Page 14 of Curvy Hostage Mate
“You’re crazy,” was all I said.
He shook his head. “You just don’t realize how strong you are.”
All of a sudden, his hand seemed to electrify me. I was painfully aware of how close he was, how I could drown in his eyes. I wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to run my hands along those hard muscles rippling just beneath his shirt. An overwhelming need for him slammed into me with so much force that it honestly caught me off guard.
A loud crash and the sound of splintering wood broke through the moment, shattering whatever strange hold the shifter had on me. My thoughts about him scattered as I rounded toward the sound. My stomach dropped, and fear gripped my insides as the door flew off its hinges and several hulking men stormed inside.
Chris spun around, his hands slipping off me as we both took several steps back. My breath caught in my throat as terror filled my veins. I took several steps back as my eyes darted from face to face, hoping that I was just imagining recognizing every one of them. But no. I knew the scar running down the largest one’s neck, and the beady stare of the one behind him.
Cain’s men. Despite Chris’s assurances, they had found me.
In an instant, Chris was in front of me, hand sticking out as if expecting me to dart around him. For the first time since he had grabbed me, I was relieved he was here. I watched as his hands lengthened to sharp claws, ready to tear into the first person who even thought of taking a step closer to me.
“There you are,” the one in front, a shifter named Pieter, said, smirking broadly as he leered at me. “Cain’s been looking for you. You gave him quite a scare.”
He took another step forward, and Chris let out a low, threatening snarl.
“Get any closer, and you’ll regret it,” Chris warned.
Peiter snorted, sounding almost bored. “Cool it. You’re lucky that Cain cares more about getting her back than making the shifter who took her pay. If you hand her over now, then we can all walk away happy.”
“Pretty sure she would disagree with that,” Chris said.
“She’ll do what she’s told,” Peiter said. “Just hand her over, and we can be on our way. If you want to make a big deal out of this…” His fingers lengthened to claws, and he gave a smile that was more like a sneer, showing a mouth filled with sharp teeth. “Then we can do this the hard way.”
I couldn’t see Chris’s face, couldn’t see how Pieter’s words might have hit him. But the low growl that reverberated from his throat as he stepped further in front of me told me his answer before he gave it.
“Go to hell,” he said.
Pieter stopped smiling. He glowered in disgust and annoyance.
“This is your last chance. Give us the girl,” Pieter said, finally some edge entering his voice.
“No,” Chris said.
Pieter let out a low, threatening snarl. “You know who you’re dealing with. Don’t make this harder on yourself. Hand her over.”
“And then what?” Chris snapped. “You’ll waltz off and leave me be? You seriously expect me to believe that bullshit you spun about me being able to walk away from this?”
A harsh laugh that made my stomach crawl rippled through the group at the statement.
“Of course not,” Pieter sneered. “You forfeited your life the moment you took her out of the Underside. You’re going to die. The question is whether or not we make it quick and painless for you, or if we get to draw it out.” His sneer turned into a sinister grin. “Between us, I’m hoping you pick the latter.”
“Yeah, well, I’m always one to shake convention,” Chris said. “And all of you can go fuck yourselves.”
A low growl escaped Pieter’s throat as he glowered at Chris. “You need to be more careful,” he warned. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
“A bunch of idiot thugs?” Chris retorted. He pushed me further behind him, blocking my view of the others, or maybe blocking their view of me. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“She’s Cain’s property. If you hand her over now, we’ll make your death quick. If you don’t, we’ll tear you limb from limb.”
“Lovely,” Chris drawled. “That really makes me want to work with you.”
Pieter let out another threatening snarl. He took a step forward.
“Get the hell out of here before I kill every last one of you,” Chris snarled.
The words weren’t even fully out of Chris’s mouth when Pieter lunged forward, turning into a massive wolf as he jumped through the air, claws outstretched, heading straight at Chris.
