“No need to concern your pretty head with that. As long as your brother does what he’s supposed to, you’ll be fine.” Jay strode into the room, passing the stranger. Julie’s eyes widened in alarm. Jay?
“What…What are you doing here?” She couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Oh, Julie, you stupid bitch. Did you really think you were so gorgeous I couldn’t help myself? I’d hoped to do things the easy way. Get to you through your libido. But you had to mate with a dog.” He spit the word out in distaste.
Her mind whirled as she listened to him. He’d meant to kidnap her from the beginning? She’d assumed he was interested in her, but she’d only been a means to an end.
“Why me? I’m not even one of them.”
“Exactly. Why would I go after one of the shifters when there you are? Easy pickings.” The cruelty in his laugh grated on her nerves as she shrunk into herself for comfort. “Don’t you get it? You’re the weak link. And to think how easy it was to lure them away from protecting you. One little note, pointing the trigger at someone else, and they flocked to the little fox. Stupid mutts. But no matter, they just need to care about you enough to support the bill in the council. If all goes as planned, we’ll let you go.”
She pulled at the top of her dress self-consciously. They hadn’t hurt her yet, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t. His gaze drifted toward her cleavage, and she felt a flash of fear before he sneered.
“Don’t worry. None of my pride would be interested in you. You were born of wolves, and that’s almost as bad as being one.” He stalked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Julie glanced at the stranger remaining. His stare was frightening. A smile crossed his face, but the leer was far from comforting, and the words that followed were even less so.
“Not everyone has such discriminating tastes in our whores. Just wait until the next guard shift. Maybe I’ll even stay and watch.”
Panic flooded her. She had to find a way out of here. Brendan would come, she had no doubt. But there was no guarantee he would find her in time. Even now the scent of the drug they’d used flowed from her pores. Brendan would never be able to track her scent.
There was no telling how long she’d been out, or how far they’d traveled. Or how long she had before they attacked. She wouldn’t sit by and let herself be violated, waiting for a rescue.
“Can I have some water?” she asked the man, hoping they didn’t plan to starve or dehydrate her. She needed to get her wits back if she wanted to pull off an escape.
Brendan stared at Julie’s car in their driveway. The door stood wide open, the car keys abandoned on the ground next to a cloth with a chemical smell. He wasn’t an expert, but he could deduce what had happened here.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm the fear as he took a deep breath. Whatever drug they’d used masked her scent, but another, strange scent was present. He recognized it from whatever had been outside her apartment a few weeks ago.
The growl rumbled up from his throat as the shift overcame him. He’d hunt this fucker as wolf and tear him limb from limb. Nothing would stand in his way.
All around him he heard the cracks and pops that accompanied the shift into animal as others took to their fur. The warm comfort of the shift, so contrary to the noise, overtook him. He let his wolf take charge, feeling the determination through his worry. They’d find his mate, and when they did, if she’d been harmed in any way, he’d hunt down the kidnappers and their families until he wiped out their whole pathetic line.
He didn’t bother looking around as his wolf tracked the scent. He knew his pack would follow. His only concern right now was Julie. He had to get to her. Had to make sure she was okay. Afterward, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.
Chapter 11
“I need to use the bathroom.” Julie was still a bit dizzy, but the water and food she’d managed to acquire had done their part. Once her mind had cleared, she’d realized a couple things. One, Jay and this man must be part of the cheetah pride Jason thought had sent the threatening note. Two, they assumed she wasn’t a threat as a human. The man had mentioned another guard, but when he’d opened the door to get her water all she’d seen was an empty room. Since waking, she’d neither seen nor heard anyone besides the two men.
Regardless, she couldn’t risk waiting any longer. The other guard could show up at any time, and then it would be too late.
She needed to figure out how to get away. The room was devoid of anything she could use as a weapon. Even the lamps were bolted to the wall. Not that a lamp would have done the trick anyway. From childhood she knew it took a lot to knock out and keep down a shifter. She only hoped there was something in the bathroom she could use.
The man nodded, grabbing her arm in a fierce grip, and dragged her to the door next to the bedroom. He thrust her inside the room and stood in the entrance.
“I can’t pee with you in here.”
“I’m not allowed to let you out of my sight.”
Rolling her shoulders forward and wringing her hands together, Julie tried to look feeble. The wobble she forced into her voice reinforced the intimidated image she strove for.
“Please. I’m just human. What can I do in here to cause trouble?” She pleaded with her eyes. The man snorted but left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Julie turned on the faucet for cover and assessed the contents of the room. Nothing! Not one damn thing would work as a weapon.
Her gaze passed over the toilet but quickly returned. She lifted the lid, grateful to find it wasn’t attached and was heavy enough to do the trick. She needed to be fast. Once she knocked out the guard, she still had to find the keys to the truck she’d spotted in the driveway. With any luck, they’d be out in the open, waiting for her to steal them. But she wasn’t relying on it being that easy. The day hadn’t been lucky for her so far. She needed to get away before anyone discovered she was gone.
Julie opened the door, praying he waited on the other side so the door would provide a moment of cover. Her luck seemed to be turning. She heaved the toilet lid over her shoulder like a bat. A large rectangular bat, but a bat nonetheless.
As soon as the door cleared, she swung out, registering the surprise on his face before she connected with his head. He went down in a pile, and Julie took another swing at his head, making sure he stayed out. The lid shattered under the force.
“Weak link my ass.” She spit on him and searched his pockets, thanking God when she felt keys inside. She looked around and didn’t see Jay anywhere.
Knowing she had a few minutes tops before the guard woke, Julie scrambled up and made her way to the door. She stumbled on the rug, still shaking off the effects of the drugs, but knowing this was her one chance to escape. They wouldn’t mistake her as weak twice.
She fumbled with the door and peeked around the edge. Still no sign of anyone. She looked toward the truck. It sat maybe ten yards away. She could make it.
Instinct took over and she ran. She threw her body inside the cab and shoved the key into the ignition. As it roared to life, she glanced in her rearview mirror.
Jay stood against a shed behind her, staring at her reflection with raw fury. The change overtook him, and he turned into a huge cat before her eyes.
Jason had been wrong. He wasn’t a cheetah, although he had the same spots as one. He wasn’t like any animal. He was as large as a lion, and his paws looked capable of tearing through the metal of the truck. She’d never seen anything so frightening in her life.