to him filled her. She had to figure out what to do about him. It was clear she wanted to be with him, but lies had no place in any relationship she took part in.

Chapter Eight

It was a snowy, cold day, and Lili sat on a frozen bench. She’d fought her instinct all day until she couldn’t anymore. Howling wind whirled her hair around her shoulders. Something wanted her to leave, look for Cade, and stay close to him. It was more than merely missing him; it was a strange longing from somewhere deep inside her. She glanced up at the building. His building. He was up there. She knew he was and couldn’t figure out how she knew that. It was like some strange link had forged between them.

Suddenly her vision turned blurry and heat licked at her skin. What the hell was wrong with her? This was the second time she felt this way in the last few hours. Only now it was worse. As if someone had lit a match under her skin. She had explained her injuries vanishing overnight as quick healing, but even she knew that was a crock of bull.

Beads of sweat crowded her upper lip and chin. Holy crap. She was probably sick or something. She’d never heard of the flu doing this to anyone. What if having sex with a werewolf made a woman sick? The burning on her skin intensified. She screamed and tore at the wool coat. The material felt rough and constricting against her flesh.

“Ma’am?”

She glanced up.

A blurry security guard stared at her with concern. “Are you OK?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but her answer was cut off by a low, pain-filled moan and the need to strip off every piece of clothing. What the hell was going on? She shook her head and removed her cardigan. A red cami and jeans were all she wore. She’d die before she took any more of her clothes off. She doubled over, every muscle in her body aching as if they were being stretched taut.

The security guard gave her a sympathetic smile.

“It’s OK. You’ll be fine. Someone’s coming to help you.” His voice sounded farther and farther away. Like it would if she were underwater.

Did he say someone was coming to help her? Whoever that was better hurry the hell up. She was in a whole mess of pain. A sense of being called made her jerk her gaze around, but all she saw was the blurry security guard on his walkie. This was the backside of the building, and nobody else was around. Everything she looked at swam out of focus. She breathed deeply, hoping the sick feeling of vertigo would stop, hoping the increasing muscle pains would diminish. But they didn’t.

She dropped to the ground on her hands and knees and shut her eyes, groaning in pain. Her mind focused solely on calming the burning in her skin. That’s when she saw it. A beautiful golden wolf inside her head. The animal cocked its head and walked tentatively toward her. She stared at the wolf. Mesmerized, she took in the beauty of the animal. Sleek limbed and thick coated, the golden fur shone brighter the closer the wolf came. Standing stock-still, she watched the wolf walk around her, assessing her before it brushed its tail on her legs. Like a velvet blanket, she felt the soft fur under her skin.

“Don’t fight it, Lili.” She heard Cade’s voice in the distance, but was still staring at the wolf circling her.

Fight what? She wanted to ask, but the animal held her attention. She stopped in front of Lili, pushed her muzzle on her hand, and rubbed. Lili smiled, the wolf clearly wanted to be petted. She ran her hand into the thick golden fur over and over again. After a moment the wolf was no longer next to her. It vanished. She snapped her eyes open and looked up from the ground.

Cade sat on the frozen concrete next to her, running a hand down her back. “You’re beautiful.”

A yip was all that came out when she tried to tell him that was not enough to gain her forgiveness. Icy shock froze the blood in her veins. Did she just bark? She glanced down and almost fainted when she saw paws. Shit, she’d turned into a werewolf. But how? Frantically thinking back, she remembered when Cade bit her during sex. The bastard had turned her and hadn’t said anything? He didn’t think to ask for her permission?

“I’m sorry, Lili. I should’ve told you sooner that when we mated I also turned you into my kind.”

She growled and moved away from him. She was a fucking wolf for cripes sake. And he was sorry? She was going to chew his lying ass off. Now she had a new lie to deal with. Well, technically neither were outright lies, but a lie by omission was a lie nonetheless.

She glanced down at the ground. Tattered pieces of her jeans and shirt lay all over the place. She didn’t even remember tearing the material off. So how did she go back to her non-furry human body?

