Sorry guys, this is a re-edited version of chapter 6 - I don;t know why I have such a hard time keeping Finn and Rider straight - it doesn't happen for any of my other characters, I think it might be because they both act younger than the other guys, and they've got that playful, slightly smart arse thing going on.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read my work.
*
Almost a month had gone by without Finn. Jess was finding it somewhat... difficult... to stop thinking about him. It was so difficult she wasn't even trying to stop herself anymore. As a result she was moody and snappy, and for the good of everyone else in the house she was keeping more to herself.
The house had been noisy as hell that morning, Grey and Michael were fighting about something, Alexia and Rider were having another argument about the baby's name, and Gabriel and Marcus were down in the basement shooting. The noise and people had finally got to her, so she had escaped out into the forest.
Jess had been hoping that with time it would become easier having Finn out of the house. It's not like they had spent every moment together... And yet, without the wolf there the house seemed empty - which was a ridiculous thing to be thinking because Jess had been driven out of the house today because it was
too
full of people.
Biting her lip Jess began to wonder - not for the first time - if it wasn't the house that was the problem. Maybe it was her life that was too empty without Finn? Maybe she needed a mate?
She had never really been jealous of the other mated couples before, but she had wanted something similar for herself. Now she was feeling jealous. She wanted someone to cuddle with on the couch, and to hang out with when everyone else was off doing couple stuff. She wanted someone to confess stupid things to, and someone who she knew almost better than herself. Sure, everyone in that house was family, but Jess wanted something all of her own.
Perhaps it was time to start looking for a mate?
Jess was wandering along one of the dirt trails in the forest, completely in her own world and mulling over what her future mate would be like (and trying not to notice that her imaginary mate looked a
lot
like Finn), when she suddenly realised that perhaps she wasn't as alone as she had thought.
She wasn't sure if it was one of her team, and her first instinct was to shift and go to ground. Before she even had time to consider it a large white wolf charged through a space in the thick undergrowth towards her.
Definitely not one of the team, Jess realised. Both Finn and Marcus were grey, and the only other wolves with a reason to visit, Bucky and Rob, were russet and black.
"Good to know that security meeting the other day was useful for something." Jess growled sarcastically.
The white wolf, a female, snapped her teeth, growling and advancing threateningly. It was fairly probable that the wolf was a shifter. Wild wolves did not generally come onto Gabriel's land due to the mix of scents.
Besides, Jess just wasn't lucky enough to have happened on a simple wild wolf with no nasty human agenda.
With that in mind she thought perhaps running away might be the appropriate response. She couldn't hope to out-run the wolf long distance, but she could get close enough to either the house or the security cameras and make enough noise to gain someone's attention.
Jess whirled, right into the arms of the biggest, baddest, and scariest man she'd ever seen. He was tall, with icy blue eyes, closely cropped hair, and a finely chiselled - if slightly thuggish - face. If he wasn't there to probably kill her Jess would have thought he was hot (in a completely terrifying, wouldn't want him anywhere near her, kind of way.)
He grabbed her shoulder, roughly twisting her away from him to face the white wolf. Before Jess could find her balance he hauled one of her tank tops over her head, dropping it to the dirt path she had been wandering along.
He let go of her and she tried to make a run for it, but only had time for a squeak of surprise before he had her face down on the ground in a pair of handcuffs. Jess fought against the cuffs, and the pressure of his hands on her back until the man sat on the backs of her thighs, pinning her shoulders to the ground with his hands.
Her breath whooshed out of her, and she stilled in surprise. The man smelt vaguely familiar, so she could tell he was a wolf. He probably wasn't exactly the same type as Finn and Marcus though. It made sense - wolves seldom travelled alone.
Jess watched the white wolf pick up her tank top and trot off purposefully in the direction of the house. Thank god she was in the habit of layering. Otherwise she would be lying here handcuffed, with a large man sitting on her, in nothing but her bra. And that would suck on a whole new level.
"All right." The male settled in as if he was in for a long wait. "Which one are you and which one is your mate? And why on earth were you out here on your own? Don't you know it's dangerous for a wee thing like you to be on your lonesome these days?"
