Twisted (Rogues Shifter Series Book 3) Read online

  TWISTED

  Book #3 in the Rogues Shifter Series

  GAYLE PARNESS

  Copyright 2011 Gayle Parness

  To those who continue to support my efforts

  with their open hearts and their smiling accolades,

  I hope I do you proud.

  "We learn through pain until we evolve

  to learn through joy."

  The teachings of Buddha

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FIFTY

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FIFTY THREE'

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

  CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

  CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  OTHER BOOKS BY GAYLE PARNESS

  Chapter One

  Jackie:12:00 AM Wednesday

  I dreamt

  There was a gentle rain falling as Garrett and I entered the woods, his long fingers playfully weaving through mine as we walked among the ancient sentinels. Our footsteps were silent on the path cut long ago through the brush by the forest’s smaller residents. As I filled my lungs with my mate's sweet scent and the musky smell of the damp forest, we came to a clearing where the branches and leaves formed a roof of sorts and the rain found no outlet to the ground. We rested on the soft, dry forest floor, leaning shoulder to shoulder with our backs against a redwood trunk.

  Garrett stroked my face with his knuckles and lifted my chin. His glittering sapphire eyes spoke to me of his love.

  “Je viens pour vous. I'm coming for you." He kissed me gently on the lips. "Never doubt it."

  I jerked awake, painfully aware of the burning ache in my upper arms and the jackhammer-like throbbing in my head. My hands were tied tightly behind my back at the wrists and I could barely feel my fingers when I tried to wiggle them. Although my ankles weren’t tied together, my legs and bare feet felt bruised, as if I’d been dragged and banged around on the journey.

  I opened my eyes. I was on the bare mattress of a double bed in a room with cement walls and no windows. The only light came from a small lamp that sat on a wooden dresser opposite the bed. In the corner was a small wooden table and two chairs. I noticed a cool breeze and looked up. There was a vent in the concrete ceiling, covered by the usual metal grid.

  With awareness, came memory and then fear, causing adrenaline to pour into my system. My heart jumped in my chest and a chilled sweat begin to seep under my arms and along my hairline. Kennet was nowhere to be seen, so I wiggled my arms to try to loosen the bindings. Making no progress, I wrenched and twisted my body to see the other side of the room. Jolts of pain rewarded me for my efforts, so I bit my lip to keep from crying out or moaning. I might be alone, but someone could be right outside, outside of what? I looked again. There was no door, except the one that led to a small bathroom.

  I took a breath to steady myself and tried to think about something other than the pain. As Kennet had promised, he’d allowed me to call Garrett. That meant that Bridgett should be safely back at our house. I hoped that she wasn’t in bad shape and that Garrett didn’t blame her for what happened. From the way she’d mumbled when she'd spoken to me on the phone, I was fairly sure that her face was probably swollen from a beating. Garrett or Liam would be able to take care of any serious wounds, and the others she’d heal on her own with her shifter powers.

  Garrett must have read my note and understood why I’d agreed to the trade. At least I hoped he understood. There was no way I could have left her in Kennet’s hands. This was not her fight and I couldn’t allow her to suffer because of my big mouth. I’d stupidly insulted a fae lord, making him an enemy. My impulsive behavior had put everyone in danger. Ethan had almost died because of me. Bridgett’s only mistake was to stupidly go out alone against Garrett’s orders. He’d be angry with her, but I trusted that his level head would win out over his rage.

  I visualized him reading the note that I’d left on my bed. What did I write? Take care of Bridgett, that I knew he’d find me and that he was my heart. That’s all I could remember although I’m sure there was something else. He'd laughed at me when I’d called, before I’d had a chance to tell him where Bridgett was. I’d had no time for long goodbyes, but I’d made a point of saying, “Je t’aime, mon ange,” and I knew he'd feel my love in those few, intimate words.

  I looked around the room once more. Where was I? I definitely wasn’t in Faerie. This was more like where he'd kept the fae he'd kidnapped with the help of Bridgett's werewolf pack.

  My brain cleared enough to remind me that I could get out of my bindings by connecting to the magic. I sent out my usual mental thread; only this time it crashed into a solid wall where there should have been a river of magic. For the first time since I’d learned to use them, I couldn’t access the power of the ley lines.

  I felt myself starting to panic, my breaths coming fast and shallow. To prevent the terror from consuming me, I dug my nails into my palms and let the pain bring me back to reality. If I couldn’t think clearly, I wouldn’t be able to plan an escape.

  “Escape isn’t possible, Jacqueline.” Kennet’s voice was rich in tone and full of its usual arrogance. My gut cramped up, threatening to bring up the contents of my stomach. He always had that effect on me, the snake. He stood alongside the bed, having appeared magically out of nowhere. Obviously, he'd had no trouble with the lines, which meant the block was only keyed in to me.

