Better Mate Than Never (New Adult Werewolf Romance) (5 page)

Chapter Seven

They lucked
out. Big time. Not only had they not cleared out the dingy motel room, but one
of the wolves, the blonde Paige had shot in the neck, was still there, laying
on the bed. Caleb kicked the door in, then hauled him up by the front of his bloodstained
t-shirt and slammed him into the wall.

“You bastard.
What have you done with Paige?”

“What have I
done?” the wolf shifter sputtered. “I’ve been lying here for over twenty-four
hours, out of commission because your little side-piece nearly blew my neck to
smithereens. I haven’t done anything with her.”

“No, but you
were going to, weren’t you, Kyle Greene?” Adam spoke softly, but the quiet
authority in his voice settled over the room like a warm, slightly dangerous
blanket. “Who are you working for, Kyle?”

“I c-can’t
tell you,” Kyle stammered, his eyes bulging suddenly even though Caleb hadn’t
done anything. “H-h-he won’t let m-me.”

“Caleb, ease
off,” Adam ordered. “Whoever owns him has put a compulsion spell on him. He
couldn’t tell us even if we pulled his intestines out, inch by painful inch.”
The expression on Adam’s face told Kyle that if the clan leader thought it
would get them anywhere, he would be getting a very up close and personal look
at his insides right now.

“Isn’t there
any way to get rid of the spell?” Caleb demanded. “Or at least find a way
around it?” He wasn’t an expert at magic, but Adam had connections and knew a
lot of things about it.

Adam frowned.
“I don’t know, but I know someone we can ask.” He pulled out his phone from his
belt and dialed a number. The look Caleb gave Kyle was effective enough to keep
him pinned to the wall without having to touch him, but the younger shifter
still had the guts to glare at him.

“If there was
a way to escape, Randy and I would have done it a long time ago,” he said bitterly.

Adam only
raised an eyebrow. “Hi Marcella. I’ve got a problem I could use your assistance
with.” He waited a beat, then nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll bring him over right
away.”

He put the
phone away, then took Kyle firmly by the arm, gesturing Caleb to do the same.
“Where are you taking me?” Kyle asked, struggling against their grip, but the
combined strength of two alpha shifters was too much for him to overcome.

“To a witch.
If anyone can help us, it’s Marcella.”

*

The SUV
jolted as it passed over a particularly nasty pothole, and Paige woke with a
start. Her head throbbed fiercely, and there was a God-awful taste in her mouth
that made her nearly beg for water. She was about to open her mouth to croak
for some when she remembered where she was—in an armored car with creatures
that were taking her to some unknown stranger.

Cracking her
eyes open just a slit, she saw that it was the middle of the night. The two of
them were completely silent.

“We know
you’re awake back there,” Blair said without taking his eyes off the screen,
making Paige jump. “As long as you don’t make trouble, you can stay like that.
If not… I always have more needles.”

Paige
shuddered. She did
not
want to go through that again. Taking stock of
herself, she saw that her hands and feet were bound with twine, but her hands
were bound in front, giving her more economy of movement than if they’d been
tied from behind.

A
concession,
she thought sarcastically as she shimmied herself into an
upright seated position. The throbbing in her head increased tenfold, and she
nearly passed out again. With a groan, she leaned her head back against the
seat and closed her eyes, waiting for it to pass. Only when the pain had gotten
down to a more manageable level did she dare to speak.

“How did you
know I was awake?” She winced at the raspy sound of her own voice.

“The sound of
your breathing changed.” Blair passed her a bottle of water. “Drink slow,” he
warned.

She followed
his advice, though it was difficult to take such small sips when the water felt
like Heaven over her parched tongue. Her headache receded further. “Why do you
even care if I’m thirsty?” she asked after finishing half the bottle. “Especially
if you are just going to kill me.”

He shrugged.
“The warlock isn’t paying me to torture you, just make sure you’re delivered
safely.”

Randy growled.
“Blair, you shouldn’t be talking to her about Master.”

Blair raised
an eyebrow. “It’s not exactly a secret that he’s a warlock. And besides, he’s
your
master, not mine. I can say whatever I like.”

