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  “You better open the door, bitch,” Ervin snarled. “I know she’s in there. She can’t hide from me. Karen is coming home with me now! Open the goddamn door. Or else!”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Marie winced when her door shuddered and creaked under Ervin’s assault. He was kicking and pounding furiously at her door as he swore and cursed at the top of his lungs.

  Gulping, Marie grabbed a chair and pushed it against the door.

  It was a futile gesture. A chair wasn’t going to stop Ervin from smashing her door in. But she had to do something.

  “No!” Marie yelled back. “I am not going to open the door for you. Ever! Go away, scumbag. You don’t deserve Karen, and she definitely doesn’t deserve you!”

  “You!” Ervin growled and punched her door hard. “What did you say to Karen? You should mind your own fucking business, instead of putting all these ideas in her head! Did you tell Karen to leave me? It was you, wasn’t it? You gave her all sorts of weird, twisted ideas and made her run off!”

  Marie barked out an angry, derisive laugh. “That’s what you think. You think that Karen is incapable of any independent thought and opinion. Well, let me tell you the truth. Karen is smart, sweet and kind, and she can think for herself. She can finally see what a piece of shit you truly are. Take a good, hard look at yourself, Ervin. Look at what you did to her. Punching, kicking, hitting a petite female...”

  “She asked for it,” Ervin snarled. “She knew full well what would happen if she didn’t behave. If she had behaved herself...”

  “Why am I even listening to the garbage that you’re spewing? Oh, you make me sick!” Marie yelled, shaking with fury. “Just go away and leave us alone!”

  There was no reply. For a long time, there was no sound on the other side of the door.

  Marie frowned as she pressed her ear to the door. She heard nothing to indicate that Ervin was still there.

  Was he gone?

  Holding her breath, she tiptoed to the window. She chanced a peek through the curtains and stared out at the shadowy street outside.

  Nothing moved.

  There was no sign of Ervin at all.

  Heaving a sigh of relief, Marie stepped back and heard her bedroom room open. Karen was standing in the doorway with her skinny arms wrapped tightly around herself.

  “Is he...gone?” Karen stammered.

  “I think so.” Marie flashed a smile and added, “Good riddance!”

  Karen nodded and was about to speak when they both heard a sound at the window.

  Without warning, the window exploded into smithereens and a large, furry wolf with inky black fur crashed into the small living room.

  Marie scrambled back in horror as Karen stifled a scream.

  The huge wolf bared its razor sharp teeth and stalked towards them.

  “Ervin...” Karen whimpered. “No...please, don’t hurt Marie...” She bravely stood in front of Marie and spread out her arms. “I...I’m here. I’ll go with you. Let’s just go home, okay? It’s just a misunderstanding...”

  “No!” Marie grabbed Karen and pushed her back. “You’re not going back with him. He’ll kill you! I won’t let you destroy yourself, Karen.”

  Turning to the snarling wolf, Marie grabbed the nearest thing she could get her hands on, which happened to be an umbrella leaning against the wall. She held the umbrella out and pointed it at Ervin. “Out! Get out! You will not come near Karen. I won’t let you...”

  The wolf leaped and Marie bit down a scream as she jabbed the umbrella at the attacking beast.

  The wolf swatted Marie away with its massive paw, throwing Marie against the wall.

  Marie’s forehead slammed into the corner of a shelf and she instinctively raised her hand to her head.

  Her hand came away wet and sticky with blood.

  The world began to spin and the throbbing in her forehead became almost unbearably intense.

  Marie slid down the wall as blood continued to drip into her eyes.

  “Karen...” she croaked, struggling to push herself up.

  She couldn’t black out now. She had to protect her friend.

  Through a haze of red, Marie saw the wolf advancing towards Karen.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Run!” Marie called out hoarsely. “Run, Karen. Just go...”

  Karen hesitated before turning around to run into the kitchen. She could escape through the back door, and Marie tried to get to her feet so she could throw something at the wolf and slow him down.

