Sold To The Werewolf: A Wolf Shifter Biker Romantic Suspense (6 page)

“
S
he’s coming around
!”

Jane heard the words and felt them like an assault on her brain as she woke up with the worst headache she’d ever had. She moaned, confused as to why she hurt so bad and where she was. Cracking her eyelids open she saw the blurry shape of four men standing over her in a dark room. This wasn’t a room in her home, though, the walls were rough-hewn wood and there was no window. Where was she?

“What’s going on? Where am I?” Jane tried to sit up but the impact of a fist against her right cheek made her reel back, the shock of feeling such a powerful impact and being struck outweighing the pain for a moment. She struggled to move away from the fist and got a punch in the kidneys for her trouble.

“Stay still, stop moving, and just sit there, bitch. Do not move!” The male voice sounded familiar but Jane was too stunned to place the voice.

She moved her hand slightly, reaching up to touch the area just below her eye and before she could even reach the swelling skin furious fists were hitting her from all sides. Jane curled into a ball, screaming at her assailant to stop as her face took the brunt of the beating. As she moved to protect her face his fists cracked against her wrist and she felt the bones snap before his fist met her jaw once more. Pain exploded in her head and the screams stopped as shock took over. She was totally terrified and unable to escape the pounding fists that bruised her flesh, tore her skin, and left her a mewling mess on a rudimentary bed. The beating only took minutes but Jane experienced it as a lifetime of terror and pain.

“I said stay still, bitch. Do as you’re told and you won’t get hurt!” The angry voice held some note that made Jane even more afraid. It sounded like excitement!

She shuddered on the bed, her body and mind in shock, unable to think beyond a keen need for Zare. Even that was soon overwhelmed by the pain of her battered body and Jane passed out, certain her arm was broken, that her jaw might be too, and that she was bleeding from several places where his fists and rings had cut her flesh.

Z
are walked through the house
, looking for his wife. Fear had started to worm its way into his heart as he searched the rooms three hours after their talk. Jane hadn’t come to him; she hadn’t been seen by anyone. Had his revelation scared her into running? Zare headed for Charlie’s room, knowing Jane would never leave him behind if she’d been that afraid.

He quietly opened the door to Charlie’s room and felt a moment of relief to see the boy asleep in his bed. Charlie had wormed his way into Zare’s heart with his courage and determination to beat cancer so that his sister didn’t have to be alone. He’d eyed Zare up quite a few times, as though deciding whether he’d allow the man into Jane’s life or not, but then he’d made his decision. Since then Charlie had done his best to be a trooper for his sister and his brother-in-law. Zare was proud of the child and admired his determination. He was glad to see that the child was still there but it also increased his worry. Where was Jane?

Zare closed the door and quickly reached for his madly vibrating phone as it buzzed away in the pocket of his black jeans. Striding quietly out of the hall and down to another part of the house Zare answered with a terse hello.

“We have your bitch Zare. Abdicate your Alpha throne to Brent or she dies. We might have a little fun with her first, if we can get past how ugly her face is now. You have one day to make it happen. That’s it. Set it in motion or she’s going to disappear from the face of the earth. And guess who always gets that blame for missing spouses? So either way, you lose dickhead but we’d rather not have to kill her so make the right choice.”

Zare started to speak, to demand answers, but the phone went dead and he was left standing in an empty hallway. Zare stood breathing heavily, his anger and fear rising. He knew who had Jane and exactly where they were. Dialing a number in his phone he made the first of many calls to assemble his boys. He was going to get his wife back.

J
ane stirred in the darkness
, all of the lights now out in the room she was being held in, and tried not to cry out as her very swollen arm, her bruised ribs, and her face protested even the slightest of movements. She’d learned her lesson, stay still and stay quiet. That was hard to do with all of her aches and pains but then her bladder kicked in and started to raise a fuss. She was terrified of getting hit or kicked again so she just kept still, hoping that she wasn’t breathing too hard.

She cracked an eyelid, looking around once more, but the room was pitch black and she couldn’t see anything. She calmed her breathing, hoping it would help her hear better but she heard nothing. She couldn’t smell anything but the cloth in the room and the wood, her own fear maybe, but nothing more, nothing that would tell her where she was.

