Page 42 of Corbin (Wild Wolf Pack from the world of Gallize Shifters #2)

Stars flew through Corbin’s vision during lucid times before he’d eventually black out.

Neurological damage from Vlad’s sadistic beatings.

He peeked through the slit in one swollen eye past the tiny lights flickering through his vision to determine if it was daylight or nighttime. The barn door stayed open continuously.

He might have been here three days or more. He couldn’t say for sure.

After flashing a permit showing they had captured a rogue wolf shifter and were delivering it to Canada’s version of SCIS, Vlad’s men drove off with no one thinking twice to check their story.

They drove for an hour before taking a dirt road that went on forever. Then the van entered the yard of a farmhouse with an aging barn. They’d killed the elderly human couple living here.

Vlad arrived right behind them, warning his men to be vigilant because he needed time to replace the bear before they departed this continent.

One of the guards confirmed their contact in Canada had found this location for them because the couple that had lived here for over twenty years had stayed away from others. They basically lived off the grid, making this an ideal place to wait.

Two of Vlad’s men had dragged Corbin into the barn before one left to meet with the person supplying Vlad’s replacement shifter. Having three guards gave Vlad two to watch his back while one grabbed a battle nap.

Then payback began for pissing off the Romanian.

Corbin tried to roll over and stopped. He’d forgotten he had multiple cracked ribs plus broken bones in his swollen face. One foot would not work correctly. His hands trembled nonstop from his beaten head. He’d developed a twitch in his cheek.

Ares had wanted to blast out and kill them.

Corbin asked his wolf to stay put and let him take the abuse. He didn’t want to think about what they might do to his wolf once Vlad found a replacement for the dead bear.

What would the Romanian bring in? A rhinoceros?

He tried to smile at that thought, but his facial muscles couldn’t make that happen.

The Romanian had hit him with so many electrical charges over the first three days that Corbin had become numb.

Ares had not.

He broke free and killed the last one to strike Corbin. That left the Romanian two men, one of whom shot Ares with a titanium load before the Romanian could stop him.

Vlad threatened to kill the next guard who shot Corbin or Ares with titanium and robbed him of his pleasure in abusing them.

The other guard had withdrawn a dart gun and shot Ares with a drug.

Losing consciousness, Ares gave the body back to Corbin. The titanium burning his leg from the inside out kept him awake.

The Romanian grumbled about Corbin dying too quickly because he had no one to take the titanium out without exposing his presence in Canada with a captured shifter.

Evidently, the Black River wolf pack in the states was to deliver a jacked-up replacement shifter to make up for their bear’s failure to produce the desired results.

Ares said, Bear should have killed this man.

True , Corbin agreed. Once Vlad had his new shifter, he’d fly all of them to Romania, where he owned more people of power than Corbin could count. Few criminals possessed his capacity for blackmail.

Corbin whispered, “Want water. A sip.” Not for him, but Ares, who needed water after that tranq shot.

The garbage in that shot made you beg for a trickle of water.

Corbin opened his eyes and looked through the foggy air that cleared as a bucket of cool water came into view. The bucket tipped and poured over him.

He told Ares, Ah, that’s refreshing, isn’t it?

Ares moaned. You see ghosts again.

No, Corbin had not seen ghosts since they escaped Vlad. Had Ares not gotten enough to drink?

The bucket vanished, and dark swirling air returned. Corbin hadn’t moved a muscle since hitting the hard-packed dirt after Ares shifted back to human. Everything felt familiar in a sick way—even being naked.

Corbin hadn’t worn clothes for years under the Romanian’s rule. The reason had been to remind him daily that he would never be more than an animal.

Screw Vlad. Corbin had better things to think about.

An image of Eirene came floating into his mind for the millionth time.

That’s how he’d made it through nonstop torture.

Her pretty face smiled. Wind tossed her strawberry-blond locks around.

From time to time, he had fleeting moments of heaven until his heart ached with losing the woman he’d wanted forever and beyond.

The woman he’d planned to wake up with every day, so he could see her face and hold her warm body.

He’d feel the same a hundred years from now.

His thoughts were lucid again. She was not here but safe far away.

