Phantom Warriors: Riot (9 page)

“I will,” Nina promised.

Danny returned to Kim’s side. “Time to go,
hon.”

Kim gave her one last look, then turned
away.

A sob caught in Nina’s throat as she watched
her best friend leave.

***

Riot stood in the shadows, watching the
guests slowly file out of the building to wave the new couple off.
Nina lingered toward the back of the crowd, wiping at her eyes. Her
shoulders shook as she gave Kim a watery smile and a quick wave
goodbye. Her pain seared him, scarring his two hearts, but there
was nothing he could do to stop it. Riot recognized the emotion for
what it was—loss. He fought the urge to return to her side. This
wasn’t the place or the right time for him to make his move.

His hands still tingled from where he’d held
her in his arms. Despite their difference in size, Nina had fit
against him like she’d been made for his body, and his body alone.
At first, when he’d approached her and asked her to dance, Riot had
feared she was like all the others. Especially when she’d taken a
step back. Then Nina had done something that had surprised him.
She’d held her ground. Just like the night she’d met his beast.
That small gesture had cautiously renewed his hope that he had a
chance with her.

Riot hadn’t intended to drop into the
reception, but he’d been unable to resist, when he caught a glimpse
of Nina. She had looked so beautiful in her pale green dress with
those flowers woven into her long, black hair. He opened his hand
and stared down at a crushed bloom. He’d managed to pluck it
without her noticing, needing to hold a piece of her until he could
claim the real thing.

He brought the flower to his nose and
inhaled. It was sweet like Nina. The scent brought to mind the
moment he’d gathered her close. She’d melted against him. He could
still feel her hard nipples brushing his chest. When the warm scent
of her arousal had reached his nose, his beast had roared to life
inside of him, urging Riot to claim her right on the dance
floor.

He still trembled with the burning desire to
touch her and taste her skin. Just the thought made his shaft pulse
within his trousers. Riot shifted his heavy length to alleviate the
pressure, then pressed a button on the band around his wrist. The
dress clothes morphed into his flight suit. The change helped, but
nothing would diminish his need. Not until he had Nina beneath him
and he was buried balls deep inside of her.

Riot took one last look at the woman he
wanted more than his next breath, then faded into the woods. His
beast would not be denied for much longer, of that he had no
doubt.

Riot stayed in the woods bordering the town.
He’d told himself to keep away, at least until he’d put together a
plan for how to approach Nina, but he hadn’t been able to. He found
himself returning to her home over and over, hoping to catch a
glimpse of her again.

The man in him couldn’t stop thinking about
the feel of her in his arms, while his beast could still feel her
small hands burrowing into his thick fur, holding him tight. He
felt the warmth of her thighs as she gripped his sides. It wasn’t
hard to imagine those same thighs grasping his hips, especially
after the dance last night. Riot closed his eyes and shivered, as
his big body came to life.

He continued to skirt the trees, taking care
to obscure his image from human eyes. Nina’s delicious scent wafted
from the small, well-kept house tucked against the woods at the
edge of town. She had a small garden in the back and flowerpots
that would be ready to bloom come spring. Her nearest neighbor was
over a hundred yards away and obscured by trees.

Riot stared at the house, wondering what she
was doing. Was she even awake yet? He’d hardly slept a wink. Had
she thought about him after he left the reception? He hoped so
because he hadn’t stopped thinking about her. Riot liked everything
about Nina, but it was her bravery that captured his hearts. Things
were happening quickly, far quicker than a normal human mating
pattern, but that’s how it went when a Phantom Warrior encountered
a potential mate.

A faded, paint-chipped blue pickup rattled
down her driveway, bouncing as it hit a pothole. Riot’s head perked
up, hoping it was her, but the truck was the wrong color. His brow
furrowed as the vehicle stopped, sputtering noisily as the engine
died. Two lanky men climbed out of the cab of the truck. One had
red unkept hair that could do with a wash, and the other had dark
brown, which matched his misshapen beard.

