Soul Bonded

chapter TWENTY



Katie’s first instinct was to retreat indoors, but Rafe caught her by the elbow before she could flee. “Stand behind me and don’t run. Just be ready to go inside when I tell you.” He kissed her cheek, then murmured, “They’ve already seen us. We don’t want them to think we’re intimidated. They get off on the smell of human fear. Don’t give them the satisfaction.” He released her so she could step behind him. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

She clutched the shotgun closer to her chest and nodded. She fought to put on her bravest face, a losing battle. “I know.”

Rafe reassured her with a subtle smile, then turned and shouted in the direction of the trees. “Show yourselves!”

A peal of feminine laughter floated to them on the frigid breeze. Heart hammering, Katie scanned the forest for some sign of their visitors. She didn’t understand how they stayed so hidden. Male chuckles joined in from all around. It was as though the barren forest was mocking them.

“That’s her?” A lithe, athletic brunette slinked out from behind a redwood tree about thirty feet from the deck. Dressed all in black, she reminded Katie of the goth chicks who used to scare the shit out of her in high school. Her eyes glittered with malevolent disdain as she looked Katie up and down. “That’s why you killed my mate?”

“Your mate was trying to rape mine,” Rafe called out. “He would’ve killed her when he was done. I only stopped him. I had every right to do that.”

“Your mate? That’s just a worthless human cunt.” The woman stopped about fifteen feet away from the porch and folded her arms over her chest. Behind her, seven men and two more women emerged from the cover of the forest. They all wore similar expressions of enraged disgust. The man who’d bitten her the night before loped to stand at the woman’s back, eyeing Katie with unwavering aggression. The hunger in his gaze made her shudder and took her right back to the sensation of being trapped on her back in the snow.

Forming a semi-circle behind their widowed friend, the rival pack put on an intimidating display. The brunette snarled, laughing when Katie visibly startled. “And you’re a f*cking disgrace. You murdered a wolf for being a wolf.”

“I’m not the one who attacked someone’s bond-mate.” Unlike the others, Rafe maintained a facade of placid strength. Where they literally seethed with anger, he didn’t even raise his voice. “I had every right to defend her, and myself.”

“Did he know she was your bond-mate before you killed him?” The brunette’s lip curled into a dangerous sneer when Rafe didn’t answer. “Why would he have thought that was a possibility? As far as I know, you’re the first werewolf to ever stoop so f*cking low.”

Her cohorts snickered, but Rafe didn’t react. He just returned her cold stare. “Even if she weren’t my bond-mate, she’s a human being. Wolves being wolves aside, it’s not right to hunt and slaughter them like animals.”

“Why not?” The dead wolf’s widow grinned. “That’s what they are. Weak, pathetic, inferior animals.”

The wolf who’d bitten her finally spoke up. “And in the case of yours, a hot, tight, tasty animal.”

His friends laughed and the woman in black tossed a smile over her shoulder. “You’ll get your chance. Just remember that I have first dibs.”

“Of course.” The biter bent at the waist in a jaunty little bow. “I’ll make sure to let my wolf know to wait until you’ve had your fill.” The group chuckled again.

Rafe tugged lightly on Katie’s arm, encouraging her to step forward and stand at his side. She noticed that he was careful to keep her between him and the front door. He curled his arm around her waist and held her close to his body. “I know that Jack Devereaux ordered you not to retaliate. He wants to avoid more bloodshed, as my Alpha does.” He tightened his jaw and ground out his next words. “I’m sorry that things went down the way they did. I wish your mate hadn’t died. I wish he hadn’t attacked Katie at all.”

“Katie.” The woman spat out the word as though disgusted by the way the syllables tasted in her mouth. “How cute. It has a name.” She advanced until she stood at the bottom of the porch stairs. “Want to know my mate’s name? It was Zeke. Our son is Ben.” Her voice caught, revealing a glimmer of vulnerability completely at odds with her gruff demeanor. “He doesn’t understand why his daddy isn’t coming home. Seven years old. That’s on you.” She bared her teeth at Katie. “Both of you.”

“I’m sorry for your son,” Rafe said quietly. “Honestly, I am. That’s why I suggest that his mama do whatever it takes to get home to him safely tomorrow morning. I understand your desire to avenge your mate’s death, but you and I both know that your boy needs you more than you need revenge.”

