CHAPTER 16
The limited light streaming through the tiny window had faded some time ago and Carson could just make out the dim twinkle of the first stars to dot the sky when the door opened again. She cringed slightly as he strolled in and walked behind her chair. Cutting the ropes free, he pulled them away and tossed them into the corner. Her shoulders screamed in agony, muscles cramped from being tied in one position for far too long. He took a step back and pointed towards the open door. “There's your freedom. Go ahead.” He smirked at her and crossed his arms over his chest.
She stared stupidly at him then at the door, slowly licking her dry lips. “I can just go?” She narrowed her eyes. “Just like that? You're going to just let me go?”
He nodded. “Go ahead. Just walk right out that door.”
She coaxed her legs to stand even with pins and needles running up and down them. Taking a step, she almost stumbled but caught herself at the last moment. She took several steps towards the door then stopped with her eyes on him. He grinned and waved her on with one hand.
Rubbing her wrists, she took another couple of steps then gathering her nerves, shot out of the door and disappeared into the surrounding forest.
Micah grinned ferociously watching as she ran out the door. “Time to claim my mate,” he laughed to himself and cracked his neck. Stretching his body to its limit, he threw his head back and howled, the sound deepening as it changed from human to animal. With a bound, he was out the door.
Carson ran as fast as she could, given she was still in her human form. Several attempts at reaching her beast were met with silence, so she continued on best as she could. Though she had a wolf's stamina, human muscle was not created for long term exercise and she soon felt a stitch catch in her side. Slowing for a bit, she looked around wildly, searching for some indication of where she was. The kiss of autumn had taken a hold on the woods. Everywhere she looked, brightly colored leaves fell to the waiting earth below. Gold, brown and red, they rained down leaving skeletal arms behind. She could tell this was an old forest. All of the trees were tall, mostly hardwoods, their canopies towering far above atop thick wide trunks. The undergrowth was sparse, little could thrive with the limited light that could make its way to the ground. However, branches, roots and old vegetation coupled with a rapidly gathering mist filled the void making it hazardous to run. The forest was familiar but foreign to her, meaning they were definitely not on pack lands, but probably in one of the surrounding forests.
Suddenly she froze, her head snapping around to stare behind her. The unmistakable cry of a hunting wolf sounded out over the forest. “Crap crap crap” she mumbled, realization dawning on her. This is exactly what he wanted; it was his own personal mate run staring her as the prize. She reached down inside herself one last time, panic seizing her heart in a tight clamp. Come on girl, I need you. Please wake up!! But it was no use, her wolf was still incapacitated. “CRAP!” she screamed in frustration. “Damn that serum and Micah Simpson as well,” she swore.
Pushing away from a tree, she picked a direction and ran, hoping against hope it was the right way. The occasional thorn bush slapped at her, leaving scratches and welts on her skin. Looking up as she ran, she was able to make out the pale glow of the moon as it peeked through the trees, giving her a glimpse of the littered ground. She was thankful for it for without her wolf's augmented sight, she was all but blind.
Even without her acute hearing she could tell something was running right for her; running fast. She stumbled, falling to her knees then quickly scrambled back up ignoring her scraped shins. She sprinted off again, plunging through the trees trying to stay as quiet as possible without sacrificing speed. The thick trees finally thinned marginally and she found herself at the bottom of a small hill. It was covered in thick brown grass and littered with sticks and rocks. Quickly, she clawed her way up it, hissing when her fingers found a rock and two nails bent back before breaking. Sweat poured down her back and her hair hung limply, sticking to skin. Cresting the hill, she rolled over on top, laying on her back for a bit and gasped for breath. Closing her eyes, she panted then froze, when there was a snap of a branch. Quickly lurching to her feet, she crouched and peered down the hill. Thirty yards back the way she had run, she spotted two glowing eyes staring at her through the gloom. She took a cautious step back, keeping her eyes on his.
Her heart dropped into her stomach and she whimpered. One hand curled protectively to her chest, while the other reached behind her, feeling for something to use as a weapon. Micah took a step forward, stalking her silently, his lips pulled back in a grin. She began to shake, fear turning her blood, and the sweat running down her back, into ice. A soft whispered, “no” slipped through her lips as she took another careful step backward.
The beast never took his eyes off her but crouched low to the ground, stalking her silently. She licked her lip and tasted the coppery of her blood. She must have split her lip when she fell. Damn, could her luck get any worse? She took another step back, her eyes still locked on his, trying to not show the fear that had her almost paralyzed. Suddenly he threw his head back and howled and she startled. It was like she had been poked with a stick. Stumbling back, she tripped over an old log and landed hard on her butt. Immediately, she jumped up, turned and ran again as fast as she could. There was a crash behind her then she felt rather than heard the huge wolf as it topped the little hill. Ahead of her she saw a little clearing with several boulders stacked in the middle and almost cried. She had been wrong, they were on pack lands after all. That had to be Make-Out Hill. Throwing herself out of the ring of trees and into the clearing, her hand was almost on the rock when she was hit from the side and rolled over in the grass. Blinking the stars out of her eyes, she looked up into twin pools of glowing amber.
