Written in the Stars: Wolffe Peak Book 3 Page 4

  At least no one had bothered her since Luis’s last visit. The metaphoric clock was ticking down to her death, and her kidnappers knew it. Hoping for rescue seemed pointless, and yet she couldn’t help it. Her father’s hands were tied—she knew that. But still, she hoped.

  The sound of the nearby door creaking open sent a flood of adrenaline through her body. Her chest tightened with fear and she shivered. It couldn’t be time already, could it? Her gut twisted with the thought. She’d heard what Luis had said, how he planned to kill her and what he intended to do with her remains afterward. Fresh terror stole her breath as her traitorous imagination ran wild, picturing all the ways he might kill her.

  No—no!—she refused to give up, to hang here, limp and useless. They’d turned her into a monster, given her strength and abilities she never thought she’d possess. She just needed to learn how to utilize them. Damn it, she could feel the animal within, scratching at the surface of her mind, hungry for freedom, yearning to tear free of her human limitations and rip out her enemies’ throats. But for some reason, she couldn’t connect with her new wild side. Something kept the beast trapped within.

  Soft footsteps approached. Jasmine frowned and struggled to lift her head. These were different from the typical clomping she’d grown accustomed to. These steps were careful and quiet. Tentative almost.

  Jasmine swiveled against her bonds to find a blurred shadow stalking toward her.

  She blinked, her lids almost too heavy to keep open, and focused on the slow-moving form. Was that… a wolf? She blinked again, convinced her mind was playing a cruel trick.

  Sure enough, it was a wolf. It made its way closer, four powerful paws cutting through the layer of blood-speckled dust covering the floor, leaving behind a set of enormous prints. She lifted her hazy gaze, taking in the animal’s limber legs and thick chest.

  But it was the cinnamon-colored fur that sucked a choked gasp out of her parched throat.

  It couldn’t be. He’d never come for her. The image before her was simply a construct of a broken mind. Because if there was one thing she knew without a doubt, it was that Harley would never come for her.

  She squeezed shut her eyes and shook her head. Such a cruel trick. She’d heard of people suffering intense hallucinations when dehydrated, but this one took the cake. It’d conjured the one person she wished for more than anything, and the one person she couldn’t have.

  When she opened her eyes, it was to the sight of the wolf jogging toward her. Her brow creased as she watched his movements. When his olivine gaze caught hers, a relieved sob scraped past her chapped lips.

  This wasn’t possible. She and Harley hadn’t spoken in years. He couldn’t be here. It had to be a dehydration-induced stupor.

  But his image never wavered.

  In fact, the closer he came, the sharper he became. With his head nearly level with hers, she could count the yellow flecks in his eyes.

  “Harley,” she croaked. “Oh my God. Harley.”

  How the hell was this even possible? He was the last person she would have expected to show up here, considering how they’d left things. And her father never would have turned to him for help. Not after everything.

  Yet, here he stood.

  “Tell me you’re actually here,” she whispered. Her head fell forward, the weight too heavy to hold up anymore. “Tell me this isn’t a trick. Please, please don’t be a trick.”

  Something cool and wet touched Jasmine’s cheek. Her eyes shot wide and her head snapped up. Something had touched her. This wasn’t a hallucination.

  Oh, God, this is real.

  Relief buckled her knees, and she slumped forward, the ropes rubbing her wrists raw.

  He was actually here. And she had no idea how to respond. Not only had she never thought she’d see Harley again, but she never imagined him taking on the role of the White Knight. Never pictured him swooping in to save her from anything.

  His tongue flicked against her cheek, a silent affirmation of his presence. Heat sprang to her eyes, but her body was incapable of producing tears.

  He touched his nose to hers, then stepped back. She flinched when his bones suddenly began to pop. Once upon a time, the sight of him shifting had enraptured her. But knowing this was something she’d soon have to experience changed everything. It was like stealing a glimpse into a very painful future, one she dreaded.

