The Scarred Heart (Wilde Creek#5) (9 page)

She screamed his name, writhing under him as he pushed her to another crest of pleasure, his fingers twisting and pumping as she shuddered under his touch.  He climbed up her body and she lifted her legs to wrap them around his hips as his cock pressed into her slowly, filling her perfectly.  He growled as their bodies met, and she pressed her hand against his cheek.  She wanted to say a million things in that moment, to tell him all of the emotions that were rising up in her.  Instead she chose the simplest and most powerful phrase she knew, which she had only ever said to him: “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Kammie.  My sweet, beautiful
adara
.”

They made love slowly, keeping their gazes locked together as pleasure washed over them and carried them into bliss.  After they’d come down from the heavens, they ate and talked and then made love once more, reveling in their time together in the sacred cave.  As she drifted to sleep lying on top of Row, a fur over them both, she considered the strange turn her life had taken.  One moment she’d been living a not-so-content life as an omega, unsure if she’d ever find anyone who would be able to handle her scars.  The next, she was being hauled through the woods by her truemate, a demanding male who thought her scars were badges of honor proving she’d been tough enough to survive.  She’d never felt as stripped bare as she did with Row, but she didn’t fear that now.  She could see her scars not as crippling marks to hold her down, but as proof that she was a survivor.  She’d lost out on a lot because of them and her pack’s belief that they made her weak, but she didn’t see herself as weak any longer.

It had only taken falling in love with a bear and a few naked conversations to get her to the place where she saw herself as a valuable woman, with an opinion worth hearing and a life worth living.  She owed it to herself to live her life to the fullest, and that included this new chapter with Row.  Eventually they’d have kids and she’d teach them to never be ashamed of anything they went through.  She’d be the role model to her children she’d never had herself.

She smiled and let sleep claim her.

Chapter 9

Row felt Kammie’s weight slide off him suddenly.  She screamed in alarm, and he shot to his feet with a warning roar as he watched her being dragged from the chamber by something he couldn’t see.  He raced after her, lunging to catch her hand as she was slammed into the side of the tunnel.  Her fingers slipped from his and he bellowed in rage as he charged out of the cave and found himself facing Hector and three males Row recognized from Hector’s sleuth.

“Release my mate,” Row demanded.  Kammie lay naked on the snow, facedown and unmoving.  He could see the rise and fall of her chest, so he knew she was alive, but he could also smell her blood.

Hector tilted his head and blinked slowly.  He placed a booted foot on Kammie’s back, and Row snarled.  “I could kill her right now.”

“What do you want?”  Row forced himself to think past the blinding rage.  Not only had Kammie been literally snatched from his arms, but she was in danger.

“I want your claws pulled out,” Hector said, making a sweeping gesture with the hunting knife he brandished.  “I want your blood spilled and your life ended, but not before you watch me fuck your mate and then hand her off to my friends.”

“That will
not
happen,” Row said, his bear surfacing enough for his body to bulk and fur to sprout from his skin.

“I think it will.  I think,” Hector tapped his chin with the tip of the blade, his eyes gleaming feverishly, “that my friends will make sure you can’t do anything but watch: watch me fuck her, watch me take what’s yours and make it mine, over and over, while she begs for mercy.”

Row swept his gaze over the three males standing with Hector.  They were savage fighters; Row had faced all of them at one time or another and beaten them.  That was one-on-one, however.  Row was a great fighter, but he wasn’t sure he could take on three males at once, and he was certain they weren’t planning to fight honorably.

His bear bellowed, and he let the rage bloom inside him until it eclipsed everything else.  He had to save Kammie.  He’d promised to keep her safe for the rest of their lives, and their lives sure as fuck weren’t ending today.

Letting loose a savage roar, he leapt at the males as his shift took over.  They weren’t playing fair, so he wasn’t going to play fair, either.  The males shouted in surprise as he landed on top of one of them, hearing the satisfying crunch of bones as his heavy bulk hit full-force.  Vengeance rode him hard.  No one took what was his.  No one threatened his mate.

* * * * *

Kammie felt something press hard into the center of her back as she came to.  Her head ached and her vision was blurry.  She blinked rapidly to clear her sight, watching as Row roared loud enough to hurt her ears and flew through the air, shifting into an enormous bear.  Whatever had been holding her down disappeared as the scent of blood and the sound of shattering bones and screams of pain filled the air.

Ice and snow stung her skin as she pushed herself up and raced into the chamber.  She navigated the tunnel and skidded to a stop on the furs, facing a male with shaggy blond hair holding a knife.  He pressed it to her throat, his eyes glinting in the flickering candlelight.

