ROMANCE: SHIFTER: Shifter to the Max Collection (Dragon, Bear, Wolf and Panther Shifter Romances) (Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) (55 page)

Lexi woke up on an uncomfortable cot. Her neck and throat ached horribly. She rolled over, and she heard her bones creak.

“Welcome back to the world, princess.” She looked up. Matt was sitting on the chair that she previously been tied to.

“Fuck you,” she hissed as she pushed herself up to a seated position. She could tell that Adam kicked her around a bit when she was passed out. Her stomach and ribs ached.

“It’s good to have you here. I’m sure Shane is going crazy trying to find you.” Matt reclined slightly and observed her. “He’s not going to find you. And his anger will make him sloppy. And when we fight, I’ll kill him, and then you’re free to go. I’m not a monster.”

“I guess you didn’t hear me the first time, fuck you.” Matt grinned but didn’t strike her, as she expected him to. Instead he stood up.

“Well, it may be a few days. Hopefully Adam will feel like feeding you. Because I certainly don’t have the time to take care of you.” She wanted to ask him why he was doing this, why he was so focused on hurting Shane, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

“Toodles,” she waved, hoping she seemed braver than she felt. Matt unlocked the door and closed it behind him. She took a deep breath, and tried to hold back her tears. She was screwed. She was going to die here. And she was probably going to lose her job.

She took a moment to freak out about everything. She wrapped her arms around her knees and let the tears fall onto her pants. She hiccupped and wiped her eyes. She was done being upset. She wasn’t going to give Adam and Matt the satisfaction of seeing her like this. She stood up, picked up the chair and walked towards the door. She sat on the floor one side of it, the chair close enough to grab. She was getting the hell out of here.

She didn’t know how long she was sitting there. Her butt was starting to go a bit numb and she was getting tired. Her stomach ached with hunger and the bruises that dotted her side didn’t help. She fidgeted every few minutes but stayed as quiet as she possibly could. She needed to make sure she could hear any footsteps coming in her direction.

She had nodded off but when she heard the door creak she jumped up. She held the chair in her hands, and lifted it over her head. She saw just a glimpse of Adam before he completely entered the room. She brought the chair straight down on his head. The chair splintered, and Adam’s shocked eyes connected with hers before he hit the ground.

His body was in the doorway, keeping the door ajar. She kicked his side gently, hoping that she had truly knocked him out. He didn’t budge. She took a deep breath and stepped over him. She rummaged around in his pockets and pulled out a small key ring. She pushed him into the room and shut the door behind her.

She was in a long hallway with a couple of doors, all similar to the one she had just closed. She tried to open it but it was locked. She pushed a few keys into the lock but the door didn’t budge. Her heart beat faster. Why weren’t the keys working?

She moved onto the next door, and tried another key. It didn’t work. Panic threatened to overwhelm her. She tried the second key, then the third, and finally the fourth. And then the lock clicked, and the door opened. She moved quickly, pushing it open. The warm light of day hit her face and she cried out in relief. She pocketed the keys and began to run away from the building. It looked like a storage facility. There was large parking lot and a small road leading away from the warehouses. She wasn’t sure if she should follow the road or not. She didn’t know where Matt was and wasn’t sure if he would be coming down the road. She stopped a few feet from road, and looked around. There was a line of trees on the opposite side of the road. She quickly crossed to it and stood in the shade of the trees.

Lexi started down the road, keeping close enough to the tree line that she hoped she wouldn’t be terribly noticeable if a car happened by.

She made it a few feet when a car came screeching by her and slammed on the breaks. She moved quickly, turning to run, cursing the fact that she had been caught so quickly.

“Lexi!”

She turned automatically at her name, and then her entre body stopped, heartbeat and all. It was Shane.

He stood there, his work outfit slightly rumpled, his hair an absolute mess, his eyes full of fire.

“Shane,” her voice sounded raw and her throat ached.

He took two steps towards her, as if he wasn’t sure of what he was seeing.

She quickly moved to close the gap. Tears filled her eyes.

She threw herself into Shane’s arms. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her head and then pushed her away, holding her at arms distance. His eyes scanned her entire body. “Are you hurt at all?”

She shook her head. “Not really.” She didn’t want him to be worried. She had already taken stock of her injuries, and none of them were worrisome.

“Good.” He pulled her back into his arms and lifted her. He carried her bridal style to his car. He carefully placed her in the passenger’s seat and kissed the top of her head.

He moved to the driver’s seat and shifted out of park. He hit the gas and the wheels squealed as the car lurched down the road. He took her hand and squeezed it.

She couldn’t stop the tears that were falling. It was taking everything in her to not break down completely. He drove them to his apartment, and he half carried her into the living room. Once they were inside, he picked her up and brought her to the bathroom. He sat her down on the toilet and turned on the bath. The sound of the water soothed her.

“Sit in the water for a bit, I need to make a few phone calls. Let my people know that you’re safe.”

“Your people?” she asked.

He brushed his hand over her tear-stained face. “I wasn’t out looking for you by myself, darling. I practically had the whole pack mobilized.”

Tears began to fall again. “Thank you.”

He shook his head and kissed her softly, his lips barely brushing hers. “I will do anything to keep you safe, Lexi.” He brushed her hair back from her forehead. “Take a bath, relax a little bit. I’ll be right out in the bedroom if you need me.”

She nodded and watched him go. He closed the door halfway, so she was able to see him. She turned off the taps and shed her dirty clothing, dumping it in the garbage can. She slid into the warm water. Her muscles ached horribly. She scrubbed her skin, and then pulled the plug on the drain to let the dirty water filter out of the tub. She listened to Shane’s voice as he made his calls and she ran clean water over herself.

