Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 13: Grace: Kidnapped

My head throbs with each pulse of my heart and my stomach churns. A sharp ache shoots through my shoulders as consciousness creeps back. My wrists burn, bound tight behind my back; whatever's holding me captive bites into my wrists. There's a gag binding my mouth, and it takes everything in me not to panic and try to shove it out with my tongue; I can breathe, but it feels like I can't.

Aside from some chirping from birds, there's no other sound to be heard.

I open my eyes to look around.

Still in the forest—somewhere. Dawn's covered the area in a soft haze, the grass misted over. I should be cold, but something warm is covering me.

A quick glance tells me it's a giant black tail.

Heat radiates against my back, and the hint of ethereal light tells me exactly who the massive tail belongs to. Each breath he takes lifts my body slightly where I'm pressed against his side.

My furry captor sleeps curled around me like some kind of protective barrier. The irony would be funny if I wasn't tied up.

Damn it. I thought he was my friend, and he betrayed me. This is why you don't go around picking up strays.

The events of last night crash back in a flood; the serial killer/Lycan King/weird stranger with tattoos isn't around, but he's clearly not worried about me getting away.

Arms bound behind my back, gag in mouth, and giant wolf on guard, even if he's asleep. Check, check, and check. There's no escape in my future, but I test the ropes anyway, unsurprised when they don't budge. The more I struggle, the tighter they become, cutting off circulation to my fingers.

The wolf's twitches, and a soft whine escapes his throat. Whatever he's dreaming about has his massive paws twitching against the ground.

My shoulders scream as I try to sit up, stiff and aching from my position on the ground. The movement pulls at muscles I didn't know existed. The gag muffles my groan of pain.

The wolf's tail tightens around my waist like a furry seat belt.

"Mmmph!" The shocked sound I make is embarrassing, but the gag at least muffles it into something unrecognizable.

One gray eye cracks open,

narrow my eyes at him, trying to radiate all my disapproval and betrayal

teeth that could snap my bones like twigs. His

tail wags once, thumping against my hip. He stretches, pressing closer against my back. His nose nudges my cheek, and his breath fans

jeans where I lie on the ground, my fingers have gone numb from the ropes, and this oversized furball acts like we're on

gag makes it impossible to tell him exactly what I think about this situation. About him. About everything. It's going through my head with a lot of curse words, though. If

fireflies. He circles me once, twice, sniffing at the ropes, and I'll die before I admit

untie me," I say through the gag, though it comes out as

and cocks his head to one side. Those

innocent. It works in movies, though not usually on

massive body. I don't know how, because nothing changes, but

in the distance. The wolf's head whips toward the sound, ears forward. A

heart kicks into overdrive. Fight or flight instinct screams at me to

his spine. The glow intensifies until it hurts to look at him directly. He positions himself between me and whatever approaches, muscles coiled tight beneath his

off, Fenris. I'm not going to eat

in my body seize as the wolf growls in a grumbling sort of way before settling onto

steps into view, and my heart stops to see those dark tattoos on his neck. His gray

he

closes behind the gag. Fenris huffs and settles his massive head on

damn dog, once anyone shows up with a milk bone.

would be under any other circumstance.

my face to one side, then the other. The inspection

thinking

that I think

brain? He must have some insane power to take over a woman's thoughts and throw them straight into the gutter. He's my kidnapper, and kidnapping