Page 78 of The Tracker's Rage
Gritting my teeth, I strained against my bonds. They were tight and bit into my wrists and ankles. I wondered what would happen if I shifted, would they still hold me? If they did, I would’ve at least gained sharp teeth to rip through the rope. There was only one way to find out.
I called on my wolf, inviting her forward.
Nothing happened.
I tried again.
Nothing.
Panic set in. What was happening?
“Shifting won’t work here,” Stephen’s voice said behind me.
I froze.
My nose twitched, trying to detect his scent, but I got nothing. He was probably wearing some of that ScentKill stuff Jake owned, just the reason I hadn’t sensed him coming in the parking lot.
“There are spells on coven temples that work against shifters. Pretty powerful, huh?”
Coven temples? I was in a freaking vampire church? What the hell? My mind raced. My heart did too.
Steps sounded behind me, tapping on the stone floor, approaching at an excruciatingly slow pace. A shiver ran up my spine as I waited, expecting him to punch me again. But he simply ambled by, his hand caressing my arm as he passed. Then he stepped in front of me and regarded me quietly for a long time. He wore a gray suit with a white shirt, but no tie.
He reached for my face. “Sorry I had to hit you. Does it hurt too much?”
I yanked my chin out of his grip, sneering, itching to return the favor, picturing my fist slamming across his perfect jaw, imagining his teeth falling out one by one.
“What is this?!” I demanded. “Why?”
“You know well why. Let’s stop pretending. Your meddling is getting old, Toni. I was willing to let you be despite all the trouble you caused in the warehouse.” He shook his head, putting on a sad expression. “You almost killed Blake, and you almost cost us one thousand pounds of rhabo.”
Almostdefinitely applied to Blake but not the rhabo.
“The police seized the entire shipment,” I said. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He laughed and lazily walked in a circle. “We have so many cops in our pockets it’s not even funny. When they sent the drug to be destroyed, we simply got it back.”
Oh, no!My heart sank. How many more would die? All of our efforts have been in vain. My eyes filled with tears as the blow of our failure hit me.
Stephen gave me a creepy smile. “I like you, Toni. A lot. Too much, maybe.”
His blue eyes scanned the length of my body with a hunger I didn’t like at all. My stomach roiled in disgust. This was not the Stephen I knew, not at all. I had never heard him talk this way. He sounded slimy and perverted. Was somebody else talking through him? Or was this really him and I’d been completely deluded?
“And now that I know you’re a werewolf, you’re even more tempting than before.” He inhaled deeply. “You smell delicious.” He licked his lips.
I fought against my bindings, wishing I could get a leg free to kick him in the balls. Still, maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Who gave you that pendant you wear, Stephen?”
He frowned, looking at me as if I were stupid. “What does that matter?” A pause. “Look, I brought you here because I want to discuss something with you.”
“Oh, yeah? Do you make a habit of tying people up when you want to talk to them?”
“I knew you were on to me. You wouldn’t have come.” He said this as if it were the perfect excuse for abducting people.
“I risked my life for you,” I said. “I thought you were in danger, but your kidnapping was all a sham. Why would you do something like that?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I know you must have a lot of questions, and since I’m willing to play nice I will answer them gladly. Shoot.”
