Dark Wolf Rising (Heart of the Shifter) (3 page)

"They'll never believe that you would pull the trigger on me. And I don't either." Drake jerked his chin at the steering wheel. "Drive. Let's get the fuck out of here. Where are you planning to go?"

Son of a bitch. "You don't understand," Cash said. "There's nowhere safe. I won't risk your life."

Drake turned to look at him, and his eyes went cold. "I'm not going back without you, Cash. You're the only family I have. Put the fucking gun away and drive. I'll get her out." He went to lean over the seat to grab Bryn, and Cash swore and pressed the gun against Drake's temple. "No."

Drake went still, eyeing Cash. "Son of a bitch," he said softly. "You're serious."

"I won't let you die because of my choice," Cash said. "Get the fuck out."

"It's
my
choice." Drake reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. He flipped it open, moving slowly but intentionally. "While you're fucking around, she's dying back there. Shoot me if you want, but you risked everything to save her. Don't lose your shit now."

"Shit! Drake—"

His friend had already sliced open the comforter. Swearing, Cash set the gun on the dash and leaned over the back of the seat to help his friend strip the tattered remnants from Bryn. Her hair was damp with sweat, and her skin was flushed from the heat.

Fear rippled through him, and Cash yanked the last piece from her face. "Bryn!"

She sucked in a gasp, rolling onto her side. Guilt knifed through his gut when he saw her lying there, her arm cradled to her chest, her hair tangled and damp. It took every ounce of self-control not to leap into the back and pull her into his arms. He would have if Drake hadn't been there, watching with too much insight.

She looked up at him, then her gaze flicked to Drake. There was so much fear in her eyes that he swore, fighting to suppress his wolf's need to protect her. He didn't want to scare her even more by letting her see what he was. "It's okay, Bryn. I'll shoot him if he tries to hurt you." He held out his hand, keeping his voice gentle. "Come on. Let me help."

She reached out, sliding her hand into his. Her hand was shaking, and for a split second, he was transported back to when they were kids, and he'd fished her out of a pond that she'd fallen into. Those same blue eyes, the same trust, the same trembling hand. He couldn't help but smile, and she smiled back, and for a brief second, the years vanished, and it was just them again, two lost kids counting on each other.

Then she winced in pain, and he was back in the moment, back in the middle of a high-stakes race for survival. He helped her onto the backseat, grimacing at the amount of blood still oozing from the wound in her arm. "Shit. We need to get that fixed." He sliced a section of the comforter into strips, and bound her arm to stem the flow of blood. It was crude but fast, and he was aware of Drake beside him, continuously scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was sneaking up on them.

Bryn said nothing, focused tightly on his work, her gaze occasionally flicking warily toward Drake. In less than two minutes, the wound was secure. He still needed to get it cleaned, but it would hold for now. She sank back against the seat, holding her arm to her chest, her shoulders slumped with weariness. Her tension had eased, however, and he knew that she was starting to trust him to keep her safe.

"Hey." Drake grinned at her, extending his hand over the seat. "I'm Drake London, Cash's best friend. I'm his only friend, actually. The guy's not too social."

She smiled back, faintly, warily, and shook his hand, contact that made Cash's wolf restless. Drake was his best friend, but he was also a male, and Cash's wolf didn't like him touching Bryn. "Cash has always been a loner," she said. "No one else would hang out with him except for me. You'd think he'd learn to be more popular in his old age, but I guess not."

Drake grinned. "I like you. Welcome to the party."

She smiled back. "Thanks. It seems like a great party. I'm thrilled to be here."

Drake laughed, but Cash couldn't take his eyes off her as she spoke. Her voice drifted through him, throaty and feminine, just as he remembered...except it was more. She was a woman now, not a kid. Her cream-colored tank top was tight across her breasts, and he couldn't fail to notice that she wasn't wearing a bra. Her nipples were dark circles beneath the fabric, and the swells of her breasts were easily visible. Which meant that Drake would notice as well... Possessiveness roared through Cash, and he grabbed his leather jacket from the seat beside him and handed it to her. "Here."

