The Wolf’s Pregnant Rejected Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #2)

Chapter 13 - Tess

Tess’s nose twitched as an acrid scent hit it. She scrambled to her feet and went for the window. When she started to open it, Elin let out a plaintive cry.

“Don’t! They’ll shoot you through the opening!”

Tess ignored her and peeked through the shutters outside. From where she was, she couldn’t see much. The demons weren’t in her line of sight, though she could still hear them moving around. She opened the window wider, moving about to get a better angle. The demons were in a small circle right on the edge of the forest.

A tendril of smoke rose up from the middle of them.

“Fuck,” Tess breathed, her heart stuttering to a stop.

Elin wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes wide. Her mouth kept opening and closing as if she wanted to ask but was afraid to.

The demons left their tight circle, revealing a smoldering fire. One of them stayed next to it, using a jacket to fan the flames, while the others took small twigs and started to flick them through the undergrowth. They were setting the forest on fire. They were going to burn it down. The smoke was already growing thicker in the cabin. Tess raced to the window on the other side and found flames already blazed along that forest.

“They’re going to choke us out,” Tess gasped. How long until they started lobbing burning branches onto the cabin itself?

“We can’t go out there,” Elin whimpered. “Better to die in here.”

The demons started to climb up the terraces. Why hadn’t the special ops thought to put the salt circle lower, around the base of the rock formation? Tess retreated from the window, shutting them firmly.

“Come out, little girls,” Sebastian's voice rang through the walls. He’d been one of the worst bullies in High School; it was no wonder why the demons had chosen to possess him. “Come out and play with us unless you want to be crispy chicken.”

They all laughed. Elin covered her ears as she shrank into a corner, moaning.

Adrenaline surged through Tess. Was this how it was all going to end? Trapped in a cabin? Caged in their sanctuary? She flung the window open, ignoring the taunts as her gaze raked over the gathered demons. She recognized them all—none of them were the big wolf who carried the Demon Seed.

“Come out, Tessy,” Sebastian mocked. “Come out and play.”

She ignored him as she slammed the window shut again. Her mind raced as her wolf alternated between growling and cowering. The men were nowhere to be seen, and the flames were getting higher. They couldn’t sit here and hope that Ryder would make it back in time. If they did that, they were toast. Literally.

Tess pulled in a deep breath, opening the window again. It was small, too narrow for most wolves to get through. She wouldn’t be able to climb out in human form, either—but human form didn’t always corollate to wolf form. She wasn’t going to go down cowered, trapped in a burning building.

She dropped next to Elin and grabbed her hand. “I’m going to fight them. You make a break for it. They’ll be distracted by me. You get back to town and warn Hayden and Mica what’s happening.”

Elin made a protesting whimper, but Tess ignored her.

She backed to the other side of the building. Her eyes watered from the smoke as she judged the distance. Dropping the blanket to the floor, she shifted to wolf form. In a few quick bounds, she sprang through the window. Her paws hit Sebastian in the chest, letting her spring back to the cabin. He toppled down the stone terraces, yelling as he fell.

The other demons danced around the base of the rocks, laughing as they waved flaming torches above their heads.

“Come and get us,” they mocked. “Show us what you’ve got, Tessy.”

Well, if she was going to create a distraction for Elin to get away… She let out a howl as she took a flying leap off the top terrace. She arched through the air and landed hard on the bottom terrace. The impact reverberated up her legs, causing her to stumble. The demons were on her in an instant, snapping and tearing at her fur.

She snarled and fought back, managing to grab hold of the forelimb of the nearest demon. The crush of bodies on her pressed her down. A set of jaws clamped over her neck and shook her, snarling. She squirmed, biting even harder at the forelimb. A pained yelp sounded above her—and then a series of baying howls echoed through the forest.

The demons all released her at once. Tess scrambled back to her feet, yanking at the wolf she still had hold of. He lunged at her ear, but Ryder was there before he could get her. Blood spurted into the air as he tore into the demon. Tess released him and whirled, going after the next one. Ryder let out a commanding howl at her. It was clear that he was telling her to run.

She ignored him, jumping on Sebastian’s back as he snuck up on Blayke, who was facing off three demons.

Sebastian threw her off, wheeling at her. His claws tore across her belly, slicing deeply. Tess yelped in pain, stumbling away. Sebastian went for her throat, but Ryder was there once more. He fought Sebastian back, then planted himself overtop of Tess. She lay with her belly on the forest floor, watching with wide eyes as Blayke and Finn rounded them, driving the demons back.

Sebastian swiped at Finn’s face with a snarl, raking more deeply than it should have. Tess let out a gasp. He had filed his claws to points as sharp as a mountain lion’s. As she watched him, she realized his movements were more catlike than wolflike. What was happening? Had the demons found a way to pervert the shifter’s forms?

