Protect and Fur [3xtasy Lake 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (15 page)

“He’s the one with a hero complex, Brenna. I’d happily go back to bed with you and let him get the shit kicked out of him.”

“Really?”

“No, but he really is an ass.” Craig pulled her close to him and nuzzled her neck with his face. She smiled at the ticklish feeling along her skin, but concern for what Aiden was doing overrode her need to get naked again.

“You’d better call your father. Gordon needs to know what’s happening here.”

“Do you think Aiden is going straight to that gang?”

“No, he’s not that reckless. He’ll come up with a plan to infiltrate. I know where they’re staying, so I can be of some help.”

Brenna stared into the forest’s shadows, wishing that Aiden would change his mind and walk back out. “Where did you say they were?”

“Not a chance, beautiful.” Craig’s embrace tightened. “You’re not going after him. Not now. Let’s make some calls, and we’ll get prepared.”

She looked up into his eyes. They were such a beautiful brown and looked completely human. There wasn’t any sign of the animal she knew resided behind them. “Craig, will you always hide from me?”

“I’m right here, Bren.” She couldn’t see the wolf in his eyes, but she saw them dull when he tried to avoid her question.
Didn’t he realize what being a Mate meant? If his wolf wouldn’t accept her, then they’d never bond.

“I’ll give you as much as I can, but I can’t give it all to you. There’s a reason I keep a tight hold on myself. If I were to let go, I’d be worse than those men he’s hunting.”

“Bullshit.” She saw the surprise at her outburst reflect across his face. “I don’t believe for one second that you’re anything like those men out there. You aren’t like that.”

“You saw the scars.” Craig narrowed his eyes, fury dancing along the tightness of his muscles and the way he tried to intimidate her by crowding her into a corner. “A monster did that to a child trying to defend his mother. That creature resides inside me as well, and not even you can convince me it’s safe to let that kind of evil out.”

“That’s not Mr. Hyde you have trapped in there, Craig.” She poked at his chest, and he stepped back slightly. “You’re keeping a vital part of yourself locked away. It’s not a separate entity you can’t control. That wolf is part of you, and you’ll never be whole as long as you’re denying yourself like this.”

She shoved at his chest, trying to make him move, but he didn’t budge. A growl rumbled up from her throat, and all he did was arch an incredibly arrogant eyebrow at her. “Are you trying to intimidate me, Brenna?”

“I wouldn’t waste my time,” she snapped. Ducking under his arm, she headed back down the hallway toward her room. She wanted to have another shower and then get dressed before making any calls and facing her father. Craig let her go but prowled along behind her. His presence was like sandpaper to her aggravated state. “I can get dressed on my own.”

“I’m going to make certain you don’t get it in your head to run off after him.”

“I’m not an ass.”

Craig scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom. “No, you’re not, but you
are
stubborn.” He placed her at the entrance to the shower and smacked her on the ass.

“Hey, what was that for?” The light tap was like throwing a lit match on a fuse. Her body ached for his touch, and she wanted him to follow her.

“Brenna, I have to make some calls. Have your shower before I change my mind and join you.”

She growled again, a long drawn-out warning. He might not understand his wolf, but she was willing to bet she could get its attention. Craig stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at her. “Get in the shower, Brenna.”

She snapped her teeth at him and stood her ground. Wolf or no wolf, the man was still an Alpha shifter, and such a blatant display was enough to set his temper off.

“Fine, we shower together if that’s what it’s going to take.” He manhandled her under the water and washed her with a quick efficiency. That didn’t stop him from bracing her against the wall and fucking her senseless again and then gently gathering her in his arms afterward and running a facecloth along her skin as if he was sorry for the rough way he took her. She loved it and made certain he understood, but under the desperation of their actions she knew they were both concerned about Aiden.

Craig carried Brenna into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. She expected him to stretch out next to her, and when he didn’t, she sat up. “What are we going to do?”

