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  Chloe made a small sound, shifting slightly away from me. I knew that my ministrations hurt, but they were necessary. With my saliva, the scarring wouldn’t be as bad.

  I worked as quickly and gently as I possibly could until the bleeding stopped and the marks left by Brayden’s fangs were pink where the skin was healing.

  When I lifted my head, she immediately put on the shirt she clutched against her chest.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. Clearing her throat, she looked at me. “What about your wounds?”

  I looked down at the bullet graze on my arm. It had already closed on its own, a scab forming on my skin. By tomorrow it would be gone. The rest of my lacerations had been superficial.

  “I’m good.”

  She nodded. “Okay, well, I’m going to try to sleep for a few hours.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  She crawled into the far side of the bed, giving me her back. I stared at the curve of her shoulder for a long moment, hating the fact that my fierce she-wolf was so quiet and complacent.

  As I stood and walked across the hall to check on Carter, I decided then and there that Brayden Kirkpatrick would die the most painful death I could think of, and I’d had occasion to think of a fair number of ways to kill a wolf slowly.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chloe

  I listened to Lachlan leave the room, my heart aching in my chest. When he was gone, I closed my eyes and felt the first tear trickle down my cheek.

  The events of the past twelve hours were straight out of a nightmare. With trembling fingers, I reached up and touched the ruined tissues on the side of my neck. I felt a surge of rage. I wanted to kill Brayden Kirkpatrick so badly that it hurt. With the bite he’d left on me, I would be scarred for life. There would be no way to cleanse myself of the stink of his mark.

  When he was dead and no longer able to assert a claim on me, I would find Darrell Whelby.

  I heard the soft murmur of Lachlan’s voice and realized he was talking to Calder. I hadn’t even thought about calling my grandmother or Calder. My mind had only been on getting away from Prater and helping Carter survive his injuries.

  I couldn’t fall apart now. There was too much at stake. When it was all over, I would have time.

  Lachlan returned to the bedroom, pulling the drapes over the windows before he climbed into the bed behind me. I stiffened when his arms closed around me, my back to his front. I didn’t want another wolf at my back. Not today and maybe never again. The memory of what Brayden had done to me in that cell, and that he intended to do more, was too fresh.

  Then I felt Lachlan’s lips brush over the scar tissue rapidly forming on my shoulder and it was too much.

  I twisted, backing into the wall against the bed and shoving him at the same time. My breath came in rapid pants as I held my hands out between us.

  “Don’t,” I whispered, holding on to my control by a thread.

  The sadness in his eyes was too much. He pitied me and I couldn’t take it. I lashed out, my closed fist hitting his shoulder.

  “Do not look at me like that,” I growled. “Don’t you fucking pity me.” I spat the last words out because I hated the taste of them on my tongue.

  I hit him again, rocking his body back on the mattress. Even now, seeing the way he was looking at me, I couldn’t bring myself to use the full force of my strength.

  Lachlan’s hand lifted, curving around my face. When his thumb swept across my cheekbone, I felt the dampness he spread across my skin. I was crying again, the tears burning my eyes and blurring my vision.

  “I don’t pity you, Chloe. I’ve never known anyone as fierce or as brave as you.” His eyes shone with sincerity as he spoke, his thumb still caressing my skin. “I just want to hold you while we sleep so that I know you’re really here.” He shook his head against the pillow. “Not want. I need to do it. I won’t be able to rest without knowing that I have you close.”

  He didn’t try to force me closer, just moved his palm down my neck and curved his fingers around my shoulder, stroking my arm.

  “Can we do that?” he asked. “Just lay here together?”

  The fight left me then. He spoke of my ferocity and my bravery, but there was nothing left in me at that moment except exhaustion. I knew he wouldn’t push me. If I told him no, he’d let it go.

  But I didn’t want to say no. I wanted to lean on him for a while, to let him be strong while I could not.

