Waking the Beast (22 page)

Then all thought left his mind when Abby’s scream pierced the air as she called to him. He let another roar loose as he headed at full run to his mate. He could hear people screaming around him, and it finally clicked in his head that he could hear the wolf pack speaking in his mind.

Slow down! Don’t run in half-cocked!
Derrick was yelling at him.

You finally learned to shift. Don’t get yourself killed now.
This was Cody, urging him to be cautious.

But Tah didn’t want to slow down. He wanted to get to Abby. And he wanted her now.

Tah. Fuck.
Adrian’s attitude carried through clearly as the other man raced toward him. He lowered his head and knocked into Tah’s side, throwing him off his feet. They rolled then got back up.

Tah bared his teeth at Adrian but kept running toward the house and Abby. Adrian drilled into him again, shoving him over once more. This time Tah surged back to his feet with a roar of challenge.

Use your head, kitty cat,
Adrian ordered.
Otherwise, you’re going to get you and your mate killed.

Tah shook his head, another roar slipping out as he fought instinct and tried to listen to what Adrian was saying. He knew it was dangerous, but right now, Abby was the one in the heart of that danger, Abby and his unborn child. And all that mattered to him was getting her to safety, regardless of the danger to himself.

I’ll draw them to me.
He tried to communicate with the wolves as they were with him.
Get to Abby.

With that, he hit the edge of the clearing where four men stood with rifles aimed toward the woods. He let out a roar and moved quick, falling back on the instincts of the animal as he weaved in and out of the trees in an attempt to get the shooters to move, making them easier for the wolf pack to get too. Divide and conquer was his motto.

Fuck. Here comes the pup. He’s going to get himself killed.
Michael’s voice filled Tah’s mind, and Tah lifted his head just in time to see Logan run in, screaming something about laughing in the face of danger and then proceeding to do so in a crazy manner.

One of the shooters turned to Logan, but Logan was quick and had him down on the ground, wrestling for control of the weapon. One of the other armed men turned toward them, his weapon raised as if waiting to get a clear shot at Logan.

Tah took it all in as he ran through, weaving and darting, his eyes searching for Abby. Another roar as he saw the man holding her.

“Jesus! What is that? What the fuck is that?” the man holding Abby screamed.

“You knew we were hunting a lion,” Harlan yelled out, and Tah almost stopped and charged him as hatred poured through his body. This was the man who had kidnapped them, beaten him, cut him, and shot him with a dosage of pure adrenaline that could have killed him.

“That’s my mate,” Abby said with a smile. There was so much pride and love on her face. Any doubt he might have still harbored of her fearing the lion disappeared. It was obvious she loved him no matter if he stood on two legs or ran on four. “He’s going to rip your fucking throat out.”

She almost had him pausing again with her bloodthirsty words. The guy let go of Abby and shoved her away from him before turning and taking off. Tah just caught the blur of a tail then a scream as the man went down.

The gunman watching Logan went down next in a tangle of fur. Tah turned quickly and charged at the one giving chase to him. It was quick enough to catch him off guard, and the man didn’t get his rifle up in time to get a shot off before Tah was on him.

He sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of the man’s neck and bit into flesh and blood. A scream pierced the air before Tah ripped free, cutting the sound off as blood sprayed around him.

He felt a dart lodge in his left front leg as he turned toward the last hunter. Then Reno was on the gunman. Flying out of the woods with a kamikaze yell, he tackled the man from behind and took him to the ground.

Tah turned toward Harlan and Abby. She was moving toward him when Harlan caught her by the hair and jerked her back. Abby fought like a wildcat. A haze was wrapping around Tah, a fog trying to claim him and drag him down. He turned his big head to see the dart piercing his skin and knew it had to be a tranquilizer of some sort. Still he fought to get to his mate.

Logan came to his feet, but before he could lift the rifle, Harlan turned and shot him with the pistol in his hand. Logan fell, and Tah roared as he watched his friend hit the ground hard.

Stay back!
he yelled as he sensed the wolves getting ready to move in. He didn’t want anyone else hurt because of him, especially Abby who now had that pistol tucked against her temple.