She raised her brows. "Thanks." She accepted it, draping it over her lap.

Her lap.

Not her breasts. Her fucking
lap
.

"So, what now?" Drake asked. "Where to?"

Cash realized he wasn't going to be able to dissuade Drake from being a part of the situation. "You're an ass," he said.

Drake shrugged. "Live with it, buddy. What's the plan?"

Cash flexed his hands on the steering wheel, thinking fast. Having Drake on his side gave them more options. "Tell Damien that you saw the body. That I ripped her up good. That I'm going to drop it on the courthouse steps on Thursday morning, when the building opens."

Drake's brows shot up. "You want me to go back to them? Damien knows we're tight. He knows I'll lie for you. If he thinks you didn't kill her, my story isn't going to change his mind."

Cash thought back to the way Damien had looked at him when he'd carried Bryn out, and he swore under his breath. "You're right. He has something going on. He'll come after me. I need to get Bryn to a safe place. Can you head him off and stall him?" He glanced in his mirror and saw Bryn's eyes widen. She looked over her shoulder, checking the dark woods.

"We need to go," she said. "They'll be coming."

"I know." He looked at Drake. "You in?"

Drake looked at them both, then swore. "Fine, but keep in touch. Tell me where to meet up. I'm not staying with the pack without you and Jace."

Cash wouldn't stay without Drake and Jace either. He nodded. "You got it."

Drake glanced back at Bryn. "Don't fuck him over, Bryn," he said softly, an edge to his voice. "He's risking everything for you."

She met his gaze. "I would never hurt him."

The steadiness of her voice made satisfaction rush through him. The bond they had was still there, maybe even stronger than it had once been. Urgency pulsed through him, the need to get her alone and away from the other male. "We need to go."

Drake saluted him and got out of the truck. His face was grim when he looked back at Cash. No words needed to be spoken aloud, but the message was clear. Drake had his back until the end, but that end might be only hours away now, despite all their years of fighting for survival. Cash had risked it all for a girl.

"I know," Cash said, acknowledging the unspoken sentiment. "Thanks. Watch your back."

"Always." Drake stepped back and slammed the door shut. Cash didn't hesitate or look back. He just hit the gas, and the vehicle exploded forward, the tires spinning as he took off, Bryn's life solely in his hands now.

"HOW ARE YOU doing, Bryn?" Cash asked as he pulled out onto the road, leaving Drake standing on the edge of the woods. He hit the gas, the SUV leaping forward as they hurtled down the winding road. "Come up front."

His voice was exactly as Bryn remembered, so familiar, and yet, at the same time, so different. It was harder now. Colder. More dangerous. She still couldn't believe he'd pointed a gun at Drake. The boy she'd known would never have done that. She didn't move from her seat. "Where have you been for thirteen years?"

He met her gaze in the rearview mirror, and she saw a flash of pain in his eyes. It was gone almost immediately, replaced by an impenetrable wall that had never been there before. Then he shook his head. "How bad is your arm?" he asked, not answering her question.

"Bad, I think. The blade went deeper than I intended." What had she been thinking, slicing her arm open? The whole scene from the hotel was surreal, like a scene from a horror flick that had left a coating of filth on her. So much blood. The screams. She'd known those men who'd been assigned to protect her. "Did they all die? Are they dead, because of me?"

He glanced back at her again, and this time, his expression was softer. "Bryn," he said gently. "The men protecting you knew the risks. It's their job. It's their lifestyle. Nothing that happened to them is because of you. They do that every day. You can't blame yourself."

"Oh, God." Tears filled her eyes as she leaned back against the seat. "They're all dead, aren't they? All of them?" Suddenly, the horror of all that had happened overtook her. She started to shake, and she felt like she was going to throw up. She couldn't stop the tears that suddenly spilled out, and she bent over, fighting back the sobs struggling to overwhelm her.

Cash swore, and she was vaguely aware of the SUV stopping. The door opened and suddenly Cash's arms were around her. "Hey, Bryn, come here."