“Why won’t
you tell me who he is, then?” Paige asked. “What does he want with me?”

Blair gave
her a considering look. “You’ll know soon enough.”

“I thought
you didn’t want to torture me,” she snapped. “You’ve kidnapped me and you’re
taking me to a warlock without telling me my fate?”

“It’s not
you
that he’s after. You’re just the bait to draw Stone to him.” Blair waggled his
eyebrows. “Now
that
one, the warlock has a serious hard-on for. His
death will be long and slow and painful.”

A cold ball
of lead settled into the pit of Paige’s stomach. “He’s… he’s going to kill Caleb?”

“Yes, but
he’ll torture him first. The guy’s got a taste for pain.” Blair glanced back as
panic threatened to choke her.

Oh God.
What am I going to do?

*

They drove
through the night, stopping only for gas and food. Paige was so terrified it
was hard for her to concentrate on anything. She was surprised she hadn’t been
reduced to a babbling, incoherent mess. After all, she hadn’t been hardwired
for this kind of insanity and was still having a hard time catching up on
recent events and all that she had learned. She was a normal human, who’d had a
very average life…until recently.

The sun was
just cresting over the horizon when they turned onto a long, gravel driveway
surrounded by tall pines. It should have been a beautiful drive, but the trees
loomed ominously, like guardians looking down on her from outside a gate. She
half-expected them to come to life, but they just stood in silent vigil. The
drive twisted and turned for nearly a mile, then straightened out as the trees
gave way to beautifully manicured lawns. A mansion sat in the center, old and
mysterious, with deeply pitched roofs, lancet windows and gingerbread trim
marking it as Victorian.

Randy parked
the SUV at the edge of the drive, then came around the side of the vehicle and
roughly tossed Paige over his shoulder. Fighting back the urge to kick and
scream, she hung there limply as he carried her up the front steps and into the
house. Blair took the lead, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his
jeans, a bored expression on his face as he sauntered up the path to the front
door. Paige couldn’t see him, but she heard him rap the door with what sounded
like a heavy metal knocker, and the tapping of an impatient foot.

The door
swung open, and Paige was roughly hauled inside. The curtains had been drawn tightly
closed on all the windows, leaving the interior dark, but she could make out
oil paintings on the walls, Persian rugs on the floors and antique furnishings
as she was carried through the house.  They stepped into a parlor, where
she was deposited on a dusty chaise lounge.

“The Master
will be with you shortly.”

Paige jumped
as she noticed the small woman standing by the door. She wore a stark, black
dress, but her skin, hair and eyes were so pale she might have been a ghost.
She spoke in a faint, whispery voice before disappearing, closing the door
quietly behind her.

Blair sighed.
“Warlocks. They always like to make such a dramatically grand entrance. I hope
he doesn’t keep us waiting too long. I’ve got places to be.”

They didn’t
have to wait long at all. Five minutes later, the door opened, and a tall,
gaunt man with jet-black hair and a sallow complexion entered. His pale grey
eyes gleamed with avarice as they settled on her, and Paige squirmed in her
seat—something about his gaze made her feel dirty.

“I see you’ve
managed to deliver once again, Blair.” He didn’t take his eyes off her as he
spoke. “As usual, you’ve proven to be worth your price.”

“There is no
doubt that I am worth every penny. Here she is, in one piece, without so much
as a scratch on her perfectly smooth skin.” Blair stood up and stretched. “Now,
unless you’re planning to hire me for another job, I’ve got to go. I figure now
that she’s in your place, you won’t be getting any more trouble from her.”

“Indeed.” The
warlock tapped his hooked nose with a finger, his eyes darkening slightly. “You
may go.”

With a deep
breath, she fought the inner turmoil long enough to develop a plan. She needed
to turn this situation around – to be seen as non-threatening, to be …friendly
despite the circumstances
. 

“It’s awfully
rude to welcome a guest without properly introducing yourself,” she said,
wondering if she could possibly convince this man to let her go.

His thin lips
smiled, but his eyes remained cold. “So very true… although to be fair, you’re
a prisoner, not a guest. My name is Garth, and I’m afraid you’ll only be
enjoying my hospitality for a very short time.”

