Rescuing Their Virgin Mate[Pack Wars-Book 3] (10 page)

“How about this shoe store?”
Clay’s comment jerked her back to the present.

“Too expensive. We don’t have
to shop here.” Discount shoe stores were everywhere.

Clay wrapped an arm around
her waist. She thought it would be strange to have another man besides Dirk
hold her, but she liked it. Ever since they’d broached the idea of her being
both of their mates her mind had wandered. She failed to comprehend what it would
feel like to have four hands, two mouths, and two penises at her disposal.
Stop it.
The whole concept was too much
and definitely not right.

Clay escorted her into the
shop that only sold shoes. “Pick out a couple of pairs. I know Hood’s men took
your luggage.”

“You’ll have to wait until I
get a job to pay you back.”

He pulled her to his chest
and heat raced up her face. People crowded the store, and she wasn’t used to
such public affection. “You’re with us now. You don’t have to worry about
money.”

His words were nice to hear,
but she couldn’t take advantage of them. “I appreciate that, but I need to pay
my way.”

He kissed her forehead and
let her go. “Suit yourself.”

She roamed around the store
and picked out a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of comfortable looking
sandals. Once she tried them on, Clay paid for her purchase.

As they were leaving the
store, he stopped near the entrance. “Come with me.”

“What’s going on?” Her heart
spiked. This constant pressure wasn’t healthy.

He led her back to the bench.
“Put on the sneakers. You’ll be more comfortable.”

He wouldn’t get an argument
from her, but she didn’t like the way he was looking around as if he’d spotted
something or someone. As soon as she laced up the sneakers and stashed her
heels in the empty box, he took her hand.

“We need to get out of here.”

That scared her. “Why?”

“Because I’ve sensed a few
Colters.”

Mother,
Mary, and Joseph.
“You
don’t think they’re here because of me, do you?” She wasn’t that important.

“I can’t be sure.”

“I’m with you now. You bought
me. They can’t say they want me back, can they?” Her pits dampened and her
heart hammered.

“I wouldn’t put anything past
Hood and his gang. Stay by me.”

“Trust me. I’m not letting
go.”

With her packages in hand,
Clay strode toward the exit one notch short of jogging. Every few steps she
raced to keep up with him. With each step, her anxiety doubled. Through her entire
ordeal, Clay appeared calm. Now he was rattled and so was she.

They stepped outside, and she
thought he’d slow, but he didn’t. His head swiveled right and left as he led
her toward his car.

Before they arrived at the
row where he’d parked, growls came from nowhere. He stopped. “Fuck.”

Her nervous system short-circuited.
She didn’t know if it was better to run, hide, or stay right behind him.

“They’re here?” Her voice
squeaked out.

“Yes. Run back toward the
mall, but keep your eyes peeled.”

“
Wh
-what
if they come after me?”

His shoulders tensed and his
hands fisted. If more than one Colter was here, and she became separated from
Clay, she’d be dead meat.

“Maybe you’re right.” He slipped
a hand in his pocket and tossed her the keys. “Get to the car and lock it. Now.”

She wouldn’t argue. From the
direction he was staring, the animals were in front of him and his car was
behind him. She took off. Her legs were still weak from weeks of being cooped
up, but she ignored the burn.

Her gaze searched the cars,
praying she’d find his.
Press the remote,
dummy
. She did and his car beeped. Her rapid pulse reached the
stratosphere. She tugged on the door handle, but her sweaty fingers slipped.
The low growl behind her paralyzed her.

She was tempted to look but
didn’t waste the time. After the second attempt, the door opened. She jumped in,
drew the door shut, and locked it. Her breaths whooshed out, but her heart
refused to slow. No sooner had she locked the door than three wolves appeared
two parking spaces away. One had to be Clay, but she had no idea which one. As
hard as it was to drag her gaze off the fight, she stuck the keys in the
ignition, ready to slide over to the driver’s side in case Clay needed help.

The yelping and scraping of
their claws on the asphalt jacked up her heartbeat. She had to shield her eyes
after one of the wolves sunk his teeth in the other’s flank. That animal
retreated and the remaining two fought. The first wolf attacked the one with
the white spot on his rear. Keeping her gaze on those two, she clenched her
fingers, saying a prayer to God.

Clay was a hero and didn’t
deserve to die. Just then, the first wolf that had been bitten returned to the
fray. It was two against one now. They approached the one with the white spot.
That had to be Clay. The injured wolf grabbed Clay’s neck and twisted his head.
She screamed and buried her face. This was bad.
Really bad.

She moved over to the
driver’s side and started the engine. Her finger hovered over the lock waiting
for the fight to finish and for Clay to hobble back to the car. Dizziness
overcame her and she rolled down the window partway to get more air.

The door handle jiggled on
the other side. When she looked up Clay stood there in human form, motioning
for her to hurry. Her brain froze, but her finger managed to press the unlock
button.

He jumped in. “Go.”

Her packages must be on the
ground, but they weren’t important. She backed up, burning rubber as she went.
If any car pulled out as she tore down the lane, they’d hit her for sure. She
couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.

As soon as she reached the
exit, she came to a rolling stop, looked both ways, and floored it. Only when
they were out of the lot did she look over at him. His face was covered in
blood, as was part of his body. She willed her stomach not to throw up.

“Are you okay?” That was a
stupid question, but she needed him to assure her that he would make it. “Do I
need to go to the hospital?”

“No. Take me home. I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t look fine. Elena had
to slow once she turned onto the main thoroughfare. She kept glancing in the
rearview mirror, but it seemed like everyone was going in her direction.

“Take a left at the
stoplight.”

