Protective Instinct Read online

  As he spoke another set of headlights flashed, coming up the winding road toward them. Not police but they would be here soon enough it seemed.

  Frustration detonated inside her, but she kept her expression neutral as she gently nudged John. It was time to leave. She didn’t mind killing some idiots but if she did it would draw too much attention to her situation.

  They moved back up the road as the boys peered over the edge of the cliff. When she knew they weren’t watching, she increased her speed. Seconds later she and John slid back into her SUV.

  “That would have been a perfect opportunity,” she growled, angry that her chance for vengeance had been taken. She knew she needed to be patient, but it was growing more difficult.

  “We’ll find another one,” he said, looking behind them.

  Easy for him to say. He didn’t crave revenge the way she did. Emil had been her lover, her maker. And he’d been taken from her by some whore shifter. Worse, Emil’s brother, one of the fucking Brethren of their race, had declared that the female was off limits. Juhani had gone even further, stating that the entire Armstrong-Cordona pack was off limits. Emil’s death had supposedly been self-defense and his coven would respect that or face decades of torture before death.

  Frida called bullshit on that. Juhani just hated Emil so he was letting the death go unpunished. For three months she’d tried to put her pain out of her mind, but the sweet lure of retribution called to her. She couldn’t just walk away.

  She needed to avenge Emil. He’d turned her, given her immortality. He’d taught her how to use her body to get what she wanted and deserved out of life. He’d embraced everything it meant to be a vampire unlike that pussy Juhani. Her maker deserved to be avenged. “Perhaps we’ll try one of the other sisters tomorrow. I can order one of our humans to take her.” The one named Rosa had been working in downtown Fontana the past couple weeks according to their intel. Unfortunately Frida hadn’t been able to see for herself because she wasn’t a daywalker and most of the shifter pack in the area was on their ranch by sundown. And she would never attempt to breach their land. That would be suicide.

  She wasn’t suicidal—though she would die to avenge Emil. She’d loved him so much it hurt. Now she faced an eternity without him.

  “Tomorrow might be too soon, especially after this attack. Shifters can be very protective. They’ll likely close ranks and increase security. Our humans wouldn’t stand a chance against a shifter.” John snorted at the thought, clearly amused, sliding his hand up her thigh, squeezing possessively. “Unless of course we give them a few extra weapons.”

  Ignoring his touch, Frida hated that he was right. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel as they cruised down the dark road. She fought the urge to whip the vehicle around and head right back to where they’d come from and start killing everyone in her path.

  She imagined the bloodbath and got instantly aroused. She could drink from everyone, until she was hyped up and stronger than ever. It would be perfect. Then she could slice that shifter to ribbons and cut out her heart while she was still alive. It wouldn’t be the torture she’d planned on but still bloody.

  She’d send it to that little wolf, Natalia. The thought of the female opening that box, her look of horror as she saw her sister’s heart, got Frida even more excited. “What do you suggest we do?” she asked John, needing his advice.

  He was a couple decades younger than her, but he was strong and smart and understood battle tactics better than she did. She’d wanted to go after the female’s family right after Emil’s death, but John had convinced her not to. He’d told her it would take planning, that they’d have to learn everyone’s schedule.

  That was difficult because Natalia and her sisters didn’t seem to have a steady one, but she’d learned enough over the past few months that she was glad she’d waited. John had been right and she respected his advice. She knew the only reason he was working with her was because she let him fuck her. He was addicted to her and she was certain he loved her. Or was at least annoyingly possessive to the point he’d do anything for her. Though his feelings were frustrating, it worked for her situation.

  She’d keep using him until her vengeance was over. Then…she didn’t know what she was going to do but she wouldn’t be keeping up this relationship anymore. It was tiring. A possessive male had many good qualities, but the bad outweighed the good. She would be free to fuck whoever she wanted without his stupid obsession soon.