The woman stared at him for so long that Katie almost screamed from the uncertainty of what would happen next. When the brunette finally spoke, her voice dripped with vitriol. “My name is Lisa, and don’t you tell me what I f*cking need. I’m going to spend the day sitting out here remembering my mate and fantasizing about all the ways I’d like to savage yours. When I transform tonight, the f*cking hatred I feel toward both of you will ensure that I get home to my boy tomorrow—but only after I eat your hearts.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, Lisa.” Rafe kept his tone even. “When Ben wakes up an orphan tomorrow morning, it’s on you. Only you.”

Lisa snarled and leapt up the first two porch steps. Adrenaline surging, Katie brought up the shotgun and leveled it at Lisa’s chest. The rest of her pack surged forward even as she froze in place and pinned Katie with a murderous glare.

“Everyone calm down.” Still outwardly calm, Rafe spoke in an authoritative tone that commanded everyone’s attention. Lowering his voice to a murmur, he said, “Katie, may I have the gun?” He took the weapon while staring Lisa down.

One of the other women in the pack, a hardened blonde, called out. “You better get your bitch under control.”

Not rising to the bait, Rafe said, “You have all afternoon to change your mind. I hope you do, for your son’s sake.” He handed Katie the revolver with a look that Katie interpreted as, Don’t kill anyone. She nodded and held the gun with the barrel pointed at the ground. Rafe turned back to Lisa. “Katie is one hell of a shot. And I’ll die to make sure she doesn’t have to prove it to you. So you don’t stand a chance.”

Lisa grinned. “We’ll see.” She regarded Katie coldly, then chuckled with pure malice. “How do you like being a wolf’s bitch, Katie? I always figured humans would be too delicate for that sort of thing.”

Rafe put his hand on her lower back and moved to shield her from Lisa’s vicious gaze. “Let’s go inside.”

Lisa backed away from the porch wearing an evil smirk. “How are you holding up today, sweetie? Full moon and all, I’m surprised you can even walk.”

Rafe stiffened at her comment and Katie knew exactly where his mind had gone. Lisa’s provocations triggered her own protective instincts to come to the front. Without flinching, she met Lisa’s derisive smile with one of her own. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle Rafe.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can. Nasty little bitch.” She lunged forward, laughing when Katie scrambled to raise the revolver and held it with a shaking hand. “We’ll see how you feel the first time your new boyfriend makes you bleed.”

The color drained from Rafe’s face, a clear indication that Lisa’s comment had struck the intended nerve. Katie lowered her free hand to Rafe’s ass and patted him carefully. “Come on.”

Rafe’s throat jumped. He seemed to be genuinely struggling not to leap over the railing and attack Lisa. “Get the f*ck off my property. All of you.”

Movement among the pack caught Katie’s attention. The woman who hadn’t yet spoken, a stocky brunette, shocked the hell out of her by pulling off her long-sleeved shirt. She was bare beneath, as though the temperature wasn’t below freezing. Her companion, a tattooed man with dark, tangled hair, unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down over his hips to reveal his naked, engorged cock.

The tattooed man stared at Katie as he stroked himself. “Has your new mate shown you how wolves f*ck yet? Or is he softening his rough edges until you get more comfortable?”

“I don’t think he’s truly broken her in yet,” his now naked partner said as she got onto her hands and knees in the snow. “So let’s show her.”

The tattooed man dropped to his knees behind the brunette and grabbed her hair in his fist, yanking hard. She growled but arched her back to offer him easier access. “Just remember, fighting back will only excite him more.” He slammed into his lover, who reacted by howling and twisting around to claw at his face. He grinned as her nails sliced into his skin, then pounded into her again with a guttural grunt.

“Inside,” Rafe said. “Now.” He dragged her into the house as the half-naked werewolves rutted on the ground like wild animals, panting and moaning and spilling blood onto the snow around them.

Katie didn’t argue. She let Rafe usher her inside, jumping when he slammed the door shut behind them. Sensing his distress, she said, “Rafe, it’s okay.“

He brushed past her after locking the door. It was clear that their taunting had affected him, no doubt undoing some of the progress they’d made over breakfast. Katie sighed as he stormed into the kitchen and laid the shotgun on the table.

