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Chapter 79
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Pack Chapter 80
Thea hid like a coward in the bathroom. She'd jumped on the chance for a shower, locking the door behind her and stripping the stinking gown from her body. Oh, to feel clean again. She cranked the water until steam rose before she stepped in. The hot spray hit the gash on her thigh, and she hissed. In the mad flight down the mountain then the wild race to get away, she'd actually forgotten about it. Peeking down at it, she noted it didn't seem as ragged as before, the edges sealed together, healing already, impossible as it seemed. Turning her attention away from the cut, she tilted her face into the spray to let its cleansing warmth wash the traces of her captivity from her skin. The tiny shampoo bottle that all motels seemed to stock gave enough to soap and rinse twice. As for the bar of soap, she scrubbed herself almost raw with it to erase the taint of her captors and scrub the vile remembered touches from her skin until she shone more red than healthy pink. With nothin
Pack Chapter 81
While Darren left to get some food with Trent, Marc paced the room, his usually carefree mind in turmoil. With a leg thrown over the arm of a chair, Jaxon watched. "Something on your mind?" "The girl." Marc hesitated and looked at the bathroom door. It remained shut, the fan still whirring loudly. "She's scared of me. Of all of us." "Can you blame her?" "No, but I don't want her to be." Marc, the most benign of his kind, was always willing to give a lady a hand and crack a smile. But now his pride had been struck low by a woman. It sucked. "I'm afraid there's not much any of us can do about that. The girl's been through a trauma. It will take time and understanding before she heals. And it won't be easy, given you're going to have to run to keep her safe." "Aren't you being a tad paranoid? We're hours from his lair. There's no tracks leading to us. What makes you think this vampire fellow will follow?" "Oh, he'll come," Jaxon promised. "And wh
Pack Chapter 82
Thea let the conversation flow over her as she ate the burger-two of them-and fries. Hungry and more at ease, she didn't talk much, but she did listen avidly. After the Twilight Zone remark, they discussed for several minutes the shows of the past they missed most. A closet Bewitched fan, Marc sheepishly admitted he'd crushed on Samantha large when younger, whereas Darren, with a grin, said it was Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island with her pigtails. As for Trent, he ate in silence, but his gaze seemed to fixate on her, although when she dared meet it, he looked away. Before long, a tickling sensation would let her know he watched again. He unnerved her. Not because of his resemblance to David or the fact that he seemed angry at her, the world, and everything in general-all good reasons to stay clear-but the thing that surprised her most was how attracted she was to him. Him and Darren actually. Marc, unfortunately, while kind and good-looking, only inspired a weak warmth. Trent and
Pack Chapter 83
A sense of something wrong made Trent fidget on the rooftop where he hid for this second round of watch. He'd opted to stand his guard duty outside for this shift while Jaxon covered the inside. Darren and Marc slept, their turn for guard duty not for another hour still. They needed the sleep after the grueling trek of the day before. Night had completely fallen, yet the thick cloud cover hid the stars, rendering the world dark and damp. At least out here in the brisk fall air Trent could breathe deep and not taste her scent. Not hunger for her. After her shower, it was all he could do to keep his hands off her. To prevent himself from snarling at the others for daring to show an interest. Trent was not a jealous man by nature. How could he be while raised in a pack where polyamorous situations were the accepted norm? But knowing Thea was available, if a widow, with others circling her in interest, he couldn't help the possessive feeling. The need to claim her as his own. U
Pack Chapter 84
Thea didn't say much from her spot under Trent's arm. What could she add to the conversation other than, despite what Trent and his friends thought, she knew it wasn't a radio type signal giving them away. It's me. It had to be. She knew the things Roderick could do. The fact that she didn't recall him jerking her around to do his will didn't mean he'd not left a nasty surprise in her mind. Or in the mind of others. While strong in presence and mind, Trent could carry a grain of the parasite's touch, as could his friends. Was she doing the right thing staying with them? If she wasn't the lure drawing the rogues, then was she perhaps safer on her own? But what if I'm wrong? What if she was the lodestone? Without the guys to protect her against something like Roderick sent tonight, a dark wave of wolves, she wouldn't have lasted thirty seconds. She preferred to not think about it at all. To let her mind go blank and pretend they'd managed to escape, that the rogue
Pack Chapter 85
Trent didn't say much when they congregated in the adjoining room, the door separating the spaces open a crack to allow them to hear if anything untoward occurred. As an added precaution, Trent watched through the window, satisfied that the bathroom windows weren't large enough to admit anyone, which meant any attack would come from the front. Despite the fatigue pulling at all of them, they decided to talk. They kept their voices low so as to not wake Thea as they discussed ideas and hashed out plans. Participating seemed moot to him. He already had his course plotted. Get the biggest fucking gun he could find, return to the mountain, and shoot everything that moved. Twice. Then he'd torch the fucking camp. If there was a vampire hiding under one of the cabins, he'd burn to a crisp, which was kinder than the bastard deserved for messing with his brother. The time they'd spent in the truck, long hours spent covering their trail, he'd had plenty of time to think. It pissed T
Pack Chapter 86
Head throbbing, Thea woke to find herself in the backseat of David's car. Lifting a hand to her face, she ran fingers over her fat lip and gasped when they came away bloody. Memories of what had happened back at the apartment with David-only it wasn't him-made her scramble to sit upright. "Rise and shine," he sang from the front, his eyes, still pinpricked with red, peering at her through the rearview mirror. "We're almost there." "Almost where? Where are you taking me? What the hell do you want?" she cried. She pounded at his shoulders, oblivious to the fact that he drove. He didn't flinch, but he did laugh, a chilling sound that halted her more effectively than violence. She leaned back in the seat and whispered, "What are you?" "Crazy?" He said it on a questioning note as he swerved the car back and forth across the road. Thea squeaked as she ricocheted side to side. "Stop it!" she cried. "You'll kill us both." He didn't reply, instead whistling an off-
Pack Chapter 87
The pitiful sounds woke him, choked sobs and thrashing of blankets and limbs from the bed next to his. Trent rose and stared upon Thea. Tears wetted her cheeks. Her lips quivered, and even though she slept, he could smell the fear, the terror. "What's wrong?" Darren whispered from the gap in the adjoining door. "I hear crying." "She's having a nightmare," Trent replied. "Go back to bed. I've got this." "Are you sure?" "No. I'm going to let her suffer for no reason. Of course I'm fucking sure." "Well, excuse me for asking. Shout if you need a hand." Darren eased the door back to its previous position of open just a sliver. Trent crouched beside the whimpering woman, his conversation with Darren not enough to break her sleep pattern. "Thea, wake up." He spoke low and to no avail. She sobbed. He tried again, a little louder. "Thea. You're having a nightmare. Wake up." Reaching out a hand, he shook her shoulder. And still she cried. It tore at him.
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