Claim Me (Curves For The Alpha) (BBW Erotic Romance) Page 4

  Randy swallowed as he glanced over at the sleeping Kyle. From anyone other than their master, it was an idle threat. “Yes sir. Consider it done.”

  His only answer was a click, followed by a dial tone.

  * * *

  Jade ran her fingers through her hair, her frustration mounting. She was typing up some legal forms for a client, and she had to go back and reword the legalese. Mostly because of the man standing in the corner of the room, his eyes glued to her every move.

  “Can’t you just give me a bit of space?” she snapped, not for the first time as she swiveled her chair around to face him. “I can’t focus when you’re staring at me like that.”

  The guard—his name was Matt, she remembered—shrugged. “Mr. Jackson told me that I wasn’t allowed to take my eyes off you. I work for him, therefore I follow his orders, not yours.”

  “I’m pretty certain that Mr. Jackson doesn’t mean for you to disrupt my work while you’re guarding me.”

  “I’m pretty certain he doesn’t care what I have to do, as long as you’re safe.”

  Jade gave him a baleful glare, but gave up when he simply stared at her impassively. “Fine. I’m going to the bathroom. You can guard the door, but you are not coming in with me.”

  For a split second, she thought he might actually argue with her. Then he shrugged and pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt. “Ryan, I’m accompanying her to the lavatory. I need you to on the south wall.”

  Jade rolled her eyes as she stalked out of her office and down the hall. Great. She was going to have one of them outside the door, and the other outside the wall. Privacy was obviously a thing of the past for her. With a sigh, she shut the bathroom door behind her and locked it, then turned around.

  The wall exploded inward, and she screamed, shielding her face from flying glass and drywall. From between her fingers, she saw some kind of hulking monster standing in the newly-created doorway—a cross between King Kong and the Minotaur, she thought. Then again, she couldn’t think clearly so maybe it was just a really big gorilla… with horns.

  “Jade!” She heard the door being smashed in behind her, but she didn’t have time to look around—the thing grabbed her, tucking her under its shoulder, and bounded through the hole in the wall. Shots rang out, and she felt a searing pain along the back of her right calf. Ryan jumped in front of them, his gun in hand, but it was like jumping in front of a bull—the monster simply grabbed him by the throat and tossed him aside. Jade winced at the sickening crunch.

  “Let me go!” She pounded on the side of the monster, and looked back over her shoulder to see Matt chasing them at a dead run. Then suddenly they were in the air, and the arm around her changed into a set of talons… oh God. This was not happening. Looking up slowly, she saw that the thing had changed into a giant golden eagle. How was this even possible?

  She watched hopelessly as her bodyguard became a pinprick of flesh as they climbed higher and higher into the sky. The air became thin and cold, and she struggled between panic and lack of oxygen to breathe. Then they began to descend, near a wooded area—somewhere close to a highway. Great. Perfect. No civilization in sight.

  They landed in a clearing, where she was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. The eagle glided gracefully down, then morphed into a tall, thin man with fiery hair wearing a black duster, jeans, and combat boots. He turned to grin at her, and she gasped at the sight of his face—the left side was covered with some kind of red and black tribal tattoo that made him look sinister. She was pretty sure the tattoo covered the entire side of his body, because it continued down his neck and disappeared beneath the collar of his black t-shirt.

  “You’re a pretty little thing,” he observed in a voice that was like rough velvet. His eyes, a pale yellow, gleamed. “Too bad you’re a contract job, or I might keep you for myself.”

  “Who are you?” Jade threw up her hands, already on her feet.

  The man—or shifter, or whatever he was—shrugged. “It would take too long to explain. All you really need to know is that my name is Blair, and that I can morph into whatever I wish. And that I work for whoever is willing to pay my price.”

  “And who would that be?” she demanded.

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” Blair looked over his shoulder. “Here’s our ride now.”

  A black Escalade pulled into the clearing, and the man with the scar on his face hopped out. His stony eyes flicked briefly over them. “Good. You have her.”