It felt like a baptism, a renewal. Shane’s voice in the distance washed away Adam’s. The water washed away the physical reminder of what she had been through. She stood and grabbed a towel from the rack. She wrapped it securely around herself and walked into the bedroom.

Shane looked at her, and quickly ended his phone call. “Everyone is out looking for Matt. We’re going to bring him in.”

Lexi nodded, not trusting herself to say anything without crying. Shane pulled her into his arms and she leaned against his chest, listening to the strong, steady thump of his heart. “Oh!” she said as she remembered something. “The hospital, I’ve missed shifts.”

Shane ran a calming hand through her damp hair. “I called them. You’re on a leave of absence.”

She could have kissed him. She was amazed that he did something so small but so important to her. She would have been devastated if she had lost her job.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Of course.” He carefully peeled the towel away from her and pulled one of his shirts over her. He carefully examined the bruises on her torso. “You said you weren’t hurt.”

“It’s not bad. It doesn’t hurt much.” He drew her to him gently and held her close for a minute. She inhaled his scent. He carefully let go of her and pulled the sheets down.

He tucked her into bed and turned to walk out of the room. “Shane, can you stay with me for a little bit?” She needed to feel his arms around her right now, she felt too vulnerable.

“Of course.” He toed off his shoes and slid into bed with her pulling her hard up against him, his arms around her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

She shook her head. “Just hold me. I need to just feel safe again.”

She knew that he felt almost as helpless as she did but for a very different reason. She was sure he was upset about not being able to protect her. He had been surly since they got to his apartment. She knew that he needed to feel like he was keeping her safe. She buried her nose against his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly. His hand moved up and down her back, and sometimes he stopped at her neck to rub some of the kinks out.

She sighed against him. She lifted her head and pressed a kiss to his neck. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

He snorted. “You rescued yourself, darling. I was the get-away driver.”

“The only reason I was able to escape was because I knew you were coming for me. I could have easily given up. But I wanted to make your life a little easier.”

He laughed, and she could feel the vibrations against her chest. “You were being held captive, by people who are after me, and your concern was that you didn’t want to put me out by rescuing you?”

“When you put it like that it sounds silly.”

He tilted her head back and kissed her softly. “You’re amazing.” His lips brushed her jaw. “And beautiful.” He moved along her neck. “And so strong.” She nuzzled against him and peppered his chest with kisses.

His hands moved up her back, bringing her shirt up. His fingers danced along the edge of her panties, and she moaned. He immediately stopped. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

He let go of her. “We can’t do this. You were just captured and injured and all I want to do is make love to you.”

She took his hands and pulled him back to her. “Make love to me,” she whispered.

“You’re injured.”

“I don’t care. I just want you. And I want you to make me forget about everything that’s happened in the last few days.”

Shane’s eyes went dark. His hands moved up her back and he pulled her on top of him. “You set the pace. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not going to hurt me!” she protested.

“Lexi, you don’t get it. You make me want to lose control. You should have seen me when I was looking for you. I was scary. I’ve never been so frustrated, and angry and afraid in my entire life.”  

She pulled him into a seated position and wrapped her arms around him. She leaned in, pressing her chest against him. She brought her lips to his ear. “I trust you.”

Her words changed something in him. He turned them so her back was on the bed, and he pressed his lower half into her. She could feel the length of him, hard and hot, between layers of cloth. She fisted the back of his shirt in her hands, needing to feel anchored. He moved his hips in slow circular motions, giving her a taste of what was to come. His teeth ran across her collar bone.

She gasped, and her mouth opened, giving him the perfect opportunity to slide his tongue inside. She pulled at the hem of his shirt, trying desperately to get closer to him. She needed the feeling of his warm skin against hers. He got the hint and crouched on his knees, between her legs. He pulled his shirt up and over his head. It was like he was exposing himself tantalizingly slowly. She wanted more of him, all of him, immediately. She reached forward, her fingers brushing the hard ridges of his lower abs.

“You are so beautiful, Lexi,” his voice was tight with desire. She could see the outline of his cock as it strained in his pants. She let her fingers trail downward, and across his length. He hissed in pleasure and his head fell backwards, exposing the musculature of his throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“Fuck, Lexi.” He drew her name out. It sounded like a benediction.

“Your pants,” she reminded him. It wasn’t fair that she was naked and he wasn’t. She wanted to even the playing field. He reached down and unbuttoned the top buttons of his jeans, and pushed them down his hips. Somehow he was able to gracefully get his pants off. She wasn’t sure how. If she was trying to do the same thing, she was sure she would have gotten tangled up and fallen over.

He straightened back up. He huge cock stood at full attention. Lexi pushed herself up. Her legs were between Shane’s knees. She touched the head, gently running her finger across the drop of pre-cum that was on the tip. She loved the way he groaned when she touched him. She felt so in control.

She leaned forward, and her tongue followed the line of her fingers. She marveled in the taste and smell of him as she ran her tongue across one of the veins. His hands fisted in her hair but he didn’t direct her in any way. He seemed content to allow her to explore him.

She ran her tongue around the rim of the head, and then moved downwards. Her fingers gently massaged his balls, making him twitch. She almost laughed at the immediate reaction from him.

“Are you almost done teasing me?” he asked, looking down at her.

She smiled at him and slid his whole cock in her mouth. She relaxed her throat as she tried to take the length of him. When it became too overwhelming, she eased back. He swelled even more in her hand.

“I need to taste you,” he demanded.