The hike through the
thick forest of the Cascade Mountains had been a long one. But they had
finally reached their goal; a small encampment set in a clearing on the edge
of the trees. Five battle-hardened warriors slowly inched their way towards
the edge of the trees north of the small clearing. They made no sound, not
even a rustle in the leaves. Theirs was a mission of secrecy.
"Well, would you look at
that," Sam whispered to Cole, indicating the people standing around the
firelight in the encampment. "I thought they only had the boy. Who’s the
girl?"
Cole stared at the young
woman who seemed to be talking to the largest man in the group around the
fire. He felt his body harden in response to the vision before him.
He knew immediately deep
down in the depths of his soul that she belonged to him, that she was made
for him. The tightening of his body told him that she belonged to him as no
other woman ever had. She was his mate, the other part of his soul.
"She’s a brave little
thing," Sam stated as he watched the woman push the small boy behind her for
protection.
"She’s magnificent!" Cole
said, a small hitch in his voice. Cole shook himself free of his lust
induced trance at Sam’s words and focused again on what was happening in the
small clearing.
The woman seemed to be
arguing with the leader of the group. The leader that Cole knew well. It was
Yuri Nirov, one of the men on their crime watch list. The man was a thug. He
belonged to no specific crime syndicate, except whoever paid the highest
price. Yuri’s only cause was his own greed.
As he glanced around to
the other two men surrounding the campfire he recognized the others as well,
Yuri’s two brothers, Oni and Sten. They were all in this together. They had
kidnapped the son of a high placed diplomat who was working in Seattle,
Washington with the United States government on a highly secretive peace
initiative. And, it would seem the woman also.
Cole concentrated on the
conversation between Yuri and the woman but they were too far away to hear
what was being said but Cole didn’t think it could be good. The dark haired
leader seemed to be angry with whatever the woman was saying. His arms were
motioning furiously as she spoke.
Cole felt a deadly rage
race through his body as the man backhanded the woman, nearly throwing her
to the ground. The woman turned her head back to the leader, wiping her lips
by the back of her hand. She glanced down at the trail of blood on her hand
and then to the leader. A smile began to form on her lips as she said
something else to him.
"He dies!" Cole hissed
out between clenched teeth.
"Well, duh!" Sam replied,
a little confused as to why that was even an issue. Seeing the rigid posture
of Cole’s body as he glanced over at him as a thought suddenly occurred to
him. "What about the woman?" he asked.
"She’s mine." Cole
growled.
"So, that’s the way it
is, huh," Sam says thoughtfully, amusement clearly ringing in his voice.
Cole turned his head to
scowl at Sam. "Do you have a problem with this?" Cole growled, beyond
irritated.
"Hell no, take the woman.
But have you discussed this with Bear?" Sam laughed. Cole looked at the
smirk on Sam’s face.
"He knows." And Cole
meant it. Bear knew exactly what was going on with his brother. He was in
the same lust filled condition. Cole could feel it.
"There’s movement below,"
whispered a man laying flat to the ground beside Cole and Sam. Both swung
their gaze back to the scene in the clearing.
"I don’t like this,"
stated Sam, "I don’t like this at all." They watched as the leader grabbed
the young woman by her arm and began walking away from the campfire towards
a small grouping of large rocks to the south of where they were hiding. The
leader was quite a bit taller than the woman and was nearly dragging her
behind him. Her ankle length skirt seemed to be tangling in her legs with
every step she took.
Cole took in the
situation in a glance. "Sam, Caleb, Nick, get the boy. Bear, come with me."
Knowing his words would be followed precisely Cole and Bear began to slowly
make their way to the south of the camp following the man and woman.
Cole could feel several
emotions surge threw his body as he quietly made his way through the
underbrush. There was rage at the man for hitting the woman and a sure
knowledge that he would enjoy feeling the man’s last breath leave his body.
There was fear that he would not be in time to save the woman destined to be
his. And there was still on overwhelming sense of hunger for the woman.
Cole and Bear silently
worked their way through the underbrush following the pair through the dense
forest trees. As the crept forward they could see Yuri and the woman
standing in a small clearing a few yards ahead. Yuri was holding a large
knife in his hands, pointing it at the woman. The evil smirk on Yuri’s face
sent a cold shiver down Cole’s back.
"Do you agree that she is
ours?" Cole
asked Bear.
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