Page 38 of The Last Sanctuary
“And mine it we shall,” Vaughn said. “In due time. I’m not leaving until I see it for myself.”
Dekker’s expression tightened, like he wanted to roll his eyes in disgust, but he didn’t. He knew who was boss, who demanded his respect. “Sure thing.”
“Have a little patience. The best things come to those who wait.” Vaughn leaned forward, draped his arms across the guardrail, and stared intently into the enclosure. He had a sophisticated air about him, a civilized facade, like he might strangle you with one hand while sipping expensive wine from a crystal glass with the other.
Scorpio and Rex were his guard dogs, unthinking brutes who killed on command. Dekker, though, was something else.
Dekker rubbed his goatee, his eyebrows dark slashes over eyes black as silt. Raven had seen the look on his face when he’d shot Carl. He didn’t kill in self-defense or because he was following orders; he killed because he enjoyed it.
To her left, a branch quivered. A few dead leaves fluttered to the forest floor. Raven flinched. Without making a sound, she swiveled her head to the left.
Not five feet from her position, the black wolf crouched. She hadn’t even heard him approach. He was so dark he blended with the shifting shadows beneath the trees. Ears back, he gazed intently at the men beyond the fence. His jowls pulled back over his teeth.
Likely, Luna was nearby as well.
Stay back, she whispered to them in her mind.Stay hidden.
“Enough of this,” Dekker said. “You want to see a big-ass white wolf? I’ll draw the beast out. It can’t hide forever.”
Dekker bent and chose a loose, fist-sized rock from the path. Over the years, much of the flagstone had cracked and crumbled. Her father hadn’t had the time or the budget to get it fixed.
Drawing his arm back, Dekker hurled the rock into the enclosure. It struck the trunk of a nearby sugar maple with a resounding crack.
Vaughn laughed. His laugh was loud and boisterous, with a cruel edge. Damian flicked a questioning gaze at the man’s face, assessing his response before deciding how to react. A second later, he laughed, too.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Dekker said in a sing-song voice. “Here, doggy. We’ve got a treat for you.”
“That’s one way to do it.” Rex’s voice was deep and rasping, like he’d been smoking for fifty years—though he couldn’t have been older than thirty.
Rex seized a rock and threw it at the pine tree Raven was crouched beneath. The rock punched the center of the trunk about ten feet above her head. The branches quaked. Pine needles rained down on her hair.
Shadow growled. The low snarl rumbled from deep in his chest.
“You hear that?” Damien shouted. “It’s right there in the center of those trees.”
Raven wanted to shush him, but she couldn’t afford to make a sound. The wolf was pure predator, 100% alpha. It wasn’t in his nature to cower, to live in fear, to act the prey. She stared at Shadow as hard as she could, desperate to somehow communicate her thoughts:Be quiet. Be still. Don’t let them see you.
“We all heard it,” Rex drawled. “No need to get your panties in a wad.”
“Keep going,” Vaughn ordered. “Draw it out.”
Rex and Dekker hurled several more rocks into the enclosure. With each crack and thud, Shadow’s growls grew louder, more fierce.
She longed to touch him, to soothe him, to comfort him somehow. She didn’t dare. He was no dog. And she had zero desire to lose her fingers to those teeth. Last night was something she still couldn’t explain. But he was far from tame.
A rock struck the trunk of an elm less than a foot from Shadow’s head.
With a snarl, the wolf sprang from the protection of the trees. He charged the fence, his tail stiff behind him. He growled deep in his throat, the ruff on his neck bristling.
He looked huge, aggressive, and menacing. His jowls stretched back, revealing every one of his forty-two teeth.
Damien whistled. “Damn! There’s another one!”
“Look at the pelt on that beautiful animal, boys!” Vaughn said. “It’s gorgeous!”
Rex lifted his rifle and aimed at the wolf. “What a prize, boss. Let me do the honors.”
Raven tensed. Fear speared her chest. She longed to leap out after Shadow, to defend him, todosomething, but she couldn’t. Not yet. If she revealed herself, they would take her and do terrible things.
