Free Seduced by Santa by Mina Carter Page B

partner to find the wolf squaring off against three bully-boys. A woman cowered in a corner behind them. His temper flared from simmering to inferno within a heartbeat. There was nothing he hated more than a bully, unless it was three of the bastards.
    “Nothing to see here, suggest you guys walk away. Before you get hurt,” One of the bullies snarled.
     “Before we get hurt?” Rhod cocked an eyebrow. Realising he still held his bottle in his hand, he lifted it and drained what was left. No need to let good alcohol go to waste. Wasn’t like he could get drunk anyway. Unless it came from the North Pole, alcohol had no effect on him whatsoever.
    “Yeah, you and your pretty boyfriend there. Heh…boyfriend, see that?” The guy in the middle, obviously the ringleader, laughed at his own joke as he pointed out Stone to his friends. Rhod’s eyebrow winged up into his hairline. He’d bet that was the first time Stone had been referred to as pretty. Ever.
    The guy stepped forward and a quick movement of his arm dropped a blade into his hand. It was a wicked looking little thing that glinted in the flickering light from a doorway behind Stone.
    “I suggest you get lost before we fuck you up.”
    “Fuck us up?” Rhod asked, feeling his face setting as, next to him, Stone took a deep breath, then shook his head.
    “Just human. Nothing special.”
    “What are you, fucking deaf? Yeah, we gonna fuck you up. Big time.”
    Rhod and Stone were moving before the trio could draw another breath. Stone leapt, all pretence at being human gone as he rebounded off the wall opposite, while Rhod flipped his bottle and smashed the bottom off on a handy dumpster before coming in on the other side. Used to dealing with the scum of the paranormal world, both men fought fast and dirty.
    The alleyway exploded into a chaotic storm of fists, feet and claws as the pair took the three humans apart. Within thirty seconds the fight was over, their opponents in a groaning heap at their feet as the mouthy leader got an up close and personal look at the jagged edge of the bottle in Rhod’s hand. The human paled, a pain-filled moan escaping his lips as his gaze riveted on the sharp glass.
    In a semi-human form, Stone crouched on the other side of the bleeding, moaning pile of bodies. He growled, the animalistic sound a clear warning.
    “What was that about ‘fucking us up’ again?” Rhod snarled, shoving the edge of the bottle closer, even though he had no intention of actually cutting the dumb-shit human. The leader whimpered, and the sharp stink of urine filled the already fetid air of the alleyway.
    “Oh, for fucks sake…” Rhod jumped back quickly. The last thing he needed was to get piss all over his new pants. Urine and vomit never came out properly. No matter how many times he cleaned them, he could always smell the damned stuff.
    Before he could say anything else, another sound caught Rhod’s attention. Snapping his head up, he focused on the form of the woman in the corner. She wasn’t cowering anymore, just leaning against the wall and watching them with wide eyes.
    Time stopped, the world around ceasing to exist as he took in the utter perfection of her face. Heart-shaped with exotically slanted grey eyes, a button nose and lips made for sin, she was absolutely gorgeous. His heart stuttered in his chest as his body flared instantly to life, his cock hard and heavy in his pants. Then he clocked the blood at her temple, the unfocused look in her eyes and felt like a complete and utter shit. He was lusting after an injured woman. How low could he get?
    “Deal with them,” he ordered Stone, who’d mostly reverted to human form and already had his phone in his hand, dialing for backup.
    “On it.” Stone replied in a brisk voice. His heavy boot landed in the middle of the bully-leader’s chest with a thump, shoving him back down when he tried to get up. “Oh no, you lay there and relax. I insist… Oh, is that Mandy? Mandy, can you