Wrapping her arms around her middle, she hugged herself and keened. What was happening to her? Shifts were done on purpose, with intent. It took concentrated effort to transform and no effort to maintain. The shift back was the same. Except her wires seemed crossed. She was shifting without warning, without intent, out of control, and deadly to be around.
She’d gone berserk, had killed every last jackal who’d run them down.
She was lucky she hadn’t gone after Belle.
“I’m not safe,” she whispered, trying to warn her. “If I start to shift, I don’t know what will happen. Dr. Steele says I attacked you before. Just . . . do what you have to do to protect yourself. No guilt,” she grated. “Put me down if that’s what it takes.”
“Nonsense,” Belle huffed. “I’ve already used magick to restore the tire. You fasten that seatbelt, and I guarantee you won’t be reaching anywhere beyond that seat until we get where we’re going. That’s it. Click it or ticket. Oh, I’ve made you invisible, too. Fairy glamour. Otherwise, you’re gonna be causing accidents when drivers see you with nary a stitch on.”
That nearly made her smile. “Alright, but I still want you to call Richard. Dr. Steele. He needs to be prepared.”
He was. He brought handcuffs to the door, put them on her, and led her to a room in his finished basement.
His private dungeon included a cage.
“It’s better than being cuffed to the bed,” he assured her. “I just need to pump up the air mattress. Pillows, sheets, blankets, and a camping toilet are inside. I can sleep over there.”
On a four-poster bed built for kink, she noted, realizing the man had more fetishes than spanking. There was a cage underneath, stocks on the end, restraints on the corners, and overhead beams for bondage and suspension. “But first, I’ll let you shower. There’s an ensuite through that door. I’m going to take off the cuffs. Let you get clean. Ask for permission to enter the dungeon when you’re done. I’ll know you’re not shifted. And if you are, well, you’re no match for me in my animal form. Very few shifters will attempt to tangle with a lion. I’m betting your maned wolf is one of them.”
Rory hoped so. She’d be no match for him in a fight in human or animal form.
“Thank you, Sir,” she murmured, the honorific slipping out before she realized it.
Showing mercy, he refrained from remarking on it. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
He removed her cuffs at the door and shooed her inside. The ensuite was built like a spa, with a jetted garden tub, a commode and bidet, a double sink, and a steam shower with rainheads and body jets. The shelf beneath the vanity held stacks of plush white bath sheets and washcloths. Grabbing one of each, she brought the water to temp and stepped inside, lathering up and scrubbing every trace of the jackals from her skin.
She dried her hair rather than make her pillow wet. Done, she studied herself in the mirror, wishing she’d brought in her purse so she could take out her contacts. Then again, Magenta had violet eyes. Magenta was strong. She’d escaped the Death’s Head clubhouse. She’d survived a night in the pit. She’d been through hell and back.
She would survive this too.
17
Quake smiled down at the text message he’d just received. Magenta was resting until she felt up to having a breakfast date, but that hadn’t stopped them from staying in contact. As eagerly as he was looking forward to it, he understood she needed time to process what had happened.
It bummed him out that he wouldn’t get to see her before they left tomorrow. Once he fulfilled his obligations to his cadre, he intended to focus on his personal agenda. He was determined to make the Death’s Heads pay for kidnapping Magenta.
Khan was on the top of his hit list.
Lifting a hand, he cradled the fang that was hanging around his neck on a piece of cord. He’d made the jackal tooth that he’d ripped from Phantom’s mouth into a pendant. Khan’s fang would be joining it by the time he was done with the bastard.
“Hey, lover boy,” Rock called across the gym. “Are you planning to train with me or stand around mooning over the piece of tail you’re banging?”
Quake gave the other gargoyle a one-finger salute.
Ryder chuckled from the treadmill where he was pounding away the miles. “He’s got it bad.”
“Don’t we know it,” Mason sighed, shaking his head from the weights machine.
Quake scowled. “Shut the fuck up.”
Mason returned his dark look with a smirk. “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of her while you’re away.”
Quake knew he was joking but it still pissed him off. “Like you could afford her. Prick.”
“Lighten up.” Rock shook his head, lips twisted in a wry grin. “Mason isn’t gonna touch your maned wolf. Besides, Candy is more than happy to keep his cock satisfied.”
Not just Mason. She was more than pleased to service every member of their cadre when they walked through the doors of The Pole Barn but not Quake. Not anymore. All he wanted was Magenta.
He spent the morning sparring with Rock and preparing himself for what was to come but his mind remained on the woman he now had in his life.
“Hey, Quake!” Beast called across the table at lunch. “A few of us are headed to The Pole Barn. You wanna come with?”
“No sex for those of you who are fighting!” Stone boomed.
Quake nodded. “You heard the man. I’ll take a rain check. When I come back loaded with prize money, ask me again.”
Ryder hooted. “Three guesses where that cash
