Trigger

17

TRIGG

Stormy began to snore softly not long after they lay down, and Trigg was glad. She needed her rest, and she also needed something more, something that went so much deeper than the bone weariness of a long day’s trek.

Stormy needed comfort in her soul. He could feel it in her, a desperate longing to be heard, held, and loved. He recognized it because it was in his own heart. He had never really known it was there before.

Every mission where he pushed himself to go harder, every encounter with women where he had tried to connect and ended up disappointed, all of it was perfectly clear now. He knew exactly why nothing could ever satisfy him.

Stormy was his mate.

He bent over, burying his nose in her hair, and took a long, deep hit of her scent. It made him feel slightly dizzy. He was so complete in her arms that it hurt.

Should he tell her they were fated mates? They were bound together forever. They could love others, but they would always be unfulfilled with anyone else. No matter how happy and content they managed to make their lives, they would always know a part of their heart was missing if they were not together.

He lifted his head, focusing on the trees. He didn’t trust that guy from the cabin. He knew what Stormy looked like to him. Even if the man hadn’t been out here long, Stormy looked like a tasty treat. He growled low in his throat as thoughts flashed through his mind. He knew exactly what the bastard would do if he got his hands on her, and Trigg would never let it happen.

He had made their path difficult to follow, but he wouldn’t have much trouble tracking them if the guy lived in the wilderness. Trigg kept his head up, ears pricked. He knew he’d be tired tomorrow, but that didn’t matter. He was resilient, and his body would handle it. He only needed a little rest to stay at full strength.

Stormy’s hand tightened in his scruff as she murmured in a dream. He whined softly and licked her face. She smiled and hugged him, not waking. He looked down on her, the most precious thing on earth.

Then, he heard the unmistakable sound of a footstep crunching in the dense woods. It was quite close, and he cursed himself for being distracted. The guy had to be an excellent tracker, and he had crept up on them too easily.

He lifted his nose, smelling evil on the wind. It was a mixture of pheromones that came from bad intentions. Trigg knew the smell anywhere ... he’d been around people who smelled like that his whole life.

He twisted his head back and forth, wondering which way the guy would come from. When he heard another gentle footstep, he leaped up, barking. The guy was close.

Stormy sat up suddenly, crying out. Trigg didn’t pause. He launched himself at the man.

His teeth bared, he went for the guy’s throat. He was carrying a long rifle that he used as a bat, throwing Trigg back. He feinted one way, then came up from the left, going for the guy’s legs.

He managed to sink his teeth into the man’s calf, making him scream. Trigg held on, growling ferociously as he snapped his head back and forth. Fury flooded his veins, and the killing instinct of his wolf took over.

The guy grunted, stabbing downward with the butt of his rifle. Trigg heard the crack and felt the blow, recoiling. He yelped and howled, trying to get his bearings and jump back into the fight.

Stormy was right behind him as the guy charged. Trigg opened his jaws and sprang. Again, the man raised the rifle at exactly the right time to throw Trigg to the side. As he flew through the air, the man reached for Stormy, who was scuttling into the thicket, trying to get to her feet.

Trigg shifted, throwing himself at the man’s back. The guy roared and turned, throwing a punch at Trigg’s face. He ducked, avoiding it easily as he drove into the guy’s midsection. He hammered him in the ribs with his fists, making the woodsman grunt and fight for breath.

Believing the guy was disabled, Trigg backed and came in for a better attack. The man’s face snapped up, and Trigg realized his mistake.

He saw the rifle come up, but he didn’t have time to avoid it. The gun cracked, once, twice … Trigg stopped counting as the horrible pain blasted through his ribs.

“Trigg!” Stormy screamed.

Trigg roared, ignoring the pain. He charged the guy, knowing he had to keep the bastard away from Stormy; he had to give her a chance to get away. He would take the guy down with him if he was going down.

The river!

It wasn’t far away. He struggled with the big man, trying to wrestle the rifle out of his hands. He screamed as he twisted left and right, gripping the rifle, trying to wrench it away from the man.

They staggered from the trees. Trigg was sweating buckets, and he could feel blood pouring down his side. The bullet wounds burned like fire, and Trigg knew that something wasn’t right.

Doesn’t matter. Must save Stormy! Throw him into the river.

Trigg screamed, ignoring the pain. The one and only thought in his mind was to defeat the man. He had to give his mate a chance to escape.

Suddenly, the man twisted the rifle in the opposite direction. The movement was so fast that Trigg’s hands slipped off the weapon, and he fell to his knees, out of breath. His lung must’ve collapsed from the bullets.

I’m f****d.

He couldn’t believe it. He’d lost. He felt the hard stones bite into his flesh as his body crumpled, the blood rushing down his side, unable to heal fast enough to keep his body fighting. Next came the inevitable touch of cold metal on his temple as the guy prepared to shoot him point blank.

“No!” Stormy screamed from the trees.

Run, you goddamn fool, run!

He knew she wouldn’t. He looked up into the guy’s face and saw the cruel triumph there. The man said something and put his finger on the trigger.

Trigg stared into his eyes. Even at death’s door, he would not submit. He was ready to meet his maker, and his only regret was Stormy.

There was a loud crack, and it disoriented Trigg badly. It was too far away to be the rifle, and, furthermore, he was still alive. As if stuck in a dream he couldn’t wake from, he saw the other man’s head explode, blood and bone scattering in the cold breeze.

He fell, tipping slowly toward the river. There was a loud splash. Trigg blinked, trying to understand.

What the hell just happened?