She fell into his arms, burying her face in his neck. She was shaking so badly she felt like her body was going to shatter, but Cash pulled her tight against him, into the heated strength of his embrace. "I'm here now," he said softly, leaning his cheek against hers. "This is my world. I can keep you safe."

She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting off the sobs threatening to engulf her. His body was so strong and muscled, a solid wall of strength shielding her. She gripped the front of his shirt, holding desperately to him as she pressed her face against his chest. "I saw Jace Donovan kill that woman," she whispered. "I saw how he tore her up. It was...God. It was awful." She pulled back, searching his face for answers. "Was that what happened to those men? Was it the same?"

Cash brushed her hair back from her face, his touch so tender that new tears threatened, different tears, tears of relief at the feel of his familiar touch in the midst of so much horror. "Look at me, Bryn," he said. "What color are my eyes?"

She stared at him. "Green. Like they've always been. Why—"

"I want you to focus on me. Not on the images in your head. Think about the color of my eyes, and only the color of my eyes. Okay?"

There was no way she could do that. The images were too vivid. "I can't—"

"No." He squeezed her firmly, his hands steady on her hips. "You have to shut it out right now. We're in the open and vulnerable, and we need to stay focused."

The image of Melissa's glassy stare flashed through her mind, the expression of horror at the moment of death. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the images wouldn't stop. She was shaking now, barely able to breathe. How badly had the men suffered? How much blood had there been? "How can I not think about it? I saw it—"

He swore under his breath. "You're just as stubborn as you ever were." He slid his fingers in her hair. "Shut up and focus, babe, or I'm going to have to make you."

Her eyes flew open at the threat in his voice, and her mind leapt back to the time when she was fourteen, and he'd made that same threat. "Don't you dare, Cash—"

"Too late. I know you've been through hell, but we don't have time for you to freak out." His fingers tightened in her hair, and she knew a split second before he did it, what he was going to do.

He was going to shock the hell out of her system with a kiss designed to bring her to her knees.

Cash had meant to distract Bryn from the nightmare that wouldn't let her go.

He'd intended to use the kiss as a weapon to ground her.

He hadn't even been thinking about
enjoying
it.

But the moment he felt Bryn's lips against his, every noble thought vanished from his mind, replaced with
her.
She melted into him instantly, just as she had so long ago, kissing him back as if he was the source of the air that she breathed. The moment her body sank into his, everything inside him shifted from his mission to
her.

Need poured through him, the kind of raw, penetrating need that obliterated everything else. The blood in his veins began to burn, and heat rushed through him, as if lava had been poured into his body and given free rein to consume him. Every thought vanished, except for his awareness of Bryn's mouth under his, and her body flush against him. Her soul seemed to envelop him as if she had become a part of him all over again. This time, however, the connection between them was on a completely different level. Before, it had been the deep bond of a friendship that would never betray him, with the first hints of sexual awakening. Now, the deep pull of their bond was just as intense, but it was inextricably intertwined with a sensuality and physical desire that almost consumed him.

"
Bryn.
" He dug his fingers into her hips and crushed her against him, deepening the kiss, ensnared by the sheer ruthlessness of his need for her. She kissed him back, just as desperately, but as deep as the kiss was, it was a brutal tease that burned for more.

He tunneled one hand through her hair, and palmed her shoulder blades with the other, as if he could, by sheer force, meld their bodies together forever. Having her in his arms again was shocking in its intensity.

In the last decade, he'd been so focused on his life, the pack, and trying to get his shit together that he hadn't had the time to focus on anything else. He hadn't had the luxury of sifting through the memories of a time in his life that, as tough as it had been, had been so much simpler, and always been bathed in the warmth of his friendship with Bryn. He'd put her, and his past, out of his mind long ago, and he hadn't thought of her again until her name had been dropped in that pack meeting that she was targeted for assassination. At that point, he'd only been thinking about making sure she didn't get killed. Not because he wanted her for himself, but because she was the one light he'd ever had, and he was going to make damn sure it didn't get extinguished.