Sensing she was alone for now she tried to move but as soon as she put any kind of pressure on her right arm it exploded with pain and she fell back, holding back a scream with her left hand. She’d also felt her ribs and face protesting and knew she wasn’t going to go far, not when the nausea from the pain hit her in waves.

Still in shock Jane let her head fall to the pillow once more and let the darkness take her. She was terrified of what might come next and wanted only to sleep, to stay unaware of just how much trouble she was in.

Sleep wouldn’t come though and she had to hide a scream of fear when a man opened a door and walked into the room. She knew it was a man by the low chuckle he gave when he walked in.

“Not so high and mighty now, are we missy? You’re just trash, refuse. Your man ain’t even called to save you yet. I guess he knows he’s fucked either way so he’s left you to me.”

Jane tensed; it was the same man from earlier. The same voice of the man who had threatened her at the wedding. Zare had called him Brent. She shrieked involuntarily when he pulled at her legs, wrenching at the buttons of her jeans. Oh no, not this, she’d take another beating over this.

“Do that again bitch and I’ll beat your head in. Don’t push me.” He grabbed her aching jaw, making her cry out in pain, before he went back to her pants. Jane tried to kick him, tried to move away from him desperately but he wouldn’t let her go far. He punched her in the stomach and Jane doubled up as her air supply suddenly disappeared.

“Stay still or I’ll just knife you and get it over with.”

Jane stilled, hoping her brain would retreat, praying for the blackness she knew could come. She tried not to beg him to stop but her lips moved, even as her voice disappeared. Brent was sliding her pants off of her legs, making her want to vomit as his fingers trailed up her smooth skin. Please no, her lips mouthed, please no.

Just as the man pushed himself between her thighs, fumbling at his pants, someone came through the door, flipped on a light switch, and Brent turned, yelling his displeasure at the person. Jane heard a loud noise and then Brent slumped against her body, something warm and wet spreading across her chest where his head rested.

Jane fought back the urge to scream but lost and pushed with her legs, looking down to see a hole going straight through the middle of Brent’s head.

“Stop screaming. Your man will be here soon enough and I don’t need your shrieks distracting me. Jay, get in here and get rid of this mess. Feed him to the gators!” The man turned and left the room as Jane hid her face in a pillow. Would this nightmare never end?

Z
are listened
to Seth and Glen discussing how best to enter the house in the swamp without being detected. He got tired of waiting, made sure his gun was loaded once more, and went up the steps from the boat ramp at the bottom of the house built directly over the swamp. He moved quietly, noting that his men followed, before he came to a door and pushed it open. He started firing his gun as soon as he opened the door.

Walking into the room a few moments later he saw several men on the ground, injured to varying degrees, but paid them no attention. Going through the rooms he finally found Jane in one of them. He roared in rage when he saw her condition and gathered her into his arms. Jane came back to reality as she felt Zare near and clung to him with her uninjured arm.

Before they left Zare paused and told Jane to turn her head. Jane tensed, wondering, knowing what was coming. She knew the men deserved it but as Zare shot each man, killing them, Jane’s denial finally snapped. Charlie was in danger from this, she was too, but this was far too much for her to handle and to expose Charlie to.

Zare called a doctor to come and tend to her wounds once she was bathed and tucked into bed but Jane refused the medicine. Zare refused to leave her side for the rest of the night, holding her as she shivered in the darkness, but he had to go to work the next morning.

Acting fast Jane found the safe where Zare hid some money, entered the code, and took out $50,000 in cash. It would be hard to explain if she was caught with it but she knew she needed it. She threw some clothes in a bag, then went to Charlie’s room. He was stronger now but still weak. She gathered some things for him and had the nurse help her carry her brother out to one of the cars in the garage. Then, with her splinted arm, she started to drive. She drove for two days straight, driving until she could barely see anymore.

She threw her phone away in Texas, ditched her tablet in Oklahoma, and finally located the GPS tracking device on the car in Kansas. She pulled that off and carried on driving. When she saw an empty house on a back country road in Montana she went to a payphone to call the number listed. She then found a second hand shop in the nearest town and bought every bit of furniture they had in the place. She paid them two weeks wages to deliver it that day.

The one thing she did not buy was a new cellphone or anything else that Zare could use to track her. She bought Charlie a game console and a TV but no computers, no phones, no way to communicate. Not right now, she couldn’t handle it right now. Tomorrow, once she’d slept, she’d buy a phone in case of emergencies, but she cooked some dinner, gave Charlie his meds, and made up their beds.