“It’s easy, my love.” He crouched before her and grabbed her muzzle in his hands. “I want you to picture the wolf again.”

Closing her eyes, she visualized the golden wolf, and the animal reappeared, winding her way through Lili’s legs. In the background, Lili heard bones pop and shift. Her body felt as though she’d pulled all her muscles taut in a pathetic attempt at a full workout. After a moment the wolf stalked off. When she opened her eyes again, Cade held her face in his hands. She was on her hands and knees on the ground, completely naked. Ready to scream bloody murder, she opened her mouth but quickly shut it when a warm blanket covered her body.

Her body was no longer hers alone. The strange connection she’d formed with the creature moments before strengthened with each passing second. She glanced around, but didn’t see anyone. Just Cade.

“Where’s the security guard?” She wondered how often the poor man saw things like that.

“I sent him away. You only needed me for your first shift.” The arrogant bastard still thought it was that simple.

“You bit me.” She turned on him. Gripping the blanket with one hand, she poked him in the chest. “You knew that I was going to be stripping at some point and sprouting fur out of my ass.” She poked him again, her voice a low growl. “But you didn’t bother to tell me.”

“Lili, I’m—”

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry.” She shoved her arm out of the blanket, waving it in the snow-covered, empty lot. “I came here because something pushed me to, but what if this shit happened to me at the mall?” She groaned. “Or at work!”

Just thinking of the panic that would’ve ensued among her colleagues and bosses made her want to kick him.

“Lili, I tried to be there. But you told me you didn’t want to see me, and I had someone watching you at all times.” When she snarled, he quickly changed his wording. “I mean someone was guarding you. To ensure you wouldn’t have your first shift without assistance.”

Aggression she’d never possessed before made her see red. The wolf was angry because Lili was hurt. Not physically, but emotions were transferred between the two apparently. She felt the push of fur under her flesh and had to push the animal’s dominant urges back.
No my little wolf, I’m in charge in this body
. She reined the animal back and took a deep breath. Once she no longer wanted to chew Cade’s ass and spit it out, she glanced at him. He was watching her with those sexy, glowing, gray eyes. A switch went off inside her, and she became instantly wet.

The animal that had been ready to gnaw at him for hurting her feelings was now panting inside her and begging for a touch. Good god! She had a wolf-whore in her body.

He sniffed and closed the distance between them. Grabbing her by the arms, he hauled her into him. Their lips meshed in a scorching hot kiss that curled her toes and turned her brain to mush. She let go of the blanket, and the front fluttered open, held up by only his hands on her arms. She stroked her hands up his dress shirt and into his hair. Soft strands caressed her fingers. He slid his hands to her back, pulling her flush against him, the blanket now bunched at her waist. He grabbed her ass and rocked his erection into the juncture of her thighs.

“
Oh, god…
”

“Let’s go.” He drew away from her, rearranged the blanket, and started dragging her toward the building.

“Wait.” She stopped at the glass double doors, just outside the entrance. “What if someone sees me?” She glanced into the building but didn’t see anyone.

“No one will. I promise, Lili.” He caressed her face with his warm hand, and she wondered how he wasn’t cold with the low temperatures. Then she remembered she was naked and wasn’t feeling cold either. They must run at higher body temperatures through their animal side. He stroked her jaw, down her neck, and cupped her breast over the blanket. The wolf inside panted, urging her to move closer in his arms. The little skank. Hard concrete met her back when he pushed her against a wall.

“Please, Cade,” she whimpered.

She released the blanket, and he sucked her tight nipple into his hot mouth. Liquid heat dripped down her legs. He growled on her tit. His hand kneaded and held her breast to his mouth. The other traveled down her stomach, between her thighs, and dipped into her sex. He released her nipple with a pop.

“Fuck, baby. You’re soaking wet and hot,” he groaned.

“Cade, please. Fuck me.” She grabbed the bar of his cock over his suit pants and squeezed.

He moaned. Their gazes met and held, desire growing and speaking for them. The heat in his glowing eyes sent electrical currents down to her pussy. She unbuckled his pants and slid his zipper down. His cock, hard and hot, sprang free.