Free Silent Cravings by Jess Haines, E. Blix Page B

too.
    “Good. Text me if you run into any trouble.”
    Mouse nodded again, stepping aside as Royce paused in the door, smiling wide enough to flash fangs at Analie. “Have a good time tonight. Don’t worry about the cost, just enjoy yourself. Consider that my first order.”
    Analie paused with the last fish stick halfway to her mouth. She’d suddenly realized that nothing came for free with Royce and was starting to think that this might be his way of softening her up to ask something of her later.
    He wouldn’t get what he was looking for. She had to remember that this was an enemy of her pack. Her alpha would want her to be brave and to follow the Code.
    Like most Goliaths, she wasn’t good at subtlety or thinking things through, but if she waited and watched the vampires, maybe she could learn from them how to get back at Christoph for getting her stuck in this mess.
    That in mind, she rose, rubbing some of the food grease on her jeans. Mouse ran a hand down her face in what even Analie could tell was exasperation.
    “Sorry, but I don’t see any napkins around here and I’m not wiping my hands off on the sheets,” she huffed, newly embarrassed.
    Mouse shook her head, gesturing for her to follow. They had a lot of work ahead of them.

Chapter Eight
    A nalie spent the day huddled under her sheet canopy texting Freddy, having the strangest conversation. It had started with, “OMG >:-B everywhere”, graduated to “I think chicken might be really hard to cook, but I don’t know” and, finally, “I’m going to go insane if I don’t get to run tonight”.
    Freddy: Are you allowed to run around the streets fuzzy?
    Analie: No, I get that they’d call the SWAT team. No joke.
    Freddy: Lame. Maybe you can run pink.
    Analie: I’m fine with running stark naked with a bowl of fruit on my head, I NEED TO RUN.
    Freddy: Please don’t. Maybe you can go to Central Park?
    Analie: And get eaten by the Moonwalkers.
    Freddy: Oh. Amelia’s calling. Hang in there. TTYL.
    Analie: K, bye.
    Analie slid the phone under the mattress and sat back. She supposed it could be worse. She could be locked away. She could be dead. She could be lunch.
    Her stomach rolled at that last thought. Anyone tries that, I will gut them . She picked up the stuffed bear and hugged it.
    Meanwhile, Royce considered his options as he gunned the engine of his car, weaving through traffic with the absentminded expertise of one who has had nearly a hundred years of practice behind a wheel. He had deliberately put off contacting the Goliath alpha about Analie, giving the wolves time to stew. Now that he was done seeing to his businesses, he was ready to see just how much they were willing to sacrifice in return for the girl. The first step being to have Analie speak to the pack’s representative to see that Royce had not done her any harm. Yet. It didn’t take him long to get home at the breakneck pace he set.
    Once he arrived, he made a beeline to Mouse’s apartment, pausing in the threshold. The door was ajar, and Mouse was going through sword forms with one of her donors. Mouse held up a hand for Brian, her sparring partner, to halt, then relaxed as he saluted with his rapier and withdrew. She let her own sword drop to her side as she returned Royce’s greeting, her brows furrowing as he hurried by the two, headed straight for Analie’s room. Realizing it wasn’t her place to question, and seeing as he hadn’t made any indication he needed her, she signed on guard to Brian and resumed her previous stance.
    Royce scrolled through his contacts on his phone until he found the number Analie had given him for the Goliath second in command. He rapped lightly on Analie’s door, clamping down on his worries so the wolf wouldn’t be able to detect his agitation.
    Analie crawled out of her den at the sound of the knocking. She was wearing a new blouse and pants, quite nice, but they felt weird and overly fancy on a frame used to shrugging on yesterday’s