The Rogue Hunter's Mate [Paranormal Protection Unit 10] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

“Your what?” Bethany screamed down at the man. “It will be a cold day in fucking hell before I would ever sleep with a monster like you.” Oh God, she knew that she was going to land in the middle of a psych ward after this. Well, if she told the police it was a bunch of Wolves that took her. Yeah, that would go over well. Clutching the tree tighter, she began to pray again. “I just want out of here. Wake and find this all a bad dream.” She knew nightmares, though, and sadly this wasn’t even close to one—yet.

Moving in closer, his hands tucked in his pockets like he was out for a casual walk, Z shrugged. “I don’t think she is liking your plans at all, Gordon. Plus the very fact that you’re completely surrounded,” he told him as the laser sights were turned on on each of the weapons trained on the men. Stopping on the other side of the tree, Zaidu shot a look up and blinked. “How in the hell did she get up there?” he asked in genuine curiosity.

“I climbed,” Bethany shot down. “Seemed to be the better alternative to being mauled and killed by a pack of Wolves.” Her forehead was to the tree as she shouted down to the man in question. And then, before she could censor herself, she said, “And that asshole needs his damn head checked. Thinks that I would ever stoop that low to crawl into bed with a no-good flea-bitten hick with three fucking teeth missing. He has got to be a few fucking cards short of a deck if he thinks that I would ever fuck anyone with the IQ below fucking room temperature.”

“You fucking cunt.” Gordon growled now and went to move, pausing only when the laser sight moved on him as well. “You are going to fucking pay for this.” Gordon growled low to Zaidu.

“No, actually you are going to pay for it,” he said, waving in the Teams to neutralize the Rogues. They would face the Council and their punishments would be more severe than those that had been killed outright. As Gordon and his crew were rounded up, Z looked up the tree again. “Can you get down from there on your own, Ms. Parker?” he asked her softly.

“I think I will stay up here,” Bethany whispered as she clung to the thin trunk of the tree she had climbed. “It’s a beautiful view, no Wolves. Yep, this is a very good place to be.” Her mind was beginning to fritz and sizzle and she knew it. This had to have been some kind of hallucination brought on by the latest letter from her twin. Yep, that was it. This couldn’t be real. Sure she was feeling things, hurt like hell, but it was all a lucid hallucination and she knew it.

Moving around the tree he looked up at her. “There’s a blizzard coming in, Ms. Parker. The temperature is already dropping quickly, so you can’t stay up there. Can you come down or do you need help coming down?” he asked her. He could climb the tree. His Wolf wouldn’t like it in the least but he could do it. In reality Tryggr would be the better choice being a cat, but he didn’t think she’d much like the sarcastic cat.

“I think I’m stuck,” she whispered softly. “I’m terrified to move.” She needed to move. She knew she did. She could feel the wind picking up and felt the drop in the temperature, but she couldn’t seem to get her muscles to unlock or her mind to unfreeze. “Is he gone?” she asked quietly. “They, the Wolves, are they gone?” She was going to be in a fucking padded room just like her brother. After all, what was it that the note said? Something about being from the same DNA pool. Yep, she had the crazy, too.

“They are gone,” he told her and looked to Tryggr. “I’m going up. Catch my ass when I fall, will you?”

Snorting, Tryg crossed his arms. “I wouldn’t bet on it, pup.”

Taking off his jacket, Z shivered slightly at the temperature drop. “Storm’s coming even faster,” he commented, handing his jacket over to the other man. “See if Q has an update on that blizzard,” he said before he jumped up and caught the limb lowest to the ground. Moving with care he worked his way up very slowly toward the woman. “How you doing, Ms. Parker?” he asked, trying to keep both their minds off the sway of the tree with his added weight.

“Beth,” she whispered her eyes closing tight. “Ms Parker just isn’t me. Even at work.” She gulped, audibly. “Sssss–top,” her teeth were chattering. “It’s too thin up here, no closer.” She knew she had to get down, he saw it in her eyes when she looked his way. She seemed to force her fingers to release one at a time and her hands to move one at a time slowly. “Please, please, please, please,” she was whispering to herself as she began to move slowly down toward him.

“Nice and easy, Beth,” he told her quietly. Bracing his feet on two limbs he held on to a third, ensuring his other hand was free, just in case. “Go slow,” he said. “I’m right here,” he added since talking was keeping his mind off the fact that Wolves really did not like climbing trees. “You’re doing great. Just keep on coming down to me.”

