Heart of the Wolf (The Heart Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  I stood up as well. “I know she wants to leave, but that doesn’t mean she trusts me.”

  “She trusts you more than Justin. That’s all you need to worry about.”

  “I need to learn more before I leave. Where do I bring her?”

  “Bring her to the northern most tip of the island. I’ll take care of everything else.”

  “And how do I know I can trust you?” I was tired of resorting to blind trust. It wasn’t natural.

  “You can’t.” He brushed past me toward the entrance. “Just like she doesn’t know that she can trust you.” He stepped out of the tent and headed further down the beach.

  I stood there waiting for a full minute before I headed after him. He was right. I had no choice.

  Twelve

  Hope

  I didn’t move for a full five minutes after Justin left. I soaked in the relief of having some time without him looking over my shoulder. Even at night with the dresser pressed up against the door, I worried. The only alone time I’d had was when I walked on the beach, but even then, I got the feeling Justin was still watching me—either himself or through someone else.

  The whole situation was confusing. He had me trapped on an island, yet other than annoying the heck out of me, he hadn’t hurt me in the slightest. I’d prepared myself for an attack, but aside from the one time he pulled off my wet clothes, his hands had largely stayed to themselves. It’s not that I wanted him to touch me, but I kept waiting for his patience to wear thin. His claim that I had to be the one to initiate things made no sense. Although to be fair, the fact that he could turn into a wolf made no sense either. Still, I worried at every moment. Even if he was keeping his hands to himself, I was trapped and wasn’t willing to spend the rest of my life here on this island.

  I picked myself up off the couch and headed toward the second bedroom Justin was using. If there was any information I could use to get off this island, I’d find it there. It was the one spot in the bungalow he wouldn’t let me see. One attempt to turn the knob told me all needed to know. It didn’t budge; there was definitely something important in there. There was no way the lock was going to stop me, but I did pause for a moment. Right now Justin wasn’t hurting me. If he discovered me breaking into his private room, would that change?

  I knew I couldn’t let that stop me. I wasn’t an expert on breaking locks but there had to be a way into the room. I considered using brute force to knock down the door, but that would probably hurt me more than it budged the door. Before I could damage my shoulder I came up with a far better solution.

  I headed outside through the double screen doors, relieved Justin hadn’t locked me in the bungalow. He didn’t need to. Unless I wanted to drown in the middle of the ocean or hide out in the brush, running away wasn’t going to do me any good. I stepped out onto the deck and continued on the boardwalk until I was directly underneath the window to the second bedroom.

  The window was a ways above me, but when I jumped I got a good look at it. It had a screen, but it looked like the glass part of the window was open. I smiled, the first piece of luck to go my way. I glanced over my shoulder hoping no one was watching me. Even if someone was, I still had to do this. I couldn’t just sit and wait. If there was any chance of finding a way to connect with the outside world, I had to take it.

  I jumped as high as I could, but the window was still out of reach. I needed something long I could use to punch out the screen. That way I’d know if it was even possible to get in before I climbed all the way up there. I could maybe hold onto the windowsill to pull myself in. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to climb the side of the bungalow, but I would. Now wasn’t the time to get negative. I didn’t see anything on the porch that jumped out at me as useful, but I figured I could find some driftwood down on the beach. In my bare feet I walked down the boardwalk and to the shore, grateful for the bright moon in the sky, making my search a little bit easier.

  I found a long and steady stick I figured might work and headed back up and around to the window.

  I heard something. It wasn’t loud but sounded like footsteps. I whirled around but saw no one. I held the stick from the very bottom and stretched up toward the window. I was just a tiny bit too low. I jumped, aiming the stick right at the screen. I scraped against the screen but didn’t break it.

  I swallowed down my frustration and tried again. This time two hands lifted me off the ground.

  I started to scream, but a hand clamped over my mouth. I bit down on the hand on instinct.

  “Shit.”

  My heart beat out of my chest as I was dropped down onto the boardwalk. “Ryan?” I stared at the doctor as he cradled his hand. “What are you doing here?”

  He stared at his hand as if in disbelief. “You bit me.”

  “You picked me up with no warning.”

  “I was helping you.”

  “No, you were scaring me.”

  He ripped off the hem of his shirt and wrapped up his finger. “It’s not going to help either of us if I get blood everywhere.”

  “What are you doing here?” My heart rate had returned to nearly normal, so I was ready to find out what the heck was going on.

  “I’m rescuing you.” He removed the piece of fabric from his hand, and the wound looked like it was already healing.

  Looking at the ugly cut sent a tendril of guilt through me. “Sorry about that.”

  “I get why you did it. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.”

  He was right. My guilt dissipated a little. “No, you shouldn’t have.” I was glad to see him, for more reasons than one. Despite my precarious situation, I liked to see him. My entire body responded to his presence, and it sent both a wave of comfort and excitement through me. Secondly, if I was right about him, he might actually be able to help. “How do you plan to uh, rescue me, as you say?”

  “I have a plan. I’m not going to pretend it’s going to be fun or easy, but it’s the best one I have.” Then he looked at the stick I still held in my hand. “Why are you trying to get in there? Are you locked out?”

