Saving Courtney (Bryant Station Curves Book 4) (10 page)

“What did you find out?” Scott stood off to the side with his arms crossed.
All of the family had either called in to see what they could do from where they were, or they were at the diner, that is, all the family except Skylar and Abby. Was Skylar being over protective, or was he and Abby hiding something?

Todd took several deep breathes. His bear was fighting to get out…to find his mate. “The only car found at the scene was a sports car registered to a David Spencer of Amarillo.
Bleechman’s car was not anywhere in the area. I think the demon took it.”

Want mate.
Todd’s bear clawed at his ribcage. It wanted out.

I want her too.

We go find. Kill demon.

I plan on more than just killing the demon. I plan to rip it to pieces.

“And exactly how do you plan to do that?”

Everyone turned toward the new voice.

Joy stepped forward. “This is Theo Willis, though I think most of you know him. He is the builder who is having Abby’s company renovate the buildings he owns around town, and Anderson Construction is building his apartment complex at the edge of town.”

Theo put his hands on Joy’s shoulders and gently pulled her closer to him. He looked at Todd. “Exactly how do you plan to kill the demon?”

“Anyway I can to protect my mate.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “The only thing that will happen is your mate will be minus one of her mates.”

“Are you saying I can’t protect my mate?” Todd stepped toward Theo, but Harrison stopped him.

“I get the feeling you don’t want to hit him.” Harrison looked from his brother to Theo Willis.

“Listen to your brother.” Theo took off the glasses he was wearing. He looked over at Scott. “Have you told the twins what the Others told you?”

“What is he talking about?” asked Harrison. “When did you talk to the
Others?”

“I talked with the
Others last night. I thought they might know how to kill a demon since they have been around almost as long as Mother Bear and the other gods.”

“What did they tell you?” growled Todd.

“There are only two things we can do. The demon can’t be killed with claws or teeth. It can only be killed with a blade of the gods.” Scott’s voice was emotionless.

“I don’t think we are going to get a blade of the gods anytime soon. So what is the other option?” asked Harrison.

“You don’t want to know.” The muscles in Scott’s face clinched.

“You have to tell them. They have to understand what is at stake.” Theo wrapped an arm around Joy’s waist and pulled her tight against him.

“Would you let me go?” she growled.

“Not in your dreams.” Theo grinned at her.

Todd looked from Theo to Scott. “What the hell are you not telling us?” His skin itched. His bear was close to the surface. He did not know if he was going to be able to contain it anymore. He knew Harrison was not in much better condition.

Scott drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The only other option is to kill the female to end the suffering the demon’s
matings will put her through and to save the shifters.”

Chaos filled the room. Harrison and Todd’s growls vibrated across the room. “No one is killing Courtney!” They yelled in unison. Their eyes swirled with silver. Their faces contorted as their bears pushed to the surface.

“Enough!” Theo’s voice was filled with strength. Everyone immediately stopped talking and stared at him. “You two will not change.  You need to be level headed to find your mate and protect her.”

Todd’s cellphone rang, but he ignored it. He stared at Theo Willis, seeing the man’s true self for the first time.

“I think you should answer that, Sheriff. It might be the break you and your twin are looking for.” Theo raised an eyebrow.

Todd pulled out his cellphone. “Sheriff Anderson.” There was a pause. “Are you sure?
Where?” There was another pause. “No, I’m on it.” He ended the call.

“Todd?” Harrison was almost afraid to breathe,
Was it a glimmer of hope he saw in his brother’s eyes?

“Some reported seeing a car with a missing taillight and a hand sticking out of it, frantically waving.”

“It’s Courtney.” Harrison felt a moment of relief.

Todd nodded. “The description of the car fits that of what
Bleechman drove. The car was on Farm Market Road 2095.”

“I’m not surprised the demon is taking her there.” Theo sounded nonchalant.

“Sugarloaf Mountain?” asked Scott.

Theo nodded his head. “It’s not the highest point in the county, but it is the most sacred. The
Others will not be happy with the demon trespassing on what they consider to be theirs. The last time a demon tried to use the spot, the top of the mountain splintered under the dark magic.”

Todd and Harrison looked at each other. They were out the door before anyone could stop them. Several male family members followed them.

“What do we do?” asked Tara. She looked at her son and daughter. Ben stared at Theo.

