FinnLeandro surveys us slowly, a hint of hunger visible in the depths of his emerald eyes. So, how exactly does this sharing function? You go to bed together and see what happens, or do you take turns with her?Finn, you're a fool for bringing him here. Why didn't you take his information and run off with him?But I'm aware. Sami. I had a warning that I had to return to the city. Right now.The roaring from a huge screen TV hanging on the distant wall and the hardly audible tire squeals are perfectly muffled by his lack of effort to reduce his tone. I doubt the live portion because it's one of those "live" police car chases that focus more on theatre. Whether it's real or not, the chef, who's looking out of the kitchen hatch in his grease-stained chef whites, is mesmerized. The sound is muted, so thankfully we are spared the full impact of a man yelling his indignation at the utter carelessness of such a risky chase through the city streets.The waitress, a little blond thing, jerks
I concur that it isn't. And certainly not about the phone call that Jade needs to make in order to help us locate Amanda. Still, we're not here to converse. Since Jade is unable to sober up, we are here to help."Assault you for being in a public area?" Jade offers, grinning lazily. "Because that hasn't stopped me before, I have to tell you."I remind him, "I thought your only concern was getting Amanda back."And I believed that yours was removing her. Thus, how about we discuss that?"Who is this enigmatic Amanda?" Leandro queries.We pass him by.It was a horrible idea to come here.Short, irate steps pounded a harsh tempo toward us in the solitude, carrying with them the smells of salty bacon, buttery eggs, sweet pancakes, and maple syrup. Without saying anything, Laurel throws down four heavy dishes, turns on her heel, and walks away."Why couldn't you have told her that you weren't interested?" Dan asks, jabbing a fork into his bacon."Because I'm really worried about eating thi
Detective Ferdinand returns with my glass of water, and while we wait, Detective Bradley doesn't switch off the recorder or take his eyes off of me.The door creaks open again a few seconds later, hardly long enough for me to have come up with a story that won't land me in jail for murder. Detective Ferdinand enters, holding a small white plastic cup.I'm not going to grab the cup from him even if it crosses my field of view and hovers there, inches from my face. I break out in hives just thinking about touching him or having him touch me.I hold off on picking it up until he sets it down on the table in front of me. My palms quickly close around the plastic, still warm and sweaty from his fingers, and I instantly regret my choice.Detective Ferdinand replies as he settles into his seat, "You were telling us about how Darius stepped into the diner right after your dad knocked you down." "Let's revisit that."I raise the cup to my mouth, sipping a little water from it, and then set it
The police officers appear to have spent the last five nights sleeping in their uniforms. I most likely do as well.I wait for the police to demand that this man—whoever he is—get out since I have no idea what to say or do. But not before he drags the chair back to its original location.He must be a law enforcement officer. This kind of interruption of a police interrogation is not acceptable. Can they?Maybe it's his turn to ask me to speak now that he's their boss?I squirm to the edge of my seat, hoping I could push my chair back even farther so it wouldn't appear as though I'm uncomfortable with his calm attention."This time," the man replies, maintaining the same sluggish-eyed grin. Inspector Ferdinand gestured directly at me. "I'm shocked to hear that my client has been arrested," the caller said. He gives a theatrical palm clap over his heart, his face falling. "Amazed she's in this interview room by herself without me."How come?Thud.I spring into action from my seat and q
Eli doesn't hold back. He stands up and turns to face me, holding out his hand with the palm facing up. "Leo, Miss."I quickly glance at the police.Their murderous gazes are fixed on Eli as if they've still forgotten that I exist.I put my hand in Eli's and allowed him to help me stand up.I know I've messed up when he tightly clasps his hand around mine. One that doesn't really sink in until Eli is guiding me down the corridor; I was too busy getting excited in the interview room to think about who might be waiting for me outside.Darius.I pull at my hand slowly. "I think I should go to the toilet."And check to see if there's a window large enough for me to crawl out of in this restroom.Eli smiles at me like a shark, and his hand tightens. Which you can accomplish when we've gathered your possessions.His smile makes me uneasy because it makes me feel like a rat that a dog has just saved from a cat.We follow him to the reservation area, where we wait. Detective Ferdinand and Bra
Amanda.I tilt my head in the direction of the police, perplexed as to how Jade could have known so quickly that they were discussing her.The blonde police officer grabs a tiny plastic coffee cup, takes a sip, furrows his brow, and puts the cup down. Therefore, even if we won't be able to link her to the animal assault or her father, we may still claim her for Bristowe. Ferdinand, we have witnesses that say she was the only person in the car.It wouldn't take much to get her to confess.I clench my jaw.Make her confess out of fear? Is that the way the police operate? It makes sense why Jade is eyeing them like he's hungry.His companion snorts a snort. We spent fucking hours with her. She didn't say anything, and she won't now that she has that sleazy jerk Santino. We blew our opportunity, fucking it.More is happening here than my hazy brain can comprehend. Much more.Bristowe: who is she? And just what do they want to blame Amanda for?Suppressing a yawn, the blond police officer
