B*E*A*S*T* of Burden Read online

  "Shit, Marlie! I thought you were dead,” he said, sniffling and gazing into her eyes. She was crying too, the trail of her tears clearly evident on her face.

  "I thought I was too."

  Once again he wrapped his arms around her, clinging to her with all of his might. She was the last link he had to his life before. He could not lose her. Not now, not ever.

  "Don't let go of me,” she said into his ear.

  Rogan caressed her trembling shoulders and whispered, “I won't, sweetheart. I'm not ever going to leave you again."

  With his words, she clutched him even tighter. A roar rocked the trees at that moment, making Rogan's breathing stop.

  "What the hell was that?” Marlie asked, glancing around with frightened eyes.

  "We've got to go,” Rogan said, grabbing the shotgun off the ground.

  "What is that, Rogan?"

  "No time to explain, honey. Let's just go!"

  Another roar lifted into the air behind them, closer this time. Rogan leapt over the log once more and lifted Marlie over it as well. Looking over her shoulder, he could see Sean—in his grizzly state—charging them through the trees. He was more massive than Rogan remembered, and a sudden terror gripped him. Rogan could shift and easily get away from the lumbering bear, but Marlie couldn't.

  "Marlie, run!” he yelled, pushing her down the slope of the hill.

  "But, Rogan—"

  "Do it, damn it!"

  Rogan aimed the gun and fired. He had no idea if Marlie had heeded his words as he cocked the gun and aimed once more. He could hear the bear's heavy breathing as it charged, getting closer by the second. Rogan knew he must have hit Sean with that first shot, but it had done nothing to bring him down.

  Rogan fired the gun again, and Sean stumbled in the snow, sliding to a stop. He was growling and snarling, clawing at his face. Rogan didn't allow himself to feel elated. All he'd done was piss the grizzly off. Taking that moment to flee, he turned and ran down the hill, relieved that Marlie had done as he'd said. She was running a few yards in front of him, and it didn't take long before he'd caught up with her. He grabbed her elbow and helped her along.

  Another roar rose from the trees behind them, and Rogan cursed foully. The sound of an engine suddenly drifted to his ears and within mere moments, a yellow Hummer crashed through the foliage with Wade at the wheel. They'd hidden the truck near the main road and walked the rest of the way to stake out Marlie's house the day before. Thank God Wade had enough common sense to go get the damn thing and enough empathy to forgive Rogan for punching his lights out. He'd apologize for that later.

  The Hummer braked hard, coming to a stop yet still rocking from the force of it. Without hesitation, Rogan ripped open the passenger door and hoisted Marlie into the truck. Wade grabbed her arm and helped her climb into the back. As soon as she was in, Rogan jumped into the seat and slammed the door shut behind him.

  "Go, go, go!” he yelled, his eyes wide as he glanced through the windshield. There was Sean, only a few yards away, bloody and charging the Hummer.

  Wade slammed into reverse, and the truck lurched as he looked over his shoulder.

  "Can't this piece of shit go any faster?” Rogan exclaimed.

  "You wanna drive?” Wade growled, his face set in stone.

  "He's still coming, Wade. Jesus!"

  "What the hell is going on?” Marlie cried from the back.

  Rogan ignored her for the time being and reloaded the shotgun with the shells he'd stuffed in his pocket from Marlie's kitchen. After rolling down the window, he pointed the gun and fired, but it did nothing to stop Sean.

  "You're wasting the shot!” Wade said with irritation. “Have a little faith!"

  With that, the truck hit a bump, and all three of them jumped at the impact. Finally, they had a paved road under their wheels. Wade pulled out onto the road, jammed the Hummer into drive, and slammed on the accelerator. The tires were slick from the snow and squealed on the road, just as Sean broke through the trees. Before the Hummer could get its grip on the road, the giant bear slammed his head into the driver's side door.

  "CHRIST!" Wade yelled, holding up his arms while Marlie screamed at the top of her lungs.

  But before Sean could do any more damage, the truck's wheels found their purchase, and they sped off down the road. Rogan frantically looked out the back window only to see Sean unable to keep up behind them. They were losing him. Laying his head back on the seat, Rogan sighed with relief.

