Sasha growled and Cole released her. He walked out of the room in a better mood than he’d been in all week. He didn’t know why it took him so long to figure out what he wanted to do. The solution to his problem was easy. There was no way he could ever let her go back to Jesse. He cared for her too much to let her go. And now that he knew her powers were hurting her, he didn’t really care if she lost them during the transition. His initial plan of wanting to use her powers no longer seemed important. All he cared about was keeping her with him. And he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He intended to change her whether she wanted him to or not.
Cole was on his way to Lacey’s room when Kevin stopped him in the hall. “We need to talk.”
“Not now” Cole said and walked past him. He was still pissed about him wanting to kill Lacey.
Kevin grabbed his arm. “It’s important. It’s about Zack.”
Cole spun around and pushed him. “I said not now!” he growled and continued down the hall.
“He’s up to something” Kevin yelled at his back. Cole ignored him and entered Lacey’s room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Kevin ground his teeth together and wondered why the hell he was trying to help Cole when he was treating him so badly. But he already knew the answer, Cole was the pack leader and he was loyal to him no matter what. Kevin stormed off down the hall to find out what Zack was up to so that he could put a stop to whatever he was planning.
Chapter Sixteen
Lacey sat in the tub and let the water from the shower fall over her. She jumped when she heard the bedroom door slam shut. She quickly got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself. She unlocked the bathroom door and peeked into the room. She almost screamed when she saw Cole standing right outside the door with a broad smile on his face. She let out a deep breath and pushed past him.
“What do you want now?” she asked in an annoyed tone.
He watched her walk across the room with nothing on but a towel. Water dripped from her hair and rolled down the side of her face. Every nerve in his body sparked with anticipation of having her in his arms. He stalked toward her like a predator and snaked his arm around her waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck.
Lacey jumped and spun around in his arms and pushed at his chest. “Cole, cut it out! Keep your damn hands to yourself” she yelled.
He reluctantly let her go and stepped back but never took his eyes off of her. “I’m new to this, Lacey. I’ve never had feelings for anyone before and I know that I’m probably going about this the wrong way but I want you to be with me. I’ve tried to keep my distance from you but I can’t” he said in a thick voice laced with desire.
Lacey’s eyes grew wide as she stared at him in disbelief. She grabbed her clothes from the bed and hurried into the bathroom and locked the door. Cole’s words echoed in her head. He wanted her. The thought of being with him scared her, but it also intrigued her. Over the last few days, she had caught herself thinking about him several times. She thought about their kiss and how it made her feel. She thought about what it would be like to have him hold her again. She tried telling herself that the only reason she was attracted to him was because he looked like Jesse but she knew better than that. She knew that he wasn’t Jesse and she knew what kind of a man he was. And she hated that she was starting to have feelings for him, despite knowing that he was a killer. She quickly got dressed and opened the door to find Cole sitting in his chair.
“Why are you still here?” she snapped.
Cole smiled. He loved her attitude and the fact that she wasn’t afraid of him the way everyone else was. “I’ve come to a decision about what I’m going to do with you.”
Lacey put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh really, and what would that be?”
“I’m going to change you and make you a member of my pack” he said proudly.
Lacey’s mouth dropped open as she stared at him wide-eyed. “I don’t think so.”
Cole gave her a broad smile. “You have no say in the matter. The decision is mine and that’s what I’ve decided.” He strolled over to her and rested his hand on the side of her face. “I swore I would never take a mate, but you make me want to change that. You should be very proud to have won my heart when so many others could not.”
Lacey shook her head and backed away from him. “I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I’m with Jesse. He actually knows how to treat a woman with respect.”
Cole growled and pulled her to him, crushing his lips to hers. After a minute, he broke from the kiss and looked down at her. “I didn’t say that I want you to be my girlfriend. I said I want you as my mate. There is a difference.”
Lacey rolled her eyes and pushed him away. “It sounds the same to me and I’m not interested in being either.”
Cole smiled. “Girlfriends are like playthings, toys so to speak. We keep them for a while then move on to the next one. A mate is someone that we keep for life. Werewolves don’t reproduce until we find a mate and I think I’ve been a bachelor for way too long. I’ve never wanted children and I still don’t want any now. But one day I will and I want my offspring to have a strong mother. I want you to be that woman. I’ve had many women and none of them compare to you or your strength.”
Lacey was stunned silent. Ever since the night Cole had taken her, her biggest fear was death, now she had to worry about being turned into a werewolf and becoming his mate. It took her a minute to pull herself together then she looked at him and said, “No!”
Cole cocked his head to the side and looked at her like she had spoken an alien language. “What?”
Lacey crossed her arms over her chest and walked toward him. “I said no. I won’t let you turn me into an animal and I won’t be your mate.”
“Yes...you...will” Cole said each word slowly.
“No...I...won’t” Lacey replied, copying his tone.
Cole growled and reached for her but she quickly moved out of his reach. She moved around the room with her back to the wall, watching Cole like a predator watches her prey. She never took her eyes off of him and he loved it. He countered her movements as he tried to get closer to her. He was almost close enough to grab her when she jumped on the bed and off the other side. “Stay away from me, Cole. I’m warning you.”
