Deadly Seduction (Feral Protectors 3) (15 page)

He reached the cave in less than an hour. He carefully navigated the precipice which hung off the side of the mountain and overlooked the valley. Moonlight glinted off the winding Silver Creek River below.

While he’d been locked up, he’d concocted the perfect plan. He’d intended to capture Gwen at some point and bring her to the cave. He hadn’t figured out exactly how he was going to do it, but now he didn’t need to. It was as if fate had intervened to help set the trap. Nosh would come looking for her, of that he had no doubt. And when he did, Mazus would be ready.

He shoved Gwen into the cave. “Go lay down.”

He watched her trembling form climb onto a small stone dais at the rear of the cave. Tension coiled between his legs. Blood rushed toward the tightness but he wouldn’t take her yet. He had a better idea. He’d wait until Nosh found them. Then, he’d stab Nosh and let him bleed out while he fucked Gwen.

He shivered in anticipation. The rigid length of his cock jutted out toward his intended prize. Soon he’d bury his rage in her hot little cunt. Soon.

Chapter 15

Nosh struggled against paralysis as a snake, oily and black with hate, swayed and hissed. “Ssshe’s with him. She’sss dead.”

The slithering creature wound around his ankle. Helpless to get off the bed, Nosh could only stare, transfixed by the vile serpent.

“She’sss alone. She’sss afraid,” the snake taunted.

Nosh fought the rising tide of fear. He had no doubt that he was dreaming. Snakes only spoke in nightmares. But he couldn’t wake up. An invisible force kept him tethered in the dream world.

A wave of pure revulsion rolled through his gut as the creature wound its way up his body. It slid across his thighs and coiled on his belly. Its ruby eyes glistened in the darkness.

“Sssave her.”

The snake bared its fangs and lunged forward.

Nosh jolted awake. He frantically patted the bed to make sure the reptile was gone. In an instant, he realized Gwen was gone too. After bolting out of bed, he hurried into the hall. He looked left then right. The empty passageway ratcheted up his fear. Where was she?

He jogged toward the entrance to the den. In the great room, wolves lay in various positions of repose.

He woke Edon. “Have you seen Gwen?”

“No.”

“Where’s Mazus? Where did you take him?”

Edon jumped up. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. I woke up and she was gone.”

“Are you sure she didn’t go out to get water or something? Maybe nature called.”

“No. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

“Mazus is locked up. Tate’s guarding him.”

“I want to see him.”

“I’ll take you.”

As they hurried down the hall, a wide-eyed Tate rushed toward them. “He’s gone. I don’t know how he got the keys, but he escaped.”

Adrenaline flooded into Nosh’s hands and feet. “Gwen’s missing.”

The young wolf paled. “Oh no.”

“Find them. Get everyone up. I want the whole den searching for them, now!”

Lucian ran into the room. “What happened?”

“Mazus escaped. He’s got Gwen.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. She wouldn’t have wandered out in the middle of the night alone.”

Fadian joined them. “I heard.”

Nosh said, “Get a few teams together. I want every inch of this mountain searched. Nobody stops until we find them.”

Lucian said, “I’m going with you.”

“No, I need you to organize the pack. I’m leaving now. I can’t stand around waiting for teams to form while she’s out there with him.”

“Okay. Go.”

Nosh raced toward the entrance but when he got outside he stopped. He needed to shift so he could scent Gwen. She hadn’t traveled as extensively as Mazus so her scent would be easier to track. His ribs still hurt from fighting Mazus, but he had no choice. If he had any hope of finding her, he needed a wolf’s senses.

He took a deep breath and released it in a long whoosh. He summoned the animalistic side of himself. The bones in his back cracked and searing pain radiated down his legs. He dropped to the floor and writhed as the muscles condensed in his arms and legs to form paws. Fur sprouted and grew to cover his body. His nose elongated into a snout. He panted as the last few cells in his body morphed into wolf.

A wild howl burst from deep within his throat. He threw back his head and released all the pain and tension in a long, keening cry.

