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  Curved in an arch over his lap, I cried out as his tongue and teeth teased my nipples, tugging and flicking at my flesh until it ached from the pleasure. I felt his cock then, fully erect against my ass. I shifted my hips, lifting them until our bodies lined up. He reached one hand between us and guided himself inside me.

  “That is the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” he groaned as I sank down on him, my head still positioned at a sharp angle as he held my hair.

  “I want to see,” I said, fighting against his hold.

  He released me and I looked down to watch as his cock slid inside me until my ass rested on his thighs. I gasped at the sensation of being filled, lifting my hips and lowering my body again. I reached out behind him, closing my hands over the back of the couch as I moved. Our motions were slow and with each stroke I felt as though he was going deeper. He sucked one of my nipples into his mouth, working at the tip of my breast until I couldn’t take the sensation any longer and begged him to stop.

  My body was clamoring for orgasm and I gasped as my hips moved faster.

  “I’m close,” I whispered, throwing my head back when his thumb hit my clit. “Ian!” I cried out as the climax burst inside of me, fire flooding my veins.

  As I convulsed on top of him, his mouth went to the curve where my neck and shoulder met and he bit me. Not the playful nip of a lover, but the deep bite of a wolf marking his territory.

  I screamed as every muscle in my body locked in ecstasy. I would have bitten him then, marking him as my mate, if he hadn’t grabbed a fistful of my hair again. I cried out again as he sucked the wound, feeling the sensation in my clit.

  Finally, his mouth released me and I fell on top of him. Our chests bumped and I heard the echo of my heartbeat roaring in my ears. Then I realized the echo was his heart hammering against mine—pounding in perfect unison with my own.

  What in the hell had he just done?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Lachlan

  Chloe’s head dropped onto my shoulder, her heart pounding against my chest. I smelled blood and realized the bite on her shoulder was still oozing a little. I ran my tongue over the wound.

  She winced and sat up. Moving slowly, she climbed off of me and walked out of the room without a word. Water ran in the bathroom and I knew she was cleaning up. Feeling strangely content, I got to my feet, slid on my jeans, and followed her.

  The bathroom was empty when I entered. Grabbing the damp washcloth she’d left in the sink, I rinsed it out and cleaned myself off. I heard the rustle of fabric in the bedroom and found her yanking a t-shirt over her head. The expression on her face froze me to the spot.

  She looked tortured and incredibly sad.

  “Do you realize what you’ve done?” she asked, her voice shaky and thin.

  “You mean the bite?”

  “Of course I mean the bite!” she yelled. Chloe drew in a deep breath, shoved her hands in her hair, and turned her back to me.

  I watched her fight for control over her emotions. When she won the battle, she faced me again, her eyes still overcome with sadness.

  “You marked me, Ian. Not just a love bite but a claiming mark. If I’d bitten you…” she trailed off, shaking her head.

  The peacefulness within me faded. “I know,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

  Her eyes widened. “You know? You did it intentionally?”

  With my jaw clenched tightly, I nodded.

  “What in the hell were you thinking?” she asked, her voice growing louder. “You said yourself you don’t want to take another mate yet you fucking marked me! You didn’t discuss it with me, you just did it. If I’d bitten you in return, we would have been mated and there would be nothing either of us could do about it!”

  She had a valid point. I hadn’t thought, at least not about what she might want. Since she’d mentioned the mate who rejected her, all I could think about was that he might change his mind and she would be gone. I knew it was entirely selfish, but I wanted Chloe to myself. For myself.

  “If you’re worried about your mate—” I began.

  “I don’t give a fuck about that right now, Ian. What I care about is that you did something that affects both of us without so much as asking me how I felt about it. You know there’s no going back once the bond is in place. There’s no changing your mind.”

  She stopped speaking, her chest heaving with emotion, and her eyes filled with tears.

  “Shit, Chloe. Don’t cry. You’re right, I wasn’t thinking about what you wanted. All I cared about was what I wanted.”