  “Regroup and send out some human scouts tomorrow. See how much security the other sisters have after this attack, if any. It might give us a gauge for what we’re dealing with.”

  She nodded once, fighting the disappointment surging through her. She might not get her vengeance right this instant, but she had to believe that she would soon.

  It was the only thing that got her up every night.

  * * *

  Teresa opened her eyes to see Rafael crouched over her, his dark eyes filled with concern. It took a moment for her surroundings to register as pain splintered through her mid-section. The deployed airbag had deflated, the seatbelt from the SUV was pulled tight across her and she was pretty certain she had a couple cracked ribs. And her neck was sore. Freaking fantastic.

  “We’re okay but I need to get us out of here now. Do you understand?” There was a note of urgency in his voice that cut through the haziness of her mind.

  “Yeah, okay.” Blinking, she mentally shook herself and looked out the shattered passenger side window. The bright near-full moon and stars illuminated the rocky incline they’d tumbled down.

  Something wet trickled down her face as Rafael cut her seatbelt free. Reaching up, she touched her temple and realized there was blood. The iron scent mixed with other smells; gasoline, forest, nearby animals—not shifters—and people. Not too close, but she scented and heard faint voices.

  “Teresa, look at me.”

  Her gaze snapped back to Rafael, who looked really concerned. “What?”

  “Are you with me?”

  “Yeah.” Why wouldn’t she be?

  “You hit your head on the side window and were knocked out for a couple minutes,” he said as if he’d read her mind.

  “Oh.” That wasn’t good, but depending on the impact of the crash it made sense. She was pretty certain she had a concussion. It would explain her lethargy and having lost consciousness. Luckily she healed a lot faster than humans. Unfortunately she still felt pain just the same. Right now, it was as if her body had been through a blender.

  Reaching over her, he pushed her door open, then turned away from her and slid out on his side. Seconds later he was by her door, helping her out.

  As she gingerly shifted positions, the pain in her ribs intensified but at least she was able to get out and walk without discomfort anywhere else. Well, other than her neck, but that was already starting to feel better. Thank you, shifter genes. “Did someone ram into us intentionally?” she asked suddenly, remembering what had happened. Oh God, she wished Ryan was here.

  “Yeah.” His voice was distracted as he looked up the edge of the cliff. It was steep but not so bad they couldn’t see to the top.

  From their vantage she spotted what looked like a couple police cars if the flashing blue lights were anything to go by. That was when she remembered… “I never got to call Connor.” She’d grabbed for her purse right before they’d gone airborne.

  Wincing, she leaned forward and started to get it, but Rafael reached inside instead and pulled it out for her. Instead of giving it to her, however, he hooked her purse on his shoulder. “I called him while you were unconscious. He’s on his way,” he said almost distractedly, looking up the incline again.

  “Good.” On shaky legs she stepped out farther from the open door and realized they’d smashed into a tree. If they’d been human or hadn’t had their seatbelts on, they’d be dead or at least badly injured. A surreal iciness flooded her veins. “Do you think someone’s going to come after us still?�
� Their pack had dealt with so much over the past few months, including run-ins with a group called the Antiparanormal League. But they hadn’t had any issues recently. Still, she’d learned never to let her guard down. Her heart rate elevated as she scanned their surroundings.

  “It’s possible.” His stance was tense with him in full-on warrior mode.

  Even holding her purse didn’t take away from his fierceness. Well, mostly. A twinge of pain slid through her ribs as she took another step forward. Right about now she really wished Ryan was here to hold her, to take care of her. If that made her weak, she didn’t freaking care. “If you want to head up the incline, I’ll wait here.”

  Rafael shook his head and frowned. “We wait together. Can you walk?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure about how far. And I don’t think I can make it up the hill.” Not without injuring herself further. Some humans seemed to think shifters and vampires were invincible, and while they healed a lot faster, they weren’t unbreakable. It would take about twenty-four hours for her ribs to heal completely. Which was better than three or so weeks, but she wasn’t going to make her injury worse. Not when waiting would do just fine. If he’d called Connor then she knew real help would be here soon. She hoped Ryan came with them.

