Hagen, Lynn - Murphy's Madness [Brac Pack 15] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (10 page)

Where the hell was his mate?

He walked over to where Murphy had fallen and saw so much blood that he became queasy. Fear and anger ripped a growl from his chest. If one of those fuckers had taken his mate into the woods to finish him off, Ludo was going to make sure they died a slow and painful death.

He looked around and found a blood trail leading away from where they had been fighting. He followed the trail as it led to the woods. Ludo studied the earth, looking for signs of Murphy as he entered the forest in his wolf form.

He followed the speckles of blood. They dotted the earthen floor in a wayward pattern that had him growing more worried by the minute.

Ludo feared he would come across his mate’s dead body. His heart raced in his chest as he thought of the worst-case scenario.

He whined as he grew closer to the small town. Murphy’s blood trail was growing wider. The loss of blood was becoming greater.

There was no possible way Murphy was walking on his own, not with this much blood loss. Whoever had his mate was going to pay dearly.

There were two warriors flanking him, following Murphy’s trail as well. The blood on the road was his mate’s.
His mate’s.
None of this seemed real to him.

Ludo was going nuts as he slowly tracked what was spilling from Murphy. If he went any faster, he could lose the trail. Something he couldn’t afford to do.

This pace was too damn slow. He felt like hours were passing. Ludo’s muzzle pulled back and his canines shown when he found a bloody T-shirt lying on the ground. It was Murphy’s, the one he had worn earlier.

Rage unlike anything else he’d ever felt before in his life tore through him. It felt like it was consuming him, tearing a whole in his chest as he found it hard to breathe. Ludo didn’t know what to do with so much fury clawing at him. He thought he would suffocate under the intense pressure of the negative emotion.

The need to have his mate safe in his arms was driving him forward, quickening his pace when he couldn’t afford to lose the trail he had. One of the warriors nudged his head into Ludo’s shoulders, warning him to slow down.

Ludo ignored Montana and raced to the bookstore when he saw the glass in the door broken and littering the ground. He leapt through, listening for any sounds. He heard a scream coming from Murphy’s office.

Ludo’s heart froze in his chest as he raced around the counter and into the back.

He stumbled in the doorway as the sight before him chilled his blood and tore a howl from deep within his soul.

* * * *

Oliver, Drew, and Cecil crept quietly from the house. They stole into the darkness awaiting them.

All the warriors were so occupied with fighting that it gave them a chance at escape. They knew where all the cameras were placed, but they also knew how to get around them undetected.

Although Nero was behind them one hundred percent in their quest to retrieve Murphy, a warrior was manning the monitors.

Cecil touched his index finger to his lip and pointed over to the gravel drive. Two Sentries were having a heated debate. It didn’t matter what it was about. They only cared that they got away.

They knew the wolves had superior hearing, but with the men arguing, they prayed they went undetected.

The three dropped to their bellies and crawled into the forest on the side of the house, using the trees for cover. Murphy was being set up, they just knew it, and the mate needed their help.

The three were determined to prove that Murphy had a stalker, that this Maribel was real.

All they needed was proof.

This wasn’t the ideal time to go after it, but what better chance did they have than when the warriors were being distracted? They only hoped that they weren’t the vampires’ next meal.

There was no way two humans and a half-wolf could fight off one vampire, add any more to that and they would be signing their death warrants.

The thought had crossed their minds to stay safely tucked away in the Den, but that would only benefit them.

What about Murphy?

He was a mate, too. He needed just as much protection as all the rest. Just because everyone was falsely accusing Murphy of being crazy, he didn’t deserve any less than what they were given.

It was up to the three to find him, prove he wasn’t lying, and kill the bitch that was setting him up.

They liked Murphy. He was a bit strange, but that didn’t make him mentally ill. If that were the case, half the warriors and a few mates would be living in a rubber room right now.

Murphy had always been kind to them and made sure their orders were taken care of. He was a mate now and one of them. The mates stuck together. Through thick or thin, they had each other’s back.

Cecil had to put his foot down when everyone wanted to come with them. There was no way they
all
could have gotten away, there were just too many of them now.

The rest reluctantly stayed behind but made the three promise to get Murphy back.

“Hurry,” Drew called over his shoulder in a low voice at the other two.

“We’re coming,” Cecil whispered to Drew.

“If Oliver wasn’t wearing those chains dangling from his jeans, we could move a lot faster without making a racket.” Drew narrowed his eyes at the two behind him.

“I can’t help it this idea was thought of on a whim. You didn’t leave me any time to change. Just keep an eye out for those damn bloodsuckers,” Oliver snipped quietly at Drew.

The three cleared the estate forest and took off running at breakneck speed, dodging between trees and over fallen logs. They had to be fast. Once the warriors found out they were missing, it would only be a matter of minutes before they were tracked down and brought back home. That wouldn’t help Murphy, so they needed to put fire under their asses.