He pawed the ground in an attempt to draw up her scent. It was all around him, curling into his nostrils and swirling into his lungs. He’d have to follow the trails leading away from the den in order to find her.

After trotting through the gate and through the narrow granite-lined path, he turned toward the stream. On the off chance that she wasn’t with Mazus, he wanted to start his search at the only place she’d go to in the middle of the night.

Her scent glided across the ground near the stream but it was old, not strong enough to be recent. He trotted in a circle while trying to decide which way to run. Which way would Mazus have headed?

There were countless small caves in the mountain but no one lived in any of them. Mazus wouldn’t risk going into the other pack’s territories. So where would he go?

As the seconds ticked by, his heart pounded in his chest. What if he couldn’t find her? What was that bastard doing to her right now? Was she even alive?

He snarled. If Mazus had so much as touched a single inch of her, he’d kill him. Without anything to go on, he raced through the forest in a desperate attempt to locate a fresh scent trail.

***

Gwen couldn’t stop shaking. As she fought to overcome her terror, she pictured Nosh. His soft almond-shaped eyes and long black hair gave her the will to fight. She wasn’t going to sit around and wait to be rescued.

Mazus paced back and forth in front of the cave’s entrance. If she could catch him off guard, she could shove him off the ledge and escape. But every few feet, he’d stop and turn to stare at her. His gaze raked across her body, sending shivers of revulsion down her spine. So far, he’d left her alone. But for how long?

She sucked in a breath and blew it out. If she had any hope of being free, she needed to stay calm. That had been Nosh’s number one self-defense tip. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, she could have had an extra day of training, but she’d foolishly turned her back on him. He’d left her then, but she knew he wouldn’t abandon her now. He’d come for her. He’d save her. But would he get here in time?

That sliver of doubt forced her to take action. She watched Mazus slink around the corner toward the mountain trail. If she could get past him, she'd run like hell to get away.

She slid off the bed and tread as quietly as possible. Her footsteps barely sounded against the earth. Even if she couldn’t match him in strength, she’d have the element of surprise and that might be enough to save her.

At the entrance to the cave, she leaned out to peer around the corner. Mazus wasn’t in sight. She had no idea where he’d gone but didn’t care. Now was her chance.

She bolted down the trail and past the first set of trees. When she turned to take the upper path, she skidded to a stop. Mazus stood in the center of the trail with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I figured you’d try to escape, but I’m impressed. I thought you would have waited a bit longer.”

She screamed as he raced forward. He slapped her so hard that she went reeling. She landed on her butt hard enough to bruise her tailbone. A cry of rage burst from her lips. How dare he hit her! She’d be dammed if she’d go down without a fight.

As she scrambled to her feet, an amused smile spread across his face. “Feisty. I’ll have to thank Nosh for turning you into a little firecracker.”

“Screw you.”

“Oh, you will.” He flashed a lecherous grin.

She caught his insinuation. He’d have to kill her before she’d ever let him violate her. No man would ever get the chance to hurt her the way Zane had. She’d fight to the death to stop him.

Mazus sauntered toward her. “You look mad enough to kill.”

“Stay back.”

“Or what?”

He charged forward and punched toward her face. She ducked to one side. The blow landed on her shoulder, spinning her around in a half-circle.

She quickly turned and threw up her arm to block the next strike. His fist connected with her elbow. A knife of pain shot up the nerves in her arm. She wailed.

He slapped her and grabbed her by the hair. “Let’s go bitch.”

As he dragged her toward the den, she punched his ribs.

He snickered. “I hope you fight this hard when I’m fucking you.”

She clawed at his hands but he wouldn’t release her. The closer they got to the den, the more she panicked. In a final desperate attempt to get free, she jabbed two fingers in his eye.

He hollered, “Bitch!”

The second he released his grip, she tried to run. But he reacted instantly and kicked her in the back. She plunged forward toward the edge of the precipice. After landing face down, she pushed up but he was on top of her. Terror streaked through every cell in her body like wildfire. Not again. She couldn’t go through it again. She’d rather be dead.