“Don’t let them upset you. That’s what they want.” She followed him and put her hand on his tense back. “I know you’re not like them.”

“Do you?” Rafe squirmed away from her touch. “Stop it. For f*ck’s sake, Katie.”

Katie backed away. Until that moment, she’d assumed he was simply reacting to Lisa’s unfortunate insinuations. Now she sensed the conflicted arousal behind his discomfort. “Sorry. But…it’s all right to feel this way. Really.”

“Like hell it is.” Rafe banged his fist on the table, making her jump again. “I’m a hypocrite to judge them when I can’t even let you touch me because I might tear your clothes off and take you.”

“Struggling with urges and relishing in the act of indulging them are very different things.” Aware that she might set him off by pointing out that he wasn’t the only one who wanted to connect physically, she murmured, “You’re not wrong to feel this way. We just found each other. There’s a crazy, supernatural connection drawing us together. Believe me, I want you just as much as you want me. If you weren’t so scared to get near me, I’d be all over you right now. And that’s despite the fact that I’m still shaking from talking to that crazy bitch outside.”

Rafe turned around. “I counted ten of them.”

Normally she hated it when boyfriends changed the subject in the midst of conflict, but she knew it was the only way for Rafe to regain his emotional footing. Because she needed him to recover as quickly as possible, she went with the flow. “So did I. Three women, including Lisa, and seven men.”

Rafe inhaled deeply, then offered his hand. His eyes had gone dark and slightly unfocused. His chest heaved. She laced her fingers with his, unsure what he planned to do with her. From the way he drank her in with ravenous eyes, she half-expected him to drag her to bed. She wouldn’t fight him if he did.

But he didn’t. Instead, he walked them to the couch in the den right next to where she’d found his radio. He gestured for her to sit, so she placed the revolver on the coffee table and settled at one end of the sofa. She wasn’t surprised when he chose to keep his distance by sitting as far away from her as he could. Fisting his hands in his lap, he said, “I’m not worried about your shooting skills. You’ll be great.”

“The shotgun definitely makes me feel better.” Suddenly very aware of her bulky outerwear, Katie bent to unlace her boots. “Unless more show up later, I should have enough ammo to take them all out.”

“Hopefully you won’t have to. My goal is for you to ride out tonight in peace with Shilah. I figure we’ll board up the windows from the inside. That way if anyone does get past me, they won’t have as easy a time getting in. You’ll have some warning, at least.” Rafe’s voice faltered as Katie kicked off her last boot and shrugged out of the bulky coat. “After I go outside to transform, I don’t want you to open the door until tomorrow morning—wait until at least eight o’clock. If all goes well, I should be back before then. If I’m not, take my truck and drive into town as soon as the weather lifts.”

“Don’t be silly. You’ll be fine.” She clung to the simple truth that Rafe had to be fine. He was her lifeline. Literally. Stomach sinking, Katie assessed the situation with a clear head. It was going to be ten against one. Protective instincts or not, Rafe wasn’t nearly as brutal as the werewolves she’d just met. It was hard to picture him fighting off so many angry wolves, what with their unholy bloodlust and thirst for vengeance. She scooted closer to Rafe but didn’t touch him. It was enough to feel the heat emanating from his body. “Tell me you’ll be okay. Please.”

Rafe surprised her by taking her hand between his. “I’ll be okay.” His expression grew deadly serious. “Now promise me that on the off chance something does happen to me, you won’t stop fighting. You’ll never give up.”

That was an easy promise to make. “I don’t want them to take me. I’ll never give up.”

Rafe cleared his throat. Gruffly, he said, “Neither will I.”

Yearning swelled in her chest, an ache that felt just as good as it hurt. It was torture to know her affection wouldn’t be welcome, because she wanted to kiss and touch Rafe so badly she could hardly breathe. Connecting like that would be a way to reaffirm that they were still alive, and it would be a memory to hang onto if the unthinkable happened.

But she couldn’t do that to Rafe. Not when he was barely in control. Not when they only had hours left together before nightfall, and she didn’t want to risk spending them apart in any way. Katie forced a brave smile and stretched out her legs so she could relax against the couch cushions. “Thank you for protecting me.”

His willpower melted away before her eyes. Before she could register what was happening, Rafe’s mouth covered hers, more intensely pleasurable than ever, and she was lost.