Wolf Next Door Read online

  Hot wetness ran down the side of her forehead and into her ear. She wished she could reach up and wipe it away. Had she hit her head? Had he done that to her? She didn’t know, but she was bleeding.

  She listened, trying to judge how far away he was and what he was up to. Being wrapped in the rug didn’t help her discover where they were. It was dark and quiet. Very quiet. Maybe he wasn’t near her. She slowly pulled her right hand up, trying to reach her face to at least wipe at the blood.

  Then she heard the sound of voices—men’s voices. She held still and concentrated. Was that Darius?

  “...doing in this house?”

  “Hey man, you better get out of here before I call the cops.”

  “Maybe I should say the same to you. Looks like you broke into the place!” It was Darius.

  Hope glimmered inside her. He could protect her from Jack. He could save her . . . if only he knew where she was. But how could she make him hear her? What if she yelled and Jack came first? What if Darius couldn’t get to her in time? Her chest constricted. And what was Jack planning to do with her?

  She opened her mouth. “Darius.” It was barely above a whisper.

  The two voices kept arguing, both becoming more threatening.

  “Darius!”

  The voices went silent. Something scratched nearby, a sound like claws against metal.

  “Darius! I’m here! Help me!” Her heart pounded. Her lungs wanted more air. “Help!” She breathed in a nasty mouthful of dust and gagged.

  More scratching.

  Thunk.

  Then she heard a car engine start and felt the unmistakable sensation of moving. My God, I’m in the trunk of his car. Tires squealed. The vehicle hit a bump. She gritted her teeth. This wasn’t a good sign. She heard another car engine, another set of tires peeling across the pavement and then a distant howl . . . the dog that she had seen the other night and this morning.

  It must have been the dog scratching on the car, she decided. Even though I didn’t feed him, maybe he knew I needed help. She’d heard of animals doing things like that. She wasn’t as naive to think that there would be a Lassie-like rescue. A dog could hardly keep up with a speeding car, and judging by the way she was being shaken around, Jack had long since lost the dog.

  She did hear the distinctive rumble of a diesel engine. Jack hadn’t lost Darius. And she just knew that was his voice she’d heard. It had to be him. Maybe he’d come for their date, and when he didn’t find her at school, he’d come looking for her.

  The sound of the wheels changed. They were off the main road, on something bumpy. Maybe a dirt road. She wished she could see. She wished she could move. She closed her eyes and prayed that Darius would find her in time.

  Chapter Ten

  He pushed on the accelerator. If that idiot thought he could lose Darius on the back roads that ran through the forest, he had another thing coming. In wolf form he’d run through every part of these woods since moving here, investigated every fallen tree, chased bucks through the streams, and memorized every small trail and dirt road like the back of his hand. So had his packmates.

  Matthew had known something was up and came sauntering up the sidewalk when Darius and that man started at it. He’d even chased after the truck when Darius took off after the black Honda. When they’d hit the dirt road, though, Darius lost sight of Matthew in his rearview mirror. There was simply too much dust being kicked up. It didn’t matter. He would handle this. He knew this guy had Kendra or at least knew where she was.

  The dust in front of him made it harder to see the car. He swerved every so often to one side or the other to be sure he had the car in his sights. The truck smashed over the narrowing road, crushing ferns and overgrowth. Darius knew this place. The road would fork. He squeezed the steering wheel. There were a set of old cabins out here. He guessed they used to be a little hideaway rental spot that had long since become too aged and worn to be used. The guy had to heading there.

  He came to the fork in the road and slammed on the brakes. The dust was so thick he couldn’t see which way the car had gone. He’d have to wait. Darius groaned and listened for the sound of an engine. What he heard made him feel a little better. Three sets of varied howls broke out in the trees. Sam, Lila, and Resha were near. While he waited, he heard the fourth. Matthew was announcing what had happened with a series of frantic, high-pitched yips. He was still pretty far back. The others were closer, though, close enough to make a difference. In his human form, Darius couldn’t call to them. He’d have to trust in their instincts.