  “Nice to see you too, Randy. You got the tranq?”

  Randy wordlessly passed it over, and Jade backed up at the sight of the needle. “Oh no. No, no, no.”

  Blair grinned. “Sorry, but the boss man is a little leery of you after you shot their friend in the neck. We’re taking no chances here.” He grabbed her arm and stuck the needle in before she had time to react. “There you go,” he said soothingly as her head started to spin. She swayed, and he caught her gently in his strong arms. “Don’t worry. We’ll be there before you know it. And then the real fun will begin.”

  His cruel laughter chased her as she sank into blackness.

  * * *

  Braum paced back and forth in Adam’s living room, struggling mightily against the desire to punch a hole in the wall. He’d already ripped Matt a new one, and would do the same to Ryan, who was downstairs in medical room being treated for his injuries. His spine had been cracked by the force of the blow—whatever had thrown him had been strong enough that the tree trunk Ryan had slammed into actually split in two.

  What the hell had come after him that was so powerful it could sling his men around as if they were children? Whatever it was, it had Jade now. His palms grew sweaty at the thought of her being at the mercy of such a beast. God, what had he done? He should have never left her alone.

  “Stop beating yourself up,” Adam ordered as he stepped into the room. “The only thing that might have changed if you had been there is that you’d be the one laying on a hospital bed instead of Ryan.” The vein pulsing in the clan leader’s temple told Braum he wasn’t nearly as calm as he sounded. “Matt and I have finally figured out who these goons are.”

  “You have?” Braum stopped pacing and turned his full attention to Adam. “Tell me,” he demanded.

  Adam decided to ignore Braum’s tone of voice. “The two shifters who attacked you and Jade in the alley are deserters from the Columbia shifter clan… or at least, that’s the surface story.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “They didn’t so much as desert their clan as disappear off the map completely. One day the two of them were just gone. Their mother had just died of a serious illness, so some speculated that maybe they’d just gone mad with grief. They’d never shown signs of discontent with their clan before, but when they never came back the clan just wrote them off as deserters.”

  “Adam, I’m not really interested in whether or not they have a sob story,” Braum said tightly. “They took Jade.”

  “If you’ll stop thinking with your dick for a moment, you’ll realize this is incredibly relevant. Or don’t you remember a certain warlock with a penchant for collecting superhuman creatures for his menagerie?”

  “Darius?” Oh God. “But that’s impossible. My father killed him nearly fifty years ago.”

  “Doesn’t mean he didn’t have an offspring or apprentice following in his footsteps.”

  “Great.” Braum scooped his hands through his hair. If it had been a fellow wolf-shifter he could have just tracked him down to beat the shit out of him. But a warlock was serious business. “This is all just speculation though. We don’t really know if these two are enslaved by a warlock, or if Darius did have an apprentice loyal enough to seek vengeance years later.”

  “No. But I did manage to track down the place these two were staying at.” Adam pulled out his phone and plugged in an address. “It’s maybe fifteen minutes from here. Less than three from your apartment.”

  “Perfect. These bastards wer
e sitting in my backyard the entire time.” Braum struggled to control his temper. He’d never felt so completely incompetent in his entire life. “I’m going over there. They might have left something useful behind, something that will lead us to Jade.”

  “I’m right behind you.”

  * * *

  They lucked out. Big time. Not only had they not cleared out the dingy motel room, but one of the wolves, the blonde Jade had shot in the neck, was still there, laying on the bed. Braum kicked the door in, then hauled him up by the front of his blood-stained t-shirt and slammed him into the wall.

  “You slimy, stinky bastard. What have you done with Jade?”

  “What have I done?” the wolf shifter sputtered. “I’ve been lying here for over twenty-four hours, out of commission because your little side-piece nearly blew my neck to smithereens. I haven’t done anything with her.”

