Coveted (28 page)

Greed gleamed in his
eyes, the edges of madness, and maybe a hint of addiction. He tossed a backpack
from the cell, and Aiden fumbled to catch it, his coordination shot to hell.

“Put the blood
inside.”

Aiden did as told,
discreetly releasing his claws and puncturing as many bags as possible. The
holes were tiny, so the leak wouldn’t be noticed until too late. 

The silence behind
him bothered him. It was too quiet. “Give me the key.”

“The backpack first.
Pass it through the bars.”

Aiden didn’t have the
luxury of time to argue. He maneuvered the bag inside the cell. Before he could
release his hold, the man lifted a cattle prod he’d had tucked behind him,
hitting Aiden full in the chest. His convulsed, and crashed to his knees, his
muscles twitching in agony.

The cell door opened
with a rusty creak, and the prongs lifted. The bag was tugged from his grip. Aiden
glared and bared his teeth at the bastard. A snap of power lit the prongs,
showing that it had been amped up for this special occasion. In his weakened
state, another charge would knock him out, leaving Shayla to die alone. So
instead of rending the man to shreds as his wolf urged, Aiden sat and waited like
some damned mutt.

“The key.”

“This?” With a smile
that was all malice, Jacob held up the key, then tossed it over his shoulder. It
pinged off the wall and plopped into the swirling water. “Fetch.”

 Chapter Twenty-nine

A
iden launched himself
forward with a roar. With a flick of his fingers, his claws bursting from the
tips, and he slashed the bastard down the length of his back. Flesh peeled away
from bone.

Jacob flailed, screaming
in pain. He crashed into the wall and fumbled to hold onto the bag. “I’m going
to kill you, mutt!”

Aiden ignored the
threat and dove where he saw the key land, frantically sweeping his hands along
the floor. Debris swirled in the water. A snap of electricity from the cattle
prod caused him to tense, but Aiden didn’t turn. He had to get that key or
everything would’ve been for nothing.

“I’m going to enjoy
knowing that you killed your woman.” Jacob sloshed closer.

A thin piece of metal
scraped against the tips of his fingers, and Aiden chased it around in
desperation before finally pinning it down. He clutched the key and whirled
with a snarl, his wolf ready to face the new threat.

Water bubbled up
around Jacob. The man swung the cattle pod like a sword, clutching his precious
bag to his chest. “What the hell is that?”

Dozens of howls
echoed through the hall, and water surged toward them in a wave. Aiden quickly
flattened himself against the wall. Jacob’s eyes widened as the swell continued
to grow, and he turned to run. Aiden could see nothing in the wave, but every
hair on his body stood on end.

Shayla’s wraiths had
arrived.

Aiden turned away
from revenge and charged toward Shayla.

He’d always choose
her.

The key slipped easily
into the lock. As the door opened, Aiden glanced back and saw water surge up, nearly
enveloping Jacob. Cuts and slashes appeared on his body as though the current was
full of razors. The air misted with blood, the water turning crimson.

Jacob opened his
mouth to scream but no sound emerged. He dropped to his hands and knees,
scrambling to get away from the attack.

Aiden turned away and
rushed into the cell. With the first step, he was submerged in waist-high water
that threatened to freeze off his man parts. The thin crust of ice shattered as
he waded forward.

“I’m here.” He lunged
toward her, his hands shaking. Frost dusted her skin. The blue tinge of her
lips worried him, and he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, the skin of
her face like ice under his fingertips.

Terror like nothing
he’d ever known cut him down to the bone until he detected a faint warmth
underneath.

She was still in
there.

Gurgled shrieks came
from the hall, the stark terror in the sounds chasing a shiver down his spine.
The primitive side of his brain gave the signal to change, and he barely managed
to sustain his human shape as he hunched protectively over Shayla.

Then everything fell
ominously silent.