“Go make coffee and sandwiches. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to need a lot of food.” Joy tried to pull out of Theo’s embrace, but he would not let her go. She
was forced to step with him, when he moved out of the way to let the woman through the kitchen.  “Let me go!”

“He’s not going to let you go, Aunt Joy.” Ben stepped closer to Joy and Theo. “You’re his mate.”

Joy snorted. “Not in this lifetime or any other.” She tried prying his hand off her waist. She knew contacting him was only going to bring her problems.

“You called, and I came.” Theo chuckled. It did not matter that she was still mad at him. At least he knew she still cared about him, even if all she showed him was her anger. It was a start—a chance for him to rebuild what he had callously thrown away.

“You didn’t do anything.” Joy growled.

Theo laughed and let her go. “Don’t go too far.
Though you might enjoy the chase.”

“In your dreams.”
Joy stomped off to the kitchen.

Ben frowned. “You can kill the demon.”

Scott stepped forward. He had watched the interaction between Theo and his sister, and now Ben. “What are you talking about?”

Ben looked at Scott. “He has the blade of a god.”

Scott paled slightly. “How is that possible?”

“Because he is Mother Bear’s son,” whispered Ben.

“Technically, I don’t have the blade anymore. I gave it to my half-sister.” Theo leaned against the wall.

“And where is she?” Scott noticed Theo did not deny Ben’s claim.

“I’m right here.”

Scott turned to see Abby and Skylar walk into the diner. He looked from Abby to Theo. “You’re his half-sister?”

“We have the same father.” Abby rubbed the side of her swollen belly.

“How
are my niece?” Theo smiled at Abby.

“Really active.”
Abby reached into the oversized bag she was carrying. “Scott, I think you need this.” She pulled out a knife and sheath. “Use it to kill the demon, but you need to hurry before it is too late.”

Scott took the knife and sheath from Abby. He looked at everyone for what he knew could possibly be the last time. Without another word, he turned and left.

The pain in her back was the first thing her fuzzy brain registered. Courtney tried rolling first to her left and then to her right, but her muscles would not cooperate. A low moan escaped from her lips. Her head felt like it was full of cobwebs and her throat was dry. She looked around but could not see anything in the dark. From the sounds and vibrations, she knew she was in the trunk of a car, but could not figure out why she was there. She just knew she could not move and she should not be in the trunk of any moving vehicle.

Courtney’s arms and legs felt like lead weights. She forced her hands to cooperate and slowly wiggled her fingers. The sharp tingle of needles prickled her skin as blood started flowing through her limbs. It hurt, but she kept moving her fingers, hands and arms. The prickly needles faded. Courtney felt around her surroundings using her hands as her eyes. She felt a lot of objects, but nothing she could move or was something she thought she could use as a weapon.

Her brain was still a little fuzzy. She had to get out of the trunk. What did her brother always tell her to do if she found herself in a situation like this?

The car hit a bump and bounced up and down. Courtney bounced with it. Her head bang against the lid of the trunk, causing her to cry out with pain. She flopped back down. Whatever had been jabbing her in the back, dug in a little deeper. Tears filled her eyes. Why would someone want to torture her like this?

Jared!

Everything rushed back at her. The last thing she remembered was Jared in the bakery. He had found her!

Courtney frantically tried to figure out what to do to escape.

She had to do something to let people know she was in the trunk. But what?

The taillight.

She had to somehow knock out the taillight and stick her hand out so other drivers could see it.

She felt the momentum of the car change. A soft red glow filled the trunk. A glimmer of hope filled Courtney. She was in an old seventies model car. She grabbed the wires and yanked. After a few minutes and several cuts, she managed to knock out the taillight. Daylight filtered into the trunk, and she saw another car. Courtney stuck her hand out and waved. She prayed someone would see her.

Courtney was not sure how long she waved her hand, but if felt like forever. No one honked or tried stopping the car. The little hope she had started fading. The car slowed and made a left turn. The sound of the tires changed. From the glimpses of scenery, Courtney realized they were no longer on paved roads.

Her heart sank.

She knew gravel roads had very little traffic on them. Any chances of someone finding her had just dropped to zero. If she wanted to get away from Jared, she was going to have to rely on just herself to do it.

