The Trail Back (15 page)

“I’m sorry for all the things I said.” Abbie lowered her head and knotted her fingers together. “You see, I was raised in a wolf pack. I know that a wolf can be with other females after their mate dies. I imagined you would be with her if we never mated.”

She shuddered, and he held her tighter but remained silent. He’d allow her to purge the last of her doubts and fears before he set her straight about what being with him entailed.

“Seriously?” Josh exclaimed. “That’s just wrong.”

“I’ve seen it,” Abbie muttered. “Some wolves died along with their mates, others…”

“I won’t lie to you, Abbie,” Brayden said. “I’ve been with other women. Fiona being one of them was a truly unfortunate choice. But I’ve spent most of my life living as a member of Caleb’s pride. Cats mate for life. I felt your soul join with mine the moment I first held you. I will not live another day of my life without you, Abbie. It’s just not possible.”

Brayden wiped away a tear as it rolled down Abbie’s pale face. Her skin was soft under his work-roughened hands. She was a wonder of creation that he knew he’d never stop marveling at. Her beautiful eyes were staring into his soul now, and he hoped she saw how deep his love for her was. His heart beat rapidly at the realization.

“Total honesty, always, Abbie. It’s the only way we can make it through the centuries together.” She nodded and cupped his cheek with one shaking hand. It gave him the courage to say what he needed to. “I love you, little wolf. I’m yours and yours alone, forever.”

“We need to explain what happened last night,” Shane said. “I agree with, Bray. No more hiding, no more fear. We need to tell you everything we’re feeling, everything we’re thinking, so you always understand us. So you can understand why we ran from you like we did.”

Abbie pulled her hand away from Brayden’s face and wrapped both arms protectively around her middle. “Tell them what
you
thought happened, Abbie,” Brayden said. “They need to hear you say it.”

“They were there,” Abbie said. She stared straight at his brothers. “They took one look at me, at all that the vampires had done to me, and ran for the hills.”

Brayden scented her anger and was glad she was getting angry at the twins instead of disappearing into herself with sadness. She’d need to be strong to deal with her own tortured past as well as that of his brothers.

“Is that what you thought?” Josh said. “That we saw something other than a small, delicate, beautiful woman who we longed to touch but didn’t know how?” He pulled a chair up beside Brayden’s and straddled it before taking one of Abbie’s hands from around her waist and holding it in his.

“I have never wanted anything as much as I want you,” Shane said. He knelt on Brayden’s other side and took Abbie’s other hand. “We were scared last night. We ran away because you terrified us.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said. “I just walked into the kitchen. How did I scare you?” She tried to pull her hands away from their grip, but they both smiled and bent their heads to gently kiss her palms.

“You were there. Beautiful, soft and fragile,” Shane said.

“We’ve spent most of our lives in the forest as wolves. We’ve always had each other and Brayden. We joined the pride for him, because he needed to belong to it to feel grounded and complete,” Josh said.

“We didn’t need it. We had each other, our wolves, and our rage.” Shane smiled at Abbie and lowered his canines. It made his smile look evil.

“That’s some control you have over your wolf,” she said, a small smile forming on her lips.

“Total honesty always, angel,” Josh said. “We’ve never so much as touched a woman before, never even wanted to until we met you.”

“We were scared of you because we’re virgins and had no idea what to do with you once we got you naked. So we ran off. It wasn’t the right thing to do,” Shane said, with his evil smile still in place.

“That’s why we went to Canada to get your dogs. We thought it would make you happy and that then you’d forgive us for running out on you,” Josh finished.

“Have you always had that twin thing happening, where you talk like you’re one person and finish each other’s sentences?” Abbie asked. “It’s fascinating, and creepy at the same time.”

“No,” Brayden answered for them. “That’s the most they’ve spoken in the whole of their lives. Their vocabulary is usually confined to monosyllabic words or growls.”

Abbie’s laugh brought joy to Brayden’s heart and soul. Her smile was open and honest.

“Thank you for explaining it to me, Josh and Shane. You really weren’t repulsed because of all the scars or because you think I’m ugly, because of what the vampires did to me.”

