Chapter Forty-seven
Sam wanted nothing more than to shift back to wolf and take on Caleb, but he’d been here before and he knew, nothing good came from fighting over a woman who didn’t really want him. Once they’d moved out of sight and smell of Caleb, the tight muscles in the back of his neck relaxed.
Glenna leaned into him and glided her hand up the skin of his arm, causing all the small hairs to stand erect.
He snagged her hand and moved her a foot away. “You need to stop touching me.”
“No.” He couldn’t see her smile, but he felt it in the dark. “I’ve been alone far too long, I need to feel you.” Glenna’s hand stroked down his back, and along his ass, sliding between his legs.
He shuddered, his breathing going ragged. They’d finally reached the Jeep, thank God. “Glenna, we need to get you to Lana’s.”
“I don’t want to go back there. I want to do it here.”
He walked her around to the passenger side and unlocked it, unwilling to let her be far away from him until he had her safely inside the vehicle. The door opened and the smell of Caleb flooded his nostrils. The urge to go back and take out his rival shot through him and his lips pulled back.
“Shush, shush.” Glenna framed his face with her hands and pulled him down to her lips. He sank in, drowning in the flavor of her mouth.
Hands roaming, tearing what remained of her shredded t-shirt from her body. He needed to be close to her. The fever pulsed inside him and he didn’t care anymore. He would have her and he would bite her and then she would be his.
“Aren’t you gone yet?” Sam whipped around at Caleb’s voice coming up the hill and tore himself away from Glenna to face his rival.
“Wait,” she said.
“No.” He turned back to Caleb. “Stay the fuck away, man.”
“Well, then you’d better get her ass in the truck and drive because between her pheromones and your challenge I’m about to come up there and take you on. Then she’d have a choice.”
“No!” He picked Glenna up and wedged her into her seat.
“I want to stay here.” She tried to get out. He pushed her in and slammed the door.
“Stay.” The fever had him in its grip. It thundered in his ears. The world blurred and the shift threatened.
Then it all receded.
Caleb backed down the hill. “Get in the fucking truck, man, and go!”
Sam went. He threw the Jeep in reverse and peeled out of the dirt road.
Glenna’s hand crept onto his knee and slid up his thigh, stroking the sensitive spot nestled in the space between his hard-on and his leg.
“Pull over, Sam.” The fever and his wolf both agreed with her.
“If we stop now, I will fuck you and I will bite you. And you will be mine.”
“Mmm, that sounds lovely.” She crawled over the emergency brake and tried to sit in his lap. He pushed her back.
“You need to finish your change and choose me when you can think clearly.” She had to choose him, there was no other alternative. If he thought she’d go through the change and not choose him, he couldn’t do this—couldn’t take her back to the cabin and let Lana lock her away from him. The only thing letting him fight the fever rising within was the lie he told his wolf, that she’d choose him.
“I want you, Sam. I know you think it is just the change pushing me, but it’s not. It’s you.”
She leaned in closer, taking his cock in her hand. The heat burned him, and the car wavered out of its lane.
He dragged it back, and then he did as she asked and found a pullover. He turned the car off, pushed his seat back and yanked her onto his lap where she could ride him.
He anchored his hands in her curls and crushed her lips to his mouth. Savagely grinding his lips and tongue, knowing deep in his brain that he needed to stop. Needed to pull away from her and knowing he couldn’t.
She rubbed against him. His hands moved down her back, down to her sweet ass. He gripped her, rubbing her again and again against him in a dry fuck until she shrieked in pleasure, shuddered against him, and came.
He pushed her back into her side of the truck, reached into the back and grabbed his clothes. “Will that hold you until we can get you somewhere safe? Or do you need me to put you on the gearshift?”
Her quick indrawn breath showed he’d scored a hit.
“You jackass.”
“Look, this isn’t you, it’s the change. You just want me for a quick fuck.” He opened the door and began to get dressed on the side of the road.
“That’s not fair.”
“It’s more fair than you’re being to me. You don’t know me. It’s the chemicals changing your body and when they stop you won’t want me. And I can’t do that again.” Memories of the pain of Serena’s rejection pulsed through him. “You don’t know what the hell you’re doing. You are screwing with my life.”
Her temporarily sobered face stared at him in the poorly lit cab.
“When the fever possesses a wolf and he doesn’t get his mate, he goes insane. I’ve been there and I’m not going there again.”
She drew back to her side of the truck, almost plastered against the metal door. “I love you, Sam. I realized it when I was alone, running from everything. You were the only one I wanted to see.”
