A hand closes around my ankle, and I scream, jerking and smacking my head on the ceiling. I twist to see who grabbed me, but my own body blocks my view. I try to kick free, and for a moment, I almost succeed, but then two hands grip my hips, lifting me from the perch and pulling me out.
Garrett. Only a shifter is this strong.
I slide down his hard, muscled body. Landing on the ground, I face two hundred pounds of disgruntled male. "What did I tell you about running from a wolf?"
My nipples are hard from dragging down his chest. His clean scent lures me in, reminding me of the night he carried me up to his apartment and spanked my ass pink. I must be nuts, because half of me hopes he'll punish me that way again. I draw in a shaky breath. "It was worth a try."
He quirks a brow, slipping his arms around me and pulling me close to his hard frame.
I stifle a moan.
"Listen, I know I'm an asshole to drag you down here. I know you're freaking out. But you can't run away from me. My wolf will chase, and that could be dangerous for you. Besides, I need your help." He stabs his fingers through his hair, leaving it rumpled.
His emotions are palpable to me. I never considered myself empathic in addition to clairvoyant, but with him, it seems I am. "I-I don't even know where we're going."
He brushes a lock of hair back from my eyes. "We're going to San Carlos, where my sister disappeared this morning. She's a werewolf, too, and she vanished into thin air."
"But... who can kidnap a werewolf?"
His jaw tenses, but he draws in a slow breath and exhales. "I don't know. But we need to find her. Soon."
The image of a terrified wolf lying on her side, surrounded by men flashes before my eyes. Ice floods my veins.
Garrett is telling the truth.
~.~
Garrett
I toss Jared the keys. "You drive." I lead Amber to the backseat and climbing in beside her.
I pull out my phone and open the photos on it, scrolling through until I find one of my sister and show it to Amber. "This is Sedona. She went out for a run on the beach and didn't come back."
Amber looks at the picture and nibbles her lip. "You think I'll be able to figure out where she is?"
"Will you just see if you get anything? Anything at all?"
She stares at the phone but doesn't seem to be looking at the picture. Her eyes are unfocused.
I force down a stab of frustration and wait.
Finally, she says in a shaky voice, "What if I see something you don't want to know?"
"What do you see?"
She looks past me out the window, a haunted expression in her eyes.
"What?"
"I saw a white wolf, on her side, suffering. Surrounded by men."
My wolf nearly breaks out of me. My whole body shakes with the almost change. My growl vibrates through the car.
I blink, but when I look over, Amber's almost in Trey's lap.
"Stay quiet, eyes down," he whispers to her.
Why the fuck is she in his arms?
I reach out and haul her into my lap. "I said don't touch her." My voice is choked with wolf.
"You scared her, boss." Trey keeps his own eyes lowered, his voice quiet and even. "Don't fight him," he warns Amber, and I realize the little human is struggling in my arms.
I ease my grip. "Sorry." One last inhale of her signature Amber scent, and I let her slide off my lap to her seat.
She starts to raise her gaze but drops her eyes again, holding still like a rabbit who thinks she can't be seen by the hawk above.
I unclench my fists and reach out to stroke her hair.
She doesn't move. "I told you. No one wants to know the things I see."
"No, I do." I'm about to apologize again, when I catch the scent of her tears. My wolf whines and backs down. It's almost a relief not to feel the power of the animal clamoring for freedom. As my brain and logic return, I'm flooded with sympathy for this sweet human who obviously considers her gift a curse. How she's suffered for this skill. The need to protect and care for her outweighs the danger facing Sedona, which I can do nothing about at the moment. I cup her chin with a gentle touch and lift her face. "You've seen a lot of things you wished you hadn't," I guess, keeping my voice soft, sympathetic.
Her eyes fill with fresh tears. "Yeah."
"Tell me." I sift my hand through her hair, releasing more of her scent. I don't want to drag her through bad memories, but I know she doesn't share much of herself with others. Maybe getting it out would help.
She shakes her head, shoulders slumping. "All kinds of things. Werewolves, for one thing." Her lips twist into a wry grimace.
"Yeah, I think we've covered that."
"I saw my high school English teacher's husband beating her up, the rape of a friend. I see people's traumas, their worst secrets. It's a fucking curse. I have a recurring dream of a puppy standing in blood." Tears fall down her face. "And every time I have it, someone dies. First my dad. Later, my mom. Then a social worker. When I was little, I thought I made it happen."
I slide my arm around her shoulders and pull her in close. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. That's terrible."
She sniffs. "Yeah. I only see bad things-" she breaks off, staring at me, her eyes wide, and all the air leaves the Range Rover.
"You think I'm a bad thing?" I guess, my organs turning to stone.
She swallows and studies the tattoo on my hand.
Maybe I am bad for her. Fuck. The fact that she knows about us puts her at risk from any vigilante pack member who gets nervous about her. The fact my wolf wants to mark her with his teeth puts her at risk of being shackled to me for her whole life or, worse, dying from infection or bleed-out.
But I'm not going to let anything bad happen to her. No matter what.
"You see secrets," I say firmly. "Shifting is mine. Doesn't mean I'm going to harm you, baby." Even as I speak, I doubt she will believe me. I strong-armed her into coming with me. I've kept her on edge to win her silence.
Her gaze drifts out the window of the car, her expression blank.
Damn. I fucked everything up.