Page 42 of Fierce Protector

Reaching for the door handle, he popped it and jumped out. The faster they got these wolves, the faster he could get Demi in bed.

As they crossed the field, she didn’t speak. Possibly overthinking her slip.

In silence, they set up. She sat beside him, knees bent and her elbows resting on them as she scanned the field for motion.

In the darkness, it would be difficult to pick up any movement, especially of a stealthy pack of wolves.

“What I wouldn’t give for NVG right now.”

“NVG?” she asked in a murmur.

“Night vision goggles.”

“That would help a lot in this case.”

A low howl sounded from their right. He twisted his head, ears straining.

Suddenly, Demi threw out a hand and grabbed his arm. Her other arm was raised, and she pointed to the tree line.

Under his breath, he said, “Get ready. As soon as they come into the moonlight…”

Half of the field was illuminated by that silvery moon. There wasn’t much light, but it would be enough if Demi was as good of a shot as she claimed to be.

A flash of light outlined a figure. It was hunkered low in a crouch, like it was hunting a small prey animal. He flicked his fingers for Demi to take the shot, but she already had.

Excitement captured him. “I heard the dart hit. You got it!”

“Shh! There might be more.” She twisted her head toward the spot where she darted the wolf, listening hard.

The tranquilized wolf moved back into the shadows. When Ledger detected a rustling noise, he knew it had fallen.

She pushed to her feet, and he caught her hand. “Wait a minute. Make sure it’s down.”

Her face was rimmed with silver, giving her the look of glass.

His heart clenched. She was beautiful.

And delicate.

“I know it’s down, Ledger.” Without pausing, she took off in swift strides across the field.

The stubborn woman didn’t know how to be cautious. With a groan, he followed on her six, just as he promised.

In no time, they reached the form of a wolf lying on its side.

Demi pulled out her phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“Opal. The ranger. This wolf doesn’t have a tracking collar. It has to be transported to the ranger station, tagged and documented.” She made the call and then pocketed her phone.

He studied her. “Waiting in the moonlight over a tranquilized wolf never sounded so romantic,” he quipped.

She giggled. “It’s not my idea of a date, that’s for sure.”

Using his boot, he pointed at the dart stuck in the wolf’s side. “You’re so cute when you make a perfect shot.”

Her teeth flashed in a smile.

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