  An eternity seemed to pass before Harley returned to her side. Sure enough, it was him—all red hair, green eyes, and the smile that had once stolen her heart. She’d always believed him handsome, but it seemed as though he’d grown more so in their time apart. There was an edge to him now, a harshness to his profile he’d never before possessed. Part of her wondered if she’d had anything to do with that. And to add insult to injury, he’d filled out more, his body taut and rippling with new muscle.

  Not that this was an appropriate time to notice such things. Of course, him standing naked in front of her didn’t help her straying gaze.

  “Hey, kiddo,” he murmured. He reached for her restraints and, with a hard yank, snapped them free from the rafters, raining dust down on Jasmine.

  “What are you doing here?” she mumbled.

  He lifted a tawny brow. “Well now, that’s a dumb question, dontcha think?”

  She gave a weak chuckle, one that ended in a strangled wheeze.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked.

  She contemplated the question. They’d hurt her in so many ways, just nothing visible. Even the bite mark on her thigh had healed. “Just get me out of here.”

  Harley reached for the rope twisted around her neck. “What the hell is this?”

  Jasmine sucked in a sharp breath. “Don’t—”

  But it was too late to keep him from touching it. The second his fingers closed around the silver-imbedded rope, he cursed and wrenched back his singed hand.

  “What the hell? Silver?” An irate growl rumbled deep in his throat. “Assholes. Did they actually think I would let that stop me?”

  Jasmine bit her lip. So he hadn’t made the connection yet then. She could smell his wolf all over him, but maybe the dank stench of the cabin kept him from picking up on the new monster within her.

  “All right. Hold still. This is going to hurt me more than you.”

  Jasmine closed her eyes and held as still as possible. She knew the moment he touched the rope. The bitter scent of burnt flesh pervaded her nose, and the sound of his snarling wolf echoed in her ears. But after three hard tugs, the rope fell away from her neck and pooled at her feet.

  “Wait.” His fingers brushed her raw neck. “What the hell?”

  Jasmine winced and pulled away. She could only imagine the state of her throat.

  “This doesn’t make any sense,” Harley mumbled. “Why would the rope burn you like this?”

  “We need to go,” Jasmine uttered, hoping to distract him from the truth for a little while longer. Now wasn’t the time to explain what these bastards had done to her. Harley would lose his mind when he learned she was no longer human.

  “They’re all dead,” he said, his fingertips brushing her collarbone. “I took out three on the way in and my team is handling the rest as we speak.”

  “You did?” A fresh wave of hope crested within her. “All of them?”

  He nodded, his concerned gaze still locked on her throat. “They won’t be a problem anymore.”

  Jasmine’s knees gave out, and she sank to the floor in a boneless heap. All of them were dead. She couldn’t believe it. After countless days of wondering, hoping, and promising herself she’d find a way home, it was done. She was free.

  Harley crouched next to her, his hands gentle when they cradled her face. “You’re safe now. I promise. No one will hurt you again.”

  Safe. If only. But rather than destroy his vow, she nodded, a new heat springing behind her eyes. “Then get me the hell out of here.”

  A soft smile crossed his face. “As you wish.”

  Cuppi
ng her elbow, Harley guided Jasmine to her feet, then braced her arm around his waist to take some of her weight. Her legs refused to work, shaking as they were. Together, they made their way toward the door. It hung half-open, the planks rotted completely through. Jasmine paused in front of it before stealing a quick glance over her shoulder, if only to memorize this place. Not that she wanted to. A part of her never wanted to think about this hellhole again. But she knew that was impossible. Her entire life had changed. And she’d never forget that.

  “There are a few men outside,” Harley’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “A team your father sent with me. They’re here to help. They won’t hurt you.”

  She nodded and turned back to the door. “Just get me out of here.”

  Harley pulled open the door, about to step through, when a sudden pop sounded through the air and the wooden floor at her feet exploded.

