Page 14 of Ruthless Moon

“Put her down,” Liam says. “Either I shoot you or she’ll tear you apart.” Even angry, his voice makes me shiver in a deliciously hungry way.

I step to the side so I can see him more clearly. Bits of moonlight snake through the treetops highlighting his face. The air shimmers around him, framing him in magick. Why is he here?

The wind shifts, pushing my scent down the mountain toward the group.

Liam’s gaze shifts from the man holding Meredith to me. There’s a tiny tilt of his head. A slight catch in his breath. And his heart beats a little faster.

He knows.

He recognizes my scent even in my wolf form.

For a half a second, I see the kindness again. I feel the gentle soul behind his gaze. My muscles tighten with the urge to run to him.

But then his eyes harden against me and he takes a step closer to the man holding Meredith. He breaks the connection and looks away.

I want to howl in protest. Instead, I hold myself together because that’s what I always do. Never fall apart. Never show weakness. Be the badass bitch everyone believes me to be.

It’s the only way to survive.

Liam motions to the ground with his rifle. “Put her down. Right. Now.”

Jace bends slowly and slides Meredith off his shoulder. She thumps to the ground with a softly exhaledoomphmuffled by the gag in her mouth.

I rush to her side, ignoring the tense testosterone-fest happening around me. I need to get my friend free. Once she’s safe I can think about other problems again. I nuzzle her face, my wolf needing to know she’s okay. Then I carefully take the gag in my teeth and pull it loose from her mouth.

“Don’t shoot the wolf. For the love of Fate, don’t shoot the wolf. She’s not with them. She came for me,” Meredith says, her tone frantic.

All the men remain planted in place, obeying her without question.

I shift back into human form, projecting self-confidence I don’t feel and doing my best to ignore the fact that I’m naked in front of four men. Pulling carefully at the ropes around her wrists, I start to get them loose. “We have to get you back to the house. I have to clean the house. Except the guards, I can’t—How am I going to explain everything away?”

“Shh, honey, I’ll fix it. I promise.” Meredith touches my arm.

“Get back from her,” one of Meredith’s kidnappers growls at me.

I look over my shoulder and up at him, flashing him a well-practiced I’ll-kick-you-in-the-nuts glare.

His eyes flash golden, his wolf right at the surface. “I don’t know who you are, but she’s coming with us.” He takes an aggressive step toward me and I notice Liam in my peripheral vision inching closer, his rifle aimed right at the other male’s head.

“I swear by Fate if you touch either of those women, it will be the last breath you take.”

I can’t think.

Every word from his mouth distracts me.

I’m staring at him, wishing for things that can never be.

“Gen,” Meredith whispers, calling me back from my fantasy.

I meet her determined gaze and I remember all the problems waiting for me back at the house. “What am I going to do?” I ask again.

She shakes her head. “I can fix it. I promise. Just get me untied.”

I’m not sure I believe her. How powerful is she? And if witches really are a thing, then what else has been hidden from me? And what is she really capable of doing?

I force myself not to look at Liam. I can’t, not like this.

Naked. Anxious. Needy.

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