Chance Lost (4 page)

Chapter 6

Craven Doyle paced the floor in the pack’s common room. The pack had left straight from the bar and traveled north to their place in the woods. To heal properly the pack knew he needed to shift, and shifting in the city was too dangerous. Even after healing, his voice sounded like gravel, which wasn’t present before the bitch tried to kill him. She ruptured his trachea with one of her nails and if they hadn’t brought him to the compound in time the injury might have become permanent. Thankfully not all of them had ridden their bikes to the bar.

Craven waited for his Beta to arrive. This bitch was going down and he wanted to be the one to kill her, but he needed to find her first. He put in a call to a west coast pack, which boasted one of the best trackers in the country. His job would be to find her, notify him, and leave. Craven would take over from there, along with plans to take out the owner of the bar. The pack spent a lot of money in his bar since it opened. No one takes his money and kicks him out…
no one
.

The tracker was committed to someone in Canada for the next three weeks so he deployed some of his pack to dig up some dirt on the woman. His Beta, Trey, was one of those. Craven couldn’t remember much after the fight, or even during it for that matter, but he couldn’t recall hearing her name during the games. They had next to nothing to go on, other than a description. Trey was checking out known biker bars and pool halls in the area, to see if anyone knew who she was.

Craven needed to get this situation under control soon. If he didn’t, he would have other problems on his hands. The first and foremost was his pack. They saw their Alpha get taken down twice by a fucking human girl. They would see this as weak, and in a pack full of former rogues, he could count on a challenge from one or several in his pack. He personally selected all of his pack by hand from the worst of the worst. That meant he was precariously hanging on to his Alpha status daily.

Craven heard Trey coming before he saw him. The Beta walked with a distinctive limp, stemming from a fight with a leopard shifter back in the late 1980’s. He never went into much detail on it, but the man lived to even the score. Trey was tall and gaunt, haunted by the man who permanently maimed him. He was a man of few words, but the toughest of his pack. If a challenge came from anywhere, he knew Trey would be first in line.

Craven stopped his pacing long enough to bark, “Did you get anything on the bitch?”

“Nothing. Her trail begins and ends at the bar so far. No scent of her anywhere else.”

“You heard from any of the others yet?”

“No, too early,” Trey said with a frown.

“What is it, Trey?” Craven growled when he saw the change in Trey’s posture. “I’m too pissed for games right now. Until that tracker can get here, we have to do everything possible to find her. Move the pack out to a bigger search area. She is mine and she
will
pay!”

“If I’d been there I could have done something. It got too far out of control, Craven. I should have been there.”

Craven smirked at his comment. Trey was loyal to a fault, but not to him. The pack held his loyalty. He cared about them far too much. He just wondered when the breaking point towards him would come. “Too late for that now. You were on patrol duty. I need to get this bitch, and show her what pain really is. I’m gonna do her slow, real slow. There is something else I want you to take care of, Trey. I want you to work on plans to set the owner of the bar up. I want him
and
his place to burn, and I want it done after the tracker gets here. No need to bring any more attention to the pack right now. I know I can count on you to do it right.”

* * * *

“No problem boss, consider it done,” Trey replied through his teeth while watching Craven pace. He was beginning to think this latest fight had loosened another screw in the Alpha’s head. The man was right to be pissed about a human kicking his ass, albeit a woman, but he was beginning to think things were getting too far out of control.

He was talking about taking out another shifter and that could be very sticky, especially if the wrong people took offense. Mainly if it got traced back to this pack. Factor in the human and things could go bad for all of them. Craven and the pack were well known from coast to coast. A pack of rogues never happened, but Craven managed it. Too many wanting to be top dog, so to speak, and that was never a good mix. His request for Trey to take out the puma showed Craven still trusted him.

Trey wanted that trust because it served his purpose. He’d always thought Craven was crazy; too crazy to hold this pack together. He watched Craven pace through a Beta’s critical eye. Craven was 6’4, lean but broad in the shoulders and chest. Trey was taller, and even though he had a limp, he knew he could take Craven out if he wanted. He would when the time was right. He wanted Craven to lose more face with the pack and then he would make his move. Craven was obsessed with this human, and he could sabotage his hunt for her.
Maybe now is the time to take care of business,
he thought with a grin.

* * * *

Craven stopped pacing again. He had just thought of the other shifter who was in the bar helping the girl. “Trey, there was another shifter with them, but I could not pick up his animal. He’s a friend with the puma. Maybe if you find him, you’ll find her.”

“What did he look like?”

“Tall, black hair, and he was wearing sunglasses.”

“What did you say?”

