“I’d love some water if you have it.”
“Coming up.” He turned to Janine. “You need anything else?”
“Yeah, but it’ll have to wait until later.” Janine leaned in and whispered to Raze, but Sherry still heard her.
She covered her ears. “La la la la. Don’t want to hear this.”
Raze dropped a quick kiss on Janine’s mouth and started for the cooler by the grill. After Raze handed Sherry a cold bottle of water, some movement from the woods startled her. Seconds later, a blond boy stepped out. He stood watching them.
“Come on over, Collin. Grab a plate and join us,” Brent called out to the kid.
When he hesitantly made his way toward them, Sherry noticed he was older than she’d originally thought, probably in his early twenties. His eyes were haunted, and hinted that he’d witnessed much violence for his young years. He got a plate and sat down. After she got her food, she made her way to the end of the table where he sat all alone.
“May I sit by you?” She smiled, but his mouth remained in a grim line.
“Sure.” His voice was surprisingly deep, but quiet.
“Do you live here, Collin?” He was attractive in a boyish sort of way, but he wasn’t her type.
He nodded his head yes.
Okay, so he wasn’t a talker either. She ate her food and tried several more attempts at starting a conversation with him, but he didn’t take the bait.
When he was finished eating, he took his plate to the trash can and walked back toward the woods where he disappeared into the shadows of the trees.
“He’s only been here a week. He’s had some bad luck,” Janine told Sherry.
“That’s sad. I hope he gets better.” She hated to see others suffer. She figured it was due to the tragedy she’d lived through, and could understand, at least on some level, their pain.
“He will. That’s what Sanctuary is for.” Janine smiled.
She finished eating, took her plate to throw it away, then walked back over to where Janine was sitting with the others. “I’m going to run back to the cabin real quick and use the bathroom.” Sherry said to Janine.
“Feel free to use the bathroom in our cabin.” Rindy pointed over her shoulder to the log cabin she’d seen when she’d first walked to the gathering.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Rindy took a bite of a burger that looked almost as big as she was.
“Thanks. Be right back.”
Piers made his way through the woods toward his target. He was delayed when he spied the young, blond lycan. The boy hadn’t stayed with the group for long before making his exit. Now that he was gone, Piers started to move in again. When he stood at the edge of the clearing, his gaze went straight to the lycan who had to be Anthony Wolfson.
He was big, bigger than the other lycans had described, but Piers wasn’t deterred. He was sure he could take him. He found it hard to drag his eyes from the man who’d killed his brother, but he had to assess the battle ground. Besides Anthony, there were two other men and three women. He knew the women’s presence was to his advantage since at least one of the males would protect them by keeping them away from Piers.
They all appeared to have just finished eating and were setting up a game of horseshoes. They were going to be playing close to the edge of the woods, and his opportunity to avenge his brother was close at hand. The deer scent he’d sprayed on himself would wear off soon and give away his true identity, but for now, they’d think nothing of his presence, thinking it was a doe or buck that had wandered close.
He tensed when Anthony moved closer to his position. Within moments, the ancient’s nostrils flared. He’d been made. His plan of a surprise attack was compromised and he put plan B into action. He ran toward the log cabin, hoping that only Anthony would follow before the others caught on to what was happening. There was a small chance his backup plan would work since the others were a bit farther away from where he’d been standing.
He was hoping the ancient would instruct both the other males to stay behind and protect the females.
He ran all out and knew Anthony was now on his tail. The first opportunity, he’d take him down quick. He didn’t want to risk a drawn out fight, which might allow enough time for the other males to get the females to safety and return to help out.
Chapter Six
Sherry thought the cabin was a beautiful place and very modern, unlike the small cabin she’d been staying in with Janine and Raze. If she had a place like this, living in the middle of nowhere might not be so bad. She opened the front door and stepped out onto the deck. She looked up at the ceiling and admired the woodwork. She stepped back to get a better look and ran smack into a solid wall. She shook her head, thinking somehow she’d walked into the wall, when a strong arm snaked around her waist and she froze.
At first she’d thought that maybe Raze was playing around with her, but when every hair on the back of her neck rose in warning and instant dread swirled in her stomach, she knew something was very wrong. Her eyes flew wide, and a scream bubbled from her throat, but was cut off when Anthony ran into the clearing from the trees and froze.
“Let her go.”
“I don’t think so. You murdered my brother.” His low voice sent shivers through her body.
Sherry watched as Anthony’s brows drew downward as if he was confused by the man’s accusation. What was going on, and how did she end up in the middle of it?
“Who is your brother?” Anthony asked quietly.
“You mean who was my brother. His name was Daniel, and he came here to talk to you about Raze along with Damon when you slaughtered him.”
“That’s not how it happened.” Anthony remained calm, but his green eyes hinted at his agitation and worry.
“I heard more than one person tell me exactly how it happened, and they all had the same story.”
He started moving down the stairs of the deck slowly, keeping her tight against his chest while he dragged her along as he inched toward the others.
When they got closer, she noticed Raze and Brent standing in front of Karen, Rindy, and Janine trying to protect them while she tried to push around Raze.
“Sherry! Are you okay?” Janine’s voice was frantic, and tears streaked her cheeks.
Sherry could barely breathe from the arm wrapped so tightly around her.
She covered the hard forearm with her hand and was surprised when electricity shot through her fingertips. He tensed behind her, giving away the fact that he’d felt it as well.
“Please. You’re holding me too tight. I can’t breathe,” she gasped. He instantly loosened his hold on her, but not enough to where she thought she could get free. She took a couple steady breaths before answering. “I’m okay, Janine.”
“Please! Please, let my sister go. Take me. Just don’t hurt her.”
“No!” Raze yanked Janine to him as she tried to get around him again.
She fought him like a hellcat, but he subdued her, and she sobbed against his chest.
“What do you want?” Raze glared over her head at the man holding her.
“He wants me.” Anthony said, who was now standing about twenty feet from them with clenched fists. “He accuses me of killing his brother during the encounter with Damon after he came to deal with your desertion from the pack.” He looked at Raze as he spoke.
“You’re Raze, aren’t you?”
Raze nodded at the man who had Sherry in a death grip.
“You are part of the reason my brother is dead. As it must be painfully obvious what I want, and also that I’m not going to get it, at least at this point, I’ll be taking her along with me to make sure I have another chance.”