Anger surged through Riot. It was followed by
a swift wave of protectiveness, as the men walked up onto the front
porch and knocked on the door. Nina was his. How dare these two men
come into his territory!

Riot stepped deeper into the woods, no longer
able to keep his form invisible. His emotions were running too high
to concentrate, but he didn’t go far. For some reason, he couldn’t
tear his eyes away. He had to know. He had to see for himself if
Nina was attached to one of these males. No matter how much pain it
inflicted upon him.

“You sure this is where she lives?” the man
with the dark hair asked.

“Yep, she was at a vet place, when I first
spotted her. I think she works there ‘cause she had keys to the
place. I wasn’t sure it was her, until I saw her come out of the
Sheriff’s Station. I followed her from there to here,” the red head
said.

The dark haired man’s expression turned cold,
calculating. “What was she doing there?”

The man shrugged. “Don’t know, but when she
came out, looked like she was crying.”

The dark haired man sneered. “Good! I’m going
to give her more to cry about. Let’s get this over with.”

“You sure, Hank?”

“Yes, and I think I know just how to get her
to come with us,” Hank said.

The conversation didn’t make any sense. What
were they talking about? If she knew them, then why had they needed
to follow her home? Gooseflesh rose on Riot’s arms as a wave of
foreboding swept through him. He didn’t know whether to interfere.
His instincts were screaming at him, but he didn’t fully understand
Earth customs or behavior. There was too much room for error and
misunderstanding. So he waited in the shadows of the trees, keeping
his distance for now.

Hank raised his hand and knocked on the front
door.

***

Nina was having the most delicious dream,
when the first knock sounded on her door. The dark-haired giant of
a man had his head buried between her thighs and he was making
hungry noises in the back of his throat as he licked her into
oblivion. The knock came again, this time louder. Nina opened her
eyes and looked around, but her dream lover was nowhere to be
seen.

The knocking sounded more insistent. She
cursed under her breath, wondering who in the world could be
stopping by. Harold was her only family. He had a key. And Kim
knocked, but always walked straight in. Besides, she was already
gone, off to start her new life with her new husband. Nina rolled
out of bed, feeling decidedly disgruntled. The dream had been so
vivid that she’d expected the man to be there beside her. She
stumbled to the front door and pulled the curtain back.

Two men stood on her front porch. One had his
fist raised, ready to knock on her door again. They looked vaguely
familiar, but she knew she didn’t know either of them. Were they
lost? Dressed in jeans and work boots, they didn’t look like
tourists. They looked like locals, but they weren’t one of The
People. She knew all of them. Nina brushed a hand over her eyes and
cracked the door open enough to quickly lock her screen-door.

“Can I help you?” she asked, eyeing the
strangers.

The dark-haired man nodded. “We ran into a
bit of trouble down the road.” He hiked his thumb over his
shoulder. “We clipped a bear with our truck. Someone told us that
you might be able to help.”

Nina’s heart clenched as her mind flashed to
the Great Bear. “Was it big?”

The dark-haired man’s eyes narrowed. “Why do
you ask?”

“I need to know. It’ll determine the size of
the tranquilizer I’ll need.” It was both the truth and a lie. She
brought various amounts of tranquilizers with her when she made
house calls. But this time, she needed to know for her own peace of
mind.

The man shrugged. “It was about average I’d
say. Isn’t that right Mark?”

The red-haired man ran a dirty hand over his
scruffy jaw. “Yep, regular size. I reckon.”

Nina stared at the men. Something wasn’t
right about their story, but could she really take a chance if
there was a wounded bear out there that needed her help? “Are you
sure it’s still alive?”

The dark-haired man’s face flushed and his
nostrils flared. “I know the difference between a live bear and a
dead one.” His exasperation evident.

“Hank, sure does,” Mark said. “You might say
he’s an expert on the subject.”

“Okay, wait right here. I need to get my
bag.” Nina rushed into her spare room and pulled out her medical
kit. It was stocked with enough stuff to at least halt bleeding and
allow her to assess the animal’s injuries. She threw on yesterday’s
jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt, then hurried back into the living
room. She grabbed her house keys and rushed out onto the porch.