“You fucking heard me, Trey. Not in the mood to repeat it,” Craven barked at him. He watched Trey stiffen. He could tell Trey was fighting the urge to shift. He’d never seen him this out of control, since he was literally vibrating with anger. “Spit it out, Trey, before you lose it. I can tell you know him. So who the fuck is he?”

Trey growled long and low before he could speak. “The name Sylas Taiken give you a clue? I'll find you the girl and take out the puma for you, but that fucking asswipe is mine!”

“Fuck! You’re telling me the Fate’s Enforcer was there? You’re sure that’s him?”

“Fuckin’ positive. He has to hide his eyes because they glow in the dark. He can shift into anything that walks or flies; that’s why you couldn’t scent his animal. He’s mine, Craven. In my time and my way!” Trey growled in warning, his voice raising at the end.

Craven narrowed his eyes and growled his own warning, moving closer and into a fighting stance. “You don’t tell me shit,
Beta
.
I
tell you when to eat, sleep and shit. Don’t get me wrong, I get it. He’s the one that did this.” He motioned to Trey’s leg. He waited on acknowledgment from Trey. When he finally got it, he stressed his next words with another loud growl “Don’t you
ever
forget your place again and I might consider letting you have him, but not now and not here. There are bigger fish to fry first and we don’t need the Fate’s watching us any closer than they are. Understood?” Trey automatically tilted his head and bared his neck in supplication. Once he did, Craven eased his stance, but only slightly.

* * * *

It was all Trey could do to keep from challenging for Alpha right then and there. No one was going to take this from him. He’d waited more than a century to get his hands on Sylas. It figured that the time he'd finally decided to show himself, was the same night his Alpha got his ass kicked by a human. Not once, but twice. He was shocked that Sylas let the girl fight. But that tidbit was neither here nor there.

Trey finally had a standing chance now to accomplish a life’s vendetta
and
take the pack. Life just got interesting in immortal land and he wasn’t going to miss another chance or second of it. Craven’s time on earth got a whole lot shorter, and Sylas was going to go right behind him if it was the last thing he did.

Chapter 7

The late dinner with Chance and Jack was exactly what the doctor ordered for Sylas. He finally had a purpose and she was sitting right beside him. The entire conversation was mainly between him and Jack sharing old stories but every chance he got, he pulled Chance in to it. He wanted to know more. Who she was and what made that mind tick. She shared some, but nothing that seemed personal. There was a time or two he kicked Jack under the table to keep him from going too far back in time. It seemed he was pulled into Chance’s spell too. His mouth almost got them caught a time or two, but it was good to see the male laugh. It had been way too long.

Jack was older than Sylas by nearly a hundred years. He’d lost two mates in the last two hundred, and the last almost killed him. His mate was shot in the heart while they were in puma form, roaming the mountains of Montana, while carrying Jack’s baby. They were so far out in the country that Jack could do nothing but stay at her side, while he watched the love of his life fade away, taking his baby with her.

It took Sylas years to get him back into a normal life. He’d nearly lost him. Jack refused to shift back after the shooting… wanting to lose all human thought and interaction in that form. It happened to others before. Shifters who have been through trauma like this can lose their sense of reality. They forget who they are and live out their lives lost to human civilization. If it hadn’t been for his intervention, Jack would be one of those lost immortal souls.

When they finished eating, Chance stood as if to go. Sylas wanted more time with her, but was wary of scaring her away. Luckily, Jack saved his ass again.

“Either of you busy Sunday?” He asked, looking between them.

Sylas waited while Chance thought about her answer. “I have a meeting this morning, but other than that, Sunday is free. Why?”

“I invited my staff up for a barbecue tomorrow, since the bar is closed on Sundays and Mondays. You two are more than welcome to join us. I have a place up on Lanier. It’s right on the lake and you’ve already met most of the staff.” Jack replied. “Oh! And there will be plenty of beer!” He added over his shoulder, winking at Sylas when his back was to her, on his way to pay the dinner bill.

Chance looked up at Sylas and he could see the indecision in her eyes. “I’m game if you are, Chance. Jack and his staff are harmless. Could be fun.” He said to her quietly, shrugging his shoulders on the last part. “I could meet you somewhere and you can follow me up, or I can drive you up. No pressure, just… fun.”

“Okay, I guess. I’ve nothing else better to do after my meeting. Thank you for inviting me, Jack. I’d love to come,” she replied looking at him with those beautiful green eyes, but talking to Jack. They exchanged cell numbers and said she would call sometime after the meeting was done. She would let him know where to meet him when they spoke again.

