Callie's Captors [Mountain Men of Montana 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (16 page)

The screech that tore the night apart sent her speeding ahead. It was as if an inner ability she hadn’t known she possessed had opened up, and without her understanding why, had given her a burst of high energy. The world shifted, the dark grays and blacks of the night tinging with an amber color. Her heart pounded, but not from exertion. Instead, it came from the thrill of running under the moon.

She lowered her head and, hearing Pete’s footsteps behind her, barreled ahead. If Raine hadn’t caught her, scooping her up into his arms, she would’ve fallen into the same hole where Scrunch sat crouched in a corner.

Instead of struggling, she brought her gaze to Raine’s. An internal explosion broke through her, awakening a new inner voice, and she heard the howl of a wolf deep inside her. She flattened her hand against his hard chest and felt his heart beating in unison to hers.

She inhaled, drawing in the scent of the other two men. Was their aroma stronger from their run? Yet none of them were sweating.

A quieter, shorter version of the screech she’d heard before came from the pit. “Put me down, Raine.”

He checked with his brothers, who both had the sense enough not to object. Placing her on her feet, he took her wrist before she could move to the side of the hole. “He’s okay.”

“He damn well better be.” She yanked her hand away. She wasn’t angry so much as worried for Scrunch. Careful not to lean too far, she peered over the edge and gave the whimpering Scrunch a comforting smile.

“It’s okay, buddy. We’ll get you out.”

“You have got to be out of your mind.” Blue paced to her side. “First, you get out of bed and leave us to go chasing after this thing and now you want us to help him? What next? Should we have a party and invite all The Cursed?”

“Take it easy, bro,” warned Pete.

“Are you fucking crazy, too? We have been taking it easy. Too easy. And look where that’s gotten us. Standing over a damn trap in the middle of the night while our mate plays Jane to his Tarzan.”

Had she heard him right? “What’d you say?”

“You heard me. There’s nothing wrong with your ears.”

“Or her eyes.” Raine jutted out his chin at her.

“What are you talking about? What about my eyes?”

“Let’s stick to the subject at hand.”

She prodded him in the middle of his chest. As soon as she touched him, a lot of her irritation went away and was replaced by a lust that almost knocked her off her feet. But that was for later. “I asked you what you said. Did you call me your mate?”

“Yeah, I did. We told you as much earlier.”

But had they used that word?

Scrunch let out another wail, interrupting their conversation. He scampered to the other side of the hole. She’d have to continue the conversation about being their mate later. After she got Scrunch out of the pit.

“We’re going to get him out. I know what it feels like to be stuck in a hole.” She didn’t care what they said. They’d help her get him out. One way or another, she’d make them see it her way.

“No. We’re not.” Blue crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. “As far as I’m concerned, he can stay down there until he rots.”

She dropped her jaw in horror. “That is so not the nice guy I thought you were. Is that how all of you feel? Can you really leave the poor little thing to die?”

Pete shifted on his feet. “Blue, maybe we should get him out.”

“And risk getting bitten?” Blue’s eyes flashed a strange amber color. “No way.”

“How bad can he bite you?” She didn’t mention that Scrunch had very long fangs, but he’d never tried to hurt her. “Besides, you’re bigger and stronger. Can’t the three of you subdue him?”

“It’s not that.” Raine ran a hand through his hair. “Their bites are deadly to us. Just one bite and we could die.”

She couldn’t believe it. “Of all the things you should’ve told me, don’t you think that should’ve been one of them?”

But that didn’t lessen her resolve to help Scrunch. “Okay. So that just means we have to take even more care getting him out. For his sake as well as ours.”

“I’m sorry, Callie, Blue’s right.”

Yet instead of fighting with Pete, she turned and got closer to the edge. “If you guys won’t help him, then maybe you’ll help me.”

“What does that mean?”

She shot Blue a watch-and-see look then turned and jumped into the pit.

“What the hell are you doing now?” Pete scowled at her then backed up. Anger and fear swirled inside him, making a heady mix of emotions that threatened to bring out his wolf whether he wanted to shift or not.

Maybe he could’ve stopped her if he’d had any idea of what she was about to do. But she’d leapt over the edge before he could react.

“I’m not going to let you guys leave him here to die. If you do, then you’re letting me die, too.”

