The next few moments were focussed on getting free.  I was glad to discover, a little while later, that he had only given me a hickey.  It should’ve been a relief, but I was just mad.

Like the pigheaded jerk he was, he threw me over his shoulder the minute I began fighting.  I felt all dizzy at the time, in full adrenaline mode.  I had just wanted to get out of there.  It seemed that the werewolves were a threat after all.  I had every intention of running, breaking out my brother, and hightailing it out of here.  If we were lucky, we’d come down on some vampires.  I’d probably send Cam away beforehand, though.  These werewolves had just made up my mind – I wasn’t stalking vampires anymore, I was going to let them take me.

That plan had to be stalled, though, because a certain werewolf refused to let me go.  No matter how hard I pounded his back, I got no response.  There were no special fighting tactics when you were thrown over a shoulder; you were practically useless.

That didn’t mean I couldn’t use my voice, though.  I screamed at the top of my lungs, pitching it as high as I could, not caring whose attention I might be drawing.

When we arrived back at the house, everyone was inside.  They were all startled when Gunter dragged the banshee into their home.  Jared was in the living room, sitting on a couch.  He looked up the moment we walked in, looking shocked to see my state, and then guilty when I met his eyes.  He looked away.

I stopped screaming, subdued by his presence.  A plan began to form in my mind.  My earlier recklessness in marking him could come in handy now.

He took me to his room again, throwing me onto the bed.  He turned around and closed the door, locking it.  I watched him warily, getting up on my knees on the corner farthest from him.  I could easily break through the window; the one that wasn’t broken, to make it dramatic – or to piss him off.

I gritted my teeth when Gunter kept staring, his eyes narrowed with his head tilted back.

“What?”  I snapped, pissed.

He didn’t answer; instead, he crossed his arms over his broad chest.  His chestnut hair was mussed, curling dramatically around his neck.  He was clad in only ripped, old jeans, his feet bare and dirty.  He wasn’t traditionally handsome like the fae, or beautiful like the vampires.  He emanated a dangerous, roguish presence.

I didn’t like it when he stared at me like that; I felt too exposed at the moment.

I must be getting rusty.  It’s been a long time since I went for a bad boy.  But this was just ridiculous!  I felt absolutely shaken by a force as simple as his gaze.  I didn’t like it when men used their power over me.  It was a major turn-off.  I was always the one in control, making men go on their knees as they begged pleasure I would never give them

So.  I’d just apply that expertise here.

“Nice room, by the way.  All claustrophobic and that.” I stood up from the bed, deliberately stretching my arms above my head.  His eyes darkened, watching as my curvy body exhibited itself.

I bit my lip as my side gave a pinch.  My wounds had stopped bleeding, but they were only half-healed, and the stitches had torn and needed to be replaced.  I could do that myself, though.

“Excuse me, but I’m going to take a much needed trip to the bathroom.  I’ve had enough testosterone for the day.”

As I entered the en suite bathroom, I sensed him move.  I glanced behind me and observed his intentions of joining me.  I wrinkled my nose and, forcing myself to act nonchalant, I made a shooing motion with my hand.

“Oh, no, big boy.  You’re going to wait outside like the good pet you are.”

He growled low in his throat, his eyes blazing with anger.  “Careful,” he warned quietly, deliberately stepping into the bathroom.  “I am not a boy, nor a pet.” He fairly spat the word.

I rolled my eyes at him, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach at seeing his tall, broad frame swallow up the space.

“Of course you are.  I’ve got you wrapped around my finger.” My lips were stiff as I said this.  I knew I was, once again, putting gas to an unpredictable flame, but I couldn’t help myself.  Confidence and overbearing cockiness was my most famous weapon of asserting my control over men.  It worked all the time.

On men like Jared.

“Do you now?” He didn’t look amused or inquisitive at all.  The bad boys were always the hardest to seduce.  He took a threatening step forward but I stood my ground, flinging my long hair over my shoulder and facing him directly.

He looked infuriated, resentment oozing from him.  “Don’t give me that look,” I snapped, adding bitchiness to my tone.  “I don’t know what you want from me – information, perhaps? – but I will not bear this behaviour you’re insisting on.  I’ll give you the information you need, in exchange for our freedom.  That substantial enough for you?”

He raised his eyebrow, his lip firming.  I guess I just irritated him.  He raised his hand and leaned it against the shower wall, blocking the doorway.

“And,” I added, a note of exasperation in my voice, “I’d very much like to shower and get this over with.  Obviously kissing me isn’t going to work out like you figured, so let’s just get down to business.  Right after I have attended to my personal business.”

His expression didn’t change a pitch, though I sensed that I’d riled him up again.  He just kept staring at me, his eyes unusually bright.  I couldn’t read anything from him.

Giving a growl, I stepped forward, raising my head with pride.  I raised my hand and pointed to the door behind him.  “Out.”

