Chapter 20
David instantly scented the wolf trying to crash through the door.
Grabbing his mate, he whisked them away.
When he and Zane reappeared, it was at the place where he’d met Feris and Hook in the woods about a month before.
They wouldn’t be safe here for long but at least they’d have time to figure out what to do next.
Emerging out of the blackness, Zane found himself standing in front of an old castle with the stench of death filling the air. Quickly stepping in front of his mate, Zane’s wolf flashed in his eyes as he surveyed the clearing, finding only the remains of dead men. “Where are we?”
“Daroonga Castle,” replied David. “I’ve only seen it once and it was the first place that came to mind.”
“Did you know the shifters who broke in to Brian’s cottage?”
“Yes. They’re after me and I’m pretty sure they planned to kill you.”
“Right. Well, we better get inside,” Zane said, taking David’s hand, leading him into the foreboding castle.
Using his wolf eyesight, Zane followed a hallway until he reached a door.
Once inside, he found a candle sitting next to a box of matches.
Now at least there was light. Looking at his mate, Zane asked, “Babe, how did they find us?”
“I-I-I-I d-d-don’t k-k-k-now,” David stuttered, shivering from the fear coursing through his body.
Encircling his arms around David, Zane crooned, “Easy babe, we’ll figure this out together.”
Nodding, David nestled tightly against the person who soothed his fears; his heart slowed down, allowing him to recall what happened in the past. “I think they can track me but I’m not sure how.
They found me when I ran away. Michael told me then there wasn’t any place I could go where he wouldn’t be able to find me.
I didn’t understand what he meant, but tonight… ”
“You thought they weren’t following you?”
“Yeah, so I figured I could disappear with you, they wouldn’t know where I went, but tonight proved me wrong about that.”
“Do you have a phone on you?”
“No. You know that,” David said accusingly.
“Hey babe, relax. I’m just going down a checklist, trying to eliminate possibilities and using a phone’s GPS is one of them. Other than you and me, Brian was the…”
“Brian wouldn’t tell them!” David said, bristling at the implication.
“I agree with you babe,” said Zane, “and if we eliminate those two, the only other way I know someone can be tracked is by some kind of signal.” He paused, going over the possibilities in his mind.
“You aren’t wearing any of your original clothes, so they can’t use them…
hmmm…babe, do you mind if I check your body? ”
“For what?”
“To see if anything was placed on it that would allow them to track you.”
“There isn’t anything. Don’t you think I would have noticed it some time?”
“Please David, it’s the only thing I can come up with as to how they’re able to find you.”
Searching his mate’s face, David saw the worry Zane felt and that was enough for him to say, “Okay. What do you want me to do?”
Quickly figuring out a plan, Zane said, “I’m going to start at the top of your head and work my way down from there so just remove your shirt for now.”
Standing bare-chested, David shivered from the cold air swirling throughout the room from the open windows. Stretching out his arms, he closed his eyes, bracing for his mate’s hands on his body, knowing he’d feel tiny shocks of energy everywhere they touched him.
After a quick intake of breath at seeing his mate’s gorgeous, naked, chest, Zane got to work.
Burying his hands in David’s curly hair, he slowly moved his fingertips over his mate’s scalp, feeling for anything unusual.
Finding nothing, his fingers worked their way down David’s neck, back, arms and chest, all the while feeling for anything out of the ordinary.
Reaching his mate’s pants without finding anything, he began to doubt that he would.
“Babe, you can put your shirt back on,” he said.
Pulling his sweatshirt over his head, David asked, “Do you want me to take my pants off?”
Even with growing doubts about his theory, Zane decided to finish the search, just so he could close the door on his theory. “Please, but you can leave your briefs on,” he said to his mate.
Kicking off his boots, David peeled off his sweatpants, letting them lie in a pile on the floor. Then spreading his legs, he stood still, silently counting backwards from a hundred as he hoped to keep his mind occupied with something other than his mate’s hands near his cock.
Kneeling on the stone floor, Zane stared at the long, lean, muscled legs in front of him, his mouth watering at the thought of running his tongue over them.