Images of Todd and Harrison drifted into her mind. The thought of never seeing them again…of never being able to tell them she loved them ripped her heart to shreds. She wanted to be with them…to have their cubs. Tears ran down the sides of her face, but she did not bother to wipe them away. She prayed they would someday find someone to love…a mate who would love them back and give them the cubs and the family, Courtney knew in her heart, her bears wanted.

A tinge of jealous tried creeping in, but Courtney shoved it aside. She had no right to be jealous of what the future held for her bears. She wanted them to be happy, even though she would not be part of their future.

The car slid to a stop.

Courtney winced and moaned as the momentum threw her against the junk. Her bruises were going to have bruises. She heard the car door open then slam shut. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. This was it.

The crunch of someone walking on gravel grew louder. Jared was coming for her. Courtney bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming as her brain was urging her to do.

A key scraped the metal as it went into the lock. A click echoed loudly through the trunk. Before it died away, the trunk lid flew open. Bright sunlight blinded Courtney. She blinked several times, but she could not even see who was standing in front of her.

“Get out.” Jared’s voice was harsh and cold.

Courtney stared in the direction the voice, but she did not move.

“I said get out.”

“Go to hell.” Courtney glared at Jared. It was still a little difficult, but she could see him, at least most of him, which was more than she wanted to see. “I didn’t climb into this trunk.” There was no way she was going to willingly cooperate with him.

Jared’s laughter rolled over her, leaving her feeling a little queasy. “Hell is definitely nicer than this place, especially since I’m the one in charge.” He reached into the trunk and grabbed Courtney.

Courtney screamed and kicked.

Jared pulled her out of the trunk. He released his arms and let her fall to the gravel road.

Courtney landed on her already bruised hip. Pain shot through her, stealing away her breath. She could not scream. She gasped for air.

Jared snorted. “Get off your fat ass and stand up. I don’t have all day.”

Courtney sucked in a big gasp of air. “Like I care if you have all day or not.” Courtney did not bother to move.

Jared hissed. He grabbed a handful of Courtney’s short hair and pulled her up off the ground by it.

Courtney screamed.

Her entire head was on fire. Black dots danced around her vision. It felt like he was ripping her hair and skin off her skull. Courtney wrapped her hands around his hand and arm.
She dug her fingernails into his skin, desperate to make him let go so she could get some relief from the agony.

Jared pulled her up so she was eye level with him. Black, glassy orbs stared at her. Courtney opened her mouth to scream, but no sound would come out.

“You will do what I tell you.” Jared gave her a shake, and let her drop back to the ground.

Courtney’s legs refused to hold her weight. They buckled underneath her, sending her crashing to the ground. Pain radiated throughout her body to the point she was not sure where one hurt ended and another one started. She looked up at Jared and glared at him. “You don’t have the right to tell me what to do. You do not own me.” She gasped for oxygen.

“You belonged to me from the moment I saw you.”

Courtney shook her head, and immediately regretted it. She was sure Jared had pulled her skin loose from the skull. “I’ll never belong to you. I belong to Todd and Harrison.”

“Yes, you let those filthy bears touch you.”

“They are not filthy bears!”

“Once I cleanse you of their scent, you will be ready.”

Courtney’s heart skipped a couple of beats.
Cleansing. And ready for what?
She shook her head.

Jared laughed, but it was cold and sent trembles of fear down Courtney’s back. The inky blackness surrounding him snaked its way toward her and wrapped itself around her. “You have to be cleansed of their stench. It offends me.”

Courtney staggered to her feet. A wave of dizziness hit her. She felt herself sway. “Their scent doesn’t bother me. I like it.”

Jared hissed. He grabbed her arm and yanked her to him. “What you like is irrelevant.” The think odor of sulfur rolled off him.

Courtney’s stomach twisted and churned, causing her to gag. She tried pushing away from him, but he refused to let her go.

“You will lay with those animals, but you don’t want to be near me?” He actually sounded offended.

“Let go of me!”

Jared leaned down and captured her lips with his. The kiss was hard and cruel. There was no tenderness or desire, just lust and the need to dominate and punish.

The kiss shocked Courtney. The foul odor of sulfur filled her mouth. Her stomach rolled and gurgled. The nausea was almost as unbearable as the demon’s kiss. Courtney bit down as hard as she could on Jared’s lip.

