Angel fidgeted with the paper wrapped around the sandwich and took a sip of the soda she’d bought. She glanced up at the wall in the small airport. Her flight took off in forty minutes. Every second that passed seemed as if were ten.
Someone coughed near her and she tucked her head. It would be ironic if she caught some virus after lying to her mother. Karma could be a bitch. She took another bite of the sandwich. It wasn’t bad, considering the vender worked from a refrigerated stand. She’d kill for a nice fast food joint or a good coffee shop, but they only boasted those in bigger airports.
I should have driven all the way to Anchorage.
She chewed on her lip, debating her choice all over again. She felt too emotional to drive that far and wanted out of Alaska as soon as possible. It’s why she’d stopped in the first place.
All she could think about was Creed. What is he doing? How is he feeling? Is he scared deep down inside to face his GarLycan lord? She was terrified for him. He’d said he’d take lashes. Does that mean what I think it does? Some asshole will whip him? She lost her appetite.
She stood and felt a moment of dizziness. It passed fast as she located a trashcan and dumped the remainder of her food. The airport really needed to kick up the air conditioning. She glanced around. At least eight other passengers were waiting to crowd into a small plane to be taken to a larger airport to make their connections to wherever their destinations were.
She regretted wearing a sweater as she retook her seat, and tugged at the collar. She couldn’t even remove it since she hadn’t put on an undershirt in her haste to leave her parents’ house. Sweat tickled along her back from the plastic seat. She shifted her ass into a more comfortable position, her gaze lowering to the two backpacks at her feet. She hadn’t looked inside the one Creed had given her. She was afraid she’d totally lose it and start sobbing. Strangers didn’t want to see that.
She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to think of her next move. The connecting flight in Anchorage would take her to Seattle. She needed to go home to pack her things before taking off. She kept some cash stashed in her kitchen but she’d need to hit the bank too, just to clear out her account. It could wait though. Priority one was making it home, and then leaving before anyone was sent after her.
GarLycans could only fly at night to avoid detection but they’d have to keep under the radar, literally. That would slow them down, since they had to avoid traveling by air over populated areas. She figured they wouldn’t be able to reach her in Seattle until the next evening sometime, probably near dawn.
She looked at the clock on the wall, calculating. She’d have plenty of time if her connecting flight wasn’t delayed. Her car had been left at the airport. She’d drive home and could clear out within a few hours, at most. She’d be long gone before dinnertime the following day.
Large cities were where Vampires thrived. Rural areas were more to the liking of Lycans. She’d have to find a safe middle ground.
More sweat irritated her and she reached down, lifting the hem of her sweater and getting some air to her stomach when she fanned the material. It’s summer still. Why did I put on a sweater? Oh, yeah. To hide the bite mark from my parents. It’s hotter than hell in here.
The desert. The thought popped into her head and she mulled it over. No one in her pack would want to live in some dinky town. Hot, flat, barren land with blasting temperatures and little to no outdoor water sources would put them off. Most humans didn’t even like those kinds of conditions, so it meant not many would live there. It would be a stupid choice for a Vampire if he wanted to eat.
Okay. Death Valley, here I come. She was pretty sure that was somewhere in California. She’d have to look it up but it gave her a place to head in her car. She’d figure the rest out later.
Creed filled her thoughts again and she fought the urge to cry. He should have decided to run with her. She understood why he hadn’t. He’d always been a straight shooter. He had a strong sense of honor. It was one of the many things she loved about him, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel a little hurt that he’d picked doing the right thing over being with her. Ten years probably seemed like a drop in the bucket for his lifespan.
The prospect of spending the rest of her now-extended life with one man didn’t frighten her. Her human friends were leery of even living with men. She’d been raised with Lycans though. Mating was forever. She’d always envied anyone who’d found the person they loved and wanted to be with. Now it seemed unfair that she’d spend her honeymoon phase on the run while Creed had to spend it in prison.
The woman across from her used her book to fan herself.
Angel sat up a little straighter. She was done. She needed to fit in and not draw attention to herself, but the way she was fidgeting would. She bent forward and lifted her backpacks. There was a bathroom across the small airport. It would only take a few minutes to switch into a T-shirt.
It was empty when she entered, and she washed her face then stripped off the sweater. She shoved it in with her other clothes and pulled out a thin cotton top. Her shoulder showed a little but it wouldn’t matter. No human was going to even think she might have been bitten. They’d just assume it was a cut or scratch she’d bandaged. She used the bathroom and then exited.
