The Fire Inside (13 page)

Luken and Javin moved to each of his sides as Thanasis and Xabier
approached. The tension in the air grew palpable as each alpha faced the other.
Rich, warm amber met icy blue as Konrad held Thanasis’ stare.

“So, have you come to accept my terms, Konrad?” Thanasis
sneered with confidence.

“Actually, Thanasis.” It was hard to keep the razor
sharpness out of his voice. “I don’t much appreciate you trying to force my
hand.” Konrad crossed his arms over his chest.

“As if I care what pleases you or doesn’t. Either accept my
offer or decline.”

Konrad gave a lift of one brow. “I decline.”

Thanasis tossed his head back and laughed an evil sound.
“Oh, Konrad. Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

“You really shouldn’t leave yourself open like that unless
you want a truthful answer,” Konrad replied with a smirk of his own, and was
satisfied when the smile left Thanasis’ face and was replaced by his lips
pulling into a tight line of displeasure.

“I know you’ve figured it out.”

“And just what was it that I was supposed to figure out,
Thanasis?” Konrad asked.

“I know about your little bitch.”

Konrad moved forward, ready to bust open Thanasis’ head, but
Luken and Javin stayed his movements with their bodies.

Thanasis laughed again, this time joined by Xabier and a few
others from their pack who stood behind them, guarding their backs. “What? Did
you think I wouldn’t recognize her? Such a lovely piece of ass, just like her
mother.”

All hell broke loose as Konrad shoved past his pack mates
and went for Thanasis. Konrad hit a solid body and roared with fury as he
noticed he’d not hit his target, but instead Xabier had leapt in front of his
alpha at the last second. Konrad went mad on his ass, tearing flesh with teeth
and claw as the fight around him escalated to a loud cacophony of roars, growls
and snarls.

When the fight left Xabier’s limbs, Konrad jumped up,
leaving the fucker to bleed out as he searched for the true object of his
hatred. Thanasis had disappeared. “You fucking coward!”

Konrad gave a sharp whistle and immediately his pack members
made their way to his position. Usually they knew it meant to take down their
prey quickly and report to him, and some did just that, but Thanasis’ pack
mates had already begun retreating. “Luken, call Cole and have him get Tyra
back to the den now. The rest of you are with me.” Konrad jerked his shirt over
his head and the shimmer of his shift began as he pushed his pants to the
ground.

Tyra placed her empty tray on the countertop and called out
the round of drinks to Mark. The crowd roared, some with dismay and others with
great cheer. Tyra turned to look at one of the large flat-screens to see one of
the men in the boxing match on all fours in the center of the ring. Fight
nights could get crazy. The owner of the bar tended to buy all the pay-per-view
matches, because they drew in large crowds.

To be honest, she wouldn’t miss this job. Yeah, she liked
her independence, but she could definitely look for something to do inside the
den. Something that didn’t include alcohol, preferably. She’d enjoyed spending
time with the young. Maybe if she was lucky they would have something open in
their daycare center. She loved children, but before now hadn’t thought about
working with them. It would have been a painful reminder of what she’d decided
to never have. But now things were different. Now she had Konrad. Maybe they
could even have a baby of their own.

Another hot flash went through her and she squeezed her
thighs together. This burning need to go find her mate was about to drive her
crazy. At times she could fight the waves of desire off, but others she just
had to stop what she was doing and wait for the pulse in her core to stop
thrumming.

“Are you okay, Tyra?”

Tyra looked up at Mark. “Yeah. Fine. Just hot.”

“All right. If you’re sure?”

Tyra plastered a smile on her face. “Yeah. I’m good.”

An unmistakable scent filled her nose. The scent she craved,
weak but there, mixed with another familiar smell. She ground her teeth and
looked toward the door to see Cole marching her way. He didn’t look happy. Her
heart plummeted.
Please no.
Various nightmare scenarios played through
her head. Cole stopped in front of her and she swallowed past the lump of fear
that had grown thick and large in her throat.

“You have to come with me now,” Cole said, a rough gravel
tone akin to fury lacing his words.

“Konrad?” she whispered and gripped the padding that lined
the edge of the bar, her knees shaking.

“He’s fine. But we must leave now.”

Relief swam through her limbs followed by a panicked
curiosity. She turned toward Mark. “I have to leave.”

“Are you ill?” Mark asked.

“No. I quit. I was going to finish the night, but I need to
go now.” Tyra stared at his wide-eyed expression. “I’m sorry.”

Without a backward glance, she followed Cole out of the bar.
Warm, muggy air slammed into Tyra as they exited and began to run for Cole’s
SUV. She didn’t bother to ask him anything until they were inside and he was
backing out of his parking spot. “What’s happened?”

She watched as Cole ground his teeth, the muscle of his
strong jaw twitching as he made the turn out onto the road. “I know it must be
bad, but I’ll only continue to fear the worst if you don’t tell me.”

