Chapter Five #2
“Damn right you’re not.” She bolted out the back door and launched herself over the deck railing, shifting as she flew through the air.
It was both terrifying and beautiful to witness.
Auburn fur shone in the evening sun, making it burn like fire.
Shaking off her clothes, she hit the ground and ran.
“Kinley!” He raced after her, shucking his shirt as he went. He shifted on the fly, kicking his jeans and boots away. His wolf stretched out his neck and sniffed the air. Catching her scent, he began to track her. His brothers were right behind him. There was no way she’d get off the mountain.
I can’t lose her.
****
Betrayal burning in her heart, Kinley sprinted down the mountain. She should have known better than to trust a male wolf. For all his talk of not hurting her, he was quick to have a change of heart when his brothers were at risk.
Blood is thicker than water. She was nothing to any of them beyond a problem to be dealt with. And she couldn’t fully blame them. They hadn’t asked for this.
She mourned the loss of her wallet, but there was nothing to be done about it. Penniless and friendless, she had nothing left to lose ... except her life. Her only chance to escape lay in the element of surprise, so she’d taken it.
It would be easy to lie down and give up. Numbness settled over her as she kept going. It was better not to feel anything. Her wolf raced through the dense forest with no clear destination in mind, the only goal to get away—away from Eli, away from hope, and away from the pain that sliced her soul.
The woodland creatures had gone silent, sensing her in the midst. The wind whispered through the trees.
Her wolf ears twitched. She halted her headlong charge and ducked beneath a downed tree.
Crouching low she listened. It was difficult to hear anything above the wild drumming of her heart.
There was nothing to indicate she was being chased, but her keen sense of survival warned she was being hunted.
Drawing on all the lessons from her daddy, she began to stealthily creep across the forest floor.
Her paws landed softly, avoiding sticks or anything else that might make noise and give away her location.
It helped that dusk had fallen. They might have excellent night vision but she’d use any slight edge she could get.
She’d need it. Eli and his brothers tracked people for a living.
They’d expect her to be panicked, to choose speed over caution.
She couldn’t fight all four of them. Her only chance was to be smarter.
The gurgle of the creek called her. That was her path to freedom.
Keeping low to the ground, she hurried to the water.
While Eli and his brothers were going down the mountain in search of her, she’d go back up.
It was the last thing they’d expect. She could get her clothes and wallet and liberate one of the vehicles.
If she punctured the tires on the rest, they wouldn’t be able to follow, at least not right away.
Staying alert, she picked her way along the creek’s edge. Several times, she thought she heard something. Each time, she stopped and listened, but when it proved to be nothing, she’d start again. A sense of urgency drove her. How long would they chase her before giving up and heading home?
When she thought she was close, she veered away from the water and headed in the direction of the house, trusting her instincts to guide her. When the building came into view, she fought the urge to immediately race toward it, instead circling to ensure one of the brothers hadn’t stayed behind.
When she was certain the house was empty, she made her move. Her clothing lay in the dirt where she’d left it. Shifting quickly, she yanked on her jeans and Eli’s shirt, grabbed her boots, and sprinted toward the vehicles. The key should be in Eli’s truck. It seemed fitting to steal his ride.
The back of her neck tingled in warning.
Her wolf grew agitated. Manifesting claws on one hand, she stabbed a back tire of the other three vehicles, rendering them useless.
Guilt churned inside her, but she shoved it aside.
This was a matter of survival. She yanked open the door to the truck, tossed her boots inside, and jumped into the driver’s seat.
The key was missing. It was too late to check the other vehicles.
She’d disabled them. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Think! She yanked down the visor, swallowing a yell of triumph when the key tumbled into her hand.
She jammed it into the ignition. The powerful engine roared to life.
The sound would bring the Sin brothers running.
Putting the vehicle in gear, she stamped her bare foot on the gas and rocketed down the narrow drive.
White-knuckled, she scanned the area ahead, expecting to see Eli or his brothers bolting from the trees any second.
She rounded a curve on two wheels and slammed on the brakes.
Four massive wolves, larger than any she’d ever seen, blocked the road in front of her.
Despite the similarity in their brown coats, she knew which one was Eli.
She ignored the deep concern reflected in his dark eyes.
He’d fooled her once. He wouldn’t get a second chance.
Cyrus was the furious one. Amusement glittered in Levi’s eyes.
Zach seemed almost bored. Even as wolves their personalities were distinct.
Her wolf whined inside her, wanting out so it could join them. The lure of belonging was great. It was all she’d ever wanted.
Kinley swallowed heavily. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple.
Like gunslingers from a showdown in the Old West, each watching, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Narrowing her gaze, she gripped the wheel and took a shaky breath.
While she didn’t want to hurt them, the will to survive was strong.
Surely they’d get out of the way of a speeding truck. It was now or never.
She shoved her foot all the way to the floor.
Small rocks and dirt sprayed into the air as the tires dug in.
She shot forward, bracing for impact as the distance closed.
Rather than scatter, Cyrus vaulted onto the hood, claws digging into the metal for traction.
Levi and Zach jumped into the truck bed.
Eli shifted to human and stayed right in the center of the road.
He’s not moving! She was going to hit him.
At the last second, she cursed, jammed her foot on the brake, and cranked the wheel hard to the left.
Cyrus flew from his perch, flipped in the air, and landed easily on all four paws.