Her last thought after falling into bed was how she was going to provide Charlie with what he needed. He had a month’s supply of his pills but after that he’d be out and she knew she’d have to provide his medical charts to get the medicine. She decided that was another worry for tomorrow just before she fell asleep, exhaustion finally taking over.

She slept for twelve hours and Charlie finally woke her up only because he’d run out of stuff to make sandwiches with.

“I don’t want to wake you up, sis, I know you’re hurt so bad and scared but I’m hungry. I don’t know how to cook anything.” Charlie looked ashamed for a moment and Jane’s heart broke as she came awake and rubbed at her eyes.

“It’s okay Charlie, I’m hungry too. Let me use the bathroom and I’ll fix us some food, alright?” She hugged him gently, knowing he was just as fragile as she was, and fumbled her way through using the bathroom and cleaning her face. She’d tried to shield Charlie from what had happened to her, and why she’d left, but she couldn’t hide her face from him. Swollen and turning a variety of colors, she’d had some strange looks, but most had turned to sympathy when she’d asked about the house and buying furniture and linens for a house.

Jane guessed they all assumed she was running from an abusive spouse. Zare had been anything but abusive but he’d lived a life of violence. She couldn’t expose Charlie to that. Besides, as the day approached when Zare and the clan intended to expose their kind to the world, she knew she and Charlie would be in even more danger. Only a few more days to go, then she and Charlie might be safe but for now she knew she had to hide them from the world. She had to keep them safe. Zare couldn’t do that.

A
month had gone by
, a month of healing, quiet, and peace for both Charlie and Jane. She’d had to break her silence to get his medical records sent to the small town doctor but so far things had remained quiet. They were in a restaurant in town now, watching Zare being interviewed by a talk show host.

Jane cradled her stomach, a move that would soon become a habit as her pregnancy progressed. She and Zare were going to be parents but he didn’t know that. She still didn’t know how far along she was but the doctor had told her today they could soon deduce that with an ultrasound.

Jane watched the television screen in the restaurant, reading the closed captioning that ran along the bottom. Zare had finally accomplished his dream, the world knew about the clan in Louisiana now. Apparently Louisiana was the wolf-shifter capital of the world and though many hadn’t been happy to be exposed, a great deal more agreed with Zare’s thinking. Protection from the machinations of those that plotted evil and harm was important.

For generations the shifters had hidden from the world, to protect the people of the world and the shifter community, but now they were being used as military weapons. Hopefully that would stop now, at least the involuntary use, if someone wanted to volunteer for that so be it. Now they had a choice.

Jane was proud of Zare but she knew there were still secrets there. Secrets that she could not deal with. She missed her husband, she missed his easy smile, the way he’d make her laugh, the way he rocked her world in bed, but Charlie, and now their baby, were too important to her to abandon for her own selfish needs.

Jane saw that Charlie was finished with his dinner and signaled to the waitress to bring their bill. Time to get home and back to the safety of their quiet world. Jane felt exposed and wanted the quiet solitude of the ranch-style house she and Charlie now lived in. She hugged the boy close as they walked out of the restaurant, arguing over which brownie mix they were going to bake tonight. This was what was most important to her.

Z
are had known
all along where Jane was, he just knew she needed time to process what had happened to her and what she’d seen. Part of him knew she could be so terrified she’d run forever, but he told himself she just needed time. The first time Charlie had logged into his game console’s web service he’d known where they were. He gave her the space she so obviously needed.

He’d kept tabs on her through a wolf-shifter he’d sent up to the town she was living in, a young, gentle woman named Mona. Mona didn’t approach Jane or Charlie, she just kept tabs on them and who else might be in the small town. That was one good thing about the place Jane chose, outsiders stuck out like sore thumbs.

“So, we have reports that they’re looking for Jane again?” Zare asked the woman sitting across from him. Beautiful and smart, Ruby had been seeing a lot of Jane’s friend Dodie, which was good because it kept her occupied and prevented questions about Jane’s whereabouts, but could be problematic as Ruby didn’t like keeping things from her loved ones.

“Yes, some of the women from over around Houma are hearing their men discussing it. They are saying if they can’t shut you up they’ll hurt you. Unfortunately, that’s made Jane a target. Again.” Ruby looked at Zare pointedly, her displeasure noticeable.