Eager to have her in
his arms and reassure himself that she was safe, he grasped the thick pad of
metal and gave a twist. Only half of the pins were in place, and they snapped
one at a time. The corded muscles of his arms strained, the metal groaned in
complaint, then twisted like toffee before finally coming apart. He peeled the
collar away from her throat, growling under his breath to see the deep bruising
and small cuts.

Shayla turned into
his touch, the first signs of consciousness.

“Wake up for me,
baby.”

She pried open her
eyes, her lids heavy. “Is it done? Is he gone?”

“Yes.”

Her hands were numb,
the effort to uncurl her fingers felt like they were about to be snapped off. The
bone slipped from her grip and drifted beneath the water to settle on the
bottom.

Aiden wrapped her in
his arms and hugged her close. Warmth brushed along her skin, and she curled
around him, the heat of him painfully delicious.

“Take my warmth.”

Shayla shook her head,
barely a movement, so stiff she could almost hear the muscles cracking.

“Do it.”

She opened her mouth
to protest, when his lips met hers. The kiss was slow, savoring, and burned
through her like fire.

“We’re created to be
partners with the fae. We naturally run warm.” Then he smiled down at her with
so much mischief that her breath caught. “Do what I say, otherwise, we’ll have
to stay here, kissing, until we both burn.”

From his expression,
Shayla knew he’d do it, too. Warmth spilled through her at the thought of all the
wicked things he could do with that mouth. With a shiver, Shayla clutched the
necklace. Heat swept through her on contact, like being wrapped in a blanket of
fire. After being so cold, she waited to feel the pain of returning to the land
of the living.

There was only
pleasure.

What shocked her more
was that it came through their connection. It was all him. Simply the act of holding
her close aroused him.

The cold receded as
she tightened her arms, reveling in the contact, soaking up his warmth. Aiden’s
grip tightened, as if he’d never intended to let her go, and he carried her from
the cell. Shayla shivered, thankful to be out of that room. “I adore castles,
but I think I’ve had my fill of dungeons.”

Aiden brushed his
lips against the top of her head. “I don’t know. I’ve developed a certain
fondness for them.”

Shayla blinked up at
him in shock. After everything he’d been through, she never expected that
answer. “Whatever for?”

“It brought me you.”

Oh, shit. It was said
with such conviction that she trembled. Much more of that and she’d end up in a
pool of mush at his feet.

Not that the thought
of kneeling in front of him didn’t give her a few ideas.

Something must have
shown on her face for she saw his throat bob. A playful rumbled vibrated in his
chest, and he leaned over to nip at her neck. “Keep thinking like that and
everyone will be able to see the effect you have on me.”

Raw desire blasted
through her, and she laughed at the picture they must present. She brushed her
fingers against the light dusting of hair across his very naked chest, content
to be in his arms as Aiden mounted the steps to the surface. 

“You can’t let them
take me.” A frantic voice shouted from behind them. “Call off the dogs. I have
money. I can pay. Just name it.”

Aiden spun, tightening
his arms around Shayla. No one was taking his woman from him now that he
finally got her back in his arms.

Jacob tripped in his
haste, using his hands and feet to scramble toward them. He fumbled with a bag,
clutching it to his chest as he cast a frantic glance over his shoulder. A
menacing growl echoed through the tunnels, and the man fell flat on his face in
the water.

“Shayla?” Aiden
nudged her.

She shook her head.
“Look behind him.”

“What?” A yelp
escaped Jacob. He launched clumsily to his feet and whirled.

Caught up in the
water lay a body.

Jacob wandered closer,
as if hypnotized by the sight. The corpse was mangled almost beyond
recognition, but there was no doubt of the identity.

It had not been a
pretty death.

“That’s not me.”
Jacob backed away, shaking his head. “That’s not me.”

A vicious snarl came
from the cell they’d just left, and the shadow of a young wolf emerged,
stalking forward on stiff legs. Jacob lurched, stumbling against the wall, the backpack
falling from his hands. He backed away from the black beast that appeared to be
more mist than anything.

The wolf glanced back
at her, painful gratitude sparking in his eyes for the chance at revenge and
peace.

