Forbidden Hunger by R.L. Kenderson
Thirty
Something’s wrong.
Ram’s chest felt tight, almost like he couldn’t breathe even though he wasn’t having any trouble taking in air.
“What’s going on?” Saxon asked.
“I don’t know.”
Saxon picked up his phone and hit a couple buttons before it rang.
“Yeah?” Ranulf answered. He and Chase were in the SUV in front of them.
“How’s it going with the tracker? Are we still following Monica? Did something happen?”
“I was just about to call you. Quentin and Hunter were able to successfully grab Frank. He’s in custody. And Monica stopped, so we will be at her location soon. How did you know?”
Saxon looked over at Ram. “I don’t know if we did. Ram is acting funny.”
A chill ran down his spine. He had never been this afraid in his life. Except…he wasn’t afraid. He’d been on plenty of missions before. It wasn’t his fear he was feeling. It was…
“Siya.”
“What?” Saxon asked.
“Siya. I can feel her. She’s close, and she’s freaking out.” He put his hand on Saxon’s arm. “You don’t think Monica has her, do you?”
If something happened to Siya, Ram could never live with himself for leaving her home without him. She should have been safe with the others, but something must have happened.
“Tell me how far away we are exactly,” Saxon bit into the phone.
“A quarter of a mile.”
Saxon hung up the phone and dialed Demi. The sound of it ringing and ringing was deafening.
“What the fuck?” Saxon yelled and threw his phone on the dash. “My mate had better be fucking safe at home, in bed, sleeping.”
The closer they got to their destination, the stronger Ram felt Siya. It was so bad that as soon as Saxon parked, Ram wrenched open the door and puked.
* * *
If Siya had thought her heart was beating fast before, it was nothing compared to now. It was so loud that she couldn’t hear anything else, and she was pretty sure it was going to pound right out of her chest and onto the gravel under her feet.
Tegan looked ready to pounce, but Monica waved a finger. “Ah-ah-ah. You can shift, and we can fight but not before I shoot the human in the heart and kill her.” She pulled a gun out from behind her back. “To think, I bought this just for humans, and I might actually get to use it on one tonight.”
Oh my God, I’m going to die.
Siya was pretty sure her vision was starting to narrow when, all of a sudden, she felt a calming presence within her.
No, that was wrong. It wasn’t calming. It just seemed that way compared to how she felt.
It was more like calculated or determined. And protective.
Siya gasped.
It was Ram.
Monica sneered at her. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Did you just realize that I’m going to shoot you?”
“Um…yeah, that’s it.”
Demi looked at her like she was nuts, but Monica laughed. “And to think, you’re a nurse. So dense. I feel sorry for your patients.”
“Funny, because I feel sorry for your daughter.”
“Shut up,” Tegan said from the corner of her mouth.
“Yeah, what are you doing?” Demi hissed.
“Trust me.” She wished she could tell them the calvary was coming to their rescue. And they would be here any second.
Ram was getting stronger and stronger, which led her to a new emotion. He was pissed.
She didn’t blame him, but Emery was worth the risk to Siya.
Monica’s head jerked, and she tilted her head.
Dammit.Siya couldn’t let Monica hear Ram and the others.
“Why don’t you just give us Emery?” Siya said to get Monica’s attention. “You can keep the others. We just want her.”
Monica raised her brow and snorted. “You don’t really think I believe that, do you? There’s no way the alpha will let me get away with what I’m doing. I let you go, and he’ll have a swarm of sentinels surrounding the house.” She looked at Tegan. “Right?”
Tegan didn’t bother lying. “You’re right. But you didn’t plan on one thing.”
* * *
“What’s that?” the woman who had to be Monica asked.
Ram saw her back and moved to charge her when Ranulf and Chase stopped him. They shook their heads and nodded toward Raven, who was already shifting into a wolf.
She took off for Monica just as Tegan said, “You didn’t plan on us already surrounding you.”
Monica spun around just as Raven leaped. She landed on Monica’s chest and went straight for her throat. Monica was dead before she even hit the ground.
“There’s at least one guy inside,” Tegan said as she sprinted for the house.
Ranulf and Chase followed while Ram and Saxon rushed over to Siya and Demi and pulled them into their arms.
“You scared the shit out of me,” Ram said.
“I’m not sure about that. I didn’t feel any fear from you.”
“That’s because he puked it all up on the road,” Saxon teased.
Siya stepped back from him. “Is that true?”
“Pretty much, but it was your fear that made me puke. I had never felt you so strongly.”
She looked down and away. “Sorry.”
Ram lifted her chin. “Don’t you dare. It probably saved your life.” He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to her.
“Siya,” a voice called from the house. Siya turned just as a young female threw herself in Siya’s arms. “You came.”
Siya ran her hand down the girl’s head. “I told you I would.” She looked up at him. “This is Emery.”
The girl stepped out of Siya’s arms. “Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And thank you for coming when I called,” Emery said to Siya.
“You’re very welcome. But I have to ask. How did you get my phone number?”
“The internet. I did some digging, found a gym membership, hacked in, and got your phone number.”
“That’s scary,” Siya said.
“I think she’s going to give Reid a run for his money,” Ram said to Siya. He looked at Emery. “Have you ever thought about being a sentinel, kid?”