Page 10 of Little Bunny

Then he went limp, dangling over the arm Matias had around his waist. Luckily, he had a strong grip on Elijah, or his dead weight would’ve caused Matias to drop him. Unreal. The guy had powered down mid-complaint. “Did you just pass out?”

Sighing, he lifted the human into his arms and carried him to one of the rooms. Diablo was lying on the bed, propped against the headboard, watching TV.

“Out.”

He got up, his brows rising. “Isn’t that—”

“Out!” Matias was in no mood for small talk, bothered by the fact he was going out of his way for some short shit who meant nothing to him.

As Diablo closed the door behind him, Matias lay Elijah down, removing his shoes before placing the blanket over him.

Then he put some space between them, leaning against the wall as he studied the human. His wolf was cagey, pacing and snarling. It was a part of him, part of his DNA, his needs overriding Matias’s own at times. It was acting feral where Elijah was concerned.

Was his wolf seeing something he wasn’t? Was it displaying its true feelings, while Matias was denying what he felt toward Elijah? Maybe because Matias knew the true danger of involving the human in his life.

A life filled with violence and bloodshed. Elijah didn’t belong in his world. Yet, Matias couldn’t deny he was already invested, acting out of character, chasing after and caring for a drunken human.

Him. Matias Salvador. Alpha of the Salvador pack. Deadly. Unforgiving. Capable and willing to make harsh decisions to keep his pack safe.

Invested or not, Elijah could not stay. As soon as he sobered, Matias would send him on his way.

* * * *

“I think Boss is finally falling.” Diablo glanced over his shoulder at the hallway. He’d never seen Matias act that way toward someone before, let alone a human. Soft and caring, like the twink was something precious. He thought Matias was going to swipe his head clean off his shoulders.

“We all get bitten by the lust bug,” Santiago replied, his gaze sliding to Percy, who sat at the bar, staring at the countertop like it held all of life’s secrets. Matias wasn’t the only one feeling the “bug” around here.

“You ready?” Diablo moved toward the entrance to the tavern. If he was going to be up and out of bed, he might as well move their plans up.

“Not yet.” Santiago jerked his chin toward Percy. “Gotta get someone home first.”

“I’ll meet you at your house.” Diablo headed out, passing pack members on his way to his hog. The night was hot as hell, made worse by the fact a wolf’s body temperatures ran a little higher than humans.

He wanted to ditch his leather but didn’t want to end up like Miguel. One side of his body shredded from road rash.

Diablo took off, riding through town on his way to Santiago’s when the glow of motorcycle headlights illuminated the night, casting shadows in the darkness. The figures of three men on their bikes could be seen, their lower faces covered with bandanas. This could not be good.

He tried to go faster, but they blocked him. If he didn’t want to lay his bike down, he needed to come up with another plan.

There was no doubt in his mind he was dealing with hyenas. Cowards had waited to catch a Salvador pack member alone, but they were three deep.

The rider directly in front of him slowed, forcing Diablo to do the same. To hell with it. If they wanted a beatdown, who was Diablo to deny them? He could use the workout.

The three—still keeping him boxed in—guided him toward a turnoff. A small picnic area with three parking slots, two picnic tables, a grill, and single bathroom structure.

Oh, they had this all planned out. Diablo wasn’t his birth name. It had been rightfully earned. And these clowns thought they were about to get the jump on him by herding him like some damn sheep to slaughter?

He pulled to a stop and parked, using his boot to toss down his kickstand.

Hopefully the five minutes he spared to clock these fools didn’t delay him from meeting up with Santiago. If Diablo took too long, Santiago’s smitten ass would blow him off to babysit Percy while the twink slept off his Cosmos-induced coma.

Diablo shook his head as he dismounted then slid off his heavy leather and rolled his shoulders. “Let’s get this over with, ladies. I got shit to do.”

He felt his eyes begin to glow as his claws and canines lengthened, ready to unleash the full weight of his irritation.

Just as he took up a boxing stance, he caught a flash of metal in one guy’s hand. “A gun, really?”

A sharp sting pierced his neck. Reaching up, he yanked out something hard and cylindrical.

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