Man to Man [Wolf Creek Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (15 page)

Jim nodded and started toward the house. Donovan turned to follow when he caught the flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. It was deep in the shadows of the tree line. Donovan tried to look without really looking. He didn’t want whoever was watching them to know he knew they were watching.

“Jim,”
he whispered through their bond.

“I see it,”
Jim replied just as silently.

Donovan glanced at Jim only to find that he was staring at the large front window of the house, not the woods. As he watched, the curtain inside the house moved. If he had been human, Donovan would have thought it was just the wind or maybe a heater blowing inside. But, he was a wolf, and he had fantastic eyesight, even at night. He saw the finger moving the curtain aside.

“There’s also something in the woods off to our left.”

“So, house or woods?”

Donovan wished he knew. Both choices seemed dangerous. And both choices came with their own pros and cons. If they went for the house, they had some semblance of cover, but they might be trapped. If they went for the woods, they wouldn’t have any cover, but they could shift and run if they needed to.

And Donovan was getting the distinct feeling that they might need to. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He just couldn’t quite tell if it came from the danger of the situation or because someone was watching them. He just knew he didn’t like it.

“We’re here for Ethan,”
Jim said silently.
“I suggest we head for the house.”

“Agreed.”
The house was just as good, or just as dangerous, as the woods. Donovan followed Jim up the narrow cement walkway that led to the front door, all the while keeping a close eye on the woods.

Just as Jim and Donovan stepped up onto the small porch, Donovan heard the distinctive sound of a lock being turned. His eyes instantly dropped to the door handle just in time to see a small movement as it turned.

“Jim,”
Donovan warned.

“I saw it.”

Jim raised his hand to knock on the door. Donovan tried to swallow his mounting fear as Jim’s knuckles hit the hard wood, and the door instantly swung open as if it had been open the entire time, when he knew it hadn’t.

Jim glanced over his shoulder at Donovan.
“Do you think—”

“I don’t know what to think.”

Donovan stayed as close to Jim as he possibly could as his mate pushed the door opened and stepped inside the house. He didn’t know what they would be facing inside the house, but he didn’t know what was outside either. He shut the door behind him, hoping it would be one threat at a time.

“Hello,” Jim called out softly. “Is anyone here?”

“It’s Donovan Morgan,” Donovan said just as quietly. “I’m an enforcer for Alpha Reece.”

Considering the situation they were in, Donovan wasn’t sure anyone would answer, especially Ethan Brown. If the previous alpha had been in on the vampire scheme, Ethan had no reason to trust the present alpha. Donovan would just have to give Ethan a reason to trust him, assuming Ethan was inside the house.

“I’m here to escort Ethan and his brother to Wolf Creek Pack for safety. The rest of the pack has already been moved, including Carl and Tina and their kids. Carl is the one that sent me. He said he needed Ethan to babysit for him next full moon.”

Donovan almost jumped out of skin when a slim, sandy-blond- haired man jumped up from behind the couch. He didn’t realize he had a death grip on Jim’s wrist until the man winced and jerked away.

“Sorry.”

Jim nodded his understanding.

Donovan looked back at the man standing behind the couch. The guy was shaking but trying to not look like he was. His chest was rising and falling like he was about to hyperventilate, and his eyes were huge on his pale face. He was obviously terrified.

“Are you Ethan?”

The man nodded.

“I’m Donovan Morgan. This is my mate, Jim Nash. He’s from the Wolf Creek Pack. Alpha Reece sent us to get everyone out of here and back to Wolf Creek.”

“Why?” Ethan croaked.

“It’s not safe here. There’s a lot of shit going down tonight, and Alpha Reece felt it was better if the pack was moved somewhere else for the time being.”

Donovan’s jaw dropped when Ethan rolled his eyes.

“There’s been a lot of shit going down around here long before Alpha Reece took over,” Ethan said. His arms crossed over his chest in a defiant gesture. “Why should I believe you’re any different than the other shmucks?”

Jim burst out laughing.

Donovan glared at him. His mate was not helping the situation.

“I like him,” Jim said.

Now Donovan wanted to roll his eyes. “Look, Ethan, I get it that you can’t trust anyone, but we seriously need to get out of here. One, Alpha Reece ordered it. Two, Douglas, Timmins, and one of their vampire cronies tried to kill the alpha’s mate tonight. And three”—Donovan gestured over his shoulder toward the front door—“you have company outside.”

Ethan blanched, and then his eyes darted toward the front door. “I know. They’ve been out there for the last couple of hours. I haven’t been able to figure out why they haven’t tried to break in yet.”

“They’ve been watching you for the last couple of hours?” Donovan asked.

Ethan nodded. “I think they are waiting for something.”

“Well, shit,” Jim said as he walked over to peer out of the slit between the curtain and the side of the front window. “I hope they weren’t waiting for us.”

“Ethan, can you pack a bag or grab whatever you need to take with you?” Donovan asked as he looked back at the man. “I’d like to get out of here before they do decide to come in.”

“Uh…” Ethan’s eyes moved away from the window, and he looked toward a closed door on the far side of the room.

Donovan’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“I’m not exactly alone.”

“Your brother?” Donovan went on alert the instant he saw the tears well up in Ethan’s eyes. “Ethan, where’s your brother?”

“Timmins took him last week. He said Virgil had failed the alpha’s ritual and so he was being banished from the pack at the alpha’s orders.”

“Ethan, Alpha Reece never sanctioned any of this. Until tonight, he didn’t even know about that stupid ritual the former alpha had set up. He has nothing to do with what Douglas and Timmins are doing.”