  But as Karen spun round, the wolf leaped at her and brought her down. There was a terrible crack as the monster closed his powerful jaws around Karen’s slender neck.

  “No!”

  Marie’s horrified, anguished scream echoed through her apartment.

  The wolf dropped Karen’s lifeless body on the floor and spat her blood from his mouth.

  Shifting back to human form, Ervin straightened up and swiped his hairy arm across his mouth.

  “Stupid bitch,” he spat. “I warned her not to run. I told her that I would kill her if she tried to run away from me.”

  Turning to Marie, he bared his bloody teeth at her and said, “This is all your fault, Marie. You should have minded your own business. But now, I have unfinished business with you. You won’t have the dignity of a quick, painless death, like Karen. You deserve something...special, Marie.”

  “Get away from me,” Marie said, scrabbling back.

  “Come here. Don’t be shy. We can get to know each other a lot better. I don’t have a woman now. And you...”

  Ervin raked his lascivious gaze down her body and gave an ugly smile. “You and I are going to have some fun.”

  “Don’t touch me, you...”

  Ervin strode up to her and grabbed a fistful of her hair.

  “I’ll show you what a meddling bitch like you deserves,” he snarled.

  Marie kicked out and opened her mouth to scream for help. But she knew that only a few apartments in her block were occupied.

  No one really wanted to live in this secluded part of town. The unit above her was empty. So were most of the units on the ground floor.

  The rent here was cheap, and the few residents in her block all kept to themselves, which suited Marie fine.

  Until now.

  Right now, she wished she was surrounded by nosy, busybody neighbors who would come running out to see what all that screaming and shouting was about.

  Desperately, Marie struggled to free herself but Ervin was too strong.

  Smirking, Ervin gripped her hair tightly and smashed her head against the wall.

  Marie heard his evil, distorted laugh just before she lost consciousness.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Gage Harris saw the red light blink again, indicating that he was running low on fuel. Thank goodness he had just turned off the highway into Bear Ridge. It was always good to be home.

  There was a gas station just at the edge of Bear Ridge, and Gage waved at Cherrie as he filled up his tank. Cherrie had been working the night shift at the same gas station since Gage was a teenager.

  Gage walked into the store and grinned. “Hi, Cherrie! You certainly are a sight for sore eyes. How’s it going?” he said as he took out his wallet.

  Cherrie grinned back as she handed him his change. “My night just got better now that you’ve walked in, Gage,” she answered. “I don’t usually get much eye candy at this time of night. Did you take a trip out of town today?”

  “I just got back from Glover Valley. Delivered some hardware supplies to a construction company there.”

  “That’s a three hour drive,” Cherrie noted.

  Gage shrugged. “It’s a big order, and they were happy to pay the transportation cost.”

  Cherrie smiled and winked at him as he turned to the door. “Good to see you, Gage. Come out here for your gas more often, so I can get my fill of eye candy.”

  There were many gas stations in the town of Bear Ridge, but Gage would gladly drive
out here just to chat with Cherrie.

  He laughed and said, “I will, Cherrie. But I’m afraid I’m not candy for anyone. I’m rough and tough, not sweet and sticky. I don’t think I’m going to stick to anyone.”

  Cherrie narrowed her eyes at him over her glasses. “You’re planning to be a bachelor for life? Hmmm, I wish I were twenty years younger! I’ll snatch you up in a jiffy, Gage Harris.”

  Gage chuckled. “Why would you wish you’re twenty years younger? You’re perfect the way you are.”

  That brought a loud, hearty guffaw from Cherrie. “You’re a good man, Gage, but quit flirting with a sixty-year-old woman! Get out of here now, and go find yourself a lovely young lady. Shoo!”

  Laughing, Gage stepped away from the counter as another man pushed through the door.

