Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1) (21 page)

A lone tear slipped out of her eye, and she
knew that the men would see it. She tested the tape at her wrists
and ankles. It was still there, and her ankle throbbed horribly.
The skin they’d touched was still burning like it was on fire, but
she wouldn’t cry out. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of
hearing her screams.

“Wake up!” Lenny yelled, kicking her in the
ribs. Liberty couldn’t hold in that scream of pain. It could be
heard clearly through the tape over her mouth the moment she felt a
snap in her side. She tried to control her breathing, but it
suddenly became harder to get air into her lungs. “There she is…so
pretty.”

“Don’t touch her!” Evie hollered, startling
the two men. They scrambled up from their spots, Lenny grabbing
another syringe.

“Drug them both before one of them calls out
to their alpha,” the other man ordered.

Liberty’s eyes met Evie’s, pleading with her
to do whatever she had to do to get a message to Talon, but the man
injected her before Evie could take another breath. As the young
girl slumped to the floor, her lips moved as if she were trying to
talk, but there was no sound.

Liberty had to stop and think hard about how
the hell she was going to get free. The other man circled the
child, sneering at her as if she were the most repulsive thing he’d
ever seen.

“Let me have a go at the alpha’s bitch?”
Lenny begged, moving toward Liberty and ripping off the tape across
her mouth. She squirmed, wiggling her hands. The tape slipped
against her left wrist and she felt a thrill of excitement course
through her veins. If she could just get one of her hands free, she
could…well, what could she do? These two men had obviously disarmed
her quickly. She’d have to think about a way out for her and Evie,
because she doubted the child had had a chance to call out for
Talon. She didn’t know how that was done, and she really wished
she’d asked Talon about that during their discussions about his
kind.

“Fuck you,” Liberty spat.

Lenny lunged at Liberty. She screamed as the
needle jammed into her arm. Within seconds, she felt the effects of
the drugs racing through her bloodstream. Her eyes watered and
everything slowed. She felt hands at her sides, on her legs, but
she didn’t really care. For a second, she thought she felt cool
air, but at that point, she was too far gone to understand anything
that was going on around her. She was floating on a cloud…all of
the noises around her were suddenly gone. She smiled into the
darkness that took her into the most peaceful sleep.

Chapter Fourteen

Talon’s panther snarled, pushing his legs
further into the forest where the old hunting cabin sat that
Liberty was being held in along with Evie. The werewolves who’d
taken them both would forfeit their lives for touching a mate and a
child. He just prayed he wasn’t too late.

“Hold up, alpha,” Booth warned, placing a
calming hand on his shoulder. “It could be a trap.” They’d stopped
just inside the tree line that was cleared out for the cabin when
it had been built many years ago. There was plenty of cover
remaining this deep in the woods this early in the fall. They’d use
the brush to their advantage.

“It could be, but I have to get them,” Talon
growled and pushed forward, but was held back by several hands of
his pride. The touch of his people seeped through his human skin,
warming his very soul. They were here…they were going to help.

“We have to go easy,” Savage whispered. “If
you go charging in there, the girls could be hurt or even
killed.”

“I have to get to her,” Talon cried, his
panther waging war with his human. Now he knew the anger and the
fear that his baby brother felt when he had wanted to go off on his
own to find Evie.

“Okay,” Savage nodded toward the other
panthers. “Dane and Noah. Take the back window, and one of you stay
outside while the other goes in on mine and Talon’s signal. We will
take the front door. Keep your heads low.” Talon and Savage waited
until the other two were in position.

“I’m going to shift,” Savage whispered,
quickly shedding his clothes. Talon thought about stopping him, but
chose not to. His panther…the alpha wanted to shift and take these
werewolves in his animal form, but if they'd touched Liberty, she’d
need his touch to heal her. The thought of those
dogs
touching her sent his heart into a galloping frenzy.

A nudge to his hand had him looking down at
his Guardian, and he knew that Savage could feel his anxiety. It
was time to go after his mate.

“Let’s get them,” he snarled before rushing
forward, letting out a shout as his shoulder made contact with the
door, sending flying wood inward and startling the two men who were
sitting at a small table by the door.

One man howled, his clothes ripping from his
body as he shifted into a jet black wolf. His eyes glowed orange,
foam gathering at the corner of his muzzle. The other man pulled a
gun, his hand shaking as he swung it around the room, unsure of
where to point the weapon.

Talon’s eyes found the two girls. Evie was
unconscious and Liberty was curled into a ball on her side, not
moving. The dress she’d been wearing earlier that day was shredded,
and blood and bruises marred her back where she’d been beaten by
the wolves. His body exploded in a fit of anger and black fur when
he saw that she was naked from the waist down. Her shredded dress
had been pushed up around her waist. Only one strap was left intact
over her right shoulder. There was blood everywhere.

“Nooooooo!” he raged through his partially
shifted voice, the rafters of the old cabin shaking from the sound.
He welcomed the change as his panther took over. His eyes set on
the man who’d shifted.

As he prowled forward, his panther roared and
then all hell broke loose. Savage lunged for the man with the gun,
taking him down by pinning him by the throat, but he didn’t make
the kill.

That was Talon’s right…to take the shifter’s
life for touching the mate of an alpha…and for taking an innocent
child.

The wolf in front of him growled, his hackles
raised. Talon’s panther let out a sound that was more like a
sarcastic laugh. If this wolf thought he’d get through Talon…he was
going to be sorely disappointed. The mutt had no idea the kind of
hell he was about to rain down on him. Death would be a
blessing.