  A breeze blew through the trees, and he saw the muddied gouges in the left fork. The car had gone that way. He set his foot on the gas and followed the tracks. Driving along he wondered if she was in that car. Had he missed a chance to get to her? Was she in that guy’s trunk? Was she dead? A horrible feeling of dread gripped him. If she was dead, he didn’t think he could forgive himself. He should have known her scent being so strong there meant that she was there, right in front of him. He should have blocked the drive with his truck. He should have called the police. He should have done so many things differently.

  After fifteen minutes of dodging small trees and large rocks in the road, he saw the roofs of the three broken-down cabins in the distance. Rather than risk that man hearing his truck approaching, Darius pulled over and killed the engine. He reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt to pull it off. A man would be an obvious target. A wolf could skulk through the woods practically unheard and certainly unseen. He kicked off his shoes and tore at his button-down pants, anxious to be free of clothing. The moment he pushed open his truck’s door, his shift began. When he hit the ground on all fours, he darted forth.

  The cool air of the forest swallowed him and livened his senses. He could smell that man’s bitter scent. Sweat, anger, fear, cruelty. The man was his rival. The man had his mate and had stolen her. He would suffer for it.

  Paws skimmed the earth as he raced to the site. He smelled the scent of hot engine and oil. He breathed deeper and smelled the blood again. Ears pricking, he heard her voice, heard her begging to be let go, crying out for help. But what he saw when he reached the barely cleared area in front of the first cabin made his fur stand on end.

  Kendra was with that man, her expression terrified and one side of her face smeared with blood. Her blood, he realized.

  “Let me go, Jack!” she screamed.

  The man dragged her by her hair. Her hands were clumsily tied behind her back with a length of tattered rope. She was dragging her feet and resisting. She would have fought, he knew, if she could.

  “Let me go!”

  This time Jack turned and slapped her so hard her head jerked to one side. She let out a pained, startled cry. The man gripped her arm and pulled her along.

  “Shut up,” he grumbled. “You just shut up. Was that your lover, huh? That big asshole outside the house that came asking? Was that the guy you left me for? You cheatin’ whore. I knew you were fuckin’ around behind my back. I knew it!” His Southern accent was thick.

  Darius slunk along, his chest low to the ground, his eyes fixed on her. He wanted to rush forward and attack, drag that bastard to the ground and tear out his throat for daring to lay a hand on his mate.

  When they reached the wide-open cabin door, Kendra looked back out over the forest. It was a silent moment, and Darius saw the utter terror in her expression. She was looking for some sign that she wasn’t alone, that he had come to protect her. He had promised he would, after all. But who could have known this would happen so soon or at all?

  With a gruff yank, Kendra was forced inside and the door slapped shut. Darius heard her crash down, probably to the broken boards on the floor. He bolted across the clearing, past the car, and leaped through the opening of a broken-out side window. The place smelled like dirt and faintly of skunk.

  Jack’s angry voice echoed in the empty cabin. “Your goddamned dog has been trying to catch me at night. You know that, Kendra? I b
et you thought he’d keep you safe from me. I hate dogs. After I take care of you here, I’m gonna go back and shoot that bastard right between the eyes. Then I’ll bring him back here so you can see him all dead and useless.”

  He heard her sob, heard the sound of the man’s shoes sounding across the boards. “And that lover of yours. I’ll do the same thing to him.” He laughed to himself. “Yeah. I’ll drag him back here too. You belong to me. You won’t forget it this time.”

  Darius heard a slap. Kendra cried out.

  “That’s right. You won’t forget!”

  Darius came to a closed door. He knew they were just on the other side, but how could he open it in wolf form? He glared at the old round handle. He’d have to shift to open it with a human hand or find another way to her.

  “Baby, I know you love me,” Jack said, his tone different now, lower and placating. “I know you want me. Like old times.” Fabric tore.

  Darius growled. He willed the shift to come over him, bones changing, muscles rearranging. He pushed up from the ground and grasped the handle. It turned.