He didn’t respond, which rose my ire.  Infuriating wolf.  He could just stand there and do nothing, and still he irritated me!  I definitely liked Jared more, if I was to judge the werewolf race.

“Out!” My voice rose, growing shriller as my anger showed.  I wasn’t easy to anger, but when someone managed it, I didn’t do a half-assed job at showing it.

“You have a very inborn dignity, which is going to be a problem.”

Oh, he did not just say that in a quiet voice.  “A problem?” I was going full-out.  Problem his ass!  “Who is the one who kidnapped us?  Who forced me to shape-change when I didn’t have the strength, who dared touch my brother just because you were too arrogant to be a sensible person?”

As I reminded myself of my brother and his beating, white hot rage flowed through me.  I tried calming myself without success.

“You killed my second.  You killed a member of the pack, a brother and son of a family.  I was only doing what was justified.”  His face was totally emotionless as he said this.

“You were the ones who decided to crowd us!”

“You were trespassing.”

“We were passing through!  Tell me, do you attack humans if they were to accidentally trespass?”

“You’re not human.  As a she-wolf, you should have picked up the signs.”

I laughed, squeezing my eyes shut.  “I’m not a normal she-wolf.”

His eyes narrowed, his pupils dilating.  “Clearly not.”

“Why did you beat my brother?”  I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in control.  I felt a pressure on my mind but ignored it.  The stress was getting to me.  My side fucking hurt, and all I wanted was to be in the forest, lost, far away from this pack.

“I did what was necessary.”

“What,” I snarled.  “To get information?  Couldn’t you have waited for one day – one fucking day – to get to that part?  Were you so excited at the prospect of torturing someone for information?”

He stayed silent at this.  I gave him a vicious grin.  “That’s the case, isn’t it?  You get your kicks out of the helpless.”

Suddenly I was against the wall and he was snarling in my face, teeth bared and elongating.  I glared at him even as a shiver of nervousness ran down my spine, the pain of my wound forgotten.

“Do not forget yourself, she-wolf.  I have never met one such as you with such insolent pride.  Your sharp tongue will be your undoing.  I will make sure of that.” He wasn’t shouting, but hissing the words.  It truly had a menacing effect.

I swallowed and tried to keep my composure.  I was strong, but he was an alpha.  I was fast, but we were in an enclosed space, and hitting him right now could be dangerous if he shifted.  And, for all I knew, he could mind-link one of his members to hurt Cam.

I knew bringing Cam on my rescue expedition was a mistake, even though leaving him behind in Faery could’ve been equally dangerous.  Our bond could be used against us if we were separated; they could’ve tortured him to tell them where I was.

But, shit, this was ridiculous.

“Why?” I made sure my voice was steady.  “What do you want?”

“You should’ve been able to answer that yourself.”

Then he kissed me.  Again.  I brought my arms up to fend him off but he grabbed them in his fists and pinned them at my sides.  I was too surprised at the tenderness of his lips against mine to give a second defensive reaction.

I’d expected his anger to transmit into aggression, but his lips were coaxing, inviting me, almost pleadingly, to join in the dance.  There was no tongue, but that didn’t degrade its intensity.

His response bounced around in my head, repeating over and over as if to assert that I knew the answer.  A fleeting fragment flitted through my mind but was lost when he nipped on my lip.

I’d kissed a lot of men, but this was… an eye opening experience.  His kiss wasn’t shallow, but retained a depth of emotion that I couldn’t evaluate, only be subjected to.  The cliché was tacky, but it was like he was putting his soul out to me, quite literally.  I felt an overwhelming need to touch him so as to anchor myself, because I was swimming in a sea of darkness and I was held in one place by a fragile string about to snap.

With a gasp I yanked away, losing the connection with his lips.  The string that held me gave a menacing tug but held.

I couldn’t stop gasping, my lungs refusing to absorb enough oxygen.  I blinked my eyes, still seeing that inky darkness in the corners of my eyes.  I started to lose my nerve when it didn’t go away, but hands abruptly gripped my upper arms, bringing back some reality.  Penetrating hazel eyes came into view, deep with passion and severe disquiet.

“What just happened?” I couldn’t bring my voice above a whisper.

I blinked again, and his face was back into that detached mask, his eyes cold.  “Nothing.”

He released me, taking a step back.  I breathed a sigh of relief; I could finally breathe again.

“Don’t think about going through the window,” he rumbled.  “My pack is patrolling close by.  You won’t surprise us again.”

He left, yanking the door closed behind him with a bang.  The bedroom door slammed behind him as he left.

I stood there for a moment, my mind blank.  What just happened?  I felt at a loss, detached from my own body.  My mind felt numb, and I thought I was going into shock.

What just happened?

Eventually I started the shower – fuck my injuries - looking out the window as I did so.  There were two guards outside my windows, none of them Jared.  Of course not.  After that episode outside, I doubted either the alpha or Jared would want him stationed as my guard.

I didn’t feel in the mood to escape, either.

I didn’t feel anything at all.