Chapter Seven
Jenny could barely get her breath, trying desperately not to cry. She couldn’t believe that the shifter she’d seen outside had literally just unlocked her door, only for him to tell her to go back inside and pretend nothing had changed.
Her heart slammed into her chest, and all of a sudden she was terrified that Davidson was going to come down and discover the unlocked door. Forcing herself to remember that Davidson never came down to the cellar after he’d put in her regular tray of food for the day, Jenny tried to take steadying breaths. The last thing she needed was to start panicking. Not now. Something itched between her shoulder blades.
Davidson had seemed like such a genuine, kind man. Jenny knew the unwritten rule about shifters not dating humans, but since she’d never really been part of a pack, it didn’t seem to matter so much. Her face went red with shame as she remembered how she’d let him take her to his house, with the intention of staying the night. It had only been then that she’d seen his true character. He’d pinned her arms behind her back, frogmarched her down the stairs, and thrown in into this locked room.
At first, Jenny had no idea what he was doing, her mind going crazy with ideas about why he was keeping her here—but then that had all become clear. Three days later, he'd taken her back up the stairs and there had been a shout of approval from another man the moment she'd appeared. Davidson and the other man had laughed as though she were some kind of circus animal. The only other figure, a woman, had stayed practically silent, her eyes unable to meet Jenny’s gaze.
Nausea had swirled in her stomach as she finally realized who these three people were: hunters.
Davidson had tried to get her to shift over and over, using whatever method hecould. There had been pain—a lot of pain—but nothing had made her shift, even though her wolf had snarled and growled, desperate to get out.
Jenny had fought against her animal, pressing it down in the knowledge that if she shifted, she'd be killed almost immediately. She could sense the urge in their blood, see the flaring of their eyes. It had been control the wolf in her or die. Thankfully, her wolf had settled itself, tolerating the hatred and abuse until the hunters had grown tired and pushed her back into her cellar.
The two men had tried again and again. It hadn’t worked.
Why Davidson wanted her, she didn’t know. Something about killing the shifters, he’d said one night when he’d drunk a little bit too much. He’d sat outside her door and gone on and on about how he hated her kind, how they were unnatural, and how he was going to make sure they were all wiped out eventually. She’d shivered and tried hard not to believe him.
Then he’d laughed about how he’d followed her once, how he’d seen her shift into her silver furred wolf, and how glad he’d been to finally have caught one. It had been the evil in his voice that had made her begin to shake, and she had never really stopped.
Trying to focus on Ross, the shifter who'd come to rescue her, seemed to drive all her thoughts about Davidson away. He'd been strong and powerful—very obviously an alpha. His gray eyes had looked into hers, and she'd believed that everything would be OK. He'd be waiting for her outside to take her to safety. All she had to do was be patient.
Each minute that passed was torture, knowing that her door was open and she could make her escape. Sitting on the thin mattress in the corner, Jenny took in one breath after another, willing darkness to fall outside—and for Davidson to stay upstairs.
Jenny woke with a start, pushing herself up on her elbows. Frustrated with herself, she rubbed her eyes, wishing she could scratch the itch between her shoulder blades. Getting to her feet, she walked toward the door.
Her stomach growled, but Jenny ignored it. Davidson gave her one tray a day with barely enough food on it to keep her going, but that was probably by design. He didn’t want her to have enough strength to escape.
Fool, Jenny thought to herself as her fingers curled around the edge of the door. Shifters have more strength than he knows.
It was completely dark in the cellar, but Jenny used all her other senses to help her find her way to the stairs. Following Ross’s scent had her climbing the stairs, reaching the top only a few minutes later.
Pausing, Jenny tried to listen for any sound of Davidson moving around but couldn’t hear anything but her own frantic heartbeat. Trying to calm herself again, she took a few moments to take in some deep breaths before pushing the door open.
Fear rippled up her spine, the wolf threatening to spring out of her skin at any moment—but Jenny pushed it down. She needed to be in her human form to get out. A wolf wasn’t exactly able to unlock doors and turn handles.
Moving as stealthily as she could, Jenny walked through the kitchen and along into the hallway. The entire house was in darkness. That had to be a good sign.
A sudden sound had her tensing at once, ducking down on instinct, only to realize that it was Davidson's snoring. Relief rolled through her. She wasn't going to be caught by him any time soon.
On tiptoe, she made her way to the front door, hoping that Ross had left it unlocked like he’d promised. Her sweaty palms slipped on the doorknob at first, but to her very great relief, the door swung open—only to creak loudly.
Jenny froze, blood pumping through her veins. The snoring stopped. Davidson was awake.
Frantic with panic, Jenny pulled the door shut, wincing at the creak it made on closing. Rushing down the steps, the wolf burst from her skin as she took the last few steps in one leap, desperate to escape from Davidson and his house.
This way.
Running toward the wolf standing only a few yards away, Jenny didn't even stop to look behind her. She had no idea whether Davidson had heard her and was now coming after them. Every fiber of her being was pushing her to run—and to run fast.
Stop.
Jenny turned to face the wolf next to her, recognizing him as the one she'd seen from the grate. Ross. He practically oozed authority, and she had no choice but to do what he wanted.
Following him into the shadows with Davidson’s house still in view, Jenny tried to control her instinct to run, forcing herself to lie belly down on the cold earth. Her breath came in pants, her mouth open as she drew in the cool night air.
We need to see if he followed you.
Jenny understood immediately but hated the wait. She wanted to be somewhere safe, somewhere hidden. Right now, she just felt too much out in the open.
Her eyes focused on the house, her ears pricked toward the house for any sound. No lights came on, no doors swung open. She half expected the front door to come crashing open and for Davidson to come out with a shotgun, but there was just silence.
A warm feeling crept over her as she lay beside to Ross. He was completely focused on what he was doing, his entire body quivering slightly as he trained all his senses on Davidson’s house. He was a leader, and Jenny immediately felt reassured. Here was someone she could trust, someone who would do everything to protect her. She’d known it from the moment she’d seen him, but now it hit her with such a forcefulness that it chased all her anxiety away.
When he turned around, she followed without question. Wherever he was leading her, she would go, fully trusting his authority. Was this what being part of a pack was all about? Jenny had never been in a pack before, choosing to wander alone most of the time, until she chose to settle down. Unfortunately, she'd chosen the wrong town to settle down in, considering Davidson had been right there the first time she'd gone out for a drink at the local pub. At the time, she'd thought he was just really into her, but now she realized it had all been a ruse.
Ross was nothing like that—she could tell. He wasn’t about to take her to safety only to turn her over to Davidson or make her find her own way out of this mess. Already she’d seen that he stuck to his word. He’d promised he’d find a way to keep the front door open for her, and it had been. He’d assured her she’d be free, and she was. Ross could be trusted.
He’s not woken up. Let’s go.
Flooded with relief, Jenny got up and followed Ross through the town, her paws making no sound on the earth as they made their way back toward the office.
The door to their offices swung open silently, although Jenny could smell someone there.
You can shift now, he said, glancing back at her with his luminous eyes. Sarah will show you the way.
A smiling woman opened another door and, without hesitating, Jenny went inside, pushing her human skin out and her wolf back down. She was free.