  He was dressed in breeches, boots and a loose shirt, fitted at the waist with a belt and scabbard which housed a blade. He was in fighting gear, perhaps prepared for a rescue attempt. That cheered me up as did his slightly frazzled express
ion. His waist length blonde hair was unkempt and his deep purple eyes looked tired. He knew that Lord Caelen and the other fae Elders were searching for him, and that when they found him, he'd be in serious shit.

  My body began trembling from exhaustion and he smirked. "You don’t need to fear me, as long as you don’t prove uncooperative. You are an intelligent woman, Jacqueline. Your mate and your friends will be safe as long as you obey me. I will let you go after the birth of my heir. I swear that this is the truth. I’m sure that your vampire will take you back when I’m finished with you.” He referred to Garrett with disgust. Kennet thought that all races were beneath the fae and him in particular.

  My hands were suddenly free of their bindings. I groaned from the pain of renewed circulation as I struggled to sit up, rubbing my wrists vigorously. I was dressed in a long, soft sleeveless gown in light green with a deep v-neck. I saw him staring at my breasts as I moved, so I tried to pull the neck of the dress up to cover myself.

  He smiled at my feeble attempt at modesty. “I’m going to leave you to recover and regain your strength. There is food on the table and there are blankets for the bed in the drawers. The bath is through that door. This is your sleeping chamber for the time being. If you please me, I will move you somewhere much more luxurious. If you don’t, then I will find a way to force you. As you’ve seen, I won’t hesitate to use someone you care about to convince you to cooperate. The snow leopard is quite lovely.”

  He sent to my mind an image of Sinc tied up and crying out in pain, her beautiful face a bloody mess. I couldn’t stop myself from gasping in shock, making him smile as he disappeared into the magic.

  I dragged myself off of the bed to stumble into the other room and splash cool water on my face, wiping away the few tears that had forced their way out, despite my best efforts to hold them back. There was no mirror—no glass anywhere—probably a wise move on his part.

  Moving like a zombie back into the main room, I sat, causing the edge of the bed to dip. It was a relief that he'd left, but what now? I rubbed my arms, bit my lip and began to formulate a plan.

  Chapter Two

  Garrett: 12:00 AM Wednesday

  That bastard had her.

  I looked over at Bridgett crying on the couch and couldn’t bring myself to care about her pain or her guilt. Sinc was trying to comfort her, but all I wanted to do was force as much information out of her as I could and then drain her and rip out her throat. I could feel my fangs grazing against my bottom lip, anxious to sink deeply into her flesh and drink her dry. The familiar tingling sensation in my eyes alerted me to the fact that they were fully silver. My hands were clenched into fists and I was breathing in her scent, making my mouth water in anticipation. The smell of the blood on her face and her clothes was starting to make me forget that she was Jackie’s sister.

  “Garrett, you're frightening her.” Liam was in my mind and he was angry. "You won’t get any information that way. Try glamouring her.”

  “I’d rather drain her.” I pulled back my lips in a snarl.

  “Garrett, completement givre!" Liam was telling me that I was out of control in French, hoping that these warnings would get my attention where his English demands hadn’t.

  I turned to look at him, shocked at his furious expression. There he stood, still wearing the sweatpants Jackie had lent him when he'd showed up at the house exhausted and ill from the executions he’d been forced to carry out. His skin was pale but his eyes held flecks of angry gold as his temper flared. “Glamour her and get the information we need, so we can find Jackie.”

  I was clinging to my rage like a life raft, because allowing myself to feel anything else would unravel me. “You glamour her. Then I’ll rip out her throat.” I turned back to Bridgett. My expression must have been fairly terrifying because she took one look at me and buried her swollen face in Sinc’s shoulder, whimpering softly.

  “Garrett, you’re vamping out. You’re not helping Jackie this way.” I could smell fear wafting off of both of them. I was scaring Sinc almost as much as Bridgett.

  I glared, then matched her annoyed tone, saying. “Move off of the couch, Sinc.” I took another step closer.

  Her eyes had widened but she continued to protect Bridgett, showing quite a lot of courage. I might have felt proud of the young snow leopard, if it wasn't me she was protecting Bridgett from. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to let you hurt her.’ She stuck her chin out stubbornly. “Kennet had total control over her. She couldn’t stop herself from calling Jackie.”

  "How do you know this?"

  "She told me."

  "And you believe her?" Sinc nodded.

  I glanced at Liam, who sent, "Go into Bridgett's mind and find out what happened. I'll be there with you."

  Even though breathing wasn't necessary for a vampire, I took in a slow breath and then expelled it at the same rate, making an enormous effort to calm myself down. Liam and Sinc were right. I wasn’t helping Jackie with my anger. But the situation we were in was all because of Bridgett's foolish decision to leave Maya's house alone, making it easy for Kennet to snatch her up and turn her into a hostage.

