Page 48 of The Protector’s Heart

Acksel was behind the wheel; Malachi climbed into the backseat. The engine roared as Acksel raced from the alley, turning sharply and following the SUV. Malachi’s phone buzzed, and he looked at the screen. Nila’s name came across it.

“Sweetheart?”

A male snorted. “Sorry, lover boy, but I ain’t your sweetheart. Back off or we’ll throw the human out of the SUV.”

“Don’t hurt her.” He ground the words out between clenched teeth.

“If I have to tell you to back off again, she’s going to pay with her life.”

The call ended and Malachi quickly pressed a button on his phone to trace the call. His heart pounded in his ears as he told Acksel to stop driving and watched the program as it loaded her location.

The dot burned steady on a map for a few seconds and then blinked out, and he knew that they’d destroyed her phone.

“She’s headed toward the park,” Malachi said.

“Let’s go get your mate,” Acksel said, his voice a dark growl.

* * *

After Tanner, one of Damien’s cronies, had approached Nila, she knew something was up and she wasn’t going to see Jack or Damien in front of the old movie theater. Maybe Damien sent her there to humiliate her, forcing her to re-live one of her least favorite moments, when they’d had sex for the first time in the back row of one of the deserted screening rooms, and the manager had caught them. Damien had been furious at the manager for the interruption, and while Nila had tried hurriedly to right her clothes, Damien had given the human manager a few good punches and sent him scurrying away. She’d been impressed that Damien had defended her like that, but now she saw it for what it was—he’d just been pissed that he’d been interrupted by a human.

Tanner had thrown her into the back seat of the SUV and pushed her face into the seat as his bulky body pressed against hers. Panic had clawed at her as she fought to breathe, and then he’d added to the fear that rode hard through her by tugging on her clothes. She’d kicked and struggled, her lungs burning and lights sparking before her eyes as he dug her cell phone from her pocket and then eased up from her. While she caught her breath, he tied her hands behind her back, then lifted her up and shoved her over the second row of seats into the storage area. Without use of her hands, she’d been unable to stop herself from landing hard, her head cracking against the floor.

As her head spun and her ears rang, she heard Tanner talking to someone and telling them to back off. Malachi! Tanner’s warning to Malachi made her blood turn to ice. How could he find her if he couldn’t follow her?

Something crunched loudly and a window was rolled down, letting in a blast of freezing air. She didn’t have to see it to know that Tanner had destroyed her phone. The SUV stopped suddenly, and Nila groaned as she rolled toward the back of the SUV, unable to stop herself. She kicked both legs out, barely preventing herself from being flattened against the back door.

She thought the back door would open, but instead someone fisted her hair tightly and began to pull her over the seat. She screamed in pain as Tanner used her hair to drag her into the second seat. Tanner hooked an arm under her and jerked her out of the truck, throwing her to the ground. She rolled with a sob as her body impacted hard, the jolt making her bones rattle.

Gasping for breath, she heard Jack cry, and everything inside her froze.

“Get up, bitch,” Damien said. She looked up and found him standing in the center of the park just outside of Dorlan, the place where his pack gathered for meetings. Scrambling to her knees, she struggled with the rope tying her wrists, but it was tied too tightly. Already her fingers were numb.

With some effort, she managed to get to her feet. She glanced around, looking for Jack, but didn’t see him.

“Where is my son? I showed up where you asked me to.”

Damien moved so fast she couldn’t track him. He was suddenly in her face, gripping her throat and digging his fingers into her neck. He lifted her off the ground and she kicked out, never touching him.

“You never could follow directions. I said you had to come alone. Did you really think I wouldn’t know those human-loving wolves would come along and try to screw things up? You’re mine, and no one is going to take you from me.”

She opened her mouth, but he tightened his grip and she wheezed but couldn’t form any words. He lowered her to the ground and eased his grip, but his hand remained wrapped around her throat, as if he wasn’t done reminding her that he could kill her.

He snapped the fingers of his free hand. The wolves who were standing around watching parted and a young woman came forward, carrying Jack on her hip. Nila jerked, trying to push past Damien to get to Jack, and his hand tightened on her throat again.

“Now, now, bitch, don’t think I’m going to give you back the kid so quickly. Maura is going to take care of Jack while you make up for your sins on your knees.”

Jack’s face was wet with tears, and he wasn’t wearing a coat. She whimpered as Damien increased his hold on her throat and then he relaxed it again. Her eyes blurred with tears as she watched Jack reach for her, “Mama,” he pleaded.

Gasping in a breath, she said, “It’s okay, baby.”

Damien gazed at her with cold eyes. Had he ever really cared about her? Why had he stayed with her for so long when all she could see now was his hatred?

“Is it, Nila? Is it really going to be okay?” he said, a sneer twisting his mouth into something gruesome.

“Please don’t hurt him, Damien. I’ll do whatever you want,” she said, sniffling and wishing desperately that she could wipe her eyes. It was so cold that the tears were freezing on her cheeks.

“You’ll do whatever I want anyway, bitch. You’re not in control here, I am.” Damien motioned to Maura and she turned to carry Jack away, when Jack suddenly shouted, “Carrot!”

---