  Someone shouted down to them, the police she realized. Rafael stepped forward and shouted back, letting the man know they were okay but needed help.

  Teresa was content to lean against the side of a tree for support. Whoever had run them off the road was probably long gone. Anyone who struck out like that was a coward, but what if they were waiting for her and Rafael? What if… Her thoughts trailed off as a flash of headlights from about forty yards below caught her eye. What the hell? Was there a road down there? It was too damn hard to see with all the foliage in her way but she was almost certain she was seeing headlights.

  Fear instantly detonated inside her, pushing the haziness right out of her system in one big adrenaline dump. What if this was the same person who’d run them off the road come to finish the job?

  She grabbed Rafael’s arm and tugged, motioning toward a cluster of trees. They needed to hide until they knew more.

  Chapter 4

  Ryan tempered his anger as he hurried across the expanse of land between the homes on the ranch when he scented December. And heard her. As a newly turned, pregnant shifter she didn’t have much stealth at all. Slowing, he stopped and turned to find her half-jogging toward him. The female was all belly. The rest of her was still petite but it looked as if she’d tucked a basketball under her shirt. “You’re gonna shake that baby loose if you don’t slow down.”

  “I wish,” she muttered, a small brown paper bag in her hand. “Where are you headed?”

  He could scent fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and eyed the bag for a moment as he contemplated his answer. “Out.” He’d tracked Rafael and Teresa’s phones and they were stopped at a random place off the highway right outside of town. He knew he was pushing into stalker territory, but he didn’t care. He was tracking down his mate. She’d probably be pissed, but that was fine with him. He’d follow them until their damn destination if that was what it took to get her to talk to him.

  December’s expression softened. “I guess you heard about the accident. I was on my way to tell you in case you hadn’t, and—”

  Ice chilled his veins. “Accident?”

  She bit her bottom lip. “Don’t freak out, but Teresa was in a car accident.”

  His entire world shifted, his wolf clawing angrily, needing to see her, take care of her. He figured his wolf was in his eyes when December’s own widened. He couldn’t find his voice.

  Thankfully she continued, placing a gentle hand on his forearm. “She’s totally fine. Just a little bruised up from what it sounds like. Connor’s leaving now and I’d planned to give him these for Teresa. I already had them made and they’re her favorite so make sure she gets them.” December handed the bag to him.

  “Thank you,” he managed to rasp out before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Bag in hand, he sprinted across the property, ignoring the few packmates who were out. Once he made it to the barn-turned-parking-structure he slowed his pace but his heart thumped erratically in his chest.

  “I take it you’re coming with me,” Connor murmured from behind him.

  Ryan turned, not surprised he hadn’t heard or scented the male. His Alpha was fucking stealth when he wanted to be. “Yeah.”

  “Come on.” Connor nodded toward an SUV. “We’ll take this.”

  The only reason Ryan wasn’t completely losing his mind right now was because December had told him Teresa wasn’t hurt. He still hated that she’d been in a situation where she could have been injured. He desperately wanted to be there for her now.

  Only when they were off the property did Ryan speak because he finally trusted his voice. “Why the fuck didn’t you let me know?” he snarled.

  Connor didn’t even glance at him as he cruised down the main highway near their ranch. “I didn’t realize I had to check in with you now.”

  “She’s my—”

  “She’s not your anything, Ryan.” His voice was mild, but there was an underlying current of smugness rolling off the Alpha.

  “Fuck that. She’s mine.” He sounded more animal than man.

  Connor didn’t even flinch at his tone, which infuriated Ryan even more. “Until you’re mated or bonded, she’s not yours in the eyes of anybody. Least of all hers.” Again with the mildly spoken words.

