Seeking Pack Redemption (27 page)

Throat
tight, unable to speak, he brushed a kiss on top of her head, pried her loose,
and handed her to Parker. Then he did the hardest thing ever. As she sobbed,
heartbroken, needing him, he walked away.

With
nowhere safe to send
Thea
, they were forced to keep
her with them as they waited for Roderick to show, an option Trent did not like
at all.
Jaxon
claimed the monster approached, his
strange bond to the creature an odd way of tracking for a wolf used to relying
on his senses.

As her
mates, it proved natural for Trent and Darren to take up permanent residence
with
Thea
in one motel room, ensuring one always
remained with her as they took turns on guard duty. While Marc never came out
and asked or said anything about the arrangement, Trent could see him watching.
He also noted his discontent but did nothing about it. With them all caught in
such tight quarters, Trent thought it more prudent to say nothing, unsure of
how Marc would react if told
Thea
showed no interest
in taking him on as a mate.

Besides,
perhaps it was the stress of the situation or the newness of her status making
her
say
that. Perhaps once they returned home, the
spark she felt before would return. If not, then at least once Marc knew the
truth,
he’d have somewhere to go without having
Thea’s
choice slapped in his face at every turn.

Trent
refused to contemplate
Jaxon’s
warning that Marc
might be under the influence of the vampire.
No fucking way.
His best friend was just reacting from the stress
of the
situation,
a stress compounded by the fact the
woman he wanted had yet to return his affection.

As if
sensing the coming battle, the town that sprang up west of the compound, grew
taut with tension. Strangers were eyed with distrust and encouraged to leave. Many
of the townsfolk knew of the
Lycan
secret, some of
them
dormants
who chose to live outside the pack and
provide what aid they could, taking up positions with the local law enforcement
or running
Lycan
-friendly businesses like the motel
they stayed at. The uneasiness could be felt everywhere as people hurried
during the daytime, never alone, none straying after dark. Guests of the motel
left, and new reservations were rejected as management did their best to keep
innocent humans away. Trent and his companions might have gotten the shove-off,
too, if Nathan weren’t distantly related to Murray, the motel owner. Despite Murray’s
wishes, they were allowed to stay with the understanding that damages would come
out of their financial pockets.
Assuming
we survive the coming conflict.

The uneasy
waiting took its toll.
Jaxon
wandered around morose and
wouldn’t smile at all since his meeting with Bailey, a failed venture that saw
her refusing to run to safety. The only good thing that emerged from it all was
Trent’s talks with Nathan, who assured him that if Roderick could be dealt
with, their rogue status would be revoked.
One less thing to
worry about for later.

With
nothing to do other than wait and watch, he chose to discover his new mate. Her
likes—watermelon, corny science-fiction flicks, and chocolate bars. Dislikes—spiders,
broccoli, and spicy food. He brought her books on pregnancy and rubbed lotion
into her burgeoning belly. The more he discovered about her, the more he loved
her. It was a feeling he shared with Darren, who enjoyed making her laugh with
his grand claims of the things he’d build for her. Between the two of them,
they did their best to erase the fear that still came into her eyes when she thought
no one watched. They did their utmost to make her feel loved, protected, and
safe. It ended up a pleasant time of discovery, though rife with
anxiety, that
eventually had to end.

On
their
third day at the motel, just before the dawn, as he
and
Jaxon
sat perched on the motel roof, his new
friend said suddenly. “He’s arrived.”

But that
was all he could tell Trent, the rising sun dissipating the link until
nightfall.

It was
enough. Knowing Roderick’s wolves were around, possibly even closing in on him,
didn’t stop him and Darren both from loving
Thea
with
a passion that left them all shaking and humbled.

I only hope it’s not the last time.

Much later
that day, after a flurry of phone calls and last-minute preparations, with a
hard kiss to her lips, a kiss Darren matched, they marched off into the
descending darkness.
Jaxon’s
wry announcement of
“It’s a good day to die,” caused a dark mirth.

Because it was.
A good day for Roderick to die that
was and for his vengeance to be complete.
And so what if his fury had
more to do with the abuse of his mate than his brother, in the end, the
vampire’s death was all that truly mattered.

As for
Thea
, left alone with Marc who promised to guard her with
his life, she wasn’t completely helpless. With the help of the pack, Trent
acquired a small gun, one better suited for her hands than
Jaxon’s
weapons, filled with silver bullets. He just hoped she didn’t have to use it,
because if she did, it meant they had failed.

Meeting up
with Nathan and the thirty or so odd shifters he deemed strong enough to
withstand the mind control, Trent’s confidence in their plan increased.

“Nathan,”
he said holding out his hand. The council leader shook it firmly, oozing the
strength that made him alpha, not only over his own pack, but the council he
ruled with an iron fist. But Trent was no weakling in the dominance department.
He didn’t bow his head to the other man, which earned him a wry grin.

“It’s nice
to see you again, Trent.
And you as well, Darren.
Jaxon
.” Nathan’s tone lowered to an almost growl, which
Jaxon
accepted with a shrug and tight smile.

“Hey, big
boss man. Bet you never thought you’d see me again.”

“You mean,
we hoped,” Wyatt snapped, moving to join them. Parker gave his former
packmate
a nod, while a blond fellow Trent assumed was
Gavin gave
Jaxon
a thoughtful stare.

“No
fighting.” Nathan said it quietly, but Wyatt immediately stood down. “
Jaxon
, are you sure you can lead us to Roderick?”

“He’s
broadcasting loud and clear, which probably means he’s up to no good and we
should get moving.”

