Page 28 of Howling
Curious to see if I could sense if any danger was near, I cock my head and push my awareness through the night air…then I pause when I catch a dozen wolves running through the surrounding forest, the pack heading right for our location.
They’re not Orion, but they radiate ill intentions.
“You have trouble incoming.” I snatch my bag from where it’s resting near my feet, grab the dagger nestled at the bottom, then shoulder the backpack. “About a dozen wolves heading this way fast.”
All three men launch to their feet, taking me at my word. Dante inhales deeply, as if trying to sense the disturbance. Garth closes his eyes and tilts his head in a mannerism that reminds me of his wolf. It takes only a moment before a snarl fills the kitchen, his beast eager to come out and play. “They’re about a mile outside the wards.”
“Fucking Simon,” Foxy snarls, his hands curled into fists. “He must have complained to the alpha about what happened today.”
I grimace, a pang of regret twisting my insides that my actions will have consequences for them. “I take it that they’re not the welcoming committee?”
Dante snorts at the ludicrous comment, twisting his head from side to side, the snap of his neck cracking like a gunshot in the room. He throws open the cupboards, pulling open the drawers, tossing canned food into a duffel bag. “Why don’t you head out, kitten? This is our mess. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me?” My eyebrows rise, and I glance at the other two in disbelief. “If I hadn’t interfered, your pack would still be safe.”
“Or I would be dead,” Foxy says, his expression grim. He flings open the pantry door and pulls out three already packed bags full of supplies—go bags. He looks up at me as he sets them on the island. “Dante is right—they were just waiting for an excuse to attack. The coming confrontation was bound tohappen eventually. It always does. It has nothing to do with you.”
The wards around their house ripple in warning…then they fall, rebounding like the snap of a rubber band. Dante barely flinches as they collapse, a muscle ticking in his jaw, his eyes never once leaving mine.
To fight or flee?
Hounds bay in the distance, and I clench my teeth against the need to snarl at the challenge. My wolf claws at the ground, snout pulled back in a snarl, pressing against the underside of my skin with the need to shift.
That’s when I feel it—the sensation of something breathing on the nape of my neck. The temperature in the room drops, the ground rumbles, and a ripple of magic saturates the air.
The Orion has found me.
Fuck!
Fear grabs me by the throat, threatening to choke me, and I clench my jaw to keep from bolting. That’s what they want—me to panic and run right into their trap.
I won’t make my capture easy for them.
If I stay and fight, it might be enough of a distraction to escape and live another day.
I glance at the men in the room, but none of them move, as if waiting for me to leave so they can cover my tracks. Protecting me. It’s been so long since anyone has bothered that my heart squeezes painfully.
“My car is out front. The keys are in the ignition.” I grab a small red capsule from the corner pocket of my backpack and shove it into my pocket, then I toss the bag into the collection on the island. “Put the supplies in the trunk. It might look like a piece of shit, but the engine is pristine and able to outrun anything. When I give the signal, stop whatever you’re doing, get to the car, and go.”
Dante stalks toward me, his brows furrowed in confusion. Garth crowds me from the opposite direction, looking ready to toss me over his shoulder and drag me somewhere safe. Foxy stares at me over the island, his expression hardening, aging him ten years. “Frankie?—”
“Trust me,” I beg, holding my hand up, very aware of the wolves prowling ever closer. “It’s the only way that we’re all going to get out of this alive.”
That has their attention.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a chance to say anything else when a wolf lets out a vicious snarl that sounds way too close. Not a second later, a wolf crashes through the back door, nearly ripping it off the hinges in the process, then the time to talk is over as more creatures pour into the house.
CHAPTER EIGHT
BELLAMY
I’ve been following my mark for the last three months. Every time my team closed in on her location, she slipped through our claws. The council didn’t tell us her crime—it’s none of our business. We’re just a retrieval team.
The only directions they issued regarding the girl were to keep her in chains and not to bother coming back until she’s in custody. There are four of us assigned to this case, but I don’t trust the rest of the Orion as far as I can throw them.
We’re all ruthless bastards, bred and trained to be that way. While I was drafted into service, the others volunteered because they enjoyed the brutality of the job.
They enjoy the killing, relishing any opportunity to cause pain and bloodshed.