  "Holy shit, Wolfe,” Wade said, running his shaking hand through his hair. “My entire life flashed before my eyes! Granted, it was only like two years, but..."

  Rogan chuckled. Wiping his eyes, he took in deep gulps of air. “God, mine did too. Mine and hers."

  Glancing over his shoulder, Rogan saw Marlie curled up into a ball on the floor of the truck. There was no back seat, just cheap carpet and a few compartments along the side walls full of changes of clothes, first-aid kits, and vials of serum—the shit that prevented a shifter from changing from one form to another no matter what state he was in for at least four hours. Rogan shuddered, remembering the times when he'd been trapped in his animal form after being forced to take the serum back in the labs at the B*E*A*S*T* compound.

  But he refused to think about that. Right now, he needed to comfort his wife.

  Ten

  "Marlie? Marlie, are you all right?"

  Her body trembled violently, and she covered her head with her hands. Something touched her and she squealed. Her frantic eyes glanced around the cab to see Rogan kneeling over her. With a cry of relief, she sat up and flung herself into his arms. Unable to hold back any longer, Marlie sobbed into his shoulder. She tried to talk, but all that came out was more sobbing. It was hard to draw breath as she hugged him, refusing to let go of him for even a moment.

  "It's all right,” he murmured in her ear. “It's all right, sweetheart. We're safe."

  "Rogan—"

  "Shh,” he said, covering her lips with his finger. “Just let me hold you for awhile before you talk."

  Marlie nodded, turning her face into his neck. His familiar scent eventually calmed her, and the heat from his body seeped into her skin. After a few minutes, her crying was reduced to mere sniffles.

  "What's going on?” she asked in a small voice.

  Rogan pulled back just enough to look into her face. He tucked her hair behind her ears and wiped the tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

  "B*E*A*S*T* has found us."

  Marlie's eyes widened. “What do you mean? Who was that man, Rogan? And where the hell did that bear come from?"

  Rogan took a deep breath and sighed. Sitting down on the floor of the Hummer, he pulled Marlie across his lap. “Remember when Wade told you we'd freed the shifters back at the B*E*A*S*T* compound?"

  "Yes,” she said, biting her lower lip.

  "Well, that kinda put us on B*E*A*S*T*'s most wanted list. They want to kill us."

  Marlie gasped as more tears filled her eyes.

  "There is a man at B*E*A*S*T* named Sean Ross who hates me. He's a shifter, just like me and Wade."

  "A ... a...” Marlie couldn't even bring herself to say it. A chill ran down her spine as she stared into her husband's eyes. They flashed at her for just a moment—a bright gold color. Marlie gasped, and Rogan's grip on her waist tightened.

  "Yes,” he said. “A shifter."

  Closing her eyes, Marlie tried hard to ignore her pounding heart. Could Rogan hear it with his keen ears? She had no idea, but he had to smell her fear. Looking back at him, she saw his eyes soften just as he raised his hand to stroke her face.

  "He was the bear we saw, Marlie."

  "Oh my God, Rogan,” she said as her tears fell again. “That man cuh-came to the duh-door. He ... tied me up to the chair and turned on the gas. I thought I was going to ... to die.” Clutching onto his neck, she could feel his body shudder.

  "I thought you had died,” he whispered into her ear. His voice cracked. �
�When I saw the house blow, I thought you were inside."

  "Oh, Matthew, our house!” Once again, she began wailing.

  "Rogan,” he corrected softly, caressing her hair.

  "Where are we going to ... where am I going to live?"

  Rogan was silent for so long that she leaned back and looked at him.

  "Right now, your home is this Hummer. With me."

  "My family—"

  "No."

  "Your family—"

  "No! Marlie, B*E*A*S*T* would kill them. Those bastards have no remorse, no qualms about taking the lives of innocent people. We're on our own here."

  "But your mother, Rogan. She deserves to know you're alive."

  "My mother mourns her son Matthew, who died two years ago. I'm a different man, Marlie. I'm changed. I can't go back to that life and pretend like none of this ever happened!"