With a deep howl, he
launched himself down the tunnel. Water surged as the wolf dissolved into a
liquid devil.

Jacob swore and dove down
the nearest passageway.

“He’s dead?”

“Quite. I doubt he
will be freed from this place for some time.” Even as she spoke, a dozen more wraiths
emerged from the walls. A chill swirled in the air, brushing against them. As
one, they turned to Shayla.

Aiden growled deep in
his throat. “Mine.”

A terrible scream
echoed from the depths of the dungeon. Malice gleamed in their eyes, and they charged
down the tunnel after their prey.

Aiden turned and carried
her outside. 

When they emerged,
Shayla was surprised at the quiet. Then the whomp-whomp of a chopper sounded through
the dark, its lights circling an area a few miles south. Aiden lowered her,
gently setting her on her feet. “That would be the other alphas.”

His face shut down,
the Neanderthal back in control. Shayla pulled away, hating the distance she
felt growing between them. Awkwardness crept up on her, and she shivered from
more than just the cold. “What does that mean?”

He smiled, grabbed
her hand, and dragged her close. “That I’ll be able to focus all my attention
on you.”

Shayla swallowed at his
intensity. She wanted that. She wanted him so much she turned away to conceal
the sting in her eyes.

The area around the ruined
castle had lost the peaceful quality that had so attracted her initially. The
flowers had been ripped up, the earth a giant wound. That’s when she noticed
the absolute silence.

“Aiden?”

He raised a finger to
his lips and cocked his head as if listening to something on a level that she
couldn’t hear. Shayla nodded and stepped closer, searching the inky darkness
for what disturbed her.

That’s when she saw
the first body.

She rushed forward,
when Aiden seized her arm. “Wait. We have to stay together.”

She nearly jumped out
of her skin at his touch. Now that she knew what to look for, she counted at
least five humans and two wolves. They lay so still, she couldn’t even tell if
they were breathing. “Are they dead?”

Aiden knelt at the nearest
body, checking for vitals. A brutal hole pierced the shoulder, and a muscle
jumped in Aiden’s jaw. “Not yet, but they will be soon if we don’t remove the
bullets.”

Aiden ran a nail
along the wound and a line of blood welled from the cut. He dug his finger into
flesh, and time slowed to a crawl before he finally pulled out a little piece
of metal. A wisp of smoke rose from his fingers, and Aiden dropped the bullet.
“Silver.”

Shayla hurried toward
the next person, shoving the man’s shoulders to roll him on his back. That’s
when she recognized the body stretched out so silent and still.

“Lassie?”

A small growl, barely
louder than a breath of air, rose from the man. His opened his eyes a fraction,
the bright green of his wolf peering out at her. That sound quieted when he saw
her.

“I need to get the
bullet out.” At his nod, she tugged aside his shirt. Blood oozed from the small
puncture wound high on his shoulder. Shayla gave him an agonized look, panic
tightening her throat at all the blood. “I don’t have a knife. I lost it.”

Lassie reached up,
fumbling as if his hands didn’t quite work, and slashed a diagonal cut across
the wound. “You’ll have to dig it out.”

The croaked demand
made her jump. With hands more steady than she’d have thought possible, she
plunged her finger into the wound. The shocking heat caused her stomach to
lurch alarmingly. She almost gave up, almost pulled away, but the harsh reality
was that if she did, she would be the one responsible for killing him.

Gritting her teeth,
Shayla delved deeper, trying not to dwell on the fact that she had her fingers
in her friend’s shoulder. Worse was the way he just lay there and allowed her
to torture him. All without a sound. She saw Aiden move efficiently from one body
to the next. Determined to get it over as quickly as possible, Shayla ignored
the gush of blood that pulsed around her finger and pushed deeper until something
hard met her fingertip. Getting a grip on it took longer, and she winced in
sympathy when she finally worked the small bit of metal free from his flesh.

“Thank you. For not
giving up on my brother. For saving my life.”