  Inching forward, I lined our bodies up so that I faced him, my nose pressed against his chest. He didn’t try to hold me there. Lachlan bent the arm beneath him, resting his head on his bicep. His other draped lightly over my hips. Not pinning me down, just touching me.

  As I inhaled his scent, the wild pounding of my heart began to slow and the terrible tightness in my chest loosened. I could feel my muscles relaxing against him, giving in to my heart’s desire to be close to my mate.

  His lips brushed my hair tenderly and I bit my lip to keep a sob from escaping. I wondered if this was what he felt all those months ago when our roles had been reversed and he was the weak one that I cared for.

  The hurt filled every part of my body, but his proximity was a balm, easing the worst of the pain even if it couldn’t remove it completely.

  “I’m here, Chloe,” he whispered. “You can sleep now. I’ll always be here.”

  I closed my eyes, shutting out the lie as much as giving in to fatigue, and I slept.

  Lachlan’s body lurched, jolting me awake. Then he was out of the bed and across the room, looking out the window.

  “Someone’s here,” he whispered.

  He put an eye to a crack in the drapes then cursed. “Shit. The cavalry has arrived.”

  I rolled out of bed and crossed to the window. He moved to the side to let me look. In the driveway, the doors were thrown open in two SUV’s and I saw familiar wolves climbing out. I was also surprised to see a vampire among them.

  Calder drove one of the vehicles and behind the wheel of the other was Finn, the vampire mate of Ricki’s friend, Kerry. Despite Lachlan’s words, I was glad to see them.

  Until the passenger stepped out of Calder’s SUV. Her back was straight and rigid, her shoulder-length honey blond hair lifting in the slight breeze. As if she could sense my eyes on her, my grandmother looked up to the window, meeting my gaze.

  My father had often joked that my grandmother and I looked more like sisters, despite the one hundred and fifty year age difference. He’d also stated many times that the reason we fought so often was because we were too much alike. It was strange because the reasons we fought usually became the same reasons we got along. Sophia MacArthur was a formidable wolf, regardless of her age or sex.

  I didn’t want her to see me in this state, marked by a male I despised. A wolf I’d let go instead of chasing him down and killing him.

  Even at this distance, I could see her jaw tighten.

  “We’d better go downstairs,” I murmured to Lachlan. “Will you check on Carter?”

  He nodded, his hand taking mine for a moment, squeezing gently. Then he left the room.

  I stood by the window a few seconds longer and took a deep breath, gathering myself for the conversation to come. Once my shield was in place, I went downstairs and opened the front door for the wolves that had come to help us.

  My grandmother was already on the porch, waiting by the door. She looked me over carefully, her eyes lingering on the fresh bite on my shoulder. I knew she could smell Brayden’s scent emanating from the mark when her lips drew into a thin line.

  “The Kirkpatrick’s are dead,” she muttered.

  To my complete shock, when her eyes lifted to mine, there were tears shimmering on the lower lids. She took a deep breath, blinked, and they disappeared.

  Then she hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek, surprising me further. My grandmother could be affectionate, but never in front of other wolves, especially those from another pack. It spoke a great deal to the trust s
he placed in Calder.

  “I love you, Chloe.” The words were whispered so softly that not even the nearby wolves would have been able to hear them.

  “I love you too,” I murmured in return, my voice barely audible.

  My grandmother’s right hand, Nicholas, came up behind her, his black eyes going directly to the wound on my neck and turning hard. “Chloe,” he rumbled by way of greeting.

  Calder, Mason, Shane, and Finn came up the stairs. Two unfamiliar wolves loitered by the cars and I realized they were from Gram’s pack.

  Lachlan emerged from the house, shaking hands with everyone. As the ritual of greeting wound down, Finn sidled up to me.

  “Hi, Finn,” I said, meeting his beautiful amethyst gaze. He was one of the few vampires that didn’t raise my hackles. I liked Conner, Lex, and Asher well enough, but Finn had something inherently soothing in his manner. I assumed it came from the Druid magic in his blood because I got the same sense of peace from Kerry, his mate.