His eyes flew open. He roared with rage. Jared pushed Courtney, but she refused to let go. He snarled and shoved her away from him.

Courtney staggered backwards. She spit several times, trying to get the blood out of her mouth. She wiped her lips with the back of her sleeve. “Don’t ever kiss me.”

Jared touched his swollen, bloody lip.
“You stupid bitch!”

Courtney did not see the slap coming until it was too late
to even block it. Jared’s hand caught her cheek and jaw. The force of the blow twisted her sideways. She heard a sharp crack and pain radiated out from her cheek. Black spots filled her vision.

Jared grabbed Courtney’s hair and forced her to look at him. “If you ever do that again, I will break your arms and legs. You don’t need them for what I have planned for you.”

“I’m not going with you!” Courtney hit him as hard as she could with her fists. She scratched the hand wrapped in her hair.

Jared laughed. “It is going to be a pleasure breaking your spirit.” He leaned closer. “And I will break it…over and over.” Using his grip on her hair, Jared forced her to walk with him toward the base of the mountain. He stopped in front of what looked like an overgrown trail that wound its way up to the mountain.

“I am not going up there.” Pain and fear laced Courtney’s words.

“You are going up.” Jared shoved her toward the trail.

Courtney shivered. The fear-induced adrenaline that kept her from feeling the cold was starting to wear off. She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head.

Jared grabbed one of her arms and twisted it.

Courtney screamed. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Do you start walking or do I keep twisting until the bone in your arm snaps?” He grinned.

“I’ll walk,” whispered Courtney. Defeat slinked around her. Her body screamed with pain.

“Good choice.” Jared released her arm.

Courtney drew in a deep breath and let it out as she rubbed her arm. She did not know how much more she could take. She had to get away from Jared. He enjoyed the pain he inflicted on her. No…it was more than just enjoyment. He fed from her pain and suffering.

“Start walking.” Jared pushed her.

Courtney bit her bottom lip to keep her mouth from getting her into more trouble than she already was. She needed to focus on finding a way to either kill Jared or get away from him, if she could. The idea of killing him or anyone made her blood run cold, but she knew this was not a normal situation.

There was nothing normal about Jared.

He was a demon.

She had known it all along, but a small part of her had tried hiding from the truth. Maybe if she had been honest with herself when she first encountered Jared, her brother would still be alive. Maybe if she had been honest about herself…Courtney cried out when Jared poked her in the middle of her back.

The demon enjoyed torturing her. She did not know how much more she could take, but she knew, in her heart, she would not be able to live for any length of time like this.

But
did she have the strength…the will to do the alternative?

Courtney pushed the thought aside. She did not want to think about that possibility, at least not right now. She would have to wait.

The trail abruptly ended.

Courtney slowly looked up.

She shook her head. There was no way she could do this. Walking up the steep trail was one thing, but this…there was no way. She could not climb up the side of the mountain, not when the mountain rose up in front of her like a wall.

“Keep moving,” hissed Jared. He poked her again in the middle of her back.

“I can’t climb that.” Courtney stepped back.

Jared grabbed Courtney by the back of her neck. “You will climb… and you will keep climbing until I tell you to quit.” He squeezed her neck, digging his claws into her soft skin. He smiled at her scream. “Do you understand?” He did not wait for an answer. He shoved her toward the mountainside.

Courtney stared at the wall of rock looming in front of her. She remembered watching a television show where a bunch of men and women went rock climbing. They made it look so easy, but Courtney knew better. The women were thin with athletic builds. They used muscles Courtney knew she did not have.

There was no way she could go mountain climbing, even if she wanted to do it. She outweighed those women on the television show by a good fifty pounds or more. Then there was the athletic part. Courtney’s idea of exercise did not involve anything more rigorous than walking, and it had been months since she had even done that.

How was she going to scale this mountain?

Fear and panic sifted through the pain radiating through her body. Courtney closed her eyes. She took several deep breathes and did her best to push the fear and panic aside. She knew she had to if she wanted to survive, and she did.

Images of Todd and Harrison flickered through her mind. She wanted to be with them. There was no way around it, she loved them with her entire being.

“Move!”
Jared shoved her.

Courtney stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. She glared at him. “You are so going to pay for that and everything else,” she muttered.