Five Weeks (Seven Series #3)(45)

Wheeler’s jaw clenched, and his amber eyes looked like hard candy as they narrowed at Naya’s indifferent expression. She had turned to face him and tucked her hands in the little pockets of her shorts.
Wheeler watched her as she brushed one leg against the other, her skin making a soft hiss where it rubbed together.
Naya smiled knowingly. “That was the only one you’ll ever have,” she said in a way that implied there was an inside story behind the remark. She strolled toward the front door and ran her slender fingers over the right side of her ass as she turned around. “Tell Lexi I’ll be waiting in the car.” She ended the last part with a little purr and slinked out the door.
Jericho faced his brother. “What’s the deal with you two?”
Wheeler blinked and turned around, tromping his way up the stairs. Lexi passed by him on her way down, and her eyes widened when she caught sight of his expression.
“What’s wrong with Wheeler?”
Jericho shrugged. “He had to dig a trench.”
She laughed her silly laugh and slipped on her shoes. “Poor guy. My mom would be out there digging it if it weren’t for him, and she’s in no condition to do that kind of work. See you later!”
“Stay out of trouble,” Jericho said, following her outside. He leaned on the railing and watched her jog to Naya’s car. The sun sizzled against his skin, and Jericho couldn’t shake that bad vibe he’d been feeling all day.
Something felt wrong, and all he could think about was Isabelle.
 

Chapter 10
A hard slap to my ass startled me awake, and I lunged forward, grunting out an unintelligible word. Hawk laughed, and I realized I’d somehow turned my body over on its side.
“Take these off, Hawk. I can’t feel my arms,” I begged. I dug my heels into the mattress, trying to push myself into a sitting position, but my valiant efforts were in vain. The cords had pulled against my wrists in my sleep, causing the skin to swell and bruise.
My vision was a little blurry, and while I was unable to rub my eyes, I could see Hawk swinging a pair of handcuffs in a circle around his index finger.
“We’re going to do this nice and easy, Iz.”
“Can I at least stretch out my muscles before you put them on?”
He tucked the cuffs in his back pocket. “Fine. But if you try to bolt on me, then I’m not going to play nice. I’m going to hog-tie you. If you shift, then I’ll pen your wolf in a crate so you can’t shift back.”
A flutter of anger pricked at my skin as my wolf began to prowl. Hawk loosened the cord on my right hand, and my arm immediately dropped. I shouted out and moaned at every rotation of my shoulder. Dull tingles made me nauseous, and instead of lying there and waiting for a slow return of blood to my limb, I began squeezing my fist and bending my arm. Hawk crossed to the left side of the bed and did the same with the other cord.
“Can we talk like civilized adults now?” I hissed through my teeth as I sat up.
“Civilized?” Hawk grunted as he sat on the bed.
He’d shaved and had on a pair of ironed jeans and a fresh blue Polo shirt. Meanwhile, I was tied to his bed and looked like I’d crawled out of a dungeon. It made me want to shave that mustache right off his face and rip every chest hair out, one by one.
“You can’t keep me here like this.”
“Yes I can, Izzy. You’ve been living in the human world too long.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Shifters don’t hold hostages!” I rubbed my shoulder and grimaced when I bent my legs and felt a twinge of pain. On top of that, my right cheek was swelling my eye shut.
“Really?” he said. “Some Shifters hold to the old ways.”
“You mean slaves? Come on, Hawk. That’s not the kind of thing you want to get mixed up in. People who do that only prove how weak they are.”
“Do you think you’re the first bitch I’ve tied up?” he said coolly.
Chills swept over my arms.
A lecherous smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah, that’s right. If a bitch isn’t behaving, then I make her behave. If she still wants to be disobedient, then there are consequences. I’ve given you plenty of chances to show me you’re a good girl. It’s not too late to tame that wolf of yours. All you have to do is show me a little respect and do as you’re told.”
My voice softened. “Where are the other girls?”
He watched me for a beat and then asked, “Do you want breakfast?”
I was gobsmacked. “What happened to the other girls, Hawk? Did you hurt them?”
He scratched the back of his head and lowered his eyes. “I only killed the first one. I didn’t care for cleaning up that mess and won’t do it again. The other two I sold off when they didn’t want to behave. I didn’t realize how much you could get on the black market for a good bitch.”