  His eyes swept over my face, taking in every detail, before skimming down to my shoulder, where the fresh scar was partially covered by the t-shirt I wore.

  “Hi, Chloe.” He nodded toward my shoulder. “May I?”

  I wanted to shy away, to hide the mark, but I squared my shoulders. I was a MacArthur and I’d be damned if I let myself give in to the urge.

  I tugged the material away, watching Finn’s face as I did.

  His eyes flared, the purple depths glowing from within, as he took in the damage. “May I try something?” he asked. He looked to me for confirmation before his gaze flicked briefly to Lachlan, who nodded in approval.

  I frowned, wondering why in the hell he thought he needed Lachlan’s okay.

  Finn’s hand lifted, hovering over my shoulder. He began to chant in a language I’d never heard before. His eyes grew brighter and brighter until I could no longer bear to look at them. The skin beneath his palm tingled, then stung. Heat built beneath my skin and I sucked in a sharp breath at the burn, but I forced myself to remain still.

  Then I felt it. Somewhere deep in the muscles of my shoulder and neck, I felt twitching and warmth. It built to nearly an unbearable level, bringing a low whine from my throat.

  Lachlan’s hand closed around mine and I gripped it tightly, fighting the instinct to flinch from the pain.

  “Almost done,” Finn muttered softly. “I know it hurts.”

  I gritted my teeth and held on. Finally, the agony began to fade, the burn settling into a comforting glow.

  “There,” Finn said, rubbing his hands together. I saw lavender and silver sparks falling from his fingers, disappearing before they could hit the porch.

  I lifted my hand, running my fingertips over my neck. Beneath my touch all I felt was smooth, unblemished skin.

  Then I did something I never thought I would do. Especially not in front of my grandmother or Calder. Or any other wolf for that matter.

  I threw myself at a vampire, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  Chapter Thirty

  Lachlan

  Finn’s eyes met mine over Chloe’s head and I mouthed, “Thank you.”

  He nodded, just a subtle tilt of his head.

  I’d felt the way Chloe tensed when my lips touched the wound this morning while we were in bed. If the scar remained, every time she looked in the mirror, she would be reminded of that night.

  I owed the vampire something I could never repay because he’d not only healed the wound, he’d saved Chloe from more pain.

  While I held her in the early morning hours, I’d realized why I’d been so desperate to stop what was happening in that cell. I knew she would fight until Brayden killed her before she would submit to a forced mating.

  And I could no longer imagine a life without Chloe in it.

  At the realization, something stirred within me. An instinct I never thought I would feel again. The urge to mate. To mark her as mine.

  As I watched Chloe release Finn, I knew that discussion would have to wait. We had wolves to track and a pack to save.

  But when it was all over, we would talk. I only hoped she would listen.

  Carter appeared in the front door, still pale and a little stooped, but he looked much better.

  “We need to talk,” he stated, his eyes taking in the wolves on his porch, pausing on the single vampire in the group. He took Finn’s presence in stride without a word, gesturing for us to follow him.

  We filed inside and trailed behind Carter into the living room. In one corner a bank of monitors and speakers was set up, showing different camera feeds of Prater.

  “Darrell’s gone off the deep end,” Carter stated grimly, gesturing to the screens. He turned up the speakers and voices began to filter into the room.

  I watched in horror as Darrell and two of his deputies dragged a family from their home, mates and their two female pups. One deputy had a tight grip on the little ones’ hair, lifting them onto their toes as they walked. Darrell had secured the parents’ hands behind their backs but I could see the fear and rage on their faces as they stumbled behind.

  Carter pointed to another screen, which showed the ruined cell room in the police department. Two more families waited inside, mates and children. One of the she-wolves was hunched over, but when she straightened I realized with horror that she was pregnant.

  “What the fuck is this?” Calder asked, his voice furious and rough.