  Something about the man made Gage pause at the door. The man wasn’t from Bear Ridge. Bear Ridge was a small town, and the residents recognized one another even if they had never exchanged greetings before.

  This man wasn’t one of the townsfolk. But given that the gas station was situated at the very edge of Bear Ridge near the highway, many people who were driving to and from the neighboring town often stopped by to fuel up.

  It shouldn’t strike Gage as strange or out of the ordinary that this man was here.

  Yet...there was something about him that made Gage watch him closely.

  The man was just a few inches shorter than Gage, so Gage estimated that the guy was around six feet. He had thick, hairy arms, and dark eyes. His black hair was neatly slicked back and he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

  Cherrie smiled pleasantly at the stranger but Gage noticed the subtle glow in her green eyes.

  Her bear was peering out of her eyes and quietly assessing the man.

  Cherrie knew the regulars who came to the gas station and she had evidently never seen this burly, black-eyed man before.

  “Where are you from?” Cherrie asked the stranger conversationally. “Is this your first visit to Bear Ridge?”

  The man paused before saying tersely, “I’m just passing through. I stopped to refuel, that’s all.”

  “Of course,” Cherrie replied, still smiling.

  The man shot Gage a wary glance before heading for the exit.

  “Good night, Cherrie,” Gage said as he followed the man out the door.

  Cherrie nodded but kept her eyes on the stranger. “Wolf,” she said under her breath.

  Gage already knew that.

  His bear had scented the snarling wolf under the man’s skin.

  He had nothing against wolf shifters, but something about this stranger felt...off.

  As Gage strolled to his truck, he observed every detail about the man’s car. It was a black sedan, and Gage saw him glancing towards the trunk just before he got in the car.

  Gage walked past his car just as the engine roared to life. He took a deep breath and the scent hit him like a sledgehammer.

  He could scent...her.

  Female, human...bleeding.

  She was in the trunk.

  His mate.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The black sedan sped away and Gage saw the man glare at him through the rearview mirror. He forced his bear down and jumped into his truck.

  “Not now,” Gage growled to his bear as he started his engine.

  His bear roared in his head, ramming against his shields. His beast wanted to rip out of his skin and go after that wolf.

  His crazed bear roared louder in his head. He has our mate!

  “I know!” Gage snarled, flooring the gas pedal. “But I need to be human to drive! Can you drive, with paws and claws? Can you outrun his car? The fastest way to catch up with that bastard is by driving.”

  His bear growled. Then shut up and drive!

  Gage fought down his raging bear and his own stormy emotions. He could hardly think straight but he had to be in control of his beast and his faculties in order to rescue his mate.

  What had that wolf done to her?

  That fucker had hurt her and stuffed her into his trunk. What was he planning to do with her?

  Gage tried not to think about what his mate had gone through at the hands of that violent wolf. His bear was already going berserk.

  He was going to shred that fucker to bits!

  Gage sped down the road, keeping his eyes on the fading rear lights of the black sedan.

  He wasn’t going to lose her. He hadn’t even laid his eyes on her yet he knew that his world had changed forever tonight.

  Many of the couples in Bear Ridge had been teenagers when they met while others found their mates in their twenties. Gage was already thirty-four and he had kind of given up on ever finding his mate. She wasn’t in Bear Ridge, that was for sure. And he couldn’t imagine where he might start searching for her.

  Who would have thought that he would find her in the trunk of a stranger that was just passing through town?

  Kill him!

  Gage tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He was in complete agreement with his bear for once.

  His truck flew down the long, dark highway. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his sturdy truck to the limit and overtook the black sedan.

  Gage spun his truck sideways and screeched to a stop. The wolf shifter blared his horn as he stomped on the brakes. But he couldn’t stop in time.

  Gage was already out of his vehicle when the sedan slammed into the side of his truck.

  Shifting into his bear form, Gage reared up and roared.

