Dire Desires

a cool head if you’re fighting. To make sure your alphas, like Cyd, are where they need to be.”

She was right.

“I admire you for what you did, both with Max and the outlaws,” she continued. “You’re a true king.”

There was no sarcasm in her tone, only reverence. And he did need a beta. He needed as many people on his side as possible and his gut told him that Violet was a good choice. Because, even before she’d told him what happened, he’d already known, thanks to his meeting with the head of the hunters. “How about a trial run as my beta?” he asked.

When she looked at him, her eyes glowed. “No mating—that’s my rule. You can never force me or say it’s for the good of the pack.”

“I can accept that.”

“What can I do to help you?”

“Let me sleep. Stand guard. Wake me if I have a nightmare.” He didn’t wait for an answer, just lay back under the moon and drifted off. He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but when he woke, Violet was standing near him, gun drawn and canines elongated, guarding him with her life.

Chapter 27

As dangerous as it was, there wasn’t anything the Dires could do about a newly shifted wolf’s need to run. It was imperative that Gillian be allowed to do so, and separating and bringing her to a different locale wouldn’t do much good. If anything, her pictures were plastered even more places now.

Jinx told her they weren’t able to stop the pictures from getting out, assured her they were using extra security and running in a more secluded portion of the woods, one that humans found harder to get around because of fallen trees and lots of twisted brush and the like. It was dark and coarse and Gillian loved it from the moment they’d arrived.

“This is perfect . . . it’s how I picture the old country when you talk about it—the dark woods where the Dires ruled the night,” she said, her voice hushed. Even though he’d told her that the Dires’ old days weren’t always wonderful, she’d made him tell her some good things about her heritage. He understood why that would be important to her.

So he’d told her about the moon ceremonies, the parties they had still to honor that. How men and women danced and drank and cavorted freely, with no worries about their primal needs. About how many Dires fought side by side with humans through great battles, selflessly giving their lives to help their community. How they never betrayed who they were.

“I want to train in the warrior ways,” she’d told him earlier.

“I think you’ve somehow imbibed the tradition.” He’d meant it. With the speed and strength, that was half the battle.

“Teach me to fight.”

“I can do that.” Needed to. It was an art form, and for her, a necessary one. “Sister Wolf doesn’t need training, but your other form does.”

“So show me,” she teased, her arms outstretched and fingers wiggling for him to come closer. And she was naked, which made him want to come very damned close.

But the mating . . . it meant no sex. Not until she was through all this and ready to make a permanent decision about spending the rest of eternity together. He was mulling over eternity with Gillian and liking the feeling when Brother growled in his head.

He turned to her. “The weretrappers are back.”

She clung to his side as she shifted. He bent down to look at her wolf. “Sister, you run. Don’t look back, don’t shift back. Go as fast as you can toward the house—I’ll be right behind you. But you’ll get there faster. Go get help.”

Sister Wolf listened, took off at a dead run in the direction of the house while he ran behind her. He needed to be able to fight and if the weretrappers tried to tranq him, it would be far worse on him if he was in wolf form when they did so. They had drugs that they experimented with that were rumored to keep wolves in wolf form forever, and for Jinx, the idea of Brother living like that was too much.

He caught sight of Gillian far ahead of him as the tranq darts whizzed by him. There must also be trappers stationed ahead of them, prepared to drive them back into the woods. He passed several drugged Weres—the ones who were supposed to be helping guard the Dires—before he felt the hits.

Gillian was still moving. Her new wolf’s metabolism was running high and she was able to do as he asked. He was hit three times to her single time, and the last thing he remembered was seeing her continuing to run as he collapsed.

Don’t come back for me was his last thought.

* * *

She’d been hit. She’d been prepared to remain in wolf form, as Jinx had told her, but she felt her wolf’s fear of the drugs. She shifted as she ran, turning around to catch Jinx’s eye.

It was only then she realized that Jinx was no longer behind her. Naked, dazed, drugged, she turned to look for him, knowing better than to yell his name. It was at that moment a hood went over her face and tightened around her neck. Instinctively, she grabbed to loosen it, to pull it off but her hands were yanked behind her.

“It’s definitely Gillian,” she heard and that’s when she began to kick and yell in earnest. Even the police finding her would be better than this.

“Relax, Gillian—we work for your parents. We’re going to bring you back someplace safe.”

No. She bucked and kicked, felt another tranquilizer being injected, taking with her the last of her resistance. From what she’d learned about wolf metabolism, the drugs would metabolize out fast enough. She should remain still, even after they wore off, and she could give a surprise attack.

But if she’d already been taken away, locked up where no one could find her . . . what if she had to shift again?

Don’t panic. You’re strong, just like Jinx said. She went limp for a long moment, even though she knew it would be hard for her to pull herself back up. She heard the man carrying her curse and nearly drop her and she let him bring her close to him before slamming her head back and knocking him in what she assumed was his face with the back of her head. She heard a crack and a cry and she was dropped. She heard yells, a scuffle and she assumed it was from what she’d done. She managed to shove the hood off her face in time to see a tall, handsome man wrap his hand around one of her abductor’s necks. There was a snap and the man dropped to the ground.

And then the tall human came toward her. The last thing she remembered before she passed out was an attempt to punch him in the face and then him picking her up and carrying her away from the van.

* * *

Jinx woke. Blinked. And attacked. Unfortunately, the wolf on the other end of the attack was Vice, who cursed viciously and returned the punches, even when Jinx pulled back.

“Fuck, Vice, come on.”

“You started it.”

Jinx weaved backward, the drugs still wreaking havoc with his system. Vice moved forward grudgingly to catch him before he embarrassed himself by falling on his ass on the floor. “Thanks. Gillian—”

“She’s okay. Well, drugged and unconscious, but she’ll be okay, according to Gwen,” Vice admitted. “She’s right next door.”

Jinx pushed away to try to head that way but Vice held him fast. “Do you think you could maybe sit down for half a fucking second and get yourself together before you race away? Don’t you fucking trust me anymore?”

“Of course I do.” Jinx’s tone came out with astonishment, especially when he realized Vice was serious. “Shit, Vice, I didn’t mean . . .”

“Yeah, I know.” Vice studied his face. “She’s yours. I get it. And you’re going through shit and Jez is helping you. I’m helping Rogue. But you and me, are we cool?”

“We’re cool.”