Her words tore at his resolve. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You aren’t one of us and you don’t understand what the bite means. You will never have another man. There will never be anyone for you but me.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“Everything!” He hit the roof of the Jeep with his fist. “You didn’t pick me, you didn’t have a choice. You only want me because your wolf says you want a mate. It’s the change pushing you, just like the fever pushed me to Serena, even though she didn’t want me.”
“I am not Serena. I do want you and I’ll want you when this is over.”
He looked at her swollen mouth and hungry eyes. For a moment he considered taking her at her word. Then he remembered how strongly she’d come on to Caleb and he knew it would be a mistake. He’d claim her, and then he’d regret it for the rest of his life. Better to go to the dark side and never be human again for the rest of his life than to feel the pain of that kind of rejection.
“I’m taking you to Lana’s and then I’m getting the fuck away from you. Then you’ll be able to choose the right mate, not some half-wild reject.”
She shook her head and growled. “You aren’t listening to me. Again.” Something wild slid behind her eyes. And he really looked at her. She’d gone from horny to angry, fast. Too fast.
“Damn, we’re out of time. I can’t stay here and argue with you. We have to get somewhere now.” She was closer to the change than he’d realized and they were too far away from Lana’s.
“Glenna, I need to take you somewhere you’ll be safe.” He had no choices anymore. He was out of time. They’d never make it. If she shifted here, she’d be out and running wild. He had no backup—he’d lose her in the trees. Or, even worse, he’d bite her and take her, despite her vulnerability.
His phone rang. “Shit, I forgot to check in. Sam here.”
“Where are you?” The fear and concern in Lana’s voice stroked his tension higher.
“Sorry, we had a problem. I was going to call.”
“You were supposed to be back here by now. What’s going on?”
“Lana. She’s too close. We won’t make it back to your place.”
“Where are you taking her, Sam?”
“I have no idea.”
“Ridge School. It’s closer and they have facilities.”
“You want me to take a female about to change to a school filled with adolescent werewolves? Are you crazy?” And Alastair. Always fucking Alastair. He held back his growl.
“They have a place off the main campus. I’ll call ahead and they’ll direct you there when you get to the gate. You won’t even have to take her within sniffing distance of the dorms. Unless you can make it back here?”
“Make the call, tell them I’m on my way, but, Lana, make it someone other than Alastair who meets us.”
God, he must be desperate. He was too far gone not to be lost to the fever, and she was too far gone for him not to take her somewhere. He’d drop her off at the school and then he’d shift to wolf and run wild. He’d never see her again, but she’d have a chance at happiness—with someone else. Just not the spelltalker. He could face almost anyone, but not Alastair. If he saw him, he didn’t know if he could turn her over.
***
Glenna’s temper ran high.
“I don’t understand. Why can’t we go back to the cabin? It was only an hour drive to get there from the school.”
“We’re in the wrong direction. It’s another hour’s driving and we won’t make it.” Sam wasn’t even looking at her. “I won’t make it.”
Her lips pursed. She wanted him flush against her skin that flamed with heat. “I’m so hot.” She pulled her t-shirt off.
“Damn it, Glenna, put that on.”
“No. Don’t say you want me to. I know you don’t.” Her hand curled on the back of his neck. “I can smell the need in you.” The truck shimmied.
“Glenna, stay on your side. We’re going to get into an accident.”
“Pull over and we’ll do it right here.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. She knew he wanted to pull over, why was he fighting her? Fighting her need?
“Glenna, we’re almost there. If you can’t control yourself I’m going to have to put you in the back.”
She pouted. “But I want to be here, with you.” She ran her hand over his thigh. She loved the feel of him pressing against the tight fabric of his jeans. “God, you are so hard.”
“Put the shirt back on.” He gritted out. “I’m pulling over and putting you in the back.”
“No. I’ll be good.” She didn’t want to be good. She wanted to be bad. Very, very bad. She wanted to strip him down and roll in him. Smell that enticing smell that teased her nose and had her dying to taste his skin. Sink her teeth into his flesh and suck hard.
The gates of the school came into view.
“Thank God.”
They drove up to the guard. Sam rolled down the window.
“Hi there, bet you didn’t think you’d ever see this.”
“Hi there!” Glenna waved at the old security guard. He smelled good too. Like warm leather.
“You’d better take her in.” The guard glared at them. “You’re supposed to drive to the old stable.”
“Thanks.” Sam rolled up the window.
“Bye bye.” Glenna waved. “He seems so much nicer than last time. I think he likes me.” She wanted to get out and see if he did. Maybe he’d give her what Sam refused to give her.