Bracing himself against the desire he felt for David, Zane tentatively reached out his hands, holding them barely an inch from his mate’s skin.
Then taking a deep breath, he closed the distance, feeling his mate’s skin again.
David gasped. “Are you okay?” Zane asked.
“Y-y-e-essss,” David hissed, desperately trying to control his desire for his mate, yet unable to, his cock tenting his briefs, seeking a way out.
Zane’s eyes widened as he saw David’s reaction to his touch.
Smiling inwardly, he returned to his mission and slowly ran his fingers over his mate’s legs starting at his feet.
Moving up to his shins, knees and the front of his thighs drew a blank.
“Babe, would you turn around?” Zane asked, his voice cracking with need.
Oh my gods, whatever made me think this was a good idea?
His mate’s beautiful ass was now just inches away from his lips, and the need to bury his face between the two round cheeks was almost more than he could bear.
Biting his lower lip until he tasted blood brought Zane out of his sex-crazed haze and back to the job at hand.
Lowering his eyes, determined to protect his mate at all costs, Zane concentrated on looking for a tracking device.
As he looked at the scars on the back of his mate’s legs, it took everything he had to keep his wolf in check, promising him they would find out who’d done this and make them pay.
When his fingers had covered the rest of his mate’s legs without finding anything amiss, Zane admitted defeat.
Standing, he said, “Okay, babe, you can put your pants on. I didn’t find anything so I’ll have to go back to the drawing board.”
David pulled up his pants, asking, “What did you think you’d find?”
“A bump…a raised area of skin…something that might indicate they inserted a tracking device.”
“You mean like this?” David asked, pushing his pants and briefs down over his right hip.
“Fuck, yes! How long has that been there?”
“I don’t know…forever, I guess. I don’t remember when it wasn’t there.”
“May I?” Zane asked, stretching out his fingers.
“Sure.”
Feeling the small, raised, oblong bump, Zane knew he’d found how his mate had been tracked. “Babe, I’m pretty sure someone has planted a small electronic tracking device in you.”
“What?” David asked, incredulously.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. You said they found you after you ran away?”
“Yes, but I just thought one of their members saw me and alerted Michael.”
“Maybe, but I bet they knew where you were at all times because of this little bugger.”
“Those fuckers! Can you get it out of me?” David asked, angrily.
“Yeah, but it’s gonna hurt.”
“I don’t care! Just get it out!”
Extending his claws, Zane used one to slice open the raised skin, reaching in until he located the cylindrical device.
Hooking it with his claw, he slowly pulled it out through the opening he’d made.
Then, bending over, he licked the open wound, knowing his saliva would help it heal faster. “There, that should help.”
The pain wasn’t as bad as David thought it would be—certainly nowhere near what he felt when they caned him. Looking down at his wound, he watched the skin knit together, amazed at how fast it was happening. Glancing at his mate, he asked, “Why did you lick it?”
“We’re Fated Mates…our saliva has healing powers for each other. You’ll see, when I claim you, I’ll lick my bite afterwards and it will heal up quickly. You’ll still have a scar because it’s a claiming bite, but you won’t have one there,” Zane said, pointing to the small, quickly-healing wound.
David’s eyes followed his mate’s finger; they widened when he saw the cut was now fully healed and when he rubbed his finger over the spot, he was amazed at the smoothness of his skin.
Holding the device up to the candlelight, Zane said, “We could leave this here for them to find but I have a better idea. Can you bop us back to Loch Ness?”
“To Brian’s boat?”
“No, some place out of sight where I can throw this into the water.”
“Oh, I know just the spot. Brian took me there on his boat. But why throw it into the water?”
“If I’m not mistaken, this little thing is waterproof, so it will continue to send out a signal to the dudes who are after…”
“Michael will think I’m in the water!”
“Yes. Hopefully, he’ll think you’re dead.”
“Oh, that’s perfect!” David said, with delight. “Ready to be bopped?”
“Bop away!” laughed Zane.
~/~/~/~/~
Flying low, weaving through the valleys between mountains, Logan scanned for Brian’s place where his brother and David were staying. Finally spotting it, his dragon descended toward the small, whitewashed cottage.
