Page 39 of Revenge of the Blood Pack

We talk a little longer, but he seems distant. Not surprising. And then I know I have to go or I’ll be caught. He gives me clothes to change into, and I do. Then, I hug him. I hug him and will all my love and strength into him so he can do what needs to be done next. We say our goodbyes, and I find a random dumpster to toss my clothes in.

Back at the motel, I slip in silently, wash the blood and gore from my skin, change, and slip back into bed. But I’m shaking when I get there, and I can’t sleep for reasons I don’t understand. I just stare up at the ceiling wiping away tears that I hate are falling.

Trouble is sleeping on top of Braxton like he thinks he’s a tiny puppy instead of a giant dog, but I hear him get up. He goes to my bed and stares at me like he’s annoyed.Am I keeping the beast awake?But no, maybe he’s not annoyed. Maybe he’s… worried? I don’t know.

And then, Braxton moans in his sleep.

Goosebumps rise along my skin, and I turn to stare at him. Braxton starts to toss and turn violently, making sounds like an animal in distress. Anyone else might be confused, but it’s like staring at a kindred soul. I know what those sounds mean, and, hell, my heart breaks for him.

Max wakes with a groan as his brother turns and flails again. “Braxton.” He sounds exhausted as he sits up. But a second later, I see it hit him, and he frowns. “Braxton, you’re having a dream.”

But the man on the bed continues to twist and thrash, seeming more and more agitated by the second. Max gets out of the bed and stands, looking helplessly down at his brother.

“Do I wake him?” he finally asks me, like I’m the expert on the best way to pull someone out of their own personal hell.

I’m about to tell him I don’t have a clue, but I glance down at Trouble once more. The dog just keeps staring at me in the strangest way. So, I climb out of bed and move to stand next to Max. It’s dark in the room, but not pitch black with the light from the streetlights peeking through the cracks of the blinds. And Braxton’s expression? It’s one of pure misery. So miserable… and afraid, that it breaks my heart.

Whatever he’s dreaming about, it’s hell. I know that for certain. Maybe even from experience.

“What do we do?” Max asks again, running both hands through his hair. “Do I… hold him, like I did with you?”

I glance at him, but he’s staring down at his brother, pain in his face. Which, of course, makes my heart ache. It makes me miss my own brother, makes me wish I had a chance to do it all over again and protect my family.

“Let me try something,” I say.

Max just looks lost, so I take a deep breath and circle to his side of the bed. As I’m climbing in, Max’s voice stops me. “What if he hurts you?”

“I can handle him,” I tell him, even though I have no clue. If he freaks out, I might make things worse, but I can definitely take a punch if that’s the worst thing that comes from this.

Laying down, I wrap myself around him in a way I’ve never wrapped myself around another person. My leg goes over his hip and my arms encircle him. I press myself against his back and feel a deep shudder roll through his body. And then? Then his whimpering and tossing stops. I can’t tell if he’s out of whatever nightmare was hurting him, but the tension slowly melts from his body. And then I know he’s calm.

I glance up at Max, and he looks completely frozen. His gaze is moving from our feet beneath the sheet up until his eyes meet mine. We stare at each for a long moment, and it’s strange. Max seems… upset, and I have no idea why.Isn’t this what he wanted? For me to calm his brother down?

But then he turns away from me, fists clenched, and quietly goes into the bathroom and shuts the door before turning on the light. For a while, I wait for him. The room is silent though, and then Trouble climbs up onto the bed and lays on our feet. He’s a little heavy, but I’m surprised that he doesn’t bother me.

I’m bothered by the fact that Max seems upset, but I let my eyes close. And before I know it, I’ve slipped off to sleep, although in my dreams Max’s face haunts me. I see myself touching him. I see our lips meeting over and over, and my wolf practically purrs as he touches me, as if to say she approves of Max’s wolf.

Which is a strange dream. Right?

FOURTEEN

Asha

I startle awake,every muscle in my body instantly ready for a fight. Light streams through the blinds near me, and I realize that a big body is wrapped around me. A shrill ring sounds again, and I sit up a little to see Max sitting on the edge of his bed. He pulls the phone off of its charger, but he looks like hell. Like he hasn’t slept at all. His gaze meets mine and then jerks away as he stands.

“Hello,” I hear him say as he steps outside.

A shiver rolls down my body as I lay back down and guilt awakens within me. Today, we’ll be searching for the Blood Mage. Best case scenario is that we never find the body I tore apart, but chances are we will, and I’ll have to lie to Max about my involvement with it all. But what’s strange is that I’m feeling equally guilty about sleeping with Braxon.

And the fact that I haven’t slept this well in a long time.

Trouble is still lying on our feet and legs, but Braxton is fully around me, and his body fits mine so damn well. With him, I feel small, but not vulnerable. Protected but not suffocated. And it’sa strange feeling because I know next to nothing about this man. At least with Max, he’s shown me time and again that he’s willing to stick his neck out for me a little, that he has a good heart, but Braxton is a complete mystery.

“Asha?” His voice is rough with sleep, and I feel my nipples harden in response to the sound.

He shifts a little more, and I feel his hard erection pressing between my thighs from behind. Poking at my core. Hell, he’d be inside of me if we weren’t dressed. But between his thin boxers and my little pair of shorts, I have a very real sense of what it would be like if this big man suddenly decided to start fucking me.

And, for some reason, I’m not exactly minding it.

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