The guy with short hair near the counter spun the moment she walked out and focused on her. She met his gaze and saw him staring back. His nostrils flared.
Shit. He wasn’t a Vampire. It was still bright outside. He had a stocky build, sporting a fishing T-shirt and jeans. Her gaze lowered down his body as she returned to her seat, storing her packs on the floor. It was easy to fuss with her bags, purposely avoiding looking at his face again. He wore slip-on shoes. Lycan. She was sure of it.
He wasn’t from her pack. He also wasn’t from any of the nearby ones. She didn’t recognize him. That was a bonus. Worst case, he got a whiff of her parents coming off her backpack and that she’d had sex with Creed. He wouldn’t dare approach her around other people to appease his curiosity if he’d never been around a GarLycan. She adjusted her hair over her shoulder to hide the bandage.
“Sir?” the woman behind the counter called out.
Angel looked up and watched the Lycan coming right at her. She swallowed hard and sat back, masking her features as she looked directly into his eyes. He didn’t stop until stood right in front of her.
“Come with me.”
“Excuse me?” She studied his face. It wasn’t good when she noticed that he seemed to have more hair on it than before. He cocked his head and sniffed at her again. The tip of one ear looked a little pointier than it should have. He was starting to shift, even if it was just a tiny bit.
“Now,” he hissed.
Panic rose fast when she looked at the hand he held out to her. His nail beds were thicker and the tips of them pointy. The crazy bastard seemed ready to shift in front of a room full of humans if he didn’t get control of himself. He would expose Lycans.
She ignored his hand and leaned forward, snatching her bags. “Okay, Mike. We can talk outside. You don’t have to make a scene.” She stressed the words, hoping it would clue him in.
He looked down at his hand, shock spreading across his features. Then he spun, rushing with long strides toward the door. She followed him. They cleared the building and she trailed him to the side of it, away from the prying eyes of anyone from the airfield. He leaned against the wall and covered his face with his hands.
“Take deep breathes,” she encouraged. “Are you okay? What’s your real name?”
He peeked at her between his fingers. “You know?”
“That you were about to sprout fur in there? Yeah. I belong to the Henita pack. My alpha is Picoz.”
“You’re not one of my kind.” He dropped his hands. “What are you?”
She locked her knees, remembering that she smelled like sex still, and Creed. “That’s none of your business but I’m pack protected. I’m going back inside now, and you need to pull yourself together before you do.”
He sniffed at her and groaned. “You smell so good!”
She backed up. “Thanks.”
“Come here.” He reached for her with both hands and growled.
She saw lust glitter in his eyes and his breathing increased almost to a pant. She knew the signs well. “Oh, hell no. Are you in heat? You crazy son of a bitch. Go into the woods and call someone from your pack to come get you. You can’t be around humans in that condition. Are you suicidal?”
He lunged forward and grabbed her. She was spun and her back hit the wall hard. Her packs slipped down her arm and then he was up against her, pinning her. He buried his nose against her throat and groaned. He thrust the front of his jeans against her belly, rubbing hard, almost humping her.
Angel used her free hand to shove against his chest but he wouldn’t budge. He had a hundred pounds on her but he wasn’t much taller. She shook her other arm, dropping her packs. It gave her the ability to get a good hold on the belt he wore. She twisted her head a little, looking around. No one was within sight, thankfully.
“I’m going to fuck you so good,” he snarled.
Angel braced one foot against the wall and bucked her hips at him with all her strength, shoving him enough to make him stumble.
She struck fast when she got a little space between them, slamming her fist into his groin. It was a direct hit and she twisted her body, kicking him in the knee. He crumpled to the ground and she went for his hair, grabbing a handful of it and stepping around him.
“Knock your shit off,” she demanded. “Don’t make me hurt you. You’re in heat and you’ve lost your mind. What was the plan? Fuck me right here against the wall so we could just wave to anyone who passed? Get control!”
He snarled and tried to twist his head. He snapped at her wrist with his mouth but she jerked away fast. He sported full-on fangs and facial hair now. His nose had bowed out a little into a mini snout. It pissed her off that he’d attempted to take a bite out of her.
She punched him for all she was worth, slamming her fist into his jaw. “Control,” she snapped.
He collapsed onto his ass but recovered fast. Wolf eyes glared at her. “Mine!”
She frantically looked around as he got to his feet. No people had shown up yet but it was only a matter of time. The airport was small but there was steady light traffic. She dodged him when he tried to grab her around her waist and threw out her elbow, catching him in the ribs. He grunted and stumbled past her. She twisted, sending a roundhouse kick that nailed him in the ass. He plowed face first into the ground.
