Fang Chronicles: Mandy's Story Read online

  His laugh came out on a rumbling growl. “Comfy?”

  “Yes, comfy.”

  He switched gears. “Do you know how old I am?”

  Her eyes swept over him. “Over three hundred, but that matters little.”

  “It matters a lot.” The words were slightly less than a snarl.

  Nothing seemed to affect her. “I’ve been studying history on the internet so we can have common stuff to talk about.”

  He looked away, inhaled deeply, and then couldn’t help asking, “Such as?”

  “Patty Hearst.”

  “Who?” he snapped.

  “She was kidnapped in 1974.” By the tone of her voice, she obviously thought he should know who the hell she was talking about.

  He almost ended the conversation right there, but somehow his next question tumbled out, “And that interests me why?”

  The smirk came back. “Well, it interests me.”

  He gave a long exhalation. “Explain.”

  “I mentioned it before, but then you exploded.” She looked around for a few moments then turned and stared pointedly at his lap. “You have a large member.”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “Fuck, you’re kidding me? A member?” She should go on a comedy tour.

  Just a touch of pink spread up her cheeks. “What do you call it?” she asked.

  He managed not to laugh at her naïveté. “My cock, my dick, and at the very least my penis. Where the hell did you get ‘member’? A romance novel?”

  The pupils in her eyes went to pinpoints and her voice held indignation. “I’ll call it your penis if member upsets you so much.” She crossed her arms over her breasts.

  His patience slipped when she dared to show attitude. His demeanor rapidly accelerated to rage and was reflected in his voice. “Living in a fucking cage upsets me. Being kidnapped by a fucking cub upsets me. Having my cock called a member is ridiculous.”

  “I told you talking about Stockholm syndrome would make you explode again.”

  He shook his head, took a long steady breath and then silently counted to ten before speaking, “I’m not exploding, and please hand me the other sweats so I can cover my… member.”

  She didn’t say a word, just shoved the pants his way. He watched her leave the truck then come back a few minutes later with two sleeping bags and pillows. She pulled down the truck’s door and removed a candle from her endless shopping bags of goodies. Her small fingers lit the wick with a match, and then she dripped wax on the floorboards in order for the candle to stay upright. When her candlelit room was satisfactory, she pushed a sleeping bag his way. He grabbed it and unrolled the thick musty-smelling dark blue material. After wiggling it through the metal slats, he arranged it on the bars beneath him. Sitting back down, he stared at her. She passed the smaller pillow over. He managed to work it through the slats and lay down. His body didn’t fit well, so he curled slightly on his side facing her.

  “Do you need to relieve yourself?”

  “No.” He couldn’t believe she still had the upper hand.

  “Then I’m tucking myself in.”

  “Be my guest.” He waited until she climbed inside her sleeping bag and appeared settled. “Tell me why Stockholm syndrome fascinates you so much.”

  Her breathing slowed and her voice softened, “I want you to love me.”

  He inhaled sharply. “You think kidnapping someone makes them love you?”

  “That’s where S.S. comes in,” she said in the same dreamy voice.

  He succeeded in lowering his tone to match hers, “And you couldn’t wait two years from now?”

  “The whole twenty-one rule is ridiculous.” She delayed her next statement by looking up at the ceiling for a moment before proceeding. “I heard you were going to claim your mate.” Her voice cracked, but she looked back at him with endless depths of pain pooling in her eyes.

  “If I have a true mate, you can’t stop it,” he said, trying to get through her thick skull.

  “She isn’t your true mate… I am. I feel it in here.” She slowly brought her hand to her heart and rested it slightly over one breast.

  A million thoughts went through his head, but his focus was her one covered breast. “I’m sorry I brought you to this.”

  “You should be.” She snapped.

  Closing his eyes for only a moment didn’t help the sadness that momentarily overwhelmed him. “There’s someone special meant for you Mandy.”

  “Yes, and I’m staring at him.” Pure defiance came through in each word.

  Honey gave a quick bark of laughter. “Now you’re being childish again.”

  She lay there, also curled and facing him, eyes glowing with sparks of fire from the candlelight. “One of the male wolves tried to kiss me.”

  At first, Honey didn’t realize his hands had curled tightly around the bars. “What happened?”

  She watched his hands and her voice trembled slightly. “It made me sick to my stomach.”

  He tried counting to ten again, but only made it to three before he asked, “What does that mean?” His hands didn’t loosen their hold.

  Mandy’s eyes flashed to his. “The thought of any other man touching me is repulsive. I dream of you running your hands across my skin and I heat up.”

  The erection he’d been trying to hold back had a mind of its own and he could barely control himself. He’d lost another round. “I’m not discussing this with you.”

  “How will you stop me?” Her soft, sleepy voice vibrated across the space between them.

  “I’ll turn my back and go to sleep.” Now he sounded like a petulant five year old.

  “That’s a good idea.” She extinguished the candle, but he could still make out her form in the dark. “Goodnight.”

  The huskiness of that final word made him fight back a groan. He didn’t reply, but he stayed facing her. The night stretched endlessly and sleep didn’t come until long after her breathing grew steady.