“I know that!” Ethan’s eyes widened suddenly, and he slapped his hand over his mouth as if he had just realized he had shouted. “Look,” he said once he moved his hand, “I’m not stupid. This shit has been going on a lot longer than either of you realize. It started long before Alpha Reece took over. I’ve been waiting for him to do something about it, but I realize he’s only been here a few months.”

“He is doing something about it now that he knows,” Donovan said. “That’s why we need to get you to the Wolf Creek Pack. It’s safer there.”

“I’m not sure anywhere is safe.”

“I can assure you that the Wolf Creek Pack is safe, Ethan,” Jim said as he stepped away from the window. “My father is the alpha there, and he would never stand for any of this shit. Besides, he has a lot of muscle to back him up. We have a fairly large pack.”

“And you think that’s going to save us against a coven of vampires?” Ethan snipped.

Donovan stilled. “How do you know about the vampires?”

“Who in the hell do you think took my brother?”

“I thought it was Timmins.”

“Timmins arranged it, but I’m not stupid.” Ethan waved his hand up into the air. “I’ve seen what’s going on around here. That damn ritual is a front to capture pack members without anyone knowing anything about it.”

Donovan’s warning bells were going off in his head at Ethan’s words. “And just how do you know this?”

“Because my brother made it back here before Timmins took him. He told me what was going on. And Timmins is an idiot. He told Virgil everything before Virgil got away from him. Apparently, Timmins thought Virgil would agree to side with him if he let me live.”

“How did Timmins capture Virgil if he escaped?” Jim asked as he stepped forward to stand next to Donovan.

“Virgil wouldn’t agree to side with Timmins even if my life was in danger. He’s not like that. Once he heard what Timmins had to say, he created a distraction and slipped out the door and came home to warn me. Timmins showed up not long after Virgil got here. Virgil made me hide. I heard a struggle, but by the time I got out here, they were gone.” Ethan’s baby blue eyes were filled with nervousness as they flickered to the closed door. “He didn’t come back alone.”

Jim stiffened as his gaze moved to the same door. “Who did he bring back with him, Ethan?”

Ethan wrung his hands together, looking between Jim and Donovan for a moment before he walked over to the door and pushed it open. Curiosity was eating away at Jim. It warred with the hesitation he felt about approaching the door, but he had to know what was inside the room. His and Donovan’s very lives could depend on it.

Jim walked cautiously across the floor and peered into the room. His jaw dropped when he saw the two small occupants huddled on the middle of a queen-sized bed. He just stared. He couldn’t do anything else, and he certainly didn’t know what to say.

Two sets of soft brown eyes stared up at him, filled with fear. They didn’t make a sound, not even a whimper, and that was a huge feat for such little beings. Jim would have been screaming his head off if he was that small and was suddenly faced with a stranger he didn’t know. They had to be terrified.

“Hello,” Jim said in his softest voice. “My name is Jim.”

He felt Donovan move up behind him and heard the man’s swift inhale when he spotted the two toddlers sitting on the bed. Thankfully, Donovan didn’t say a word. Jim moved slowly into the room, not wanting to scare the children any more than they already were. When he reached the bed, he sat down on the edge.

“Can you tell me your names?” Could they even talk? Were they old enough? Jim knew next to nothing about children. He didn’t really hang out with them much. How old did a child have to be before they started talking?

“It’s okay, Carrie, Joey,” Ethan said as he walked into the room. “These are friends of mine.”

The children’s eyes snapped to Ethan, but they didn’t say anything.

“This is Jim”—Ethan’s hand waved to where Jim sat and then to Donovan—”and his mate, Donovan. They are here to take us someplace safe.”

The smallest of the two children, a little girl, pulled her thumb out of her mouth. “Mama.”

“Uh…” Jim glanced at Ethan. He had no idea where the little girl’s mother was.

“Honey, I’m sorry,” Ethan said. There was a sparkle of tears in Ethan’s eyes when he looked over at Jim for a moment. “Mama isn’t here right now.”

“Ethan, can I speak with you for a moment?” Donovan asked from the doorway.

Jim stood up and walked over to join him when Ethan did. He cast another look at the children on the bed and tried to send them a reassuring smile. “We’ll be right back, okay?”

The children didn’t say anything. They just continued to watch.

Jim hid his grimace until he turned away and followed Ethan and Donovan back into the main room. He could see the tension in Donovan’s shoulders and knew his mate was close to shouting. Jim reached over and stroked his hand down the middle of Donovan’s back.

“Breath, baby.”

Donovan drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He did it again before smiling over at Jim.
“I’m okay, Jim. Just worried.”

Jim nodded his understanding. He was just as worried as Donovan was. He turned his attention to Ethan, hoping the man might have some answers for them. “Who children are those, Ethan, and where did they come from? Where are their parents?”

“Their parents are dead,” Ethan whispered. Jim knew he did it to keep the children from hearing them talking.

“What?” Donovan said a little louder. “How?”

“Virgil said the parents were the last remaining survivors of their pack, another pack that was being used as donors for the vampires. Because they were able to produce cubs, they were the last taken.”

“Oh my gods,” Jim whispered, his heart going out to the two small children in the other room. “How did Virgil get the children?”

“Timmins had the parents and the children at his place when he took Virgil. I guess he was waiting to ship them all off to the vampires or something.”

“How did the parents die?” Donovan asked through a rough voice filled with anger and sorrow. Jim slid his hand around Donovan, hugging his mate close. He felt as much anger and sorrow as Donovan did. He just didn’t know what to say to voice it.

“Timmins was threatening the parents, using the children to keep them in line. When Timmins tried to separate the children from their parents, there was a fight. That’s when the father died, leaving their mother injured. Virgil said she was too injured to live long. She asked him to save her children. She created a distraction while Virgil escaped with the children.”

“So, he brought them here?” Jim asked.