Callie's Captors [Mountain Men of Montana 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (17 page)

“Callie, we meant to tell you.” Blue blew out a breath. “Just not this way.”

She tightened her grip on Raine. “I can’t believe it. They’re werewolves.”

Pete waited, knowing that his brother couldn’t keep the truth about himself quiet any longer. Raine put his hand on top of hers. “Callie, please don’t be frightened. None of us would ever hurt you. Not them, or Pete, or Blue. And not me, either.”

She lifted her gaze to Raine’s. “Oh, my God.” Turning him loose, she backed away. “You’re a werewolf, too?”

Rained nodded, his body slumping against her obvious alarm. “Yes.”

“Fuck this. Let’s go. We have to tell Tina and the others.” Casting one last glare at them, Wesley motioned for Shira and Mikea to follow him. They turned on their heels and stalked into the darkness of the woods.

Pete watched them in silence even after he couldn’t see them any longer. But he wanted to delay the moment he turned to face Callie. Would he still see fear in her eyes? When he did confront her, he found she’d put more space between them.

“Thank you so much.” Callie clasped her hands in front of them. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”

Relief swamped him, but it was gone with her next words.

“But I can’t…I mean, you’re werewolves.” She backed up another foot. “I can’t believe it.”

Pete shot a warning look at his brothers. After seeing her eyes change, they knew that she had to be part werewolf. But now was not the time to tell her. She already had too much to deal with.

“Callie, please. You have to know we’d never do anything to hurt you. If we’d wanted to, we could have attacked you a thousand times before now.” Pete eased closer. He didn’t want to, but if they had to tie her up and drag her back to camp to keep her from running off into the woods, then he’d do it.

She stood her ground, glancing at the woods with longing. “Take me back to the camp.”

“Sure, Callie.”

“But nothing else is going to happen.” She scanned them one by one, then eased around them, keeping her distance. “No more physical stuff until I can get my mind wrapped around this. I still can’t…It’s impossible.”

“If that’s what you want.” He didn’t have to check with Blue and Raine. He knew they’d do whatever it took to get her back safe and sound.

“Good. But if I see one tiny bit of amber in your eyes or I think your teeth are getting longer, then I’m gone.” She stopped, and searched the bushes, then waved them ahead of her. “I don’t know which way to go. You first.”

He relaxed a little. At least she was coming with them. They headed back to camp and had gotten halfway there when the first question came.

“Are there more werewolves here? In the camp?”

He answered without looking back. “Yes. And more than werewolves. There are werebears, werecats, and other supernatural beings.”

She remained quiet for several minutes before asking, “Other supernatural beings? Like vampires?”

“We’ve had a few of them from time to time. But they’re not much on joining with others, especially were-people like us. We do have fairies, elves, trolls, and others.”

She let out a ragged sigh. “No wonder a lot of them seemed strange with long teeth, strange eyes, and the rest.”

“We were going to tell you.”

Pete cringed and wished Raine hadn’t brought that subject up. “When the time was right.”

“I get that. But I’m telling you now. The right time would’ve been before we had sex.”

He almost chuckled. If he turned around, would he see a smile on her face? But he didn’t risk it. Instead, he kept walking, giving her the time she needed.

* * * *

Unable to sleep, Callie had waited for the morning to come inside the cabin where she’d had sex with the Deacon brothers. But now that the time had arrived, she wished that the morning had never come.

She stood off to the side as the men faced The Council and attempted to stay calm. But it was hard when so many people were against her. The hard glares of The Council aimed at the Deacon brothers were nothing compared to the angry looks the rest of the people sent her way.

The clamor of everyone talking to their neighbor came to a stop as Charlton slammed his hand on the table in front of The Council members. “Come to order. We’re here to decide what to do about the situation the Deacon brothers and their woman have put us in.”

Their woman.
No matter what had happened, she couldn’t deny that those two words gave her a thrill. She raised her hand, not knowing what the proper etiquette was. “It’s not their fault. I was the one who made friends with Scrunch.”

