Resilience (26 page)

the way he’d been acting a few minutes ago. “Too tired now, but I’ma fuck you until your eyes cross in the morning.”

Todd curled onto his side, facing Adam, and pulled him close. Sleepy or not, he needed to touch, to feel Adam beside him. That damned niggling fear was back, but this time it was tempered somewhat by exhaustion. Todd held Adam as tight as he could and drifted off to a mix of pleasant dreams and nightmares.

Adam was jolted from a very erotic dream and a very comfortable snuggle session with Todd by some idiot pounding on the hotel room door. With a curse foul enough to make a sailor blush, Adam stumbled from the bed. Todd mumbled something unintelligible.

“I got it,” Adam growled back. Maybe he was being unreasonable, but a glance at his

watch and some sloppy math in his head told him it wasn’t even six a.m. Why the fuck was someone banging on the door?

A better question would have been who, but Adam just assumed it’d be one of their

friends. He had no reason to think otherwise, which was why he didn’t check first, just unlocked the door and pulled it open enough to glare through the opening. He blinked stupidly at the strangers in the hallway. “What the fuck—”

It was as far as Adam got before the door was shoved open with enough force to send

him reeling back on his ass. He opened his mouth on a pained gasp and tried to yell a warning before the big scary guy coming at him could stop him. “Todd! Get—”

“Quiet!” the big brute snapped at the same time he slapped Adam hard enough to

make his ears ring. He clamped a sour-smelling hand over Adam’s mouth. Mean, beady eyes glowered at him as the man spoke in heavily accented English. “You will bring trouble!”

What the fuck do you call this? Adam kicked and tried to hit, anything to free himself. He heard Todd call out his name, then cursing and sounds of fists on flesh.

“Be still and I have them stop,” he was told. “You know what men like us can do to

your mate?”

Adam went limp, breathless with fear. The use of the word mate let him know just

who—or what, rather—their attackers were. Why they were here, how they’d found Adam, whether Gabe, Mika, Aidan and Zane were okay or not, those were questions spinning in his head, right behind the big, pounding ball of fear for Todd.

“Ahhh, good man.” His captor smirked and had the gall to pat Adam on the head.

Adam began plotting revenge. He might only be a human, but these assholes had hurt Todd.

“Behave, or else…”

God damn it. Adam was as docile as he could be while his hands were bound and a gag stuffed into his mouth. He’d do whatever he had to in order to keep Todd and their friends safe.

Except Todd appeared before him, arms cuffed behind him, looking gorgeous and

unharmed and completely nude—which reminded Adam of his own naked state. The two

shifters (they were, weren’t they?) beside him each had a black eye and split lips. Adam fumed, thinking he could have kept fighting himself had he known it wasn’t Todd getting the shit beaten out of him.

“Who hit him?” Todd said in such a soft, low voice it sent shivers down Adam’s spine.

That wasn’t the voice of reason Todd was using, but one of great fury. Adam wasn’t the only one who noticed it, either. Every person in the room went on alert, as evidenced in the way they stilled and tensed, as if preparing for an attack.

“He slip when I shove the door open.” Adam was hoisted to his feet. “Be good or he

slip some more. Maybe he doesn’t survive the next fall.” The big man clamped a hand

around the back of Adam’s neck, and when he spoke again his voice was every bit as deadly as Todd’s. “I remind you like I did your mate. You know what we are. If Daan and Sim had wanted it so, you would be dead. Instead they let you hit them so as not to hurt you. I am not so noble. Remember that.”

Adam had never seen such a cold look on Todd’s face before. It tore at him seeing it now, because Todd was sweet and kind, and should never be forced to the point where he was ready to kill someone. And he was, Adam could see it in his eyes, in every line of his body. Guilt slapped him harder than the asshole had. It was because of him Todd was here, and, because of him, some of Todd’s sweet nature had just died.

“Get dressed. Do not give Daan or Sim any trouble.” The man squeezed Adam’s nape

until Adam winced from the pain.

A tic started beneath Todd’s right eye. “Where are our friends?”

“Sleeping. Even shifters can be encouraged to sleep heavily.”

Adam took that to mean Gabe and the others had been drugged. He wondered how,

and could only figure they’d either ordered food or drinks, something. Granted everyone was all jet-lagged and screwed up time-wise, so he supposed it was entirely possible the others had woken early and eaten. But how did these shifters even know they were here?