  A tear trickled down her cheek and the wolf within me whined. He wanted to go and comfort her. Hold her until she no longer felt sad or afraid.

  “Do you even know what you want?” she asked softly. “Truly? Because I know I couldn’t take it if you decided after all was said and done that you made a mistake.”

  God, I’d completely fucked this up. I took a step toward her but she lifted her hand to stop me.

  “No, don’t touch me right now. Think about my question and answer it. For yourself.” She brushed by me, heading toward the door. “I’m going for a run. We’ll talk when I get back.”

  The implication that I was too weak to know my own mind stirred my own anger. “Are you worried about what your mate will say when he sees the mark? If he ever does?” As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted them. I opened my mouth to apologize but she’d already turned toward me.

  It wasn’t ire sparkling in her eyes but utter dejection.

  “I told you, Lachlan. He doesn’t want a mate. He probably never will. This isn’t about him. It’s about you and me.”

  Without another word, she slipped out the front door, closing it quietly behind her. I stood in the hall, staring after her, my mind sifting through everything she’d said and the hurt in every line of her body.

  She was wrong. I did know what I wanted—her.

  I took a step to go after her, but stopped. She asked me to think about what I truly wanted. She wanted me to be sure.

  But not once had she said she didn’t want to be tied to me.

  My fear that she would leave me for the mate who rejected her had driven me to do something drastic, but that wasn’t my only motivation.

  I wanted Chloe. For a week. A year. A lifetime.

  I would never have that soul deep bond I’d shared with Belinda, but it didn’t matter because I loved Chloe.

  There was no version of my future that didn’t have her in it.

  Determined, I went to the front door and walked outside. I would shift and track her down. When I found her, I only hoped I could make her understand.

  Before I reached the edge of the porch, something sharp pierced my back. I whirled, facing my attacker. My entire body was on fire, my muscles convulsing uncontrollably as I fell to the wooden planks beneath me.

  The pain subsided for a moment and I looked up at the shadow looming over me. He crouched down, his face coming into focus.

  Darrell Whelby’s dark eyes stared back at me. “Thanks for saving me the trouble of coming in to get you, son.” He held a black device in his hand, his finger twitching on the trigger.

  Once again, my body was seized by unending waves of pain that continued until I slipped into unconsciousness.

  When I came to, I was lying on my side, my body swaying. I cracked my eyelids open, hoping to get an idea of where I was. I saw the metal shell of a van and realized that my body was swaying because the vehicle was in motion.

  Then I focused on the lump in front of me, my blood running cold when I realized that it was Chloe. I tried to reach for her, but my hands were caught tight behind me, bound in chains and thick shackles.

  The van slowed to a stop. I tilted my head back to look toward the driver’s seat. Darrell stared back, his eyes grim. He lifted a black handgun, pointing it straight at my chest. I barely had a chance to register his intentions before he pulled the trigger.

  When the tearing pain ne
ver came, only a sharp pinch, I looked down and saw a silver dart sticking out of my chest. My head swam as it dawned on me that he’d drugged me.

  “You don’t get off that easy, Lachlan,” Darrell muttered as I fought the effects of the sedative. “You have a lot to answer for.”

  I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. As the darkness claimed me one more time, I whispered, “Chloe.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chloe

  I lay perfectly still as the van rolled to a stop, keeping my eyes shut. I knew without looking that Lachlan was beside me and he was awake as well. We’d only been on the road for a short time and I wondered if we’d already reached our destination. Then I heard a soft whooshing sound and Darrell’s voice.

  “You don’t get off that easy, Lachlan. You have a lot to answer for.”

  I lifted my lids slightly to look at Lach, but his eyes were rolling back in his head, a silver dart sticking out of his chest.

  “Chloe,” he whispered.

  My wolf rose up within me, enraged to see our mate in pain, but I fought the urge to howl. If Darrell knew I was awake, I would get the same treatment as Lach.

