Leader of the Pack Ch. 12

Every time Aislinn started to speak during the taxi ride Ranaild would jab her with the dagger. It didn't take long for her to realize that she needed to just keep her mouth shut. The taxi driver kept looking in the rearview mirror. But one look from Ranaild and the man would go back to minding his own business.

By the time the taxi pulled up in front of the Tairneach manor it was nearing dawn. Ranaild had the man stop at the end of the drive just outside the gate. Ranaild got out first. He was tired and his guard was down. He figured that he was home free at this point. He just couldn't make himself feel good about it. When Aislinn noticed that Ranaild wasn't paying attention she turned and ran after the taxi that was pulling away from the gate.

Without even thinking Ranaild let his hand fly. The dagger he had been holding all evening hit Aislinn in the back of the thigh. The dagger lodged deep in the muscle and sent searing waves of pain running all the way up her body. She cried out in pain as she fell to the ground and tears of anger began to pour down her face as the taxi got away. She slammed her hands on the ground in frustraton That was it. She didn't have anything left. Her cries died out and she went limp, resigning herself to her fate. Maybe Rafe was right. Maybe she was destined to be his.

With an emotionless demeanor Ranaild came over to her. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he said as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He reached up and pulled the dagger out of her leg. Blood poured from the wound. There was a trace scent of Elise from the blood that had dried on the dagger that mingled with the coppery fresh smell of Aislinn's blood. The scent reached into Ranaild and reminded him of why he was betraying his pack, his alpha, his friend, and himself. He put the dagger back in the waist of his pants, not bothering to wipe it off. He figured that with the blood on his hands now, it didn't matter that it was on his clothes as well. Then he headed toward the manor. The gate at the end of the drive swung wide without Ranaild having to ask. He was expected.

Aislinn didn't bother to fight back. The last ounce of fight left in her was lost in the dash for the taxi. After what had happened with Cullen and now this, Aislinn felt drained. She lay over Ranaild's shoulder like a rag doll and watched the ground pass beneath his feet as he headed through the gate.

***

Rafe sat up in bed and picked up the ringing phone on the night stand. "This better be good." As the voice answered back a disgusting smile crept across his lips. "By all means let them in. I'll be down momentarily." Rafe jumped out of bed and threw on a black robe and slippers. He hadn't bothered to rise this early in a long time. But what kind of host would he be if he didn't greet his guest personally.

Ranaild stood in the front room of the manor. Blood dribbled down Aislinn's leg and was leaving drops on the white and gray marble floor. He stared at the blood and weighed the odds that Elise might already be dead, that Rafe might not release her even now, or that he would get Elise back and be allowed to leave unharmed. But at what price. He felt cold and empty.

Rafe walked into the room. When he saw the blood on Aislinn he was angered at first. But his features smoothed over as he reminded himself that a leg wound would heal. At least he had her now. "Put her down."

Ranaild did as he was told too well. Aislinn felt her ass hit the cold marble and winced as the pain in her leg shot up her body again. She was starting to feel strange. She figured that the loss of blood must be making her nauseous and dizzy. She just didn't think she had lost that much blood. And that didn't explain the pain in her arms. All her muscles felt tight and her ears were ringing.

"Where's Elise?" Ranaild said coolly. He had made the decision that if Rafe did anything other than what he had agreed to Ranaild was going to kill him where he stood one way or another.

Rafe smiled at the man. He knew exactly what the lycan was thinking. "Why wouldn't I hold up my end of the bargain my friend?" he said with that terrible smile playing along his lips. "After all I wouldn't want to deprive you of the lifetime of self loathing for what you've done." He was amused. Lycans were so easily manipulated. He leaned over to a large tiger that had a lion's mane and said something softly to the animal. Then it trotted off down a hall.

"Now if you don't mind," Rafe said, "you can wait in the entry way." At that another large cat appeared and ushered Ranaild back toward the front door. Ranaild vaguely noted the number of annoyed looking lycans around the room who were allowing the cats to run their manor. Rafe walked over and knelt down next to Aislinn. Her blue eyes flashed at him and silver swirled in their depths. "You certainly are beautiful when you're angry," he said staring into her eyes.

