43. Kaycia
Chapter 43
Kaycia
T he thunder and wind get worse the farther we get from the city. I cling to Raquel, telling myself to breathe and lean with her as she weaves through traffic. She accelerates and zips between cars without flinching, while I can’t tell if my stomach is in my throat because of worry for Shane or the ride. If she knows I’m terrified she doesn’t let on, driving through the night and drizzle like life depends on it. Which, it might.
As we pass through the blinking red light near Shane’s property, the bottom drops out of the black clouds and the rain goes from a mild drizzle to a full-on storm.
Can you even ride a motorcycle in the rain? I wonder, blinded by the water on my helmet’s face shield. Raquel slows, her headlight illuminating Max’s truck parked on the side of the road about a hundred yards away from the base of Shane’s gravel turn-off. Raquel parks behind the truck and we both dismount, standing in the downpour. My legs shake when I stand, quivering from adrenaline spiked by the speed and my fear for Shane’s safety. Once we pull our helmets off, we approach the truck, but Max is nowhere to be seen except for a pile of clothes on the front seat.
“Damn, he hauled ass,” Raquel mutters, then shouts over the rain to me, “He had enough of a head start he must be scoping it out.” She presses a hand to the hood of the truck, “It’s still warm. He hasn’t been here long.”
I rub my hands over my arms, shivering from the rain and worry when a bedraggled falcon flies into view and shifts back into Max. He grabs his shirt from the front seat and holds it over his crotch for my modesty more than his own, then shouts over the storm, “Shane’s at his cabin. There are five wolves, six if you count a woman that I assume is his sister. It’s not looking good.” He continues to give details to Raquel while I rub my hands together and stare toward the driveway.
“Okay, I’ll go in on foot. You take to the sky. Is the rain going to be an issue?” Raquel asks Max, leaving me out of the equation.
“It’s not ideal. I won’t be as agile. But I can handle it. I’ll take the guy holding Shane’s sister and create a distraction for you.”
“Okay. I’ll try to surprise a couple of the others to give Shane a better shot. He can take two on his own, I’m sure.”
“One’s an alpha. You think he can take him?” Max questions.
“I think so,” Raquel answers, but her expression says otherwise.
“What about me?” I interrupt, hoping the patter of the rain hides the panic in my voice.
“You need to stay out of the way. We already talked about this, Kay,” Raquel answers. She’s already stripping off her jacket and bundling her wet hair into a tight bun.
“I can shoot. I’m not useless. Let me help.”
Max and Raquel look between me and each other before Max opens his door and leans across the seat to the glovebox. When he returns, he holds a handgun. I’m relieved that it’s a small revolver, similar to the one I used when I practiced with Shane.
“It’s only got five shots,” he reminds me as I take it from him. “Don’t use it unless you have to. Don’t get yourself hurt.”
“I’ve got mine too,” Raquel adds, adjusting a small pistol holstered at her lower back. I hadn’t realized she was carrying it, but I shouldn’t be surprised with all the trouble brewing. “You and I will go through the woods. I’ll circle behind them while you go straight up the driveway. The rain should keep our scents hidden and give us the advantage of surprise. I just hope you being here doesn’t get Shane into trouble. You saw how he was with Max that day he grabbed you.”
“Maybe that’s exactly how he needs to be,” Max mutters.
With those final words Max shifts, his shirt falling to the wet street and his falcon form taking flight. I lose sight of him quickly in the stormy night sky. I have no idea how he’s flying, but that’s not my concern as Raquel and I slog through the water pooling in a ditch on the side of the road, and climb the mud and gravel toward Shane’s cabin.
Halfway up the drive, Raquel grabs my wrist. I’m panting from exertion and nerves, cursing myself for letting my old exercise routine go by the wayside. I walk enough in the city; how would I anticipate needing to run up a muddy slope to rescue my supernatural boyfriend?
“This is where I turn off,” Raquel whisper-shouts close to my ear. “Run on up the driveway and get their attention. Max and I will take care of the rest. Take care of yourself first and don’t let them get their hands on you.”
I think back to the playful chase through the woods that got Shane so excited last week. He caught up with me so easily, and he had no intention of harming me. What will happen if one of these other wolves decides to make me their prey? Swallowing hard, heart hammering, I squeeze Raquel’s hand and watch her dark outline race into the tree line. After a second’s hesitation, I shake my hands out and take a deep breath, then continue up to where a big truck and black SUV block the view of the cabin.
Shane’s fighting against three men in the yard, the rain has washed away any evidence of blood, but how can he possibly win against all of them? One man wearing a baseball cap that keeps the rain from his eyes is standing guard next to a woman sprawled in the grass. I can’t make out much about her except long hair, but I assume like Max did that she’s Shane’s sister. She sees me first, eyes going wide and alert. A big man laughs, watching until a man in a tattered shirt and ripped jeans pulls Shane back from the fray, forcing him to kneel in the mud. One of the ones he was fighting, arms covered in tattoos, wrenches Shane’s arm behind him and the grimace of pain that crosses Shane’s face sends a slice of misery through me.
Without much thought as to what to do next, I shout, “Shane? Shane! ”
He jerks his head toward me, wrenching his arm further where the tattooed wolf holds him in submission. Even in the dim light of the string lights his fear and panic are obvious. Dark blotches color his wet tee, remnants of blood spilled— what have they done to him ?
