Callie's Captors [Mountain Men(45)
She inhaled, drawing in the scent of the other two men. Was their aroma stronger from their run? Yet none of them were sweating.
A quieter, shorter version of the screech she’d heard before came from the pit. “Put me down, Raine.”
He checked with his brothers, who both had the sense enough not to object. Placing her on her feet, he took her wrist before she could move to the side of the hole. “He’s okay.”
“He damn well better be.” She yanked her hand away. She wasn’t angry so much as worried for Scrunch. Careful not to lean too far, she peered over the edge and gave the whimpering Scrunch a comforting smile.
“It’s okay, buddy. We’ll get you out.”
“You have got to be out of your mind.” Blue paced to her side. “First, you get out of bed and leave us to go chasing after this thing and now you want us to help him? What next? Should we have a party and invite all The Cursed?”
“Take it easy, bro,” warned Pete.
“Are you fucking crazy, too? We have been taking it easy. Too easy. And look where that’s gotten us. Standing over a damn trap in the middle of the night while our mate plays Jane to his Tarzan.”
Had she heard him right? “What’d you say?”
“You heard me. There’s nothing wrong with your ears.”
“Or her eyes.” Raine jutted out his chin at her.
“What are you talking about? What about my eyes?”
“Let’s stick to the subject at hand.”
She prodded him in the middle of his chest. As soon as she touched him, a lot of her irritation went away and was replaced by a lust that almost knocked her off her feet. But that was for later. “I asked you what you said. Did you call me your mate?”
“Yeah, I did. We told you as much earlier.”
But had they used that word?
Scrunch let out another wail, interrupting their conversation. He scampered to the other side of the hole. She’d have to continue the conversation about being their mate later. After she got Scrunch out of the pit.
“We’re going to get him out. I know what it feels like to be stuck in a hole.” She didn’t care what they said. They’d help her get him out. One way or another, she’d make them see it her way.
“No. We’re not.” Blue crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. “As far as I’m concerned, he can stay down there until he rots.”
She dropped her jaw in horror. “That is so not the nice guy I thought you were. Is that how all of you feel? Can you really leave the poor little thing to die?”
Pete shifted on his feet. “Blue, maybe we should get him out.”
“And risk getting bitten?” Blue’s eyes flashed a strange amber color. “No way.”
“How bad can he bite you?” She didn’t mention that Scrunch had very long fangs, but he’d never tried to hurt her. “Besides, you’re bigger and stronger. Can’t the three of you subdue him?”
“It’s not that.” Raine ran a hand through his hair. “Their bites are deadly to us. Just one bite and we could die.”
She couldn’t believe it. “Of all the things you should’ve told me, don’t you think that should’ve been one of them?”
But that didn’t lessen her resolve to help Scrunch. “Okay. So that just means we have to take even more care getting him out. For his sake as well as ours.”
“I’m sorry, Callie, Blue’s right.”
Yet instead of fighting with Pete, she turned and got closer to the edge. “If you guys won’t help him, then maybe you’ll help me.”
“What does that mean?”
She shot Blue a watch-and-see look then turned and jumped into the pit.
Chapter Seven
“What the hell are you doing now?” Pete scowled at her then backed up. Anger and fear swirled inside him, making a heady mix of emotions that threatened to bring out his wolf whether he wanted to shift or not.
Maybe he could’ve stopped her if he’d had any idea of what she was about to do. But she’d leapt over the edge before he could react.
“I’m not going to let you guys leave him here to die. If you do, then you’re letting me die, too.”
Blue cursed a blue streak and stalked away from the pit. Pete could see Raine trying to think of something to say, but what could that be? He strode back to the pit. “You’re out of your mind. We told you. It’s dangerous.”
“Maybe some of the others of his kind are, but not Scrunch.” She drew closer to the thing, adding another painful twist to Pete’s gut.
“Callie, be reasonable. What do you expect us to do?”