Chapter Eleven

Alister jolted awake as soon as he heard the bedroom door open. His body, still in his red panda form, quivered as he hid beneath the dresser. As quiet footsteps approached, his heart raced and his muscles tensed. He pressed himself farther into the darkness, praying Solomon thought he'd escaped.

"There's no way out of this room, Alister," Solomon said in a calm but taunting voice. "If you make me search for you, I won't be this pleasant when I find you. Now stop playing games and come out before I fetch Thomas and Jimmy to sniff you out."

If Alister crawled out now, he could fight Solomon while the human was alone. If he stayed hidden, Solomon would summon the wolf shifters, and they would subdue him in a heartbeat. They might tie him to the bed, and then Alister would really be in a world of trouble.

There was only one choice.

Alister eased from under the side of the dresser then shifted, unable to do anything about his nudity. He lunged at Solomon, intending to drive his claws into the guy's chest, but Solomon spun. Alister's claws only scratched the human's upper arm.

"Gotcha!" Solomon sneered, followed by a bark of laughter as his hand curled around Alister's wrist. Then he flung him onto the bed. "You might be stronger, but don't underestimate me, little beauty."

Scrambling to his hands and knees, Alister sprang forward, his arms outstretched. Too late he saw something clutched in Solomon's hand. The guy struck Alister with the hard object right before electricity blasted through his body.

Alister plummeted to the carpet, jerking violently.

"The best Taser money can buy." Solomon held it up and wiggled it. "You feel that voltage, don't you?" A twisted pleasure gleamed in his eyes. "Did you think I wouldn't anticipate you doing something like this?" He tsked. "I just got finished warning you not to underestimate me."

Alister shifted between his human and animal forms, unable to control the transformations.

"It'll wear off soon." Solomon hunkered next to him, wetting his lips. "Is it painful, Alister? I hope so." His eyes narrowed, the humor vanishing from his face. "The next time you decide to attack me, remember how this feels."

Solomon picked Alister up and placed him on the bed. "As soon as you stop shifting back and forth, I'll be able to shackle you to the bed."

Pain ricocheted through his entire body, every nerve ending pulsing. Then the pain began to ease, and Alister finally remained in his human form.

"See?" Solomon smiled as if he was savoring the moment. "The next time I'll hold the Taser on you longer."

When he reached for Alister's arms, the fight returned. Alister swung his arms and legs, but he was still too weak to get up. He thrashed around, desperate to claw the bastard's eyes out.

"I see you're a slow learner." Solomon raised the Taser.

A deep yowl filled the room. Alister looked behind the human and saw Wyatt crashing toward Solomon.

Wyatt was alive!

Still, Alister's brain must have been fried from the Taser. How could Wyatt be here? His mate didn't know where he was. But Wyatt looked real as he yanked the arm holding the Taser backward. Bones snapped as Solomon screamed. Wyatt's gaze slid over Alister's body as raw anguish filled his eyes.

"I'll have you killed for this!" Solomon bellowed, his arm hanging limply at his side. "You have no idea who I am."

Wyatt's canines fully extended as he gripped Solomon's throat. "You have no idea who I am," his mate snarled. "You took what didn't belong to you. You touched what is mine." Wyatt breathed heavily as his eyes tightened with torment. "You hurt my fucking butterfly."

Wyatt's features contorted in a dark display of brutality as he slammed Solomon to the floor. A heart-wrenching scream burst from Wyatt. Alister tried to tell his mate that Solomon hadn't touched him, but words wouldn't pass the burning lump in his throat.

His mate punched his claws into Solomon's chest and ripped out his heart. The muscle dropped from his hand as Wyatt knelt there and wept.

Alister shoved his hands against the bed and forced himself to roll over and drop to the floor. He cried out when pain shot down his side.

Wyatt twisted around and moved toward Alister, staring down at him. "I failed you. That monster got his hands on you, and I couldn't stop him."

Alister shook his head. "He didn't touch me, Wyatt. I swear. The only reason I'm naked is because I shifted and hid under the dresser."

His mate leaned up and snatched the blanket from the bed. He curled it around Alister then picked him up and cradled him. "I love you, butterfly."

"I love you, too." Alister buried his face in Wyatt's chest. "Please get me out of here."

It wasn't until they were downstairs that Alister realized that Cannon and Deputy Tenshi were there. He curled tighter into the blanket as everyone entered the elevator. No one said a word as they rode down.

When they entered the parking garage, Wyatt turned to Cannon. "I'm going to drive my mate home in my rental. Let Ian ride with you."

Cannon nodded, his gaze flickering to Alister before he looked away. "Let me know when you make it home."

"Sure." Wyatt walked to a red sedan, opened the back door, and lay Alister down. "Get some rest, sweetheart. You're safe now."

As the door closed, Alister turned over and pulled the blanket over his head and closed his eyes. Until that moment, he didn't realize how exhausted he was. The gentle rocking of the car lulled him to sleep.

When he woke, Alister pulled the blanket down and saw it was dark outside. He had no idea where they were, but when he sat up, the glow of the moon showed flat land on both sides of the highway.

