Free Taken by the Pack by Anne Marsh Page B

hunters,” she said, because she was so not thinking about what she’d just done.
    “There’s not much to tell and I’m hopin’ you never lay eyes on one, shug . They’re tall bastards with pale skin, white hair and eyes blacker than a bayou night. They move fast, so once you see one, it’s already too late. He’s got you and you’re goin’ nowhere.”
    “Weaknesses?” Jackson had got away. Barely. If a man like him couldn’t hold his own, couldn’t fight off a skin hunter, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
    “They don’ like the sun at all. Soon as she comes up in the sky, their asses fry. So we’re good in the daylight. At night?” He shrugged. “You better get yourself a generator and light them up.”
    “They’re not coming here, are they?”
    “I shouldn’t have come here. That’s on me. I killed the one, but there are likely others and they may have tracked me.”
    Well. Shoot.
    “We’ll head into the bayou,” he said, like he wasn’t proposing upending her entire life. Like she could just pick up and leave with him. She snorted. He definitely had another think coming. “There was another wolf I had to leave behind in their hunting camp. I wan’ to bring him out and he’s goin’ to need your help.”
    Emotion caught her unexpectedly. What would it feel like to leave someone behind, knowing that person was going to suffer a horrific fate? She’d patched up Jackson’s side. She didn’t need him to connect the dots about what that lone wolf might be going through right now.
    “You bring him to me and I’ll do whatever I can,” she promised.
    “Leavin’ you here alone isn’t an option. Pack a supply kit and we’ll get goin’.”
    “Kidnapping.” Going anywhere with him was out of the question. It wasn’t like he was asking her out on a second date. And I wouldn’t be saying yes to that anyhow.
    “Doin’ what needs doin’,” he countered. “We go together because I’m not lettin’ go of you now that I’ve found you.”
    “Are you adding kidnapping to your rap sheet now, Jackson Breaux?”
    “I’d rather you came with me.” Was that a double-entendre? She’d always seen a laughing, playful lover. The man standing too close to her was a hard-eyed, intent fighter. He meant business and wasn’t going to anyone stand in his way.
    “Or?” She’d make him say it.
    “Or I’ll do what needs doin’.” He didn’t bother sounding regretful.
    “Are you kidding me? Tell me why I should trust you. I have a business to run here and people depending on me.”
    “It’s Sunday. You’re closed today and tomorrow.”
    Her assistant would come in later to take care of their boarders. If she wanted to, she could go with Jackson. She could let herself have a little fun, a little free time. If that was what she wanted. She plucked a kitten out of the carrier, cuddling the soft ball of fur against her cheek. Cats, she knew. Wolves, however, were out of her league.
    “Give me those two days,” he said, changing tack. He leaned toward her, his hands pressed flat on her desk. She’d never look at that desk the same way again.
    “What do I get if I do that?”
    The real question was: would he actually go so far as to kidnap her if she refused? She’d thought she’d known him. Not well—she’d be the first to admit that she hadn’t spent much actual one-on-one time with him. But the bayou town where they lived wasn’t a big place, socially speaking. The Breauxs might be known for being big and surly, but they also had a reputation for shooting straight and playing fair. And frankly, for having downright kinky tastes in bed. She’d been willing to work with that when she’d gone out with Jackson all those years ago. Was it possible he’d changed that much?
    Was she engaging in wishful thinking?
    “Me,” he said roughly. “You get me, shug .”
    “Define get .”
    “You’re my mate. I’m your mate.”
    “You keep saying that.” The kitten in her hand purred, curling