24. Harley #2
For the first time since the fight began, uncertainty flashes across Drake’s face.
Val doesn’t give him time to recover. He grabs Drake by the front of his shirt and drives him backward into the side of the van hard enough to dent the metal.
The impact echoes across the clearing, but Val still isn’t finished.
Drake snarls and fights free only to be slammed back again, then again, each collision harder than the last until his heels are carving deep furrows through the dirt.
For a moment I honestly think it’s over.
Then Drake shifts.
The change happens so fast it barely seems possible. One second he’s a man covered in blood and dust, and the next a wolf explodes out of him in a violent blur of twisting muscle, snapping bones, dark fur and flashing teeth.
The larger body slams into Val and forces him backward several steps.
The wolf rears up, lips peeled back from enormous fangs, a savage snarl erupting from its throat that makes fear claw through me despite the safety of the locked vehicle.
Val gets to his feet and stumbles back a step, one hand gripping his damaged thigh.
My pulse races and every instinct I possess screams at me to get out there.
To help him.
To do something.
Instead I watch in horror as Val actually grins. A smug, infuriating grin. Then he lifts one hand and motions for Drake to come closer.
“What is he doing?” I mutter.
Ryder’s hand settles on my shoulder.
“He’s pissing Drake off so he’ll be careless.”
“Val can’t shift.”
“He’ll be okay.” Ryder squeezes my shoulder. “I think you’ve got a tough guy there. Smart, too. Look.”
I am looking.
Val has shifted his weight. His right leg bears most of it now so that his left is protected. The instant Drake launches, Val moves. He pivots and leans backward simultaneously.
The big wolf sails right past him. For a second I think Drake has missed completely.
Then Val’s arms flash out. One wraps around Drake’s neck while the other slips around his body.
The move happens so fast I almost miss it. Val uses Drake’s own momentum against him. The wolf slams into the ground hard enough that I hear the impact from inside the vehicle.
A sharp yelp follows as Val lands on top of him. Then he starts shaking him violently. It’s like he’s trying to rattle every bone loose inside Drake’s body.
A moment later the wolf shifts back to human again. Even after shifting back, Drake doesn’t stop fighting.
Two guards pile onto him as a third grabs his wrists.
Still the fucking psycho laughs. The sound carries across the distance between us.
“You should’ve killed me when you had the chance!” he shouts.
One of the guards slams him face-first into the dirt and the laughter cuts off.
But the look on his face stays with me.
“Can I go to him now?” I ask.
Ryder gives my shoulder another quick squeeze.
“No. Just wait. He’s still got to put that asshole back in the van, and I bet there’s going to be some major restraints used. Guess the fuckers slipped the cuffs or something.”
I grunt.
The next five minutes feel longer than the entire time I spent being held prisoner.
When Val finally starts walking back toward us, I can’t stand it anymore. I unlock the door before Ryder can stop me. Then I’m out of the vehicle and running.
Val opens one arm automatically. I want to throw myself at him. Want to crash into him hard enough to prove he’s really here. But I know his leg must be killing him so I stop carefully against him instead.
I slide my arms around his waist, cup his face between my hands and study every inch of him for signs that he’s hurt worse than he’s admitting.
“Are you okay?”
Val grimaces.
One hand rubs slowly up and down my back while the other grips his thigh.
“Sore. Drake knew exactly where to hit me.” His mouth twists. “He’s an observant little punk. I’ll give him that.”
“I’ll give you the best massage ever if you’ll get in and sit by me again.”
Val’s grimace melts into a grin that’s honestly kind of adorable.
“Like I’d be willing to sit anywhere else.”
The warmth that blooms in my chest almost makes up for the ten years I’ve lost off my life in the last fifteen minutes.
Almost.
We walk back to the vehicle together and get settled. A minute or two later Marcus and Nathan climb in.
“Keegan and all the other guards will be riding with them since Matty was careless with Drake’s cuffs,” Marcus snarls as he gets seated. “Val, I expect you to teach Matty the error of his ways, and how not to let an innocent visage fool him again. Otherwise, I will strip him of his position.”
