Kidnapped by the Werewolf Hunter [DeWitt's Pack 13] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Marcy Jacks (free ebook novel TXT) 📕

It would take another couple of days before they reached the road, however. Everett hadn’t wanted to risk getting on the highway right away for fear that his former teammates would be driving up and down it, searching for his thieving ass as well as the werewolf he’d stolen from them. By the time they made it to the intersection where he was heading, they should be far enough away from the original scene, and his former camp, that running into them wouldn’t be a problem.

By then his only concern would be figuring out how to convince Cole to get into a stolen car or truck with him. “I know perfectly well where I’m going. I just need a minute to think without you nagging into my ear.”

That was the wrong thing to say, apparently. Hair started growing out from the pores on Cole’s face. His eyes turned a bright golden color that would probably glow in the dark, if it was still nighttime, that is.

Cole looked ready to tear off his chains and rip into Everett, and for the first time since he’d found the other man and taken him did he become really and truly scared.

He dropped the other end of the chain he held that was connected to Cole’s hands and pulled his gun from his hip, the one with the silver bullets inside, and he pointed it at Cole’s face. “Calm yourself down. Now.”

Please don’t make me kill you. Please.

Miraculously, Cole did as he was told. There was no more fight out of him as his eyes sank shut and the hair either shrank back under his skin or shed completely off. His face had been stretching out to turn into a long wolf snout, but now it was becoming the more flattened shape of a man.

Everett put his gun away. They’d both been walking for six hours. Practically since waking up that morning. Neither of them had a good night’s sleep. Clearly that was part of the problem in this situation.

They needed a rest, and they needed lunch. Everett wished he wasn’t running out of supplies. “Maybe we can rest here for a couple of minutes. I can make us something to eat.”

He bent down to pick up the other end of the chain, not taking his eyes away from Cole’s face.

More and more the other man was taking on looks of depression and sadness, and more and more Everett had to tell himself to not feel any sympathy for him. He was doing this for his own good. Cole would thank him later.

Everett looped the chain around the nearest tree that looked strong enough to hold, and he locked it in place. He would leave Cole like that for a little while. He wouldn’t bother with any gags or extra chains today.

“Rhett, seriously, my hands are killing me. They’re numb. I can’t take this anymore.”

Cole hadn’t called him that since before they’d had their argument that ended everything between them. He couldn’t help himself. The pain he heard in Cole’s voice was too much for him to ignore.

“If you try and attack me,” he warned, thinking of the silver rings in his pockets. He didn’t want to have to use them on the other man. But if Cole went wolf on him and tried anything, well, he would have to defend himself.

“I won’t, I won’t. Just take these things off,” Cole begged.

Everett wasn’t sure if he could carry through with his veiled threats, but he couldn’t very well take the chains off with Cole like this.

“Give me one second, baby,” he said, pulling his backpack from his back and unzipping it. The extra chains were near the bottom. He would have to tie Cole around the waist with them and then lock these around the tree as well to keep the other man from running.

Everett was still going to have to worry about Cole attacking him, but he could handle that.

“Step back a little so I can get this around you,” Everett said, and then proceeded to add the extra chains when Cole did as he was told.

Only then did he allow himself to really get a close look at the shackles secured tightly around Cole’s wrists. They hadn’t come off since Everett had put them there, four days ago now.

He winced at what he saw. Torn skin and blood from when Cole had tried to force his hands through and escape. Everett had thought he’d cleaned those wounds well enough, but apparently Cole had still been fighting against them, pulling away more layers of skin.

Shit. Cole wasn’t just trying to be a pain in the ass. He really had been hurting. Now Everett felt like an idiot.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” he demanded, pulling the keys from his pocket and undoing the shackles.

“I did. You weren’t listening to me,” Cole muttered.

“I meant before today,” Everett said, even though he still felt like a jerk. “This looks older than what you could’ve gotten just today.”

The shackles snapped off. There, Cole was free from them. Now all he had to do was get some antiseptic wipes and maybe some—

Everett didn’t get a chance to finish his thought before Cole grabbed him and flung him against the base of the tree with enough force to knock the wind out of him. He tried to grab for Cole’s hands, but the other man wasn’t as weak and frail as he’d made himself out to be. Everett couldn’t get Cole’s hands off his neck.

Then he realized with the worst sort of sickening clarity that he couldn’t breathe. Cole was strangling him!

He punched at the man’s elbows, hoping to throw off some of that strength he was putting into his arms and hands. It was like punching down on a metal pipe, and it actually hurt to do so. Cole would not be moved.

That didn’t stop him from trying some more. His body was using up more oxygen the more he fought, but he didn’t dare stop.