“If I’d known this was going to happen I’d have done something more to prevent it. I didn’t know.” The entire clan had looked at Zare with anger when news of Jane’s abduction and assault was spread amongst them. The family knew why Zare had killed the men that abducted her, the clan needed to be shown he could do it and would. They didn’t understand why he’d allowed any of it to happen. “I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I know better now.”

“Good. When are we going to retrieve her?” Ruby asked, her foot tapping against the oak floor in anticipation.

“I, and I alone, will be going for her tonight. Get the jet ready.” Zare knew he could give directions to most of his lieutenants and they’d follow his command without question. Ruby was just the same as her male counterparts.

The jet flew through the dark night, and his body tensed as he neared the airport. He’d have to drive the rest of the way but it wouldn’t take long. Then he’d see the woman he’d realized he loved when he pulled her from that cabin in the swamp. Seeing her broken and beaten hadn’t just caused him to lash out to prove to his clan he was strong, it had caused him to lash out in anger and despair at what those bastards had done to her. He’d let her go to protect her, to give her what she seemed to want.

Now he had to bring her back, to keep her safe from his world. Zare felt his heart squeeze as he realized he’d caused her this grief. He told himself that what he’d done had been for the best though. Charlie would not have survived without him. They’d both needed what he could offer and he’d given it to them.

Zare followed the guidance of the GPS until he found a long dirt driveway and followed it up to the unlit house. He saw a flicker in the windows and realized there was a television on in the house at least. He knew she must have seen the lights from his car as he pulled up but she didn’t come to a window or the door. Maybe she was asleep on the couch?

He smiled at how sweet the thought was and got out of the car. His nerves made him jumpy but he could appreciate the beauty of the quiet house, almost hidden in the pine trees around it. It was peaceful and homey, just what she’d like.

He took a deep breath and walked up on her porch. He knocked when he couldn’t spot a doorbell and waited, his hands clenched in front of him as he waited. Would she order him off the property? Scream and throw the door shut?

He didn’t have to wait long before he heard her footsteps moving through the house and a chain and lock being removed. At least she was smart enough to keep the doors locked he thought just before the door opened and she gasped.

J
ane kind
of suspected who was knocking at her door but told her pulse to slow down. Maybe it was the owner of the rental property, or that nice lady that worked at the restaurant. Sometimes she brought pies around for Charlie. But her gut told her it was too late for any of them to be coming round, and her pulse told her it was Zare. Her body knew, even if her mind refused to accept it.

She saw his eyes widen as she opened the door, taking in her lightened hair, now a soft brown, and the change in clothing style. Jane was normally a cheap PJs when at home kind of girl, or a casual but business-like attire when going out. She’d worn cheap clothes at the bar but now she wore silk pajamas and her hair was different. His eyes widened as his gaze fell to her stomach and he looked up at her.

“You’re pregnant?” He whispered as if awestruck.

Her hand went to her stomach and she gasped. “How did you know?”

“We’re connected now, and I’ll always be able to sense where my children are, the same as you’ll be able to. May I come in?” He asked, needing to sit down. He was going to be a father.

She hesitated, afraid of the baggage Zare brought with him but there was something different in his eyes, something soft. Perhaps it was only the child that softened his gaze but when his eyes sent her a pleading glance she gave in. Opening the door she stepped back and held her arm out.

“Would you like something to drink?” She asked politely, wanting to giggle at how very perfunctory she sounded. This was her husband and she was treating him like a guest.

“Coffee if you have it. It’s been a long day.” He said as he took a seat on a stool in the kitchen. He was sitting at the island, watching her make coffee in the kitchen of the old farmhouse.

“I suppose it was if you came here all the way from Louisiana after that interview. What brings you out here?” She stamped down on her need to have him say he wanted her to come home. She hadn’t run all this way just to go all wimpy on herself now. She’d run for a reason.

“I need you to hide. I know that’s why you’re here but I found you the moment you stopped and settled down. Anybody else that’s looking can do that too.”

“How?” She demanded to know. She could have sworn there was no way to find her. Even the electric was in the property owner’s name!

“Charlie’s game console account. It was that simple.” Granted not everyone would think to look for her that way but it showed how it was next to impossible to hide in today’s world.