Blue cursed a blue streak and stalked away from the pit. Pete could see Raine trying to think of something to say, but what could that be? He strode back to the pit. “You’re out of your mind. We told you. It’s dangerous.”

“Maybe some of the others of his kind are, but not Scrunch.” She drew closer to the thing, adding another painful twist to Pete’s gut.

“Callie, be reasonable. What do you expect us to do?”

“I expect you to treat him with the same respect you treat everything and everyone else.” She tossed her hair back over her shoulders. “I expect you to help him.”

“He’s one of
them
,” added Raine as though that would sway her.

“Tell me, Raine, what if it was something else down here? Like maybe a deer or a wolf? Would you leave it to starve to death?”

“That’s not the same thing. Deer and wolves aren’t our sworn enemies.”

“So you’d help them? And who says The Cursed are your enemies? So far, I haven’t seen them do anything to you.”

Pete held up his hand to his brother. “You haven’t been around long enough to know. They’ve attacked our people, even killed them. What else would you call them except enemies?”

She turned to Scrunch and Pete hoped she was starting to see the creature through clear eyes. But his hope died when she faced him again. Her clenched jaw told him that her determination had grown even stronger.

“What if they want a truce? What if it’s time for peace?”

“Shit. Our mate is fucking delusional,” muttered Blue.

Pete shot Blue a stern warning to keep him quiet. “That’s not the case.”

“You don’t know that.” She crossed her arms. “What if Scrunch trying to contact me is a first step? What if he’s trying to connect with me? With everyone?”

Blue scowled. “You’re a dreamer if ever I heard one.”

“But what if she’s right?” Pete could feel the wrath of Blue’s anger as he turned on him. “Take it easy, bro. I’m only asking. After all, they haven’t done much to bother us lately.”

“That’s because they don’t have Burac to lead them.” Blue stalked to the other side of the hole. “Trust me. They’ll strike again.”

Blue was probably right. But if so, why was Scrunch trying to contact Callie? If he’d wanted, he could’ve easily taken her.

“We’re wasting time, guys. Prove that you care about me. What’s it going to be? Are you going to help us or not?”

“Kill it.”

Pete pivoted in sync with his brothers to find Wesley, one of the many werewolves in The Hidden, striding toward the pit along with two other werewolves.

“How’d you know we were here?”

“Tina saw Callie and that thing and asked us to see what was going on.” He peered at Callie. “Has it bitten her?”

Pete’s mouth was open, ready to say anything except the truth when Callie offered it up instead.

“He hasn’t and he’s not going to. He’s my…friend.” She darted her gaze away only to bring it back. “And why are you people running around butt-naked?”

Wesley’s black eyes filled with amber. “She’s kidding, right? Or is she off in the head?” He made a circling motion in the air next to his head, the universal sign for mental illness.

“She’s neither one. She and Scrunch are…okay with each other.” Pete planted his feet apart, ready for their reaction.

“Are you saying she’s made friends with it?”

Mikea, Wesley’s co-mate with Shira, snorted. “You can’t make friends with those things. What are we waiting for? The Cursed made the pits to catch animals and even some of us. It’s only right that one of them dies there.”

“I agree. Let’s get it.” Shira, a small, yet fierce werewolf, snarled, bringing out her fangs as she started shifting.

“Our mate’s right.” Wesley followed her, the sound of his bones breaking and reforming making an accompaniment to the noise Shira’s bones made.

Mikea growled and shifted his attention from Pete to a horrified-looking Callie. “You haven’t told her yet, have you? I’m sorry about jumping the gun, guys, but my mates are right. We’re taking that thing out of this world and sending it straight to hell.”

Less than a minute later, the three had shifted into their werewolf bodies. They split up, each pacing to a side of the pit.

“Oh, my God.”

Pete hated to see the fear on her face. What The Cursed hadn’t done, their friends had. They’d terrified their mate.

She backed up as Scrunch snarled, baring his fangs, his red eyes hooked on the wolves above. “Guys, run while you can. Get away.”

Her eyes grew as realization hit her. “They’re like the ones that surrounded me in the other hole. Holy shit, they’re werewolves. Please run, Pete!”

“This wasn’t the way she was supposed to find out.” Blue slid beside him.