  I listened as Darrell put the van in gear and we moved back onto the road.

  When I’d left the house earlier, my heart breaking after seeing the look on Lachlan’s face, my only thoughts had been of outrunning the pain. By the time I’d smelled Darrell’s scent in the air, it had been too late.

  There was another wolf up front with Darrell, one of his officers from the Prater Police Department. The rest were following behind us in an SUV marked PPD. Six against one were shitty odds, but I had no choice.

  There was no doubt in my mind that once they got Lach and I to our destination, they were going to kill us. I had no choice but to try and fight my way out of the situation.

  As I told Lachlan before, strategy wasn’t my strong suit. I couldn’t even feign weakness in hopes it would lower their guard. These wolves knew my reputation and me. They’d taken no chances, chaining me to the floor of the van just as they had Lachlan.

  My only hope was to let them think that I was unconscious when they removed me from the vehicle and lash out when they least expected it.

  Thirty minutes later, the van turned, going over several bumps, before rolling to a stop. I controlled my breathing, keeping it deep and even, as Darrell shut off the van.

  “You and the boys grab him. I’ll get the she-wolf.”

  My ears strained as they climbed out. A few moments later, there were footsteps and the doors at the rear of the van swung open. I desperately wanted to open my eyes and take measure of how many men were there, but I couldn’t risk it. I would only have one shot at escaping. With Lachlan unconscious, I would have to find a way to get him out of here too, but I needed to take one step at a time.

  I hoped they would remove me first because then all I would have to do was grab the keys and drive the van away with Lach inside, but those thoughts were dashed when I felt the bed of the van dip as one of the wolves climbed inside. The jingling of keys told me they were unchaining him from the floor. The van jostled more as they slid him out, the two wolves barely grunting as they took Lachlan’s weight.

  When hands grasped my ankles to turn me over, I fought the urge to kick. My wolf raged inside me, wanting to fight. To kill. But I forced her back.

  Not yet.

  Someone clambered up into the van, standing over me. From his scent, I knew it was Darrell. He stood there for a long time and I felt his stare on me. Then the chains holding me to the floor loosened and my body slid toward the open doors.

  Darrell threw me over his shoulder, my skull crashing against his lower back. I swallowed a groan as my head swam. The drugs he’d given me were wearing off, but not quickly enough. I risked a peek around us through the curtain of my hair, but all the other wolves had gone inside.

  It was time.

  Moving quickly, I looped the chains that connected my hands around Darrell’s neck, snapping them tight. He grunted and dropped me, which was a mistake. As I fell, I dragged him with me, turning us so he hit the ground face first.

  Slamming a knee into his back, I gripped the chains and yanked hard. I heard a high whine escape from his mouth as the pressure around his windpipe increased.

  He thrashed beneath me, his body bucking. My head spun dizzily, but I fought to hold on. Gathering my strength, I pulled back on the chain, tilting his head at an unnatural angle. All it would take was one good yank to break his neck.

  Nausea roiled in my gut and bright multi-colored lights burst behind my eyes. Now that I was upright, the side effects from the drug were making it difficult to remain conscious.

  I bit my lower lip so hard that I tasted blood, the pain bringing me back from the edge. I had to save Lachlan.

  Darrell’s feet kicked wildly and his hands scrabbled at the chain, jerking against it. I took a deep breath, preparing for the final strike, when I heard a familiar whoosh.

  Something sharp pierced my shoulder and I cried out. Immediately, my limbs felt sluggish and my head spun, but I kept a death grip on the chain. Rough hands grabbed me. I snarled and bit, fighting with everything I had, but the sedative was weakening me.

  Finally, a fist crashed into the side of my face and I could fight no longer.

  When I came to, the throbbing in my skull was so intense that I gagged. Somehow I managed to keep from throwing up, probably because there was nothing in my stomach.