The wolf shifted to his left, his eyes
flickering toward Liberty. Talon wasn’t going to wait to see what
he had planned. His panther leapt the short ten feet that separated
them, grabbing the wolf around the back of his neck, feeling
satisfaction when he tasted the first coppery drops of the wolf’s
blood.

He felt his men moving behind him, checking
on the females. No one could touch Liberty, but they would get Evie
to safety. He had to kill this son of a bitch so he could take care
of his mate and his pride.

Enough of this! Playtime is over!
His
human side pushed forward, demanding the panther finish this.

Sharp claws ripped into the side of the wolf,
pushing him on his side. One well-placed bite to the wolf’s throat
ended his life in a wretching gurgle of blood as he took his last
breath, slumping to the floor. He remained in his wolf form, making
it that much easier to dispose of the body later.

The panther licked at the blood around his
mouth as he walked toward his mate, enjoying the savage way the
enemy was terminated. They were predators…it was their nature to
enjoy the kill.

But the moment his panther took in his mate’s
appearance, trembling on the floor, her body damaged…he lost it all
over again.

His beast was huge, staring down at the woman
who was unconscious on the ground. A might roar escaped his lips,
the aroma of his mating scent mixed with her blood permeated the
cabin. Other panthers from his pride gathered around, two in
panther form were whimpering and pacing, unsure if their leader
would let them close enough to give aid if needed. He was angry,
fierce…ready to destroy whoever had harmed the precious woman that
he loved. Yes, loved. Liberty had sacrificed herself to save the
life of one of his pride. How could he not love her?

His eyes shifted to the man that was still
being pinned by his Guardian. This wolf would pay for the damage
inflicted on his mate. Talon stalked him, ignoring the man’s cries
for help.

“I was told to do it,” he whimpered, trying
to back away, but Savage held him strong, blood seeping from his
throat where the panther kept him pinned.

Talon didn’t hesitate to pounce, his claws
digging into the man’s chest. Savage stepped back, letting his
alpha deal out justice to the man who’d dared touch his mate. His
mouthed opened, a mighty roar burst forth out of his throat only
seconds before he clamped his teeth around the man’s neck. One bite
ended the kidnapper’s life.

He shifted, taking his naked body and
wrapping it around her. He knew it was imperative to touch every
inch of her body. The scent of werewolves burned his senses, and he
growled when he rolled her to face him.

Liberty’s face was battered, one eye
completely swollen shut. The bruising was severe, and it killed him
to see how she’d been abused. She had claw marks on her neck, her
blood painted her beautiful skin a deep crimson.

“Please, baby,” Talon begged. “Wake up…wake
up.”

“
Nooo
,” she screamed, kicking out
against an invisible threat. Her uninjured eye tried to open, but
it was so glazed over from the drugs they’d injected her with, she
probably couldn’t see him if she tried.

“It’s me…Talon,” he called out to her,
pushing out his voice so that she would surely hear him.

“T…Talon?” she stuttered, her body beginning
to shake from the shock of her injuries.

“Yes, love,” he purred, letting the
vibrations seep into her body.

“I’m sorry,” she cried, closing her eyes.

The shaking didn’t stop as he held her close.
She opened her mouth to speak again and Talon froze. Blood oozed
out of the corner of her dried and cracked lips. A moment later, a
steady stream poured. Liberty gasped for air, but she couldn’t seem
to get enough. Her lungs gurgled as she fought for every
breath.

“Get the doc!” he yelled. “Hang on, Liberty.
Help is coming.”

“Talon?” Noah gasped in shock, looking over
his brother’s body at Liberty’s face. “Shit! Doc is close. Just
keep her warm.”

“Not going anywhere,” he said, squeezing his
eyes tight to hold in the tears of fear. Fear that they would be
too late to save his mate.

Harold rushed in the door with a curse. He
was already applying latex gloves so that his touch wouldn’t cause
Liberty any more pain than she was already experiencing.

“Alpha? May I give aid to your mate?” he
asked, standing off to the side.

“Please!” Talon, despite all of his
instincts, released his hold over Liberty and allowed the healer to
check over his mate.

Harold dropped to his knees and began
checking her over. His hand froze when he placed the stethoscope
over her heart. His brow furrowed and Talon growled, knowing that
he’d found something wrong.

“Her heart is weak,” he announced, looking up
into Talon’s eyes. What he saw in the healer’s eyes caused panic to
rise up inside him. “Her lungs are filling with blood.”

“No,” he whispered.

“If you want to save her,” Harold started to
instruct, “You have to force the change on her.”

“Force?” he snarled. “What the hell are you
talking about?”

“She’s too weak to take your blood.” He
swallowed hard. “You will have to force it down and it won’t be
pleasant for her, Talon. She may not accept it.”

Talon’s eyes landed on his mate. Liberty was
broken, laying on that mat. She’d been brutalized, and he couldn’t
even think about what else those dogs had done to her. He couldn’t
let her die. He couldn’t lose his heart.

“Tell me what I have to do,” he ordered.

As the doctor explained the procedure, Talon
kept his eye on the woman he loved. Her skin was getting paler by
the second, her breathing shallower.

“You have to make sure you slice your
vein…deep,” the doctor said. “Pinch her nose so that she will
hopefully swallow your blood. Don’t let her aspirate on the
blood.”

“Okay,” he whispered, feeling his pride at
his back.

She would probably hate him, but he couldn’t
let her go. With a roar, he sliced into his right wrist, twisting
it so that it laid over her mouth. She didn’t make a move to open
her lips, his blood trickled down the sides of her face, mixing
with her own blood. He pinched her nose, and counted the seconds.
She still didn’t move to open her mouth.

Maybe he was too late.

Maybe she was already gone.

His world...