Josh dropped Abbie’s hand and held her face in his hands as he smashed him mouth down on hers. In seconds her fingers were curled into his long white hair as they both moaned. Brayden’s cock grew thick as Abbie squirmed in his lap.

Shane growled softly, and Josh released Abbie’s lips and turned her head toward Shane. Abbie made the first move, pressing her lips to Shane’s, and Brayden’s cock throbbed as she moaned louder.

With a small growl from him, Shane released Abbie’s lips and Brayden swiftly swung her around so she was straddling his lap. “Do you have enough strength for one more kiss before you shift?”

“Only one,” Abbie said with a smile.

He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. She opened her mouth, and Brayden licked her lips before moving his tongue into the warmth of her mouth to get a deeper taste of her.

Her taste was sweeter than he’d imagined. He felt the heat of the kiss rocket through him. His restraint of the previous few days collapsed under the wave of pleasure. He scented her arousal as she gently rocked her core against his erection. His wolf whimpered to be allowed to take and mark its mate. It was tired of waiting.

“That smell,” Josh said, “the change in your scent, Abbie. It has my cock so hard it feels like I could come right now.”

“I liked our kisses,” Abbie said, pulling from Brayden’s mouth and kissing down his neck as she spoke. “They’ve made me aroused. I never thought I’d feel like that again.”

“It’s the mating musk, little wolf,” Brayden said. “It exerts a powerful pull for mates to be together. But we will never force you, Abbie. We will wait for you. You have all the control here.” He would never have her feel forced after what she’d been through.

“I like the smell,” Shane said. “It makes me want to taste it, taste you.” He gently turned Abbie’s face away from Brayden’s neck and kissed her. “Taste your pussy,” he mumbled against Abbie’s lips.

Brayden was glad Shane had pulled Abbie away. Her canines had dropped, and he’d nearly come from the feel of them grazing over his neck. They were expecting visitors shortly, so now was not the time, or place, to explore each other for the first time.

“I think Abbie would appreciate a bath and some food before she shifts,” Brayden said. His words sounded strangled as he kept his muscles tense to stop his orgasm. Josh and Shane both growled softly and wrapped an arm around Abbie. “Tell your wolves to wait. We have the Alpha and half the pride about to arrive.”

Josh and Shane both kissed Abbie a few more times before they released her. Abbie’s skin no longer looked pale. It was flushed a rosy pink. Brayden carried Abbie upstairs and left his brothers to make them some sandwiches for tea. None of them had eaten since breakfast.

Abbie sat on the vanity as Brayden ran the bath. “It feels better now, the pain inside me, in my heart. It’s better now,” she said. She was rubbing her knuckles against her chest.

“We need to keep talking to each other. Josh and Shane will never react in any way that’s predictable. They’ve had lives very different from
anything
that could be considered within the realms of normal.”

“I think I can do that,” Abbie said. He turned and found her staring straight at him. “You’ve had a hard life, too, Brayden. You’ve had to fight each day to keep them human.”

He grunted, and a small laugh slipped out. “Until tonight I didn’t think I’d succeeded.”

Abbie wrapped her arms around him from behind as he knelt by the bath. “You kept them alive all by yourself, all these years, for me. I’m here to help you now.” She kissed the back of his neck and he groaned as the sensual pleasure of her kiss made him shudder.

“Go and get the others. Then wait here until I call for you,” Selwyn said. He strode into his office and slammed the door behind him. “Another day wasted. Good help is impossible to find.”

Selwyn realized he could no longer trust any of his subordinates. If he wanted his hybrid back he would have to leave Canada and follow the blood trail himself. Having received no word from Felix in more than a day, he could only assume that he was not going to be bringing his wolf home. He was dead or had taken her for his own use.

He sat at his desk and considered his options. His new coven was now considerably weaker. He needed to bolster the security for the camp before leaving, or he’d risk losing his remaining hybrids. He decided to call in a marker.

He’d supplied many a disposable human to his friend Gerard over the centuries and had asked for little in return, until now. Gerard was a particularly cruel immortal who had a penchant for human sacrifice. He was a powerful mage who also suffered with a deity complex. That had led to him having an entire legion of vampire sycophants at his disposal.

