Mating Brand
Page 42

He screamed and his hold on her was gone as Brand threw him across the room. Brand’s elbow caught her shoulder, sending her crashing toward the bed. She landed facedown on the mattress, bounced once and realized what had happened. She twisted her head and watched Brand tear Randy apart. The gory sight was horrific. The pride enforcer never even got the chance to scream again before he died.
Brand turned, half man and half beast, panting. Fresh blood covered his skin and dripped off his claws. His eyes were all wolf as he stared at her.
Charma blinked a few times, in shock.
“Are you okay? I thought that might be Garrett but I can tell by his smell that he’s not.”
She had to adjust to his rough voice to understand what he said. She managed a nod. “He was an enforcer from my pride.”
He took a step forward, then another, and dropped to his knees next to the bed. He kept his arms outstretched at his sides, his claws extended but far away from her.
“Charma, did he hurt you?” His voice was less growl now, more human.
She rolled over and sat up. “I’m okay. He said he has my baby sister.” She turned her head to stare at what was left of Randy. Bile rose in her throat and she swallowed hard, avoiding the sight as she desperately turned back to hold Brand’s gaze.
“I’m sorry, baby.” He inched closer but didn’t touch her. “I thought you’d be safe up here.”
“I’m okay. What if he really has my sister? He said Breeanna followed him here and his brother has her.”
Brand breathed hard but his claws slid back into his fingertips. He grabbed some of the bedding and wiped his hands on it. “Do you think he was telling the truth?”
“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. Bree can be pretty impulsive so it’s possible.”
Brand slowed his breathing, reaching for control, and glanced around. He stared at something on the nightstand. “Does she have a phone? Call her.”
Charma was still stunned but she nodded. Her sister had a habit of making rash decisions. Would she follow the males out of pride lands if she thought they were going after Charma? It was possible. She crawled across the bed and snagged the phone. Her hands shook as she dialed her sister’s number. It rang six times before going to voicemail.
“She’s not answering. She always picks up.”
“Maybe it’s because she doesn’t know the incoming number.”
“That wouldn’t stop her. She’s close to a lot of humans and they’re always changing their numbers.” She waited for the beep. “Bree, this is Charma. This is urgent. You call me right back. Do you understand? At this number. Call me right now.” She hung up.
Brand went the cramped bathroom located in the corner of the room. The sound of running water made it clear he was washing away the blood. She clutched his cell phone, waiting for it to ring. Every second seemed like a minute. A wet hand clamping down on her shoulder made her jump and stare up at Brand fearfully.
“She isn’t calling back. What if she followed them?” Her gaze drifted to the broken windows facing the woods. “It’s a war zone out there and my baby sister could be in the middle of it.”
“We’ll find her.”
“Your pack would kill her, wouldn’t they?” She panicked. “They’ll think she’s attacking them with the pride males.”
Brand jerked her to her feet. “Let’s take you downstairs to a safer location and I’ll go look for her.”
“How will you know who she is? You’ve never met her.”
“She’s a she-cat in pack territory. It won’t be hard.”
She clutched at him with her free hand, keeping hold of the phone with the other. “I need to go with you. She’ll be terrified.”
“Charma,” Brand growled, “calm down, baby. Trust me. I need to get you downstairs to Kane and his brother. They can protect you. I’ll go search for your sister. We aren’t even sure if she’s out there.”
She wanted to go with him but knew she’d only slow him down. She tried to think rationally. “You can’t go out there alone. Randy said his brother has Bree. There could be more than one enforcer with her. You’d be outnumbered.”
“I can handle a few pussies.”
It was a hellish situation for Charma. Brand would be in danger if he went to locate Bree. She was torn between the love for her baby sister and for her mate. Brand leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers.
“Trust me, hon. I’m going to find your sister if she’s here. I know what direction they came from. I’ll backtrack their footprints, okay?”
“Be careful. I can’t lose you.”
“Nothing is going to keep me from spending a long life with you,” he swore. “Now come with me downstairs. Kane and Klax can guard you. Maybe I’ll take Braden with me. He’ll want to fight. Will that make you feel better?”
“Yes.”
He released her and glanced once at the dead body of Randy. He cleared the door and turned, holding out a hand to her. “Come on, Charma. Time isn’t on our side. The pride must be on the run by now. They aren’t winning this war.”
They hurried downstairs. The sounds of fighting inside the house could be heard and Charma saw a body on the floor when they reached ground level. Two tall blonds stood next to the bloodied corpse of a leopard at their feet. Both turned, growling at their approach. They saw Brand and lowered their clawed hands.
“Guard my mate,” Brand ordered harshly. He released Charma. “Stay with them. They’ll keep you safe.”
“Where is Braden?” She frantically looked around.
“I’ll find him.” Brand rushed away.
Charma stared up at the identical twins with a bit of trepidation. They were big werewolves, something she’d always feared, but Brand said she’d be safe with them. She just didn’t feel it as they regarded her with identical intense stares.
“Hi.” She felt the need to say something, anything, to break the tension.
One of them turned away, sniffing. “More approach.”
His brother moved fast, making Charma gasp when he just hooked her around her waist and swung her off her feet. She tried not to cringe, knowing that the wetness seeping through her clothes was blood from his fresh kill. She had other things to worry about. In four long strides he took her to a door and yanked it open. “Be quiet,” he ordered, dropping her on her feet. “Stay put. We won’t let anyone reach you.”