Omegas In Love

Chapter 7

Lying on the cold, hard floor, Katrina listened: distant rings of a buoy, irregular rhythm, dull and metallic…a vehicle outside creeping by the building, crunching gravel, heavy…cumbersome footsteps, slow, hard.

Moist scents of mold and dead fish filled Katrina’s nose. She kept her eyes shut tight. Hiding in the dark interior of her mind–forever, quiet, alone–eased her pain.

She could breathe, but the collar choked her freedom. Silver-tainted blood poisoned her beast and stole its presence. The empty room echoed her soul.

Running from Chen had broken an ancient treaty between her birth pack and his. Who knew what retribution Chen rained down on her parent’s people?

She’d accepted the help of the Omegas when she arrived in Chicago–in Chinatown. They’d been too small a pack to catch notice. After they grew, she should have left. Power drew Chen’s attention, and so did she. It was only a matter of time before he found her. But she’d been swept away by love.

Tyler wouldn’t ever take her back. She deserved no less for her betrayals. No hole existed that was deep enough for her to crawl into and disappear.

The door creaked open and someone entered. Quick steps approached her prone body. She didn’t have the will to even look. The sound of Spice’s empty collar clattered to the floor.

A heavy hand shook her. “Where did the bitch go?” The guard spoke in Mandarin.

Katrina fluttered her eyes open and gave him a secret smile. “She grew wings and flew away.”

He shoved her and ran from the room, fear clinging to his scent.

She laughed and savored the smell. Rising from the floor, Katrina stood in front of the door. Nothing she did would placate Chen, so she’d do her best to meet him as a Vasi werewolf.

Courage ran thin in her blood. Without her beast, without her mate, Katrina was a shadow. But people feared the dark. Somehow, she’d figure out how to instill that fear in Chen when he gazed upon her. One day…

Marching through the open door, Chen confronted her. Shades of anger darkened his complexion. “How did she escape?”

She seized her silence like a shield.

His guard showed Chen the collar. “It’s not broken. It’s been unlocked.”

Chen’s gaze fell upon Katrina’s choker. An evil grin transformed his angry snarl. He approached her.

Stiffening her spine, she stared over his shoulder at the blank, dirty wall. The strap of her torn dress slipped off her shoulder. She struggled with the urge to pull it back up, but that would only draw his attention.

He fingered the lock on her collar and laughed. “The key broke inside.” He trailed his finger from her collar, to her bare shoulder, then down her arm. “She abandoned you.” Chen glanced at his guards. “Spice will return to her home. Send someone to retrieve her. Kill anyone who interferes.”

“Leave them be.” She met his gaze and swallowed around a lump in her throat. “They didn’t steal me. I ran from you.” She stepped toward him, but the chain yanked her back and the collar bit into her skin.

“They sheltered you.” Chen’s glare burned. “You let them touch you.” Disgust dripped in his words. “You’re full of their mongrel stink.” With a full swing, he back-handed her cheek. The hard impact crushed her flesh against her teeth and her bottom lip went numb as it swelled.

Stumbling, Katrina stayed on her feet even though the room threatened to tilt on its side.

“You’re lucky you’re fertile, or I’d have given you to my armies instead.” He slapped her again.

The taste of salty blood trickled onto her tongue. She bent over and let it dribble to the floor in a small puddle. Her face throbbed in time with the drips.

She peered at him through her hair dangling in front of her face. “I will be in season soon. I can sense the changes in my body.”

“Don’t you think I know? Why else would I bother with you?”

“Leave the Vasi alone and I will be compliant. I will not fight a mating.” She straightened and faced him.

“But where’s the fun?” Grasping her shoulders, he pressed against her and licked the blood from her lips.

Nausea curled in a tight ball in her stomach. She struggled in his grasp, but couldn’t get away from his groping mouth. The same kind of abusive kiss she’d endured in the past, the same lips and hands… She couldn’t take it. No more. She bit him.

Chen howled, shoving her from his arms.

His lip slid from between her clenched teeth as he tugged it free.

Pressing his hand to his mouth, he glanced at his guard. “Have you collected the other females?”

Sharp fear squeezed her chest. “What are you doing?”

“Ensuring my bloodline continues. If you fail to produce a male heir, I’m sure one of them will. Your pedigree is more desirable, but the others come from a good, if common stock.” His grin grew wider. “You’ve grown bold since running to America.” With a hard grip, he yanked her hair, bending her head back. “I like it.”

“Set them free. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“You’re in no position to bargain.”

The Indiana Harbor Canal connected Lake Michigan to East Chicago. Lined with industrial warehouse after warehouse, it would have been impossible for Tyler to find Katrina without the address. Looming overhead, the half moon shone behind the steel mill, casting a concealing shadow where he parked his car.

With the collar of his jacket pulled up around his ears, Tyler crossed the street toward warehouse forty-five. Two huge commercial ships were docked in the canal, but only the farthest had any activity. A crane stacked cargo units onto the deck. Didn’t the docks ever sleep?

Scents of the lake masked everything. He rubbed his nose. It would be hard to track Katrina. At least, other shifters wouldn’t smell him.

He walked around the warehouse looking for an unlocked door or window. His heart pounded an urgent beat. Gotta hurry, gotta hurry. Chen could be beating her right at this moment–No, he couldn’t think about it. He trailed his hand on the cool metal siding. She might be hungry, cold, naked–Stop! If he kept this up, he’d lose his mind and storm inside like a testosterone pumped idiot.