The damn Lycan had lost his mind. She sprinted to her backpacks, caught the straps in her hand, and ran to the back of the building. A large plane hangar caught her attention. She fled toward it to find cover. One door had been left open but she didn’t see anyone inside. She heard the Lycan coming after her. He snarled as if he had rabies or something. She ran inside with him following her.
She tossed the packs out of the way and turned. He spotted her and snarled louder. Hair covered his arms now, so matted she couldn’t even see skin. The idiot probably had a tail smashed inside his jeans too at that point. He grabbed the front of his shirt and tore it open. Hair covered him from shoulders to waist.
“Mine!”
He didn’t just want to fuck her. He planned on claiming her. She wasn’t sure what pack he’d been raised in but it wasn’t one like hers. The men courted their women first, got permission, but never forced a mating. It was obvious he didn’t plan to ask. He tossed the destroyed shirt aside and kicked off his shoes.
“No. Do you hear me? No! I already have a mate.”
He snarled and stalked closer, his arms opening.
“Did you hear me? I’m already taken.”
He lunged, claws out. She ducked but he managed to catch a few of her hairs with his sharp tips. It wasn’t pleasant, having them ripped out. She threw another kick, nailing him in the back of his thighs that time. He went down but just twisted on his hands and knees. He crouched there.
She was in a lot of trouble. He wasn’t listening to her. She backed up and almost tripped on a toolbox that some pilot or mechanic had left out. She swiftly grabbed a long-handled wrench.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” she warned.
“Come here.” He pointed a clawed tip at the floor directly in front of him.
“It’s so not going to happen. I’m not going to shove down my jeans and assume the position. I’m not the submissive type. Did you hear what I said? I’m already taken.”
“By me!” He sprang up, diving at her.
She held still, her heart hammering until he was almost on top of her. At the last second, she threw her body to the right, rolling on the unforgiving floor and getting to her feet.
The Lycan landed on the toolbox and crashed into the wall. It was loud and she prayed no one would come investigate.
She didn’t give him time to recover. She went at him and nailed him with the metal wrench to the back of his head, hoping it would knock him out. He was lifting up when the blow hit. It knocked him flat. The toolbox was on its side and some of the contents had spilled out. She saw a roll of duct tape and dropped onto his back.
She pegged him in the head a second time when he started to push up. Lycans had thick skulls. She didn’t want to seriously hurt him, but she sure wasn’t going to let him rip off her clothes and fuck her, either. He went still under her. She leaned over, trying to reach the tape. It was just out of reach. She bit her lip and stretched more, her fingers inching closer.
Someone stepped right next to it.
Angel stared at the big black set of boots—and froze. How was she supposed to explain to a human what was going on without them calling the state troopers? She had no clue.
Her chin lifted to stare at leather pants, and higher, to the man wearing them.
“Shit.”
He wasn’t human. He wore dark glasses over his eyes and his sheer size screamed enforcer. He had wide shoulders, arms a bodybuilder would turn green with envy over, and looked deadly. The half-sword strapped to his thigh was another hint. No human would have the balls to walk around with a weapon like that in civilian areas or they’d be arrested. He had probably been sent by his pack to track down the man she’d just been beating on. Packs tended to frown on that.
“I can explain,” she got out, trying to keep calm. “Your guy here is in heat. Look at his back. He’s all hair. I didn’t want to hurt him but he didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
She moved real slow as she climbed off the limp body under her. She dropped the wrench. She opened her hands and raised them to show she didn’t have a weapon anymore.
He said nothing. She couldn’t see his eyes but felt his stare. It gave her chills—and not the good kind. She took a few steps backward to put space between them and his downed pack mate.
“I wasn’t trying to kill him. That’s why I was going for the tape. I just planned to tie him up and drag him somewhere he wouldn’t be found by anyone working in the airport. I have a cell phone in my bag. I would have called it in. I didn’t want a human to find him.”
The scary stranger tilted his head and his lips twisted into a frown.
“For real. I’m really glad you showed up instead. That’s why we’re in here. He lost his control inside the airport. He couldn’t be reasoned with.”
The silence was awful.
Then something crunched near the door, and she turned her head to spot another enforcer guarding the entrance. He was just as big as the first one. They were almost dressed like twins except the second one wasn’t wearing a half-sword. They even had similar features, both their hair jet black, cut short.
“He’s not one of ours.”
She looked back at the first one, who’d finally spoken. “Oh. Well, can you take him to your pack if you’re local until he’s fit for walking around again?”
“We’re not pack.”