“I knew I’d get you one way or another,” he said darkly.

Row couldn’t get to her unless he shifted into his human form, and she could still hear him fighting outside the cave.  She was on her own.  Fear slithered over her, and for a moment she wanted to curl up and take whatever beating the male had planned for her.  But as she stared up at him, she realized she wouldn’t survive if she didn’t fight.  Row was fighting three males outside the cave, and although she was no fighter herself, she had one ace up her sleeve – her wolf.

She willed her pulse to slow, and her wolf rose to the surface, waiting for the moment she could let her free.  “What do you want with us?”

The knife tip pressed more firmly into her throat.  He was tense, his eyes wild and his chest heaving as he snarled.  “Suffering.”

Fuck.  That.

She’d already suffered more than enough in her lifetime, and Row – who she could hear roaring outside the cave – had suffered through monthly battles, too.  As the male’s hand curled tighter on the knife, she noticed the rough marks on his thumb.  She realized he was the one who’d tried to claw off Row’s dick, which was a part of her mate’s anatomy she happened to really enjoy.

What would such a male do to her?  She wasn’t about to find out.

She thought about Row, fighting against multiple opponents outside the cave.  This was one guy.  One nutcase with a knife.  She’d faced off against one of those males in her youth and survived.  She could do it again.

“Go to hell,” she said, letting her wolf free.  She pushed herself to shift as quickly as she ever had.  Her beast exploded from her, anxious to harm the male who’d hurt their mate.  He’d lost his claws and clearly lost his mind, and she wasn’t about to spend a second longer with a knife pressed to her throat.

He shouted in rage as she shifted and lunged for him.  The knife swung down and her shoulder burned as it cut through her, but she ignored the pain and leapt, jaws wide and fangs ready, sinking them into his thigh.  Her body twisted as she slid between his thighs, and he screamed, slamming his fist into her nose.  Blood filled her mouth and she dug her teeth into his flesh, tearing through his jeans.  Row shouted Kammie’s name as he raced into the chamber, crashing into Hector and knocking him away from her.  Row roared, a deep and furious sound, and grabbed Hector’s head, twisting it sharply to the side and ending his life with a loud crack.

Her mate lifted her from the floor and cradled her in his arms, hurrying with her from the chamber.  He leaned against the cave and buried his face in her neck, his whole body trembling.

“Are you okay?”  His voice was rough.

Kammie whined softly.  She knew she was bleeding from the cut on her shoulder, but all she could feel was relief that Row had managed to come out of his shift fast enough to help her.  She wasn’t sure if she would’ve been able to get away from Hector on her own.

The sound of racing footsteps filled the air.  Row stiffened for a moment and then relaxed.

“We’re over here,” he called as Fayar and two other males came into view.

“We heard you roaring and came as fast as we could.  Damn,” Fayar said.  “What in the hell happened here?”

Three males lay motionless on the ground.

“Hector came for me.  He’s in the cave.”

“Dead, I trust,” Fayar said.

“Yeah.  Kammie needs help, she’s bleeding.”

Fayar gestured to one of the males and said, “Get his body out of there.”  Then he took his phone out of his pocket and made a call, asking whoever answered to meet Row and Kammie at Row’s house.

“You did well,” Fayar said.  “Head home and wait for Tessa; she’ll give Kammie whatever medical help she needs.  And be sure to get checked out yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

“I know, but humor me.  We’ll handle things from here.  I’ll stop by later today and see you.”

Row straightened and seemed to wobble slightly before he let out a gruff growl and moved past Fayar, toward home.  Kammie whined softly and licked Row’s throat, and he hugged her close.

* * * * *

Row didn’t bother gathering their clothes from the chamber.  Fayar would handle everything.  All he wanted to do was get Kammie home so Tessa, the sleuth doctor, could help her.  He knew that wolves healed fast, but the cut on her shoulder was still bleeding even though his hand was pressed tightly to it.  He strode naked through the woods until he reached his home.  Tessa was waiting on the back porch, a medical bag in hand.

“I called your mom and she’s on her way over.  I wasn’t sure how long it would take you to get here.”

“Thanks.  I walked as quickly as I could without jarring her.”

Row led Tessa into the house.  He tugged a blanket from the back of the couch and stretched it over the cushions, then laid his sweetheart on her undamaged side.  Her paws flexed and she whimpered, the sound tearing through him like the knife that had struck her.  “I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispered, kneeling beside her.

Tessa inspected Kammie’s wound.  The front door opened, and Row looked up to see his mom rush inside.  “Oh, honey,” she said, stopping next to the couch.  “What happened?”

