Free Claiming the She Wolf by Louisa Bacio Page B

Yas not to overreact, as sure as he could read the dude’s mind, he knew he was out there and he planned to cause some sort of harm to Tala. Fury rocked through his veins. His she-wolf, and damn if he would let anything happen to her.
    With a howl, pain ripped through his body and he bent over, panting. His shoulders stretched out, broadening, and his claws dug into the hard-packed earth. Within minutes, he stood in wolf form. Someone whistled from the direction of the bar, and he turned and caught Gee watching him. The guy gave a little salute before turning and sauntering inside. Whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean, he was done wasting time.
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    The old house settled, creaking and groaning. Tala lay in bed, listening to the sounds and doing a bad job of convincing herself it was all normal. She should be tired. She’d worked hard physically, and emotionally she was spent after Yas left. Pride kept her from chasing after him. But if he returned, she’d welcome him with open arms.
    Hell, she was the one who’d run him off. She shouldn’t be lamenting his absence.
    She hated admitting that having him in the house had been nice. And it had helped. She wouldn’t be lying there worried about every creak if he was in bed next to her. No, she’d be exhausted from some good loving.
    Eyes shut, she drifted off into a semiconscious state, thinking about his wicked lips and even more talented fingers. A crash downstairs startled her awake. What the hell was that?
    Panic rising, she waited for another sound. Adrenaline pumped through her body. Something had woken her up, but she wasn’t quite sure what it was.
    I should go down and investigate. What if someone had broken in? It was stupid to chase Yas away . It would be one thing to have a home full of guests. It was quite another to be here alone.
    Right when she pulled on her robe and slippers, the smell of smoke reached her. Fire? Yas had insisted she stock a fire extinguisher in her room. She’d thought it a waste of space. Now, as she grabbed it, she thanked him and his overzealous safety. She slid a flashlight into her pocket and headed downstairs.
    A glow of red illuminated from the breakfast nook. One of the windows was smashed in again , and fire licked up the wood table and spread across the floor. Smoke billowed toward the ceiling and clung to her skin. She coughed, covering her mouth, and turned on the extinguisher. White foam burst forth, and she skidded in reverse before repositioning and bracing for the force. She aimed at the floor and swept the spray. The small patch in the kitchen went out fast, but more flames crawled in from outside. A broken bottle lay on the floor. Had someone thrown it through the window? A Molotov cocktail? In Los Lobos?
    She’d have to go outside in order to attack the fire from there. Again, she wished Yas were there to help. She was an idiot. Sure, she could do all this solo. But if she didn’t have to, why should she?
    A rustling sound came from outside the window. She should have thought to bring a weapon for protection. Did she have something she could throw? She could always hit the guy over the head with the heavy metal extinguisher.
    “Are you all right in there?”
    Was that Yas’s voice?
    She caught a glimpse of blond hair and ran to the rear door. She threw the dead bolt and locks. He stood on the porch—soot marred his gorgeous face, and a streak of blood smeared across his fat bottom lip.
    “What happened to you?” she asked, hugging him tight.
    “Easy,” he said, holding up his arms and wincing. “You should see the other guys.”
    Other guys?
    “Love to chat and make up, but can I have that?” He grabbed at the extinguisher and then went outside. She followed him, watching him stomp out a few last embers. “Good thing they were more drunk than determined.”
    “I can’t believe someone would do this.” With the back of her hand, she wiped the annoying wetness from her face,