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  “Sam leaves tonight for a five-day trip to Washington,” Connor replied. “We’re hoping that by then we’ll have all our questions answered and our guest will be dealt with.”

  “It would be easier if we could find this Annabeth,” Trick said. “Want me to try asking around again?”

  Connor shook his head. “You’ll just make them suspicious. Especially with Shelby missing.”

  “Got the feeling they’d all see her disappearance as a bonus,” Trick replied.

  Cade bit back his growl. How could a pack not protect and cherish every one of their females, no matter if they had mixed blood or not? Shelby was petite and fragile—she should be a pampered member of their pack, not an outcast.

  “We don’t know that her cousins will feel that way. They’ve been living with her. And if the members of their pack tell them we’ve been asking questions…” Connor trailed off, looking over at him.

  “We should move her,” Cade said abruptly. They couldn’t risk her family finding them before they had their answers.

  Trick shook his head. “They’ve got no reason to come looking for her here. I never let on where I was working. All I told them was that I’d met Shelby in town, found out she was a member of their pack and followed her out here, wanting a date. I pretended to be disgusted when they told me she was a half-breed. It wasn’t hard, I was definitely disgusted by their treatment of her.”

  “Okay, so we leave her here,” Connor decided. “Gage, Hudson, and Trick, you go with Sam. Try to play nice with whichever human guards are assigned to go with you. Dylan, you continue to monitor house security while Cade and I talk to our guest.”

  “Cade? You’re going to use Cade?” Hudson asked.

  Cade didn’t blame him for being so shocked. He was surprised himself. Not that he’d had any intention of being left out of questioning her. Yet he fully expected to have to fight his way into the room. He wasn’t their best interrogator. He often didn’t understand people the way his brother and the others did.

  “Yes, I’m using Cade,” Connor said firmly. “You guys get ready to go. Dylan, the three of us will take turns watching her and looking after security around here. But you’ll do your watching from out here, understand?”

  Cade bit back a growl of denial. He didn’t want Dylan anywhere near her, even if he would be clear on the other side of the wall. But he held his protest in. What the hell was the matter with him? She was the enemy, their prisoner, he had no cause for feeling possessive.

  Maybe her bite really had been poisoned.

  *

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

  They were watching her. Those damn cameras saw everything. She had to get herself together.

  Think, Shelby. Think.

  How had they found her? And what were they going to do with her? Her cousins probably wouldn’t notice she was gone until they got up tomorrow and then they’d think she was in class.

  When they did figure out she was missing, they’d have no clue where to look. These wolves knew what they were doing, they’d waited until she’d changed and moved far enough away from the house that her cousins would have a hard time finding their tracks.

  Why hadn’t she told Sawyer what she was up to?

  Because he’d never have let her leave the house again. Owen might actually have followed through on his threat to spank her. It didn’t matter to them that she was twenty-two years old; she would always be their baby cousin.

  They’d be furious with her. Shelby didn’t want to give them any cause to regret taking her in. She definitely didn’t want to involve them in her problems.

  But how to get out of here?

  Those assholes had overwhelmed her. Even though she’d fought them, she had no chance of winning, especially once they’d knocked her out.

  When she’d awoken, she’d been in human form, stuck inside this windowless room. Shelby hated the feeling of being trapped. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths until her heart rate slowed. Opening her eyes, she forced herself to take in the room. The walls were whitewashed and austere. There was a double bed in one corner, two chairs and a table that were bolted to the floor in the opposite corner. The other end of the room housed a toilet, a small basin and an old armchair that was also bolted to the floor.

  There was nothing in here that could really help her. Everything that wasn’t bolted to the floor was worthless as a weapon. Her only hope lay in tricking her captors.

  She could do this. Her uncle had taught her to be strong. Shelby knew how to defend herself. She’d been doing it for years—all those times that members of the pack had caught her on her own, away from her cousins. She’d fought them off and survived.

  She would survive this too.

  And preferably, she’d get out of this place before she had to use the toilet. There was absolutely no privacy with that camera able to see every inch of the room.

  The door opened and she glanced up, keeping her face schooled to show her disinterest as the werewolf she’d knocked unconscious yesterday walked in. Damn, he was even more gorgeous than she’d remembered.

  Oh shit, the universe so wasn’t being fair, there were two of them?

  Shelby glanced between the two of them. The one she’d escaped from yesterday had shorter hair and as far as she could see that was the only way to tell them apart. She avoided the short-haired one’s stare, instead turning her attention to the other one.

  Bad idea.

  Instantly her body heated, her nipples pressing against the T-shirt someone had dressed her in. It was a man’s T-shirt, ending just above her knees. It could belong to either of the gorillas standing in front of her.

  She was naked underneath. Her wolf must have changed back once they knocked her out, not strong enough to keep its form when she was unconscious. Had one of them carried her in his arms, naked?

  Oh God, and why was she slightly turned on by the thought? They were the enemy. Yet the way the long-haired one’s gaze watched her, ate her up, made her think the attraction wasn’t just one-sided.

  Bad enough she’d let one of them kiss her, now she was attracted to both of them? It was enough to make a girl doubt her sanity. Maybe she should have been taking psych classes at college.