“Hector showed up with three bears from his sleuth and pulled Kammie from my arms.  While I was tangling with his three friends outside, Hector cornered Kammie in the cave.  I was lucky I could force myself back into my human form, because my bear couldn’t fit through the opening.”

Her eyes flashed and she growled in the back of her throat.  “Tell me they’re dead.”

He nodded sharply.

Tessa spread the fur aside to get at the wound on Kammie’s shoulder, and squeezed a thick liquid into the cut.  Kammie snapped her jaws together as she snarled.

Row bared his teeth at Tessa for hurting Kammie.

She rolled her eyes.  “It’s just a liquid bandage.  It’ll stop the bleeding and hold the edges of the wound together as she heals.  It’s a deep cut, but it should heal without scarring after she’s able to shift back into her human form.”

Row stroked Kammie’s head.  Her bright amber eyes stayed on his as Tessa closed the wound.  When Kammie was taken care of, Row let Tessa examine him.  His ankle ached and he was pretty sure he’d broken a couple of ribs, but aside from several claw marks, he hadn’t been badly hurt.  Considering that the three males had advanced on him at once, he knew he could’ve easily died on the ground outside the chamber, leaving Kammie at their mercy.

When Row was bandaged up, Tessa said, “When Kammie shifts back, the wound should be healed.  If it starts to bleed again or if it doesn’t heal, give me a call.  She looks exhausted, so let her sleep and stay in her shift as long as she can.”

“Wolves heal better in their shifts, right?”

She nodded.  “Particularly bad injuries sometimes require shifting back and forth over the course of a day or two, but Kammie’s wound isn’t that serious.”

“She bled so much.”

“But she’s going to be fine.”  Tessa put her hand on Row’s shoulder, and Kammie growled.  Tessa lifted her hand quickly and smiled.  “Sorry, Kammie.  Be well, and call if you need me.”

Tessa, who was his mother’s age, walked with her to the front door and they spoke quietly for a moment.  Row tweaked Kammie’s ear.  “Is my little wolf jealous?”

Her lip curled and she huffed.

“There’s nothing to be jealous of.  She’s like an aunt to me.  Her and my mom have been friends for a long time, and her son and I were good friends in school.  The sleuth is like a big family, and we all watch out for each other.  One time, Tessa came to school to pick me up when my mom wasn’t able to come get me. I’d been in a fight and gotten sent home.  Tessa dragged me from the principal’s office by my ear and gave me a good talking-to before she took me home.  Then my mom did the same thing.”  He grinned.

Kammie’s lip lowered and she whimpered.  He kissed her muzzle and stood.  “I’m going to clean up.  Mom?”

She turned around after waving at Tessa and shutting the door.  “Yes, honey?”

“Would you grill up a few steaks for us?  I’m sure Kammie would like to eat something, if she doesn’t fall asleep first.”

“Will do.  Are you okay?”

He glanced at the couch where Kammie was watching him intently.  “I am now.”

His mom nodded and he headed to the shower to clean the blood and dirt from his skin, careful to avoid the bandages Tessa had put on.  By the time he came out into the family room, Kammie was chewing on a thick steak while his mom watched.  She gestured to the coffee table and Row’s stomach growled as he picked up a plate with a steak on it.

“Feel better?” his mom asked.

“Definitely.”

“Good.  It’s not the best way to start off your mating, but I’m actually thankful that it happened.”

His mouth fell open.  “What?”

“Oh, no!  I mean, I’m not happy you and Kammie were hurt, I’m just glad that Hector is dead, and his cronies with him.  I always wondered if he might come back for retribution.”

Row nodded.  “I expected to see him again at a battle at some point.  It never occurred to me that he’d come after me this way.  I feel like I let Kammie down because I wasn’t prepared for this.  We were entirely vulnerable in the mating cave, and I trusted I could keep her safe.”

“The mating cave is sacred; there was no reason for you to anticipate that someone would attack you there.  And only a coward attacks in a group like that.”

Row agreed.  Hector was a good fighter, but he wasn’t a good person.  Row had no regrets for ending his life, or the lives of the three males who’d come with him.

His mom sat with him until he finished eating, and then she left, promising to stop by later.  He lifted a sleeping Kammie into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.  The liquid bandage had done the trick and sealed the wound.  He couldn’t scent any more fresh blood on her.  He stroked her fur.  She was beautiful – gray and brown mottled fur, with a white belly and paws.  Settling around her, he rested one hand on her stomach and closed his eyes, willing himself to stop thinking about how close he’d come to losing her.  He didn’t want to envision a life without his sweetheart in it.