Untamed Force (Force of Nature Series) (22 page)

This went on for perhaps five minutes. Sterling
making noises like he was trying to drown someone out then speaking to what
Dallas now assumed was the person he called Poor.

“He wants me to kill you now.” Dallas
didn’t move; he was afraid the man would actually do it. “He said that you’re
no better than your brother and that I should kill you.”

“Who wants you to kill me?”

The man seemed to have another
conversation then looked right at Dallas. “I’m the other one. Poor, he calls
me. I can take him over now, but not for long. Where is the gun?”

Like he’d tell him. Dallas shrugged and
then moved his leg. He still didn’t have enough strength to shift, but he could
get ready. He reached for Austin and felt a very small connection.

“I’m in a cave. Not far from the mall. There
should be a gray van with the last three letters seven twenty-one.”

“You all right?”

Dallas grinned as he told his brother
yes.

“Stacy said she’s going to kick your ass
when you get back here. She wants to know if she can come and get you or do you
think you can help her by killing the bastard and coming home on your own?”

Dallas knew she was scared. He would be
if it were him waiting for her to come to him.
“Tell her that I might need
her to save me. Tell her…Austin, will you tell her that I love her very much?”

“Yes. I love you too, you big oaf.”

He lost him for several minutes, but
Dallas felt better just for having spoken to him. He watched as Sterling paced
the cave and tried to reach for Stacy. He was surprised when she answered so
clearly.

“I am near to where the van he took you
in is parked. Your brother has a fix on the GPS in the van. It is pinging back
to them. Also, your cell is on. Are you hurt badly?”

“My leg is broken and healing. I need to
shift, but I’m afraid that dumbass here is going to kill me
.” He paused
long enough to try and see if she was close to him
. “You aren’t alone, are
you?”

“Yes. I can move faster without others
with me.”
He
felt her humor
. “Your brother believes I am in the bathroom being ill. He
does not know that your other brother has been telling me where to go by cell
phone. Connor is quite good at this.”

And when Dallas got back home he was
going to hug him. Then beat the shit out of him for allowing his mate to go out
on her own. She was too precious to allow anything to—

“Would you like to know something else?”

He told her he would.

“Your sister has invited me to—”
He was terrified
when she suddenly stopped. Before he could beg her to go back home and wait for
him, she spoke again.
“I have found the van. It is in a parking space at a
state park. If it is here then you must be close.”

“I’m going to kill you. Now, as a matter
of fact. Richard has completely lost his mind and I’ve decided that you are a
liability rather than a help.” Sterling, or whoever he was, came toward him as
he spoke. “I hope you have your house in order. It would be a shame for it not
to be.”

