Page 71 of Act of Brotherhood
The serum must have really messed with his head, because there was no way he’d ever bite a human woman at all, let alone during intercourse. That was a claiming move, and it was involuntary. Something a shifter male had no more control over than the weather. Nicolette, a human, wouldn’t trigger that response from him.
“They’restillat it?” asked Malik Nasser as he entered the training room. The ancient Egyptian had been reunited with his mate a short while now and today marked his first day back to work officially. Garth and Malik had always had a level of respect for one another. Even when they’d faced off on the battlefields of old. Over the centuries, mutual respect turned into friendship.
Rurik smacked his lips loudly. “Da, they are still at it. Apparently, we found the one Frenchman who doesn’t surrender quickly,” said the bear-shifter. He put his hands behind his head, laced his fingers, and put his feet up on another folding chair.
Malik lifted a dark brow. “How long have they been going at it this time?”
Rurik checked his watch. “Just over three hours now.”
James gave Malik a pointed stare. “When they’re done here, they’re cleaning the infirmary. This started down there.”
“Guys? Really?” asked Malik, disappointment showing on the man’s face. Malik was friend to both Garth and Auberi and had never understood the animosity between the two.
Auberi and Garth ignored him, continuing to move in a circle, each surveying the other.
The vampire came at him fast and Garth slammed into him. The impact was thunderous, neither giving an inch. A battle of the titans. They snarled, each fighting for the upper hand. When they broke apart again, sweat flew to the mat.
Boomer was all smiles. “Want me to order pizza or something?”
The Russian nodded. “Sure. Get extra ones. Captain will be hungry when, or if, they finish. He’s not had anything to eat all week. Might want to find a few bodies for the vampire to drain, unless he likes pizza.”
Boomer snorted. “I’ll see what I can do. Don’t let them kill each other, okay?”
“If it makes this end, I’m willing to kill them both,” offered Rurik, earning hard looks from both Garth and Auberi.
The twins smiled. “Pizza sounds good.”
Duke Marlow, a fellow operative, who just so happened to be on the same team as Striker, Malik, and Boomer, entered the training room and groaned. “For fuck’s sake. They’restillsparring?”
With a huge sigh, Malik nodded. “The last time they did this, they were here for three days straight until the general ordered them to knock it off.”
“Want me to call Newman?” asked Duke, a hopeful note to his voice. That was saying something, since the man basically hated everything and everyone except his mate.
“Call Newman for what?” asked Corbin Jones, entering as well. Corbin was the captain of Team Five and the least likely to act like a grown man-child. The moment the Brit spotted Garth and Auberi, he shook his head. “I’ll put in a call for pizzas and beer. We’re in for a long night.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nicolette staredinto the darkness at the far corner of her backyard as she held her cell phone to her ear and did her best to calm her overactive imagination. In the other hand, she held a spoon as if it was a dagger. She’d been feeling sorry for herself, thinking about Garth—again—and eating her way through a pint of mint chocolate chip soy ice cream when she’d heard something out back.
The ice cream had reminded her of Garth, and that had only made her cry more
When she’d heard whispering out back, she’d hoped it was Garth. Now that she was standing outside, in the dark, the idea of running out to see seemed less than smart. Especially since an immense feeling of dread and danger had settled over her. It was so overpowering that she couldn’t shake it.
Since Clara was currently on the other end of the phone, on her way home from the airport after being gone a week, and not there to be a witness should something go wrong, Nicolette knew she should head inside.
She didn’t.
“Tell me again what you think you heard?” asked Clara, worry in her voice. “Is it the crazy guy you had sex with?”
Nicolette grunted. “Stop. I told you already he wasn’t crazy.”
“Sure. So he ejaculated, pulled out super-fast, and then ran away naked because he’s sane?” asked Clara. “Yep. Sounds totally non-crazy to me. Doesn’t every guy do that after he finishes? Wait, some do. Never mind. Totally sane. What was I thinking?”
“You’re being difficult for no reason,” said Nicolette.
“Nah, my reason is to keep you talking so I know you haven’t become the victim of a serial killer or something.”
“Gee. Thanks.”