“I hope they’ve got something ready for you.” Sam drove past the drive that led to the well lit main house, and turned down a narrow dirt road lined with tall spruce trees.
Through the dark, Glenna could see an electric lantern swinging on a pole. They pulled up and Sam parked the Jeep. He got out and growled.
“What’s wrong?” Her hackles rose on the back of her neck. Sam didn’t like something. She had to back him up. She jumped out of her side of the Jeep and moved to his side.
A shadow detached itself from the wall and walked over to them. Her nose wrinkled. This one did not smell good.
“Alastair, damn it. I told Lana not to have you here.” Sam’s shoulders hunched and his scent grew more aggressive. She gave a low growl in response. “Okay, Glenna. Time to get you stowed away.”
“In the barn?”
“If that’s where the spot is, then that’s where we go.” Sam crossed over to talk to Alastair’s shadowy figure.
Glenna took a deep breath. She could smell the forest—deep rich scents of earth she could dig in, and small animals. She smelled their warmth, not too far away. Her stomach growled. She was so hungry, she’d forgotten sitting next to Sam, caught up in his scent. She took a few steps away from the Jeep.
Alastair moved fast to her side. “We have to get her inside.” She growled at him, but Sam was in front of her and growling at him too. Alastair gave him a wary look.
“Sam. You can’t leave them alone at this stage. She needs to be inside or we’ll have another hunt on our hands.” He reached for her and she snapped at him. His hands yanked back. Sam pushed him back away from her.
“What have you been doing, Sam?” The accusation in Alastair’s voice made Glenna snarl at him again. She slid her hands around Sam’s waist and rubbed against him. She glared at Alastair from around Sam’s tension-filled body.
“Back off, Alastair.” Even in the dark, Sam’s voice was strung rubber-band tight with tension. “Let me get her inside and then I’ll deal with you.” Sam took her arm in an overly firm grip and guided her over to the barn. Inside the dark interior someone had set up an electric lantern next to a large, steel-barred cage.
“What the hell?” Glenna dug her feet in.
The cage was spotted with rust, but still looked strong enough to hold a bear. Deep claw marks gouged the cement to which it had been bolted and a strong smell of fear and anxiety had seeped into the cement.
“Sorry, Glenna, we’ve all had to do it.” Sam’s nose was wrinkled too. “Christ, Alastair, wasn’t there anywhere else to put her? This place reeks of misery.”
“This is it. The boys won’t come here. No one comes here.” Alastair reached for her arm.
“No way.” Glenna jerked away, but Sam’s grip stayed firm. Alastair grabbed her from the other side, and together they pushed her to the cage.
She struggled, newfound strength coming to her aid. But together, the two men were stronger, and the door banged shut.
Howling screams tore from her throat. Rational thought receded, and she banged against the bars again and again until she finally slowed down and stopped. She paced back and forth in the cage, running her fingers along the bars, searching for any way to get out.
“I’m sorry. I made it as comfortable as I could.” Alastair’s voice was low and soothing, but it scraped her nerves like fingernails down a blackboard. “I can’t have you in the school with the boys, not with the pheromones you’re putting out right now. We’d have a riot. Just look at Sam.”
Glenna looked at Sam. His face was strained, and his hands clenched and unclenched into fists, held rigidly at his sides. She could tell he was inches away from opening the cage. “Sam?” She reached out to him. He took a step toward her.
“Sam, let’s go outside and let her calm down,” Alastair said.
“Don’t leave me! I need you.” The thought of him being gone right now was more than she could bear. More than the fear and anger that washed through her heightening her anxiety to a level she could barely stand.
“I’ll stay.”
“I really think we should discuss some of this outside.” Alastair put his arm around Sam’s shoulder in an attempt to guide him out the door. “You are obviously under the fever’s influence. You’re just going to make it worse for yourself.”
“She’s in the cage, Alastair. She’s safe from me.” Sam’s shoulders stiffened, he shook Alastair off. “I said I’d stay.”
“You’re making this harder, Sam. You don’t remember much of your change, do you?”
“I remember being left alone.” Sam’s shoulders broadened with some inner resolve. “I’ll stay.”
“That’s too bad,” Alastair said. He turned and Glenna caught the flash of a needle.
“Sam!”
He lunged, but Alastair had already plunged the needle into his arm.
Sam staggered towards Glenna, his face contorted. His hands reached out for her and she pressed against the bars, trying to get to him. But it was too late. He dropped to the ground, unconscious.