“He’s young, Marcus, and didn’t know better,” Nathan says. “I’m sure Val can make him into a great guardsman for us.”
“Sure.”
Val settles into the back seat and I immediately climb over to join him.
“See? It wasn’t a big deal.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t.” I curl against his side.
“I guess the fourth guy was smart enough to stay in the van.”
“Fourth guy?” Marcus asks.
I blink.
“No, didn’t we tell you? The guards only found Drake and his two twinks. The fourth guy you said was there, but you didn’t see, Ryder? They say he doesn’t exist.”
“Bullshit!” Ryder nearly comes out of his seat. “I know what I saw!” He stands so fast he smacks his head against the roof of the vehicle.
“Shit!”
Then he drops back down.
“I saw a man running out of the room they dragged me into. I know I did!”
Marcus pats his shoulder.
“And we believe you, but the guards couldn’t find him.
They caught his scent and followed it. Unfortunately, it just vanished.
Best guess is he took a cab or someone picked him up.
I’ll send some guards back to look for him, but right now I want to get home and find out just what Drake thinks he’s doing. ”
“Is he from the Andes?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Marcus snorts.
“Damn man doesn’t have a South American accent at all. Sounded more like a Texan to me. Reminded me of Gabe’s accent, didn’t it, Nathan?”
Nathan hums thoughtfully.
“Yes, he did. Maybe it’s just because we’ve been around Gabe so much the past few days, though. His voice tends to stick in your head.”
“You’re not kidding.”
Marcus reaches forward and thumps Ryder on the shoulder.
“What are you waiting for, man? Drive.”
I don’t miss the way Ryder immediately sits up straighter.
It’s subtle. A little thing really. But it’s there. Like Marcus’s approval matters.
For the first time in my life, I find myself wishing I had a little of whatever Marcus possesses, because although I love my brother more than anyone in the world, he’s never listened to me quite like that.
“It’s a talent,” Marcus says.
I jerk slightly and realize he’s looking directly at me.
“Maybe someday you’ll develop it as well.”
Someday. The word makes me wonder if he means someday as a shifter. If I ever become one.
I decide not to ask. Instead I look at Val.
“Can you tell us about this medical treatment you have for Val now?”
Both Marcus and Nathan immediately shake their heads.
“No,” Marcus says. “I think it’d be best to wait until we can show it to you both. It’s...honestly dangerous stuff, we believe. If it fell into the wrong hands, well, I’m just going to say I’m glad it’s only available in limited quantities, and once it’s gone there will never be any more of it.”
“Yeah, what he said.” Nathan rubs Marcus’s thigh.
I glance over at Val. His expression has tightened. “I’m not sure I want to try it.”
“Why not?”
I look between him and Marcus. “Is it dangerous?”
Nathan nudges Marcus. The look they exchange makes something click in my head.
“Oh.”
Neither of them says it. They don’t have to. Especially not with Ryder sitting right there.
“I wouldn’t recommend it for humans,” Nathan finally says. “It’s very rough on them.”
Yep.
That confirms exactly what I was beginning to suspect. I wisely keep my mouth shut. I trust Ryder. Marcus and Nathan clearly aren’t there yet.
The rest of the drive passes quietly. By the time we pull onto the private airstrip, I’m almost vibrating with curiosity.
Nathan finally breaks the silence.
“It’s a very painful way,” he says. “More, I’ve been told, than the commonly known method.”
“Fuck.”
The word slips out before I can stop it. Beside me, Val grimaces and crosses his left leg over his right. I know exactly how he feels.
“That’s gotta be really bad then.”
“Yeah.” Nathan opens the door. “And for all we know it might be deadly for some humans. Our friend might just have been lucky.”
He steps out and motions for us to follow.
“Maybe you and Val can meet him and his mate. They’ll be staying with us for a while. Todd needs the medical care Shania can give him.”
I run through the names Nathan mentioned earlier.
Gabe. Mika. Todd. Adam. One of them finally clicks.