  He landed on the hood of the sedan and smashed his powerful paw through the windshield. Roaring in fury, Gage swiped at the bastard and his claws raked across the man’s face.

  Spitting out a curse, the man tumbled out of his car and shifted into a huge black wolf.

  Immediately, Gage charged at the wolf and slammed him to the ground. The two snarling beasts wrestled and rolled on the ground in a tangle of fangs and claws.

  The wolf bit into Gage’s side and blood spurted across his golden fur.

  Growling, Gage slashed at the wolf with his claws and manage to fling the bastard away. But instead of turning around to face him, the wolf scrambled to his feet and ran into the nearby woods.

  Gage started to give chase but a small muffled voice stopped him in his tracks.

  “Help...please, help me...” she whimpered.

  She sounded so scared, and Gage caught the scent of her fear in his nostrils.

  The poor woman had regained consciousness and was now calling out in terror and desperation, fervently hoping that someone would hear her and help her.

  “I’m in here. Please let me out. Help me, somebody...” she begged.

  Gage rushed to the car and wrestled his bear down forcefully. A big, snarling bear wouldn’t be a very comforting sight. She needed a friendly, kind human face.

  Gage opened the trunk and stared into the most beautiful pair of brown eyes he had ever seen. Those eyes blinked repeatedly and the fear in them was replaced by amazement and relief.

  “You’re not Ervin,” she managed at last. “Where is he?”

  “Gone,” Gage snarled. He had to stop his claws from stabbing out.

  He swore he would hunt Ervin down and make him pay for what he had done to his beautiful, precious mate.

  “I’m Gage Harris. I’m here to help you,” Gage said gently. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?”

  “Marie Lynn,” she answered hoarsely. She stared at him and said in a quivering voice, “There’s blood on your face.”

  Gage swiped at his face and grimaced. “Sorry. I...”

  “You fought him,” Marie said, her eyes becoming clear and focused. “You fought Ervin off, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  She started to shake and Gage saw that she was trying not to cry.

  Gage bent down and said softly, “I’m going to carry you out, okay? I won’t hurt you.” Ever.

  Marie nodded and Gage would never forget wha
t she did next.

  She held out her arms to him.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Marie held out her arms to Gage in utter and complete trust. She instinctively knew that he would never hurt her.

  Gage had just saved her from a fate worse than death. She had no idea what Ervin planned to do to her, but she just knew that he would make her suffer in the worst possible way before killing her. He wanted his revenge.

  Marie wrapped her arms tightly around Gage’s neck as he lifted her from the trunk. She nuzzled into his neck and inhaled his scent deeply.

  She found his scent so comforting and soothing, and she instantly felt safe in his arms. It almost felt like she was...home.

  Marie stared up at Gage's chiseled, handsome face. His bright hazel eyes were gazing down at her with so much tenderness and kindness, and his sexy mouth was curved in a gentle smile. His sandy hair was slightly tousled which made him look even sexier.

  Marie realized that Gage was taller and more muscular than Ervin, but she wasn’t afraid of him at all. She just knew that Gage would protect her.

  As Gage carried her to his truck, Marie gasped when she saw that Ervin’s car had slammed into the side of the truck.

  “Oh no,” she cried in distress. “You got into an accident. He smashed right into you! Are you hurt? You...”

  “I’m okay,” Gage assured her. “And this is just a minor dent. Nothing that can’t be repaired.” He quirked a lopsided smile and added, “My brother, Steve, owns a body shop.”

  She returned his smile shyly as he strapped her into the passenger seat.

  After some effort, Gage managed to wrestle the damaged door on the driver’s side open and slid behind the wheel.

  “Shall I drive you to the hospital?” Gage asked, staring at the dried blood on her forehead.

  “No!” She shook her head quickly. “I don’t need to see a doctor. I’m fine, really. I just knocked my head against a shelf when Ervin pushed me.”

  Gage let out a low growl as he started the engine. Marie realized a second later how her words must have sounded to him.