Beth moved slowly down the tree, whispering her prayers as she did so. When his hand touched her ankle, she squeaked and paused, but continued to move when he ushered her to do so. Finally she was there with his body against her back and the tree trunk against her front. The heat of the man enveloped her, and she wanted to curl into that heat and let darkness take her, but she couldn’t, not yet. “How do I know that you are not a part of that guy’s crowd? Maybe he called you in to get me out of the tree?” She knew how silly it sounded, especially with her pressed there against the man, but she asked it anyway.

“I suppose you don’t, but considering how much Gordon and his sort hate me should give you a clue I’m not a part of that mess,” he told her. “I need you to turn around so that you can wrap your arms and legs around me and then I will get us out of this bloody tree.” Shooting a look down, he darted his eyes back up and let out a breath. “I really don’t like trees and would really like to get out of this one.”

She nodded and whispered, “And I’m afraid of heights.” It was a true confession, one that had her gulping. “I think I would rather hold onto the tree,” she whispered then. “How about if we both climb down together?” she asked hopefully. “Cause I’ve grown to love this tree, think that I’m going to keep it.” She knew that she was muttering nonsense, but it was the only way to keep from going completely hysterical.

“Nope, I need you to turn around so that I can get us out of here fast,” he told her. Shifting closer, he took her one hand and tugged until he could get it around his neck. “You have ahold of me, turn your body and grab hold of me. I’m a hell of a lot warmer than this damned tree, Beth.”

Doing as he instructed, she wrapped her body around his. She didn’t care that her skirt was riding up and giving everyone a view of her panties, and he really was a lot warmer than the tree. Face pressed against the curve of his neck and eyes closed she whispered, “You are much warmer.”

“Told you I was.” He smiled and rubbed her back gently. “All right, hang on tight and keep your eyes closed. This next part is going to be tricky so pretend you are glued to me and we’ll be just fine.” With great care Zaidu began to pick his way down through the many branches to where he could get a straight drop to the ground. It took a few feet and then, when he had a clear shot, he balanced on a limb, arms around her tight, and dropped straight down as she screeched loud enough to raise the dead. Landing in a crouch he let his legs absorb the shock before straightening. “We’re on the ground,” he told her, her grip on him so tight he was sure to have the imprint for a good number of days to come.

“Don’t think I’m ready to let go yet.” She couldn’t seem to open her eyes or let this poor man go. A shiver of a chill raced through her entire body and she felt more than saw movement behind her. “Oh God, please tell me that is a person, not another Wolf.”

Chuckling, Tryg handed over the leather jacket. “Jaguar actually,” he said with a grin.

“Tryg, go away,” Zaidu said as he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders to warm her back. “You don’t have to let go, Beth, but I’m going to head for a vehicle so that we can get you warm,” he told her. Wrapping his arm around her, he began moving toward one of the trucks that had arrived ten minutes earlier. “We’ll get you tucked inside and wrapped in some blankets so that we can get you back to the base and looked over by a medic.”

Bethany nodded dumbly, tucking away his choices of words to mill over later. He hadn’t said doctor or hospital but rather base and medic. “Warm would be good. Maybe some booze would help as well. Yep, anything.” She wasn’t a drinker, at all, but in this she was ready to give over and become a lush just so she could forget.

“That would be the shock talking and we’ll see. I doubt we have any alcohol in the trucks but we will see,” he told her. Walking carefully, he held her close and continued to rub her back. She was plastered to him tightly and he was having a hell of a time. Half his concentration was on walking without putting them both into a ditch or a hole. The other half was keeping his body reined in so he didn’t end up with an erection.

“Trust me, this isn’t shock.” Or it could be, but she had been through true shock before. “Just cold. So cold.” She rubbed her cheek to his neck, breathing him in and holding tighter to him. He very, very obviously didn’t know who she was and for that was thankful. “So cold.” She hated the cold. She cursed herself for not moving south before now. Maybe now it was time. Time to sell her gallery and move far, far away.

“We’ll get you warm soon,” he promised her quietly, moving carefully over the small rise. Spotting the truck parked ten feet from his bike he worked his way to it and opened the door. Leaning in, he had to brace a hand on the seat since she didn’t appear ready to release him. “Uh…” He grinned. “Beth darling, you have to let go so we can get you wrapped up in blankets.”