Selwyn would take advantage of their blind obedience to Gerard and use them to guard the camp while he was gone, and at no cost to himself—the perfect price. He’d have the added security and wouldn’t have to split his profits with another partner.

He reached for his cell phone. “Gerard, my good friend, I have need of a little short-term security.”

By the time Selwyn had disconnected the call he had ten vampires on their way to his encampment in Canada and another ten on their way to rendezvous with him in Seattle. He didn’t know where the search for his wolf would lead him, but he had no intention of returning to Canada with just her. No, the lovely Kaitlyn would be joining them as well. She would be his personal property. He alone would taste her, touch her, and fuck her.

It wouldn’t matter where she was, he’d tasted her once and her blood was now a beacon. He’d find her no matter where she was on the planet. He had a strong suspicion, however, that the search was going to be easy. She had mates, and one of them was a shifter. He’d have been reluctant to leave his Alpha and his pride, so little Kaitlyn was most likely right where he left her, Pine Falls.

“You may all come in now.”

As Bryan, Neil, and Mark filed into the room, he saw the advantage of having only three partners now—more money for him. “Either Felix and Jeremy are dead or they have betrayed us, in which case, the former will soon be true. I have arranged for more men to guard the camp. They will arrive within the next few hours. Don’t let them near our hybrids. They are only here to secure the grounds.”

“Do they know of the hybrids?” Mark asked.

“No, nor will they. Kill any that discover the source of our drug. I’m leaving to bring back the wolf. I don’t expect you’ll have any trouble while I’m gone, the added security is just a precaution.”

Selwyn left as soon as he’d ended the meeting. Even as he ran, his mouth watered and his cock hardened. None of the other hybrids had tasted as sweet as Kaitlyn. Whether it was just because she’d been the first hybrid he’d ever tasted or his memory had embellished the effects of her blood, it made no difference. Now that he’d decided on obtaining her again he was exhilarated by the prospect.

He would use his new soldiers to distract her mates and then she would be his. He’d not let her walk away this time. No, she was going to be his or no one’s.

Caleb held Meg’s hand as Prescott drove them the short distance to the Walsh’s ranch. She looked radiant, a little green around the gills, but still radiant. “Just tell me if you need Prescott to pull over again, baby. I’m sure he’d rather pull over than have you hurl in his truck.” He smiled as Meg tried to glare at him.

“Very funny, your Alpha-ness,” Meg said. “Or should I say Daddy?” Her face lit up with a beautiful smile, and it wiped away the halfhearted glare. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner. How long have you known?”

“Caleb scented it at the wedding,” Lachlan said. “We were planning on surprising you on the plane to the Bahamas.” He leaned over the front seat and held his hand out to Meg.

“That’s sweet.” She gave Lachlan’s outstretched hand a kiss. “Kaitlyn will be so excited. She was hoping our children would grow up as best friends like us.”

Caleb could see Prescott’s scowl in the rearview mirror. It was dark now, but the dashboard lights reflected his face adequately. Caleb shared his worry. If they couldn’t stop the threat to Kaitlyn she’d never get the chance to have her child, or worse, her and the baby would both be captives of Selwyn Graves.

He forced a smile on his face and hugged Meg tighter to him. He couldn’t think of losing this battle. The pride would fight to the death to keep Kaitlyn, and now Abbie, safe. They won this battle, or the pride ceased to exist.

“I can scent your fear, Caleb,” Meg whispered. “I’m glad your parents had already left to take Lexie to Disney World, at least they’re all safe. Do we stand no chance at all?”

He saw her wrap her arms protectively across her stomach. “I won’t let my mate and child down, Meg. I won’t let my pride down. Losing is not an option.” Caleb took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

He felt the weight of responsibility weigh down on him more heavily than ever before. There were mates and cubs to consider now, and not just his own. Abbie’s and Kaitlyn’s mates would fight just as fiercely as he and his brothers. He knew the odds of them all coming out of this fight alive were not good.

“Don’t forget we have Brody on our side,” Meg said.

“That man loves Meg almost as much as we do,” Lachlan said with a small growl. “If he wasn’t mated I’d have to kill him.”

“As if you could,” Prescott scoffed. “He’s a little guy, but he’s damn scary. My money’s on him in any fight.”