  “He sent me a text message,” Carter replied, lifting his phone. “He’s taking families that helped me. All this time, he’s known and he’s just been watching and waiting for me to make a move so he had a legitimate reason to kill us all.”

  “We have to help them,” Chloe said, her eyes intense. Frighteningly so.

  My eyes were caught by another camera feed, this one in Darrell’s office at the police department.

  I pointed to the screen. “What are they saying? Do you have sound for that room?”

  Carter nodded, fiddling with the computer he had set up on the table next to the monitors.

  Suddenly Brayden’s voice filled the room.

  “Where is she?” he snarled. “She’s my mate and I want her here!”

  Brian sat behind Darrell’s desk, looking completely at ease. “We’ll find her, son. Just be patient a bit longer. With what Darrell is doing, I doubt it will be long before she comes to us.”

  “She should have been mine already,” Brayden growled, shoving his hands through his hair as he paced back and forth in the office. “If you’d let me take her when I wanted to, none of this would have happened.”

  “People would have talked if she mated right after her parents died, Brayden. They would have suspected that you forced her and we would’ve ended up in front of the Tribunal answering uncomfortable questions about forced mating.”

  “Then why in the fuck did we hire Darrell to kill them? Huh?” Brayden stopped pacing, some of the madness leaving his face. “This had nothing to do with what I wanted,” he stated with sudden clarity. “It was you. You wanted the pack. You knew you couldn’t take it from Matthew MacArthur, so you had Darrell kill him. Now you’re letting someone else do your dirty work again, hoping Carter and Lachlan will kill Darrell for you.”

  The older wolf smiled. “Finally, you’re beginning to think the way an alpha should.”

  My fists clenched and I glanced at Chloe. Her face was pale and her eyes burned with fury. Sophia MacArthur was much better at hiding her rage, but I could smell it as it swelled. Her face gave nothing away, but there was no way she could hide the scent.

  “We need to get into town right now,” Carter insisted. “I know my father. He’s going to start killing wolves until I show up.” His eyes were haunted as he looked at me. “He’ll start with the weakest.”

  The pups, I realized with horror.

  “We can’t just go in there with guns blazing,” Sophia argued. “We need a plan.”

  Carter’s eyes fired. “Oh, I have a plan. I’m going to kill the m
otherfucker like I should have years ago.”

  “She’s right,” Chloe stated. “We need a plan.” When Carter looked as though he were about to argue, she lifted a hand. “But we’ll decide quickly. We have the advantage of strength and numbers. Darrell and his deputies aren’t as strong as any of us. Brian Kirkpatrick is just as likely to stand back and watch Darrell die as he is to fight.” Her jaw hardened. “And Brayden is mine.”

  Something like admiration crossed Carter’s face.

  Chloe glanced down at her body. “I need clothes,” she stated. “Something more substantial than boxers and a t-shirt.”

  “I took care of that,” Sophia replied. “Your bags are in the car.”

  “I’ll get them,” Nicholas stated, moving silently out of the room.

  “Now, how are we going to do this?” Calder asked Carter. “You know the best ways into town, correct?”

  “So does Chloe,” Carter answered, looking to her.

  “Then let’s figure out how we’re going to get in there without detection and take care of the fuckers,” Calder said.

  I watched as Finn stepped forward. “I think I can help you with that.”

  “How?” I asked.

  A sly smile crossed his face as he answered, “With magic of course.”

  Five minutes later, we were crowded around the map of the town that Carter had pinned to the wall.

  We agreed to split into three groups. Chloe, Finn, and I would be together. Sophia, Carter, Shane, and Nicholas would enter the town from the opposite side. Calder, Mason, and the two wolves that Sophia brought, Paul and Greg, would make up the final group.

  Surprisingly, there was very little arguing over strategy, especially when Finn detailed how he intended to help us.

  “I can mask your scent with a spell,” he explained. “And another that will make you difficult to see. It’s not invisibility exactly and it only works when you aren’t moving quickly, but it should be enough to get us into town undetected.”