  “Justin has that room locked. There might be something in there that could help.” I didn’t exactly want to waste time, but my gut told me we needed to make sure there wasn’t something important in that room before we left. Although I still didn’t quite understand how we were going to leave the island unless Ryan was hiding a boat somewhere.

  “All right.” He took the stick from me and reached up. He pushed the screen out in one swift motion. The screen fell into the room, making a soft thud.

  “Show off,” I mumbled.

  “I’m taller. That’s all it is.”

  “Exactly.” I bit back a smile. At least he wasn’t going on about being stronger. That would have annoyed me. He was being careful not to offend me, almost too careful.

  “Do you want to climb up on my shoulders to get in, or would you prefer I go in there first?” He set down the stick. “I could go in and open the door if you want.”

  “You are giving me the option?” It was nice to be given options, for so long I’d just been following along with what I was told. That should have been my first warning about the Wellingtons. They always made the decisions for me. At first I questioned their behavior, but then I accepted it. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone else worry about the details. And then once you start allowing it, it gets easier. It becomes the new normal.

  “Of course. What will it be? I’d prefer to go in first because I want to make sure it’s safe, but I’m not going to be that guy.”

  I smiled. “You can shift into a wolf, yet you are worried about being too pushy?”

  “What do those two things have to do with the other?”

  I thought over his words. “Nothing I guess. You can go on in. I’m not a glutton for punishment.”

  “Okay, give me a minute to make sure it’s safe, and then meet me around inside. We need to do this fast.”

  “You think it’s worth taking the time?” I
was torn. If I missed my opportunity for freedom I’d always regret it, but I didn’t really know what was going to happen.

  He shrugged. “You seem to think it is, and I’m going to trust you on this.”

  “How much time do we have?”

  He glanced at his watch. “We should have a safe twenty-minutes, but I’d prefer if we keep it to five.”

  “Agreed.” Maybe I was being stupid. Maybe I should just go with Ryan and take the more likely route off the island, but something gnawed at me, suggesting if I didn’t check out the office I’d be making a mistake.

  “I’ll see you inside.” He easily pulled himself up the side of the bungalow and climbed up the wall. Then he swung himself inside the room. I tried not to ogle him, but it was impossible. He moved so effortlessly, his muscles on perfect display. “It’s safe.”

  His words snapped me out of my daze, and I hurried up the boardwalk and back to the deck. I slipped inside, closing the screen doors behind me. One of the screens squeaked a little, and I figured it could give us a small warning if Justin got back. Not that we were going to wait around long enough for that to happen. I was willingly walking back into what was basically my prison. That thought surged through me as I hurried down the hall and found the door to the second bedroom open. Ryan was standing in front of an open filing cabinet holding up some sort of diagrams.

  “What are those?” I pointed to the drawings.

  “It’s a long story, one we don’t have time for.”

  I walked further into the room and took a closer look at the grey paper in his hands. I studied the white markings. “That’s a bomb. That’s a diagram of how to make a bomb.”

  “It is. I promise I will explain.”

  “Wait. There’s more of them.” I peered into the open drawer. It was full of similar diagrams. I took a handful and flipped through them. They were all of guns and bombs, even a few missile looking things. “What is all this?”

  Ryan rolled up the diagrams. “I don’t have time to explain now.”

  “We have time.” I grabbed his arm. “You’re not surprised by them. Why aren’t you surprised?”

  He put the roll of papers inside his blazer. That seemed to be the one purpose for the coat. “How much do you know about the business you were working for?”

  “I know they sold computer parts. Not this.” There was no way. To add insult to injury, the Wellingtons even lied to me about their business?

  “They deal with weapons, and not ordinary weapons. We have no time. Help me finish searching, and then we have to go.”

  I nodded absently, not wanting to drop it, but seeing no other choice.

  I searched the drawers of the desk, looking for something, anything. I found nothing. At least nothing that looked important. Ryan pocketed the pictures and searched under the bed. He pulled out a box and opened it. “Wow. Talk about obsessed.”

  I walked over to find Ryan flipping through pictures of me. At least a hundred taken over the years I’d know them. There were pictures from parties, beach trips, even some of me just sitting on a bench on the quad. “Oh my god.”

  “Not that you aren’t picture worthy, but…” Ryan trailed off.

  “Yeah, let’s get out of here.” A chill ran through me. Justin was seriously messed up, and I had no interest in running into him again.

  I heard a small squeak and froze. Thankfully, Ryan had a different response. In a whirl he pulled me into his arms and jumped out of the window. He landed gracefully on the boardwalk and took off running, carrying me with him.

  I heard a loud thump behind us but couldn’t waste the time to look back.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing!” Justin roared from somewhere behind us.

  Ryan stopped suddenly, putting me down gently, and pushing me behind him. “Stay away, Justin.”

  “Stay away?” His face reddened. “Stay away from my mate.”

  “She isn’t your mate.” Ryan’s whole body tensed. “Don’t pretend she is.”

  “But she will be.” Justin’s hands balled into fists at his side. “Make no mistake about that.”