Well, duh. All it’d take was one spy, one person knowing either we were coming or we were here.

Could have passed someone in the airport, or on the way to our rooms, anywhere. Idiot! But how did they know to look for us? Are they here because of Jameson, or because of some other reason? Do they know who Aidan is, who his brother is?

It seemed most likely this was related to Jameson. Surely shifters didn’t just attack random tourists. Adam couldn’t fathom how they’d know why they were here, but it didn’t really matter. Right now he just needed to make sure Todd and he, and their friends, all stayed alive.

“Are you taking our friends, too?” he asked as he watched Todd dress. Todd never

looked away from him.

“No. There is no need.”

That made no sense to Adam. Why wouldn’t they want the American shifters too?

What did they hope to accomplish just by taking him and Todd? “There’s no need to take us, either,” he couldn’t help pointing out.

The bastard holding onto him gave a sickly smug smile. “So little you know of shifter games. Soon you will know so much more.”

It was a prospect that filled Adam with dread.

After some sort of debate—Todd couldn’t understand what was being said, but from

the tones it was clear their captors were arguing—he and Adam were led out of the hotel via the stairwell. He could only suppose the security cameras weren’t working or else the guards had been bribed. For all he knew, there could be shifters manning the security desk.

Obviously the assholes taking them had no concerns about being spotted.

Todd considered yelling, something, making a scene, but he was marched out first and Adam was behind him with the big nasty jerk who’d hit Adam. He’d pay for that, Todd

didn’t care what side the guy was on. Didn’t care he was a supernatural being capable of turning into a wolf. He’d pay.

“They’ll find us,” he heard Adam snark.

“Maybe, eventually.”

Todd looked back over his shoulder as they stopped in front of a white panel van,

windowless in the back, of course. They would have abductors who were walking

stereotypes…except for the whole wolf-shifting thing.

“Daan, Sim, get them inside then go back and eradicate our odours.”

“Okay, Peter.”

“Peter?” Adam’s voice hitched with disbelief as he looked at the shifter scowling at him. “You’re seriously named Peter, like Peter and the Wolf? Did your parents hate you or what?”

“Yes! They did. Are you happy?” Peter snapped and Todd might have felt sorry for him except Adam still had a bright red handprint on his cheek. He refused to have any sympathy for the man responsible for that.

“Not really,” Adam snapped back. “If you want me to be happy, then let us go.”

Peter narrowed his eyes and opened the side door. “In.”

Todd and Adam were shoved in. Adam grunted, his breath knocked out of him, and

Todd promised himself to make Peter pay for every bump and bruise. Todd rarely hated anyone, but he was very close to hating the big stinky jerk. The van door was slammed shut.

Todd did some grunting of his own as he rolled and wiggled until he was pressed against Adam’s back. “Are you all right?” Stupid question…

Adam’s breaths were short and shallow. Todd cursed and pulled against the cuffs, pain shrieking up and down his wrists. “Adam?”

“Ribs,” Adam finally rasped. “Landed wrong.”

Adam’s hands were cuffed behind him. He’d been shoved in and had gone down on his

side, his elbow between him and the floor. “Your arm—”

“Hurts like a goddamned bitch,” Adam bit out, and Todd’s eyes burned at the pain he

heard in his lover’s voice. The driver’s side door opened and Todd began yelling, demanding Adam be released and taken to a doctor.

Peter growled and turned in his seat. “Fucking humans. So fragile.”

“Fuck you, you ignorant jerk!” Todd had never wanted his gun so bad in his life!

“Being human has nothing to do with it! You’re deliberately hurting him, and I swear I will take every single mark on him, every hurt, out on your hide.” Todd glared and grinned. “I’m gonna have a nice wolf rug to throw down in front of my fireplace. If I can get your stink out.”

Peter shouldn’t have been intimidated, yet he blanched and gulped before getting a

belligerent look in his eyes. “Right. You do that with handcuffs on.”

Todd didn’t answer, because there was one thing he was good at—being the sheriff.

One of the things he’d feared—irrationally, he’d thought at the time, but maybe now it was a premonition—was being held by his own handcuffs. Now, granted, the ones on his wrist weren’t his, but they weren’t much different as far as he could tell.