“Wow. I didn’t even think of that. So we’re in danger again? Did you bring it with you this time as well?” She knew the words stung but she couldn’t stop herself from saying them to him. She was glad Charlie was in bed now and wasn’t here to see Zare. He loved Zare and had asked when they were going home every day since they’d left.

Jane tried to make the boy understand it was just too dangerous but he knew Jane loved Zare, he loved Zare, and Zare loved them. Isn’t that all that mattered? Jane hadn’t been able to answer that and had changed the subject.

“I hope I haven’t brought it with me this time.” Zare said, bringing her back to the present. And I know where to hide you this time.”

“And where’s that? Have you got us seats on the International Space Station?” Jane’s raised eyebrow was a challenge from across the island.

“Not quite, no. Maison de Fleur has a hidden apartment. Only my father and grandfather knew about it, a few servants a long time ago. I plan to take you there.” Zare looked away from her when she scoffed in disbelief.

“To the very house I was abducted from? I don’t think so buddy. Not going to happen!” She turned to pour him a cup of coffee, adding the cream he’d got her addicted to in their time together.

“No, hear me out. It’s like a kid’s dream palace in there. Hidden walls, hidden doors, you can’t find it without going through my bedroom and only then if you know how to get the door to open. There are no windows but there are two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. I’ve updated it over the years so it’s comfortable but it’s where I go when I need to get away from the family for a while. None of them know about it, I swear Jane.”

“I’ll think about it. How long have I got?” She breathed through her mouth forcefully, letting him know she wasn’t happy.

“Until mid-afternoon tomorrow. I want to take you both in when it’s dark out. Nobody knows where I am at the moment except my most trusted people. The rest think I’m in New York doing an interview.”

“Alright. Well. You can sleep on the couch for the night. I’m going to bed.” She brushed by suddenly needing to get away from him so she could think without him nearby to distract her.

“Please Jane. Come with me.” His eyes pleaded with her but she pushed away.

“I’ll let you know in the morning.”

She went into her room and turned off the light, knowing a pillow and a blanket were on the couch that he could use. Jane heard him settling in on the couch and wondered if he was undressing. For an instant a memory of Zare’s naked body filled her mind and she squirmed in the bed, knowing it was going to be a long night with him so close.

He looked tired, and thinner. She didn’t like that. She knew he was having a rough time and that must be the reason behind it. Revealing such a huge secret to the world couldn’t be easy on a man. Sighing she rolled over, punching her pillows.

Perhaps she should invite him into her bed? It was king size, there was plenty of room, even for him. That’s when she realized he hadn’t mentioned the money she’d taken. Maybe he just didn’t care about the money? Maybe he knew she’d needed something to keep them safe and wasn’t going to say anything about it. Even with the purchases she’d made most of it was still hidden in the lining of her suitcase in the closet.

Jane let her mind wander, thinking about nonsense to distract herself. Her body craved her husband, craved his touch, and she’d left the room rather than give in to that need. Now she couldn’t stand knowing he was so close but not touching her. After so many weeks apart to see him now was torture. She’d kidded herself into believing she hadn’t missed him but she had. And now she could hear him clearing his throat in the other room.

Maybe he’d slip into bed with her when she fell asleep. Slide his hands into her silky pants, between her thighs, and tease her into exploding in his arms? Or maybe she’d go to him, slip under the cover and straddle him. Jane had to bite back a moan as she imagined riding him until he inhaled sharply and pumped his pleasure into her?

“Fuck!” The word slipped quietly from Jane’s lips, a word she rarely said but often thought. She was frustrated and it was taking a toll.

This wasn’t helping she decided as she rolled in the bed again, spreading her legs so her thighs wouldn’t press into her center. How was she going to get to sleep now? Go in there and let him take the ache away or do it herself?

She was just about to throw her covers off when she heard gentle snores coming from the living room through the bedroom door. That settled that question then. She listened to his snores, glad that he was sleeping at least. What was she going to do? She decided she’d wait and talk with Charlie. The boy might be young but he was sensible and he’d matured a lot with his illness. Charlie often shocked her with his wisdom and she wondered how much of that was just Charlie and how much was the trauma of the last year.

Jane realized then she’d almost made up her mind. Her parents’ deaths and Charlie’s illness had taught her one thing, at least. You’re never promised tomorrow and life was meant for living. Not running away from it.