Page 16 of Kidnapped By the Wolf

I feel it when the last shreds of plastic give and almost toss the knife across the cabin when my hands spring free.

Breathing hard, I make quick work of the duct tape around my ankles and tiptoe across the hardwood.

Since I have no idea what became of my bus, I reach for Adrian’s keys instead. They’re hanging on a hook by the front door, and I take care not to jangle them.

I hold my breath as I ease the door open, but it opens noiselessly. I shut it behind me just as carefully, but then I shift my weight, and a loose board on the porch squeaks.

Shit.

I cringe but don’t wait to see if the sound woke him up. I keep moving toward Adrian’s 4Runner, yanking the door open and climbing into the driver’s seat.

My hand trembles as I jam the key into the ignition and turn. But instead of the roar of a six-cylinder engine, I’m met with a weird clicking noise.

“Fuck!” I bite out, turning the key again. But it just makes that weird clicking sound and refuses to start up.

Smacking the steering wheel, I throw my head back against the seat, heart racing as though I just ran a mile.

I was unconscious when Adrian’s goon brought me here, and the views from the cabin showed only dense forest. I have no idea where I am or how far I am from the main road. I could be miles from civilization.

I’m still weighing the risk of taking off on foot when the front door of the cabin opens. Adrian appears in the doorway wearing only a pair of sweatpants, and my insides clang together as he prowls slowly down the steps.

My heart becomes a frantic drum beat as he stalks toward me. I am well and truly fucked.

The alpha’s expression is unreadable, but then he holds something up to the driver’s side window, and I glimpse six cylindrical objects — spark plugs.

I swear loudly, and a sadistic grin spreads across his face.

Asshole.

Furious, I throw open the door — hitting him in the arm.

“Going somewhere?” he rumbles in a half growl, half chuckle.

I don’t answer. I just shove past him and head for the trees, too annoyed to go back to the cabin and breathe the same air as him.

“It’s five miles to the highway, and there are a few hundred acres of wilderness between you and the nearest forest-service road,” he calls.

I wheel around, fury thrumming in my veins. “Why bother tying me up if you’d already removed the spark plugs?”

He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, tossing one spark plug into the air and catching it in his other hand. “Chivalry.”

“Chivalry?”

He nods. “It’s cold out. I didn’t want you freezing to death if you tried to run again.”

I roll my eyes. “And I suppose youknewthat I would try to escape?”

My mind races as I consider that possibility. Did he leave the knife out on purpose? Was that some kind of test?

He makes a noise that sounds like a laugh, though I can tell he’s out of practice. “No. But I hoped you would.”

“Why?” This wolf is turning out to be an even worse kidnapper than I am a hostage.

He tilts his head to one side, studying me with eyes that still hold a hint of gold. “Because it means I was right about you.”

“What do you mean you wereright about me?” It irritates the hell out of me that he thinks he’s got me pegged.

My annoyance must show on my face, because he chuckles. “You’re a survivor.”

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