“I’m going to burn them at the next family night at Knox and Ryker’s house, while they sing a beautiful song that steals the sadness away for a bit.”
Knox gets up and reaches for me. I squeeze Valen’s side for a quick second and sneak out from under his arm to go to Knox. I wrap my arms around his thick neck, and he lifts me. “I’m sorry, Killer…”
“No, Knox, you didn’t say anything that wasn’t true, I just wanted you to know the other side of it, too.”
He peppers playful kisses all over my cheeks and my neck, his scratchy stubble tickling me, and I squirm and squeal to get away from him. He laughs and starts doing it more when a movement in the trees catches my eye. Knox must immediately feel the change in my emotions or body as I try to hone in on what just caught my attention. He puts me down, his face now all business as he follows my gaze out into the surrounding trees.
We both scan the encroaching forest, but I’m the one to catch the hint of gray as it slowly, almost imperceptibly, weaves through two close-growing trees.
I break into a run, and Knox is close on my heels.
“Don’t run, wolf,” I shout out in warning, as I see his muscles go still with the realization that I’m coming right for him.
So what does do? He runs.
Motherfucker!
I call on my runes and push power into my legs. I reach the treeline and weave dangerously fast, through the large trunks in pursuit of Torrez. He’s fast as fuck, but I learned on the run with his pack, that I can be, too, and I ask even more from the muscles in my legs as I inch closer and closer. The large gray head of Torrez’s wolf looks back to gauge how close I am, and it gives me the opportunity I need to close the last few feet to him. I push off the ground and fly into Torrez’s back legs. I wrap my arms around his wolf version of a waist and tuck my head to protect it from the tumbling we’re about to do against the unforgiving ground.
Torrez growls, but thankfully we go rolling before he can reach back and sink any of his sharp teeth anywhere. We skid to a stop and gravity does me the favor of landing on top of him and half pinning him down. In seconds, Torrez flashes into himself and glares up at me, his muscles taut and rippling and not a stitch of clothing on him to hide any of it.
“Well, that was rude, Witch.”
“What the fuck are you doing here? Are you following me around?” I demand, as I push against his shoulders. So far he’s not putting up a fight, but if this is an act to lull me into complacency before he strikes, I’ll be ready.
“Yes. I like to call it watching your back, but I guess following you around is accurate, too.”
Torrez shrugs nonchalantly.
“Why did you run? Who else is out here with you?”
A throat clears, and my eyes snap to the left to find Knox standing there chest heaving from the chase he just gave. I see the other guys running through the trees just behind him.
“Who...the fuck… is… this?” Knox asks between gasps for air, his narrowed gaze running over Torrez.
I look back to down to find Torrez’s beaming a salacious smile at me. In a flash, his hands move to my hips, and he leans up towards my face.
“Running was the easiest way to get you on top of me. Iletyou tackle me, Witch, but next time it’s my turn to get nice and rough!”
His grip on my hips tightens, and his eyes fill with fire, his nostrils flaring as he scents me. I shove against his shoulders and scramble off of him. He chuckles, but lets me go.
Knox reaches out and plucks me away from the shifter, stepping slightly in front of me. I brush dirt, pine needles, and leaves from my shirt and leggings and feel the other guys arrive and position themselves around me.
“Remember that shifter that I beat the shit out of?” I ask Knox.
“Yeah,” he answers.
I point to Torrez who’s leaning back on his hands, still sitting in the dirt.
“That’s the big bad wolf?” Knox asks, and I snicker at the unintentional storybook reference.
Torrez gets an indignant look on his face and stands up. Someone clamps their hand around my eyes, blocking Torrez’s naked body from my view. I don’t know if I want to laugh or be annoyed by the gesture.
“Now that we’ve established who I am, who the heck are you guys? A little overprotective for bodyguards don’t you think? I mean, this isn’t anything that she hasn’t seen before, isn’t that right, Witch?”
I swat away the hand shielding my eyes, and it drops to my shoulder. I glare at the Torrez. “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, at the same time Bastien announces, “We’re her mates!”
Torrez ignores my question and the threatening look I’m giving him and addresses Bastien instead.
