Page 15 of Claimed By the Hunter

Nicole could tell she was confusing the woman. It seemed Tamara hadn’t thought it all through.

“If you let me go now, we don’t have to tell anyone anything,” Nicole said.

Tamara snorted. “No matter what, you’ll be dead by tonight. I don’t care if I don’t end up with Hunter as long as you can’t have him.”

The older woman tapped her arm and slightly shook her head. “Don’t antagonize her.”

Nicole pressed her lips together.

Malani stood up and lifted her bag. “Let’s get back, Tamara.”

Tamara glared at her and stomped out of the cabin.

Nicole waited a few minutes before reaching under the mattress to see what Malani had put there.

“Oh God,” Nicole said, looking at the Swiss army knife. It had a screwdriver, two types of knives, a wine opener, scissors, a bottle opener, plyers, and little saws. She went through the tools and started with a saw. It was tiny, but it was sharp.

She worked on the area around the bolt and tried to hide it as much as possible. She had to stop a few times when she thought she heard them coming, but she worked frantically on it otherwise.

When she heard footsteps, she shoved the knife between the mattress and the wall, brushed the sawdust off the bed, and lay down like she’d been sleeping. She wanted to appear as weak as possible.

The woman came in.

“Why is it taking so long?” Tamara asked.

“I told you before. I’ve never done anything like this, and the things I’ve read about it were vague. Neither of us knows if it’s ever been done.”

“If anyone can do it, you can,” Tamara said.

“I’m trying my best.” Malani crouched by Nicole again and opened her bag.

She caught the woman’s pleased expression when she saw Nicole had been cutting the wood. She gave her a sweet smile.

“How many more times are you going to take blood?’ Nicole asked.

“As often as we need to, whore,” Tamara yelled.

Nicole tried to act afraid and weak while she watched Malani poke the needle in. Compared with the other pain she was in, it was nothing. Nicole caught the older woman pulling a vial out that had been in it already so she wouldn’t have to take hers. Thank God she was here with her.

Malani patted her arm. “I’m sorry, dear.”

“Don’t fucking apologize to her,” Tamara screeched. “She doesn’t deserve anything but pain and death.”

Nicole listened to Tamara complain about her as they walked away. She didn’t wait and started on the bolt again.

She had sweat rolling down her face and was on the second saw because the first one broke. She knew her time was up. If they returned before she was gone, Tamara would see the damage she’d done to the wall when she could finally yank the bolt off. She scrambled up and then swayed as her headache came back. There was no time to wait. Nicole lifted the heavy chain, walked to the door, and peeked out. When she saw nothing, she slipped out and closed the door.

She had no idea where to go, so she headed toward Tamara’s car. She almost cried when she saw that she’d taken the keys. Nicole exhaled in relief when she saw the tracks Tamara’s car had made.

She started back, keeping to the trees but following the road. She had to have been walking for at least an hour when she heard a horrible howl that echoed through the trees.

Nicole started to run, but it was impossible with the chain attached to her ankle. She could feel the blood slide into her shoe from where the steel bit into her ankle.

“Oh God.” She frantically looked around for anything to use when she heard something running down the path. Nicole knew Tamara could follow her scent, so she had to do something besides hide.

She looked up at a tree. She could climb up and out of the wolf’s reach if she could brace herself up high and have a chance. She guessed the bitch would have to turn back into a woman, but at least she’d have a chance then. Her hands were ripped apart as she climbed the trunk. The chain she’d laid over her shoulder made it nearly impossible.

When she got to the limb, she climbed as fast as she could. She had to be halfway up the tree and almost screamed when she looked down into what looked like a feral wolf or one with rabies because of the frothy spit coming out of her mouth and the dead furious look in her eyes.

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