Terrence shook his head no as the other members of the pack watched uneasily.
“The others will come for the human – I’m counting on it. And when they do, we will kill all of them. I will make the little human watch as I rip the Red apart, limb by limb. She thinks she suffers now after watching me kill her brother? Wait until she sees what I do to the Lycan she loves.” He snarled.
His sudden fit of temper ended as quickly as it started, and he released Terrence’s throat. He patted the man almost gently on the top of the head, as Terrence coughed and wheezed air into his lungs.
“She killed three of our brothers Terrence. Have you forgotten that fact?” Draken asked quietly. “Once we have killed the Lycans who will come for her, we will take her back home. Her escape from the hunt has given the other slaves hope. I can’t allow that. We’re taking her back home alive, and I will make an example of her to the other slaves.”
He stared at Bree who was sitting on the ground, her hands and feet bound with rope. “She will be begging me for death before I am done with her.”
He clapped his hands together briskly and, leaving Terrence on the ground, strode past the other Lycans who were setting up camp and crouched next to Bree.
“Hello little Bree!” He reached out and petted her soft blonde hair. Instead of cringing away like he expected, she gave him a defiant look.
“Do not touch me.” She warned.
He laughed and then slapped her hard across the face. The force of the blow knocked her to the ground. He grabbed her arm and yanked her upright, smiling with satisfaction at the bruise that was already beginning to form on her cheek.
“Your new Lycan friends have taught you bad habits.” He frowned at her. “You used to be so sweet and timid.”
She didn’t reply and he gave her a gentle smile. “Do you know Bree, that you are the first human who has ever escaped the hunt? It took us much longer than I anticipated to track you down. My brothers searched the forest for your scent for weeks. Weeks, little Bree. Of course, I would never have guessed that you would have found shelter with Lycans. My brothers told me they would not have found you if they had not stumbled upon your scent while you were fighting the faeries.”
He grinned at her. “I’ll admit when they came back and told me that you, weak little Bree, was fighting the faeries, I did not believe them. They would have taken you then except your Lycans showed up and rescued you. They were so distracted by their worry for you that it was easy for my brothers to follow them. Truthfully, I almost didn’t bother to make the journey. My brothers told me about how you were stabbed by the faerie’s spear.”
He cocked his head at her. “How did you survive their poison? A weak, pathetic human like yourself?”
She refused to answer, and he sat down beside her and folded his legs under him. “Of course, I would never have believed that a tiny little slip of a human like you could defeat three powerful Lycans.”
He paused and gave her a considering look. “Mind you, that’s not entirely true is it? The wounds on two of them suggested that you had help from Lycans. Tell me, did you kill any of them or did your new friends do your dirty work for you?”
“I killed Curtis. I pierced him through the heart with a tree branch. It was actually quite easy.” She taunted.
His eyes flashed red and he raised his hand again. She flinched and he grinned, showing his sharp white fangs.
“They’re going to come for you human, and I’ll make you watch as I kill the Lycan you love. He’ll suffer and beg for death in front of you.”
She surprised him by grinning fiercely. “I think you’ll be surprised at who begs for death before this day is over.”
“Aye, perhaps.” He replied softly. He stood and walked away as she huddled into herself against the biting cold.
* * *
Kaden paused outside the closed door. He could hear loud voices, and he glanced down at the slender blonde woman standing next to him.
“I promise no one will harm you.” She smiled and took his hand before opening the door and leading him into the room.
The room quieted. He kept his back straight and his head up as Dani squeezed his hand reassuringly. The room was large and it was filled with people. He didn’t know how many were Lycans and how many were humans, and his hand tightened unconsciously around the blonde woman’s. All of the people were staring at him except for the large Red. He was standing next to the fireplace and staring into the flames. His entire body was vibrating lightly, and his hands were clenched into tight fists.
“Danielle.” A dark-haired man spoke the girl’s name sharply. He was standing beside a woman who looked so much like Dani that Kaden knew she was Dani’s mother.