“Well, well, well,” Harlan exclaimed. “Abby was right. My boss will be pleased. They’ve been searching everywhere for you. You’re going to make a nice rug.”

Abby screamed, as Harlan jerked her head back against his shoulder. Tah let loose another roar, but it was weakened by the drug working through his system. He was fading fast, wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on before he collapsed and left Abby unprotected again. He seemed to be making a habit of it, and he wasn’t happy about it at all.

He watched her hands slide back, gripping Harlan’s waist as she was thrown of balance.

“You’ve got me at a bit of a disadvantage this time,” Harlan said, as he began pulling Abby toward the tree line where Logan’s body lay. “But that’s okay. I think I’ve got something you want. So I’ll just take her along with me. I’ll get in touch. And you’re going to do whatever I want to make sure your girl stays alive.” He dug the gun against her head, and Abby yelled out again.

She tripped over Logan’s feet and went down on top of him, Harlan released her at the last minute to keep from being thrown off balance with her. He quickly reached down and grabbed her hair again, giving it a hard yank. “Get back on your feet, bitch.”

Tah roared as his front legs went out from under him. Harlan laughed as Tah fell, and Abby shifted a hand toward Logan’s and took something from him. Tah struggled to regain his footing and get to his mate, but found himself helpless for a moment to do anything but watch as Abby turned and slammed her hand up into Harlan’s stomach, burying a knife to the hilt.

Harlan’s laugh become a scream as he released Abby’s hair to reach for the blade. The other hand slowly lowered, moving the gun toward Abby. With a final roar, Tah called on everything he had and lunged, taking Harlan to the ground. He felt the burn of a bullet just before everything went black. The last thing he heard was Abby calling his name.

This time neither man nor beast could respond, but both were in agreement.

They would die to save her.

* * * *

Abby screamed as she dragged Tah off of Harlan. Blood. So much blood and she couldn’t tell what was from Harlan and what was from Tah. Harlan struggled to lift the gun again, but Reno was on him in an instant, catching him around the neck and twisting. She heard the crack and pop as his neck broke and felt nothing but regret that it wasn’t her knife wound that had killed him. It would have been a much more painful death, more befitting of what he deserved. What he’d told her about how he’d killed her parents would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“Abby, snap out of it,” Reno ordered as he moved to Logan. “Find where that bullet hit Tah.”

“I can’t see anything,” she screamed. “There’s too much blood in his fur.”

The lion growled in pain and slowly shifted back into Tah. She jerked the dart out of his left shoulder and then gasped as she saw the wound on his right side. She ripped her T-shirt over her head and wadded it before shoving it against the wound.

“Let’s get them in the house,” Derrick ordered, as four naked males moved in to help carry Tah and Logan.

Abby didn’t care that she stood there in her bra and jeans. She only felt numb. Here she was again, praying not to lose Tah. It was too much. She wrapped her arms around her middle, comforting herself and their baby as she watched them carry Tah away from her.

“Here,” Reno’s voice reached her as he stripped off his shirt and handed it to her, slipping it over her head when she just stood there and looked at him. “He’s going to be fine, Abby. He shifted. Did you see that? You were right.”

She nodded. “He’s beautiful.”

“I’m going to tell him you said that.” Reno eased an arm around her waist as he began walking her toward the house. “Did you hear Logan? ‘I laugh in the face of danger.’ I’m going to kick his foolish ass when he’s all healed up. Said something about a lion king?”

Abby giggled a little hysterically as tears rushed down her face. “The movie. It’s a line from the movie.”

“Whatever,” Reno grunted. “I’m still going to kick his ass for being stupid.”

“He loves you guys,” she whispered.

“He’s family,” Reno said with a shrug as if that explained everything. And maybe it did.

“I wanted to be the one to kill him,” Abby said.

He didn’t even pretend not to know what she meant. “You’ll be a great mate for Tah. I think you might be more bloodthirsty than he is.”

She grinned. “You think so?”

Reno shook his head. “It concerns me that you take pride in that observation.”

“I think I love you, Reno.”

“Of course you do,” he said. “What’s not to love?”

“I need to go to Tah,” she said as soon as they stepped into the house.