AmandaI've been staring at Nathan's sardonic smirk for almost an hour now.I can't force myself to look away, no matter how many times I urge myself to.I glance at him and the picture comes back to me.I remember how he caused my dad pain before his passing when I look at him."You said pub owners?" Jacob gives a disgusted mouth twist.Given his wealth—his parents raised him with the help of five servants—it should come as no surprise that Jacob thinks any job other than investment management is beneath him. He even hires out for that. He typically loses the money he wagers on investments. It is his parents' responsibility to make sure he never experiences a day at work.The first time Darius introduced me to him, at twenty-six, I thought he was spoilt and overprivileged.My perception of him hasn't altered in three years.Nathan takes another sip of his vodka while lounging on one of Darius's white couches. "I think there's always room for someone to suffer more, but Darius thinks
I go about a step before Eva stops me with a phony, gentle apology. "You have an order from the Alpha."I turn to look into her acerbic green eyes. "I intended to obtain—""Simple. It," she cuts herself off, bringing up her pointy chin. That was his statement. not stray from the small task you've set for yourself.The fragments of glass on the floor catch my attention. "I require—"Jacob cuts you off, saying, "You need to learn to follow instructions. Sincerely, Darius, if she can't even follow basic instructions, you should be more strict with her.I am aware of their desires and can feel their bloodlust. For me to suffer for no apparent reason, no matter how minor or major.Felix as well. They gaze at me with wolf eyes, glistening and keen, drooling over their pound of flesh, knowing exactly what I did to Felix.I'm surrounded by a flock of raptors in a high-rise apartment, so I do what I can. I follow instructions before they can come up with crueler ways to retaliate against me.A
Also, if you bite Dan already and someone asks you to fill up the release paperwork at the door, well.I mumble, "We might not get him out of the hospital before he shifts.""Regular individuals don't just heal themselves; he'll start healing himself. Finn adds, turning away from me, "If we stay, we expose ourselves in addition to him.If there was one rule in Fight Club, it would be that no one should be aware that shifters exist. The government would eliminate them all if people were aware of them and what they were capable of.When Darius informed me that certain disparities are so great that people would turn against you if they understood what they were, I felt like he was exaggerating. There is nothing you could do or say that would ever lead them to believe you are anything other than a threat that has to be eliminated.Until I recalled my school days following Mom's death and my transformation into the girl with the drunken father. I changed and evolved. Something to be mocked
"They're far too violent for you," he explained. "Bed. "Let's go, squirt." He'd discovered me after I'd snuck down the stairs to peer through the bannisters at the TV."But the men take too long to fall down and sometimes they grab the wrong place on their front, so they can't be dead." I let out a sigh.As he carried me back up to bed, he chuckled. "Waiting too long to fall, huh?" How long have you been looking?"I denied ever seeing anything. He snorted at my obvious deception, kissed the top of my head, put me into bed, and then told me a tale."You sound like you might be smiling, angel," Jade adds, restoring my attention to the present."Well, I'm not," I tell myself. "You're just hearing things."He sighs once more, brings me in closer, and inhales. "Fuck, angel, I thought we'd lost you today."They should have discovered my body in the attic.Darius lost his cool over little matters such as the white wine at dinner not being cold enough. He'd lash out at one of his packmates fo
If this surgeon is still sniffing about Amanda once Dan is better, it will be the last thing he does."You're quiet," Finn remarks as we come to a halt in front of the vending machine, releasing my arm."Please tell me you're not working out how to kill the doctor and get away with it."I cast a casual glance at the machine. I'm not interested in crappy coffee or tea. My eyes widen when I see peppermint tea.Amanda could use one of them. Also, sleep. She appeared weary, with black bags under her eyes. Still lovely, but ready to go."I'm thinking," I say quietly.The second Amanda turns her back, she plans on tearing the good surgeon apart.Finn rummages in his pocket with his hand. "I repeat myself. Please don't tell me you're plotting the doctor's demise."I cast a peek across at him. He must have just realised that the only things we stopped to get before following the ambulance to the hospital were his clothing and vehicle keys. We weren't planning on getting cash for the vending m