  Chapter Four

  They spoke little the following morning. Mandy continued to drive on the bumpy road then jumped onto a main highway. He noticed her faster speed along with an increase in traffic and wondered where the hell she planned to take him.

  Breakfast was another bag of fast food. She left the emptied urine bottle beside him, returned to the cab, and ate her food while driving. He finally gave in and used a plastic bag, the toilet paper, and then the baby wipes. He tossed the offending bag through the bars to land against the corner nearest the door. Just for that humiliation alone her ass would be bright red before his hands closed around her throat.

  He noticed a lone key hanging from a chain around her throat and knew it had to be for the lock on the cage. Getting it would be the easy part. Discovering the combination code would be harder. He might enjoy dreaming about wrapping his fingers around her slender neck, but they both knew he wouldn’t kill her.

  When she stopped and rolled up the door that afternoon, he realized she had backed the tail end of the truck a foot from a brick wall. After her inquisitive eyes looked around the truck, she spotted the plastic bag in the corner and took it away without a word. A few minutes later she returned empty handed. “I’m heading to get food and pick up a few more things from the store. Can I get you anything?”

  She appeared so calm, looking directly into his eyes with steady patience that proved more than anything that her craziness was inborn. His anger stayed on a low simmer and he managed to be civil, “I have a feeling I’ll need a few new sweatpants or fifty. A six pack of beer would be great, too.”

  She smiled. It was the first one that truly reached her eyes and it lit up her face. Until that moment, he didn’t realize the strain she was under, or maybe he just wasn’t thinking past his own nightmare. Her delicate beauty had affected him from the moment they met. Keeping his eyes off her was damn near impossible back then.

  “If that’s all you want, I’ll be leaving.”

  The rolling metal door closed slowly and he
was alone again. Boredom was his biggest enemy and he’d rested more during the past two days than he usually did in a week. After thirty minutes of moping, he grabbed the bars above his head at the end of the cage, stretched his body out, and did reverse pushups. It was probably ten degrees warmer in the truck than outside and sweat quickly dripped from his body. He switched to one arm, working up and down fifty times and then working his other. After three sets, he turned his back to the side of the cage, grasped the bars beside his hips, and lifted his lower body straight legged off the floor for five minutes. He repeated his core exercise twice more. Next, he stretched his body from one end of the cage to the other, pressing his bare feet to the bars. His hands held the other end, and he suspended himself halfway off the floor, and keeping his body in a slightly arched plank position for ten minutes. The door rolled up during his second set.

  He didn’t look at her and continued to count silently in his head. She remained quiet. He didn’t hear her move, but knew she stood and watched. At the completion of ten counts of sixty, he released his feet and turned.

  Desire was written clearly on her face, causing his breath to catch. Her green eyes traveled over his sweat-dampened chest and then down his covered legs. He could smell himself; unwashed, perspiration from his workout, and the scent of bear. But god… he inhaled the musky scent that was all her, and added to that, he smelled her arousal.

  He waited until her eyes met his again. “Why don’t you open the cage?” His husky voice screamed sexual fantasy, promised she could run her hands over his chest, and then lick the sweat running down his body.

  He knew it worked because her eyes traveled over the dripping moisture again as it rolled over his hard swelling muscles before dampening the waist of his pants.

  Her choked voice was incredibly low, “I don’t think it’s wise.”

  “It may not be wise, but it’s what you want. And I’m willing to give you exactly what you want.” His growl was compelling.

  Her eyes snapped to his. “You’re lying.” The shaking timbre of the words let him know she hoped he wasn’t.

  He tried again. “I need to touch you.”

  Without another word, she laid the bags on the floor, used the blue hoe to push them closer, and then left him in the dark. The truck’s engine rumbled a few minutes later.

  He let out the breath he’d been holding, knowing he finally had a way to break her down. She thought him her mate; she desired his body and his touch. He wasn’t as smart as he thought he was; he should’ve figured it out sooner. Now… he had a plan.

  He removed his pants and used the baby wipes to clean himself. He put on a new pair of sweatpants that he took from the bag. After drinking half a gallon of water, he dug into the food then drank two beers before it occurred to him that she was too young to purchase the alcohol. He decided he didn’t want to know where she got it.

  A few hours later, the road changed and the truck bumped along at a slower pace for two more hours before finally coming to a stop. He listened as she opened the passenger side door and removed crinkling bags, one after the other. It was ten minutes before she opened the sliding door.

  Autumn had touched the dense trees that went for as far as he could see. They peeked out from behind her body as she stood in the receding light of the setting sun. As much as his bear craved to run free, it was her that drew the attention. He didn’t know if it was what happened earlier in the day, but the tight jeans that covered her lower half and a snug-fit tee with a low neckline made his mouth water. Her scent traveled into the truck and his sweatpants didn’t hide the erection that grew larger the longer he stared.

  “We’re home,” she finally said in a croaky voice before taking a gulp of air, causing her chest to expand. The rounded tops of her breasts stretched the material of her shirt, and then it was him seeking air. Shit, this was not part of his new plan. His hand involuntarily went to the front of his sweatpants, but he stopped when he noticed her eyes follow the movement. A low rumble started deep in his chest.

