Madison Layle - Falke’s Captive

Torsten should be looking for me , Sindre said to her. I was supposed to be right behind him, and that had to be a couple of hours ago. If I shift, we- When Whitmore moved behind her, she mouthed silently to Sindre, Don’t change . Then said aloud, “Please don’t,” looking into the cat’s eyes.

“You leave me no choice,” the professor said.

The cat grew quiet, but his tail flicked in agitation as he watched Whitmore’s every move.

What else can I do? I can’t sit here and watch him kill you.

A tear fell, but again she mouthed, No, please. Don’t shift.

Whitmore came back in front of her and stood looking down at her. He shook his head and made a face of disgust. “I had hopes for you, Elizabeth. You disappoint me.”

“I’m sorry, Professor Whitmore,” she said, trying to stem the tears. “But don’t you see what you’re doing is wrong? It’ll destroy everything you hope to accomplish with this research.”

“Shut up.” He shook his head and ripped off another piece of tape. “You’re wrong, but I haven’t the time to waste dealing with your insubordination.” He sighed. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you now?” He pressed the tape over her mouth, then sat in the other office chair, turned her laptop to face him and went back to studying the video.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm her rapid heartbeats. They’d come after Sindre. His family would rescue him. They had to. She looked at Sindre through her watery eyes.

Or Tim. Tim would be back. Whitmore said they’d move as soon as Tim returned. He must be in the forest, because the ATV wasn’t in the trailer, and she hadn’t seen it outside when she drove up.

When Tim got back, he’d call the police.

If I change, I can get us out of here , Sindre said.

She furiously shook her head. It could be a disaster. It would be a disaster for the Falke family if Whitmore learned what she had that morning.

The professor glanced up from the computer. “What?”

She shook her head again, this time at Whitmore.

He made a face then turned back to the laptop.

Sindre sat on his haunches and stared through the thick wire cage. I don’t know what to do. I think someone will come for me, but…

Her heart ached for Sindre. He was younger than Kelan and Reidar, and probably had never been in this kind of trouble. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was. How this was all her fault for capturing Kelan the first time.

She dropped her head forward and couldn’t stop the tears. Please, Kelan. Reidar. Come for us.

Your brother needs you. I need you.

“I think we need to think about moving into the extra apartment above the store,” Reidar said as they walked toward Catamount Outfitters.

Kelan cast him a glance. “Why?”

“Well, for one, we wouldn’t have had to drive out to our dads’ place to pick up uniforms.”

Kelan nodded. “True.”

“Get ready to hear Axel’s wrath for being late,” Reidar warned good-naturedly.

When they reached the store’s front door, however, it was locked. The Closed sign was still in place.

“What the hell?” Kelan peered in through the glass. “Something’s not right.”

“Let’s check around back.”

Before they turned the corner into the dead-end alley, chaos was evident in the form of Torsten’s frantic tirade. “I don’t know, damn it! I told you everything.”

This isn’t good, Kelan told Reidar who saw Axel raise his gaze and spot them in that same instant.

“You’re late,” Axel snapped. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Hey, chill, Ax,” Kelan said. “We’ve been dealing with our problem.”

“The hell you have!”

Dakota touched Axel’s arm. “Let’s focus on Sindre, okay?”

“What’s wrong with Sindre?” Reidar asked as he and Kelan walked deeper into the alley. Gunnar was in puma form, sniffing around the ground. Axel looked angrier than he’d ever been before. Not even his mate’s touch seemed to have any effect. But it was Torsten’s expression that put a frown on Reidar’s face. “Tor?”

“Sindre’s been kidnapped.”

“What?” Kelan echoed the shock Reidar felt.

“It’s that damn bitch scientist,” Axel accused, forcing Reidar to grab Kelan’s arm to keep him from advancing on the family’s alpha.

But a hand on the arm couldn’t curb Kelan’s tongue. “Watch your goddamned mouth.”

“She didn’t do this,” Reidar said, keeping a firm grip on Kelan’s forearm.

I have to agree with Reidar, Ax, Gunnar told the group. I can’t pick up any scent of the woman, just one other person. A man, a stranger I’ve never smelled before. And see the drag marks? Whoever took Sindre dragged him from the base of the fire escape and lifted him into a vehicle. That little woman couldn’t have done that.

“See?” Kelan said with equal anger toward Axel.

Reidar knew Kelan was acting on instinct, protecting his mate, even though they’d yet to claim her, but Axel didn’t know that, and emotional outbursts wouldn’t do anyone any good right now. It damn sure wouldn’t help them find Sindre.

“Maybe she stayed in the vehicle,” Axel said, glancing at Gunnar who continued to sniff around an area that showed two tracks of burned rubber. Someone had peeled out of the alley in a hurry. “Got the other guy to help her. We all know she’s not here working alone.”

“I’m telling you it wasn’t her.” Kelan spoke through gritted teeth, and Reidar tightened his grip on his brother’s arm. It spoke volumes that Kelan didn’t try to yank free.

Axel glared at them, an expression the polar opposite of the worry in Dakota’s caring eyes. She stood with one hand on Axel’s arm, her other splayed protectively over a growing belly.

“It’s her,” Axel insisted. “You’re just too fucking blind to look at this objectively.”

“How can you be so sure?” Torsten asked, his gaze locked on Kelan instead of Axel.

“I just know.” Kelan refused to say more.

Torsten shook his head. “That’s not good enough.”

Reidar dared another glance at Torsten and spoke softly. “Because we were with her this morning.” Kelan stiffened beside him. Reidar looked back at Axel and Gunnar who now sat next to him, still in puma form. “We spent last night, all night, in her hotel room and in her bed, right up until about twenty minutes ago.”

“Goddamn it!” Axel pulled away from his mate and spun with both hands diving into his hair out of obvious frustration. “You tell us you’re going to deal with the threat to our family, and that’s the way you two decide to do it?” He turned back to point at them again. “Did it never dawn on you two dolts that she could be using you? Keeping you occupied while her cohorts kidnapped Falke?”

“You don’t know a—”

“Kelan,” Reidar said, stopping his emotional brother in midyell. “Arguing over this is not going to get Sindre back any sooner.”

I agree, Gunnar said. Whether or not the woman is involved is a matter to debate later. We need to find Sindre.

“I agree too,” Torsten said, standing up from where he’d been sitting on the back fire escape.

“Okay,” Reidar said, looking at him. “Fill us in. What happened?”

Torsten’s troubled gaze met his, and Reidar could sense the stress this was putting on his little brother. “Look, all I know is he wanted to take a quick shower before he shifted to Falke for the day, so I headed down before him to open up. He was supposed to follow soon after, and I left the back door ajar for him, but he never showed.”