Sylas followed her out to her bike, wanting to say more to her, but he was tongue-tied for the first time that he could ever remember. She entranced him. She was beautiful and a fierce female. Tough, and yet… vulnerable. He helped her again with her coat, wishing his arms were wrapped around her body, keeping her warm. He never thought he could be jealous of inanimate objects before this evening.

There were two things he wished he could change places with… this coat and her Harley. He wanted to be between her legs, be inside her, be one with her. He shifted his stance as those thoughts made him rock hard.
No need for her to see that yet,
he chastised himself. He knew he couldn't rush this. He needed to gain her trust first. He would have to be content in her presence for now, no matter what his body wanted.

Sylas waved goodbye to Jack as he watched Chance pull away on her Harley. He was enveloped with an overwhelming need to know where she lived. To make sure she was safe. The wolf worried him. He knew the former rogue Alpha would not let this die down and it made him very uncomfortable. He let her get a block away before he followed with his lights off. One of the advantages to being a shifter was night vision. He could see as well at night as he could during the day.

Dropping back a little more to stay out of her sight range, Sylas stayed as close as he could. When she pulled into a housing subdivision, he pulled over and shifted into a husky. His leopard form would frighten anyone who might be out, and he didn’t need the hassle of screaming neighbors and police. Tracking her by sound and scent, he located her house at the same time the garage door lowered.

Sylas waited nearby as she entered the house and checked the doors. Hearing the locks clicking was a turning point. He knew leaving her alone was dangerous. Her home was a one level ranch style. Easy in and out if anyone wanted to get to her. He watched lights come on as she moved through and then out when she was finished. He trotted to the back and found where her bedroom should be. He waited until the last light went out, and then moved to the front porch to keep watch.

Now you’re a watchdog for a woman you don’t even know. You’re losing it, Sylas,
he thought, trying to relax.
The Fates are definitely fucking with you this time.
Taking a quick sniff of the air, Sylas finally allowed sleep to take over; assured she was safe with his presence.

* * *

“Well, who are you, pretty baby? I don’t remember seeing you around here before.” Sylas jumped to his feet confused for a few seconds. It was Chance talking to him on the porch. He’d slept longer than he intended. He watched Chance crouch down to his level and reach out her hand to let him sniff it. He did and licked her hand in response. “Are you lost, boy? You sure are beautiful with those striking green eyes.”

Sylas moved closer to her as she sat down on the front steps, a glass of water in her hand. “Thirsty boy?” Chance crooned to him and poured some water into her hand, offering it to him. He gratefully drank what she offered. When finished, he sat down on his haunches next to her and leaned in, lowering his head for a scratch.

She obliged until a large white SUV pulled into her driveway. A man got out and raised a hand in greeting and she waved back with a smile. Sylas took this person to be the one she was meeting with and decided it was the perfect time to disappear. He stepped off the porch, looked up at her, and whined once. She walked down, ignoring the man that was waiting on her, and stepped over to where Sylas was standing in her yard.

“Time to go, beautiful boy? You can come back here anytime you want. Maybe next time you can stay longer, okay?”

Chance talked to him as if he was human, as if the dog understood everything she said, and he did. He sat and raised a paw. Chance crouched down to shake his paw, staring into his eyes. “Your eyes. I… I feel like I know you.”

Sylas watched as a frown tried to appear while she looked at him, but she erased it with a nervous giggle and the sound made his heart quicken.

“Well, I need to take care of business. Later, beautiful boy,” she whispered to him. Then she got up and walked inside her home with the visitor. Sylas smiled inwardly.
I do understand you and I will be back. Later, beautiful girl.

Sylas shifted to human form behind some trees and walked to his Harley. Thankfully immortals could shift and keep their clothes. He could also magic other clothes if needed, but he was already in his leathers, so there was no need. He rode home in silence, thinking about the woman he left behind.
She is more perceptive than I thought. It may take time, but she will definitely be worth the effort of winning over
.

As he rode, he remembered the fight from the night before, his body responding again to his thoughts of her. She was like a dancer in her comfort level with fighting, and he wanted those warrior legs wrapped tightly around him. He sported another raging hard on thinking about it and no immediate way for relief. He readjusted himself, trying to ease the pain.

Sylas arrived home, shifted to his leopard form, and cat napped the rest of the morning. When he got up, he showered and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Sylas pulled out his cell and put in a call to Jack to discuss the previous night. They both agreed that she needed protection from the pack.

According to Jack, the entire pack was made up of former rogues and they were considered extremely dangerous. He said the Alpha was the worst of them and would not take the beat down well. They both agreed to talk up a game plan later and Sylas told him that for now he would watch her until they could come up with something better. Since Chance was human they couldn’t tell her why she was in danger, and that was the difficulty. Keeping their world secret from humans was priority number one.