  "You came back to me.” Holding his eye contact was one of the hardest things she'd ever done.

  Rogan licked his lips. “Only because you are the one thing I can remember from my life before. I had to know if what I was remembering was real or a dream. And you had the right to know that you weren't a widow after all."

  "But I am a widow,” she whispered, playing with the top button on his shirt. “You said yourself that Matthew Silver is dead. According to the state, all the paperwork has been filed. If you have no intention of becoming that man again, then ... we're not married anymore."

  He looked as if she'd just punched him in the gut. “Do you believe that?"

  His voice was low and soft, but she could tell by the set of his shoulders that his body was tense, waiting for her answer. Long moments of silence passed between them before she could reply.

  "No. Marriage is more than a piece of paper for me. It's a promise to be with one person until the day they die. I thought you were dead, but you're not. My promise to you as your wife still stands in my eyes."

  Rogan closed his eyes and bowed his head as if relieved. He glanced at her once more. “You said your promise lasts until the day your husband dies. Did you ... Marlie, when you found out I was dead, did you..."

  "What?” she asked when he let the sentence hang.

  "Were you ... with anyone after I was gone?"

  Marlie stared at him a moment before understanding dawned on her. She sucked in her breath. He wanted to know if she'd slept with anyone after his death.

  Stroking his face, she kissed his cheek. “No,” she whispered into his ear before kissing his mouth, then his other cheek. “I was faithful. After holding Heaven in my arms, how could I possibly settle for anything less?"

  Rogan groaned at her words but didn't speak. He grabbed her face and kissed her without reserve. His tongue demanded entry into her mouth, boldly staking its claim on hers. Marlie kissed him back with fervor, once again rejoicing that she was in his arms. All the tears she'd cried over his death and all the lonely nights were forgotten as her palms slid along his cheeks into his hair.

  She couldn't get close enough.

  She scooted on his lap, trying to press herself against him, but the way her legs sprawled across his made it almost impossible. Rogan growled low in his throat.

  "This is not the time or the place for this,” he whispered as he pulled away, taking deep breaths along her throat, as if inhaling her essence.

  Shivers raced down Marlie's spine.

  "I love the smell of your desire, woman,” he said, his voice gritty and low.

  The tips of Rogan's fingers gently grazed her nipple, making it pucker. She would have begged for more of his touch if Wade hadn't been in the car with them, and the fire in Rogan's eyes told her he would have continued. Covering his hand with hers, she held it to her breast and leaned back onto his shoulder as he cupped her, listening to his heartbeat while he traced lazy circles on her through her clothing. After a few minutes of basking in his embrace, Marlie had a thought.

  "Rogan?"

  "Hmm?” he asked, leaning his head against hers.

  "That scream outside ... was it that Sean guy?"

  Rogan took a deep breath. “No, Sean didn't scream."

  "Then who was it?"

  "You don't want to know."

  Marlie sat up and scowled at him. “Damn it, Rogan, I do want to know! My house was just blown to kingdom come. I deserve to know who the hell was screaming outside."

  Running his fingers through his hair, Rogan sighed. “It was Kevin."

  "Oh my God, he was out there? Did you help him? Did he run into the bear?” Marlie's eyes once again filled with tears, dreading his answer.

  "Marlie, Kevin's dead."

  Gasping into her hand, Marlie stared at Rogan in horror as he said his next words.

  "Sean killed him."

  "He's dead?” she repeated, not wanting to believe it.

  Rogan nodded, his eyes filled with sympathy. “I'm sorry, sweetheart. But he's gone."

  Marlie paled, and she felt as if she were going to be sick.

  "Are you all right?” Rogan asked.

  Laying her head on his shoulder, she shuddered. “After today, I don't think I'll ever be all right again."

  He pulled her closer to his chest. Nothing more was said as he stroked her hair. The miles passed in silence.

  Eleven

  Sean was bleeding. Bleeding badly. He grunted as he pulled on the clothing he'd left in the snow before shifting to chase after Rogan and Marlie. The bastard had shot him. That goddamn wolf had once again gotten the better of him!