  “Say it, honey. Say you want me.” Another slap.

  Darius stepped into the large room where Kendra’s ex-husband sat over her, spittle hanging from his lower lip and his hand upright, ready to slap her face again.

  “Say it, babe, or you get another spanking. Sometimes you need discipline. I know that. I understand it. You’ve always been a bad girl. But I can keep you in line.” His hand flew and smashed into Kendra’s face.

  When Jack raised it again, Darius heard her soft voice, defeated and weak. “I want you.”

  “Now that wasn’t so b—” Jack’s words were cut short when Darius plowed into the guy, tackling him down to the ground. He wasn’t much of a challenge, really, his body thinner and shorter. But the man quickly put up a fight, throwing punches at Darius’s face and gut simultaneously. They rolled. They grappled. Boards and rusty nail points poked at Darius’s side. He grabbed hold of the other man’s arm and pinned it behind his back.

  Jack went for Darius’s throat and hugged close, choking off his wind.

  “Bastard!” Jack screeched, his breath hot against Darius’s ear. “You think you can get away with fucking my woman?” The choke hold became tighter.

  Darius squeezed into the man’s arm until he heard a telltale snap.

  Jack’s anguished cry echoed.

  Darius rolled onto his back and felt the debris on the floor cut into his skin. He couldn’t breathe. But the pain from the other man’s broken arm being crushed even further had to stop him eventually. The already dark room was getting darker. Haziness settled in at the corner of Darius’s vision. He blinked and thought he saw Kendra standing over them both, her arms upraised and a frightening look on her face.

  Then her arms came raining down, and in them he saw a short two-by-four.

  Crack.

  She raised her arms and dropped them a second time.

  Crack. Crunch.

  Darius’s chest heaved in a mighty breath of air as Jack’s arm-hold loosened. Blood dripped down into his face. He shoved the other man off of him and looked up at his mate. She was holding the piece of bloodied wood and staring down at her enemy. The rope that had been so hastily tied to her wrists was still dangling.

  Jack made a small sound, a choked mumble. The board came crashing down a third and final time, severely denting the already damaged back of his head.

  Darius heard the sound of paws scrabbling in the next room. He turned his head as his pack burst into the room, the same way he’d come. Lila skidded to a halt. Sam and Resha ran past Darius and slowed near Jack’s body, sniffing and curious. But it was Matthew who really touched Darius’s heart. The young wolf sat himself between Kendra and Jack and snarled. He pressed his furry body to her side, and she visibly eased. The two-by-four dropped to the floor with a wooden plunk. Kendra reached down absently and knotted her fingers in the fur of Matthew’s neck. She looked dazed and lost, horrified over what had happened.

  Her face slowly turned away from her fallen ex-husband and searched Darius. “Wh-Why are you n-naked?” she whispered.

  He had a lot of explaining to do, and he didn’t know where to start.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Are you oaky?” Darius asked.

  Okay? I was just abducted and choked and beat up by my ex, dragged to a cabin and beaten on some more, and now you’re here and you’re naked, and Jack’s dead, and there’s a bunch of dogs . . . She looked down at the animal at her side and lifted her hand away. Not dogs. Wolves. Panic spread through her, fresh and dangerous.

  Kendra looked at Jack’s body again. “I killed him,” she whispered in frightened awe. “I really did. I killed him.”

  “Yeah, you did.”

  She heard Darius getting up and the rustle of wood. This place, wherever they were, was a total mess. She felt his strong arms come around her, felt the heat emanating from his body as he pressed against her to comfort her. She thought she should look up at him, thank him for coming for her, for finding her. But she couldn’t look away from what she’d done.

  She’d practically bashed Jack’s head in. She stared at the dark blood oozing there and felt herself shaking. Her lungs were tightening. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t believe what had happened. And what next?

  “I’ll go back to my truck and get my cell,” Darius said, his hand rubbing up and down her upper arm. “I think you should come out of here.”

  The dog—wolf—beside her nuzzled her hand with his wet nose. She looked down and frowned. “These are wolves,” she blurted.