  “Who the fuck are you?” she demanded, not about to show them any fear. “Where am I? You had no fucking business grabbing me like that!”

  The one with longer hair glanced over at the wolf she’d encountered yesterday. “Got a mouth on her.”

  She bit back the need to explain that she always swore when she was afraid. It was a defense mechanism, an attempt to make herself appear tougher. The short-haired wolf nodded, staring at her angrily. He sat in one of the chairs. It creaked beneath his weight.

  They were both giants, gorgeous, sexy, deadly giants. Her breath grew faster the longer she stared at them, the sudden urge to lick those muscles beneath their tight T-shirts catching her by surprise.

  Get a grip!

  She folded her arms over her chest in an attempt to hide her stiff nipples. The long-haired one growled quietly. What was his problem? She glared at him.

  Shit, what was she doing? She didn’t need both of them against her. She might be able to play one off against the other and the short-haired one certainly wasn’t going to be on her side after she’d made him look like a fool yesterday.

  The longer-haired one reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue light. He walked around the room, pointing the light like a flashlight.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in confusion. Was this some tactic to make her talk? It wasn’t much of a torture device.

  “Looking for old bloodstains.”

  She gaped at him before turning to the seated werewolf who was watching her intently. Yesterday, his eyes had danced with humor and sexual interest. Now, they were hard, cold.

  “Is he trying to fucking scare me? Because he’s doing a crappy job.”

  Not really. She’d already been scared and his strange behavior j
ust added to her unease.

  “Nah, that’s just Cade being Cade.”

  “All clear.” She could swear she heard disappointment in Cade’s voice.

  “So what were you doing on private property, spying on a United States senator?” the short-haired one asked her.

  “I was bird watching. And I didn’t see any signs.”

  Cade leaned back against the door and folded his arms over his wide chest. Oh hell, his biceps stretched his T-shirt, making her mouth water.

  “Those binoculars you had aren’t typically used for bird watching,” Cade said.

  “Those binoculars are mine. I want them back. They’re expensive.” Plus they made a good weapon.

  The short-haired one snorted and rubbed his head. “I don’t think so, sweetheart. I like my head exactly where it is. Not that you’ll get the best of me twice.”

  “Oh, you don’t think so, asshole?” she asked smugly.

  “No, because now I’ll be watching my brother’s back,” Cade interjected. “If you’re sandwiched between us, there’ll be no room for any mischief.”

  Sandwiched between them? My God, the images that produced. She shook her head.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. The two of you aren’t getting anywhere close to me.”

  Although how she would stop them, she didn’t know. But she’d fight to the death before she’d let them rape her. Feeling extremely vulnerable, Shelby wished she at least had some more clothes on. If they decided to attack her, it wouldn’t take much to get her naked.

  “You’ve gone from arousal to fear.” Cade frowned as he stepped forward, away from the door.

  “I am not aroused!”

  He grinned. “You were.” Then he sobered. “But now you’re afraid. Why?”

  “Why? Are you kidding me? You kidnapped me, brought me here against my will and now you’re holding me here just because I did a bit of accidental trespassing.”

  Cade tipped his head to the side, his longer hair brushing his shoulder. “And you think that means Connor and I are going to hurt you? We don’t hurt females. Did the males of your pack harm you? Your cousins?”

  “What do you know about my cousins?” she asked, suddenly petrified. What if they took her cousins as leverage? What if they hurt them? No fucking way. “You stay away from them, they know nothing about this.”

  “Then tell us what we want to know,” Connor said as his brother continued to frown at her. “What were you doing watching Senator Garrison’s house, Shelby?”

  They knew her name? Of course they did. They knew where she lived and about her cousins. God, how much more did they know? Were they just toying with her?

  “I’m not telling you a fucking thing.”

  “You will,” Cade said in a dark voice.

  She looked at him in surprise. “I thought you were playing good cop?”

  “You got it all wrong, darlin’. Connor is the nice one.”

  Yeah, she wasn’t so sure. “You said you don’t hurt women.”

  “There are ways to get you to talk that don’t involve harming you,” Connor said, his gaze growing intense as he stood and stepped toward her, crowding her into a corner.

  Shelby placed her hands against his shoulders, trying to shove him back. It was like trying to move a brick wall. Connor grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head, holding them there.

  Stupid! Why had she let him get so close? She wriggled, trying to get her legs free, but he had them pressed against the wall with his lower body. She was trapped, helpless. Panic started to overwhelm her. Then he leaned forward and took her mouth with his. The panic was quickly overtaken by need. She tried to resist him. It worked for all of thirty seconds before she relaxed back against the wall, her tongue tangling with his, her resistance completely melted by passion.

  Connor cupped her breast, squeezing it lightly. There was an answering rush in her pussy as cream moistened her folds.

  Expertly, Connor plucked at her nipple until it was standing stiff and firm against the T-shirt. Shelby whimpered and tugged at her still-bound hands, wanting to touch him. The feel of being captured only added to her arousal.

  Connor moved his head back, staring down into her face intently.