“Why don’t you get cleaned up real quick first,” Reno offered as he led her toward the bedroom she shared with Tah.

“I don’t want to get cleaned up, Reno. I want Tah.”

Reno sighed. “Abby, you’re covered in blood. Your face is starting to bruise. Tah was shot by a tranq dart. Even without the bullet, he’ll be out for a while. I’m sure Diane is working on him. I’m more worried about Logan.”

Abby glanced down at herself and realized the truth of his words. She was covered in blood. Even the shirt Reno had given her had blood all over it.

“Tah will go ballistic if he sees you like this. Take a shower. Clean up and put fresh clothes on. I’m sure Diane will want to check you out as well, make sure the baby’s okay.”

Abby’s hands went to her stomach. “He’s fine.”

“He, huh?” Reno asked with a grin.

Abby shrugged. “I want a little boy who looks just like his daddy.”

“God forbid he’s as hard-headed as his dad.”

Abby smiled. “You’re a good friend, Reno.”

“I know, and you love me. We’ll keep that our secret for now.”

Abby giggled again, as she let Reno lead her once more down the hall toward her room.

He paused at the door. “I’m going to clean up outside. I’ll be right out there if you need anything. Anything, Abby. Just holler for me.”

“He asked you to look after me, didn’t he?”

Reno smiled. “He wouldn’t have to ask,” he said as he turned away and headed back down the hall.

She knew what he was cleaning up, and she didn’t envy him that task. She was shaking by the time she entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her. It took two tries to get the water on and adjusted to the right temperature. Her teeth were chattering as she stepped under the spray, and she knew her body was finally reacting to what had just happened. She needed a minute, just a minute to deal with her emotions before she went to Tah. He needed her strong, and right now she was weak, so very weak.

She slid down to sit in the tub, wrapping her arms around her knees as she hugged them to her chest. Tears mixed with the water as she let her emotions have free reign. She cried for her parents and how they had died. For her mother and what Harlan had done to her before he’d killed her. She cried for the child she’d been. She cried for the people she’d read about it Uriah’s journal, tortured and killed for no more than a possibility of what they might have been.

She cried for Tah and the child she carried. Would they always be in danger? Is that how their lives would be? Constantly on the lookout for hunters nursed on hatred and reared in blood and death? Would it ever end? Would they ever just be a family?

Slowly, she eased back up to her feet and stepped further under the spray, letting it soak her hair as if the water could rid her of the ghost of Harlan’s fingers there. Nothing was certain. She needed to get to Tah. She’d wasted too much time as it was, but she’d needed those precious minutes to shore up her strength again. He would need it, as would their child. They would both need her to be strong, and she wouldn’t let them down.

There were plans to be made. Tah had accepted the lion, and if the rest of the legend followed, then his pride would begin to awaken, and they would be drawn to him. She had preparations to make, research to do, and a mate to take care of.

Taking a deep breath, she began washing the blood from her body. Only one thing was certain. This was only the beginning.

Chapter Seventeen

From the journal of Ebidiah Lane

I’ve watched over the man as best I can, as I was trained to. It saddens me that I didn’t begin training my son in our family’s duty. Now it’s too late. I’m dying. I won’t make it back home this time. The hunters found him, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t get them off the man’s track. I shouldn’t have stepped in, but I am just a shadow and nothing more. He is the sun. I can only pray my sacrifice gave him the time he needed to get away, and he will hide better this time.

Maybe someday, one of mine will hear the singing in his blood and heed its calling. Then once again, a Lane will watch over the descendent of the great Tau and protect him at all costs. But for now, I can only pray, as I prepare to leave this world behind, and hope I have done enough to earn my passage into the great beyond.

May the gods wish me safari ya salama.

* * * *

Tah was up and around in three days. Abby knew Diane was beside herself trying to figure out what it was in his blood that allowed him to heal so quickly. Logan was still laid up in bed, driving Diane crazy with his requests for some lion blood to help speed recovery up for him as well. The doctor had finally thrown her hands up and yelled at Reno, telling him to deal with Logan. Reno just told Logan to shut up and heal up, then left.