He smiled. “I’m not going to hurt you, Lacey. All it takes is one bite. I can change into my wolf form and get it over with right now.”
Her face drained of color and she held her hands out in front of her. “Please don’t make me use my powers. You know how much it hurts me to do so” she pleaded.
Cole stopped. The memory of her lying on the floor screaming popped in his mind. He didn’t want to see that again. But he wasn’t going to change his mind either. “Alright Lacey, you win” he lied and sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside him. “Sit down.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. You just want me to get close enough to you so that you can bite me.”
Cole chuckled. “I have to be in wolf form to change you and as you can see, I’m not. Now sit down...don’t make me force you” he warned and picked up the chain in front of him that was still connected to her ankle and gave it a small tug.
Lacey debated her options. She didn’t want to sit down with him but she also didn’t want to play tug of war with a chain that was attached to her leg. Slowly, she made her way over to the bed and sat down.
Cole eased his hand behind him and pulled a syringe from his back pocket and held it in his hand at his side, out of Lacey’s view. He smiled when she sat down and wrapped his arm around her shoulder like he was going to hug her. He held her tightly before sticking the needle in her neck.
*****
Lacey knew that Cole was up to something as soon as she sat down. She thought that he was going to try and kiss her again. It didn’t occur to her that his intentions were to drug her. She flinched when the needle pierced her skin and looked at him with wide surprised eyes,
until they fluttered closed.
Cole gently laid her back on the bed. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, “this is the best way for you to go through the change, you won’t feel a thing. And when you wake up, you’ll be just like me and we’ll be together forever. You’ve done the impossible, Lacey. You’ve revived a heart that has been dead for years and one day you’ll learn to love me back.”
*****
Zack stood post outside Lacey’s door as Sasha approached him with a smug look on her face. He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t even try it, Sasha. Cole is in there with her and I’m not letting you past the door.”
She got in his face and growled. “If I want in that room, there isn’t a damn thing you can do to stop me. But that’s not why I’m here. I have a proposition for you.”
Zack raised his brows. “Well now, that sounds interesting.” He let his eyes roam over her body and licked his lips. “Exactly what kind of proposition are you offering?”
She took a step closer to him and rubbed her body against his in a seductive way as she played with his hair and nibbled on his ear. “You already know what I want, just help me do it. Help me kill the girl and I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Zack looked at her. “What if I want you as payment for my services and not just for one night? Will you stand by my side as my mate or will you throw yourself at Cole as soon as the girl is dead?”
Sasha ground her teeth together. “Why would you want me as your mate? Haven’t you heard that I’m a bitch? And I don’t follow orders well, so if you’re looking for a docile, easy to manipulate woman, you are definitely barking up the wrong tree.”
Zack grabbed her around the waist and jerked her to him and kissed her. When he was finished, he let her go. “I know what kind of woman you are. So what’s your answer?”
Sasha narrowed her eyes at him in contemplation. She had no intention of being his mate but she would say anything to get what she wanted. The thought of killing him when she’s done with him crossed her mind and made her smile. “Fine, we have a deal. Now when can I get to the girl? I’m running out of time. Cole is planning to change her. I’m not going to let that happen.”
A broad smile crossed Zack’s lips. “Just stay close by and I’ll make sure you have your chance with her very soon.” He looked at his watch. It was almost time to put his plan into action.
Sasha patted her back pocket to make sure she had her new switch blade with her and walked away.
Zack watched her stroll down the hall and thought that he was the luckiest man alive. Not only was he going to get rid of Cole and take over as pack leader but he was going to be mated to the fiercest, sexiest female in the pack.
*****
Cole started removing his clothes so that he could change into his wolf form and make Lacey his forever. A loud noise sounded from down the hall and he opened the door and stepped out of the room. Zack wasn’t at his post outside the door. One of his pack members ran by and Cole grabbed him by the arm to stop him. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“There’s a fight in the main room.”
“Who is fighting?”
“Zack and one of the other newbie’s.”
Cole growled deep in his throat. Zack was supposed to be guarding Lacey’s room. He looked back into the room at her asleep and vulnerable on the bed. He knew that he couldn’t leave her. “Go find Kevin and tell him to deal with those idiots and send someone else to stand guard outside of this room.”
The young werewolf nodded and ran to do as he was told. Cole stepped back inside with Lacey so that he could finish what he had started.
*****
Zack knocked the young newbie that he was fighting into the wall and lunged at him again as he staggered to his feet. He caught sight of Kyle standing by the entrance to the hall and gave him a subtle nod. Kyle hurried down the hallway to Zack’s room and climbed out the open window at the rear of the building.
He looked around but didn’t see anyone. He started to run for the woods but stopped abruptly when he heard shouting from the front. He peeked around the corner of the building and saw more of his pack mates fighting. They were the other distraction that Zack told him about. Kyle watched as all the guards from around the building and at the edge of the woods ran to break up the fight. He waited until it was clear then darted into the woods, praying that no one saw him.
