My Captive Valentine Read online

  And she did. Kicking and struggling for a little while, but when that didn’t get her anywhere, she gave it up. For some reason, she still wasn’t really scared. Just extremely pissed off.

  Must be the dream. Or the knock on the head.

  They finally reached his truck, which was parked just off the road near where the party had been. As soon as they got there, he pulled on a pair of jeans, followed by thick wool socks and boots. So maybe he wasn’t as impervious to the cold as he’d let on. He helped her up onto the seat before pulling on a shirt and sweater. It was a relief to have all that skin covered though. She noticed he turned the heat on full blast once the truck started to warm up.

  She supposed she could have made a run for it while he was dressing, but with the way she was feeling, she didn’t think she’d get more than a few steps before he caught her. She was exhausted. Trudging through the snowy woods after the events of the evening were enough to take it out of a girl. Her legs felt like rubber and her head was still throbbing.

  The heat made it worse, but she refused to complain, just as she had during the silent trudge to the truck. It was almost like a point of honor. Even if he was stronger, she was just as tough.

  Privately, she was a little amazed at how easily he’d handled her. Carrying her over his shoulder like that, and then manhandling her along the path, while naked, without hurting her, or letting her get her hands on anything vulnerable. She was not a small woman. At just under six feet—as in just under, five-eleven and a half—she wasn’t used to men being able to carry her around.

  Sitting there, glaring out the passenger window, she had to admit it was a novel experience. Under different circumstances, it might have been… interesting. She huffed out a breath. Her thoughts weren’t making any sense right now.

  She should probably go to the hospital, she thought vaguely, wondering if she was actually here in the truck or really comatose in her car— or maybe even already in the hospital. The thought made her head hurt worse, so she gave it up. He had asked her repeatedly for her name, but she’d refused to tell him. He didn’t deserve to know.

  Finally she turned to him. “And just where are you taking me?”

  “The pack house,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I need to introduce you to my brother.”

  Chapter 3

  Bridget gazed around the room and the group assembled there. There were five men currently in the kitchen with her. All of them were taller than her. Two were blond, probably around six-three and fairly muscular, her own personal freak-show, who she figured was close to six-five, and a fourth man, maybe an inch shorter but much broader.

  Her guy, for lack of a better term, had a rawboned, almost unfinished quality to him, as if he were still a teenager, just coming into his body, although he was much too old for that. There was in fact, an actual teenager in the room, and the contrast was striking. The kid stood well back from the others, silent and watchful while they all argued loudly. In French.

  Her captor had pulled up to a graceful white colonial—not at all what she’d been expecting—and ushered her inside. She was so tired by that point she was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other. He’d led her through what looked like a laundry room where he hung up her coat, helping her out of it like she was a little kid, and then turned into the main part of the house to find the four other men standing around near the kitchen, none of them looking happy. One, in particular, looked decidedly unhappy.

  He stood with his legs braced slightly apart, his arms crossed over his chest. He surveyed her with slightly narrowed eyes before turning to her captor.

  “Gage,” the man said. He made it sound more like a reprimand and a demand for explanation than a name. “I got your text. What happened?”

  The idiot beside her grinned and shrugged. “Got one.” He sounded pleased with himself, maybe even smug, but she would swear the other man growled.

  “Allow me to introduce you to my brother,” Gage said, turning to her. “This is Lucas Ardennes, Alpha of the Rabbit River Pack.”

  Bridget felt her belly go tight. Pack? Was he really trying to say they were all werewolves? Okay, Bridget. Time to wake up.

  The other man, Lucas, turned his attention to her, and she took an involuntary step back. He was big. Imposing. Clearly the older brother. And definitely in charge.

  He leaned forward, ever so slightly. “I did not catch your name.”

  “Bridget,” she stammered, immediately.

  “Last name?”

  “Henderson.” She didn’t even think of refusing to answer.

  “And how is it you come to be here, with my brother?”

  “Um… he pretty much dragged me out of my car and brought me here.” She shot Gage a quick glance, narrowing her eyes. “Basically, he kidnapped me.”