Be smart. They’d beat the snot out of him if he got caught. He hadn’t any delusions of grandeur, he never trained as a warrior. Neither could he sit around and wait for Eric and Daedalus, though. He didn’t have much in the muscle department, but he did have brains. Most of the time.

Katrina needed him. As her mate, her safety was his responsibility and he’d failed. Kicking down a door like his beast wanted wouldn’t save her. He needed to sneak her out.

He turned the corner of the warehouse and something in the dark growled at him. Doing his best impression of a statue, Tyler searched for the source with his eyes.

Out of the gloom stepped a huge-ass Rottweiler.

Tyler let out the breath he’d been holding. With shifters on the brain, he’d thought for sure it was Chen.

The dog growled louder, baring his teeth when it stepped toward him. He couldn’t see any collar through its dirty fur.

His beast stirred, ready for a fight. The last thing Katrina needed was for him to waste time shifting to eat a fucking dog. He glanced at the building.

A small window on the second floor appeared open enough for him to squeeze through. Sometimes being stick-thin had advantages. Wooden pallets were stacked against the wall. The idea brewing in his head would hurt like hell. But he didn’t have any options.

He charged the pile, the dog chasing after him, and sprang on top of the pallets. They wobbled when he landed and he wind-milled his arms to catch his balance. With his fingertips, he grabbed the roof’s edge.

Catching his breath, he assessed the path he’d have to take to get to the window. If the stack had been ten feet to the left, he would have been able to climb inside.

The dog barked and ran around the pallets, attempting to snap at him. Someone would eventually come to investigate the racket, even to just make the dog shut up.

Swinging like an uncoordinated monkey from the roof’s eaves, Tyler shimmied inch by inch over to the window. By swaying back and forth, he built enough momentum to hook a leg over the sill. He shifted his hands and made sure his long leg would guide his fall. Please, let this work. Then he let go. In free fall for a brief second, his balls tightened for impact. Good-bye future children. With a wheeze, he landed straddling the sill, and then slid to the floor inside the warehouse while he clutched his family jewels.

Tears blurred his eyelashes as he blinked them away. The pain eased enough to let him breathe. Had he made too much noise? The dog’s bark probably masked it. Hesitant, he got to his feet. When his balls didn’t fall off from the abuse, he tiptoed out of the empty room onto a catwalk that ran along the length of the building. It overlooked the large central storage area containing some wooden crates.

Quickly, he crouched and crawled to the stairs, descending before someone spotted him. The hummingbird beat of his pulse made him light headed, and anxiety gripped his lungs in an iron fist.

At the bottom, he pressed against the wall and listened.

Nothing.

Not a voice or steps. A scent lingered in the air. Weak, the smell could belong to any shifter. Tough to track.

Quiet as a phantom, Tyler crept deeper into the warehouse. Offices lined the wall, most were empty. Entering the last one, the air left his lungs.

Her scent filled the room.

But no Katrina.

She was gone.

Wavering hope destroyed, he stared at the empty, cold room. So close. He hung his head. They’d kept the most precious person in the world prisoner here. She must have been frightened, especially after Spice escaped, leaving her alone.

Something reflected the light on the floor. Liquid…He knelt by the small puddle and dipped his finger. Cool and smooth, it coated his skin. He rubbed it and sniffed. His bones turned to ice.

Blood.

Tyler eased down onto his stomach as he imagined Katrina lying there hurt, imagined her feeling abandoned and alone.

The puddle blurred.

Swiping his palm over his face, he removed the wetness. His beast howled for revenge and he’d get it. Standing on feet made of lead, Tyler wiped the blood onto his jeans.

Fury crawled around his gut on all fours until he was panting from the intense loss clawing at his heart. The blood confirmed his fears. Until then, her injury had only been a possibility.

The door hinge creaked behind him and he tensed. His beast jumped to the forefront of his mind. He spun around in time to catch a tackle to his chest.

Ceiling rolled overhead, then the floor skidded across his back, burning through his t-shirt. Something heavy rode his chest. He focused on it and recognized one of Chen’s guards, the one who’d carried Katrina away in Chinatown.

Wimp versus warrior–he didn’t need to be a genius to guess the end results.

Tyler used the force of his backward slide and turned it into reverse somersault. His assailant lost his grip. Not wasting any time, Tyler did what any skinny dude could do well.

Run.

He wouldn’t be of any use to Katrina dead.

The Asian werewolf followed, but hadn’t bothered to shift yet.

Tyler could almost sense the out-stretched hand reaching for him as he neared the exit. Not bothering to slow down, he smashed into the door while he turned the knob, sending it crashing open.

A surprised yelp from a familiar angry Rottweiler greeted him.

After a split second of what-the-fucking, Tyler took off, running to the right and followed the water’s edge.

The dog joined in the chase, barking.

Short of breath, Tyler glanced over his shoulder at the parade of kick-my-ass following him.

The Asian shifter had caught up to the Rotie, who growled and snapped. Drool hung like a rope from its flapping lips.

Without a skip, the guard growled and snapped back.

Snarling, the dog twisted into the shifter’s path, tripping them both into a tangle of limbs and teeth.

Leaping into a full out sprint, Tyler didn’t bother looking back as the sounds of conflict grew louder in pitch behind him. He’d escaped. A miracle.