“What do you
want with me?” She tried to remain calm, her mind churning furiously.

“Now, you
needn’t worry about that right now.” His lips twisted. “But I promise you, it
will be quick.” He crossed the distance and slid a bony finger beneath her
chin. It felt like ice on her heated flesh. “I must admit…you are very
beautiful. I can see how Caleb was so easily tempted, despite the fact that he
knows he can never have you.”

Her heart
dropped like a stone. “What do you mean?”

Garth
laughed, a surprisingly rich sound considering it was coming from such a dark,
emaciated character. “He’s too high-ranking for the likes of a human mate.
Didn’t he explain any of this to you? He is next in line to be Alpha and as
such, he is expected to mate with a fellow shifter…to keep the line pure, of
course. Lycans are a very rare animal, a dying breed. Clan members, if they
care at all about their species survival, cannot choose to mate with humans.
They have certain
responsibilities
to their elders…to those who have
sacrificed before them.”

Paige
swallowed past the painful lump in her throat. No wonder he’d been so
determined to put distance between them. He knew that it was impossible for
them to ever be together. He couldn’t choose her…but she now had no doubt that
he would have if he had the choice.

A part of her
felt strangely relieved that there was a reason behind the distance, but the
rest of her heart, the larger part, was devastated at the finality that they
truly could never be one. She knew he had strong feelings for her, dammit.
After the last few days, she had no doubt in her mind that he loved her.

“Why do you
think he’ll come for me, then?” she asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of
her tone. “If he can’t have me, then what’s the point in rescuing me?”

Garth
shrugged. “Logic would indicate that there’s no point at all. But Lycans are
incredibly possessive and territorial. He’ll come for you, Paige, have no doubt
about it. And when he does, I’ll be waiting for him.” He grinned, and the
expression was so malicious she broke out into a cold sweat.

“Take her to
her room, wolf,” he snapped at Randy. “I want her under careful watch at all
times.”

*

The ‘room’ Paige
was given was little more than a small, cramped jail cell, with an
old-fashioned chamber pot in one corner and a wooden pallet in the other. Randy
sat in a chair just outside the steel door, his icy blue eyes trained
resolutely on her. For hours they sat in complete silence, Paige frantically
trying to think of what she could do to get out of the situation she was in.
She had to think of something…she had to save Caleb.

After staring
up at the ceiling for what felt like hours, she chanced a glance at Randy.

He hadn’t
budged a single inch. Tired of the wearing silence, she levered herself up onto
her elbows. “So, how long have you been forced to work for Garth for?”

The shifter
blinked, bewilderment flashing over his stony features, as if he wasn’t used to
engaging in real conversation. “Twenty-two years,” he grunted.

“That’s a
very long time. And Kyle?” she asked. “Has he been with you the same amount of
time?”

Randy nodded.
“He’s my brother. We were both taken at the same time.”

“Taken? That
must have been terrible,” she replied, making her voice as soft as silk, and
her eyes limpid. “To be forced to serve a man for so long without having any
choice in the matter. Have you ever thought about escape?”

Randy seemed
to struggle with himself for a moment, and then he crossed his arms over his
barrel chest, his expression stony once more. “Kyle and I are loyal to our
Master. He is good to us.”

“Really?”
Sensing weakness, Paige pressed forward. She wasn’t a frightened woman in a
jail cell surrounded by monsters and magic anymore; she was a high-powered
attorney questioning someone on the witness stand. “Then why don’t I see Kyle
anywhere? Why didn’t he come back with us? You don’t strike me as the type of
person who would leave your brother behind willingly,” she added as a look of
pain flashed across the shifter’s face. “Garth made you leave him behind,
didn’t he?”

“It… it’s not
my fault.” Randy’s eyes flared. “You’re the one who shot him.”

“Yes, and I’m
sorry about that.” Paige injected a soothing note into her voice. “I was
frightened, and just trying to protect myself. I didn’t know anything about
you, or Kyle, or the hardships you faced. I didn’t realize you were just
following orders, and that you had no choice.”