He had caught her.
“Please no,” she whispered as she scrambled out from under him.
He huffed then moved off of her. It was obvious that he was toying with her.
She felt the tears begin to fall as she crawled back away from him. “Please Micah don't do this,” she sobbed. “It's not right. Please don't.”
Her back pressed against the boulders and slowly she used them to stand up again, keeping her face turned towards him. He watched her impassively as she slowly made her way around them. Her eyes darted wildly from side to side, frantically searching for the path that led back to the compound. When she couldn't find it, it hit her; this wasn't their clearing after all. She almost screamed in frustration. Making her way to the edge of the mass, she turned and took off at a sprint once again, aiming for the woods. After only a few steps, he again leaped upon her, this time on her back pushing her to the ground. He wasn't playing this round. As soon as her stomach hit the ground, she screamed in panic. His jaws closed on the back of her neck and she howled bitterly.
“NOOOOO!!!”
.-~*~-.
As soon as Jeff gathered all available Enforcers, they shifted and sprinted into the trees in the direction indicated by Zandria. He had tried to talk Chase into staying behind, saying that it would be better if he waited in case she returned on her own, but he would have none of it. He soon realized it was a lost cause and now the healer ran with the pack with single minded determination. Having left their own lands behind, they continued to eat up the ground, running at full speed in the silent manner of their people on a hunt.
Chase's wolf growled and put on a burst of speed. Chase let him go, knowing at the moment he would be much better adapted to handle the situation than his human. Giving over to his animal had been easy, much too easy in fact and a portion of Chase wondered if the beast would relinquish control back once they found her. He would worry about that later; now they must find his mate, and soon. The longer it took, the less likely she would be found.
Pulling the air in through his nose, he sampled the scents; decaying vegetation, small game, his fell
ow pack members, but not her. He growled softly. Micah will pay for taking his mate, he'll pay with his life. Some portion of his mind rebelled against the thought of shedding blood; he was a healer, a physician, but he suppressed it. He knew without a doubt that he would gladly give up everything, his possessions, his career, his very life to ensure Carson was safe.
Chase was thrown from his thoughts by a sharp yip ahead. Silently, the pack instantly slowed to a walk, crouching and stealing through the scant underbrush. Breaking through the tree line, they stood facing a small structure squatting in a clearing bathed in moonlight. Every muscle of his body wanted to rush in, but he stayed back watching Will, Patrick and Ellis as they cautiously circled the building disappearing around the front. There was a pregnant hush as the rest of the pack waited, and then they heard “all clear” from Will inside. Chase raced to the front of the shack and shifted before walking in.
There was a wooden chair, four legs digging in the hard packed earth floor, sitting in the middle of the single room. All four walls were constructed of rough planks turned a dull grey with age and dust topped by a single filthy window perched under the eaves on one wall. Cobwebs hung thickly in the corners, except for one that contained a single bucket and a small pile of cut ropes. Chase marched over and picked up the coils and bringing them to his nose, inhaled deeply. There was a hint of lilac and vanilla along with the thick cloying scent of sweat. He growled. “She was here.” Tossing the ropes down, he glanced in the bucket and saw several syringes. Reaching in he picked one up and looked at it with brows knitted.
Patrick looked over his shoulder. “That must be how he administered the wolf's bane ser...,” he stopped when he heard Jeff hiss followed by a whispered “Oh shit.”
Chase's entire body began to tremble. “That mongrel used wolf's bane on her?” His tone was low and menacing. He whirled and glared at them. “You knew and didn't tell me?”
Jeff composed himself but there was an undercurrent of barely suppressed anger. “We knew,” he looked Chase straight in the eyes, not backing down even when the melted chocolate took on a golden glow. “And this is why. You are too close to losing it, Healer. You get a hold on your wolf now or you'll be staying right here when we continue on.” He continued to stare at him, pushing his authority until Chase regained control and force his beast back down. Lowering his head slightly, he sighed, “Yes, Alpha.”
Jeff clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man.” Walking back out the door, he split the pack up into groups of four with himself, Will and Patrick heading each one. “Patrick you go north, I'll go south and Will take Chase and head east. She can't have gotten far – I'm pretty sure that this is where she was … recently.” Jeff didn't want to give out Zandria's secrets – that was her business and nobody's else. “There's no scent trail, so she's in human form. If you find anything, send up a howl. Remember that Micah is wily and has been captain of the Enforcers for longer than some of you have been alive. Be smart. Don't try to not take him alone unless a life is in danger. Just keep an eye on him and don't engage until everyone's there. Okay, let's go.”
As one, they all shifted, stretched a moment then bolted into the surrounding woods.