  “She saw me,” Gage said with another shrug, sounding exactly like a kid using the ‘she started it’ excuse.

  “I saw you?” she burst out. “You ran in front of my car! It wasn’t like I was peeking at you through the dressing room door.”

  He crossed his arms. “I never said you were peeking at me.” He turned back to his brother. “It was an unfortunate accident. Her car was out of control, spinning on the ice. I was captured unexpectedly in the headlights. Then the car slid off the road and hit a tree.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Naturally I had to check to make sure she was alright.”

  “I’m not sure I understand. How is it, exactly, that she learned of the People?”

  “I was only half shifted when the car spun around and caught me in its headlights.” His voice was matter-of-fact. Almost challenging. But Bridget had a flash of memory of a figure running across the road, then stopping and turning back as her headlights flashed by. Almost as if— he wanted to be seen.

  At that point all of them, except the teenager, started talking at once. In French. Which was damn annoying since her high school French wasn’t good enough to catch more than one word in ten.

  “Lucas?”

  A woman’s voice came from down the hall, near where they had entered, and the man’s whole body changed. He stretched up, dropping his arms and turning his body to face the voice. “Merde,” he said softly. “Someone call Elizabeth.” He cast her captor, Gage, a grim look, and headed off down the hall.

  “Mari,” he said as he moved down the hall, “I am sorry we disturbed you. Gage has… brought a guest. Go back to sleep, chérie. It is very late. You can meet her in the morning.”

  The woman answered, but she couldn’t hear what she said.

  Bridget turned to her captor, Gage, and raised her eyes. “Guest?”

  He shrugged, looking slightly sheepish. “Uh… allow me to introduce my pack-mates,” he said, regaining his air of suave composure. “This is Eli,” he indicated one of the blond men, “and this is Zeke,” he pointed to the slighter of the two. “They’re brothers.” They both gave her a chin lift but didn’t say anything. Then he pulled the young man forward by the back of the neck. “And this is Jeff.”

  Jeff ducked his head to her and gave a little wave.

  “Hi,” she said and gave him a weak smile. He nodded, then dropped his eyes and squirmed out of Gage’s hold, slipping back to his place by the wall. No one else said a word, or even moved. She glanced around nervously, but no one would meet her eye. Except Gage, and she really didn’t want to look at him. She kicked him in the shin instead. Hard.

  “Ow. Hey. I can’t help it. This is the way it’s done.”

  She shook her head at him, then sighed. Captured by a bunch of crazy werewolves. That had not been on her list of things to do when she woke up this morning. But she didn’t get a feeling of menace from any of them. Except for maybe Lucas.

  “This is not the way it’s done,” Lucas said, returning. “Explain.”

  “It was an accident.”

  “Was it? It sounds to me like you were hoping to get seen.” He narrowed his eyes. “Half shifted? You know that is
not done. Not near humans anyway. Too risky.”

  Her captor drew himself up and faced the other man. It was actually pretty impressive. Bridget would have backed down in an instant. “It was unintentional,” he said with quiet dignity. “She is my mate. I know it. I had been waiting, letting the Maiden decide the timing, but tonight—”

  He drew in a deep breath. “There was the stink of another male on her. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “It is against the Law, Gage.”

  “It’s not against the Law. It’s frowned on. Ask Dean.”

  “Believe me, I will.” He stared into her captor’s eyes, but Gage stared right back.

  “You cannot know she is your mate, Gage. Not without the bond. You risk too much.”

  “I know,” he said. “She is under my protection.” It sounded almost like a threat.

  “I cannot accept your claim. This is not the way of the People. You can’t just drag a woman back here by her hair like some kind of caveman. We are a civilized people.”

  “Wrong. I can, and I did. And it can’t be undone. We are an ancient people, and we are ruled by laws older that either of us know about. Ask Dean.”