  “Yes. They are.”

  Darius guided her out. She felt faint. But she wanted some answers.

  “I’ll call the police and tell them what happened.”

  “But these are wolves,” she repeated. “Why are there wolves here with us?”

  “God, Kendra, that doesn’t matter right now. Just trust that they won’t hurt you, all right? We have to call the police. We have to get this taken care of.”

  “The police.” She squeezed her eyes shut thinking maybe this was a nightmare and she’d wake up in her bed safe and sound. Wolves. Jack. Dead.

  Her feet shuffled mindlessly until the bright daylight shined on her face and she opened her eyes. That wolf was still walking beside her like some sort of seeing-eye dog. She opened her hand and felt for the scruff of his neck, holding fast like he was a lifeline. When they made it to Darius’s truck and he reached inside to grab his phone, she stared at his sleek, naked body and frowned. He hadn’t answered her about why he was naked. His clothes were hanging half out of the driver’s side. One of his shoes was by the brake pedal. The other lay on the ground.

  She watched him dial 911. “Yes, this is Darius Cooper, and I’m in the forest just south of Melton and Harmony Street. A man is dead. He tried to kill a woman, and she fought back. He’s, um, his body is in one of the cabins out here. Yes, yes, I’m sure he’s dead.” Darius looked back at Kendra with a frown. “Yes, she may be in shock. She’s beat up pretty bad. She’s, um, my neighbor.” His voice hitched a little. “Yes, you can talk to her.”

  He handed her the phone. “Hello?” she asked in a soft voice. While the woman on the other end rattled off questions, Kendra watched Darius pull on his clothes. He hurried as if he might get caught and have to face questioning about it.

  Not long after, she told the operator that she could hear sirens. The police and an ambulance came racing up the dirt road to stop by Darius’s truck. When the paramedic came to her and asked her to follow them, Kendra shot Darius a worried glance.

  “It’ll be okay.” He soothed her. “I’ll stay here and tell them what I saw. You better get on to the hospital. That’s a nasty cut on your forehead.”

  “Is this your dog?” the paramedic asked.

  Kendra turned to face the man who addressed her. He had a blocky face and cool green eyes. “Yes, he’s mine.”

  “I’ll take him home for you when we
finish up here,” Darius suggested. He nodded at the paramedic. “We’re neighbors.”

  She nodded, relieved that this whole ordeal was coming to an end. In a daze she walked away. When she reached the ambulance and looked back, the wolf was staring at her. Darius was talking to a police officer who was taking notes on a little pad of paper.

  She let the paramedics set her down on the cot within the vehicle and stared up at the white ceiling, but all she saw was the back of Jack’s head and heard her voice asking Darius why he was naked. Behind that unanswered question she heard the erratic pulse of the heart monitor, felt the touch of gloved hands every so often as they monitored her. Cold pressed to the side of her face. She supposed she must look awful.

  The ambulance carried her away, and she eventually found herself in a hospital bed being watched over by a dark-haired, serious nurse. “Did your boyfriend do this to you?” the woman asked, knowingly.

  “Ex-husband,” Kendra answered.

  The nurse nodded. “Men.” She leaned over and smiled down at Kendra. “I hope he gets what he deserves.”

  “Oh, he did.” Kendra shut her eyes and smiled. It hurt her cheek to do it, but she didn’t care. He couldn’t hurt her ever again. He couldn’t hunt her down and threaten her. He couldn’t take away her life or try to stop her from doing anything she wanted. She hadn’t really needed someone to keep her on the right path. She had needed to find her own path. She had needed to grow up a little and face responsibility. Giving over her name to Jack had been the biggest mistake she’d ever made. She wouldn’t make one like that again.

  She slept for a while, and when she woke, a policeman was in the doorway. Dressed in a neat black uniform complete with a gun and a shiny badge, he smiled at her, his gray hair and wrinkle-lined eyes somehow comforting. “Hi, Miss Billings. I’m Detective Keller. I wonder if I could ask you some questions about what happened.”