Their plan
had
to work. If they failed, Murphy would be the one to pay the price. A price too high for anyone wrongly accused to pay.

Drew stopped in his tracks, Cecil and Oliver running into him as all three tumbled to the ground. Cecil looked up and gulped. This couldn’t be good.

* * * *

Maverick roared when he discovered his mate missing. With the battle they had just gone through with the vampires, his heart hammered in his chest at his mate’s disappearance.

He slammed both his fists into his desk, making the wood splinter under the abuse. His canines were fully descended, and his claws were fully extended.

His temper when unleashed was almost uncontrollable. His eyes landed on each and every warrior in the room. A sudden chill hung on the edge of his words as he spoke. “I want to know how in the hell they got past security.”

Micah and
Remi
were snarling and chomping at the bit when their mates couldn’t be found either. They had checked every room in the house, but the three mates weren’t anywhere in the Den.

No one had an explanation for him. His lips thinned with anger, and his nostrils flared with fury as he left them behind and headed for the kitchen.

The mates were being tight-lipped. Not even Maverick's overpowering presence and barely checked anger would make any of them talk. He appreciated their loyalty and wanted to throttle them at the same time.

He couldn’t waste time trying to make any of them talk. Three mates were out there somewhere, and he was losing precious time.

Maverick stormed out of the kitchen door and shifted, not caring in the least about his shredded clothes. His large wolf form stalked the outside perimeter for any sign of the mates.

If one of those vampires had gotten past security and taken what was his and the others he felt responsible for, the bloodiest war in recorded were-history was about to take place.

But if Cecil had snuck out again, oh, what lessons his mate was soon to learn.

He had never seen Maverick’s wrath aimed at him, but if he purposely put himself and the other two in harm’s way, Cecil was about to see why he was the Alpha.

Chapter Six

Murphy whimpered as Maribel tied the rope around his neck. “I warned you.” Her tone was laced with a touch of madness and a touch of glee. “You had to go and involve the shifters. Bad mistake on your part.”

Murphy didn’t have the strength to argue. He didn’t have the will to care anymore. He was bleeding out, beaten up, and just plain tired of it all.

What was the use of fighting any more when his life seemed to be a never-ending battle to just maintain his sanity? The stress had taken its toll, leaving him feeling weary and beaten.

He just couldn’t do this anymore. His body was numb, and his heart was broken. He couldn’t think of one good reason to try and fight against the crazy bitch.

It’s not like he had the strength to do so anyway. His blood loss had left him barely able to lift his arms.

He winced when the coarse rope rubbed against the torn flesh at his neck. It felt like a hot knife against his abused skin. He could feel the tears threatening to spill over at the way his life was ending, but Murphy didn’t even have the strength left in him to allow them to fall. He was just so tired.

He prayed it would end quickly and that it wasn’t too painful. Even if he had his full strength, he wasn’t strong enough to fight her off. He’d never met a woman who had the power that Maribel had. It was as if she were two men instead of one woman. He never could figure out why she was so strong. And at this moment, he really didn’t give a shit.

“Get up.” She pulled at the rope like an owner forcing a dog to his feet. Murphy’s eyes lolled in his head as he looked up at her. He hadn’t the strength to move his pinky let alone get off of the floor. Murphy could feel his life draining away as his body grew colder.

“Fine.” Maribel tossed him over her shoulder and climbed the ladder. Murphy lay limp, his arms and legs dangling, his head rocking from side to side, as she ascended to the light fixture.

He closed his eyes, wishing for one last glimpse of his dark and lovely wolf. Just one more touch, a kiss, or even a passionate word spoken to him before his lights were permanently put out would have given him comfort in his darkest hour.

“Ludo,” he croaked through a dry throat as a single tear escaped. He wanted his wolf. He wanted his forever.

“No one is going to help you, mutt.” Maribel jerked Murphy around and then stepped back, his feet barely touching the ladder. “This wasn’t really about a book. Just so you know. I’m not stupid enough to stand here and reveal my plans. Even idiots like you get lucky. I highly doubt it, though.” She laughed as she climbed down. “Good-bye, Murphy.”

Maribel kicked the ladder from under his feet, giving one last glance over her shoulder before she ran from his office.

* * * *

Cecil, Drew, and Oliver tore through the woods, the vampire close on their heels. They were lucky enough to get off of the ground before the thing spotted them.

Too bad Oliver’s damn chains gave them away.

Drew ran so fast that his knees were hitting his chest and his arms where pumping faster than lightening. His heart was beating out of control as his limbs felt like they were on fire. The three ran until they made it to town.

Drew was going to wrap those fucking chains around Oliver’s head for this.

Cecil ran ahead, trying his best to open the bookstore, but it was locked. His head twisted around in a three-sixty, looking for something as his arms swung around wildly.