  “Jesus!” Harley shouted. He gripped Jasmine by the shoulders and swung her around, pressing her against the dilapidated wall. Who the hell was shooting at them?

  “Your men?” Jasmine asked around a sharp wheeze, blood rushing through her veins.

  “No.”

  A single word, but one that filled her heart with dread. “You said you killed them all!”

  Harley’s mouth curled into a violent sneer, exposing a set of sharp teeth. A strange glow lit his eyes until they shone in the darkness. Jasmine gasped and leaned back, not fearing Harley’s wolf but rather, his reaction. She’d never seen him lose control quite like that before.

  Harley tilted his head back and scented the air, his nostrils flaring. She mimicked his response, hoping to pick up on something as well. But all she could smell was Harley, his wolf, and the dingy cabin surrounding them.

  “A sniper,” Harley rumbled in a deep, gravelly voice. “West of here, a mile up. Shit.”

  Sniper? What the hell? What kind of people were these?

  “Harley?”

  His gaze snapped to hers, pinning her to the wall. Gold streamed from within, his wolf so close to the surface. He’d once told her that he and his wolf were like two separate entities within one body. That he often had to reign in his wolf’s natural instincts. But from the look of it, they were one and the same. The rage on his face, the scent of his wolf’s fury, it all mixed together in her nose.

  “How many men were a part of this operation?”

  Jasmine considered his question. “Nine? Maybe ten?”

  He snapped out a curse and pressed his fisted hands against the cabin wall. “I took out three on the way in. And the rest of the team handled two more. That means there are four, possibly five men still out there. How the hell did we miss them?”

  “They come and go,” Jasmine whispered. “Alternate shifts.”

  Teeth gritted, Harley released a long breath. “Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen. I don’t have any means of communicating with the team. And I can’t leave you here to go deal with this jackass.”

  “Why not?”

  “I missed the sniper before. What if the others are out there as well? If I go to take him out, that leaves you exposed.”

  “I can handle myself.”

  He shook his head, his eyes still aglow with his wolf. “Not risking it.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the far back wall, opposite the door. Without a word, he released her hand, clenched his fist, and leveled the wall with a solid punch. Wooden splinters exploded around his hand and blood welled over his knuckles, but that didn’t stop him. Three more hits and the back wall crumbled, offering them a large hole to crawl through.

  “When I say go, you run as fast as you can. Don’t look back. Don’t stop for anything. I’ll follow after you and make sure no one closes in on us.”

  Fear gnawed at Jasmine’s gut.

  “It’ll be all right,” Harley told her. “I’ll be two steps behind you the entire way. I won’t lose you, I swear.”

  She nodded, not that it settled her nerves. The thought of dashing out into the open with one or more snipers targeting them was downright terrifying.

  “Ready?”

  She forced herself to nod again, even though every bone in her body was rooted in place.

  “Go!”

  Crying out, Jasmine dove through the hole. The first stride brought her to her knees. Days without food or water had taken their toll. Gritting her teeth, she picked herself back up and pushed onward. Now wasn’t the time to let her weakness win. She needed to be strong, needed to run. And, damn it, that was what she was going to do.

  “Go, go!” Harley urged.

  Jasmine sucked in a shuddering breath and took off at an unparalleled pace, a speed she’d never managed before. For a moment, it was nothing but exhilarating. The feel of the wind against her face, the scent of the jungle surrounding her, the taste of freedom…

  Until the first gunshot exploded at her feet. How quickly exhilaration turned to terror.

  “Move!” Harley shouted behind her.

  Jasmine packed on as much speed as her legs could muster and dove straight into the dense jungle undergrowth. For a brief moment, she believed herself safe until she felt the rush of displaced air next to her ear. That bullet had come too close for comfort, nearly taking off her head as she beat her escape into the thick trees.

  “Shit,” she hissed under her breath.

  “Don’t stop,” Harley ordered.