Laughter as well as curses broke out around her and Charlton lifted a white eyebrow. “You can’t make friends with one of The Cursed.”

“I don’t mean to be argumentative, but yes, you can. I did.”

Tina waved her hand in the air, dismissing her statement and quieting the crowd. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks she’s done. Only what has happened matters.”

Callie had liked Tina with her big smile and beautiful silver eyes when she’d run into her earlier that morning as Luke had escorted her to the cabin where The Council met, but now she couldn’t help but feel like the tiny fairy was out to get her.

“I don’t know if Scrunch is different from the rest or not, but he’s trying to connect with me. Each time I’ve seen him, he hasn’t shown any indication that he wanted to do me any harm.”

She looked around her. Most of the others’ expressions hadn’t changed. They couldn’t forget their past with The Cursed. Yet a few people, mainly the younger ones, leaned forward, wanting to hear more.

“What if they’re trying to change? What if Scrunch is the first of more to come? What harm can it do to try?”

A small woman, her golden hair in curls around her head, stood and spoke. “I don’t know if what she says is true, but if it is, then shouldn’t we give it a chance? Maybe Callie and this Scrunch are the ones to finally make peace between us? I, for one, would love to live in a world where we didn’t have to fear The Cursed.”

A clamor rose then, with disagreement ringing out loud and clear. Yet a few of the others remained quiet, their silence giving her hope.

Charlton lifted his hand, signaling them to stop talking. “Whether The Cursed are attempting to make contact is a question for another day.”

Xnax bounced a fire ball in his hand then made it disappear in a puff of smoke. “As usual, Charlton is correct. We have to decide what to do about their breaking our rules. Not only did they allow her to take up with the creature—”

“No. They didn’t allow me. No one
allows
me to do what I want to do. Contrary to what everyone might think, I’m not their captive and I don’t take orders from them. I did this all on my own.”

Why weren’t the Deacon brothers sticking up for themselves? Instead, they stood straight and tall, their hands by their sides, mutely waiting for whatever decision came down.

Xnax conjured another ball and tossed it her way. Fortunately, it fell a few feet short of her. “If I can finish my statement…”

He paused as she nodded her head. Maybe she was doing them more harm by opening her big yap.

“The Deacon brothers also fought our own kind to protect her and the creature.”

Another round of noise came from the spectators as they expressed their displeasure.

Charlton lifted his hand again and everyone quieted down. “We’ve never faced this situation before, but I think our choices are clear.”

She swallowed, dread stiffening her spine. Would they make her leave? The thought of never seeing the men was awful. Could she leave if they made her? Yet, as much as she wanted to see the world away from the mountains, she wanted her men more.

She’d thought about it long and hard during the night. At first, she was sure she’d leave, sure that she had no place in their world, but when she imagined a life without the men, she’d broken down and cried. But would they let her stay now that she wanted to? Could she love men who could change into wolves? And yet a part of her reveled at the thought.

“Our first choice is that of banishment.”

Callie sucked in a hard breath.
For me? Or for the men I love?

She wavered, the world suddenly spinning.
Oh, hell. I love them so much. Please don’t punish them for my actions.

“The Deacon brothers will leave The Hidden and take Callie with them, never to return.”

She couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen even if it meant giving them up for good. “No. That’s not fair. I dragged them into this trouble. Make me leave, but let them stay. Please don’t take away their home. This is all my fault. Don’t punish them. Punish me.”

Was it her imagination, or did a couple of The Council members’ faces appear to soften?

“The other option is to forgive their transgressions. However, Callie would have to promise to never have anything to do with The Cursed or this Scrunch creature ever again.”

She nodded at Charlton, encouraging him to choose the second option. But if she stayed, could she keep the promise?

“Please,” she whispered and fought back the tears. If she’d cost the men their sanctuary, their home, she’d never forgive herself.

Blue glanced her way, one of the few times he had since she’d arrived at the cabin. “We’ll accept whatever decision you make as long as we’re with Callie. We can’t and we won’t ever leave her.”

