“Restricted breed,” Valak replies.
“Straight up, I have a permit for him and all my weapons,” I add so everyone knows. Because guns and protection dogs make people nervous, and nervous people make mistakes around guns and protection dogs.
“Hey… no one is suggesting you were in the wrong.” Valak sinks down to my level. “It’s clear to see that he was doing his job. It really is more that he will need specialist care, nothing else. I promise.”
I scoff a noise that is not a laugh at all. “Let’s not make promises you can’t keep.”
He shrugs, not arguing with me. And then his eyes follow a trail of something down my forehead. “Can Noah put a stop to that bleeding before we go?”
I shake my head. “Ares is more important. I won’t relax until he’s getting help.”
Valak concedes, perhaps already realising there is no way he’ll win that argument. “Is he going to bite me if I lift him up?”
“Probably, but she drugged him with something so his reflexes will be off. If I take his head and he can see me, he’ll be less inclined to attack.”
Noah moves out the way, taking a few steps closer to the two people who attacked me and further away from Ares, which is a good idea. “I’ll meet you guys at Jones Road then.”
The guy on my phone talks again. “You’ll be good to go in about eight minutes, Noah. The clean-up crew are reporting clear roads and are moving quickly to you.”
Valak shuffles closer to Ares. “Someone can drive my car there too then?”
“On it. Lincoln’s with them.” The hotline guy is clearly good at organisation and keeping up with a few conversations at once.
Valak nods his head before remembering to answer. “Fine.”
“I’m sorry, before you do anything, I think I should put a bandage on your arm. It’s bleeding a lot.”
Everyone kind of stops, including the guy on the phone, as Noah opens his satchel, stepping nearer again. “And like Valak said, you need something on the cut on your forehead. I might have to do a stitch and then do a check for any broken bones. I’d be worried about a concussion, but Valak knows all the signs. I don’t want you driving though.”
I agree just to keep him off my back, and Noah doesn’t waste a second, shuffling into my space. I hold my arm out, and he says nothing as he presses a gauze to the wound, wrapping it quickly; the only noise is his breathing. And I only notice because it means he blows his peppery scent my way, making me dizzier than the punch in the head I got earlier.
“What about them?” I ask, turning a little and breathing through my mouth instead of getting caught up in his scent.
“They both attacked you?” Noah basically snarls his question, which in turn brings a rumbling noise from both Gabriel and Valak, making Ares stir.
“Easy,” I coo, and under any other circumstance it would be hilarious the way they all stop getting fired up. “Yeah. That’s their van over there,” I point at the far corner, using my good arm, still realising I’m waving my gun around. I holster it before I say another word. “Stupid woman said I was going with them, and clearly that wasn’t going to happen. I’m sure she’s wearing a wig because I yanked a fist full of her hair and she didn’t make a noise. And him, he’s one shady fucker. Anyway, I shot her and Ares went after him. I did the proper warnings first—not that they were listening or interested. I’m pretty sure they wanted me in that van, and like I said, that was not happening.”
“Was it your first run in with them?” Valak asks as Noah flicks his hand indicating for me to turn back around to him.
I watch Noah get to work. While he focuses on what he’s doing, I take the time and do a thorough inspection of the man. Obviously, I already knew he had grey eyes from all his hospital PR images, but up close they are grey with lapis blue flecks. Super pretty. His short, professional hairstyle is like cocoa brown, rich and glossy, and he’s got a five o’clock shadow over his square jaw, telling me how long it’s been since he’s had a break.
Being this close to Noah, I get a little scent struck. Noah is better than smelling salts and more settling than a finger of Bourbon; peppery cedar fills my lungs, and I blow out a deep breath and close my eyes, focusing on his doctor’s touch as opposed to his yummy smell.
And then he pushes me nearly to the breaking point when he looks into my eyes and talks intimately to me. It’s like being saturated by his scent and his presence, and my mouth waters embarrassingly. “You’ll need a couple of stitches. While they treat your dog, expect me to do the same to you. I know you won’t want to leave your dog, which is fine.”
Lucky he said that, because I wave my bandaged wrist to stop the wafts of his scent coming at me, but also to reinforce to myself a line of what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
I’ve always found Noah attractive. Being close enough to count eyelashes is overwhelming.
He moves back, stopping a short distance away where Valak also waits.
Crawling around the front so that Ares can see me, I put my forehead to his. Even hurt and freaking the fuck out, I trust this dog with my life. His training is exemplary, and he would never lash out, but I would never let anyone else in the world do what I am doing. “Going to be with you the whole way. An alpha is going to lift you,” I whisper at Ares, turning around to look at Valak, who is behind me waiting patiently. I nab his hand and bring it close so that Ares can scent him, and while my dog’s nose twitches, my own lungs fill with Valak’s heady bergamot inspired scent, it’s consuming. Ares nose twitches again, probably mirroring my own reaction.
“Scent and allow,” I command, and my injured boy does that before he settles back down to watch. “Keep moving like you are. No sudden movements. And you,” I look to Noah, “don’t move at all when we stand up. I’ll sit in the back with Ares, let him see me get in and then can you put him in the back and I’ll…”
Valak goes from a squat to standing with my dog in his arms, not bad for deadlifting 120 pounds. In the process, his scent rises with him. Ares whines a little, thrown as I am, but I brush my hand over his face, calming him before I help Valak. We shuffle until he is in the cargo hold. I sit in the back with Ares, while Valak drives my car like we’re facing an emergency, which definitely helps me relax more.
2