“Kaycia, no! Run!” I can’t hear what the cruel man standing in front of him says, but whatever it is sends two men stalking in my direction.
Before I can turn to run, the cry of a falcon jerks everyone’s attention to the sky. The man guarding Shane’s sister looks up, reaching for a weapon at his back when Max comes flying down. His talons slip under the brim of the baseball cap, sending it to the ground as he tears at the man’s face before he can fight back. Within moments, the wounded man recovers from the surprise and pain. He grabs at Max with clawed fingers, but Max has already taken to the sky. He circles, wings flapping against the storm, before making a stunning dive toward his target once more. This time his attack is anticipated, and the man snags Max’s wing, ripping him away from his face before he can inflict more damage with his sharp talons and beak. Max shrieks once as the man he attacked crunches his wing and flings his limp body away. Free of the raptor, the injured man cradles his dripping face in his palms, still distracted as he heals.
Max’s efforts weren’t in vain. The distraction was all Shane’s sister needed. She no longer reclines on the ground. Standing at her full height, she surprises her captor by giving him a wicked head butt to his already injured face. His nose bursts with blood that washes over his lips and chin, sending him to his knees shaking his head. She runs toward the trees while the men who are supposed to be after me hesitate. One takes off after her, while the man in the leather jacket refocuses on me.
Seeing Shane’s sister flee reminds me of my own escape and sends me sprinting toward the trees. I feel guilty leaving Shane behind but remember Raquel’s order: do not let them catch me. Behind me, Shane’s voice turns into a guttural growl, blending with the storm as he struggles, but I can’t make out what he’s saying over my panicked breathing and the heavy rainfall. I try to hide in the trees but snag a foot on the roots and slip, coming down hard on my knee. Pain radiates up my leg as I wince and bite down on a gasp. It’s enough of an error to give my pursuer the edge he needs. I cry out when he grabs the back of my jacket, pulling me backward.
“Come here, little human,” he orders, yanking on me like a poorly behaved dog on a leash. I manage to get the front zipper down and slip from the sleeves, leaving him holding the jacket in his fist while I slip and slide on the muddy forest floor. Within seconds, he’s on me again, pulling me with my hair tightly gripped in his fist this time.
All I can think about is Max’s pistol in my waistband. The metal is warm from my body heat and I think over and over: Please don’t search me, please don’t search me. As though he can read my mind, the big man pauses and runs his hands over me before he yanks the gun from where it was hidden under my shirt. He carries it in his opposite hand, dragging me along as I stumble and limp at his side.
When I’m led back into the clearing, Shane is still restrained on his knees, forced to stare in defeat at where Max, in falcon form, lays silent against a tree. Max’s feathers are splayed and bent causing me to wonder how badly his wing was injured during the scuffle. Red slashes from Max’s talons heal rapidly on the shifter’s face, but one eye is swollen shut from Shane’s sister’s surprise hit. The cruel man gloating before Shane, the one I can only assume is the alpha who’s responsible for this nightmare, stands smirking with his arms crossed over his chest as I’m tossed into the yard. I come down hard on my hands and knees, wincing as my injured knee hits the ground, but at least its spongy from the rain.
“Good job, Caleb,” the alpha tells my captor. The man at my side just dips his head in response.
Shane’s sister and the shifter who followed her are still missing. Raquel is nowhere to be seen. But I feel the creeping sensation of eyes on us from within the trees.
“Look how romantic. Your human trying to come rescue you, huh, McKinley? Maybe now that you have a little incentive, you’ll be more receptive.”
The alpha steps closer as Shane struggles against the man who restrains him. The tattooed shifter wrenches Shane’s shoulder viciously, and he hisses in pain. I fear what injuries he’ll sustain if he struggles anymore. The shifter in the baseball cap stands ready to intercept should Shane get free.
“Not just a human, you dipshit.” Our attention swings to track the sound of breaking glass. Raquel stands next to the SUV holding a shotgun she’s used to bash in the passenger window. She pumps it once and the threatening sound sends a shiver of fear over me.
“And what are you? Another useless beast?” Colton gestures toward Max’s limp body, then at Raquel and me. “You’ve collected an interesting group, haven’t you? A pest, a parrot, and a weak human woman. But haven’t you realized none of them can stand against a wolf?”
“Your wolves are out of practice.” A raspy voice drags everyone’s attention to Shane’s sister, unfettered and alert, drifting from behind the cars. “It took three of them to take me down in the first place. One alone didn’t stand a chance.” Her hands are clean, but her shirt is bloodied. Her vicious smile tells me it’s not hers. “You sure you’re in any better shape, Colt?”
Colton pulls his pistol from his holster, passing Shane to approach me. My breath hitches.
Why did I not listen to Raquel? What was I thinking trying to be a hero?
“I can kill her before either of you reach me. And you’ll fill your friends with buckshot with a shotgun at this distance,” he directs to Raquel when she swings the barrel in his direction. “What’s it going to be?”
“I challenge you.” Shane’s voice is hoarse as his eyes meet mine. He roughly shakes off the man holding him, but neither shifter offers to stop him. Both of them step away wide-eyed at his words. Shane stands, rolling his shoulders with his teeth bared.
“Gods damn you, Colton. I challenge you.”