  Lucas turned to her with a slight frown, then he glanced around the room. “I’m calling him now,” he said, pulling out his phone. He turned and stepped a little way away, talking softly into the phone. One hand reached up to massage the back of his neck, and he suddenly looked more human. Um… maybe make that more approachable. The worried older brother rather than the harsh disciplinarian.

  Bridget drew in a deep breath and glanced around the room. The other men shuffled in toward the kitchen, giving Lucas space. It was so odd to be around so many people who were taller than her. She was so used to feeling larger than life.

  The blonds cast her brief curious glances and seemed to be having a complete conversation without saying a word. Jeff, a gangly boy of maybe sixteen or seventeen, seemed to be trying to sink into the background and was doing his best not to look at her at all. He had straight, dark hair that kicked out a little at the ends. She noticed because he stood there with his head bent, staring down at the floor like it held some kind of secret, the back of his neck looking pale and vulnerable.

  Her captor, Gage— what did he say his middle name was? Oh, yes, Daniel. Gage Daniel Ardennes, by contrast, split his gaze between her and Lucas, looking by turns thoughtful and determined. God knew what that was about, although it did seem like someone was in deep doo-doo with his brother. Um… make that his Alpha. Still, he didn’t look all that concerned.

  “Here,” he said after a moment. “Sit down. You look exhausted. Let me get you some ice for your forehead. Do you need human medicine?” He helped her over to sit in on a padded bench seat in a breakfast nook in the corner of the kitchen. “Aspirin?”

  “No. But I wouldn’t say no to some Tylenol or Advil.”

  He nodded. “Zeke, can you text Cray to bring some Tylenol? Or Advil.”

  He turned back to her, looking uncertain. “Do you want, um… tea?”

  She shook her head.

  “Jeff, go down and get the brandy.” He regarded her silently for a moment. “I think the apricot,” he called after the boy. “Are you hungry?”

  She shook her head again, but he was already moving to the refrigerator. He pulled out a gel pack of ice, wrapping it in a towel. “Elizabeth won’t let us use the peas,” he said with a wink. “How about a sandwich?”

  “No thanks.”

  He stuck his head in the refrigerator and reappeared with several things clutched in his arms. “Here,” he said, handing her the ice. “I should have done that right away.”

  He dropped two apples and several types of cheese on the table. “Eli, can you get the crackers? And a cutting board? Zeke, you better go help Jeff with the glasses. Make sure he brings snifters. Cray and Elizabeth will be here any minute, so we are going to need eight. No wait, ten. Dean and Aster will probably be here too. Hey, where’s Jesse?”

  “Running the perimeter,” Eli said, sinking onto the bench across from her. At least she assumed that was Eli, since he had crackers and a cutting board. And interestingly enough, he did not have a French accent. It turned out none of them did except Gage and his brother.

  Ten minutes later, Bridget was nibbling on a cracker with a glass of apricot brandy by her hand when she heard the back door open and a female voice call out.

  “You rang, my Alpha?”

  Gage smirked and Eli shot him an amused smile. Zeke covered his mouth with his hand. Even Jeff looked up with a smile, seeming to relax a little. A moment later a woman bustled in, followed by yet another tall man. This one had glossy dark hair just past his shoulders and was obviously of Native American decent.

  “Elizabeth. Good.” Lucas set down his brandy glass and left his seat at the island to greet her. “Gage has brought a guest— a human, to the pack.”

  The woman’s eyes went wide and swept around the room, landing on her.

  “Gage!”

  “Elizabeth,” Gage said, rising. “Allow me to introduce you to my mate, Bridget.” With a hand on her elbow, he gently pulled Bridget to her feet. “Bridget, I’d like you to meet Elizabeth, the first human member of our pack. And her mate, Cray.”

  Bridget slowly lowered the ice pack from her head. “Nice to meet you,” she said faintly. Up until that moment, she’d thought she was holding it together pretty well, but suddenly, it all seemed like too much. It was starting to dawn on her that this was no dream. But it certainly wasn’t any kind of reality she was familiar with.

  “Oh, honey, what happened?” She turned Bridget’s head gently towards her and shot Gage a hard look.