Cole laid the pedal to the metal and they sped down the
road. “It would be better if Konrad explains. All I can tell you is you’re no
longer safe outside of the den. We’re on high alert and I was told to bring you
in.”

Before Tyra could argue, Cole’s cell phone let out a high
chirp and he snatched it up from the console.

“Yeah.”

Her gaze never left his form. She saw the muscles tighten in
his arm, his grip on the cell turning white-knuckled. His lips pulled back from
his teeth and he growled.

“We’re en route.” Cole hit the end button and tossed the
phone back on the console. “Motherfucker!” He snatched the phone back up and
hit a preprogrammed number and held it to his ear. “Where are you?”

Tyra sat silent, wondering what in the hell was going on. If
Cole would get off the phone long enough, she planned to drill him.

“Be careful. I’ll be there soon. I love you.”

He must be speaking to his mate. When he tossed the phone
down this time, she didn’t even let him take a breath. “What in the hell is
going on? Why would Savannah need to be careful? And where in the hell is my
mate?” Bright lights assaulted her vision and she let loose a curse, mirrored
by Cole’s, a second before the crunching and grating of metal filled her ears.
Her body landed with a hard thud against the door as the SUV went through the
guard rail and came to rest on its side in the bar ditch. Pain blasted through
Tyra’s shoulder joint and head. She blinked, trying to take in the scene.
Pieces of safety glass covered her body, a few of them still dropping out of
the frame of the destroyed windshield.

Cole roared as he tore through his seat belt and began to
shift. Not knowing what else to do, Tyra pushed past her own pain and began
disrobing so that she could change to her animal form. Someone had deliberately
hit them. Cole escaped through the broken windshield. She watched as he took up
a defensive stance in front of their mangled vehicle. They weren’t far from the
den. Maybe a mile. She willed her body to change and suddenly a storm of voices
filled her head. There were wolves issuing commands and women trying to soothe
frightened children.
Oh God, no
. The den was under attack. Fear gripped
her heart in a vise as she struggled to free herself from the SUV while trying
to focus on the one voice she needed to hear.

On shaky limbs she started to crawl out of the SUV. Growls
wafted to her ears on the hot night air. Cole bared his teeth as he prepared
for battle. Tyra moved to cover his tail as she tried to ignore the chaos of
voices inside her head. She was all Cole had here and she knew they were
surrounded. She’d be strong. No longer a little girl, but a woman filled with
hatred of this new enemy and desperation to keep what was hers. This pack had
picked the wrong bitch to screw with. Her lungs filled and with it a sickening
smell she was all too familiar with. It was the smell that had surrounded
Xabier. And that smell had been in the clearing the night Konrad had shown up
pissed off. Well, she no longer had to wonder who’d attacked them. The why, on
the other hand… She pushed the voices back. Concentrating on the here and now.
But one voice broke through.

“Tyra! I’m coming!”

“Thank God you’re all right. Why is Thanasis attacking
us?”

“That motherfucker…”

Tyra could hear the contempt and hatred Konrad spewed in
that slur.
“I thought you were buying land from him?”

“Was. Past tense. There’s something I need to tell you.
Something I should have already told you.”

Her mouth went dry at Konrad’s words. But she didn’t get to
hear his confession. Wolves leapt from their perches in the hills and the fight
was on. Tyra moved swiftly and dodged a set of sharp teeth that were headed for
her throat. As the wolf sailed past her, she sank her own teeth into his hind
leg and pulled, ripping flesh.

The wolf shrieked, but Tyra didn’t get to savor the blow
she’d delivered as she was knocked sideways by a heavy lump of fur. She landed
on her injured shoulder and couldn’t stop the yelp that came out, but she
didn’t let the pain slow her. Her back feet found purchase and she sank her
claws in and kicked out, sending the wolf off her body. She rolled, regaining
her feet as the next wolf attacked.

Tyra met the enemy head on, sinking her teeth into its
throat as she felt claws dig into her shoulder. She had no other choice than to
release her hold as pain stabbed at her already injured arm. But she’d dealt
one hell of a blow and the wolf bled freely as its human form shifted into view.
Other than the full moon, it took a conscious effort to hold their animal form.
The wound was bad enough that this one’s slipped, leaving behind a vulnerable
naked human.

Viewing it as no longer a threat, she turned her head as
more approached. Cole took on three different wolves at once and was now a few
feet away from her. Long blood-stained teeth came into view and she pivoted,
realizing that she herself was now surrounded.
“Please, Konrad. Hurry.”
As
if her thoughts conjured him, that familiar dark fur leapt in front of her with
a mighty growl. The fighting picked up a notch as reinforcements from both
packs diverged.

“Run, Tyra!”

Konrad’s command resounded in her head, bringing back a
flood of memories. Howls, yelps and growls mixed to a deafening level as she
fought with the enemy. No, she wouldn’t run. Never again would she run. She
took down the nearest enemy with renewed vigor, dealing a death blow quickly to
its jugular. Warm blood sprayed her fur as she released the beast’s neck.