  His skin was now pockmarked with holes, the many pellets he'd been shot with embedded inside of him. The pain only served to make his anger burn hotter than it ever had before. Rogan was going to pay for this.

  Breathing through his gritted teeth, Sean zipped his pants and grabbed his jacket off the ground, and the side pocket began to ring. Digging into it, he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open.

  "Ross here,” he said curtly, blinking hard to clear the cloud of pain from his eyes.

  "Report."

  Shit. It was Covington.

  "They got away."

  Silence greeted his words, then: “I'm not in the mood for your games.” Clive Covington always had been an asshole.

  "I'm not playing with you,” Sean said.

  "You damn well better be!” Clive yelled. “I sent you to Alaska to kill Rogan Wolfe, not let him get away!"

  Sean's vision turned red with rage. “My plan backfired."

  "That much is obvious!"

  "It's not a total bust, sir,” Sean said, trying hard to remain civil with the man who funded the B*E*A*S*T* agency.

  "Do tell,” Clive said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Sean growled to himself. “I planted a GPS locator beacon on Rogan's Hummer. I'll be able to find him."

  "You'd better hope you do,” Clive said in a softly menacing voice. “I own you, Mr. Ross. And I'm not afraid of you. The next time we talk, I want to hear results, not failures."

  "Yes sir,” Sean said, biting his lip to keep from crying out in pain and frustration as he walked to his own vehicle hidden amongst the trees near the main road. Without waiting to see if the wealthy benefactor had anything more to say, Sean snapped his phone shut and muttered under his breath, “Bastard."

  Just because Clive had money in the bank, he thought he held all the cards. Truth be told, it was the shifters who had all the real power. If it weren't for the men who were still loyal to B*E*A*S*T*, the agency wouldn't be able to function.

  Clive Covington needed to be taught a lesson, but not before Sean killed Rogan. He'd fulfill his mission as promised, then he'd make his way back to Texas to have a few choice words with the senator.

  Sean had to smile as he crawled into the driver's seat of his own B*E*A*S*T* issued black Hummer. So Clive wasn't afraid of him, huh? One of these days, he'd endeavor to change Covington's mind about that.

  His belly growled at the thought.

  Twelve

  "Does anyone know where th
e hell we are?” Wade's voice broke through the silence in the truck.

  Marlie felt drained. She could barely lift her head off Rogan's shoulder. She knew his body must be screaming from sitting in one position for so long—and with her sprawled across his lap, no less—but he hadn't complained. Marlie liked listening to his heartbeat, slow and steady and a comforting reminder that he wasn't dead. He was alive and well—and holding her in his arms.

  "About five more miles and we'll reach a junction with Glenn Highway,” she answered Wade. “Go south, and we'll head straight to Anchorage."

  Closing her eyes, Marlie bit the inside of her lip. What was she going to do now? Everything she'd owned had been blown to bits right before her eyes. A shiver raced through her veins at the memory. Rogan stirred but didn't move her off his lap.

  "What's to the north?” Wade asked, squinting at the glare of the sunlight reflecting off the snow outside.

  Marlie yawned before answering. “A whole lotta mountains."

  "What do you think, Wolfe? North or south?"

  Rogan took a deep breath before he spoke. “We'll need to make it to some kind of civilization to eat."

  "There are a few lodges and small towns up north,” Marlie said.

  "True,” Rogan countered. “But Anchorage has an airport."

  "What are you thinking?” Wade asked.

  "Sean has found us. He'll keep coming for us unless we get the hell out of Dodge. I say we call up Noah and see if we can hole up with him for awhile."

  "Your friend Noah?” Marlie asked. When Rogan nodded, she said, “But how are you going to call him? Isn't he moving from place to place like you said?"

  "Well, yeah,” Rogan said. “But before we left Colorado, we all bought disposable cell phones so we could call each other whenever we want without the fear of B*E*A*S*T* tracing our calls."

  Marlie stared at him for a moment, taking in his words. “But you want to leave Alaska?"

  "Why not? We don't have anything to stay for."

  Marlie knew he was right. Aside from her job at the tiny vet clinic in Rivers Fork, she had nothing holding her to the region. Still, she had to ask him about it.