“And you think I’m going to lay here and
let you?” He tried to reach for Stacy, suddenly needing her to hurry up. “Bring
it on, nutcase. I’m ready for whatever you think you can dish out.”

~~~

Stacy shifted again and moved up the
mountain. She had been here before and knew the area. She had even slept in one
of the caves because she had thought she was being followed. About halfway up
she ran into three wolves trying to bring down a deer.

They were wild and hungry. She tried to
skirt around them, but one of them saw her and snarled. Stacy growled low and
raised her hackles. She was much bigger than them and had a great deal more
experience fighting her kind. She watched as they began to circle her. That’s
when she saw the opening of the cave and the trash sitting outside of it.

“Okay, big guys, I do not want your
meat. I have more important things to do than play with you.” One of them
crouched down and was starting to lunge when something flashed between them.

“Go now. I have this.”

She looked at Myles.

“I said to go. I want to show them what
a vampire can do when he’s pissed.”

Stacy wanted to make sure Myles was all
right, but she needed to get to Dallas. Racing up the hill without a backward
glance she moved to the mouth of the cave and started in. She nearly leapt with
joy when she smelled her mate.

“I am coming.”
She didn’t know
what to expect when Dallas did not answer, but hurried to climb down into the belly
of the cave. What she saw when she got there would be a memory that she’d never
forget.

Dallas lay on the ground, his leg
broken. She could see the bone sticking up from his calf as if it were a stick.
She moved slowly around the cave, not making a sound, hoping to see what she
was up against.

“You’ve been a pain in my ass since I
was born.”

She stopped suddenly and looked at the
man standing over Dallas.

“I could have been great if not for you.”

“You didn’t even know me when you were a
kid. How the hell is it possible that I have been a pain in
your
ass? You’re
a moron, did you know that?” Dallas caught her eye and looked to his left. That’s
when she saw the long sword that was in her sire’s hand. “Why don’t you come on
around to the right and take me out? You too chicken to fight like a real man?”

She nearly did not catch what he was
trying to tell her. She’d been so focused on the blade that was pointed into
Dallas’ chest that she didn’t see that the fire was just to the right and if
she attacked from there, she could use the pit to her advantage. Circling to
her left, she kept to the darkness.

“You made me fat.”

That startled her. How did one make
another fat?

“And you took all my money.”

“I did take your money. Yeah, can’t deny
that.”

She was nearly to her sire when he
turned to look right at her. “What have we here?”

She leapt at him just as he brought the
sword up. She didn’t have time to catch herself so when the blade pierced her
chest she opened her jaws wide and bit down just as they both tumbled to the
ground.

Blood filled her mouth, though she was
not sure it if were his or hers. She shook her head as she heard Dallas scream
out her name. This ended now and she was not going to let him go until she knew
he was dead.

Blackness tried to take away her sight,
but she fought it. Even as her sire struggled less and less, she did not let
go. Dallas was saying her name, telling her that she’d killed him, when she
felt his hand along her fur.

“Let him go, love, so that I can take
you to be healed.”

She heard the words, but didn’t
understand them.

“Come on, baby. I have to get you help. I
won’t allow you to die.”

She shifted. As soon as she did he
pulled her into his arms. “You are safe now.” He nodded and she wiped away the
tear. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She was starting to
fade out. When she opened her eyes again he was right there. Smiling softly,
she touched his face, or she tried to. “I have given you everything. My sire
did not own the land that was his pack.” She moved his hand when he put it over
her mouth. Blood stained his fingers. “You will be happy now. Run a pack like
it should be.”

“Don’t talk. Help is coming. The doc,
Clint, is coming, and he said to keep you quiet.”

Stacy wasn’t stupid. She was dying. Coughing
slightly, she felt warmth spill from her mouth. She looked down at the sword
still sticking in her chest.

There was a moment of complete clarity
and she looked up to tell Dallas what she thought. He was blurred and she
wanted to bring his mouth to hers, but she couldn’t manage her hands. Shifting
slightly, she moaned. So much pain, yet she wasn’t sure she was feeling it all.
Closing her eyes against a sudden light she heard Dallas sob, but she couldn’t
help him. Soon he’d be with his family and forget her after a time.

“No you don’t.”

She moved away from the light and then
she cried out. Pain was everywhere, then nothing.

Chapter 18

Dallas moved into the yard to watch the
workers. He still wasn’t steady on his injured leg. Hell, everyone knew it wasn’t
going to get any better. The rows of neat little houses were coming along
nicely and he was glad to see the first houses were being moved into as he
watched.

“There will be more built in the coming
months. Soon we’ll have to move onto the property that Stacy gave you.” Dallas
looked at Austin and Connor as they sat next to him. Connor continued as he
pulled a bottle of beer from the cooler. “I wanted to talk to you about the
property on the southeast corner. I’d like to buy it from you.”

He glanced at his brother and declined
the beer. “Take it. It’s yours. I’ve no use for something so far from home.”

He noticed the glance between the two of
them, but ignored it. He’d been seeing the same look for days now and didn’t
really care for it. He was depressed, damn it, and he wished they’d leave him
the fuck alone. He nearly groaned when he saw CJ coming toward them.

“I have a project for you, Dallas. I was
wondering if you could go to the other end of my old place and see what’s going
on with the woman who’s living there. She and a couple of the other workers
said they heard a lot of noises last night and want someone to check it out.”

“It wasn’t me. And if you want someone
to check it out, send Connor. You know that I can’t walk well yet.” He didn’t
even bother looking this time; he knew what they were thinking. “Don’t you guys
have someone else to bother?”

“Not at the moment.” Austin pulled CJ
into his lap and held her. “You should see what Lee has been up to. He can
climb that bookshelf like it’s a step ladder.”

He didn’t want to move from where he
was. And Dallas just wanted them to leave him to himself. He looked at his
watch then up at the sunlight streaming through the trees. Soon. Soon now and
he’d be with her.

He did groan when Phil and Myles came to
sit with him. Didn’t these people have anything better to do? Dallas looked at
his watch again. Still plenty of time to get home yet.

“She called.”

He looked sharply at CJ.

“About ten minutes ago. She said that
she was going to be home early and she would come over here and see me when she
got off. I would imagine that she’s about here.”

Dallas stood up and reached for his
crutches. They were in Phil’s hand and he didn’t look as if he was going to
hand them over. Dallas didn’t have time for this shit and put out his hand for
them.

“Come and get them.” Phil stood up and
took several steps back. “You know you want them, so come and get them from me.”

“I can’t. You know that too.” He reached
again for them only to have Phil take another step back. “Give them to me,
Phil. I want to go home.”

“Then get them.” He looked over at
Stacy, the love of his life and wondered how long she’d been standing there. “Go
and get them and I will take you home with me. Otherwise I will leave you here.”

“I can’t.” He heard the others leave and
was glad for it. If he was going to grovel then he’d rather do so without an
audience. “You heard what the doctor said. I’m deformed.”

“No, he did not. He said you would have
a limp. That is not the same. You have been nursing this wound for several
weeks now. It is time that you get over yourself and walk. No one cares that
you will limp.”

He did. But instead of moving toward her
as she wanted, he sat back down. “Then I’ll just stay here.”

“And our child? What of him?”

He looked at her quickly then away.

“You do not believe me? What shall I
tell him of his father when he asks where you might be. Should I tell him he
mopes beneath a maple tree as if it is his business?”

“I would know if you were with child. I
haven’t slept with you for…” He glanced at her then at the houses again. “You
know how long it’s been.”

“Yes. Since I was stabbed saving your
life. A life you have decided to waste by not doing what the doctor said.”

He sat back, not wanting to get into
this argument again. “Are you going to let me take your picture so that I may
show our child what his father looks like?”

“And what of you?” He turned to her
viciously. “Why don’t you show me your scar? The one you hid away in the
darkness of the night. Do you think your wounds are any less horrific than
mine?”

She walked to him and when she was
within two feet of him she began unbuttoning her blouse. When she dropped it on
the ground beside him, he noticed that she was wearing another shirt under it. Before
he could comment on that, she started talking.