Thud.
Thud.
Thud…thud…thud…thud…thud.
My eyes cracked open at the sound.
Hinges squealed. Darkness moved in.
A savage sound ripped from my chest as I lifted my head.
The echo of footsteps surrounded me until there was a click. Harsh light blinded me, forcing me slowly to my feet, before I lunged.
Kill them.
Kill them.
KILL.
KILL.
KILL.
The shackle snapped taut, strangling the sound. I clawed the air, desperate to reach them. KILL—
Until a soft choked sob came from somewhere in front of me.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” someone barked.
Another moaned.
But it was that first noise I narrowed in on, finding eyes shimmering with tears.
“Colt?” a male called.
I stilled, sucking in hard breaths as the male stepped closer. The tang of blood bloomed in the back of my throat as I unleashed a warning sound. I will…I will kill…
But that wounded, feminine sound, that’s what I wanted.
“Colt,” That male came once more. “It’s me. It’s your…brother.”
Brother?
I lunged with a roar, clawing, grasping, desperate to rip and shatter. Get out of the way! I WANT HER!
“Jesus fucking Christ!” The one who called me brother jumped backwards.
“Get back!” A deep booming voice rebounded. “Everyone get back, now!”
I swung my gaze toward the movement. I will kill…I will KILL!
“Baby,” her voice broke through.
Baby?
Through the gloom, movement came, stepping from between the others. I stilled, swallowing my rage, transfixed by the sight of her.
“Fuck no!” That deep snarl bellowed as he stepped in her way.
“Stop, Vivienne!” The one who’d called himself brother moved in from the other side.
Both guarding her…from me. They were guarding her from me.
“Get out of my way!” She fought them “That’s my Colt. He needs me…HE NEEDS ME!”
My eyes darted from her to the two other men, then back again. Desperation tightened my chest as she shoved their hands away and rushed past, her tear-filled eyes burning with anger.
Wildcat.
The name was branded in my mind.
“It’s me…” she murmured, her focus solely on me. “You remember me, right?”
Movement came to my right. I swung toward it, unleashing a warning.
“Hey,” she snapped softly.
I jerked back to her instantly.
She shook her head, taking a slow step forward. “Over here, big guy. You don’t need to worry about them. That’s it, look at me. You remember me, right? I’m your Wildcat.”
“Cat.” The word was a hoarse snarl.
“That’s it,” she murmured, taking one step closer. “Your Wildcat.”
They all watched her, every male in the room. For a second, I didn’t like that. Get your eyes off her. Mine…
That movement came again, hedging closer at my right. But I didn’t look at them…all I saw was her.
“You remember that night you watched over me?” she murmured. “While the storm unleashed over our house.”
My heart boomed like thunder, an ache filled my chest.
Pressure came at the shackle around my throat, pushing, fumbling. I wanted to turn, started to, until fear widened her eyes.
“You must’ve been so scared yourself.” She took a step closer. “Still, you sat there watching over me. My protector, aren’t you? My big, strong, protector.”
My nostrils flared, breathing her in. She was so close now, so close I could—my tongue snaked out, licking my lips. I wanted to touch her. I wanted to—
“I can’t get the bolt free.” The male that fumbled with the steel around my neck grunted.
“Get that fucking thing off his neck.”
I jerked my head toward the deep growl. I knew that growl. I knew all of them. But the beast still claimed me. The beast was all I felt. Kill…kill…you…I tried to find that deadly hunger, but I couldn’t.
These men sounded different.
They sounded…familiar.
Click.
The pressure around my throat fell away, the steel hitting the hard floor with a clang.
“Easy now,” the male beside me urged, taking a slow step backwards. “We’re not here to hurt you.”
That bestial sound rumbled in the back of my throat as he stepped closer, lifting his hands. “Easy now, son…it’s just me. It’s Guild.”
Guild?
I shook my head as he reached for me, that low, threatening sound rumbling deeper.
“Careful.” That voice echoed. Brother. Brother.
