Page 8 of A Wolf's Treasure
A human landed on the floor beside them, writhing around in pain, one hand on his back, the heels of his boots trying to make purchase on the concrete floor.
Ryanne barely gave him a glance, preferring to study the shifter close up while she had the chance.
He was very good looking, this male. And he had a sexy Scottish accent. Which perhaps explained his garbled greeting that first time he’d tried to talk to her. “Are you mated?” she asked with genuine curiosity. She couldn’t see how he wouldn’t be, but wondered why he would be here so often if had someone at home. From what she’d heard, shifters were notoriously loyal and possessive with their mates. Nearly as bad as the vampires.
That caught him by surprise. A red flush crept up his neck. “No, I’m no’ mated. But maybe we can save this conversation for another time?”
She nodded. “Okay.” Still, she had to wonder why some female hadn’t latched onto this one a long time ago. Of course, if he had been mated, the fact that he came here multiple times a week to flirt with other women would have knocked him way down in her estimation of him.
He gave her a lopsided smile, a dimple appearing on one rugged cheek that seemed to have a direct link to the twinge of desire that suddenly had her clenching her thighs together. No wonder the human women practically fell over each other to dance with him if that was all it took to get a reaction out of her. She’d seen him turn on much more charm with the others and had to admit she was glad he was keeping things toned down with her. For if he didn’t, she wasn’t ashamed to admit she’d be nothing but a pile of raging hormones at his feet by now.
As people yelled and bodies slammed into tables and she waited to see what his plan to escape would be, her mind began to wander. Like why, after only trying to talk to her one time, he’d reverted back to only watching her from a distance? And whydidn’the turn on the charm with her? Was she not attractive enough? The human males certainly seemed to think she was.
Her shifter peeked over the bar top and quickly crouched back down. “Tis only getting worse,” he said. “We’re just going tae have tae make a run for it.”
She tried to focus on the problem at hand. “What about the others?”
His eyes flew back to hers, and Ryanne didn’t see the answers she was hoping for. She tried again. “The other shifters? Who are they?”
“I dinna ken. But I dinna think we want them tae find ye.”
She took a deep breath. Could she really trust him? What if he was only pretending to help her and took her right to them? Did she have a choice? “We could just stay here until things calm down.”
But he was shaking his head before she’d even finished her sentence. “Then they will find ye for sure, lass. No. We have tae run, and we have tae do it now. While those wolves are tae busy tossin’ humans tae notice.”
He was right. Maybe she could let him get them to the back door, and then lose him as soon as she was out in the open and had a chance to run. Although if chafed her to let him take the lead, she could play the helpless female if it wouldn’t draw undo attention to her. If she started muscling grown men out of her way or suddenly ran full speed through the fighting, she would surely lead the other shifters right to her.
Besides, this male was large enough that he could effectively hide her with his body. So, although the others had to know he was here—they would’ve scented him as he had them—they didn’t seem overly concerned by his presence. And it would make him the perfect cover for her.
It also meant he had been right that they weren’t there for him. They were there for her. “Dammit.”
“Aye,” he breathed. “Dinna fash yerself, lass. I’ll make sure nothing happens tae ye.” He paused. Took a breath. “Yer ready?”
She nodded.
“Front door or back?”
“Back.”
“Aye. Agreed.” He stood, looked around, and held out his hand.
Ryanne took it, and it was hard not to notice how her small hand was dwarfed in his large one. He had very nice hands with long fingers, and just rough enough not to feel feminine. She allowed him to pull her up to a standing position. But he didn’t stop there.
Scooping her up into his powerful arms like she weighed no more than a bag of feathers, he tucked her in close to his body and headed over to the end of the bar. “Hang on, lass,” he told her, and then he jumped up and over with her in his arms and pushed his way out into the throng of violence.
Keeping his head down, he held her close with one arm, hunching his shoulders and protecting her with his body, while he used the other arm to shove the brawling humans away as he fought his way toward the back door. Once they made it to the hallway where the bathrooms were, he could’ve put her down, but he didn’t. Instead, he wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her in even closer to his chest. She felt the rise and fall of his breaths beneath her shoulder, calm and steady. And once, she thought she heard him say, “Och, sweet as a primrose.” And then they were through the door and striding away from the club, his long legs eating up the pavement with each step.
No gang of werewolves was waiting outside to take her off his hands. Only the two police cars who had just pulled up, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Four officers jumped out and ran past them to the door they’d just come out of. Not one of them so much as spared them a glance.
Duncan’s chest rumbled against her body as he gave them a warning growl. Just in case.
Ryanne found his protectiveness amusing and…kind of nice. But enough was enough. “You can put me down now, shifter.”
He threw a surprised glance her way, but he didn’t stop to do as she asked. “Ye ken what I am, lass?”
“Aye,” she told him with a smirk. “Possibly from the sheer volume of the growls I heard coming from your direction when the other shifters came in. Or perhaps it’s the way those green eyes of your glow, like one of those strange fish who live at the bottom of the ocean.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “Actually, I knew it the first time I saw you.”
He checked over his shoulder before glancing down at her again. It was only a brief look before he went back to scanning the area around them, but she didn’t miss the expression of caution that came over his features or the way her heart sped up by the close proximity of his mouth to hers. “Aye. In th’ forest.”
