He lets me go, intertwining his fingers to make a foothold. I waste no time, putting a hand on his shoulder and my foot in his hand. The sooner I'm out of this hole with naked Ezra, the better. I don't think I can even recite the alphabet with the way my blood was boiling inside me.
"Ready?" He asks.
I stare up and nod my head. In one swift motion, he bends down and then tosses me into the air. I'm flying for the space of three total seconds before I grab the side of the pit on my way down and claw my way completely out.
I get to my feet and peer over the edge. Thank the Goddess the moon isn't above us. I’m not sure I would be so brave if I could see him right now. "Hmm, it looks like the Alpha is in quite the predicament now," I taunt.
"You wouldn't," he growls.
I smile deviously down at him and his eyes flicker almost back to his wolf.
"Kat," he warns. "Don't you dare!"
I lean over with my arms folded across my chest and study him. "I just don't know if I'll be enough to get my big strong Alpha out of this deep hole," I explain with a little shrug.
"Don't make me command you," Ezra challenges.
He could. But I have a feeling he wouldn't do it. The pain it would cause me wouldn't be worth it to him. I decide to poke the bear some more, well wolf in this case.
"Just how cold does it get out here at night? Do you need me to bring you a blanket and a pillow?"
"I swear, Kat, if you leave me here-"
“You'll do what, command me? Do it.” I retort.
He looks away, but even from here I can hear him cursing beneath his breath. He places his hands on his hips and I glance sideways to the trees again. Even if I can't see a lot, there's enough light for shadows and that particular one I did not want to see at all.
Thankfully, he doesn’t notice my distraction. "You think you are so funny, huh?"
I chuckle. "Hilarious, I would have been an amazing comedian. I always make myself laugh."
He chuckles softly, but it gets louder until he bursts into full blown laughter. "You better run," he tells me, staring up through the dark. "When I get out of here, I'm chasing you down little mouse.".
One more poke. "Not such a big bad Alpha now, huh?" What is he going to do to me? He is stuck in the hole, one I knew had no easy way out. If I don’t tease him now when would I get a chance to?
“Kat, don’t you dare leave me down here,” he warns again. At least he's not doing that crazy laughter thing anymore.
“I think I might,” I sing-song and he growls. “If I help you get out what do I get out of it?” I throw his own taunting back at him.
“Well look at that, the little mouse is becoming more daring. Awfully brave of you.”
“I’m not the one stuck in the hole,” I remind him.
He shakes his head and clicks his tongue before sighing. “Kat, please help me out of here."
"Ah, fine, if I have to," I agree with one last amused chuckle. I find the vines he used and pull them to check their strength. They pull apart almost instantly like mushy pasta noodles. I even try braiding some together to create a thicker rope, but it too can't support any tension.
Perhaps pulling him in there hadn't been the best move on my part. Not when I don’t have a solution on how to get him out of there.
The trees around me sway and I glance around. Footsteps pounding through the brush are all around me. They're coming from the direction of the Packhouse.
"Would you look at that, someone is in trouble," Ezra sings out below. He did this, whatever it was.
Seconds later Mateo's scent tickles my nose from the breeze. I squeak and glance down at my Alpha. He's grinning like a wolf that caught his tail.
This man had called for backup.
"Better run, when I get out of this hole, Little One, I may just have to spank you."
The footsteps get louder, and Mateo breaks into my line of sight with a thick rope in his hands.
He gives me a grin in greeting before gazing down at Ezra. "How the hell did you fall in your own trap?" Mateo walks to the edge and shakes his head at him.
The temptation was too great for me. I like to think I'm able to resist crazy actions, but this time I didn't even pause. "Like this!" I announce before shoving Mateo in the back and into the hole.
He flailed in the air, trying to grab hold of something, anything, to keep him from falling in, but it was too late. Mateo landed with an oomph on top of the Alpha.
I don't wait around, I run.
“You're in for it now, Kat,” I hear Mateo call out from behind me as I dart toward the Packhouse.