I sucked in a hard breath, tasting blood. But underneath that foul, metallic tang came something else. A…sweetness. A scent that was familiar. Pressure came at my neck, but I was transfixed by that scent and by the…by the…name. Brother.
Snap.
“Easy now.” The male beside me urged. “Your feet.” He sounded nervous. “I just need to…” He sank to the floor beside me. I followed the movement, looking down at him. My lip trembled, curled and tight.
Snap.
The shackles fell away with a dull clank.
“Come on.” That deep growl came from deeper in the room. “Let’s get you the fuck out of here.”
Are you dead?
Are you dead?
Those words resounded, booming, as the shadows shifted and moved all around me. This was too much. This was…
Are you dead?
I flinched at the words in my head. My heart was pounding. That…that voice in my head was screaming. That voice that knew something.
Brother.
Brother.
Brother…
I lunged, charging for them. A cry came. Softer, different as the roars descended.
“DON’T HURT HIM!” That deep roar rebounded off the walls in the cell.
I sucked in that sweet scent, drawing it down with the burn as I slammed into a body, sending it flying. A hard grunt followed. Boom…BOOM…BOOM!
Fight.
Fight.
Get out of here.
Gotta get back to…
“Wildcat!” That roar came as I lifted my fists, ready to rip and tear, ready to destroy.
I lowered my head and charged, watching as a dark blur rushed me, slamming into me hard.
Wildcat…
WILDCAT!
That name slammed into me. Blue eyes shone in the dark in front of me. Stark white hair. There was something familiar about him. Something…I shifted my gaze to the shadows behind him. To the faint, murky light that barely reached her, caressing her face.
Dark wide eyes grew impossibly wider. “Colt,” she moaned. The sound made that booming in my chest seem even louder.
Fire burned deeper as I took a step, but the blond male stepped in front of me.
“No…” He growled and shook his head. “You don’t hurt her. She is ours. She belongs to us.”
Belongs to us.
Belongs to…me.
I closed my eyes, squeezing them closed, then I snapped them open and stepped forward, shoving the male aside. He stumbled, righting himself with a dangerous growl of his own. But I didn’t care about him. All I cared about was her.
Agony ripped through my hand as I reached out and my bloodied fingers sank into gloom. I stepped forward, but she stepped back.
“Colt,” the blond snarled. “Don’t make me take you down, brother.”
I whipped my gaze toward him as hate burned deep inside me.
“Easy now.” That deep rumble came from the other male. “He won’t hurt her.”
“Yeah?” the one who’d called me brother snapped. “How the fuck do you know that?”
“Because if he wanted to, he would have.”
I left that male behind, turning my attention back to her. She trembled, her breath trapped, as she took another step toward the door. The sight of that triggered me. The rest of the room blurred as I pushed forward, slamming into her and driving her against the wall.
A cry was snatched from her.
The choked sound was barely audible. But I heard it.
Wildcat…
Wild…cat.
I closed my eyes, pressing her hard against the wall and leaned down. One hard draw of that cold, dank air in the dungeon, and I swallowed her down.
I swear to God, Colt. You bark, wince, or gag and I’ll NEVER show you anything again.
Her words came roaring back to me.
But this wasn’t me. This was the beast. The one who wasn’t capable of kindness. Only rage.
NO! That voice roared somewhere deep in my head. But I wasn’t him…I wasn’t…
“Colt?” she whispered.
I jerked my head upwards, hate spilling through every cell of my being and drove her spine against that dank wall.
“Wildcat.” Her name was thunder in my chest. I closed my eyes and leaned down. With every breath, I tasted her. With every exhale, I craved her. “Mine.” The beast staked its claim.
I ran my nose along her neck, licking her skin, triggering a primal, seductive sound in the back of her throat. Underneath the pain and burn, my body responded. I pressed against her, thrusting my hips before I gave one hard lick, then pushed away and stumbled through the open door of my cell.
“Colt!” The call came behind me. “COLT!”
They called.
But there was no Colt here.
There was only the beast.