I examine him again, unsure if I should believe that smile—or him. "That you were a decent guy in spite of it."He laughs from the bottom of his heart, throwing his head back. All unaffected and... genuine. It makes me want to laugh along with him just to see how it feels. "I will most definitely need to have words with Olivia."I cock my head, forgetting about the desire to scream for Jade to return. "Words? Is that a polite way of saying—""No euphemism." He wriggles his fingers again as if requesting permission.After a little moment, I nod once, and he takes a step forward.He's so near that the tip of my nose brushes against his chest as my knees kiss his thighs. I can't help but inhale his aroma.He smells better than I'd imagine a surgeon to smell just after surgery. Clean, with a woodsy note that might nearly be cologne."While one or two doctors in this hospital have married nurses, I have no plans for the lovely Olivia," he adds as he begins his inspection.How on earth did
"Despite its miraculous abilities, the heart is a delicate thing." There's a reason we have ribs to defend ourselves." He lowers his voice and frowns. "I know what injured your guy and brought him here. He was fortunate to have survived."Most individuals would not survive a wolf attack, in my opinion.Harley pauses for a beat as if waiting for an explanation. Nobody offers one.When he doesn't receive one, he keeps going. "With all of the damage we discovered in surgery, his recovery will be a long process, and there will be complications." I'm here to go over some of the upcoming events in the following days, weeks, and months."My fingers tighten in Jade's sweatpants as all my anxiety returns. "Months?""His heart stopped on the operating table, Jane." He stops and looks at her. "Twice."My mouth is parched. "However, you were able to save him?"Harley gives a single nod. "We have a great team in this hospital.""What complications can we anticipate?" Jade asks, less hostilely than
"Dan had died. Exactly like me. "I think the door hit us." I blink, and I'm back in the attic, watching Dan scramble for the rifle as a wolf rushes at him. "I thought I was going to watch Darius rip out his throat like—" I swallow my words.Nathan did the same thing to Simon Trevor.Simon was one of those rare treasures that a girl couldn't believe existed. A truly kind person. Someone who refused to assist me because he desired something in return. But he did it because he could. He did exactly that. And he paid with his life.I try again, clearing my throat. "I believe he wanted to make Dan suffer as much as he wanted to make me suffer." He cut Dan's breast open before leaping out the upstairs window."But not before he murmured the eight words into my ear that will haunt me for the rest of my life."You belong to no one but me, Amanda."Finn gives a blink. "He didn't take you."My head shakes. "Like I said, he likes to punish people."Finn cocks his head, his gaze narrowing. "You k
We tripped over each other to follow as they rushed him out of the attic, the house, and finally into a flashing ambulance waiting outside.“Sorry, no room,” they said when we moved to follow.None of us dared argue. Not when Dan’s heart could stop again any second.So we let the bland-faced EMTs who’d shocked Dan’s heart into beating call out a hasty direction for the hospital, slam the door shut, and then they were just…gone.A hand closes high on my right arm.I startle, whipping my head that way."Angel?” Jade’s gray eyes search my face as I search his.Dan once said he looked like a brawler, and he does. I study him, taking my time. Shaved dark hair. Intent gray eyes which dare you to look away first. A nose with a tiny bump on the slope from a break that didn’t heal right. His raw strength makes me feel stronger in a way that shouldn’t make sense, yet it does.“He’s a fighter. Like you. Like all of us. He will survive this.”I wish I could believe you.“Darius is a killer.” I an
On my left, there is some movement.With a snarl, I spin around, swiping my claw at a wolf with a piercing blue gaze who hisses in agony and bounds back, the copper tang of his blood strong in the air.Behind.I'm not sure if that was my warning or my wolf's.It makes no difference.We've already whirled around to confront the danger.The door behind me means I'm not in danger of injuring anybody who matters anything to me, so I stop battling my wolf the way I've been doing for years and start fighting with him.And our adversaries perish one by one beneath our jaws and claws.It makes no difference that others are rushing into the room, assaulting in pairs, one at a moment.It makes no difference if they pierce my flesh with their fangs or cut open my back with their claws.All that matters is that they perish.The floor is slippery with my adversary's and my own blood, but the pain is a distant second—or is it third?—to the wrath erupting within me.Then it's only me, my breathing r
"What makes breathing so important?" I inquire, disregarding the aching in my left arm. It's only been a minute, yet I'm already trying to stay up."You could have lined up the most perfect shot in the world, but what if you get excited and your breathing changes?"I thought for a moment, but I didn't have a response for him. "No."He takes two deep, leisurely breaths. But his third breath is a bit faster, and the cannon slips to the left by about half an inch. "Did you notice that?"I nod. "Breathing made you move.""Move it just enough to throw off your shot." With a body shot, you can get away with it, but with a headshot, you can miss it entirely. "Calm and control will save the day here.""Are you not angry?" I inquire, intrigued by this aspect of Dan. I had no clue he knew how to shoot, much alone be so enthusiastic about it."There is a time for rage." Isn't it when you have a pistol in your hand?" He softly presses down on my finger. "This is exactly how it should feel. Breath