Did Adam remember that he could get out of the cuffs? Todd had tried to teach Adam,

too, but Adam didn’t have the patience.

“Wish I’d listened to you,” Adam whispered, and, while Peter frowned, Todd’s

heartbeat kicked up a notch. Adam did remember.

“S’all right,” Todd said, staring right at Peter. “He won’t hurt you again. Not if he wants any chance at staying alive.”

“Hmph.” Peter turned back around, but Todd didn’t miss the shudder or the nervous

glances in the mirror. He smiled and bared as many teeth as possible. Daan and Sim returned and Peter barked at them to ride in the back. Maybe Todd had scared the jerk too much. He needed the other two idiots out of the back so he could get free.

“Why’s he breathing funny?” Daan asked. He actually looked worried, which struck

Todd as weird.

“Probably he is scared,” Sim replied, looking similarly stressed.

“Oh, fuck you both,” Adam found the breath to grouse. Todd kissed the back of his

sweaty neck and glared at the other two shifters. “He’s hurt. What kind of shifters are y’all?

Can’t you smell pain or whatever?”

Sim and Daan glanced at each other. Daan shrugged. “Not now. We had to use this

stuff to descent—“

“Shut up!”

Daan jumped and whacked the back of his head against Sim’s jaw. Both men glared at

Peter, who didn’t seem to give a damn as he drove.

“Where are we being taken?” Todd figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask, and there was no

point in trying to keep his voice low enough that Peter wouldn’t hear him. He didn’t expect an answer, which was a good thing, since he didn’t get one, exactly.

Daan bit his lip and Sim sucked on his as they both looked anywhere but at Todd or

Adam. Peter chuckled and the van lurched as he came to a sudden stop. “That’s the wrong question. You should be asking to whom are you being taken.”

But before Todd could ask, Peter floored the gas pedal and sent him and Adam rolling and sliding back. Todd slammed into the rear of the van, his head hitting the metal hard enough he was utterly stunned, and Adam slammed into him, his head connecting with

Todd’s chin and sending him into darkness despite his struggle to stay conscious.

Between nausea—which Adam totally despised—his own pain and his fear over Todd’s

continued unconsciousness, the next several hours were a blur. Adam himself had trouble staying awake, and tended to come to with a gasp that made his vision dim immediately all over again. His ribs ached and his arm, but that was nothing compared to what he felt every time he looked to find Todd still out, his breaths shallow and unsteady. Adam cussed and yelled, demanded to be uncuffed so he could check on Todd, but, though Daan and Sim

shared guilty looks, neither of them had the balls to go against that fucker Peter.

“Why should I care if he dies? He threatened to make me into a rug, did he not?” Peter asked. Before Adam could answer he was slammed backwards again as Peter braked hard.

Head spinning and electric lights blinking rapidly in front of his eyes, Adam was hefted and dragged to the door of the van. He tried to fight, tried to stay with Todd, but as soon as he opened his mouth to yell, Peter slapped him again. Adam’s jaw popped as pain exploded from the joint. Blood pooled in his mouth, gagging him. He must have bitten his tongue or cheek.

“Get his lover boy,” Peter barked out, and that at least eased a little of Adam’s fear—

until he realised it didn’t necessarily mean they were bringing Todd to wherever Adam was going to end up. Adam bucked and succeeded in shaking off the hands holding him only to receive another scorching slap. “Behave, or I will see to it your mate is skinned as he threatened to do to me.”

Adam’s eyes widened then narrowed. He’d never hated anyone so much in his life.

Maybe Todd’s father, but that was an older sensation, and this, with Todd’s life in the balance, was a whole new, fresh cut. Adam wanted a bottle of Beuthanasia for Peter the wolf.

If the fucker was lucky, Adam would hit a vein and be kind enough to use a big enough dosage.

“Ah, ah, I can see evil thoughts in here.” Peter smirked and slapped the side of Adam’s head. “It would be in your best interest, but, more importantly, in his best interest, for you to be very, very nice to me.”

The nausea that had receded earlier came spewing back, literally. Adam couldn’t have stopped it if he tried. He heaved and Peter squeaked just before vomit splattered his pants and shoes. If it pissed Peter off, that was too bad. Adam would never do what the delusional jerk had just suggested. Todd wouldn’t want him to, and Adam would truly rather die…but he’d take Peter out with him, somehow or another.