  Which meant she was fair game in the technical sense. Not that anyone at the ranch would make a move on her. Everyone knew they were together. “You’re being a dick.”

  “And you’re an idiot. You have a mate right in front of you and…” He trailed off and a potent wave of raw anger rolled off the Alpha. It was so strong, so pure, it practically knocked Ryan back.

  Connor had been through a lot to claim Ana and he clearly thought Ryan was a fool. “You don’t understand everything.” Because he hadn’t told anyone other than Teresa what had happened with his parents. How his father had accidentally bonded his mother to him, how Ryan was the byproduct of an unhappy mating. How he’d known every fucking day he hadn’t been truly wanted by his mother.

  His Alpha just snorted. “How much do you know about the accident?”

  “Just that Teresa is totally fine.” That knowledge was the only reason Ryan wasn’t freaking out.

  Connor’s jaw flexed. “It wasn’t an accident. Someone rammed her and Rafael off a cliff. He called me and thinks she has a concussion and cracked or even broken ribs. She’s been a little slow to respond to stuff but she’s fine.”

  Ryan’s claws were out before he could stop himself. He barely forced them back. That wasn’t totally fine. She was hurt. That desperation he’d felt before went nuclear. He needed to see her, touch her, know she was truly okay. “Antiparanormal League?” They’d had problems with those psycho extremist humans in the past but things had been quiet lately with no whispers of them anywhere near Fontana. Mainly because the pack had run them out of town.

  “I don’t know anything at this point other than that. I called Parker and he’s already there with a team of his men and a medic.”

  Ryan was glad for Connor’s soothing voice and presence. And he was glad that Parker, December’s human brother and also the sheriff, was at the scene. Ryan knew the man would make sure Teresa was okay.

  Even though people could fake some things, it was almost impossible for them to do it around Ryan. Not when he could sense their damn emotions. Right now Connor was concerned, but not worried which meant Teresa wasn’t facing any long term injuries. That helped him breathe easier. After that he couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.

  Nothing else mattered but getting to his mate. He didn’t care if they were ‘technically’ mated or not, she was his.

  A little less than ten minutes later Connor pulled up to a line of slow-moving cars. From their position Ryan could see a sher
iff’s deputy directing traffic and flares set up. Without saying a word, Ryan jumped from the vehicle. He heard his Alpha curse behind him, but he raced along the side of the road, sprinting past the cars until he came to police tape blocking off part of the road and a section of missing railing. Flashing blue lights and dull chatter of the people working the accident scene filled the night air, but he barely noticed as he stared at the broken railing.

  Teresa had gone over that incline. An invisible fist wrapped around his chest, making it difficult to breathe as he scanned the area. What if Connor was wrong and she wasn’t okay? Cop cars and an ambulance were off the side of the road and taking up one lane and there were plenty of law enforcement personnel. But no Teresa or Rafael.

  Without pause he ducked under the tape only to be stopped by a man in uniform. “Sir—”

  Ryan bared his canines on instinct. All his animal side knew was that this guy thought he could stand between him and Teresa. No way in hell.

  The man stepped back and went to reach for his weapon when another male voice shouted, “Let him through!”

  Ryan looked up to find Parker McIntyre striding toward him. The guy looked pissed too, but oh well.

  “He’s with me,” the sheriff murmured to the disgruntled-looking cop before he turned to glare at Ryan. “You’re getting a pass because this is Teresa. Where’s Connor?”

  “In the SUV.” He nodded in the direction of the line of vehicles. He was practically humming with raw energy right now. He needed to get to Teresa. Whoever had run them off that cliff was going to pay.

  Parker looked surprised but didn’t comment as he started walking toward the missing railing. “There’s a service road that runs along various strips of the mountain range. I sent an ambulance down there.”

  “She’s okay though?” It took effort to shove his wolf back, to make himself sound human and civilized when right now he wanted to knock everyone out of his way to get to her. He was seconds away from shifting and racing down the cliff.