don’t care that he was talking about her. You have to love a man who makes no secret of his affection.
I volunteered, “I’ll go with her, then.”
Fera thought that was funny.
“What?”
Jack said, “You can’t protect yourself, let alone her.”
“Give me a few hours.” A second later, I added, “I bet the two of us would make a pretty scary team then.”
A couple more steps and I said, “Wait. What can you protect her from, in your current condition?”
“Herself, for one.”
Fera let a noise escape her throat.
“I don’t understand.”
She turned and looked me in the eye. “Giselle, would you stop asking questions? You’re making me mad.” Her eyes flashed a warning.
Once again, Jack stepped between us, but this time, he pulled Fera into his chest and rubbed the back of her head, “Breathe, honey.”
She fought the embrace a little.
And I had to ask, “What’s going on here that I’m not quite getting?”
Chapter Eight
Jack said, “Let’s talk about it at the hotel.”
We all felt an urge to get out of the open, I think. That cranked up a notch when Fera said, with a sniff, “Lupus security team.”
Jack and I sniffed, too, but we didn’t wait for the scent to carry. I muttered, “Thank God we’re upwind.”
“They’ll pick up your trail.” He reached above him, yanked a small branch from a tree and said, “Stand still.” He swept the path we’d followed, all the way back to the entrance of the tunnel. When he returned, he picked me up--against mine and Fera’s protests--and said, “Use the branch for a bit behind me, Fera.”
She growled, “It won’t work.”
“It just has to slow them down for a bit,” he said. “Long enough so we can figure out what to do.”
We were not inconspicuous, but luckily there was no one out there but us and the search squad. We made it to the room without any audience at all, and I had to ask, “You rented this condo-resort room?”
Jack said, “Lobos owns the place. That’s why you don’t see anybody lurking around.”
I didn’t like it. Right outside the doors of Lobos, they had another community, but I hadn’t known about it? That just showed me how little Hood actually trusted me. A rock settled in my belly.
There was a part of me that thought, When I crinos, I’m gonna pick a fight I can’t win. I know, it sounds awful, but sometimes you just get too tired to do it any more.
We were in the room, drapes drawn. Fera had her nose to the crack, keeping an eye out, but she turned and looked at me, like she was confused.
Like she heard my thoughts.
I asked Jack, my mind on Hood, “You’ve been in contact with Hood all this time? And never sent a message to me, one, so I wouldn’t worry about you?”
He took a shirt out of a bag. Apparently, they hadn’t unpacked. As he shook it out, he said, “Why don’t you hop in the shower, Giselle?”
“But--”
“I need to talk to Fera. Please.”
Sent. I hated that whole alpha complex. But he was right. I needed a shower desperately.
Fera moved quickly, and rifled through another bag, pulling out a sheath dress. “Put this on.” She tossed it to me.
I snatched it mid-air and said, “Thanks,” disappearing into the bathroom. Once there, I checked it out. A stretchy thing made of spandex, red. I had to smile. Dancey little number. I’ll bet Jack picked that out for her. It was that or more of Jack’s shirts? I got it, Fera. But you’ve got it so wrong.
I loved Jack, but I wasn’t in love with him. I turned on the shower, tried to block my thoughts, but the water sluicing down my back sort of stopped consciousness, which means my natural train of
I volunteered, “I’ll go with her, then.”
Fera thought that was funny.
“What?”
Jack said, “You can’t protect yourself, let alone her.”
“Give me a few hours.” A second later, I added, “I bet the two of us would make a pretty scary team then.”
A couple more steps and I said, “Wait. What can you protect her from, in your current condition?”
“Herself, for one.”
Fera let a noise escape her throat.
“I don’t understand.”
She turned and looked me in the eye. “Giselle, would you stop asking questions? You’re making me mad.” Her eyes flashed a warning.
Once again, Jack stepped between us, but this time, he pulled Fera into his chest and rubbed the back of her head, “Breathe, honey.”
She fought the embrace a little.
And I had to ask, “What’s going on here that I’m not quite getting?”
Chapter Eight
Jack said, “Let’s talk about it at the hotel.”
We all felt an urge to get out of the open, I think. That cranked up a notch when Fera said, with a sniff, “Lupus security team.”
Jack and I sniffed, too, but we didn’t wait for the scent to carry. I muttered, “Thank God we’re upwind.”
“They’ll pick up your trail.” He reached above him, yanked a small branch from a tree and said, “Stand still.” He swept the path we’d followed, all the way back to the entrance of the tunnel. When he returned, he picked me up--against mine and Fera’s protests--and said, “Use the branch for a bit behind me, Fera.”
She growled, “It won’t work.”
“It just has to slow them down for a bit,” he said. “Long enough so we can figure out what to do.”
We were not inconspicuous, but luckily there was no one out there but us and the search squad. We made it to the room without any audience at all, and I had to ask, “You rented this condo-resort room?”
Jack said, “Lobos owns the place. That’s why you don’t see anybody lurking around.”
I didn’t like it. Right outside the doors of Lobos, they had another community, but I hadn’t known about it? That just showed me how little Hood actually trusted me. A rock settled in my belly.
There was a part of me that thought, When I crinos, I’m gonna pick a fight I can’t win. I know, it sounds awful, but sometimes you just get too tired to do it any more.
We were in the room, drapes drawn. Fera had her nose to the crack, keeping an eye out, but she turned and looked at me, like she was confused.
Like she heard my thoughts.
I asked Jack, my mind on Hood, “You’ve been in contact with Hood all this time? And never sent a message to me, one, so I wouldn’t worry about you?”
He took a shirt out of a bag. Apparently, they hadn’t unpacked. As he shook it out, he said, “Why don’t you hop in the shower, Giselle?”
“But--”
“I need to talk to Fera. Please.”
Sent. I hated that whole alpha complex. But he was right. I needed a shower desperately.
Fera moved quickly, and rifled through another bag, pulling out a sheath dress. “Put this on.” She tossed it to me.
I snatched it mid-air and said, “Thanks,” disappearing into the bathroom. Once there, I checked it out. A stretchy thing made of spandex, red. I had to smile. Dancey little number. I’ll bet Jack picked that out for her. It was that or more of Jack’s shirts? I got it, Fera. But you’ve got it so wrong.
I loved Jack, but I wasn’t in love with him. I turned on the shower, tried to block my thoughts, but the water sluicing down my back sort of stopped consciousness, which means my natural train of
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