  Fuck. Control, he had to gain control. “Like what you see?” He turned the tables on her.

  “It’s much more spectacular uncovered.” Her sultry voice played with him.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet, baby,” he growled.

  “Am I your baby?” She teased him in her sexy voice.

  He shook his head, his bear screaming with need. He couldn’t remove his eyes from the up-and-down movement below her collarbone. Bear grumbled louder as Honey stared at the swell of her breasts. He took a shallow breath and met her eyes. “Did you say home?”

  Her incredible control saved the moment and he acknowledged the truth for the first time—Mandy was a worthy opponent.

  “For as long as it takes.” A slight smile curved her pouty lips.

  “It won’t be that long, baby.”

  Her grin flared, “Your tune has changed fast and don’t think I’m unaware of your game.”

  “You’re too young to play my game,” he challenged her.

  Her shirt came over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her pert breasts stood at attention.

  The bitch.

  Her hands went to her jeans, unfastened the button, and slowly lowered the zipper, the rasp loud in the cave of the truck.

  His erection went to full staff.

  Then, ever so slowly, she pulled the tight material past her hips and down her legs. She forgot she wore shoes, and when the jeans hit her knees she should have looked awkward bending to slip off the sneakers, but she didn’t. She looked sexy as hell. Her pants hit the ground with a peekaboo show of white virginal panties that traveled with the jeans.

  His gut dropped to his knees. There was nothing childish about her body; each womanly curve was a work of art. Before he could take it all in, she shifted.

  Her wolf… miraculous, fierce, perfect.

  Bear whined from deep within, seeing her beast form for the first time. Brown, silver, and black; one shade blended to another—her fur thick and sleek, the perfect contrast to his bristly coat. No words formed in his throat.

  Just to add insult to injury, she turned, her tail swishing back and forth, and with a leap, she was gone. He sank to his knees wondering what the hell he would do now.

  Chapter Five

  Two hours later, she returned dressed in sweats and bearing food. She held two silver bodies. Fresh fish. There had to be a stream around because this was no store-bought game.

  “I know it’s a tight fit in there for your bear, but I thought he might like these.” She balanced them on the end of the shovel and pushed them his way.

  “I don’t need to be in beast form to eat raw fish.” He looked past her, refusing to admire her body again.

  “Oh.” She looked down at the fish.

  “You don’t eat raw meat?”

  “Not unless I’m in wolf skin.”

  He couldn’t seem to help himself. “You’re beautiful in wolf skin.”

  “Don’t start that again.” She gave him a slightly evil look.

  “Okay.” Completely lame.

  She obviously expected an argument because she didn’t have a ready comeback to his quick acquiescence. He needed to take control of the conversation. “So where is our home?”

  “I think it’s better if you don’t know that.”

  “We aren’t in Kansas anymore?”

  That made her smile. “No.”

  He looked at the landscape behind her. “The trees have changed so we must me further east. There aren’t any pines.”

  “No pines.” She quipped.

  He gave a frustrated sigh. “Do you really think this crazy plan will work?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I had to try.”

  “You could have just spoken to me.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Every time I got near you, you disappeared. I loved hearing your voice, but you wouldn’t even let me that close. I stole your shirt one day so I could breathe in your scent at ni
ght.”

  Now he was speechless. She was too young for him. He knew it. His bear knew it, but for some reason he just wanted to hold and comfort her.

  A sad timbre entered her voice, “I’ll be back later. Eat your fish.”

  She left him again.

  His melancholy mood made him telepathically connect with The Kodiak. He needed comfort no matter the fierceness of the alpha bear.

  “You dare to contact me?” the voice exploded.

  It didn’t matter how many miles separated him from The Kodiak, the alpha’s rage made Honey lower his head. “I take it things are bad.”

  Honey felt each weighty breath as the alpha fought for control. “Since Korep’s death you have not been yourself, but my lenience does not go this far. Return the girl and I won’t kill you.”

  Honey raised his head knowing The Kodiak could feel his anger. “I think you’ll need to kill me, father.”

  The Kodiak’s roar traveled through Honey’s skull and he had no choice but to sever the connection.

  ***

  Mandy paced the small cabin. She couldn’t trust him. His deviousness knew no bounds, and his hypnotic voice almost had her unlocking the cage door. Kidnapping him was a last ditch effort. She’d heard the rumors and knew she had to do something drastic.

  She remembered their time in a hotel room with Caleb, her brother, and Korep after Emily almost died from a cat attack. Honey didn’t say much during those days and seemed content to let Korep do the talking. They played cards and killed time until Brandt decided they needed to leave. By then, it was too late for Mandy; she was already in love, and her wolf had chosen its mate. The biggest problem was her uncertainty of whether Honey felt the same way.

  It was almost six months before she saw him again, and by then Korep was dead. She felt Honey’s pain deep in her soul, but he didn’t speak to her and barely even glanced her way when she walked into a room. Two weeks later, he left without a word. She cried herself to sleep each night until he came back. But then, the rumors started... Honey had a mate that he planned to claim.