“I thought she was innocent the first time I met her, too, then I found out the truth.” Rafe’s mouth was too close to Sarah’s ear.
Sarah’s head twisted to the side. “You don’t know what you’re—”
“She’s FBI, Alpha. She came into my pack, seduced me, used me, because her mission was to take down my wolves.”
What? Lucas’s gaze flew back to Sarah.
“Didn’t mention that, did she?”
Hell, no, she hadn’t.
“She’s the bait they used, to get into the pack. To get to me.” Rafe’s lips curled back in a snarl. “To get to you.”
“Sarah.” Lucas said her name flatly, not letting the fury tightening his gut to be voiced. “Is he lying?”
He saw her throat work as she swallowed, a delicate movement against the claws. “No,” she murmured and her lashes lowered. Then . . . “He’s not lying. I-I was with the FBI.”
Every muscle in his body locked. He knew there was a division in the FBI that followed Other. A division that even had a so-called “extermination list” for the paranormals that the Bureau felt should be put down.
He’d known about that group, but he just hadn’t particularly given a damn about them. Until now.
“You can’t trust her,” Rafe murmured, and his hold eased a bit as a satisfied smirk curled his lips. “Bait, that’s all she is.”
Maybe. Maybe not.
“How’d she get those scars on her back?” he demanded.
That smirk slipped away. “I found out who she really was.”
“Um . . . was that before or after she went for your heart with her silver knife?”
Rafe’s teeth snapped together. The light dimmed more as dusk swept toward them. “She told you about that?”
“She told me a lot of things.” Like the fact that you want me dead because I took out your ass**le of a father.
“Don’t believe her.” The claws lifted a bit, but they were still killing-close. “She’s good at lying.”
He’d figured that out. So when Sarah said she worked for the FBI, was that a lie? Or the truth? “If she’s such a damn liar, why the hell do you want her back so badly?”
“Because she’s mine.” Rafe spoke the words in a tone that said the answer should be obvious.
Sarah’s head slammed into his. Rafe swore and blood spurted from his nose. He stumbled back, and she tore free as the claws raked across her flesh. “No,” Sarah shouted, “I’m not yours!”
Around him, Lucas heard the howl of the coyotes. So they were finally coming out to play. The waning sunlight bled across the sky. The sky wouldn’t be the only place filled with blood soon.
Bones crunched behind him. Caleb would be shifting, getting ready to attack. Lucas would change, too. The better to rip Rafe’s throat right out.
“No!” Sarah’s scream. “Don’t shift, Lucas!”
His muscles locked, and he fought the change. Sweat broke over his body as he held back the beast.
Rafe laughed as the blood poured from his nose. “Too late,” he murmured.
Lucas leapt forward and caught the bastard around the throat. “Where’s Dane?”
Rafe spat blood. “How the f**k should I know?”
Now that he hadn’t expected.
Rafe started laughing then, loud, wild laughter. “So f**king easy. And here I thought you’d be a challenge to take down.”
Lucas lifted the bastard up, letting Rafe’s feet dangle above the ground. “Dane.” The coyotes were closing in. Piers was shifting, the man disappearing as the wolf howled and broke free of his leash.
Rafe’s laughter slowly faded. The guy could have broken away. Could have shifted. But he hadn’t.
“Lucas . . .” Sarah grabbed his hand. “I don’t—”
“Where the f**k is he?” Lucas shook Rafe.
“Don’t know.” He smiled, and the blood smeared his teeth. “I never had the ass**le.”
But, wait, no, he’d wanted a trade. Caleb had said—
Howls filled the air. Lower, harder cries from the two wolves behind him, and the higher-pitched howls from the swarming coyotes.
Then a bus hit Lucas, slamming him to the ground as Sarah screamed.
No, not a bus. He’d been taken down by . . . a wolf.
Dane knew there was trouble at the wolf compound long before the big house came into sight. The scent of fresh blood hung in the air, a silent call to his beast.
He stayed low, going in carefully when he wanted to run flat-out and storm the place.
Quiet. The whole damn area was too quiet. And the lingering scent of coyote teased his nose.
Not those bastards again.
He pressed a hand to his side. Most of his wounds had healed. Most. He needed to shift again, but wouldn’t, not until he found out what the hell was going on.
“Dane?” Michael’s shocked voice.
Next to Dane, Michael’s nose was the strongest of the pack. Dane gave up the shadows and charged forward.
Michael shook his head, his brows high above his dark eyes. “They got you back already? But—”
“Got me back? Wait, you knew the coyotes had me?”
Michael came away from the doorway with slow, measured strides. “The coyotes . . . they’re working with Rafe. He was going to trade you—”
“Rafe? That bastard hasn’t been anywhere near me.” Just coyotes. Dead coyotes.
“—for Sarah,” Michael finished.
A fist punched Dane in the gut. “I wasn’t part of any damn trade.”
“But . . . Caleb heard your voice. You were with Rafe. The bastard said he’d kill you if Sarah wasn’t brought in as a trade.”
The compound was tomb-silent. “Where’s Lucas?” But he already knew.
“Gone to make the trade.”
Dane’s hands fisted. “There was no f**king trade.”
“Caleb—”
Dane’s snarl stopped him. “Where are they?” Lucas was walking right into a trap. Dammit, a trap. For me.
Michael’s gaze swept down his body. “Why do I smell human blood on you?” Suspicion had him tensing.
Don’t think about her. “Caleb never heard my voice. If he said he did, he was . . .” Lying. No, Caleb was pack. He wouldn’t lie. “Mistaken.” And shit, they didn’t have time to kill. “Where are they?”
“Monclave and Grant. Sarah went first, she took one of the SUVs and—”