Craig paced across the floor at the foot of the bed. “I’m going to call Gordon, and we’ll figure out what to do next. We’re going to help Aiden whether he wants it or not. I know your dad is more than capable of handling the situation, and Aiden is going to need help.”

“Okay, then what—” A unique scent drifted through the room, catching her attention.

“Watch out!”

Aiden roamed the forest for a couple hours trying to sort out his thoughts. In the end he came up with two solid facts. If he was going to take on these rogues, he needed a solid plan to end this once and for all and there was no way he could walk away from Brenna and Craig. The exquisite memory of Brenna screaming out in pleasure between him and Craig had replayed in his brain. That’s where he was meant to be.

He finally headed back toward the place he’d parked his car with every intention of heading to the clinic and his Mate. He was going to crawl into bed with Brenna between him and Craig and sleep for a year.

For his entire adult life, he did what the Guardian council needed. He infiltrated these rogue groups and then took them out. But as soon as he took one down, another popped up somewhere else. He was done. The rogues could be someone else’s problem now.

“Well, fancy meeting you here, Trevor, but that’s not your real name, is it?”

Fuck!
Six men from the gang stood in the vicinity of his car. He had been so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t scent them, but he should’ve anticipated this. Aiden shifted into his human form and walked casually toward them.

“I don’t remember arranging a meeting with you, Anthony.” Aiden reached past him through the broken window of his car and pulled a pair of shorts out of a bag in the backseat. “You lot are lucky I’m not a crazy car fanatic, or I’d tear you apart for fucking with my vehicle.”

“See, now I think you’re lying to me again.” Anthony lounged back against the hood and put his cigarette out on the paint. “No one drives a ’69 Challenger in this good condition unless they love their car. So, why don’t you tell me your real name?”

“Aiden O’Reilly.” Aiden crossed his arms over his chest and squared off with Anthony, who leveled himself off the vehicle and stood face-to-face with him.
I’m going to tear him a new one for that burn mark.

“You had my gang in Nova Scotia killed, Aiden O’Reilly.” Anthony leaned back against the vehicle. “You missed me, though.”

“It’s time for you and your boys to move along.” Aiden glanced around, meeting the gaze of every man there. “Ecstasy Lake has nothing for you.”

“Fuck that, asshole. You have no call in what we do.” Aiden watched as Anthony’s minions moved to surround them. He didn’t give a shit. They could do whatever they wanted. He was going to fight with everything he had and let Fate decide if he’d get one more chance to win his Mate.

“John, stand back, Aiden here could kick your ass in a heartbeat.”

A lit cigarette bounced off his jacket in a spray of sparks. Aiden stomped on the butt as it hit the ground. “We haven’t had rain in a month, asshole. Are you trying to start a fire?”

John bared his teeth at him and then popped another cigarette into his mouth. “Fuck you, puppy.”

Aiden felt his jaw pop as he tried to keep himself calm. He was outnumbered, and losing his cool wasn’t going to help him out of this situation.
Standing here talking isn’t going to, either.

“You want first go, bitch?” Aiden spat at the ground at John’s feet. “Come and get it.”

He felt a sharp sting at his neck and reached up, pulling a dart out. He stared at it for a moment in complete shock.

“They’re not smart enough to understand you could’ve easily torn them apart.” Anthony pushed off the car again and stepped forward. The world suddenly lurched to one side, and Aiden fell on his ass as Anthony got closer. “But, I’m not going to make it that easy on you. I need to make an example so all the sheep in this town will fall in line.”

Anthony drew his foot back, and Aiden tightened his stomach muscles a moment before the boot landed against his torso. The air in his lungs was forced out, and he hit the ground hard. He tried to shift and heal the damage, but he couldn’t think clearly enough to let the animal come forth. The sky was a beautiful black velvet blanket with stars thrown across it like sparkles, and for a moment Aiden wondered if he was ever going to see it again.