  I could see around Ryan just enough to notice the crazed look in Justin’s eyes. The moon illuminated his wild eyes that were at once terrifying and sad. I knew Justin to be a lot of things, but sad had never been one of them.

  “Step away from my mate.” His voice was calmer now, but I knew he wasn’t any less dangerous.

  “I already reminded you she is not your mate. You have no control or say over what she does. If she wants to leave this island, she will be leaving.”

  “Hope will not be leaving this island until we mate.”

  “Not a chance in hell.” I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

  Hearing my voice must have set him off more, because Justin lunged toward Ryan. Ryan quickly sidestepped, pulling me with him. With his other fist, he punched Justin square in the nose. Blood gushed from Justin’s nose as he continued swinging blindly at Ryan. Ryan punched him in the throat, and Justin stumbled backward.

  Ryan followed, and I watched, too shocked to react at all. Ryan pounced on Justin while he was on the ground and punched him repeatedly until Justin stopped moving.

  “We have to go.” Ryan grabbed my hand. “I know that scared you, but I had no choice. I had to make sure he wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “He isn’t dead, is he?” I looked over to where Justin lay with blood all over his shirt. I may have hated Justin, but that didn’t mean I wished him dead.

  “No. You can see he’s breathing.” Ryan pointed to Justin’s chest, and he was right. My captor was definitely breathing.

  “Thank you.” I hugged Ryan will all my might. “Now get me off this island.”

  After one last glance at Justin to prove to myself he wasn’t going to come right after us again, I let Ryan lead me away.

  We ran up the beach, across the dirt road, and into the cover of trees. He pulled me along, and I struggled to keep up. I didn’t complain. We needed to move faster.

  “You okay?” He called over after a few minutes of running.

  “Yes.” I managed to get one word out.

  That must not have been the right answer. Seconds later he had me over his shoulder.

  “You don’t have to carry me,” I argued, even though he did. I was a decent runner, but I couldn’t keep up with him. I would have felt bad about it, but I was human and he wasn’t. That was a concept I was still adjusting to.

  “We have no idea who else we are running from.” Those were the only words Ryan uttered as he ran on and on until he suddenly stopped. He handed me his jacket. “Hold on to this for me.” He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off before moving to the button of his pants.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded.

  “We aren’t alone.” He moved behind a bush that hid his lower half and tossed the rest of his clothes at me. “Stay hidden!”

  Seconds later a large light-grey wolf stepped into view. This one was slightly smaller than Justin, but still way bigger than a normal wolf. The air shimmered, and in the place where Ryan had once stood there was now a huge grey wolf.

  I stared in horror as the intruding wolf growled while it slowly circled us. Ryan stood his ground turning to face the wolf while keeping me safely behind him. Suddenly the wolf leaped towards Ryan with its teeth gnashing at his throat. Ryan rolled backwards and kicked with his hind legs to send the other wolf soaring through the air. The wolf landed hard against a tree and struggled to get back up. Before the wolf could regain his composure, Ryan sprinted over and slashed his paw across his face. The wolf lay on the ground barely conscious as Ryan’s teeth found the smaller wolf’s neck, and he ripped flesh.

  I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.

  Ryan dropped the limp wolf body to the ground, before shifting back to his human form. He wiped blood from his lips and averted his eyes. “Once again, I am sorry you had to see that.”

  I looked away from the carnage. I didn’t kno
w who the wolf was, but it wasn’t Justin. “You were protecting me.” And that was hot. I never thought I’d be that kind of girl—the kind that liked being protected- but there was something about the way Ryan did it that turned me on. Ugh. I was seriously losing it.

  I was barely aware of Ryan taking back his clothes. A few moments later he was dressed. “We need to keep moving.”

  I nodded absently, trying to clear the sexual thoughts from my mind. Now was certainly not the time to let my head go down that path.

  We continued until the forest cover thinned out. I heard the sound of a motor ahead, and I knew without being told the motor likely belonged to foe not friend. I held onto Ryan’s hand, determined not to get lost on this crazy island. The isolation had been bad, but knowing there were more frightening wolves on the island made my mental state that much worse.

  We were a few steps from exiting the woods, when a gruff voice yelled, “Stop, come here!”

  Ryan stopped short. I waited nervously by his side, surprised he wasn’t shifting.

  A few seconds later a figure stepped into view. “Come along. We don’t have much time.” His voice was low and raspy.

  Ryan nodded and walked forward. I had no choice but to follow. I wasn’t staying in the woods by myself.

  “Get in there.” The man pointed to a grey shipping container that was sitting on top of the lift part of a fork-lift.

  “Uh, what?” I could feel my eyes widen. “Are you crazy?”

  Ryan squeezed my hand. “Trust him.”

  “But how can we breathe in there?” That was only one of my many concerns, but breathing seemed to be the biggest issue at the moment.

  “There are holes. I promise. This is the only way.”

  I was already putting my trust into the hands of a virtual stranger, albeit one who knocked out Justin to protect me, but still, someone I barely knew. Yet I found myself climbing into the container with Ryan. The man put the cover over the top.

  The container was hot and completely dark, yet I shivered.