The bubbling laughter doesn't stop even as I run inside through the back door. I put a hand over my mouth, trying to stifle my giggles. I need to find a hiding place before they get out. My belly aches from all the giggling, I haven’t been this entertained in ages.
Running through the house, I grip the banister and race upstairs. Running to my room first, I reach for the lock and pause. This is the first place they will look for me. I grab my deodorant and running back out, I spray as I go to try to mask my scent.
I'm running by their rooms and spraying when I pause. Wait a second. Where would the one place they would never expect me to be? I look between their doors for just a few seconds, before I decide Mateo's would be the best option.
I race toward it, grab the door handle, and twist. It opens beneath my touch and I slip inside the dark room.
Downstairs I hear the creak of the back door. Were they trying to sneak up on me? I tiptoe to his bed and flatten myself on the ground before wriggling beneath it. I lay in the middle, waiting.
I shift to get more comfortable, as my hand brushes something stiff and it reeks of Mateo's scent. It's so strong it makes me gag.
What the fuck is that? I grab it to pull it closer for inspection and stare at the dirty sock. It's so stiff the thing could stand on its own. What the fuck? Slick paper wrinkles beneath my hand and I twist to inspect it. I almost snort, it's a fricking porno magazine. Now that I look closer, he's got dozens of them down here.
Footsteps tiptoe up the stairs. My heart races and I struggle to think calm thoughts. They are going to hear me if my stupid heart doesn’t stop. Plus, I have this crazy desire to giggle nonstop. I put a hand over my mouth, but the harder I try, the more that escapes
Down the hall they opened my door.
"I can hear your heartbeat, Kat," Ezra warns me from the hallway.
Goosebumps rise all over my arms. I crawl farther back toward the wall and finally manage to stop the giggles.
From my position, I can just make out the door opening. Mateo's door doesn't creak. My heart pounds harder, the blood rushes in my ears. There is no way they can't hear me.
Ezra chuckles. Too close. My body freezes up.
Seconds pass and nothing happens. I let out a breath, and a hand wraps around my ankle before I am yanked out of my hiding place and held up in the air like a hunting trophy.
I squeal, clawing the ground trying to scramble out of his grip. Ezra looks way too satisfied. If that isn't bad enough, Mateo walks in a moment later and closes the door behind him, leaning against it and cutting off any future escape attempts.
At least Ezra had pants on. It is such a relief to not be staring at naked man flesh. Mateo's clothes are covered in dirt, and his eyes glitter, making me think of a snake about to strike.
Uh oh.
Ezra uses his strength to toss me into the air from his hold and catches me around the waist with both hands before slinging me over his shoulder. "What do you think, Mateo? How can I punish this naughty little mouse?"
Mateo studies me calmly from his position, and an evil smile crosses his lips. "For the amount of mischief she's pulled, a hundred lashes, and a week in the cells."
I whimper and my stomach knots. I'm not laughing anymore. My heart pounds against my ribs. Are they serious? I was just playing around!
Mateo snorts, before doubling over laughing and clutching his stomach. "Oh, Kat, I need a mirror. You should see your face! You actually think I meant that?" Mateo laughs harder.
That…. That… Asshole! I was ready to cry at the thought! I try to breathe normally and wriggle to get down.
Ezra lets me drop, but catches me before I hit the floor, holding me tight to his body. One hand is curved around my waist, his thumb following my hip bone, and my shirt has ridden up so I didn’t even notice my exposure. His other was around my shoulders, holding me against him, my back to his firm chest.
"My little, Kat," he whispers just below my ear. I shiver at the warmth from his breath. "What should I do with you?" his nose skims along my neck and he inhales deeply, pulling me against him even more. His hand around my waist dips lower.
"Don't make me grab a bucket of cold water, Ezra. Keep it PG, she isn't eighteen, yet. Three more days," he scolds.
My face burns at his words as my mind races and tries to catch up. If Ezra wasn't messing around with me, what was he doing?