“No, but it’s the way she did and we have to deal with it. After we decide if we’re going to let Wesley and his mates take the thing.”

Callie, recognition showing on her face as she began to understand, begged them. “Please, don’t let them hurt him.”

He’d do anything for her, but could he do this? He glanced up to find Wesley hunkering down, ready to pounce.

Yes, I can.

The world shifted and took on an amber hue. The familiar pain rushed through his body as he changed. His inner wolf howled with relief mixed with exhilaration as he transformed then crooked his head to stare at his brothers.

Blue grumbled another curse then shifted, too. But Raine stood fast, shaking his head. “She doesn’t understand about them. Maybe this is the way to make her get it.”

Callie whirled and grabbed Scrunch’s arm. Together, they huddled against the dirt wall, trying to get into a protective position. Not that it would help. Wesley and his mates would tear them apart with one swipe of their claws, then take their lives with a crunch of their massive jaws on their necks.

But Pete wasn’t about to let that happen. Snarling, he rushed at Mikea. Hurling his body at his friend, he knocked the wolf over. They rolled several yards before each of them got to their feet.

Mikea’s eyes burned with anger. Although he didn’t have to say anything, Pete knew his friend felt betrayed. No one had ever chosen one of The Cursed over their own.

Snarls and growls erupted behind them, telling him that Blue had joined in the fight. But he couldn’t take a chance to see. Instead, he had to watch for Mikea’s next move. If he didn’t, he’d leave himself open for attack.

Mikea jumped at him, his jaws open to sink into Pete’s flesh. Pete didn’t want to hurt his friend, but he couldn’t allow Mikea to harm Callie even if it meant protecting one of The Cursed. He tried to duck, but Mikea struck him in the side, knocking him down.

Desperation swamped him as the big wolf pounced on top. Fighting from the bottom was never a good thing, but he bit and clawed at the wolf’s underbelly until, at last, Mikea jumped off. He scrambled to his feet, coming up a foot from his friend’s face.

“Callie, now!”

Raine’s voice proved he was still in his human form, leaving him vulnerable to the wolves’ attacks. Had he stayed that way to help her out of the hole? He wanted to see, but couldn’t take his eyes from his opponent.

Mikea gazed past Pete and a howl ripped from his throat. He started to get around Pete, but he stopped him, using his body as a wall. He’d give Raine and Callie the time they needed.

“Shit! Shit!”

Raine’s curses didn’t make him feel any better.
Come on, bro, get it done.

Mikea backed up, snarling, his focus clearly on what Raine and Callie were doing. With Mikea far enough away, Pete dared to look.

Blue was playing guard against the two other werewolves while Raine held Callie close to him. Scrunch crouched at the edge of the forest, his red eyes blazing, then, with a low growl, he scurried into the trees.

Mikea and the others reverted to their human forms. Pete and Blue did the same after getting closer to Raine and Callie.

“You chose that thing over your own kind.” Mikea spit out the accusation.

“You gave us no choice. We chose the safety of our mate. If you’d tried to hurt it, then she would’ve tried to defend it.” He doubted his argument would change their minds.

Wesley shook his head, but it was the way he regarded them, his face a mask of disdain, that hurt the most. “The Council will hear about this.”

Blue stood tall next to him with a trickle of blood running down his chest. “We don’t doubt it. And when they call for us, we’ll come.”

Shira narrowed her eyes at Callie. “I don’t understand how any woman could do this to her mates. You brought shame to yourself as well as to your men.”

Pete was proud of Callie as she held her head high and didn’t cower under Shira’s criticism. He could smell the fear wafting off her body, but she wouldn’t buckle under. “That’s not how I see it. I didn’t want anyone hurt. Not Scrunch, not us, and not you.”

“Scrunch? You gave it a name? It’s a fucking animal.”

Wesley spat on the ground at Pete’s feet, but Pete ignored the disrespectful gesture. He couldn’t blame his friend for being upset. If Callie hadn’t gotten involved, he would’ve stepped aside and let Wesley and his mates kill Scrunch.

Aw, hell. She’s got me calling him by his name.

Callie’s curt laugh surprised him. “He’s an animal? You’re werewolves.” She clutched at Raine’s arm. “Every last one of you.” Her accusatory eyes landed first on Blue, then him.