Wolf Creek Enforcer (22 page)

“Why am I wet?” she asked, sleepily. 

“Well, you smell pretty bad,” David stopped when Rafe glared at him.  “Come on man, she’s my sister.  If I can joke, she knows everything’s fine.”

Lisa spoke gently, “You’re being cleansed of the dark magic that was in your system.  Th
is pond is pure white magic and it will take away the dark.”

Sensing the dark matter was gone from Melanie’s syste
m, Lisa made her way out of the pond.

“It’s gone.  She just needs to rest now,” Lisa
waited for them to bring Melanie out. 

Once they left th
e water, Rafe reached for Melanie,  “We’ll take care of her, go on back.  Ian will be out of his mind worrying over her.”

David placed his sister in Rafe’s arms, turned and called for the door once again. 

* * *

Ian moved quickly,
following Braeden’s scent and tracking it down to the basement.  Glancing around, he saw the damp cinder blocks that made up the basement walls.  They both leapt over the old furniture stored there, their paws pounding the ground.  Ian could see this had once been someone’s home before Braeden had corrupted it.  Seeing the light from the open door leading outside, they hurried up the old basement stairs and raced around to the back of the house, still following the scent. 

Hearing an engine roar, they both watched as a large pickup roared towards them.
  Leaping out of the way, they waited, knowing he would try again.

This time Ian was ready.  Leaping away once more, he turned
and chased after the truck.  He could see Braeden’s eyes in the rearview mirror widen when he realized he was now the one being chased down. 

Ian saw him raise his left arm and start to chant.  He had to reach him before that spell was finished.  Running hard, his paws
dug into the earth.  With a giant leap, he landed in the bed of the truck.  Devlin landed beside him a split second later. 

Braeden had to drop his arm to control the truck or crash into one of the many trees around the property.
  His right arm was almost useless, his fingertips hanging loosely on the bottom of the steering wheel.  The throbbing in his bicep was pulsing around the makeshift bandage on his arm, causing the wrap to seep with more blood. 

Seeing two furry bodies leap into the back of his truck, Braeden winced with pain as he tried
to turn the truck in a different direction. 

Ian and Devlin shifted, grabbing hold of the
metal sides for balance. 

“Damn, pickups are cold on the ass!” Devlin shouted.

Braeden was swerving from side to side, trying to throw the brothers from the back.  Slamming on his brakes, he hoped to crash their heads into the metal truck bed and kill them.  He hit the gas again, wanting to keep both men down while he said his incantation.  

Suddenly, he heard gunshots and felt his truck lisp to one side. 
Looking out, he saw David standing by his front door, grinning at him.

Furious, Braeden floored the tr
uck, aiming for where David stood on the porch.  Braeden found it very difficult to control the pickup with little traction once the tire went flat. 

David waited
on the wooden deck with his arms crossed over his chest, watching Braeden barrel towards him. Fearing a round passing through and hitting Ian or Devlin, he had tucked his gun back into his holster.  At the last second, he jumped over the railing and rolled over the grass, unharmed.  He quickly got up and watched as the truck roared through the doorway and came to a stop when it crashed into the bottom of the staircase.

Both Ian and Devlin were thrown forward when the pickup came to an abrupt stop. 

Not wanting Braeden to get the upper hand, they rolled over the edge of the truck and reached for the handle.

Braeden threw his good arm up, frantically chanting as Ian ripped
the door off its’ hinges and tossed it aside.  Devlin stood beside him in the small space, ready to help tear Braeden apart. 

As Ian reached into the pickup, Br
aeden finished his chant and sent them both flying through the air. They crashed into the dining room table, breaking it into pieces.

Catching his breath, Ian groaned at the pain in his back and pushed to his
feet.  Reaching down, he grabbed Devlin’s arm and pulled him from under the broken chunks of wood. 

Ian could hear mumbling
from Braeden where he stood beside the truck.

Braeden had started another spell
.  With a few more words, their hair would start to smolder prior to bursting into flames.  Before he could finish, his jaw exploded in pain where David’s fist struck him. 

“Aw aw aw, no more chanting,” David said, waggling his index finger in Braeden’s face.

“I could just shoot you again and end this, but I think that would leave my brother-n-law feeling a little bit cheated. Seems he wants his pound of flesh,” David told him.

Ian leapt across the scattered pieces of wood and tackled Braeden to the ground.  With one arm outstretched, he wrapped his fingers around Braeden’s throat and pinned him to the ground.  Squeezing the life out of him, Ian stared down grimly at the man who had hurt his mate.

Braeden struggled for air, using his one good arm to reach up to try and peel Ian’s fingers from his throat.  He thrust his body up from the floor, hoping to throw Ian off his body.

Ian calmly held on, tightening his knees to keep Braeden in place.  He was not letting go until this fucker was dead.

“Um bro?  We need to find out where he put that book,” Devlin said, standing beside David.

The rest of the pack had entered from different parts of the house.  Now they stood by silently, watching and waiting.

Ian growled and released some of the pressure on Braeden’s larynx.  “Where’s the book asshole?”

Braeden coughed,
gasping as he tried to fill his lungs with air.  “I lost it.” 

Ian grinned evilly.  “Thanks for not taking the easy way out.  Now, I could easily rip your throat out, or your entrails.  I’ll let you choose, cause I’m really just a nice guy once you get to know me.”

Devlin sighed, “Show off.”  He heard the pack snicker behind him.

Braeden’s eyes widened in fear, “No! I’ll make you a deal.  Let me go and I’ll tell you where it is.” 

“Yeah, we’ll do that because you are just so darn trustworthy,” David said sarcastically.