Mazus flipped her onto her back. The dark rage in his eyes signaled his intent. She shot her knee up in an attempt to hit his cock but missed. She tried to claw his face, but he grabbed her hands and pinned them overhead. With a feral snarl he kneed her thighs apart.

She screamed.

***

A cry born of pure agony assaulted Nosh. Still in wolf form, he raced toward the screaming woman.

Gwen.

Oh God.

No.

He skidded onto the ledge to find Mazus hovering over her. From the position of their bodies, he knew Mazus had been only seconds away from raping her. Fury unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his life engulfed him. In a fit of pure rage, he surged forward and knocked Mazus off of her. She scrambled away into the safety of the den.

He growled. The low, menacing tone echoed down the mountain.

Mazus held up his hands. “I’m not shifted. It’s not a fair fight.”

Nosh snarled.

Mazus said, “One of us has to shift.”

Nosh didn’t trust him for a second. If he tried to shift, Mazus would be on him in a second. No, it would be better if he let Mazus shift.

Nosh backed up a step before jerking his snout up.

The man laughed. “Don’t trust me?”

Nosh growled. He stood in front of the only path off the ledge. Mazus would never be able to get past him as a human.

As Mazus shifted into his wolf form, Nosh could have lunged forward and knocked him off the ledge. But he didn’t fight dirty, even with someone as evil as Mazus.

The second Mazus assumed his wolf form, Nosh attacked. He leapt onto the other wolf’s back and sunk his teeth into his jet-black fur. Mazus snarled and violently shook Nosh off. For a second, Nosh went airborne. He landed on his feet but one of his back paws slid off the ledge. He quickly pulled it back but not before a flurry of loose pebbles tumbled over the edge.

Mazus slinked low across the ground. He walked back and forth giving no indication of when he’d strike.

Nosh went on the offensive. He faked left then slammed into the left side of Mazus’s body. The other wolf skidded toward the edge but stopped just short. Nosh just needed to give him a little push and he’d fall to his death.

Mazus’s eyes sparkled the same blood red as the snake from the dream. Dark shadows etched deep grooves along his jowls as if he’d been possessed by pure evil. The transformation stunned Nosh for the split second that it took Mazus to lunge forward.

Nosh slammed against the rock face. With the wind knocked out of him, he wasn’t able to dodge another body slam. The second hit smashed his head against a jutting stone. Shockwaves of torment electrified his brain and for a second, he couldn’t move.

Mazus’s jaw closed around the back of Nosh’s neck. The wolf dragged Nosh closer and closer to the edge. Nosh couldn’t make his limbs move. He was inches away from death and utterly helpless.

A flurry of movement came out of nowhere to knock Mazus loose. Nosh struggled to get his paws under him. As he stood on shaky legs, he watched in horror as Gwen leapt onto Mazus. Gwen had shifted into her wolf form. She’d locked her jaw around Mazus’s leg. The trapped wolf kicked and tried to get away.

When he finally broke free, Gwen hurled her body forward and the two went tumbling toward the edge. In slow motion, Nosh rushed forward to grab a mouthful of Gwen’s hip. His teeth sunk into her flesh but didn’t stop her from pitching over the edge.

A long cry followed by a sickening thud sounded from down the mountain. Nosh used every last ounce of strength to pull Gwen back onto the ledge. When she was safe, Nosh walked to the edge and peered over. About halfway down the mountain, Mazus lay with his neck twisted at an unnatural angle. He stared up at Nosh with vacant eyes. Mazus was dead.

Behind him, Gwen shifted to her human form. She gingerly touched the gash in her hip before running to hug him.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” she cried.

Nosh rubbed his snout against her skin and inhaled her scent. The scent of his mate.

***

After Nosh shifted back to his human form, Gwen rushed forward. She wrapped her arms around his sweat-drenched body. She’d come so close to losing him.

“Shh,” Nosh whispered as he clung to her.

She didn’t realize she was sobbing until she started to choke between sobs.

Nosh held her out in front of him. “Did he…”

“No,” she said.

“Thank God.”

“I tried to fight back but he was too strong.”

“But you fought back. You defeated him and now he’ll never be able to hurt you again.”