“Let’s go
then.”

Trusting
in
Jaxon
, something his old pack still seemed leery
of, they headed off on foot into the woods the other side of town, miles from
the pack itself, and too far for his liking from
Thea
,
their unsuspecting bait. He’d wanted to tell her about the small change in plan,
but they couldn’t risk her giving them away because, according to
Jaxon
, Roderick watched and knew of their plan via Marc.

On the one
hand, Trent didn’t believe it. His best friend would never betray them. But he
also had to admit, given the stories he’d heard
Thea
tell
about the mind control, that he worried about leaving her alone with Marc in
case he was wrong. However, Nathan had a point when he said, “Me, Roderick
wants to kill.
But
Thea
?
He
wants her back.”

So Trent
and Darren kept their mouths shut, left their beloved mate in the dark and
headed off to the rendezvous point far from the motel.
All
necessary steps in order for Roderick to come out of hiding.
They needed
to lull him into a false sense of security and then spring their trap shut.

Trent
hated it. Hated knowing his best friend since
childhood might
be possessed by a monster
. Hated even believing it. Even more, though,
he hated leaving his mate, knowing she courted danger, something he’d promised
to protect her from. But Nathan was right. They wouldn’t get a better shot.

And Roderick wants her alive,
he reminded himself, which
lent her protection of a sort, or so he prayed. He’d die if anything happened
to her.

The night
grew darker as the clouds covered even the faint brilliance of the stars. Not
that he needed light to guide him. His eyesight adjusted enough to move
silently through the trees along with his
Lycan
brothers as they ghosted through the woods, pretending they hunted as all the
while they lay in wait for a certain vampire to take the bait.

*
* * *

Thea
paced, anxiety making her unable to sit still while Marc lounged in
a chair watching her. His silent brooding made her uneasy, but with more things
to worry about than his annoyance over not being allowed to go with the guys,
she ignored it.

It still
pissed her off that Trent and Darren left her behind with him as a babysitter.
Didn’t they know she wanted to help? That she wouldn’t prove a liability? She’d
finally admitted to Trent her immunity to the beast, the fact she’d also drank
of his blood. His reply, “Don’t care. You’re staying here where I know you’re
safe.” Didn’t he know caveman declarations went out of style millions of years
ago? Although she did have to admit she found it kind of sexy. Not that she
told him aloud. She didn’t want him to think he could just go around giving
orders—outside of the bedroom at any rate.

As a
matter of fact, she planned on defying his decree and would have followed, but
he left her a guard in the form of Marc, who stood in front of the door and
refused to let her leave. Surprising given she could tell he wasn’t happy at
not getting a piece of the action.
Their
feeble, “Someone
needs to guard
Thea
” an easy lie to spot. They all
knew, even if no one dared say it aloud; Marc didn’t have the right kind of
strength to withstand Roderick. Hell, she wasn’t sure Trent or Darren could
either. The only examples she’d ever met of defiance all ended up succumbing in
the end.

Which is why I need to get out of here and help
them.

“Why
haven’t you chosen me?”

Marc’s
abrupt question startled her. “Excuse me?”

He
regarded her from under hooded eyes. “I said, why haven’t you chosen me? You
had no problem falling into bed with Darren and Trent.
My
best friends.
When is it my turn?”

“I don’t
think this is the time for this conversation,” she said stalling. The spark
she’d initially felt for Marc never reignited. As a matter of fact, having him
around made her extremely uncomfortable.

“When will
it be time,
Thea
? I’ve been more than patient while
you’ve been fucking my friends. Gangbanging them like some two-bit whore.
What’s the big deal with letting me in on the action?” He stood as he spoke,
and with his last sentence, he mimed thrusting his hips.

Ill at
ease, she took a step back. “I don’t feel for you the way you want me to. I’m
sorry, Marc. But I’m not going to sleep with you.”

“Don’t
feel for me?” he repeated in a falsetto. “Oh, that’s priceless. As if you gave
me a chance. But then again, it’s not like you’ve had time, you’ve been so busy
spreading your thighs. I think it’s time you spread them for me. It’s been a
while since I’ve had the pleasure of banging your tight cunt. Although given
your recent activity, I wonder how snug it still is.” Marc’s voice deepened as
he spoke, and terror rose up to claim her as a red pinprick appeared in his
eyes

“Roderick,”
she whispered.

“You
remember me!
Halle-fucking-
juleah
!
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, be a good girl and strip, would you?
I want the dog—what’s his name again, Marc
?—
to
claim your ass before you come back to join me. I know you’ve missed me.” A
wide smile stretched his lips, and she backed away as he approached.

“Leave him
alone.”

“Who?
This mangy cur?
But I rather like him. He had such dark
thoughts swimming around in his troubled mind. I just helped bring them to the
surface. You really should have claimed him before I did. It might have been
enough to stop me from doing this.” Marc pirouetted and did a little jig, the
movements jerky and terrifying.

Stumbling
onto the bed, she tried to hide her seeking hands from him. “You are sick!” she
spat in disgust,
terror giving
way to anger as her
fingers gripped cold metal. The gun. Hidden earlier under her pillow by Trent
who somehow foolishly thought she might actually sleep while events unfolded.

“I am not
sick!” he yelled, practically frothing at the mouth, his eyes wide, red, and
wild. “You will respect me. Or I will make you scream, baby or fucking not. You
will learn to obey me.” Roderick, encased in Marc’s body, lunged, and she
screamed as she whipped the pistol out. He slammed into her, throwing her up
against the wall, the gun she held pressed intimately between their bodies.