Madison Layle - Falke’s Captive

A confused look crossed Tim’s features. “But her Jeep’s over there.”

“She rode into town with a ranger who stopped by earlier to check on us. I sent her back with him to check all of us out of the hotel and arrange for someone to drive my truck back to Seattle. She’ll meet you in Chelan tomorrow evening. Now get moving. I want to meet with Professor Sayers as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir,” Tim said, but Kelan could tell the professor’s explanations made no sense to him from the confused expression on his face.

At least good ol’ Timmy wasn’t involved in whatever was going on.

Something’s wrong , Reidar said telepathically. Beth would’ve called or told us if there’d been a change of plans. The concern was evident in his tone, even though the words weren’t spoken aloud.

I know, brother. We’ll find her. Just stay put. We’ll figure something out.

You think she might be in trouble too? Gunnar asked.

Yes. She was supposed to come here this morning and convince the professor that she’d talked us into letting her have another sample of Falke’s blood.

What?

Kelan winced at Gunnar’s reaction, the volume pounding at his brain. It was a ruse! We were going to find another cougar, a non-shape-shifter, and pass off a sample of its blood as Falke’s. We could’ve used it to convince him that the originals were tainted.

The professor got off the ATV, but waited for Tim to climb into the semi and crank the engine before he unlatched the double doors in the back of the trailer and shoved them open. The sight revealed had Kelan and his brothers cursing.

Their telepathic reaction reached the puma locked inside the cage, and it let out a terrifying scream only partially drowned out by the noise of the big rig and the revving ATV being maneuvered into the trailer.

Beth tried to shout despite the duct tape over her lips. Her heart pounded a furious beat against her breastbone, and her skin prickled. The damn puma scream was enough to scare a woman half to death.

They’re here, Sindre told her.

She widened her eyes at him and continued to struggle with the tape on her wrists. If she could just get loose…

Sindre was on all fours, pacing.

“Mmmm!” She eyed the vial as it rolled around inside the cage, but the cat wasn’t listening, at least not to her.

Kelan says to stay calm. They’re going to get us out.

“Mmm-mmm…” She rolled her eyes. Yes, she knew all of that, but he needed to stop freaking moving around before he knocked the vial out of the cage. She heard the semi start up.

He says he and Reidar are here. And Gunnar too.

She closed her eyes, burning with fresh tears. Hurry.

The ATV shot into the rear of the trailer with the professor on it. He killed the engine, got off and leaped back outside to put away the ramps and shut the doors.

Beth used her feet to roll her chair over to the cage and kick it.

What? Finally, Sindre looked at her, and she looked down at the vial, which was now at the edge of the cage. Oh. He started to reach for it, but missed when the trailer was jolted from the outside. Her wide eyes met the cat’s gaze.

The semi…Tim was hooking up. They were going to move out.

The puma pawed at the vial again and covered it up as she pushed away from the cage and rolled back across the space a mere second before the side door opened and the professor stepped inside.

This was a nightmare.

How could Kelan and Reidar save them without revealing their secret? Was Tim in on it with the professor? Surely he saw her Jeep outside. He’d know she was in here.

The trailer jostled again, and the professor stuck his head back out. After a few seconds, he asked, “All set?”

“Yep, just got to raise the drops, and we’ll be ready to go,” she heard Tim holler. “You want to put up those steps and join me in the cab?”

“No, you do it. I have a test underway in here. I want to keep an eye on it.”

She could tell Tim drew closer. “You sure? It’s gonna be a bumpy ride, at least until we reach the highway. Most everything in there is bolted down, but you and the chairs aren’t.”

Whitmore kept the door almost closed, but for a little room to clear his head. “I’ll be fine. I’ll… duct tape any loose things down so they don’t get away from me.”

“Okay. Have it your way. Call me on my cell if you want to stop somewhere and pick up food or something.”

“I’ll do that.”

He closed the door, locked it, and turned to face her. The puma hissed at him, but the professor eyed her. “Now, my dear, what am I going to do with you?” He looked down, searching the floor.

“And where did that vial go?”

As soon as the truck began to move, Reidar saw Kelan jump to his feet and take off running. He’d been positioned directly behind the trailer and had the best view inside, and the angle to approach without being seen.

Goddamn it, Gunnar shouted.

Get the truck , Kelan shouted back, racing for the back of the trailer. Stop this damn semi!

“Let’s go,” Reidar called to Gunnar after he saw Kelan leap safely onto the back and hang on to the vertical bars that made up part of the double doors’ locking mechanisms. He’d braced his feet on the horizontal steel beam that always hung from tractor-trailer rigs, designed to protect motorists from being decapitated in the event of an impact.

“That damn, wild-assed brother of ours is gonna get himself killed,” Gunnar snapped as he caught up with Reidar sprinting for the fence.

“That’s why we’re here. To make sure he doesn’t.” He cleared a rotten log and ducked past a low hanging limb.

Without another word, both men shifted into catamount form and sped up. Kicking free of their shoes and hampered only by their clothes, they made faster time through the woods and leaped the fence simultaneously.

Shifting back to human form, they climbed into the truck.

“I think I ripped a hole in this shirt going over that fence,” Gunnar muttered.

“Next time, jump higher.” Reidar cranked the engine, but there was nowhere for him to turn his vehicle around.

Asshole. “There better not be a next time.”

“Hang on. This is going to get tricky,” Reidar said as he jammed the gearshift into reverse, twisted around to look out the back, and stomped on the gas.

On the back of the trailer, Kelan hung on for dear life and prayed the next damn pothole wouldn’t knock him loose. He had to get inside before he lost his grip. He had to rescue Beth and his brother, but he couldn’t risk letting go while the fucking terrain was so unpredictable.

Another dip jarred him, so he used his knees to absorb the worse of the jolt.

Hang in there, Sindre, he said, even though he knew his brother wouldn’t be able to hear him through the metal doors of the trailer.

Where the hell were his brothers? He shot a look over his shoulder at the passing trees, trying to determine if they’d passed the ATV trail or not. He couldn’t tell, because he couldn’t see much from quick glances while he focused on not falling off.

Then he heard an engine and the crunch of gravel as someone slammed on the brakes and the tires dug into the dirt. A roar behind him followed instantly by the sound of spraying gravel told him his brothers were coming, but he didn’t dare look back.

A hard jolt and sway accompanied the rig’s turn onto the highway, but the ride smoothed out even as the big rig began to pick up speed. Kelan slid his left hand down one vertical bar to the handle, while he hung onto the other one, and yanked. The latch opened, but it was far from silent. He had no time to lose. He yanked hard on the door and, with all his strength, swung himself inside.