She never saw the blow coming. One minute she was fighting,
giving her all for the protection of the pack that had become her heart, then
stars. Her body hit the unyielding ground and she felt her hold slip on her
animal form.

Cruel hands dug into her bare flesh and lifted her. That
laugh. She knew that laugh. It had been in her nightmares for years. The jostle
caused from the enemy running with her had her squeezing her eyes shut as tiny
needles of pain poked at the insides of her brain. Nausea rolled deep in her
belly and she fought hard against the urge to lose her stomach contents. The
noise level of the fight weakened. He carried her away. Had Konrad seen her
captor?

With effort, she opened her eyes, and her heart skipped a
beat as she saw the bald-headed bastard who haunted her. Who’d taken everything
from her and dared to again. Mustering her strength, she lashed out at him,
managing to half shift. Her claws dug into his flesh and her teeth clamped onto
the exposed skin of his chest.

“You little bitch!” He let go.

Her body fell a short distance and she landed hard on metal.
Her stomach heaved and she rolled over, recognizing the swell of a wheel well.
She was in the back of a truck. The bed rocked and she saw the filth who had
taken her parents from her. His hand smacked the side of the pickup and Tyra’s
body slid down a little as the driver set them in motion. Heat trapped from the
day’s sunshine warmed her skin where it had touched the steel plate beneath
her. But not even that could stop the shiver of revulsion that racked her body.
Icy blue eyes stared down at her. She wanted to cringe and wrap up into a ball
to ward off the chill that spread through her.

Fate was indeed a crueler bitch than she’d originally
thought. She’d escaped death only to be tantalized with the promise of
something wonderful before death came back to claim her. She’d never really
escaped it. Just delayed it. Her heart broke all over again as she held the
asshole’s gaze. Fury kindled inside her, growing until a fiery rage burned
within her. Death may want to cash in on its claim, but she’d take this son of
a bitch with her. Purpose filling Tyra, she struggled to a sitting position and
glared back at Thanasis.

“You have fire. I like that.” Thanasis sneered. “In fact I
bet you will breed great warriors for me.”

“I will never give you anything but the death you deserve.”

Thanasis smiled. “Your mother thought the same thing once.”

Tyra spit in his face. “Don’t you dare even speak to me of
her.”

He dragged a hand over his face, wiping away the wetness.
“She screamed like the whore she was when I took her.”

Something snapped inside Tyra. Pain, hatred and anger
swirled into an emotion that had her moving across the bed of the truck with
lightning speed. Her hands wrapped around the motherfucker’s throat and they
both went over the side. Landing on their sides, a whoosh of air burst from
their lungs. Tyra felt the bone in her arm snap and she lost the grip on
Thanasis’ neck.

He took immediate advantage, rolling her beneath him.
“Fucking whore!”

Tyra cried out as he pinned her arms above her head. Her
broken arm was useless other than to give her pain. She struggled beneath him,
bucking her hips and trying to maneuver her foot between their bodies. He
pressed his body more firmly against hers and she gagged, bile rising in her
throat as she felt the weight of his arousal pressed against her lower abdomen.
Drops of crimson fell on her face from the nasty gash on his head.

“You will take my seed. I scent you and know you’re
fertile.”

“Never!” She jerked beneath him.

He laughed. “Oh but you will. My bastard will grow inside
your belly.”

Tyra screamed as Thanasis reached down with his free hand
and pressed his rough palm against her sex, grinding it painfully against her
clit. She raised her head with lightning-quick speed, nailing him in the nose
with her forehead. The crunch of bone filled her ears as blood sprayed from his
nose. Tyra smiled, satisfied with the pain she’d caused him.

“Bitch!” Thanasis backhanded her.

The coppery taste of her own blood filled her mouth as she
retched again. Tears swam in her eyes and her limbs felt heavy as she felt his
weight shift. A moan tore from her lips as she tried to push him off with her
one good arm. Her face swelled and throbbed. Blackness bottlenecked her vision.
She fought against the tide of nothingness that threatened to take her. Not
like this. He didn’t get to win. Her head lolled to the side as he gripped her
breast in a painful squeeze. Movement in the underbrush had her straining to
see clearly. Had she imagined it? Darkness filled her line of sight. “No,” she
moaned, fighting her way back toward the edge of consciousness. Dark fur with
amber fires burning headed right at them. She felt the head of Thanasis’ cock
move against her lower lips. With the last bit of strength she possessed, she
sank her teeth into his throat and held on as the dark mound hit and sent
Thanasis rolling from her body. Warm blood bathed her face and neck as vicious
growls rent the air.

A few seconds or maybe an eternity later, a wonderful sight
loomed over her. She smiled, reaching for Konrad’s face. Her fingertips brushed
his skin and then she was drifting. On a pain-filled sigh she whispered, “I
love you,” and then surrendered to the blackness.