  “Who do you work for, Shelby? Who sent you?”

  What? Why was he asking her this now?

  Her head fell back with a groan as he forced his large thigh between her legs, lifting her slightly in the air so her toes just brushed the ground. The heat from his thigh burned her pussy.

  “Connor,” she groaned, needing more.

  “Tell me, Shelby. I’m not angry at you, sweetheart. They were using you. It’s them we want. Tell me who you’re working for and I will take care of your every need. Tell me.”

  “No one,” she groaned, telling the truth. “Just me. All me. I want that bastard dead.”

  Connor’s gaze froze and he glared down at her. Shelby looked up at him in confusion as he stopped playing with her nipple.

  What was happening?

  Reality seeped through and she realized she was practically humping him, begging him to take her. What the hell was she thinking?”

  “Let me go,” she demanded, disgusted by how breathy her voice sounded. “Now!”

  “I don’t like being lied to, sweetheart,” Connor said in a low, dark voice. If she hadn’t been so angry, she might have been afraid of the fury in his gaze, the cold promise of retaliation. “The next time you lie to me, you’re going over my knee and I’m turning that ass bright red.”

  “Let. Me. Go.” She spat the words out through clenched teeth, matching him glare for glare.

  He stepped back and it was only the wall behind her that stopped her from disgracing herself and falling into a heap at his feet. She leaned back, trying to catch her breath. Her body still ached, wanting more. Even her wolf protested.

  The wolf wanted Connor, badly.

  But Shelby was in charge, not her wolf, and as she gained some control over her body, she began to realize exactly how stupidly she’d behaved.

  “So you don’t hurt women, but you rape them?” she spat out, staring over at Connor where he now leaned against the opposite wall. Cade stood between them both, just watching.

  Connor’s eyes flashed to an amber color, his wolf shining through. His stare made her want to submit, to lower her eyes. Her wolf whimpered, but not in fear, in heat, in need.

  “Sweetheart, there’s no way in hell I would ever rape you. I could smell your arousal, so don’t even try to pretend that wasn’t consensual. You were grinding your pussy against my thigh. You were practically begging me to take you.”

  Humiliation welled up inside her. He was right. What kind of slut was she? She had never reacted to another man like this.

  “Just let me go,” she snarled. “I am never going to tell you what you want to know.” She already had, but they didn’t believe her. That was their problem. Obviously they thought she was some lackey, following someone else’s orders.

  Let them.

  She wasn’t telling them another damn thing.

  Connor straightened and his power filled the room, nearly bringing her to her knees. Damn, his wolf was strong, maybe even stronger than Sawyer’s.

  “Connor,” Cade said in a calm voice. “Let’s go. We could all do with some air.”

  She stared at Connor’s chin, unable to meet his gaze. With a growl, he turned and unlocked the door, storming out. Cade turned to her.

  “I couldn’t tell if you were lying or not,” he said, watching her.

  Shelby lowered her face, letting her hair fall forward, not wanting to give him any clues.

  “Normally, I’m very good at detecting a lie. But your heart rate was already elevated and your pupils were dilated with arousal.”

  She kept her breath steady.

  “See you later, Shelby.”

  “Come any time,” she said sarcastically. “I’m bound to be here.”

  She raised her gaze when
he didn’t say anything. He was staring at her questioningly.

  “Of course you’ll be here. Where else would you be?”

  He turned and left, the door locking behind him.

  Where else indeed?

  Cade nodded at Dylan as he moved into the other room. “Keep watch over her. I’ll come back to relieve you later.”

  “I’ve set things up so she can be watched from anywhere. I’ve emailed you the link, you can log in through your tablet. I thought I’d go upstairs so I can keep an eye on the security cameras at the same time. Plus, the internet is faster up there.”

  Cade looked at the locked door. He’d prefer to have someone close by, but he knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

  He nodded. “Go. Give me two hours then I’ll log in. I’ll keep watch overnight.”

  Cade walked through the house to the gym where he knew his brother would be.

  Sure enough, there he was, T-shirt stripped off so he was wearing only jeans, pounding at the boxing bag.

  Cade strode over and held the bag, waiting until Connor had exhausted himself.

  “Fuck.” Panting, rivulets of sweat pouring down his face, Connor stepped back and leaned over, his hands resting on his knees. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much where that scene was heading. Toward a good fuck.” Cade grabbed a hand towel, throwing it toward his brother. Getting the cleaning spray and another cloth from the cupboard, he wiped down the punching bag.

  He refused to use the gym; he didn’t trust the humans to wipe the machinery down after they’d used them.

  “I damn near lost control of the situation, Cade. I was just going to play with her a bit, seduce some answers out of her, instead the minute I got my mouth on hers, my brain retreated and my dick took over.”

  “Understandable.”

  “What?” Connor stood and looked at him incredulously as Cade handed him a bottle of water. Sam kept his gym well-stocked. “Understandable? You’re the one who’s always telling me that emotions have no part in our job.”

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t feeling particularly emotionless when I was around her. Watching the two of you together, it was hot. If things had progressed any further, well, I don’t know that I could have stopped myself from joining you.”