Free Were Slave (2010) by Lia Slater Page B

more man than any of her precious
humans. He'd find a way to provide for her, to keep her safe, to make her his
mate.
    He moved in closer to grab her waist.
    She tried to step back but he tightened his grip. "What are
you doing?"
    "We're going down the terrace wall then. Fight me and you'll
regret it."
    * * * * *
    Rain misted down through the trees as Nayla shivered and
clung to Mace's neck, taking in as much heat from his body as she could. She'd
fought him with every ounce of her energy before giving up. She'd kicked,
punched, scratched and bit him but he hadn't showed any pain. He'd only held
her tighter and quickened his pace. She'd been furious and frightened and he'd
done nothing. He stayed emotionless and cold.
    Now, as he ran through the thick forest side-by-side with
his werewolves, her only hope was to survive. She knew firsthand what these
Weres were capable of. With their large bodies, sharp teeth and fierce claws,
there was no stopping the ferocious beasts. She thanked God Mace had remained
in his human form. To carry her, she supposed, so she wouldn't escape.
    Damn him. Why had she trusted him? She'd been foolish to not
see this coming. Well, in the back of her mind, she knew he and his pack would
find a way to free themselves. She'd expected that and had wanted it for them
at times, when the idea of letting Mace go wasn't overwhelming. But she never
thought Mace would force her to go with them.
    What could he possibly expect from her? She was only human.
How did he think she could live like this?
    Another chill coursed through her numbed body and she
trembled. She was soaking wet from the rain and the creeks and puddles Mace had
run through in the past few hours.
    She readjusted in his arms and stiffened her legs around his
waist. She pressed her face to his warm neck and breathed in the heat emanating
from his body. But it wasn't enough. The wind whipped at her back as he easily
kept up his pace with the wolves.
    "So cold," she whispered, hoping he'd take mercy on her.
He'd ignored all of her pleas thus far.
    "We're almost to our destination. Hang on." He surprised her
by answering this time, his deep voice delivering a calming effect.
    Damn it. He didn't deserve calm. He deserved her anger but a
part of her was relieved she didn't have to say goodbye to him. Not when her
heart longed for him and her body craved his touch. And she was too exhausted
and miserable to work up anything other than a sigh of relief.
    She gave in to the overwhelming urge and closed her eyes.
    * * * * *
    Panic pulsed at Mace's temples when Nayla grew limp in his
arms. Hell. Had he pushed her too hard in this weather? He and his pack had run
as far and as fast as they could from the castle and now, he slowed them to a
stop at the outlying forest of Paqualette, deep in the valley, next to the
river.
    The sun was slowly rising over the horizon, giving them at
least one more hour of the moon's energy, but this was as far as he'd take
Nayla. She needed to get out of her wet clothes before hypothermia set in. If
it hadn't already.
    He swallowed his guilt and looked around for shelter. The
base of a nearby bluff held a shallow, cave-like opening. It would have to
work.
    Kaige transformed to human form and approached. "Why do we
stop? We still have the power of the moon."
    His second-in-command was also his good friend, had been
ever since Mace had rescued him from a Vampire slave ring. Kaige had had a
torturous life before joining Mace's pack and sometimes it was difficult for
his friend to fully give up control to the alpha.
    That was when Mace needed to remind him who was in charge.
"We stop because I say so," Mace snapped, not in the mood for Kaige's defiant
ways. "Check the rock shelter over there for anything that may harm Nayla. I
need to get her warm immediately."
    "Why the human's so important to you is beyond me," Kaige
said, but did as he was ordered. He turned back to wolf form and sniffed out
the area.
    Mace took that time to