Page 53 of Their Shared Mate
“I slept very little last night. I’m getting a migraine.”
Jason must have heard her because he moved over to where she sat. “Go home. Get some sleep and feel better.”
“Thank you.” She casually walked across the room and put on her coat. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jason and several others waved goodbye as Claire fought back a triumphant grin. She needed to slip out the back to avoid her unwanted escorts, but they weren’t expecting her to leave until the end of the day. She crept around the back of the building and cut diagonally through connecting yards until she reached the designated row.
Thrilled with her progress, she jogged toward the cabin Phil had indicated. It was late afternoon, yet the overcast sky made her surroundings rather gloomy. The cabin looked slightly larger than the ones flanking it. The front door required a palm scan, so she moved to the row of casement windows. Each window had a simple, rotating lock that she could easily disable. The contradiction made her shake her head. Why bother with biometrics, if a thief could simply climb in through the window?
She could see the living room through one of the windows, but the others were shuttered. Each was large enough for her to fit through, but just barely. She looked up and down the walkway. No one was around. Still, crawling through one of the front windows was a little too obvious for her peace of mind. Claire made her way around to the back of the house. There was another row of cabins behind Gabriel’s, but the buildings were arranged back to back.
Her pulse accelerated and her hands began to shake. She looked in one direction and then the other to make sure no one was around. Pulling out her trusty pocketknife, she unfolded the small blade and slipped it between the window and its frame. She rotated the lock and pulled open the window. The shutter was closed, but a firm shove snapped the thin latch, giving her access to the building. It took some serious contorting to climbthrough the small opening, but Claire soon found herself in a nondescript bedroom. There were no clothes or personal items indicating that the room was in use. How odd.
She paused, listening carefully to make sure the males hadn’t returned while she was at the lab. Silence greeted her, so she crept across the bedroom and eased open the door. The living room was empty, the kitchen unused. Maybe she was in the wrong cabin.
Frustrated by the possibility that she was wasting her time, she pushed the door open and made her way across the living room. All the cabins she’d been in had similar floorplans. This one was different. The kitchen and one bedroom were arranged on one side of the structure, while two additional bedrooms and the bathroom had been built along the opposite wall. A loft had also been added above the bedroom/bathroom side of the cabin. This had to be Gabriel’s cabin. It was bigger and more complex than any of the others. But did Patrick live here too?
Claire reinforced her courage with a deep breath, then started toward the next bedroom. A quick glance inside revealed that it too was empty, so she made her way to the final possibility. Tension gathered in her belly. If Heather wasn’t here, there wasn’t much Claire could do to protect her.
A rush of emotions overcame Claire at the thought. Her attempts to protect others had been utterly useless. Why should Heather be any different? A montage of unwanted images followed. She saw her brother’s death in grisly detail, the disbelief in his gaze, then the pain and horror. The night Dawn was claimed came next. Claire had spent almost a week trying to convince Dawn she was safe, that the wolves would not touch her. And then she’d been stripped naked in front of everyone. She’d been spanked and ruthlessly aroused. When her mates finallymounted her, she’d been wild for their cocks, but Claire knew guilt and regret would overtake Dawn once her heat subsided.
And now Heather. Claire’s lips began to tremble, and her hand shook as she reached for the doorknob. She’d promised Heather that she would return to the feline village, and Patrick would never know she’d been here. Once again, Claire failed. Heather was in the hands of her enemy, and Claire had to make it right.
The knob felt cold beneath her palm, but it wouldn’t turn no matter how hard Claire tried. Her heart lurched and she knocked on the door. “Heather?” She knocked louder. “Heather, are you in there?”
The front door opened, and Claire gasped. Spinning around, she faced the intruder and her hopes for a rescue sputtered out.
“How the fuck did you get in here?” Gabriel growled. His brows drew together, and his orange gaze stabbed into hers with obvious disapproval. One of his eyes was swollen nearly shut and a dark bruise marred his jawline. He’d clearly been in a fight, but who was his opponent?
“Where is Heather?” she responded, refusing to cower before his thunderous expression. These males had promised protection and respect. Instead, one of them had kidnapped her close friend.
Patrick moved onto the porch as Gabriel stepped into the cabin.
Claire’s emotions surged as she saw Heather’s nemesis and her hands balled into fists.
“Go home,” Gabriel ordered. “Leave right now and I’ll forget where I just found you.”
“Where the hell is Heather?” The question was a demand this time. She looked at Patrick, glaring openly. “Where did you take her?” Gabriel reached for Claire, but she twisted away. “I want to see her. Right now!”
“This has nothing to do with you,” Patrick warned firmly. “Now go home.”
“Heather is my friend,” Claire objected. “If she’s being abused, it is very much my business.”
Patrick’s jaw clenched and then released. He looked at Gabriel and asked, “Are you going to take care of this or shall I?”
“Raphael is on his way,” Gabriel told his second. “Just ignore her until he gets here.”
Claire gasped, infuriated by their rudeness. All she wanted was the assurance of knowing that Heather was unharmed.
Patrick walked to the couch and sat down. He unzipped his jacket and turned his head so he faced away from her.
Walking over to the end table, Claire grabbed the lamp. She was beyond caution, no longer cared about consequences, but she would not be ignored! Drawing back her arm, she heaved the lamp at Heather’s captor.
The lamp hurtled past Patrick and crashed against the wall. Shards of pottery showered the couch, several drawing blood on Patrick’s arm. He pushed to his feet and glared at Claire. “Does throwing things at your mates motivate them to give in to you? You’re acting like a child.”
“A spoiled, undisciplined child,” Gabriel added.
A perfunctory knock announced Raphael’s arrival. He pushed open the door and stepped into the room. Raphael assessed the scene with one sweeping glance then his penetrating gaze settled on Claire.