Aislinn couldn't help but be frightened. She did her best to channel that fear into her anger so that Rafe wouldn't have the pleasure of knowing how much he scared her. But between the pain, the sick feeling, and his eyes boring into her, Aislinn didn't have the same kind of control over herself as usual. She decided that the best thing she could possibly do is channel all of her remaining energy into blocking Rafe out of her mind. If nothing else she didn't want him able to use what had happened that night to torment her. She'd rather be raped than that.

Rafe tried to get into her head. He had been frustrated enough when he stopped being able to find her dreams. But having her right in front of him and not being able to get in was pissing him off. He stood up and without thinking he pulled his hand back and slapped her across the face sending her sprawling on the floor.

Aislinn was shocked. He was much worse than the last time she had been face to face with him. Something about him was more twisted than before. This was not the man she had originally met. This one wouldn't have been able to play at nice the way Rafe had been in the beginning. This one was leaning toward insane. She hadn't even seen the slap coming when he hit her. She lay on the floor. She could feel him trying to get into her head again. She refused to let him.

"You've gotten better at this since meeting the lycans. I wouldn't have thought you could learn so much so quickly and on your own," his voice shifted strangely from sincere to menacing and angry then back again as he talked. "I'm torn between being annoyed and being impressed. I don't think you want me to put you through what I'm going to do to you if you continue to hide your mind from me Aislinn."

There was a sound in the hallway and Aislinn looked up to see a disheveled, abused woman barely walking, being led by the arm down the hall. When Ranaild saw her he had to be held back in the entry way. Rafe knelt down next to Aislinn and spoke softly to her. "Look how weak they are. So attached to one another that they'll sacrifice their entire lives just to be together. They'll have nowhere to go now. And every time they look at each other they will know that he betrayed his pack to save her. They'll spend their lives running away, feeling guilt rack them, and all because lycans have a terribly misplaced idea of loyalty and love." Rafe stood up and sneered at them. "Pitiful."

Elise was shoved into Ranaild's arms and they stood there holding each other. Elise's sobs could be heard all the way down the hall. The few lycans present could feel the pain that had been caused in them by what Rafe had done. Jenna appeared in the doorway. She was watching the couple and toying with a ring on a chain around her neck. She looked over at Rafe and could see the wheels in his head turning. Before he could change his mind about letting them go Jenna waved her hand and the pair was ushered out the door.

Aislinn laid her head back down on the marble floor. The cold felt good against her feverish face. She took a couple long breaths and waited. She didn't know what Rafe intended to do next but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Jenna watched. She knew that Rafe intended to make Aislinn his alpha. Here she was again. She had even allowed herself to be subjected to a mating with the muin bastard and he was going to throw her aside the minute he didn't need her any longer. But for now his connection with her was keeping the Tairneach accepting of him as alpha. He still needed her a while longer. That would buy her time. She fondled her father's ring on the chain around her neck and her eyes fell on one of the larger lycans in the room. He nodded to her submissively and she smiled back.Not yet, she thought at him,but soon.

***

Cullen was standing in the security suite. The watchman had found Aislinn on the tape. His heart was sinking into his stomach. He watched Aislinn walk through the lobby and out the front doors. He noted the direction she had gone in. But who the hell knew where she went after she left the building.

He watched the tape and saw several different members of the pack coming and going at the same time. A couple of them even watched her leave. But she had that air of someone doing exactly what she should be doing and no one stopped her or said anything.

Cullen pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He called Keith. When the tired voice came through the line Cullen growled at the phone. "Aislinn is missing," he said simply.

That woke Keith up. He looked at the clock on the night stand. It said 7am. The sun was just barely peeking through the windows. "How long?" He said getting out of bed. Jaylyn growled a complaint. She spent most of her time in bed recently, seeing as she was heavily pregnant and due to drop any time now.

"Since she left the meeting yesterday," came the deadpan over the line.

Keith was surprised that it had taken this long for Cullen to call. "Where are you?"