Shocked, she nodded and let him go. “Right, blankets.” She shivered again and looked up at him, seeing him for the first time. He was stunning. His whole visage was incredible and she was shaken by him. “Goodness, you are handsome,” she whispered in shock. “But I’m sure you have had more than one woman you saved out of a freaking tree on the way to a blizzard tell you that, right?” she teased.

“You’re my first,” he told her as he grabbed a blanket for her and got her wrapped in it after stealing back his jacket. Grabbing a second he draped it over her and tucked it in so she was basically a bun in the seat. Doing up the seat belt, he dug around and found her a drink. “Sorry, no alcohol, but the vitamin water will help your body cope with a lot of the stress.” Leaning back to pull on the leather jacket, Zaidu zipped it up and then looked at her as he pushed the dark auburn, and seriously hated, curls out of his face—again. “Feeling warmer?” he asked her as he looked around for the others. He had to get on the road or he’d be screwed on his bike with the storm coming. As it was, he was likely screwed and would end up having to hole up in a motel somewhere.

“Yes, thank you.” Closing her eyes she let out a breath against the backseat. “Thank you,” she whispered quietly. “For saving me and for climbing up a tree to help me down. I very much appreciate that. You totally went above and beyond duty on that one.”

“Comes with the territory,” he told her as Tryg came up to them. “Beth, this is Tryggr. He’s going to drive you back to base once a couple others get finished on cleanup. I have to hit the road though or I’m going to end up stranded in a motel for this storm,” he said. Digging out a card he tucked it into the blankets with a small smile. “My cell’s on there if you need to get a hold of me. Tryg has my number, too, but I’m sorry, darling, I have to roll.”

“Thank you again.” She reached out, her fingers touching his cheek. “For all,” she whispered. “I will trust him because you do.” Closing her eyes she pulled the blankets tighter, closer. “Go. You should do what you need to do so that you aren’t in any danger.”

Nodding he adjusted the blankets and touched her cheek. “Get some rest on the ride in,” he told her softly. “I’ll see you there as soon as I can,” he added and then stepped back to shut the door. Lifting his head, he inhaled. The storm was close and getting closer. “Straight back to base, Tryg, no deviations. That storm is going to be a fucking beast.”

“Same to you, bro,” the Jaguar said softly. “Don’t be ballsy. If it starts snowing, find a motel and hole up. We’ve got four-wheel drive, you don’t. Don’t risk your neck out in a storm.”

“Not planning on it.” Especially since to get to the base he’d be heading straight into the storm. “I’ll keep Q updated as to where I am in case the shit hits the fan,” Z told him and shot her a look through the dark glass. “She’s good people and more than a little freaked out. Try not to fry her mind with any of your cat pranks.”

“Who, me?” Tryg grinned and chuckled. “I’ll get her home and tucked in a room safe and sound. Drive safe, bro,” he said, shaking the man’s hand.

“You, too,” Zaidu said, ensuring his jacket was done up tight and drawing on his gloves as he headed for the bike. Settling on the cold leather he whistled out a soft breath. It was damned cold.

Bethany napped on and off during the drive. Exhaustion pulled at her but she didn’t want to fall fully asleep. She wanted to know where she was being taken. Needed to know where she was being taken. She had to know, because while she had felt immediately safe with Zaidu, she didn’t with anyone else.

“Where?” Tryg said into the comms and frowned. “Skittles, I can’t see more than ten feet in front of my bumper and I’m going at an astonishing four miles an hour. Just tell me, damn it, and we’ll keep an eye open,” he snarled into the connection. “Listen, you little multi-colored geek, I will turn you into my squeak toy if you don’t quit yanking my tail.”

“You shouldn’t yell,” Bethany whispered softly. “It’s not good for your blood pressure or whoever you are talking to.” She knew. She had spent years in therapy after “the incident” and knew that the simple truth was that yelling did no one any good at all.

“The last thing that mangy mage has to worry about is his blood pressure when I’m done with him,” Tryg said and slowed. “Where?” he said again and eased off the road slowly with his blinkers going. “I’m a fucking sitting duck out here, Q. Where am I looking, and be bloody specific,” he muttered, letting the cat up to the surface. “No, I’m only picking up what little radiating heat the truck is putting out. It’s too cold out there for any heat to show for long.” He listened and sighed. “All right, I’m going,” he grumbled and looked to the other man. “Mac, meet Beth. Beth, this is Mac. I’ll be back as soon as my tail is frozen,” he muttered, grabbing a large parka and jumping out of the truck.