  She steeled her nerves and pushed harder, if that was even possible. Damn, it was hard to breathe, the warm, humid air clogging her lungs. Black spots dotted her vision and her legs wobbled, about to spill her to the ground for a second time. Harley’s hand clutched at her elbow and wrenched her forward, half-carrying her as he guided them through the brush at breakneck speed.

  “Harley, I can’t….” Jasmine wheezed.

  “A little farther, hold on.”

  Jasmine stumbled more than once, and every time, Harley was there to help pick her up. She hated feeling so weak, having to depend on Harley to keep her alive. Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she knew how to shift. Four legs were certainly quicker than two, especially when the two could barely hold her own weight, let alone keep from tripping over tangled vegetation.

  “This way,” Harley urged, his hold pulling her to a sharp right.

  What lingering light had illuminated the cabin vanished in the thicket. Darkness settled around them, hopefully shielding them from the sniper’s vision. And thankfully, the gunshots dwindled. No more bullets smacking into the bark of the trees or whizzing near their heads. Just the epic silence of the jungle when all was still.

  Harley pushed them a little farther, only stopping when Jasmine stumbled into a tangle of wet vines. Releasing a long breath, he slowed his pace to a quick walk and released her from his grip. A sense of loneliness settled into her, an absence of his touch. They’d only been together for minutes now, but she felt his presence as keenly as the monster within. And for some reason, she craved Harley’s touch. So much so that she reached out and twined their fingers together.

  Nothing like a romantic stroll through a bullet-ridden jungle.

  “All right,” Harley murmured. “I think we lost him. I can’t hear or smell anyone within proximity.”

  Jasmine nodded and blew out a tense breath.

  “We’ll continue southeast for a while longer, hopefully put some distance between us.”

  “I need food,” Jasmine commented. “And water. Anything.”

  Harley glanced back at her, his eyes still unnaturally alight with his wolf, and raked her over with a hard glance. “My pack is back with the team, but I’ll see what I can find.”

  Jasmine’s eyes fluttered shut. She couldn’t imagine going another night without any form of sustenance. The thought itself was downright torturous.

  “Hey, don’t worry, kiddo. I got this. I’ll take care of you.”

  She exhaled a slow breath in an attempt to slow her heart rate, then nodded. Her entire body was shaking and she felt lighthead
ed. Not to mention warm. Very warm. Too warm.

  “Harley…” Jasmine lifted her head and met his gaze, but for some reason, he seemed so far away. His face had blurred, and his voice seemed so quiet compared to the blood rushing through her ears.

  “You okay?” A clammy hand touched her shoulder.

  Jasmine shuddered, but before she could shake off his hand, the ground came rushing up to meet her and the world went black.

  * * *

  Luis sat back with his rifle in hand, pleased with the unfolding circumstances. Senator Pierce’s daughter had vanished into the surrounding trees alongside the werewolf shifter he’d been warned about. Harley something or other. The phone call had come in hours ago, warning them of the rescue operation. His orders were simple: let them escape. That hadn’t stopped Luis from giving them a reason to run though. A few stray bullets to keep them moving, keep them motivated to return home. No sniper worth a grain of salt would miss their target like he had. And Luis wasn’t just a good sniper, he was one of the best. American-trained, he’d made himself out to be all that he could be.

  The army had taught him well.

  Even before the call, Luis had suspected a black-ops operation. Senator Pierce had been far too easy to negotiate with. Thankfully, Luis had never given a damn about the ransom. This had never been about the money. The ransom had been a smokescreen, a means of delaying matters to give them time to obtain the shifter needed to change the senator’s daughter. A means of keeping the focus on the daughter as opposed to their real target. The senator himself. What good was money when you were fighting for a much larger cause? When you planned to be the one man who would change the world as everyone knew it? To put an end once and for all to this ridiculous shifter rights argument.

  To make such a change, a sacrifice had to be made. And the senator was just the man for the job. His daughter was simply the weapon. A weapon he’d just unleashed upon the world, cocked and ready to explode. And when she lost control….