  “I’m asking you one more time to move off of the couch.” I’d lowered the volume and pitch of my voice and unclenched my fists to show that I was more in control and not going to “vamp out” as they enjoyed calling it. “I’m not going to hurt her.” Yet. My darker side was perfectly willing to rip her to shreds after I’d gotten what I needed from her.

  My rational side knew why I was clinging to the anger. If I let go of it, I’d fall apart, and that couldn’t happen until my love was home and safe and away from that pervert. An uninvited shudder ran up my spine as I thought about what he might be doing to her. The idea that he could be torturing—raping her—shredded my mind and my heart with rage and horror. I dug my fingernails into my palms, reopening previous wounds. Blood flowed freely past my knuckles to drip on the floor by my feet. I heard a hiss and realized that it had come from my mouth.

  The hand squeezing my shoulder brought a wash of healing energy, jolting me back to the view of the two terrified females on the couch. I turned toward Liam. “Listen to me, Garrett. We’re going to find her. He will not kill her or seriously harm her because he needs her to be strong and healthy to bear his child. I know it’s horrifying to think of him touching her, but she will survive and you will get her back. She’s survived such a thing before. We may find her before... " He took a deep breath of his own. "He may wait until it’s her fertile time of the month, which for shifters begins two days before the full moon, a week from now.”

  I closed my eyes. Liam was right, I would stay in control and think clearly. Sucking in another breath of air, I blew it out in a loud puff to steady myself. The silver sensation was gone, meaning that my eyes had cleared. I pulled in my fangs and looked again at Sinc, letting her know that I was back in control and expected her obedience. She nodded, looking much less defiant, and stood up to move beside Liam as Bridgett whimpered in terror, trying to scoot away from me. I sat next to her and slowly reached for her hand.

  “Bridgett” I whispered, as I glamoured her. “You will let me into your mind now. Tear down your wall and open to me. Show me everything that happened tonight from the time you decided to leave Maya’s house until now.” She stared into my eyes with a glazed look and nodded.

  As I sent Bridget's thoughts to Liam, we were finally able to witness what had led to Jackie’s abduction.

  Chapter Three

  Bridgett: 10:30 PM Tuesday

  Maya was cool. I was having a good time with her and learning a lot. But she’d gone to bed early and I was restless. I thought about calling Jackie, but changed my mind when I remembered that we were meeting up tomorrow morning. I’d need to work hard if I wanted to have a real sister-type relationship with her, and there was nothing I wanted more than that right now.

  That realization freaked me out a little. I mean she'd stood by and watched her fae buddy, Liam,
torture and kill my dad. It was true, he'd been guilty of torturing six fae, holding them prisoner and chaining them with iron for months. So I guess there wasn't much she could have done about it anyway, especially since she was busy saving my life at the time.

  I looked out the window. The night was warm and clear, so I thought I’d sneak out for a shift. I loved to run though the woods in my cheetah form, chasing after squirrels and rabbits and raccoons. It was a new thing for me to feel comfortable as a cheetah. As the adopted child of a werewolf pack leader, I’d had to hide what I was from the rest of the pack for my own safety. Cheetahs are gifted with psychic powers that give other supernaturals the creeps.

  I thought about my dad and how he’d protected me from the rest of the pack. I missed him. I loved him even though he might have lied to me about my mom’s death, although I still wasn't convinced that what the fae had said was true. I understood why he’d helped Lord Kennet, even though it was wrong. Our pack was struggling financially. Some of them didn’t even have enough food for their families. Before Kennet showed up with his scheme to kidnap those fae, my dad would cook for them or buy them groceries whenever he could. Kennet’s plan seemed like the answer to everyone’s prayers. Weres don't generally trust the fae, especially since they sometimes ally themselves with vampires.

  I left Maya a note just in case she woke up and got worried. I was wearing a tank top over a sports bra and cut-off sweatpants that had a pocket where I put my cell phone in case anyone called. I knew I wouldn’t be running into any werewolves, because it was still a week before the full moon. Bumping into other shifters was never a problem since we just sniffed around each other and then went our own way. And really, what was the chance that Kennet would be anywhere near Maya's house? Her house and Garrett's were warded up the kazoo by a powerful witch. We were all totally safe.

  As I ran through the woods toward the clearing I felt the warm air blow through my short dark hair. I thought about letting its natural color grow in, but that would look pretty awful. Maybe Maya or Jackie could help me dye it to a color that was closer to my dark blonde. I’d stopped wearing my brown contacts too. I kinda liked looking at my green eyes in the mirror since they were exactly the same color as Jackie’s. Having a real blood sister was definitely the coolest thing that had ever happened to me.