“I don’t think you’d have wanted to.”
She wrinkled her nose.“You’re right, I don’t.”She paused and swallowed heavily.“You’re sure we’re safe?”
“I’m sure that none of these people are here to hurt us.”
“Good enough, I guess.”She let go, and Nic strode forward.He didn’t have to go far.Tamsin was on him in seconds, and while Nic imagined that he wanted to kiss him, he couldn’t do that in this form.Instead, he licked Nic’s cheek, making him laugh.
“Do you really think now is the appropriate time to do that?”Dermot complained.
He wasn’t wrong, but Nic almost asked him why he was there.Why would he want to rescue Nic of all people?Nic suspected that Dermot would have happily left him if Tamsin hadn’t insisted on coming, but he was Tamsin’s friend.He’d help if Tamsin asked him to.
“We’re happy to see that you’re okay, but we need to get out of here,” Rowan said, getting everyone’s attention.
Celeste crowded closer to Nic as if she could sense that Rowan was in charge.She was afraid of him, which Nic couldn’t blame her for.He was an intimidating man.
“We can go,” Nic told Rowan as he sank his fingers into his mate’s fur.“I promised Celeste she’d come with me when I left.I told her you’d come for me.”
Rowan glanced at her.“Is she Parrish’s mate?”
“She is, and she’s a prisoner.”
Rowan didn’t hesitate.“She’s welcome to come with us.”
Nic turned to Celeste, grinning.“See?I told you.”
“I’m still not sure this is safe, but I don’t exactly have a choice.”
“You do have a choice, but we both know you’re not choosing Parrish.”
“I never did.”
The Nix who’d opened the door wiggled his fingers at Nic.“I’m Dasha, and I work for the council.I’ll get you out of here.Unfortunately, I can feel that Parrish has Nix blockers in the house.That means we have to get out before I can shimmer us back to the village.”
That wasn’t a surprise.Nic had never been told everything Parrish did to protect himself, but it was extensive.He didn’t only have other Kudlaks keeping an eye on the house.He might think he could take on anyone in a fight, but he wouldn’t risk people easily getting to him while he slept or to his mate.
They left the room one by one.Tamsin stuck close to Nic, his fur brushing against Nic’s leg.It was odd coming from him, but also comforting, and Nic couldn’t wait to talk to his mate and find out what had happened.He knew that it had to do with their bond, but he’d never heard of anything like this happening.Was it permanent?Or was it only happening because Tamsin had to rescue Nic?Would he be able to shift again so they could play together?Nic didn’t know, unfortunately, and now wasn’t the time to ask.
They got out of the house easily, but they didn’t manage to get off the porch.Nic should have known it was too easy.He had no idea if this was all part of Parrish’s plan, and he didn’t care.The only thing he cared about was that he needed to get out.
“I’m surprised they came to rescue you,” Parrish drawled as he got up from the armchair by the door where he’d been sitting.He looked from Nic to the other people around him.“Although maybe I shouldn’t be.”He glanced at Rowan.“You’ve always been too soft for your own good.It’s going to be your downfall.”
“I’d rather see it as being my strength,” Rowan said.
He moved to place himself between Parrish and the rest of the group, and Nic’s heart shot into his throat.He didn’t want anything to happen to Rowan.Rowan was a good person who’d welcomed Nic into his home even though Nic had attempted to destroy it.He seemed intent on protecting everyone there, including Nic and Celeste.
Or maybe he wanted revenge for what Parrish had done.Maybe he wanted both of those things at the same time.It didn’t matter.Nic could tell that Rowan would sacrifice himself if it meant getting everyone out of there safely, and he wouldn’t allow that to happen.
He wasn’t the only one.Both Dermot and Clay moved forward, too.Dasha was tense and ready to jump into action if he had to, which was a good thing since he was probably the most lethal of them all.If he worked for the council, he’d been trained.
But none of them reached Parrish first.It wasn’t even Rowan.
Nic felt something brush against his legs, and when he glanced down, Tamsin was gone.Nic didn’t have the time to say anything or tell his mate to stop.Tamsin rushed at Parrish, throwing himself at him.As he did so, he shifted, and while Parrish had been ready to defend himself against a wolf shifter, he hadn’t expected the shift back.The two of them collided, and Nic was both terrified and impressed when Tamsin shifted again seconds later, pushing himself off Parrish’s body.He didn’t try to fight Parrish or bite him.He turned and ran, as did everyone else.
Dasha was in the lead.He tumbled down the porch steps, holding his hands out already.
“Why aren’t you fighting him if you work for the council?”Dermot asked.
Nic wanted to kick him in the knee.Was this really the right moment for that?Dasha didn’t seem to care, though.He shrugged and calmly looked at Dermot.“My mission is to get all of you back to the village in one piece.The council will take care of Parrish if you can’t, but not now.”
