Page 1 of An Uncertain Claim

Chapter One

Peyton

“Looking for this?” a soft, familiar voice asked.

My stomach rolled at the sound as recognition slammed into me. The hand. It sported scars that had been made by my claws.

A scream tried to rip from my lips, but nothing came out because a hand came from behind me and clapped over my mouth.

“Hello, puss.”

My heart skipped a beat and my stomach rolled as fear clawed its way up my throat. Bile filled my mouth and I gagged, but the killer who’d been hunting me didn’t remove the hand covering it. “Don’t you dare vomit, puss,” he hissed in my ear. The warmth of his breath on my skin sent shivers of revulsion racing through me. My panther hissed and spit, scratching at me, wanting out, but I warned her off. Luckily, she listened.For now.

He sounded so repulsed by the idea that I almost wished I could force it, but until I figured a way out of this, I decided not to piss him off.

How the fuck did he find me?

How did he get past the security system?

And where the hell is Sabrina?

I’d been annoyed when Nathan assigned me babysitters, but for once, I would have been grateful to have a shadow. He’d been worried about me being snatched while roaming pack territory. And yet here I was, being taken on the rare occasion that I’d done as he asked and stayed put. The irony did not escape me.

I swallowed hard and reminded myself that I’d never needed anyone before, and I was perfectly capable of saving myself. Except it wasn’t just me who needed saving. I had my cub to think about.

He slammed the phone Nathan had left for me on the counter, making me jump, and it shattered beyond repair. Then he put an arm around my middle, tightening it until it squeezed my ribs painfully.

“I’m going to take my hand away, but if you make a single peep, I won’t wait until you’re dead to rip out your organs and kill your little pussycat. Is that clear?”

I nodded and tried to suck in a great gulp of air when he uncovered my mouth, but it still ended up a shallow breath because of the way his arm banded around my chest. “I can’t breathe,” I gasped.

He didn’t move at first, but after a few seconds, he loosened the limb confining me. “Wouldn’t want you dying just yet. I have plans for you. Just like the rest of them.” He blew out a breath and began guiding me around to walk me toward the back door of the cabin. “You’re not really my type, but I’m making an exception.”

He’d said something similar when I’d inadvertently happened upon him in the middle of a murder nearly two weeks ago. I hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but after discovering that Nathan King—the powerful Alpha of the Silver Lake Pack and head of the shifter council—suspected this killer to be responsible for a series of murders, it made a little more sense. Serial killers fixated on certain traits when choosing their victims. Apparently, I didn’t fit into his mold, but as a witness, he needed to be rid of me.

“Besides, the last thing this world needs is another shifter spawn being born into it. Particularly one so tainted as the thing inside you. I just have to think. I need…” He trailed off and though I couldn’t see him, his movement suggested he’d run a hand through his hair.

The last time I’d heard him speak, he’d done so in a smooth, melodic voice—calm and collected as if he were discussing the weather. It had been bone-chilling, but this time I heard an edge beneath his words that scared me even more. He appeared flustered and his movements were erratic, and I didn’t want to do anything that would have this guy acting on impulse or going off in a rage. At least when he was being methodical, I had more of an opportunity to come up with a plan, especially if I could convince him to pontificate about his other kills. In his current state, I couldn’t predict his next move or what might push him over the line and cause him to kill me now.

“Let’s go,” he snapped. He uncurled his arm from around me and grabbed my biceps. His fingers dug into my flesh, causing the blood to rush to the surface, already showing signs of bruising. I wanted to cry out, but mashed my lips together to keep it in. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, knowing he’d get off on my pain. I used my index finger to turn the gold band on my thumb, focusing on the repetitive motion to keep my mind off the throbbing.

From everything I’d read about the murders—the records of which hadn’t exactly been well protected; a hacker half as experienced as me would have had no trouble accessing them—it seemed like this guy found sexual gratification from killing. The police had consulted a profiler and she’d labeled him a “lust murderer,” someone motivated by sexual fantasies that involved killing a human being.Though, that didn’t necessarily mean they completed the act.

I’d done my research after that, hoping to find something, anything that could help us find him before he found me.A lot of good that did me.The fact that I “wasn’t his type,” which meant I didn’t fit into his fantasy, gave me my only advantage at the moment, so I wanted to avoid pricking at his arousal.

He dragged me out of the cabin and crossed to the forest, my shorter legs causing me to stumble as I tried to keep up with him. Once we were hidden from plain sight in the cover of the trees, he paused and looked around for a moment, then began moving away from the lake, ostensibly headed for the boundaries to the Silver Lake pack land.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Out of here. I need to find a place.” He looked around and spat, “Fuck! I don’t know what possessed me to grab you without a plan. I always have a plan. Shouldn’t have listened…fucking assholes. Shit!” He threw me a look of loathing with his dark brown eyes. “This is all wrong, damn it. I’ve perfected my kills and taken care of every detail. You—” He broke off and continued tromping through the forest.

He’s out of his depth. I didn’t fit into his timeline, and my nearly black hair was a far cry from his preferred blonde. He’d apparently taken me on impulse instead of watching and waiting. Most serial killers learned their prey before committing the act of murder. Sometimes it was simple planning, and other times it became a form of foreplay. I speculated the latter applied to the man currently holding me.

As he stomped through the woods, he had enough sense to create a harder trail for someone to follow. He went one way just to circle back and go another, making it unclear which way we’d gone in the end. At one point, we crossed through a small creek trying to bring our path to a dead end, but it was too small and anyone chasing us would be able to pick up the trail on the other side.

I stayed alert and watched for anything that might give me an opportunity to escape him. My panther raged inside me, demanding to be let out so she could tear this guy to shreds. But I wasn’t ready to shift and let her at him yet. The last time his big-ass black wolf had overpowered my girl remained fresh in my mind and my scars burned with phantom pain.

From Nathan’s house, it only took about twenty minutes to reach the western edge of Silver Lake pack territory. We’d only been walking for a little under fifteen when we happened upon a small shack. I had no idea why it was there, but I imagined its purpose had nothing to do with holding people against their will. He shoved me inside and I took in the single, open room; mostly bare, other than a couple of blankets and two basic wooden chairs.

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