*****
Zack was about to toss his opponent across the room for the third time when someone grabbed him from behind and threw him to the side. He fell to the floor and looked up at Kevin with hatred in his eyes. He jumped up and started for the kid that he had been beating for the last five minutes. Kevin stood between them. “Stop now or you’ll be fighting with me” he said, his jaw muscles clenched as he glared at Zack.
“I’m not afraid of you” Zack said through gritted teeth.
Kevin smiled. “You should be. I didn’t get the position as Cole’s second in command for nothing. I’m not someone you want to piss off.”
The two of them stood toe to toe and were about to go at each other when someone yelled, “Hey, where’s the new kid?”
Everyone in the room started looking around for Kyle. Kevin never took his eyes off of Zack as he barked orders at the rest of the pack. “Check all of the rooms and the kitchen and bathrooms. When was the last time anyone saw him?”
One guy spoke up, “I saw him by the hallway right before the fight started.”
“Get Cole, Now!” Kevin yelled.
Zack started to walk away but Kevin grabbed him by the arm. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you? I saw you talking to Kyle in the kitchen a few days ago and now you start a fight and he disappears. Let’s see what Cole thinks about all of this.”
*****
Cole sat at the foot of the bed in his wolf form watching Lacey sleep. He nudged her arm away from her body with his nose and was about to bite her when someone banged on the door. He growled out loud and jumped from the bed, landing on all fours.
He quickly changed back into his human form and answered the door in the buff. “What the hell do you want?” he yelled in frustration.
The guy outside the door quivered in fear. “Kevin told me to come get you. Kyle escaped.”
Cole stared angrily at his pack member then turned and picked up his clothes from the floor. “Tell Kevin to bring his ass to me. I’m not leaving Lacey alone.”
“Yes sir” the guy said and ran down the hall.
Cole slammed the door and sat down in his chair, waiting to find out how one of his newbie’s had escaped. A few minutes later, Zack walked in followed by Kevin.
“What the hell happened, Kevin?” Cole asked.
Kevin looked at Zack and said, “I think you should ask him that question. I think he helped Kyle escape but what I can’t figure out is why.”
Zack walked past Kevin and stood in front of Cole. “I don’t know what he’s talking about, boss. Yes, I got into a fight with one of the newbie’s. He pushed me the wrong way and I snapped, but I didn’t help Kyle escape.”
Cole turned his attention to Kevin. “What makes you think he helped the boy escape?”
Kevin wasted no time in answering. “I saw him and Kyle talking in the kitchen a few days ago and we both know that Zack hasn’t bothered to talk to anyone but you since he was brought here.”
Cole looked at Zack. “He has a point, Zack. So why don’t you tell me what you two were talking about.” He turned to Kevin. “I want the boy back. Send everyone out to find him. Tell them not to return until they have him.”
Kevin hesitated. “I don’t think Zack should be trusted.”
Cole glared at him. “Just do as you’re told.”
Reluctantly, Kevin walked out of the room, leaving Zack alone with Cole and Lacey.
*****
Kyle had been running at full speed for almost an hour and he was tired and out of breath. He looked at the paper with the directions to Jesse’s warehouse again.
He was almost there. According to the map, it was just a couple more miles outside of town. He crammed the paper back in his pocket and started running again.
He knew the second that the other werewolf stepped from the woods in front of him that he was in trouble. He stopped so abruptly that he almost fell on his face. He looked around to see if anyone else had followed him but he was alone, except for the man in front of him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the man asked.
Kyle considered trying to make a run for it. But then the man started toward him and he got a closer look at him, he realized that he wasn’t one of Cole’s men. At least, Kyle didn’t think he was. He had never seen him before. “I’m looking for Jesse. My name is Kyle and I have some very important information for him.”
The man stopped a few feet from him. “I’m Jaden. I’m a friend of Jesse’s. Do you know something about his girl?”
Kyle nodded. “Yes, and I know where Cole is keeping her.”
Jaden grabbed him by the arm and led the way to Jesse’s warehouse. He hoped that he was at home when they got there.
They ran up to the warehouse and pounded on the door. Trevor opened it with a shocked look on his face when he saw Kyle. Jaden pushed past Trevor and pulled Kyle inside. “Where is Jesse?” he shouted.
Tonya and Scotty jumped up from the table and ran over to them. “He’s upstairs, sleeping. What’s going on?” Tonya asked.
“Kyle escaped from Cole’s hideout. He knows where they are keeping Lacey” Jaden said quickly.
Tonya smiled with relief and Scotty ran up the stairs to get Jesse.
Trevor grabbed Kyle by the arm and led him over to the couch. “Tell us everything you know and I’m warning you this better not be some kind of trick.”
“This isn’t a trick, I swear. I never actually saw the girl but I know she’s locked in one of the bedrooms” Kyle said nervously.
Jesse came running down the stairs half dressed with Scotty right on his heels. “Where is she?” he growled as he came to a stop at the end of the couch and glared at Jaden and Kyle.
Everyone looked at him. His haggard condition was shocking. He didn’t look anything like he did the last time that Kyle saw him.
“Where is she, damn it?” Jesse yelled again.