Anthony stepped over him and blocked his view of the moonlight. “I own you, Aiden, and I plan to take my revenge out on your ass, and then I’m going after your woman.”

Aiden screamed and snarled in his head, but his body was no longer in his command. Anthony’s men took turns kicking him, but he didn’t feel anything except gratitude that Craig would be there to take care of Brenna.

* * * *

Aiden had no idea how long he’d been out when he started coming to. He could hear the low growl of voices and snarling wolves. He lay there and tried to shift, but the narcotics in his system still blocked his ability to change. They were slowing down his body’s natural ability to heal quickly as well. Panic colored the edges of his consciousness, but he pushed past that. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he felt pain vibrating along his nervous system. His shoulder was a white-hot bundle of screaming nerves, and his torso felt beaten and raw. Opening his eyes slightly, he tried to gauge what was going on around him.

Gordon stood face-to-face with Anthony, and Aiden recognized the look on Anthony’s face. He’d seen that smug look before and it meant that Anthony had planned for this. Aiden tried to scan the trees around them, hoping that Gordon was smarter than him and had backup in the area.

“You’re underestimating this town, little boy.” Gordon’s voice rumbled like thunder during a summer storm. “No one waltzes in here and takes over. You want it? You’re going to have to fight for it.”

Anthony stretched out his neck to the side until it cracked and then repeated the motion the other way. “You’re soft, old man. I’m going to gut you, take over your little town, and keep your women in a cage.”

Aiden fully expected Gordon to launch into the fight, but the Alpha simply stood there with his arms crossed. Instead of growling or doing any other hostile moves, Gordon’s lips curled in an aggressive grin filled with teeth. “You’ve never met my wives.”

Aiden had, and knew that there was no way Ann would ever allow that to happen. Besides, he’d bet that Helen had been sent into hiding with the children. There was no way Gordon could stand there calmly otherwise. He was a man confident his immediate family was safe.

“But I’ve met your daughter. She’s that vet, and when I’m done here I’m going to fuck her ass like the bitch she is.”

A man Aiden didn’t recognize walked into his field of vision carrying a female body over his shoulder. As he got closer, a sick feeling washed over Aiden. He recognized the blonde hair and body. The man dropped her to the ground a short distance away and then crouched down over her. He pulled out a knife and held it at the base of her skull.

White-hot anger surged through Aiden’s system, blocking out the pain receptors that lit his brain. He snarled and lunged at the dog who dared to threaten
his
Mate. He was going to snap the neck of the asshole that held the knife to his throat, but pain exploded in the back of his head, sending him to the ground. Dazed, he struggled to keep conscious. If he lost it, they were all dead and Brenna… Something pressed down on his throat, restricting his ability to breathe. He struggled to grab on to the object, but his fingers wouldn’t cooperate.

Shouting sounded around him, and as his eyes cleared he looked up and realized that John stood there with his boot on his throat. A large gun was pointed at his head, and Aiden followed the line of fire up his arm. The asshole stood there puffing on his smoke and then pulled it from his lips, flicking it to the ground behind him.

“Now that I’ve got your attention…” Aiden watched as he moved his finger and flicked off the safety. The air was acrid with the scent of smoke. A fire had started.

“I guess I should’ve listened to you. That’s four…no, five.” John turned his attention back to Aiden. “Not that it matters because you’re going to be one of the poor victims caught in it, you and your pathetic Alpha.”

John nodded to the side, and Aiden followed where he pointed. Gordon was fighting four of Anthony’s guys while Anthony, of course, was nowhere to be found. The fire was growing faster, and flames were already travelling up one of the trees. Aiden had a moment of proud amazement at the way Gordon moved. He was a vicious opponent who fought to protect his people. He moved faster than anyone Aiden had ever seen and danced around the other men’s claws. In a series of moves that Aiden couldn’t keep up with, Gordon darted forward and tore out each man’s throat before they ever had a chance to defend themselves.