Page 32 of Connected

Zak howls and swings again. This time he grabs Alvarez by the throat—choking him and Digby intervenes to make him let go. “Zak, Zak not yet. Not yet, Buddy. We need to get that key first. Then I promise you will get your chance with him.”

“Whoa… You iz protective, si? He your lover, si?” Alvarez coughs and blows a kiss towards Zak. Again, he can’t help but lash out, this time his fist connecting with Alvarez’s face. Blood splatters everywhere as he hits him square on the nose.

“Fuck!” Alvarez sneers as he spits the taste from his mouth.

“Go to hell!” Zak turns to check on QT—helping him to stand up. “You all right?”

Dusting himself off, QT nods then scrabbles on the ground picking up the chain and crucifix—he holds it delicately balanced on the end of his finger. “Not… not a cr-cross,” he smiles.

“Holy fuck!” Zak grins. “Now would you look at that… Diggs… Diggs look, QT’s right. It’s not a crucifix—it’s the fuckin’ key. Why didn’t we see it before? Digby, do you see it?” Overcome with excited emotion, not thinking, Zak kisses QT full on the lips. “Great spot, my little omega. See a good sniper’s eye, that’s what you need—can hit a target at a mile out or a key at fifty paces,” he grins. “Diggs, QT got it, he got the fuckin’ key!”

Digby and Kat turn around and she drops her bowl as she stands up.

Digby grabs at the chain.

“Hey Diggs, wait!” Zak quickly takes off his shirt and wraps it around the silver chain and then holds it in mid-air to look. Examining it in the sunlight, he can now see it more closely. The bottom of the cross is hollow and will fit perfectly into the tiny spindle of the lock on the collar.

“Fuck… So it is,” Digby smiles. Then he sneers at Alvarez before kicking him hard. “Looks like your times-up, asshole. We’ve got what we were looking for and that means we don’t need for you now.”

“Wait!” Kat places a hand on Digby’s arm. She stops him from doing anything more. “Just wait. I have a plan for him,” she grins. “Oh yeah. Yeah, I knowexactlywhat I’m going to do to you.”

“Okay. Well, first-things-first, let’s get that fuckin’ thing off your neck.”

She nods and leaning forward, pulls her hair on top of her head, as Digby carefully puts the key into the small hidden lock. With an almost silent click, the collar separates, and Digby nervously prepares to remove it from around her neck. His hand trembles as he struggles to grip the fiery metal without hurting her and taking a breath, he looks Kat in the eyes. “You ready?”

“Mm-hm. Yeah, just do it,” she nods. “Just get the damn thing off me but Digby… do it quick.” She takes a deep breath, “Okay, ready.”

He kisses her cheek, then—pulling the cuff of his shirt over his hand, he uses the fabric to keep a grip on the metal band. Holding it tight, he quickly slides the collar away from her skin and takes it off.

“Ahhh… fuck!” she gasps with a huge sigh of relief. The removal of the band from her around her neck hurt—a lot. But as soon as she’s freed from the metal constraint, she lifts her chin and stretches her neck.

“Oh, God… Oh, that feels so good.” The pain of removal was nearly as intense as when it was first placed around her throat. But now she feels like she can breathe again and a serene-calm returns to her body. All the heavy tension in her shoulders is gone, and she’s overwhelmed by a warm feeling, as heat again returns to her veins. The sudden rush of the hot-flush makes her unsteady on her feet, and her mind fills with thoughts she’d previously shut out. There’s an intense sensation of adrenaline pumping through her heart.

With a loud howling roar—Luna—her wolf returns.

It’s such a rush of feeling that it makes Kat feel nauseous to the point she thinks she might faint. She drains of color and she doesn’t look good.

Digby sees her distress and throwing the silver collar to the ground, he grabs at her. Holding her in his arms, he gently strokes his finger against the red-raw burn that circles her neck. He very gently presses his lips to it and gets to do what he’s longed to do since he found her—kiss the bonded-mark on her skin.

It sends a shiver through her body, and she wraps her arms around him, embracing him.

Zak smiles, watching them. A quiver of excitement courses through him as he remembers how it felt when he was embraced with the pair.

“Hey…” he smiles as he wraps an arm around QT’s neck and pulls him close by his side. “You know that was a helluva spot, you seein’ that key. I guess we owe you a large drink and maybe… maybe I could buy you some dinner when we get back—to say thank you.” Zak smiles and then turning around he stares at Alvarez. “Hey, asshole. See… nothin’ gets past a good sniper. But like Diggs said—it’s the end of the line for you—lover boy.Oh, and just so you know… a cock, the size of yours, would never have been big enough to satisfy me.”

Alvarez squirms awkwardly where he’s seated. “Wait… Wait, I help you. I give you information, si? I tell you things, things about those who are lookin’, si? You spare me?”

“What you think you know something—something we’d be interested in?” Zak drags him to his feet and his large hand grips tight around Alvarez’s scrawny neck and he stares into his eyes. “Okay then tell me, what do you know?”

“No…. Zak no. No, it doesn’t matter. Whatever he knows—I don’t care.” Kat glares, standing in front of him. “He doesn’t matter anymore. Unless you want to tell me what you did with that pup?”

Alvarez grins and a smirk fills his face. “You spare me. I tell you or you never find it.”

“No. No, you’re not getting out of this—not this time. You’ll never tell us; you’re just trying to buy time until nightfall, well it’s not gonna work.” Kat grins. “I have a plan for you. You’re going to die today. You deserve to die, for what you did. Oh, not to me, but for what you did to those others—in there—caging them up and taking their pups. I will never forgive you that.” She takes a breath as Digby and the rest of the guys move in protectively behind her.

“Kat, are you sure you don’t wanna see what he knows? Maybe he can give us some information?”

“No. No, I just want him dead. And I know exactly how he’s going to die. I’m gonna make him useful for once in his miserable damn life.”

---