No regrets. This time, he’d chosen to walk back into hell for the most meaningful cause in his life. How had he become numb at times to the vicious pain inflicted by Vlad? Because nothing would ever match the agony of feeling his heart split apart, one slow piece at a time.

What could the Romanian do to him now that he’d lost Eirene?

She had to be safe.

Darkness closed over Corbin again. He welcomed leaving here.

Ares brought him back awake when he spoke up in a rough voice hurting for water. Someone coming.

Huh? A guard looked down at Corbin. Had he said that out loud? He moved his good eye to find Vlad sitting on a chair someone had brought here. He scrolled his phone.

Be quiet , Ares said.

Never had Corbin’s wolf sounded beaten, but he did now. Corbin asked, What is coming? Is it the shifter Vlad is waiting for?

Maybe. I do not scent anyone yet.

A tear worked free of Corbin’s swollen eye. He didn’t want to hand Ares a broken body for his last fight. They’d had no food and little water. His wolf couldn’t heal them.

A loud explosion erupted outside.

Vlad yelled at his guards. They yelled back in their native tongue. The two heavily armed guards slipped out the back end of the barn by opening a door held in place with a bent nail.

A strange hush fell around the building.

Corbin tried to hear what was going on. Shouldn’t they be shooting?

A scream outside jolted the Romanian.

Corbin smiled. That had been a human scream. Deep sounding as if from a male. Who had Vlad pissed off now?

Were the strangers here to steal his broken wolf shifter?

Corbin hoped not. He knew this monster. Why trade for one with more evil ideas?

The barn door hanging half open yanked wider.

This could be interesting. Corbin tilted his head to see more with his half-closed eye.

In came Adrian with a badass pistol raised. He fired twice.

Corbin had to be hallucinating, but he looked at Vlad.

The Romanian dropped his rifle and stood there for a second with two bullet holes in his forehead, and then he fell backward.

Better than hallucinating. This was a dream come true.

Ares had been right. Corbin must be seeing apparitions again. He turned back to Adrian to enjoy this moment for as long as he could before Vlad zapped him.

Adrian shouted over his shoulder, “Cole! Call in the chopper and send Rory in here.” He rushed to Corbin’s side and dropped to one knee. “I’m so sorry we didn’t arrive sooner. The Guardian has teams all over this part of Canada searching for you.”

“Is this real?” Hope sent relief zinging through Corbin.

“Yes, it is, buddy.” Adrian’s face distorted with a look of horror for only a second. Then he tried to smile but failed. “Oh, man, they did a number on you. Wish I could have saved you from this. Jaz will fix you up. Hold on while we get you to the chopper and out of here.”

Was Adrian taking him out of here? Did that mean the Romanian was dead?

Ares said, Good people. Let them fix us.

His wolf thought this was real too. Corbin had no fight left in him. Even if it wasn’t real, he decided to go along with all of it for a moment of peace from Vlad’s red remote.

“Thanks, Adrian,” Corbin rasped in case Adrian was here. He’d failed to let Adrian know when he left that building with Eirene. “I would have called ...” He drew in a painful breath of air that gurgled on the way out. “My phone. Broken.”

“Forget about it and stop trying to talk. I think you’re bleeding internally. Please stay still.”

Outside, the sound of helicopter blades whomping grew louder and louder.

In strode another shifter whose scent Corbin did not recognize. He smelled of wolf.

Adrian said, “This is one of our medics. His name is Rory. Do whatever he says.”

Corbin mumbled something even he couldn’t understand but came alive when he saw a syringe in Rory’s hand. “Nooo Jugo stuff!” Corbin protested, but it came out in a scratchy voice.

Adrian carefully held Corbin’s arms down. “This is not Jugo Loco.”

Rory said, “Nah, man. We would never do that to you. This is to help with pain. Take it easy and you’ll be thanking me.”

The needle pricked his arm. Felt like a tiny mosquito bite.

Adrian called over his shoulder, “Bring the stretcher and hurry the hell up.”

Rory complained, “I don’t know how much of this Jaz can fix.”

The last thing Corbin heard was Adrian shouting at Rory, “Do you always have to be so negative?”