She put on her signal. “Will
they follow us?”

“I doubt it. I think they
were more interested in taking me out since I was protecting you.”

They wouldn’t have attacked him
if they hadn’t wanted her. “Maybe they wanted to resell me.”

“We can’t be sure.” He didn’t
sound all that certain.

“Or kill me.”

“Depends on whether they
think you know something that can destroy their clan.”

Thanks
for sugar coating the danger I’m in.
Now, she wouldn’t dare go for a walk alone for fear they’d attack.

Clay gave her directions to
his home, and she couldn’t wait to get inside. Those wolves were insidious. A
shiver raced up her spine, and she feared she’d never be safe again.

As soon as they stepped
inside, the adrenaline rush eased. “I need to tend to your wounds.”

“There are some bandages in
Dirk’s bathroom.”

There was a sizable gash on
his arm. He’d need a large gauze pad. “You need to wash off the blood.”

Clay moved toward her. “I’ll
take a shower. I have cuts on my back, too. Can you wash them for me? I can’t
reach there.”

Her body clenched. That would
mean she’d have to get naked.

He
saved your life—again.

He was injured and not asking
to sleep with her, just to help him heal.

What had she been thinking?
She could clean his back before he stepped in the shower.

You
want to make love with him
.
Her vagina cramped thinking about doing it again.

What the
heck.
She’d tumbled
this close to
hell,
she might as well enjoy the ride into
the devil’s inferno.

“Be happy to.”

As she turned to go toward
Dirk’s bedroom, she thought she caught Clay’s lips lift into a smile. He
followed her into the bathroom.

She turned on the showerhead.
As soon as she took off her sneakers and removed her shirt, her sensibility
returned. “I can’t.”

“Sugar, if you don’t feel
comfortable getting undressed in front of me that’s fine. I’ll wash the best I
can.”

Guilt swamped her. She could
leave on her bra and panties, which looked like a swimsuit anyway. “Okay.”

He stepped closer, looking
strong. “Okay, what?”

“I’ll help.” She turned her
back and removed all but her undergarments and faced him.

Clay’s jaw sagged and his
eyes sparkled. “You do realize that sooner or later we’re going to be
together?”

He’s
right, you know
.

Chapter Seven

If this guard sent his photo to Hood, Hood
would spot Dirk as a fake. Before the man had the chance to click
send
, Dirk charged. Taking him down
shouldn’t be hard. Dirk had a good twenty-year advantage. What he didn’t count
on was the knife in the man’s hand that sliced right through Dirk’s belly. The
pain arrived quickly. It would soon disappear, but not before it slowed him.

If he’d had time to shift, he would have,
but five seconds was an eternity. The guard outweighed him by thirty pounds.
The guy grabbed Dirk’s shoulders, shifted his weight, and did a leg sweep. The
two tumbled.

Once on the ground, the man swung the
knife again. This time Dirk was prepared. He delivered a chop to the man’s
wrist, and the knife clanked to the ground. He elbowed the guard in the face.
The man grunted.

That split second of distraction allowed
Dirk to reach for the knife and slit the man’s throat. Werewolves healed fast
unless the injury hit a vital organ or an artery. The blood spray coated Dirk’s
chest, and he rolled out of the way. His belly ached, forcing him to place a
hand over his wound. In minutes, he’d return to normal. The guard wouldn’t be
so lucky.

Remaining outside with the downed guard
in plain view wasn’t smart. There was no telling when another Colter would
arrive. Crouching, Dirk lifted the giant on his shoulders and stood. He grunted
as he hauled the massive man into the warehouse and dumped him on the floor.

Squeaks and whimpers caught his
attention.
Holy fuck
. Two cages sat
in the far corner. With what little light came in the window, it was hard to
see who was inside. He trotted over. Once he neared, his heart broke.

One girl in ripped clothes
had her back to him, but the other one cowered at the end of her cage. The idea
that Elena had been housed like this sent a violent streak up his body so hard
he almost shifted. The cages were padlocked. He might have been able to find
something to smash open the lock, but the key was the way to go. He rushed over
to the guard and checked his pockets. Not only did he find the key, he removed the
man’s phone and wallet. Maybe the identity of one of Hood’s men might lead him
to Hood’s location.

Once he unlocked the cage
doors, he wiped his bloody palm on his pants and knelt. He held out a hand.
“Girls. I’m here to free you.” He doubted they’d believe him. “We need to
hurry.”

The brunette in the corner
came closer. “Really?” Her voice was raspy.

“Yes. Come on. You can come
out. I won’t hurt you.”

Once the first girl crawled
out, he tapped the cage of the second one. She moaned. He looked back at the
first girl. “Is she okay?”

The girl shook her head. “No.
She’s really sick.”

Dirk crawled in and slid the
girl toward the opening. She didn’t weigh more than ninety pounds. He lifted
her in his arms and placed her near the warehouse entrance.

“Stay here for a minute. I’ll
get my car.” He feared the first girl might try to run. If she’d worn shoes, he
would have taken her with him. “It’s dangerous outside. Okay?”

She grimaced then nodded. As
fast as he could, he sprinted out of the warehouse and charged toward his car.
The next two minutes seemed an eternity. He constantly glanced over his
shoulder to make sure the girl obeyed. He counted on her not leaving her
friend.

As soon as he hopped in his
car, he raced back. He opened the back seat door and then entered the warehouse.
The first girl hadn’t moved. “My car’s outside. I’ll put your friend in back
and you can sit with her.”

“You don’t need to handcuff
me?” Tears streamed down her face.

“No, sweetie. I’m going to
see that you get home safely.” He hoped his tone came out with assurance.