It was all over quickly. Four demons lay dead or dying on the forest floor while the others fled. Ryder stepped back from Tess, letting her get to her feet. She trembled as she stared at the bodies. These were people she knew. At least, they had been once.

A numb feeling swept through her, and she embraced it. There’d be time for mourning later. All Tess could think about was getting back to town, to safety. The fires were growing rapidly around them, closing off the forest.

Ryder nudged her shoulder, pushing her toward the trees. Tess snapped and gestured with her nose at the cabin. Elin was still in there.

Finn shifted to human form and scrambled up the terraces. He burst into the cabin. Ryder nudged Tess harder this time. She planted her feet, cricking her tail. She wasn’t leaving with Elin! She might not like the other woman, but that didn’t mean she was just going to leave her behind.

Tense seconds passed before Finn reappeared. Elin was in her wolf form, squirming in his grasp. He jumped from the edge of the cabin and landed quickly next to Blayke. Elin trembled like a leaf as he set her down. Blayke licked her cheek. Then Finn nipped her flank, urging her off.

Tess joined them and pushed Elin with her body. They started to run. At first, Tess deliberately kept herself at pace with Elin. But a sudden snapping feeling echoed through her back leg. She stumbled, rolling over with a howl. Ryder stopped them and trotted over to her. He sniffed around her leg as Tess clawed her way back to standing.

Pain ricocheted through her when she tried to put her weight on her back foot. When she looked, she saw her leg was soaked in blood. Her heart thumped hard; the demons must have torn deeper than she realized. Her stomach stung, and blood dripped from her in various places.

Ryder growled, then barked. They started again, moving slightly slower this time. Tess limped along, trying to push herself to go faster. Her head swum. If she hadn’t taken such a reckless risk, she wouldn’t be slowing them down now.

She shook her head, forcing those thoughts aside. Howls rang through the forest. The other demons were still hunting them, no doubt watching them. But then other howls rang out. Tess lifted her head, her ears pricking forward. Ryder bayed, and the howls answered.

Half an hour later, Hayden and the rest of the special ops team had joined them. The team formed a protective circle around the women as they escorted them back to town. By the time they got there, Tess felt like she would pass out.

The instant they were over the protective circle around town, Ryder shifted to human form. He scooped her into his arms. Tess laid her wolf head against his shoulder, too exhausted to even shift back to human form. The adrenaline of the day slowly faded, making the pain grow worse. But she was safe in Ryder’s arms.

He carried her to the medical clinic, where the doctors set about bandaging her at once. Doctor Christine shook her head at the extent of her injuries.

“It doesn’t look like anything is broken, thankfully,” Christine said, studying her X-rays. “But you have a hell of a lot of damage. I’m going to need you to stay here overnight, at least. Maybe longer. You’ve got an exposed tendon, and I want to make sure you heal properly.”

“Can’t I spend the night in my own home?” Tess asked, shifting on the uncomfortably narrow bed.

Christine shook her head. “I want to be able to check on you and make sure no infections develop. Demon-related injuries are tricky.”

Tess reluctantly agreed. At least she got stronger painkillers here. Christine left her, and she stared up at the ceiling, considering everything. Had it only been a single night that she had spent out there? So much had happened in such a short span of time, it made her head spin to think of it all. She hadn’t had time to fully process everything that happened to her.

A knock came on the door. She glanced over, and her heart fluttered as Ryder stepped in.

His expression was blank, his usual gruff demeanor in place once more. Tess resisted the urge to chew her lip as she gazed at him. They’d had sex. He had been inside of her, had given her pleasure she hadn’t realized was possible. Did he regret it?

“Mica will be stopping by soon to see you,” he said, his gaze hard. “She wanted me to check if there was anything you needed.”

Tess took a deep breath. “There is. But it’s from you, not her.”

Ryder shut the door behind him and came to her bedside. “I already asked Finn and Blayke not to bring up what they walked in on. That was between us. I won’t tell Mica. You can if you want.”

“No, that’s not it.” She shook her head. Now that they were alone, that welling of shame she’d felt with Elin dissipated. What happened was between them. It wasn’t anyone else’s business. Both had wanted it. What more did it matter? “I want you to teach me how to fight.”

Ryder’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Why?”

“So that I don’t end up like that again. I want to be able to defend myself.” And , a small part of her whispered, because fighting turns you on .

She thought he was going to say no. But instead, he nodded. “Once you’re well enough.”

“Thank you,” Tess murmured.

Ryder nodded again, then left. As she watched him go, Tess smiled. Maybe their relationship was turning a corner. Perhaps he wanted to teach her how to fight for the same reasons she wanted to learn.