N. Walters - Finding Chrissten

Shaken, Chrissten curled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

“Hey.” Hank captured her hand and brought it to his lips. He touched his mouth to her skin, sending shivers skating down her spine. But it wasn’t fear she was feeling. It was something totally different, something she didn’t want to examine or face.

“I’m sorry,” he continued. “I didn’t mean to pressure you or upset you. I just wanted to reassure you that you don’t have to worry about Brian. You’re safe here. There are three pureblood male werewolves and four of us half-breeds who are all sworn to protect you.”

So he was a half-breed like her. In a strange way it made her feel safer with him. He was like her, like Quinn.

And speaking of her brother… “Where is Quinn?”

Hank released her hand and tucked it under the cover. “He’s been in here every half hour since we managed to boot him out of your room so he could rest. That’s, of course, when he wasn’t issuing orders on your care.”

That sounded like Quinn. Stubborn and dictatorial. It made her smile. She’d missed him.

“You’re beautiful when you smile.”

The smile slipped from her face. This man was totally unexpected. He said the strangest things and she didn’t know how to respond.

He sighed and straightened, towering over the bed. “You don’t ever have to be afraid I’ll do anything to harm you. I only want to protect you.”

Now she felt bad, like she’d insulted him. Her emotions, her thoughts were all over the place.

“Hey.” He put his hands on his hips, which made his shoulders appear even wider. She should have been afraid, or at the very least intimidated. But the feelings just weren’t there. Chrissten’s wolf chuffed and rubbed against the inside of her skin as if she wanted to get out so Hank could touch her. Her wolf trusted this man and so did she. There was no logical explanation for it.

“You don’t need to worry about me or anyone else. All you need to worry about is getting better.”

Hanks nostrils flared and he took a step back from the bed, putting some distance between them. Chrissten fought the totally illogical sense of abandonment that speared through her.

As if he’d caught a glimpse of her thoughts, he pinned her with a fierce glare. “I’ll keep you safe.”

She caught the sound of footsteps in the distance and cocked her head to one side to hear them better. There were two people coming. Chrissten sniffed and her heart began to race. Her brothers. She suddenly wanted to see them, to hug them, to assure herself once again they were real.

The door opened and Quinn stalked inside then stopped so suddenly that Craig nearly plowed into him.

“Hey, watch where you’re going, Quinn.” Craig shoved him, but Quinn didn’t move.

She didn’t know what to say to her family. So much had happened to her. There were so many problems ahead of them. They’d all changed so much and there was no going back to the way they’d been before her abduction.

Maybe they’d blame her for what happened. She chewed on her bottom lip as uncertainty swamped her.

“You’re awake.” Quinn hesitated by the door, not moving, but her younger brother had no such reservations. Craig hurried to the bed, threw himself down next to her and hugged her. Tears welled in her eyes. There was no denying the love she felt coming from him. She clung to him, hugging him back.

“I missed you,” she whispered in his ear.

He leaned back, tears in his eyes. “I missed you too. So damn much. I’ve got so much I want to tell you, to share with you.”

Hank spoke up. “I’ll go and get something for Chrissten to eat while you two are visiting.” He walked toward the door and was gone. She watched Hank leave, wanting to call him back, which was totally illogical.

Quinn’s eyes narrowed briefly as he studied her. She lowered her gaze. Maybe he was ashamed of her for what had happened. Maybe he did blame her.

“Chris?” She raised her gaze and saw pure love blazing from his eyes. Eyes so familiar, eyes she saw whenever she looked in a mirror. Her twin. Her brother. He came around to the other side of the bed, sat and pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck. “I’m so damn glad you’re alive.”

And there was her answer. Some of the weight on her heart lifted. Her family still loved her, still wanted her with them. None of the horrors she’d endured mattered at this moment. The important thing was that she’d been found and rescued and was with her family once again.

She peered over Quinn’s shoulder and her eyes locked on the empty doorway. Hank would be back. He’d promised.

Brian stared at the room in disgust. Squatters had obviously moved in, leaving tons of garbage and debris behind, which assaulted his nose. The kitchen cabinets had been ripped out and used as kindling in the living room fireplace. The floors were pitted and worn, but the walls were strong and the roof didn’t leak.

It wasn’t much, but it was the best they could do given the circumstances. He’d moved his pack immediately after the attack on the lab. No telling what that other pack knew about them and their location. Brian wasn’t taking any chances.

His gut churned and anger burned through his blood. Doctor Phillip Morton was dead, and with him the chance for their pack to gain more females. Those bastards had killed him. Brian had gone back to check hours after the attack and had found plenty of blood and the stench of vampire. There was little doubt about the man’s fate. He had no idea what a vampire was doing running with a wolf pack, but he didn’t give a shit. He’d stake the bloodsucker when he killed the other wolves. They all had to die for what they’d done.

They’d taken his mate from him. If they thought they could take his property and not pay for it they had another thing coming. Chrissten belonged to him.

“What do we do now?” William, his second in command now that his brother was dead, stood at attention and waited patiently for his reply.

That was another thing he owed those other fuckers for. They’d shot Marcus so full of silver shot the doctor hadn’t been able to save him. He didn’t doubt it was the same group that had tried to rescue Chrissten before. He’d caught the scent of several that were familiar. He’d kill them all if it was the last thing he did. Then he’d take their women.

“We’re going hunting.” He smiled at the thought of having Chrissten fighting him, clawing him, as he took her. His cock stirred in delight. Oh yes, he’d have her again if it was the last thing he did.

“Send three of the others out to start scouting. Someone in this city knows where Chrissten is. According to Morton’s files she has two brothers. Start looking for them.” It might take them a while to find her, but he would. They wouldn’t have left the city yet. Chrissten was weak and her brothers would want to kill Brian, eliminate the threat to her, before moving on. No, they were still in the city and he would find and kill her brothers and take his mate back. It mattered not to him that she didn’t want to belong to him. She did and that was that.

He stared back at the dilapidated quarters they now called home. The building was one of many the pack owned around the city. They’d bought it cheap and could sit on it for years until the real estate prices went back up. And they would. They always did. As a werewolf, he had plenty of time to wait. He was only eighty, not even truly in his prime yet.

“Clean this dump up. I’m going out to search for a bit and I’ll pick up some pizzas on the way back. We’ll meet here in two hours and go from there.”

William nodded and immediately went upstairs to rouse the others. Brian liked the way his new second jumped to do his bidding. His brother had always questioned him and his leadership. He stroked his fingers over his jaw and smiled. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that his brother had died after all. Made life much easier for him. The others were followers, not leaders. Only Marcus had been a threat to his leadership.