Jess listened to his rich persuasive voice with surprise. It didn't quite mesh with the almost thuggish exterior.
He shifted above her taking some of his weight off her shoulders, making it easier to breath. She didn't even consider not answering. She was going to do whatever she could to keep the big bad wolf from tearing out her throat.
"I'm Jess Thomson. And when I get out of this I'm going to cut your balls off with my favourite knife, and force feed them to you." Well... She she would do
almost
anything to stop the big bad wolf from tearing out her throat. Unfortunately that didn't include reining in her temper.
"Ah the little lady with all the weapons. You're still unmated then? That's a pity, but I can't imagine why not. You're quite a neat little package - apart from that nasty temper of yours that is."
The male grinned suggestively, hoping to get a rise out of her. Faith had been right, this
was
fun, he would have to thank her for talking him into it.
Jess scowled at the ground and did her best to hold her tongue. She was being quizzed about her love life by the scariest lowlife kidnapping scum she'd ever met. Unless he wasn't just here to kidnap her? It was a lot more likely that he was after Alexia she realised.
Jess was bait. She didn't like the feeling one bit.
Alexia would figure it out, though, wouldn't she? There was no way they'd all come trooping into the woods to save her. They knew better didn't they? Oh god.. the baby! If she put Alex and the baby in danger...
Jess knew she was panicking, but there wasn't much she could do to stop herself. She lay there panting shallowly, and seeing spots. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it may just pound it's way out of her rib cage. Any minute now she would throw up.
"Poor little fox. All on your lonesome." His voice was hypnotic as the male stroked the backs of his fingers lightly down her cheek.
Jess bit her lip and did her best to jerk away from the caress. He was right, she was all on her own out here - there was nothing stopping him from doing whatever he wanted to her. She struggled against the handcuffs, trying to buck him off her thighs. The male dropped a little more weight on to her, pinning her more effectively to the ground.
"You know you're never going to come out on top - there's no way you can ever win this one, so just sit back and relax." He lowered his cheek to hers.
"It's going to be over as soon as we've passed on our message, and found Alexia."
***
Back in the mansion Gabriel, Max, Grey, Marcus, and Sabeen were lounging beside the pool watching Alexia and Rider debate the stupidity of 'Penelope' as a babies name. They were supposed to be having a meeting about a simple breaking and entering job coming up on the roster, but discussion had died down as the younger shifter's voices had raised.
"What the hell are you talking about Rider? Penelope is perfectly fine for a girl! It's feminine, and sweet, and classic! It's a classic girls name!!" Alexia slammed the name book she had been waving around down on to a handy stone table.
Rider rolled his eyes and flopped down into his chair. "It's a classic pigs name! Penelope the pig! you might as well just call her Prudence and get it over with!"
"Are you calling my unborn child a pig?!" Alexia growled.
"No! Of course I'm not. I just don't want her to be teased!" Rider rubbed his temple where the headache was building. Baby names were hard.
Alexia signed and the fight slowly drained out of her. She was too tired for fighting anyway. Rider held out his hand drawing her down on to his lap. She snuggled there with her nose against his neck, breathing him in.
"Perhaps we should just come back to it later. There's still months to go before she's even born. Surely we'll be able to find something we both agree on before then." Alexia said.
"And if not we'll just pick a name out of a hat." Rider grinned.
Max exchanged a wiry look with Gabriel and they both hid their smiles. If it came to picking a name out of a hat neither of them had any doubt the draw would be rigged - on both sides probably. Both shifters had a stubborn streak a mile wide.
The door into the house swung open and everyone looked up to see Finn standing there. He looked a little rougher, but determined and happy to be there none the less. Shocked silence fell over the group, and for a long moment everyone froze, waiting to see what their leader would do.
Gabriel remained sitting scrutinising Finn through lowered eyebrows, his expression thunderous. The boy better have sorted himself out.
Breaking the dramatic tension, Sabeen shoved her chair back and threw herself at him with a purr of delight. "You're back!"
Finn grinned and scooped her up into an affectionate hug. Marcus was right behind her, giving Finn a firm clap on the back, and ruffling his hair. It was good to be among pack again.
"You here for good?" Marcus asked.
