The Trent and Nick had left the Porsche back at Greystone Manor when they had gone for supplies the night before. It was a good two hour trek back to the Range Rover by the time they reached the SUV Tianna wanted to drop. Her rapid healing had taken a great deal of energy and it took all her strength just to stand up straight. She did so, further sapping her strength but not wanting to betray any inkling of weakness. Nick bundled her into the back seat and got in next to her. Trent sat on the other side of her, as if she would jump from a speeding vehicle. The thought had crossed her mind but it would be fruitless. She grimaced at the thought of what hitting the pavement at 70 miles an hour would do to her already battered body.
Instead she glared at the back of Ethan's head. She wondered if the other two weres would be fast enough to stop her if she were to snap his neck. Would he crash the car then? It wouldn't kill the others but it might incapacitate them just long enough for her to get away. Her lips parted in a snarl.
Ethan's azure gaze flickered to hers in the rearview mirror. "Down girl," he murmured.
Tianna growled jerking toward him but she was immediately restrained by Nick's arm holding her back in her seat causing Ethan to chuckle, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the rearview.
Tianna seethed but slowly sat back in her seat. "I'm fine," she hissed through gritted teeth and glanced at Nick giving him her most innocent expression. "I won't hurt him."
The dark haired were hesitated a moment before removing his arm but he did not seem to relax his vigilance.
Tianna lifted her chin and stared at Ethan in the rearview mirror. She spoke steadily. "So I gathered that you know who I am and what I am." She cocked her head and smiled beatifically "So I'm assuming that you know who my father is and you're fully aware of the shit you're in."
There was an uncomfortable silence emanating from the male weres around her.
She sighed and her saccharine smile stretched wider. "Oh, good." She slid a little lower and her seat and seemed to relax a bit as she savored the feeling of their wariness.
Tianna simply gazed out the window at the lush green scenery that passed by in blur as Ethan drove swiftly to the far secluded outskirts of Shandaken. She didn't know exactly where they were headed but she had a pretty good idea.
It was about a half an hour before they pulled up to a tall wrought iron gate flanked by tall stone columns. The gates opened automatically when the Range Rover halted in front of it.
Tianna turned as they drove through the gates and watched the iron bars swing closed, feeling as though they were indeed shutting the rest of the world out and shutting her in. The driveway wound through trees about a half-mile before Greystone Manor rose before them against the backdrop of the forest. It was a regal stone mansion with white columns and large windows.
Everyone got out of the car and Tianna stepped out. A cool morning breeze lifted her hair and with it came a tantalizing seduction of scents. She fought the urge to close her eyes and inhale deeply the sharp tang of cedar, the faint perfume of apple blossoms, and the teasing smell of breakfast.
She gazed up at the stone mansion feeling the pull of memory. As large as it was there was nothing menacing about the large home but rather a calm sort of expectation enveloped the place like it had been waiting there for her.
Ethan strode forward and flung open the heavy double doors, threw his bag on the floor, and stalked across the hall. Nick gave Tianna a nudge to follow and she hesitantly did so.
Tianna followed Ethan across the majestic marble foyer and into the study but the room was empty. A folded copy of the Wallstreet Journal lay beside a chair by the fire. Stacks files and papers littered the couch and desk.
"Where's Aaron?" Tianna demanded, halting in the doorway crossing her arms over her chest.
"Dunno. I haven't seen him since we left yesterday evening. He must have gone out."
"Out, huh?" Tianna didn't have to ask to know that Ethan didn't mean he'd gone out in the usual sense. Going out meant that he had gone for a run--and that didn't mean jogging.
A muscle ticked in Tianna's jaw. Did Aaron really expect her to submit to a kidnapping and then wait on his convenience? Apparently, he did. Of course he did. But Tianna wanted to go home and she wanted to go home right now. She turned on her heel and strode towards the back of the house, letting the faint memories and her instincts guide her through the kitchen and then out the back door and across a patio towards the woods.
"TIANNA!"
She ignored Ethan following behind her and quickened her pace. She hopped on one foot and then the other as she kicked off her boots. She glanced over her shoulder as she shrugged out of the leather cycle jacket.
Ethan was coming out of the house, a dark scowl on his face.
Laughing ,Tianna ducked into the woods and ran.. She tugged her camisole and bra over her head as she ran and tossed them aside. She undid her pants and paused only seconds to push them down, kick them off them and continue running. Her legs ached to run and to carry her swiftly through the intricate world of the forest and claim it as her own. But part of her protested fiercely. 'No! This isn't yours. You don't belong here!'
She could hear Ethan crashing through the brush behind her and it made her smile. He was in for it. She waited a moment allowing him to catch up to her.
"Tianna..." he started in warning as he halted a few yards away, his hands curled into fists, his gaze roving over her nude body. Ethan felt his loins tightening painfully as he allowed his eyes to move languidly over her exquisite form. She stood a good ten inches shorter than him but she was small and beautifully shaped. Her dark hair fell wildly about nearly delicate shoulders and that framed high taut breasts enough to fill man's hands. Her waist was small flaring out to gently rounded hips atop a pair of shapely golden legs. Christ she was perfect from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. His tone was low when he spoke. The warning was unmistakable. "Tianna, stop this now."
She shook her head and grinned roguishly at him displaying elongated canines. Her eyes gleamed. "Too slow wolf," she tossed at him and turned on her heel and bolted.
"TIANNA!" he roared. He chased after her as she wound through the trees. Ethan cursed as he sprinted after her as he lost sight of her momentarily. He veered around a tree to see a large black wolf dashing through the woods and he skidded to a stop.
He was in shock. It had taken her only seconds to change and she had done it on the run. She hadn't stopped and curled up into a ball willing the change to come and rip its way agonizingly though her body. She was too fast for him but even if he caught her now he was probably still strong enough to subdue her but not without getting shredded by her teeth and claws in the process.
Breathing hard in his fury he ripped off his t-shirt and quickly divested himself of the rest of his clothing and willed himself to breath slowly. He felt power surging through his thick corded muscles and he dropped his head back and let the pain come.