Ian stood and stared down at him.  “You are not leaving here alive, look around you.”

Braeden shakily got to his feet, using his one good arm to push himself up.  Glancing around, he saw the pack circling them.  “If you kill me, you’ll never find the book.”

“I think we will.  I’ve narrowed it down to three places you’ve been recently.  Hmm, let see.  There’s the beach house, there’s this house and let’s not forget our trip to Scotland,” David watched him closely as he listed each place.  He saw his tell when he mentioned Scotland. 

Looking at Ian, David announced casually, “I know where it is, go ahead and kill him.”

Braeden gasped and reached behind his back, pulling out a small twenty-two caliber Magnum.  With his arm held straight out, the barrel was aimed at Ian’s head.

Ian charged him, slamming into his chest as one shot rang out
in the room.  Following him to the ground, he saw Braeden’s glassy eyes staring up at him.

“Great shot, right to the heart.  Man, that was fast.  You looked like a gunslinger from those old westerns I’ve seen,” Devlin was grinning in admiration.  “Been doing some old west traveling?”

David shot him a look, shaking his head slightly. 

“Like in those touristy places in Arizona,” Devlin covered his mistake.  The Pack did not know about the druid’s abilities.

Ian rose and turned to address the pack.  “Rafe flew back with Melanie and Lisa so one of you will need to drive his car.  We’ll be flying back too.  Head on out, we’ll take care of things here.”

They watched the men leave, waiting until they heard the car pull out before speaking.

Turning to David, Ian asked, “Is Melanie all right?” He anxiously awaited his answer.

“She’ll be fine.  The poison is out of her system and Rafe was
putting her on bed rest when I left.”

Ian nodded his thanks and then solemnly said, “I don
’t like lying to my pack, David.”

David ran his hand through his hair, sighing, “I know. 
This takes some getting used to.  We’ve kept to ourselves for so long and now my sister has a pack.  It’s weird.”

“Well, thanks for getting that shot off before him.  I
knew he’d try something,” Ian said.  “We’ll take care of this mess after I see Melanie.  I’d like to go now,” he said as politely as possible. 

Ian was itching to leave, needing to see her for himself. 

“Let’s go then, and don’t worry about this mess.  I’ll take care of it.  Once I get you two back home, I’ll be coming back.  I know where to look for the book and I’ll find you when I have it,” David said.

Chapter 15

Melanie lay sleeping as Ian rushed into their bedroom.  Sliding to a halt when he saw Lisa reading a book by the large picture window, he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his waist.   

“She’s fine, just exhausted,” Lisa rose and left the room, softly closing the door behind her.
 

Leaning over the bed, Ian gently stroked her cheek, reassured when her skin felt warm, but not hot. 

Her eyes fluttered open and her mouth curved in a small smile.  “Thank God you’re all right,” Melanie sighed in relief.  “Where are David and Devlin?  Please tell me they’re not hurt.” 

“They’re fine.  Devlin’s in the kitchen getting something to eat and David went back to Braeden’s to look for the book,” Ian told her.

Pushing up on her elbows, Melanie looked worriedly at Ian, “Alone?  What about Braeden?”

Ian gently pushed her back down, noticing her shaky arms as she tried to hold herself up.

“No one has to worry about Braeden ever again.  Now, enough talking, you’re too worn out and need to rest and recover.  I’ll take a quick shower and then we’ll both sleep for twenty-four hours or more,” he commanded.

“Bully,” she murmured,
surrendering to the lethargy taking over her body.  She was back asleep within moments.

Ian placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he wearily crossed to the bathroom.
  Dropping his blanket, he stepped into the shower and adjusted the water temperature.   

Placing his hands flat against the tile, Ian dropped his head, letting the water flow over his hair and roll down his back.

He was mentally exhausted.  Fighting the good fight on behalf of his pack was acceptable and required.  Worry over his new mate was something he would adjust to. 

Sighing, Ian grabbed the soap and washed as quickly as his tired body allowed.  The adrenalin
e rush was gone, leaving him feeling boneless.  His body ached in different places, but that didn’t bother him, knowing he’d heal very fast. 

As he dried off, he reminded himself that it was over and Melanie was safe.  Crawling into bed with her, he wrapped his body around hers, sending out a prayer of thanks to the universe for keeping her safe.

They both slept through the night, their bodies healing while entwined together. 

Ian woke ly
ing on his back with Melanie’s head on his chest.  Smoothing his hand over the back of her head, he ran his palm over her silky hair. 

He needed to get up.  Mulling over the mental checklist of things to do, he slid out of bed and tucked a pillow under her head. 
She was looking better, the dark smudges beneath her eyes were gone. 

Grabbing some clothes, he dressed in the bathroom so he wouldn’t disturb her rest.  He hoped David had found that damn book and was back.  If he had travelled back to that mountain, Melanie would want to help.  Not caring how pissed off she would be,
he’d tie her down if she tried to go after her brother. 

* * *

“How’s Melanie?”  Lisa asked.

“Still sleeping, but good,” Ian pulled
out a barstool and rested his arms on the kitchen island.

Rafe shook his head when Ian glanced at him questioningly.  Damn, he was hoping Rafe had heard from David. 

Picking up his fork, he dug into the plate Lisa placed in front of him, mumbling his thanks.  Ian was just finishing up when he pushed his stool back and froze, glancing around tensely.

Devlin
and Rafe quickly stood, feeling the same disturbance as their brother.  Growling, the three men closed around Lisa with their backs to her, forming a wall of muscle between her and whatever threat was manifesting in the great room.  

Ready to leap at their intruder
, Ian watched a wavy distortion as it coalesced into David, only relaxing when he saw there was no danger.