Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Ricky
My hand went to squeeze closed by reflex but caught a meaty pec instead. The light was intruding into my eyelids, but I didn’t want to move. My leg was slung over a hairy thigh and my bedmate had one arm keeping me in place. I wasn’t fully conscious, but I felt safe.
Waking up clinging to a warm body wasn’t wholly new for me. On the road, I’d hookup whenever I got the chance. I didn’t like being alone, and I was charming enough to pull when needed. The difference was the fact that I was usually the body pillow.
Unexpected, but not unwelcome warm fuzzies spread out from my stomach. I recognized the scent filling my nose and lungs.
Fin was in my bed.
The man I’d been fantasizing about for almost fifteen years stayed the night. He was reluctant to be with me, but had apparently held still for me to nap on. I knew he was a good one.
Humming low in my throat, I rubbed my cheek against him and started moving my hand lower. Fin let out a contented sound of his own and ran a few fingers along my shoulder and upper arm in a slow caress. Without opening my eyes, I smiled to myself when Fin didn’t stop me from gripping his dick.
He grunted and I was considering going under the covers to wake him up properly when a phone ringing ripped into our quiet moment.
My eyes flew open, making me blink at the bright sunlight coming in around my curtains.
They normally blocked enough for me to sleep the day away, but it was a stark way to come to full consciousness.
“Damnit,” Fin cursed and let me go to reach for the device on my nightstand.
The ringing stopped right when he went to answer and picked up again on my side. I rolled to grab my phone and answer before it went to voicemail like Fin’s, putting it on speaker.
“‘Lo?” I answered then cleared my throat when I saw it was King. “Do you have news?”
“We found her location but we can’t go in without backup,” King answered.
“Is Channing okay?” Fin slipped out of bed and started retrieving clothing. I did the same, leaving my phone on the bed while I opened my dresser.
“The sister texted and said they hadn’t hurt her yet, but her heat is due to start today,” King answered, and I was glad I gave them all Janessa’s number. I’d been asleep and likely missed texts from her like a lazy asshole.
“Is Janessa there, too?” I asked, pulling on the first clean underwear I found before snagging jeans and a T-shirt.
“No,” King sighed, and I heard the sound of a road in the background. “She was at this other house outside of Lakeland when they brought Chan, but there were too many guys and they kicked her out before she could help my sister.”
“So another MacTaryn property?” Fin asked, and I looked up to find him fully dressed except for shoes, which we’d kicked off and left in the bathroom. “How far?”
“About twenty-five minutes from Blue Lake.” King told us how to get there and then I heard him clear his throat. “Since you’re together, it will be faster.”
The fact that King and Rel now knew Fin and I slept in the same place sent panic through me.
Not that I cared if they knew I was fooling around with Fin.
I was more worried how Fin would react. I looked up to see panic reflected in his eyes.
Would he make some excuse about sleeping on the couch in case we were needed?
“Kono is on his way,” Rel updated us from the background, interrupting our personal spiral. “Fifteen minutes out.”
“We’ll be there in twenty,” I replied, knowing we’d be speeding the whole way.
“Rowen is watching over the rest of the pack,” King told us, answering the question we would likely ask next.
“Good,” Fin nodded, and headed out of the room.
Hanging up, I followed Fin at a jog and slipped into my shoes. We were out the door in under a minute, and he gestured to my motorcycle parked under the carport. “We’ll be lighter and faster on two bikes.”
Not sparing a moment to be sad I didn’t get to hold onto him during a rescue mission, I strapped on my helmet and hopped on my bike. “Lead the way.”
Fin peeled out of the dirt driveway and I was right behind him. We ripped through town, getting honked at my tourists driving through. The locals knew us and mostly ignored our bikes, some even waving as we sped past them.
Driving around the top of the lake, past the Casino, and towards Lakeland at sunset, we followed King’s instructions and veered west instead.
The road was almost hidden, a giant, speckled boulder spray-painted with a crude bear the only signage.
A windy dirt path slowed us down a bit, but we pulled up short when we reached the others parked in a turn out.
“How far?” Fin asked when we removed our helmets.
“Two minutes on four legs,” Rel answered, looking haggard. I felt bad Fin and I got a solid nine hours while they hunted Channing down. “We’re as close as is safe in case the wind changes.”
Kono lifted his head and tilted it. “Janessa said there were four of them? I scent only one shifter and three humans.”
Wolves had a better sense of smell, as far as I knew, but we all nodded, smelling the same. I couldn’t hear talking or a TV, only a distant generator, so that didn’t help.
“When we shift again, we’ll have a better idea,” King said, and he started to strip off, tucking clothes into his saddle bags. “Kill anyone who gets in the way of saving Channing. Let’s move.”
All of us got undressed as well, removing our human trappings and shifting to our animal forms. We were laser focused, skipping the road to follow King into the brush for a straight path instead of the exposed and circuitous road.
In the old-fashioned way of shifters, it was wild to see a coyote by our sides.
Even weirder was having three alphas, one beta, and an omega going to fight together.
Most alphas bristled at other alphas around, and wouldn’t have allowed an omega to join.
I was proud to be part of a more progressive pack.
Still, I made sure the smaller Rel and Kono were flanked by me and Fin as we got closer. They could hold their own, I had now seen both of them fight while shifted, but it was instinct to protect them. Looking across to Fin, I realized I’d been deferring to him to protect me.
King stopped, his hackles raised at the edge of the trees when a building came into view.
It could generously be called a farmhouse, though it was rundown enough to classify as a shack.
The siding was more exposed wood than paint and the roof was caving in.
There were no power lines leading to it, and an outdoor well was between us and the building.
Off-grid. No wonder Janessa had holed up here to avoid her family.
It made the perfect place to hide Channing.
“Do you smell something?” A man asked from inside, and I didn’t recognize the voice as Zac MacTaryn or the man who got the gun at their pack house.
“Yeah, your stinky ass,” Zac said, and I growled low to know he was in there with our omega at her most vulnerable.
“Are you oafs going to feed me?” Channing’s voice cut through the air and made us all still. She likely heard my growl or smelled us so close. She was distracting them and letting us know she was safe.
“Shut up or I’ll let the guys have a go at you after I’ve used you up,” Zac snarled and I watched as King broke off and ran for the house.
We were done waiting.