Page 41 of Loup Garou

I heard a car door opening and tried to look back. The man before me made his move. He went to slide his hand down my wet pants and my power surfaced to protect me. A bolt of lightning struck right next to us. The force threw us apart. I went high into the air and hit the SUV with a thud. My knees sank into the muddy ground and rain continued to pour around me.

The man charged at me, growling, his eyes ablaze. I waited until he was directly in front of me before giving in and rolling to my side. I got to my feet and leaned back quickly, narrowly missing taking a clawed hand to the head.

“You will beg me for mercy, bitch,” he spat. “You will watch as we kill your friend and then you will beg for your life.”

He came at me again. I spun, stepped to the right and watched as he went right past me. Turning, he glared at me. “Oh yes, you will beg me for mercy.”

Something inside me snapped. A sick-sounding laugh erupted from me. Tipping my head to the side, I let the rain wash over me as I smiled. “You are oh-so very late on that threat, asshole. I spent four days begging. First for the life of another and then to die. I’m all begged out.”

I let my power out more, recreating the sound of the music Gina often played while she taught me to defend myself. The man looked around, clearly taken aback by the development. “What the—”

“This,” I smiled, “is what Gina calls ass-kickin’ flavor. And you,” I winked, “are what she calls expendable.”

He came at me and I moved my body as a full unit, countering his advance with a kick to the back of his knee. He went forward and I wasted no time in leaping into the air, anticipating his strike before it came. The whoosh from his clawed hand just missing me was a reminder of how very deadly a game this was.

Drawing one leg up, I extended the other and kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him away from me. I landed on my feet and watched as he tried to come at me again. I went into a jumping front kick, holding my arms firm and waiting to strike until I was almost to the height of my jump.

As my foot came into contact with his chin, I couldn’t stop the surge of power that moved through me. Lightning crashed around us again, this time launching me high into the air. I tucked into myself and did my best to sense the ground coming up on me. I landed on one knee, my breathing ragged and my pulse racing. The music stopped as I felt my power waning.

The sound of growling caught my attention. Glancing up, I watched as one of the other men was attacked by the biggest black wolf I’d ever seen. It took him down with ease. The man with the orange eyes advanced on me again.

The black wolf lunged at him, striking his throat and ripping it from his body. The wolf turned, setting its sights on me. I froze. The closer it got, the more the pressure in the air around me increased. My fingers slid over material on the ground and I glanced down to find myself clutching Exavier’s wet T-shirt.

Looking up, I swallowed hard as I willed the gods to hear me. “Please keep him safe. I don’t care about me, just keep Exavier safe. Please.”

I closed my eyes, preparing for the inevitable. A huge wave of thunder boomed. I gasped and opened my eyes to find myself sitting in the back of Exavier’s SUV. I was completely dry and still dressed. Exavier was lying on his side with his head propped up, smiling at me.

“So, what did you like best about camping when you were little?” he asked, staring up at me with beautiful blue eyes.

I glanced out the window but found no sign anything had happened. Confused, but relieved to see him in one piece and safe, I scrambled towards him and threw my arms around his neck.

“You’re okay.”

Laughing, Exavier went to his back, allowing me to lie on top of him, hugging him tight. I clung to him, savoring the sound of his beating heart. The hardness of his chest and the warmth of his body left me feeling safe in his arms. Rubbing my cheek against his smooth skin, I exhaled deeply.

“Linds?”

“Hold me,” I said, so low I wasn’t sure he heard me.

The second his large, muscular arms wrapped around me and held me close to him, I gave in to the trembling that had wanted to overtake me. Whatever had made me hallucinate an attack was enough to let me know if anything happened to Exavier I’d be devastated. That should have scared me. It didn’t.

Exavier kissed the top of my head and caressed my back. “I’ve got you, baby, nothing can get you with me here. I promise.”

“Huh?”

“Snakes, they can’t get you in here,” he said, not sounding extremely convincing but I didn’t care. “So, how about I get us somewhere so you can use the bathroom?”

“No.” I hugged him tighter. “This is good. Right here with you is good.”

“But, Linds…”

I eased my grip on him long enough to go for his lips. Pressing mine to his, I silenced him. A tiny chuckle escaped him. “That’s one way to shut me up.”

Moving down next to him, I kept my arms around him and he did the same to me. “I’m tired, Xavs.”

“Get some sleep, baby.”

“Feeling better?”Exavier asked as I came out of the restaurant’s restroom.

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