Page 10 of Gabe's Lone Wolf

Bastion was on his feet and moving toward her even as Hannibal swept her into his arms.

“Take her to her old room upstairs,” Bastion ordered as he led the way.

I stared after them until they were out of sight. I wasn’t sure what to make of what had just happened. It was apparent that Bee had seen something no one else in the room had been privy to. A vision. From the reactions around the room, or the lack of reactions, it was also obvious this wasn’t out of the ordinary. Was I supposed to know what all her words meant? If they’d been meant to bring me some sort of clarity, they’d failed to hit the mark.

“Who’s standing in the shadows?” Simon asked, dragging my attention to where he sat with his human mate. “Can’t be this Lockhart. He wasn’t in the shadows tonight.”

“He always creeps out of the shadows at me,” I countered then pointed to my leg. “And he’s caused bloodshed more than once while chasing me. Hell, they almost caught me at a road stop on the way here. Shot me. I barely made it back to my Jeep. Thankfully, my wolf healed me quickly.”

“They shot you?” Raina was up and moving across the room to me.

“Where?” Gabe demanded.

“My calf. It still hurts, but I’m sure I’ll be fine in a few more days.”

Raina squatted at my side, tugged up my pant leg, and probed at the healing wound. “You should have said something immediately. It is healing, but it feels as if the bullet may still be inside. I’ll need to cut you open to remove it. It’s going to hurt like a bitch.”

“Shit.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at Gabe, as if he should have known I’d been shot and done something about it. Amazing all the things exhaustion could affect. Rational, I was not.

“Let’s move to one of the other rooms upstairs,” Raina ordered. “I’ll grab my bag from the bedroom and we’ll head up. You’ll need a place to stay tonight, anyway. I can take care of your leg, then you can get some sleep.”

I glanced toward Gabe then could have kicked myself for doing that. He might have my wolf ready to beg for a touch, and yeah, the woman wasn’t far behind, but I wasn’t looking for a quick tumble. I wasn’t sure I believed in forever, either. A man like Gabe would be one or the other. No, that wasn’t right. Gabe would be forever, and that scared me more than the thought of a one-night stand.

I barely held back a squeal of surprise when Gabe scooped me up in his arms. I fought the urge to nuzzle against his neck as I had in the bar, but I did wrap one arm around his back and let my fingers brush his thick hair. He felt good, too good.

“I’ll take her out to the pool house, so she can have some privacy while you do what you need to do. Sound good?”

Gabe directed the question to me.

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”

Raina waved us off as she turned to head down the hallway. “I’ll meet you out there in five.”

Taylor grabbed the door for Gabe, and I almost laughed when I noted Taylor and Simon both heading out with us, their mates trailing behind them. It was less of a crowd than the one that had greeted me upon arrival, though. So I guess I’d take it.

“Get used to it,” Cici called to me as if she’d picked up on my surprise that they were all coming with us. “The three yahoos here are always together. Where one goes, the others aren’t far behind.”

“Don’t scare her,” Simon warned his mate as he moved slightly in front of Gabe.

We skirted around the inground pool, then Simon pushed open the door, and Gabe brought me inside. I expected him to carry me toward the couch or even a bedroom. Instead, he headed toward the kitchen.

“Grab that stuff off the island,” he ordered, and Simon and Taylor cleared the surface quickly.

Taylor’s mate carried in several large towels and spread them over the wooden countertop.

“You’re going to put me there?”

“Best place to cut out the bullet,” Gabe assured me. “Do you want to take off your pants before I lift you up there?”

“No.” I kept it short and sweet. Gabe’s brow lifted while the others shuffled around as if not sure where to look. Okay, maybe, my tone wasn’t that sweet, but I didn’t really fancy stripping down to my panties in front of a roomful of people. Had it only been Gabe? Maybe. But it wasn’t, so it didn’t matter.

“She’ll have to cut the leg of your pants,” Simon warned as if that were my concern.

“I need new ones anyway. These are nearly threadbare as it is.”

Complete truth. Staying one step ahead of Cam and my old pack hadn’t given me much time to work and make money. A little here. A little there. Then I was off and running, making haste to stay ahead of Cam. Clothes took a backseat to fuel, for both me and the Jeep.

“That just means they’re comfortable.” Cici jumped into the conversation. “But I understand the sacrifice. Of course, that means someone needs to go grab your wheels, so you have clothes to wear. Keys?”

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