"The security suite." Cullen was still watching the tape. She looked like she was fine. She just left. "I'm watching the camera footage of her leaving the lobby. There are a few others who left at the same time. I'm going to start calling and see if anyone saw anything. I want you to get Brinah working on that stuff she said she could do. I get the feeling I'm going to need it sooner than I originally intended."

"I'm on it." Keith had already left the room and was headed into the elevator. He'd need Sarah, considering he didn't know what room Brinah had been put in. He put his cell phone back in his pocket and headed for Sarah's room.

Cullen watched the tape and paused it. He stared at the man who left shortly after Aislinn. Ranaild. He opened his cell and searched for the number then hit send. On the other end of the line Ranaild held his phone up and looked at the caller ID. Then he looked over at Elise. She stared at him with tears in her eyes. They were walking down a deserted street headed away from the Tairneach manor. Ranaild couldn't face it yet. When he knew that Elise was safe he would probably go to Cullen and confess what he had done. But for now he silenced his phone and placed it back in his pocket. Cullen left a message, telling Ranaild to call him back.

Cullen forwarded the tape to the next people out the front door. Celia and Mack. Cullen growled and shook his head. That's just what he needed. He found Celia's number in his phone and hit send. Again no answer. Celia was down the hall in the gym. She was running the track, trying desperately to get Mack and what had happened out of her head.

Cullen dialed Mack angrily and listened to the phone ring and ring. He was about ready to rip the computer panels out of the desk when Mack picked up the call. "Yeah," a tired voice came into the phone.

Cullen's dead pan voice was eerie and had Mack listening to the man on the other end of the line with even more attention than usual. "You and Celia were on your way out of the building last night about the same time as Aislinn. Did you see her?" Cullen was answered with an extended silence that had him wanting to crawl through the phone and shake the man on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, Ranaild was following her." Mack was suddenly sick to his stomach. Celia had been right. "Cel thought that he was up to something and was trying to follow him. I thought that you'd stuck Ranaild on her as a tail and talked Celia down and brought her back to the den." The apologetic tone on the other end of the line did nothing to stem Cullen's temper.

Cullen threw the cell phone across the room then proceeded to have a temper tantrum that included destroying quite a bit of computer equipment. The poor man on duty had to jump several times to get out of the way. Suddenly Cullen stopped and stared at the ceiling with his hands balled into fists at his sides. "The report," he said far too calmly. He looked over at the security guard. His eyes were wild swirling amber. His wolf was ready to go at anyone who breathed wrong. "I wanted more proof. I ignored the report. His name was in the report," Cullen said to the confused guard. Then he turned and left the room.

***

Aislinn's head was swimming. She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious or when exactly she had passed out. She was naked and on her stomach, tied down to a bed. She tried to move her arms and legs but pain shot through her body and she drew in a sharp breath before lying still again. When she tried to open her eyes the light from the room stung and sent a new pain into her head. She closed her eyes again. Somewhere in the background she could hear people talking, but couldn't quite make out the voices. She couldn't remember where she was or how she had gotten here. But she was scared and cold and in pain. "Cullen?" she said softly not really thinking that he'd be there or hear her.

"Does Arnauk tie you down to beds as well?" Rafe's voice sank into her and suddenly she remembered what had happened to get her there. Aislinn pressed her face into the bed. She didn't bother to try and pull away or open her eyes. She knew that it wouldn't get her anywhere. When Rafe's hand touched the back of her leg she flinched. Pain sliced into her again and she went still, her breath hissing out of her. Rafe chuckled and continued touching her.

Aislinn could feel a bandage on the back of her leg. Rafe was avoiding that area. He apparently preferred to be more intimate. Aislinn knew that if she protested it would just get worse. So she laid perfectly still and bit back her comments and disgust as she felt his hand stroke up the inside of her thigh. When he reached her sex he pushed his fingers into her. "Hmm, I wonder what you were dreaming about to be such a welcoming target for me," he said angrily, pissed because he knew that if she had been thinking about him she wouldn't be like this. Then Aislinn felt his attempt at a caress turn to agony as he dug his fingers sharply into her sensitive flesh. "How are you blocking me Aislinn? You're not that strong." After he finished the question his fingers let up and he waited. The pain he had caused ebbed slightly but the sting was still there. A tear formed on her cheek.