  “No, but you were going to, weren’t you, Kyle Greene?” Adam spoke softly, but the quiet authority in his voice settled over the room like a warm, slightly dangerous blanket. “Who are you working for, Kyle?”

  “I c-can’t tell you,” Kyle stammered, his eyes bulging suddenly even though Braum hadn’t done anything. “H-h-he won’t let m-me.”

  “Braum, ease off,” Adam ordered. “Whoever owns him has put a compulsion spell on him. He couldn’t tell us even if we pulled his intestines out, inch by painful inch.” The expression on Adam’s face told Kyle that if the clan leader thought it would get them anywhere, he would be getting a very up close and personal look at his insides right now.

  “Isn’t there any way to get rid of the spell?” Braum demanded. “Or at least find a way around it?” He wasn’t an expert at magic, but Adam had connections and knew a lot of things about it.

  Adam frowned. “I don’t know, but I know someone we can ask.” He pulled out his phone from his belt and dialed a number. The look Braum gave Kyle was effective enough to keep him pinned to the wall without having to touch him, but the younger shifter still had the guts to glare at him.

  “If there was a way to escape, Randy and I would have done it a long time ago,” he said bitterly.

  Adam only raised an eyebrow. “Hi Marcella. I’ve got a magical problem I could use your assistance with.” He waited a beat, then nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll bring him over right away.”

  He put the phone away, then took Kyle firmly by the arm, gesturing Braum to do the same. “Where are you taking me?” Kyle asked, struggling against their grip, but the combined strength of two alpha shifters was too much for him to overcome.

  “To a witch. If anyone can get around the magic mojo on you, Marcella can.”

  * * *

  The SUV jolted as it passed over a particularly nasty pothole, and Jade woke with a start. Her head throbbed fiercely, and there was a God-awful taste in her mouth that made her wish there was water nearby. She was about to open her mouth to croak for some when she remembered where she was—in an armored car with a wolf shifter and… Blair… who had kidnapped her and were taking her to something even bigger and badder than them.

  Cracking her eyes open just a slit, she saw that it was the middle of the night. The two of them were completely silent.

  “We know you’re awake back there,” Blair said without taking his eyes off the screen, making Jade jump. “As long as you don’t make trouble, you can stay like that. If not… I always have more needles.”

  Jade shuddered. She did not want to go through that again. Taking stock of herself, she saw that her hands and feet were bound with twine, but her hands were bound in front, giving her more economy of movement than if they’d been tied from behind.

  A concession, she thought sarcastically as she shimmied herself into an upright seated position. The throbbing in her head increased tenfold, and she nearly passed out again. With a groan, she leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, waiting for it to pass. Only when the pain had gotten down to a more manageable level did she dare to speak.

  “How did you know I was awake?” She winced at the raspy sound of her own voice.

  “The sound of your breathing changed.” Blair passed her a bottle of water. “Drink slow,” he warned.

  She followed his advice, though it was difficult to take such small sips when the water felt like Heaven over her parched tongue. Her headache receded further. “Why do you even care if I’m thirsty?” she asked after finishing half the bottle. “Especially if you are just going to kill me.”

  Blair shrugged, returning to his Tetris game. “The warlock isn’t paying me to torture you, just make sure you’re delivered safely.”

  “Oh.” Still she couldn’t help but eye him suspiciously. After all, he had kidnapped her. How could she trust anything he said?

  Randy spoke—or rather, growled—for the first time. “You shouldn’t be talking to her about Master.”

  Blair raised an eyebrow. “It’s not exactly a secret that he’s a warlock. And besides, he’s your master, not mine. I can say whatever I like.”

  “Why won’t you tell me who he is, then?” Jade asked. “What does he want with me?”

  Blair gave her a considering look. “You’ll know soon enough.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to torture me,” she snapped. “You’ve kidnapped me and you’re taking me to a warlock without telling me my fate?”

  “It’s not you that he’s after. You’re just the bait to draw Jackson to him.” Blair waggled his eyebrows. “Now that one, the warlock has a serious hard-on for. His death will be long and slow and painful.”