Her heart opened wide, accepting the men in whatever form they came in. She wanted the proud, strong men standing up for her and she’d do whatever it took to protect them just as they’d protected her.

Charlton leaned his elbows on the table. “Very well then, let us vote. Xnax?”

Xnax bowed his head and when he lifted it, the hard tone of his face tightened the knot growing in her stomach. “Banishment for all of them.”

She moved then, coming to Raine’s side. “I’m so—”

Raine touched his finger to her lips, stilling her. “No. You don’t have to say you’re sorry. We did what we had to do and we’d do it again. As long as we end up together, we’ll be happy.”

She choked back a sob as she saw that Blue and Pete felt the same way. Instead, she lifted her head high and waited for the rest of the vote.

“Harrison?” asked Charlton.

“They turned on their own kind. As a werewolf, that’s their worst crime.” His eyes blazed with amber. “I vote for banishment.”

“Tina?”

Callie gritted her teeth and prepared to hear the awful word again.

Tina found her gaze and held it. “I vote for forgiveness.” The fairy smiled at her, letting her know that she’d already forgiven her.

“Wisa, what do you say?”

Wisa, whose face reminded Callie of an alley cat she’d once had, squared off with Charlton. “I vote for forgiveness also. After all, who amongst us hasn’t made a mistake?”

Everyone turned their focus to Charlton. Callie gripped Raine’s hand tighter.

“Very well.” Charlton sighed. “That’s two votes for banishment and two for forgiveness. Unhappily, that leaves the deciding vote up to me.”

Charlton stood, preparing to cast his vote and proclaim the decision final. “I vote to—”

“Please, help me!”

As a group, they faced the frantic woman who’d flung the door wide and burst into the cabin. Her hair was as wild as her huge eyes. She pushed through the crowd that parted for her and reached for Charlton. Clutching his hand, she begged for help. “Please, The Cursed took my child. Please. Someone please help me.”

Stunned at the woman’s sudden appearance, Callie couldn’t move, but that didn’t keep several men, including the Deacon brothers, from coming to her side.

“Shelly, slow down. Tell us what happened.” Blue took the young woman by the arms and gently shook her.

Tears streamed down her face and her body shook as she tried to tell them what had happened to her child. “The Cursed took her. My little Bryna was playing by the woods near the path leading to the waterfall. I swear I only took my eyes off her for a second and then, when I looked back, I saw one of them put his hand over her mouth and pull her into the bushes. I screamed then ran after them, but I couldn’t find her.”

She fell against Blue’s chest and he had to wrap his arms around her to keep her on her feet. “Please, she’s all I have. Please find my little girl.”

Callie’s heart went out to Shelly. The worst thing she could think of, even more than having to give up the men she loved, was to lose a child. But she had to wonder. Why would The Cursed want the girl? No matter what everyone had told her about them, she couldn’t think of Scrunch as an evil creature. If his kind would take a child, then why hadn’t he hurt her?

“We will. I promise you we will.” Blue handed the woman off to Lyra who stood nearby, then waved for the other men to follow him.

“I’ll bet that damn creature Callie was messing with is behind this.”

She gaped at Harrison. “You don’t know that.”

He lifted his lip in a snarl. “And you don’t know it didn’t. They’re all alike. Murdering animals is all they are.”

“No. Not Scrunch.” She answered the crowd’s glares with one of her own. “And I’ll bet more of them are like him.”

“Let’s go. I know where their cave is.”

Pete and Raine were among the men who followed Blue out of the cabin. The other people in the camp shouted at them to bring the child back and to make The Cursed pay for what they did.

Could Scrunch have done this?

She could be wrong in not accepting the perception of him that the others had, but her gut told her differently. Just like her intuition had told her that she needn’t be afraid of the Deacon men, it told her that Scrunch was not a part of the kidnapping. Maybe one of his people had taken the girl, but she couldn’t let Scrunch take the blame.

To prove they were wrong, she dashed after them.

The throng of ten people surged down the mountain like a steamroller, moving everyone out of their way. Even though she expected them to go to the path that led to the water, Blue took them to the opposite side of the camp and broke through the trees.