CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Talon sped down the dirt road and fought to keep his truck and his wolf steady. He had to get to Bianca. He had let his wolf rise so that the beast could track his mate. And his wolf was leading him towards that old abandoned barn just outside of town.
His maddened wolf was ready to claw out of his skin. The beast could scent his mate now, and he could feel Bianca’s pain and terror. When Sariah told him that the Woodrow wolves had taken Bianca to the abandoned barn at the other end of Wolves Hollow, he knew exactly where it was. But he didn’t want to take her word for it. He didn’t trust the witch. He trusted his wolf.
Talon zoomed towards the barn, dirt and gravel flying from his wheels. He stopped the truck some distance away from the barn and killed the engine. He got out and sniffed the air.
The wind carried his mate’s scent to him. His wolf rose at the scent of Bianca’s blood. His mate was hurt!
Talon ran towards the barn, his claws and fangs stabbing out. The heavy front door was bolted shut. Throwing himself against the door would accomplish nothing except alert his enemies to his presence.
Talon shifted to wolf form and slid round to the side of the barn. It was full dark now, but the darkness didn’t hamper his wolf.
With his heightened senses, he could smell the putrid sweat of the Woodrow wolves. The scent of his mate called to him, and he could hear her frightened whimpers.
Talon moved as swiftly as he could. He found a broken window and took a few steps back. With a running leap, Talon smashed through the window and slammed into the barn.
He saw Cliff and his son, Rake, holding Bianca down. Cliff had his claws out, and was aiming his claws at Bianca’s eye.
“Talon,” Bianca rasped, turning her bruised face to him. Her eyes gleamed with hope and defiance. She wasn’t giving up. She thrashed wildly and managed to kick Rake in the crotch.
Cliff and his two sons immediately shifted to wolf form when they saw him.
The three black wolves surrounded him and blocked him from Bianca.
Talon growled and charged at Cliff. He had no doubt that Cliff was the mastermind behind this kidnapping. His sons just followed him, too weak to stand up to their bullying father.
Cliff slashed his claws down Talon’s side, opening up a deep, vicious gash. Talon staggered back in pain, and shook his head quickly to clear it.
Snarling, Talon fought back, taking on the three wolves at once. He twisted round and bit Rufus on the leg, before slamming himself into Rake and tackling him to the ground. Cliff jumped on him and tried to bite his neck but Talon managed to shake him off.
Growling and snarling, Talon continued wrestling Rake. The two wolves rolled on the ground, each fighting to gain the advantage. Finally, Talon clamped his jaws around Rake’s neck and bit down.
Rake howled in pain and fury, but Talon held on. But before Talon could bite into his jugular, he felt a sudden pain in his hind leg and was forced to release Rake.
Talon whirled round and saw that Rufus had come to the aid of his brother. Rufus let go of Talon’s leg and backed away. He didn’t seem to want to fight Talon, but he wouldn’t let Talon kill his brother.
Talon growled. He could almost respect Rufus’s loyalty to his family. Almost.
But Rufus wasn’t blameless. The three Woodrow wolves were in this together. He wasn’t going to let any of them go.
Talon charged at Rufus, but Cliff slammed into his side and knocked him down.
Snarling, Talon scrambled to his feet and faced Cliff. He crouched and waited for Cliff to come closer.
The two wolves flew at each other, clashing in the middle of the barn. Jaws snapped and claws slashed down.
Dark red blood sprayed in an arc into the air.
Both Talon and Cliff crashed to the ground, blood pooling and spreading around them.