The two in the back slammed around the cab but managed to stay onboard.
The entire side of the truck scraped against the trees, peeling away the paint.
She yanked the wheel to the right, trying to get back onto the road.
The passenger door was ripped open and Eli dove inside.
“No!” she screamed. “I won’t go back.” Opening the driver’s door, she bailed from the still-moving vehicle. She tried to roll but hit the ground hard, knocking the breath from her. Before she could get up, Eli was beside her swearing a blue streak. “Are you hurt?”
She didn’t think so. Not that it mattered. Any minor bumps and bruises would fade within a few hours. She closed her eyes, unable to face him or the truth. She’d lost her one chance for freedom. It wasn’t likely she’d get another.
“Kinley.” Gentle hands lifted each arm and leg, testing for broken bones.
She wanted to scream at him not to be kind.
It made it more difficult to view him as the enemy.
A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and trickled down her temple to become lost in her hair.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart.” The genuine worry in his voice made her want to cry harder. He didn’t care. It was all a lie.
“She okay?” Without opening her eyes, she recognized Cyrus’s gruff tone.
“What do you think?” Eli carefully lifted her into his arms and began walking back toward the house. She should fight him, but what was the point? They’d caught her. He had to be furious that she’d stolen his truck, or tried to. Not to mention the damage she’d done.
“Shit, she really did the job, didn’t she?” Cyrus grumbled. Guess they found the three flat tires on the other vehicles.
“I gotta say, I’m really liking her.” Levi’s declaration jolted her. Surely, he was lying. That’s what the Sin brothers did. They lured you in with false promises, sandwiches, and sweet tea. She wasn’t falling for it, not again.
Eli tightened his arms around her. “None of this is on her. It’s my fault she was scared enough to run, that she thought this was her only option.”
Wait. What? He was standing up for her rather than blaming her. Confusion swamped her. Nothing made sense.
“Levi, since you seem so happy about all this, you change the damn tires. There should be replacements in the shed. Zach, you’re on research. I’m calling the others home.” Cyrus was abrupt but didn’t seem overly angry, more resigned.
She was tempted to peek but kept her eyes shut. Maybe they’d assume she’d passed out. More likely they’d assume she didn’t want to face them after what she’d done, especially while they were naked.
She did her best to ignore the strong arms cradling her and the broad chest her head rested against. Her wolf chuffed with contentment.
Kinley refused to be lulled by the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek.
It wasn’t easy when all she wanted to do was snuggle closer and forget the rest of the world existed.
They went up a set of stairs and down a hall. She tried not to tense when Eli set her down on a bed and kept her breathing steady, praying he’d leave. Clothing rustled, and then the mattress sank by her hip.
“I know you’re awake. Open your eyes, Kinley.”
She wanted to ignore him, but it was obvious her ruse had failed. He was a wolf, after all. Despite the sense of betrayal and hurt, some instinct whispered she could trust him. She refused to listen.
She forced her eyes open and drank in the sight of him, despite her attempt to remain detached. He’d pulled on jeans, but was bare-chested beside her. His lips tightened and a muscle in his jaw flexed.
“I’m sorry.”
Her emotional defenses were shaken in the face of his apology, but she held strong. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear. Never in her life had she heard a male werewolf utter one, unless it was to a higher-ranking wolf. And then it was often more about survival than contrition.
She blinked in bewilderment. Maybe she was unconscious and dreaming or possibly hallucinating.
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “When I said maybe there was a way to work this out without it ending in violence, I should have made it abundantly clear that none of the options included sending you back to your pack.”
“I don’t believe you,” she whispered. As much as she wanted to, there was too much at stake.
“Yeah, I got that.” His voice was flat. “You need to understand something. My word is my bond. I’ll die before I let your uncle take you.”
She wrapped her arms around herself to still the trembling. “Why would you do that? You barely know me.” None of this made any sense. “I don’t want you hurt.” He likely found that hard to believe since she’d aimed a truck straight at him. “I wasn’t going to run you over.”
“You think I don’t know that? You could have plowed right into me, but you swerved.” His frown deepened. “You could have been hurt if you’d crashed.”
He seemed more concerned about that than the fact he’d almost been hit by a speeding truck. “You’re not angry?”
“Oh, I’m furious, all right, but not with you. With how I handled the situation? Yes. Especially with your uncle and his minions.”
“I don’t understand you.” If she’d done this in her own pack, she’d be facing stiff discipline. Not even her daddy’s position as top enforcer could have stopped it.
He hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck before meeting her gaze. “I know you don’t, but you will.”
It sounded like both a threat and a promise. It was possible she’d been wrong in her assessment. Or maybe she just wanted to believe him.
“You led us on quite the chase.”
“I wasn’t good enough.” She’d been so close to escape, but then she’d be out in the world alone instead of here with Eli.
“You’d have succeeded against most wolves.
” He rose and it took everything in her not to reach out and grab his hand.
It made no sense, but she felt better when he was with her.
“But against me, against four of the Seven Deadly Sins, you didn’t stand a chance.
Get some sleep. You’ve had a hell of a few days.
We’ll figure things out in the morning. For tonight, you’re safe. ”
Her wolf curled up inside her, as if Eli’s word was all the reassurance it needed. Kinley closed her eyes, needing to think, which was impossible with him confusing her at every turn. A warm blanket was laid over her. With a sigh, she gave into exhaustion, letting it drag her into sleep.