Trusting Red (Forever Wicked 9)

Trusting Red (Forever Wicked)
Second Edition
Kaylee Grayson
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2012 Kaylee Grayson

"Something you want to tell me, husband?"

Braeden's face, flushed from lovemaking, drained of color. "Melana?" He scrubbed a palm over his eyes as though he couldn't believe the signals they were sending to his brain. "It's really you."

"Have you gone daft? Of course it's me." Melana shook her head -- her mane of sleek black hair falling over her shoulders with the motion -- and glared at Red. "Who's she?"

Jonah stiffened, praying Red wouldn't answer. It would be better for her if she said nothing at all, maybe pretended to be mute, or slow, or both. She didn't know Melana, wasn't aware of her cruelty, her need for blood. To Red, the woman would appear harmless, but the illusion wouldn't last long. Melana would show her true colors shortly, he was certain of it.

"My name is Red."

Jonah cringed. He straightened to his full height as his inner wolf rose from its slumber and went on full alert. If he needed to shift, he'd do so in a split second.

"Red." Melana echoed the name slowly, as though testing the way it felt on her lips. She took a step forward, and the dozen wolves surrounding her glided along as though they were an extension of her body. "Do you often fuck men who belong to other women?" Her voice was soft, unnaturally calm, but Jonah could sense her barely restrained rage threatening to break through.

Braeden must have heard it too because he shot to his feet and moved to stand beside Jonah. Together, they barred Melana's path to Red.

"I am no longer bound to you." Braeden ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "You gave up any claim you had on me when you turned. I am not yours."

"Neither am I," Jonah said. He fisted his hands at his sides. "I left your den, remember? I wanted nothing to do with your ways, or your pack."

For a moment, Melana didn't move, didn't speak, didn't even breathe. Jonah braced himself for her fury. His skin began to ripple, his inner wolf preparing for one hell of a fight. He had no illusions he'd be able to take on twelve wolves and an angry she-bitch, even with Braeden's help, but he'd do everything in his power to make sure Red got away before he went down.

And then, Melana laughed. The sound was eerie, filling the forest clearing with her madness. It held no humor, just a brisk certainty that made Jonah's blood run cold.

She turned her back on the trio and faced her wolves. "Bring them. By force, if you must. If they won't come willingly, kill them all."

Red gasped and sank her nails into Jonah's shoulder as she plastered her body against his back.

Two of the wolves standing closest to Jonah bared their fangs. Black fur covered their muscular bodies from head to toe. Saliva dripped from their jowls, and their eyes shone with unmistakable hunger.

His own wolf reared up and clawed at his chest, demanding release. Adrenaline surged through his body, quickening the shift. From the corner of his eye, he saw Braeden's mouth elongate into a muzzle. They'd fight together.

Die together.

But if they died, so would Red. Melana held grudges, and even if Red got away now, she'd only be alone in an unforgiving forest. How long before Melana or her minions caught up to her and finished what they'd started?

"Wait!" Jonah's cry rang out through the clearing.

Braeden paused in mid-shift, his face a strange mixture of animal and man. His forehead twitched, and a muscle pulsed in his jaw. Jonah understood how much effort it took Braeden to maintain control over his raging wolf, and yet the man trusted Jonah enough to let him take the lead. The knowledge gave him even more strength to do what had to be done. He squared his shoulders and cleared his throat.

Melana didn't turn around, but she stopped amidst her wolves. With her head cocked, she waited.

"It's us you want. Braeden and me. Let the girl go, and we'll come willingly."

Braeden's eyebrows lifted. The expression on his half-human face clearly said, like hell we will. Jonah shook his head slightly, hoping Braeden would once again follow his lead.

"And if I don't?" Melana asked, finally spinning to face them.

"Then we'll fight."

"And you'll die."

A growl slid from Braeden's throat. "So we will."

"But then you'll lose us, and you don't want that, do you?" Jonah was bluffing, gambling on the fact that she wanted them more than she let on. "Why deny yourself the pleasure of toying with us?"

Red tightened her grip on his shoulder, and the contact made every muscle in Jonah's body stiffen. "Don't do this," she whispered.

It took all of Jonah's self-control to ignore her and focus only on Melana. "Do we have a deal?"

She narrowed her eyes and regarded him shrewdly, but didn't answer.

Jonah's heart thrummed an insistent rhythm in his chest, and his pulse pounded in his ears. His wolf raged inside him, begging for battle. Jonah sank his rapidly descending claws into his palms, keeping the shift at bay a little longer. "Deal?" he repeated through clenched teeth.

At last, Melana shrugged. "Ah, why not? The girl means nothing to me."

She was lying. Her calm outward appearance didn't fool Jonah. The fury tightening her lips caused grooves to deepen along the sides of her mouth, and gave away the jealousy thrumming within.

"Then let her go. Now."

"I won't run away like a coward," Red protested. "I'll find you. I swear I will. I found you once --"

Jonah spun on his heel and grabbed her by the upper arms so hard that her teeth slammed together, and the rest of her words vanished into the morning air. "You'll do no such thing. You'll run harder and faster than you ever have before, and you won't rest until you're far away from here. You hear me?" He stopped just short of shaking her, but his claws dug into her skin, and a drop of flesh blood blossomed on the surface.

She shook her head again, stubborn to the last. Her nipples pebbled in the after-dawn chill, and Jonah gritted his teeth to keep from staring. He needed to stay focused, and she was a distraction he couldn't afford.