  “Car accident,” Bridget managed.

  Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “What? Did somebody call Nina?”

  There was some uncomfortable shifting around the room. “Um… Elizabeth. It’s the middle of the night,” Gage started. “And the roads are terrible. I don’t think—”

  “No. You don’t think, Gage. Look at this poor girl. She’s human. She’s had a head injury. She needs a doctor. But… hmmm. Maybe we should go to her. I don’t want Nina on the roads in these conditions.”

  “She does not leave pack territory.” That was Lucas who had settled back onto his stool at the kitchen island.

  “Oh for heaven’s sake. What’s she going to do, make a break for it?”

  He gave Elizabeth a flat look, and she rolled her eyes. Then she huffed out a breath and turned to her… mate. And wasn’t that a weird concept?

  “I’ll get the snowmobiles ready,” he said. “Someone let the happy couple know we’re coming.”

  “Wonderful,” Elizabeth said, looking anything but enthusiastic.

  What now? Bridget thought. She took a tiny sip of her brandy. It was really strong, but kind of growing on her. There was a very pleasant warmth settling in her belly and a welcome blurring of her pounding headache. Although maybe that was the ice. Or the Tylenol.

  It turned out that Nina was another human, mated to another werewolf who lived on what they called the ‘territory’ of the pack, but to get there by car, you had to drive all the way around in a big circle. However, it was accessible by snowmobile without leaving the property. So that’s how they were going.

  Bridget’s scientific mind had kicked in by this point and she had the realization that if these creatures really did exist—and what were the chances of that?—then this was the discovery of a lifetime. What better opportunity would she ever get to study them in their natural habitat? So to speak.

  Just go with it, girl. It didn’t seem like anyone was interested in actually harming her. Elizabeth was human, reportedly, and she seemed fine with everything.

  She let Gage help her up and on with her coat and then she, Gage, Cray and Elizabeth assembled by two snowmobiles parked in the back yard.

  Elizabeth took one look at the machines and crossed her arms. “If you think I’m riding with you, you are out of your mind. You be
tter go get another one of those things.”

  “Elizabeth, you are riding with me.” Cray’s voice was hard. Authoritarian.

  “Absolutely not. Once was enough for a lifetime, believe me.”

  Bridget stood with Gage watching this little byplay. Cray’s mouth tightened. In one fluid movement, he scooped her up and deposited her on the front of the machine, climbing on behind her.

  “Cray, you hairy, misbegotten, son-of-a-nutcracker! I’m going to—”

  The rest was lost to the roar of the engine as Cray cranked the throttle and raced off.

  Bridget turned to Gage and raised her eyebrows.

  He shrugged. “There’re like that. I think it’s a communication issue. I don’t want us to have that problem. You have only to ask for anything you want.”

  “Really? Great. I want you to take me back to my car.”

  “Bridget, you know I can’t do that. Even if I wanted to, my brother has forbidden it.”

  “Um hmm.” She gave him a look. “Notice he didn’t throw her over his shoulder.”

  Gage grinned. “Cray’s been married a long time. Well, since May. I’m still learning.”

  She shook her head. “Wait. They’re married? I thought you said he was her mate?”

  Gage nodded. “Yes, but she wanted to be married in the human way too, so they did.”

  “Huh.” Bridget gazed after the retreating snowmobile. “She wanted to?”

  Gage grinned again, that little dimple winking back into existence. “She actually likes him—a lot. And I think you’ll like me too, once you get to know me. So I ask you— would you like the front of the snowmobile, or the back?”

  She regarded him thoughtfully. “Do you promise not to go all daredevil on me?”

  “If that is what you want.”

  “That’s what I want.”

  “Then I promise.”

  “Okay. Then I’ll take the front.” She grinned at him. “I’ve always wanted to drive one of these things.”

  He laughed. “As you wish. My Lady, your chariot awaits.” He made a courtly bow and followed it with graceful gesture toward the machine. It sounded so elegant with his soft French accent, she had to smile. She compensated with an eye roll, but he just laughed.