  I fought to control the heaves, taking deep breaths until the urge passed. I opened my eyes and hissed as the bright light pierced my retinas. Squeezing them shut, I focused on keeping the nausea at bay.

  When my body finally calmed, I opened my eyes again, squinting against the light. My forehead rubbed against cold, metal and my gaze focused. I realized my face was pressed against steel bars. I was in some sort of cell.

  Turning my head, I looked toward my hands. They were tied with thick rope, spread out to my sides so that my upper body formed a T shape. A quick glance down confirmed that my ankles were tied down to the anchors in the floor so that I was spread-eagled. The front of my torso rested heavily against the bars. I had some room to move, but not much. I was glad to see that I still wore the t-shirt and panties I’d thrown on back at the house.

  A groan caught my attention and I looked up. There was another cell next to mine. On the opposite wall of bars, Lachlan was trussed up in a similar fashion, only he was facing me and he was still shirtless. His head lolled forward and he groaned again, his body straining.

  I knew he was probably fighting the same nausea and pain I had when I awoke.

  “Just breathe slow and deep,” I murmured to him, my voice catching on the last word. “It’ll pass in a moment.”

  His eyes opened and he stared at me blindly for a moment. I watched as awareness took hold and his eyes focused.

  “Chloe,” he choked.

  “I’m here.”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “Me too.”

  “Oh, how touching,” a voice drawled from behind me.

  I twisted my head and watched as Darrell sauntered into the room. I realized he’d brought us back to the Prater police station when I saw the familiar desks behind him as he came through the door.

  “I’m glad you’re both awake because we have some things to discuss,” he said. The cell doors were open, so he entered the second cell, standing between Lachlan and me. “Now, I’m going to ask you nicely the first time and give you a chance to answer my questions without using pain as an incentive.” He turned to look at me. “I’d recommend you answer truthfully because we can all smell lies. If you lie to me, I’ll be forced to find other ways to gather the truth. I find that my imagination when it comes to you, little Chloe, is extremely creative.”

  I stared at Darrell, taking in the changes to his demeanor. His hair was still the same dark brown, his shoulders still broad and strong, but he looked nothing like the man I knew as
a pup. His brown eyes were glittering malevolently in the light and the muscles of his face seemed to tighten, thinning his mouth and lifting his jaw.

  This man was cold, calculating, and cruel.

  Even his scent was different, sharper and almost painful when inhaled. He might be a shifter, but the real monster lived inside his mind and it had long ago devoured his soul.

  “What do you want to know?” Lachlan asked.

  Darrell smiled, the expression feral rather than showing amusement. “Ah, I’m glad to see one of you is feeling reasonable.”

  When he turned his head, I saw the thick band of purple bruises around his neck and upper chest and felt a surge of glee at the knowledge that I’d caused them. Even a shifter would take days to heal from wounds like that.

  “Where is Carter?” Darrell asked Lachlan.

  His gaze steady, Lach replied, “I don’t know.”

  Darrell growled. “This is your last chance. Answer me honestly or…” In a blink of an eye, he stood in front of me and thrust his hand through the bars. His fingers tangled in my hair, jerking hard. “I show you exactly how creative I am when it comes to hurting people who piss me off.”

  I glared at him out of the corner of my eye, the warning snarl rolling up my chest and throat and out of my mouth.

  Darrell glanced down at me, smirking. “Threaten me all you like, Chloe MacArthur. We both know you aren’t getting out of those ropes.”

  He was right. In the position that Lach and I were tied in, we couldn’t claw or chew at our bindings without hurting ourselves. We couldn’t shift either because our arms and legs would be dislocated. By the time we healed enough to fight or run, it would be too late.

  Darrell yanked my face against the bars, my forehead hitting them with a thunk. “Answer me!” he yelled at Lach.

  “I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell us. We offered to let him come with us when we ran, but he refused. The last time we saw him was in the forest near the cabin.” Lachlan’s eyes narrowed on Darrell and the muscles in his arms and legs bunched. “Let her go.”