  A cold ball of lead settled into the pit of Jade’s stomach. “He’s… he’s going to kill Braum?”

  “Yes, but he’ll torture him first. The guy’s got a serious thing for torture.” Blair glanced back as panic threatened to choke her.

  Oh God. What am I going to do?

  * * *

  They drove through the night, stopping only for gas and food. Jade was so terrified it was hard for her to concentrate on anything. In all honesty, she was surprised she hadn’t been reduced to a babbling, incoherent mess. After all, she hadn’t been hardwired for this kind of craziness. She was a normal human, who’d had a very normal life.

  The sun was just cresting over the horizon when they turned onto a long, gravel driveway surrounded by tall pines. It should have been a beautiful drive, but the trees loomed ominously, like guardians looking down on her from outside a gate. She half-expected them to come to life, but they just stood in silent vigil. The drive twisted and turned for nearly a mile, then straightened out as the trees gave way to beautifully manicured lawns. A mansion sat in the center, old and mysterious, with deeply pitched roofs, lancet windows and gingerbread trim marking it as Victorian.

  Randy parked the SUV at the edge of the drive, then came around the side of the vehicle and roughly tossed Jade over his shoulder. Fighting back the urge to kick and scream, she hung there limply as he carried her up the front steps and into the house. Blair took the lead, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans, a bored expression on his face as he sauntered up the path to the front door. Jade couldn’t see him, but she heard him rap the door with what sounded like a heavy metal knocker, and the tapping of an impatient foot.

  The door swung open, and Jade was roughly hauled inside. The curtains had been drawn tightly closed on all the windows, leaving the interior dark, but she could make out oil paintings on the walls, Persian rugs on the floors and antique furnishings as she was carried through the house. They stepped into a parlor, where she was deposited on a dusty chaise lounge.

  “The Master will be with you shortly.”

  Jade jumped as she noticed the small woman standing by the door. She wore a stark, black dress, but her skin, hair and eyes were so pale she might have been a ghost. She spoke in a faint, whispery voice, too. Jade figured she must have opened the door and showed them in.

  The little woman disappeared, closing the door quietly behind her. Blair sighed. “Warlocks. They
always like to make a grand entrance. I hope he doesn’t keep us waiting too long. I’ve got places to be.”

  They didn’t have to wait long. Five minutes later, the door opened, and a tall, gaunt man with jet-black hair and a sallow complexion entered. His pale grey eyes gleamed with avarice as they settled on her, and Jade squirmed in her seat—something about his gaze made her feel dirty.

  “I see you’ve managed to deliver once again, Blair.” He didn’t take his eyes off her as he spoke. “As usual, you’ve proven to be worth your price.”

  “Damn straight I am. Here she is, in one piece, without so much as a scratch on her.” Blair stood up and stretched. “Now, unless you’re planning to hire me for another job, I’ve got to run. I figure now that she’s in your place, you won’t be getting any more trouble from her.”

  “Indeed.” The warlock tapped his hooked nose with a finger, his eyes darkening slightly. “You may go.”

  Blair vanished in a poof of purple smoke. Jade wondered what it said about her that she wasn’t even surprised by the supernatural anymore.

  With a deep breath, she fought the inner turmoil long enough to develop a plan. She needed to turn this situation around – to be seen as non-threatening, to be …friendly despite the circumstances. “It’s awfully rude to welcome a guest without properly introducing yourself,” she said, wondering if she could possibly convince this man to let her go.

  His thin lips smiled, but his eyes remained cold. “So very true… although to be fair, you’re a prisoner, not a guest. My name is Garth, and I’m afraid you’ll only be enjoying my hospitality for a little while.”

  “That’s a shame, because I would love some time to explore your house. It’s very lovely.” She gave him a flirtatious smile, her mind churning furiously. It was a long shot, but if he gave her a tour maybe she could find an escape route, or at least something useful.