The time on console read 3:16. He looked at the rearview mirror and saw that Wyatt's eyes were barely open. Alister touched his shoulder, and his mate's eyes instantly widened. "Why don't we get a room for the night?"

Wyatt yawned and sat up straighter. "You asked me to get you home."

"I asked you to get me out of there, and that's what you did." Alister glanced at the passenger seat, but he doubted he could climb up there with a thick blanket wrapped around him. "Please get a motel room before we end up as cow patties."

"Okay." Fifteen minutes later, Wyatt checked them into a room. He came back to the car and lifted Alister from the seat, making sure the blanket was securely around him. Alister glanced to his right and grimaced when he saw a cemetery. What genius decided to put a roadside motel right next to one? Did a ghost come complimentary with every room? The lack of safety lights only made everything seem creepier.

Wyatt walked up a set of external metal stairs to the second floor then stopped in front of room 213. The window had cloudy corners, and the red door was faded and filled with dents and scratches.

"Nothing but five-star for us," Alister joked as his mate opened the door.

"Hopefully the room isn't infested with bugs." Wyatt used his foot to push the door open.

"Why did you have to put that in my head?" Alister crinkled his nose from the image and the musty smell of the hot room. He was afraid to let Wyatt put him down as he looked around for anything crawling.

"I'm sure the room is clean. It's just seen a lot of travelers." Wyatt set Alister on the bed. "Let me turn on the AC so the room cools off."

Sweat was already gathering on Alister's forehead as he stared at the stained threadbare carpet. His head shot up, and his heart raced when he heard footsteps pass by the door then fade.

Solomon was dead.

Wyatt had killed him.

The guy wasn't coming for him.

The AC unit sputtered and groaned before finally rattling to life. Wyatt sat on the bed beside Alister, causing the springs to squeak loudly under his weight. His mate removed his dress shoes, and Alister suddenly realized he was in a suit. He also noticed blood on the white dress shirt.

"Just let me get a few hours of sleep and we can get out of here." Wyatt slid back on the mattress and lay his head down. Then he reached for Alister and pulled him into his arms. Wyatt's hold was tight around him, one muscular leg thrown over Alister's slim ones as if he had to hold on for dear life.

Although he wasn't tired, Alister remained quiet so Wyatt could get some sleep.

The danger had passed. He was safe, so why couldn't he get out of his own head? He closed his eyes but quickly opened them when he envisioned that Taser in Solomon's hand and the joy in his eyes as he used it on him. It had felt like he'd touched a live wire.

The promise of what Solomon would do when he returned from his meeting still haunted Alister. He'd sworn to end Solomon when he returned, but instead, he'd hidden under the dresser, too terrified to come out.

Wyatt opened the blanket and curled his arms around Alister's naked body then pulled him even closer, cocooning him in. "You're trembling, butterfly. Tell me what you need from me because I have no clue how to help you past this."

Tears burned behind Alister's eyelids. He wasn't sure if it was from relief or from what he'd just been through. As hard as he tried to hold them back, they began to slide free. His throat burned as he swallowed repeatedly. Wyatt sat up and pulled Alister into his arms, and seconds later, the dam broke.

Sobs racked his body.

"You survived because you're so strong, baby." Wyatt cradled Alister's head and rocked him. "So fucking strong."

The crying slowed, and Alister simply rested his head on his mate's chest. Wyatt's strong heartbeat calmed his panda, as did listening to his deep and soothing voice as Wyatt continued to croon to him.

"I thought my life was over," Alister whispered. "You didn't know where I was, so how could you save me? I worried you were dead because you'd lost so much blood."

"I'm right here, sweetheart." Wyatt ran his hand over Alister's back, his strong warm palm giving Alister a sense of safety he never thought he'd feel again. "It was Paris who gave me the name. It was a town resident who flew us out to you and set up a meeting."

The meeting Solomon said he had to attend.

"But I didn't know it was Solomon who had you. I was going to get names of the guests at the auction and work from there."

Alister listened as Wyatt told him about the restaurant and what Solomon said that gave him away. How he'd followed Solomon and how he'd gotten into the penthouse.

"I would have never stopped looking for you." Wyatt rested his chin on Alister's head.

"The meeting saved me." Alister told Wyatt what Solomon threatened to do to him when he returned. His mate's arms tightened, and his jaw flexed. "If he hadn't gone to meet your friend…"

"I owe Ian a debt I'll never be able to repay," Wyatt murmured. "I owe Cannon for bringing him to our house."

"What happened to the guards?"

"Cannon and Kijani happened to them." He kissed the top of Alister's head.

"Is that Deputy Tenshi's first name?"

"Yes." Wyatt continued to slowly rock him. "Sheriff Harper wanted to send the entire department to rescue you, but he knew Midnight Falls couldn't be left with no police presence."

Alister owed a debt of gratitude to a lot of people but most of all Paris. If his bestie hadn't recalled Solomon being at the party, Alister would have never been found. Once again, Paris had saved him.

"We should get some sleep." Alister yawned.

Wyatt lay down, his hold never breaking. Alister burrowed into him and let out a breath. Against insurmountable odds, his mate had found and rescued him.