Macushla, do you see the wolves?
Yes. Oh shit, they’re attacking David and Zane! Tell Slate and Dakota to hold on tight.
“Guys, hold on tight! Zane and David are in trouble!”
Swooping down and circling the cottage, Logan’s dragon opened his mouth, roaring out flames, scorching the valley’s floor, stopping the wolves that were around the back of the cabin, forcing them to retreat.
Then his dragon rose and turned to face the front door, only to find it had already been breached.
Thundering loudly, Logan’s flames lit up the nighttime sky as he circled overhead causing the wolves inside to flee.
Swooping low and following the pack, his dragon continued the flaming attack, driving the fleeing wolves into a frenzy.
When the pack finally disappeared into the deep woods, no longer within Logan’s sight, his dragon circled back and landed next to Brian’s cottage, where everyone scrambled off.
Logan shifted back and rushed towards the broken door, fearful about what he’d find inside.
Kicking aside the splintered wood, he strode into the cottage, only to find the remnants of an finished meal, a dying fire and nothing else.
His brother and David had escaped. But Logan’s relief quickly turned to frustration when he realized he was back at square one as to where they’d gone.
“Zane was here,” Kieran said, pointing to the pink unicorn pajama pants hanging on the back of the kitchen chair. “I gave him those.”
Looking around, Dakota said, “They left in a hurry. David probably poofed them someplace as soon as he heard the door break.”
“Yeah, but where?” asked Logan.
“Maybe Brian would know,” Slate said.
“Yeah, maybe. Let’s head back to the hotel and I’ll call him in the morning,” said Logan before striding out of the cottage to shift.
~/~/~/~/~
When his eyes could see his surroundings again, Zane found David and himself on a small bluff, overlooking the water. “Loch Ness?” he asked.
“Yes,” David said, pointing. “Brian’s boat is that way, many miles from here.”
“Good. Stand back, babe, I want to throw this as far as I can.” Once again, he was a pitcher on his high school team, going into his windup and then throwing a scorcher.
The tiny metal capsule flew far from shore in a long, low, arc.
Hearing the tiny plink as it hit the water, Zane smiled at his mate, happy David was finally safe from the shifters who were pursuing him.
“Wow, that was amazing! How did you learn to throw like that?”
Pulling his mate close to him, Zane said, “I used to pitch for my team at school. I guess it came in handy today, huh?” he grinned.
“It sure did. I still can’t believe those people knew where I was at all times. It makes my grand gesture of running away look stupid…or at least, makes me look stupid.”
“Fuck them! They can’t do it any more…that’s the important thing.”
David looked at his mate with admiration. “What do you want to do now?” he asked.
“I’m glad you asked,” Zane said, smiling at his mate.
“I want to continue what we were doing when we were so rudely interrupted…claim each other by biting. Once that’s done, we’ll be able to communicate using our mind link which might come in handy in tricky situations.
Plus, once it is done, maybe they’ll give up searching for you since you’ll belong to a different pack. ”
As eager as he was for his claiming, David knew he had to tell Zane about who he was before they could move forward and, for that, they needed some place safe, unknown, and quiet so they could finally talk.
Thinking of where they could go, David suddenly remembered a special place Brian had taken him to.
“I think I know where we can go.”
“Good, because I’m fresh out of ideas.”
“How do you feel about other wolf shifters?”
“As long as they’re not trying to kill me, I’m fine with it. Why?”
“Hang on!” David said, and a few seconds later they were standing on top of a large, flat rock.
Hearing the low growls as the darkness receded, Zane instinctively stepped in front of his mate and found himself staring at a huge, red-headed man dressed in a kilt.
Poking his head around his mate, David said, “Hi Angus, do you remember me? Brian brought me here one time. This is my mate, Zane of the Blackwood Pack in California. I hope we didn’t do anything wrong by showing up unannounced, but we need some help.”
“Blackwood Pack?”
“Yes, sir. That’s my pack.”
“Are ye related to our king?”
“Whoa! Are you a Scottish Wolf shifter?” asked Zane.
“Ay.”
“Colton is my brother and his mate…my brother-in-law…is Ian Wallace, your king.”