When she didn't answer right away he dug into her again. "I asked you a question." This time his brutal fingering lasted longer and Aislinn couldn't hold back a strangled cry.

When he stopped she answered him this time. "I don't know," she whimpered. She pressed her face into the bed and cried.

"That's not a very good answer," he said soothingly. He was stroking her again. He gently rubbed her clit and the tender area he had been torturing. When she seemed to gain control of herself he moved to stand in her line of sight so that he could look at her and asked again.

"I really don't know Rafe. I just did it. I wanted you to stop. I don't know what I did. I just thought about making you stop."

Rafe listened. His eyes narrow and angry. He was staring into her eyes contemplatively. "Lucky for you I believe you." He put his fingers to his mouth and Aislinn saw blood on his finger tips. He breathed in her scent and then licked the blood and juices from his fingers while she watched. "Don't get too comfortable pet. We'll be leaving for the reservation soon. I've decided to move things up. I'm far too excited about bringing you back into the fold. My little lost lamb." Rafe moved around to where she couldn't see him again. She was terrified that he was going to touch her again.

She heard metal scraping and rattling. Then there was a pause and she heard him behind her again. She felt his hand on her and she whimpered, numb with fear. Then she felt a sting that could only be described as a shot. Was he drugging her? Rafe chuckled again when she flinched. "Don't worry lamb. I'll protect you from the wolves." His voice started to echo in her head. Her mind started to fuzz over. "If you continue to block me pet then I'll find a way to make you less inclined to block me. I'll start with giving you the choice to cooperate and accept that you belong to me. If you fight me, you'll only make me hurt you more." His voice terrified her. Her body felt like it was on fire. Her muscles ached and the room began to spin.

"Lesson 1," Rafe's distorted voice blurred in her ears. "The quicker you come, the sooner I'll stop." Aislinn felt something, probably his fingers again, press inside her. At least it wasn't painful this time. She lay there crying, much to his delight, as he plunged into her over and over. Aislinn couldn't believe her body was responding to him. She was torn between holding out and giving in. She briefly considered imagining Cullen holding her and letting Rafe have what he wanted. But the idea of Cullen only brought more tears. The room began spinning more. Rafe said something else. She could hear frustration in his voice. But the distortion was too much now. She wasn't sure how long he continued his assault before blissful blackness settled over her and she lost awareness of what he was doing to her body.

Rafe was pissed when she passed out. "I didn't give her enough for her to black out already." He stomped across the room and grabbed the omega that was standing by to see to his needs. He got no pleasure from torturing someone who couldn't respond with the fear and submission he found so arousing. He forced the frightened omega to her knees and pulled his cock out of his pants. She hesitantly obeyed his obvious intentions and began sucking on his member. She wasn't very enthusiastic or good at it, but Rafe was worked up from tormenting Aislinn and he came quickly. Pushing the omega away he pulled his pants back up and went to check on the arrangements he had been making.

***

Keith and Sarah pulled Brinah out of bed to start working on the compound she had told them she could make. Brinah argued at first. "I understand that you're all in a hurry. But is there truly no time for me to talk with Aislinn. I had hoped she would be able to help me."

Keith looked at Sarah. He had been trying to find a gentle way of breaking the news, but Sarah was still angry at Brinah from the day before and she was happy to explain. "She ran off out of the building after you and Cullen argued and she got upset," she said shortly. "From what we can tell she may have been picked up by one of Rafe's men. But we're not completely positive. Right now the plan is to attack the Tairneach, risk all of our lives, and maybe manage to find her. I guess the assumption is that she'snotbull headed enough to take off on her own and just not come back. Which means that someone must be stopping her from coming back. Which means Rafe probably got to her. But, like I said, we don't know for sure."

Brinah was wide eyed. "You're going after Rafe and you don't even know if she's there?"

"Cullen is upset. When you upset an alpha you have problems."