That was the most accurate way Rosette could have hoped for a human to describe it.
"Plan," Dee said, taking a curve much too fast, "we need a plan to make them stop. At least they need to pause before they hit the estate's security. Maybe if they see what's in front of them they'll stop."Dee laughed at her. She'd been on the fringes of society her entire life. She knew werewolves. According to her, they would only stop if the Alpha said stop."They'd run into my semi going full speed if the Alpha told them to," she said. "You're different. I don't know if it's because of your rank or what. You don't feel the pull to follow his lead like the others do. For them, the compulsion is non-negotiable.""Can you get us inside the house?" Rosette asked her. "Do you know enough about the security systems to shut some of them down before they get there?"Dee grinned at her and told her yes. She'd just avoided the security last night, but she was sure she could turn i"You forced us to do this your way, mate," Kyle answered. "Of course we are here, but we are biding our time. Does Dee know where the back up generator is?"Rosette asked her, and she quietly told her downstairs on the other side of the house. She gave specific directions, and Kyle heard her through Rosette."Let us turn off the distribution system for the potion," Rosette told Kyle, "and then you can do whatever you want.""Be careful," Kyle warned. "If I get one hint something is wrong, we are coming in, whether it is off or not."Dee moved them into the security suite, and there were several armed men inside. They laughed when they saw two women walk in. Rosette dispatched two with the hunting knife rapidly, but the third got a shot off before she killed him.Rosette barred the door to the security suite as Dee started to press buttons on the panels in front of them.Outside the door, Rosette could hear the stamping of feet as the witches realized th
Dee got off Rosette's back, she collapsed to the ground, almost too weak to move. She wanted to curl up, lick her wounds, and sleep. Dee refused to let her crawl back into the undergrowth, which is what she wanted to do."Shift!" she screamed at her, and Rosette did, falling back to a human form.Dee lifted her into the passenger side of the truck and got in the driver's seat.Rosette saw her fiddle with the area under the steering wheel for a moment, and the truck roared to life. It struck her that she'd left the keys in her clothes, which she had torn off in the security room of the burning house."Damn it, damn it, damn it," Dee cursed, looking over at her, "you aren't dressed, and you're covered in blood. If we get pulled over, this is going to look so bad. This road is going to be crawling with cops pretty soon."She was right; Rosette had to keep her wits about her."There's got to be a blanket or something in the back," she said, turning to dig around behind their seats.The p
"He won't kill you," Rosette muttered, trying to make her mouth work. "He may chain you up in Will's bedroom for a while."It was funny to her, but apparently not to Dee. She started to load her weapon.Kyle stood in the middle of the road about twenty-five yards away. His arms were folded across his chest. Apparently, he had gone to the fight prepared, because he was dressed in a tight black t-shirt and black cargo pants. He even had black boots on. Kyle looked commanding.Rosette's brain felt hazy, and she focused inanely on his clothes. She was jealous of his outfit and wiggled her naked feet. Well, that's what she got for rushing in half-cocked. She lost her shoe privileges."I want shoes," she told Dee.Her eyes were huge, and she stared at Rosette, mouth agape. "What the fuck, man?" she asked rhetorically.Dee must have panicked because Rosette watched her shove the truck into reverse and hit the accelerator. The tires spun but they didn't go anywhere. Dee cursed again and hit t
"You were already injured when you ran from the house," Kyle surmised."Yes," Rosette said quietly.The pretty green scenery was lulling her to sleep."My men watched you run. You were so fast, none of them saw your injuries," Kyle said but kept his eyes on the road.The tiredness was back again, worse this time. Rosette just wanted to rest so badly. Her mate was close. She was safe. The animal in her desperately needed to curl up and sleep. The SUV was warm and comfortable. It felt like she was laying in a field drowsing on a lazy summer day."No," cut through her haze, and she was up again, woken from her weird peaceful dream. "Stay awake, Rosette, no sleeping right now."She whimpered in protest but stayed conscious. It was a relief when they finally pulled in front of the den. She was so glad to see home; perhaps she could sleep just a little bit now.The vehicle was barely stopped when Kyle jumped out. Rosette howled her displeasure at being moved again as Kyle pulled her from th
"Kyle, I wasn't ignoring you. I don't even remember hearing you," she said, sitting up. She searched her memories and couldn't remember hearing anything from him once Dee and she reached the truck. Granted, she was in and out of consciousness. Still, it seemed she should have heard something. "I thought you would leave me," he said softly. "It would be painful, but it can be done." Now Rosette was on her knees on the bed, grabbing his face. "No, I wasn't leaving you, Kyle. I swear. I went there to protect you. Why would I leave you? Dee and I were coming back to the den. I was in and out of consciousness. I never heard you. Please, believe me." Kyle smiled a sad smile and kissed her palm. "I know that now. Dee told me she couldn't keep you awake. I couldn't reach you when you were unconscious. I know I treated you badly, and I am sorry." Rosette didn't know what to say to him. She couldn't imagine how horrible he must have felt. Just imagining calling out to him
She asked the required question, and Kyle told her no. Althea still lived in the same tiny house she always had. Her bank accounts never showed any change. Kyle's contacts told him she was in no way connected to the company they found that handled the money for the potions."Where was Davona?" Rosette finally asked. "How do you know it was her?""Except for the gunman you saw me remove, she and the very unlucky pilot were the only other occupants of the helicopter. You should have seen the look of shock on her face," he said laughing. "She never expected us to stop her. She tried to hurl spells at me, but that obviously did not work.""Where was the source?" she asked."In a case attached to her wrist, which I removed," he said proudly.Rosette sat on his lap and watched his dancing eyes for a moment. "Do you mean you removed her wrist?" she asked, her voice laced with disbelief."With great pleasure," he said, his eyes no longer dancing but glowing wit
had been used to doing things her own way, and so had Kyle. Neither of them was particularly adept at listening to the other. If they couldn't overcome this hurdle, their relationship would be extremely rocky. She knew that healthy relationships thrive on compromise. It wasn't that she didn't want to listen to him. She simply wanted him to consider her opinions. When she was in the witch's house, he, Ethan, and Anthony had all been in her mind, and they had collaborated. They had listened to her, and she had listened to them. "What the hell?" she exclaimed suddenly, and Kyle's head lifted from her lap. He watched her for a moment, his expression tense, before noticing the confusion on her face. "What is it, love?" he asked, his tone laced with concern. "In the witch's house, I felt Ethan and Anthony press into my mind. They gave me directions and worked with me," she paused for a moment, carefully considering what she was about to say next. "I was stil
The room burst into applause when Kyle said he thought they should go.'So we have to be vocal in agreeing with one another?' Rosette questioned into his mind.'As much as we can be, until they believe we are strong and stable. Otherwise, we may have someone try to challenge us,' he said back to her.'You could best any challenger,' she thought confidently.'I could and I have before,' he answered, 'but the challenges are stressful for the pack. They fear their leaders may be replaced at a moment's notice. They become restless. It is not a healthy atmosphere.'Kyle looked calmly out over his pack in the dining room, and Rosette took his hand. They sat silently watching them for several long moments."What's a celebration entail?" Dee asked, breaking the silence at the table."Running, fucking, eating, and dancing," Rosette told her succinctly."Humans allowed?" she asked."I'll carry you there, Dee," Will said, pulling her in for a kiss.