The second Nina locked the door a large hand
covered her lower face, clamping down on her mouth to keep her from
screaming. Fear sliced through her. Who were they? What did they
want? The possibilities were endless and terrifying.

“You cost us plenty last night,” the
dark-haired man hissed in her ear. “We’re hard working folks. We
don’t need the likes of you interfering in our business.”

She swallowed hard.
The poachers
. Nina
didn’t think they’d gotten a good look at her. Apparently, she’d
been wrong. And that mistake might very well cost her, her
life.

He manhandled her over to the truck and
tossed her inside. The man he’d called Mark shoved a dirty rag into
her mouth and held her down so she wouldn’t be seen in the cab.
They drove out of Cherokee, heading toward the Smoky Mountains. It
was easy to tell the direction since there weren’t many roads
running through town. They let her sit up once they left the paved
roads. There weren’t many cars on the rural roads. No one to spot
her. And no one to hear her scream. Cliché horror movie fodder. Too
bad it was really happening to her.

Nina glanced into the bed of the pickup,
grateful that her best friend had left town and wasn’t lying in the
back. Sooner or later, they’d stop. Once they did, she’d do her
best to get away. Nina didn’t want to think about her odds. If she
did, she knew the fear would stop her. They drove off the Qualla
Boundary toward the park.

The men turned down a fire road and drove
until they reached a locked gate. Mark jumped out of the truck and
pulled a pair of bolt cutters out from behind the seat. He walked
up to the chain on the gate and snapped it in two. He pushed the
gate open and waited for Hank to drive through, then shut it behind
them, laying the chain over the top.

From a distance, it would look like the gate
was still locked. It would only be upon closer inspection that
someone would notice it had been broken. They drove on. Signs
appeared on a few trees stating that they were trespassing on
private property. Where were they taking her? She didn’t know and
that scared Nina even more.

They drove until the road ended.

Hank shut off the truck and turned to his
partner. “Grab the guns, traps, and the rope,” he said, then
gripped her arm and dragged her out of the truck. “Start walking.”
He shoved her into the woods.

***

The men were taking Nina. His Nina. Riot
stared at the truck in disbelief. By the time he rushed out of the
woods, the truck was pulling onto the road and driving away, smoke
billowing from its exhaust pipe. He was fast, but he wasn’t quick
enough to catch a speeding vehicle. He watched the truck begin to
fade into the distance.

Riot raced back into the woods, trying to
keep an eye on the truck as it made its way toward town. The
traffic was light, giving him no chance to catch up to the men. He
couldn’t see Nina anymore, but he knew she was in there. Shoved
between the two men. Why wasn’t she screaming? Trying to fight her
way out of the vehicle? Had they struck her? Was she even
conscious?

Rage boiled through him and he was forced to
move deeper into the woods. By the time he came out on the other
side, the men’s vehicle was fading into the distance. Riot
bellowed, the sound echoing through the hills.

He pushed on, running as fast as he could.
Trees fell in his wake as he shoved through the brush. The truck
turned off onto an unpaved road and continued on. Riot fell further
behind. His hearts slammed in his chest. He couldn’t lose her. Not
now that he’d finally found her.

Deer scattered to get away from the raging
beast terrorizing the forest. The smaller creatures huddled, trying
to remain out of sight. Riot didn’t care. He raised his head into
the air and took a deep breath. All he could scent was the truck’s
noxious exhaust. It would be enough. It had to be enough.

The smell of the truck faded on the wind. Had
they slipped off the road? It seemed unlikely since traffic only
moved in one direction, but he circled back nonetheless in order to
catch all the scents floating on the wind. Riot couldn’t afford to
miss anything. Nina’s fear soaked scent was but a wisp of memory.
Riot stood on his hind legs and bellowed. His roar shook the ground
beneath his clawed feet. It was a warning to the men who’d taken
Nina, and a promise of things to come.

***