Page 65 of What a Wolf Demands

“He don’t look too good,” Bruno said.

Luc grunted. “Eh, he just needs a little pick-me-up. Ain’t that right?” There was a sickening thud of flesh striking flesh, followed by a man’s sharp cry.

Lily put her hand over her mouth. Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

Luc raised his voice. “You gonna say good morning now?”

If Bart replied, she couldn’t hear it. She held her breath even as sobs threatened to burst from her chest. More hot tears streaked down her face.

“That’s better,” Luc said. He paused for a minute, then added, “Now that you’ve had some time to think about it, why don’t you tell us where Latent Lily ran off to?”

Lily’s stomach did a sickening flip. She’d suspected Luc was holding Bart in some twisted, misguided attempt to get to her. For some reason, hearing him confirm it just made everything worse. Now it was real, and it was right in front of her. It was as if Charlie’s death had sprouted tentacles that had wormed their way into the lives of everyone she cared about.

Bart . . . Dom.

Whoa. Dom? Prado made the list of people she cared about?

She lowered her hand, her heart racing. Was she really feeling this? Sex could screw with people’s minds—and she’d certainly done her fair share of screwing. Was she thinking of him this way because she was attracted to him?

Or was it something more?

There was another loud smacking sound, followed by a pained grunt.

She pressed against the wall, shame coursing through her. This was no time to think about her love life. There were plenty of other places to have an epiphany about her relationship issues. Right now, her only priority was Bart.

And possibly murdering Pierre-Luc Thibeaux. He’d started this whole mess because he believed she killed a man.

Why not call it even and do exactly what he accused her of? In his case, the consequences would be more than worth it.

Suddenly, Guyon spoke up. “I don’t think he can take much more, Luc.”

“Shut up,” Luc growled. “Just hold him.”

Oh no. They couldn’t hurt Bart any more than they already had.

As soon as the thought entered her mind, she knew it wasn’t true. They could hurt him a lot more. Worse, his body’s healing ability meant he could withstand much more serious injuries than a human.

Except a loss of limb. Not even a werewolf could regenerate eyes.

It was like someone dumped gasoline over the rage brewing in her gut. The rattlesnakes stirred to life. Her pulse pounded in her ears, but it wasn’t from fear.

This time, it was fury.

Without stopping to think about what she was doing, she eased down the step, her shoulders pressed tight against the wall. The position made the stone dig into her spine, nudging the gun against her back.

“You see this?” Luc said. Then he chuckled. “Actually, I guess you can’t. My bad, mon ami.” My friend.

The fury in her chest seemed to swell and crackle. Her world shrank to the rough stone at her back and the sound of Luc’s voice. It was like a beacon, beckoning her forth.

Don’t worry. I’m coming.

Luc’s voice grew sharp. “I said to hold him!”

“Sorry,” Guyon muttered. Then his tone become irritated. “Don’t just stand there, Hebert. Give me a hand.”

Luc laughed. “He’s gotta get it off his balls, first.”

“Fuck you, Luc,” Bruno said.

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