Page 57 of Wed Or Dead

“He’s the one who should be stopped,” she muttered and refused to back down. “The others—give them a chance, Gage.”

“So they can fill my heart with silver? Cut off my head?” His smile held a cruel edge. “Sorry, sweetheart, that’s not happening, not even for you.”

A light rap sounded at the door.

Gage’s nostrils flared. “Shamus.”

“I don’t want you to lose your damn head.” She didn’t move. She could stillfeelGage inside her. She wasn’t walking away and leaving him to a bloody battle. This was more than sex. Gage had better realize that fact.

“I won’t. I’m rather attached to my head.”

He was driving her crazy. “This isn’t a joke!” She tried to keep her voice calm and make the wolf see reason. “The hunters will come in expecting a trap. Lyle will be ready to use and lose them all, if he can take you out.” Because she’d seen the fury in Lyle’s eyes. He wasn’t stopping, not until he’d taken over this town.

And if he had to kill a few dozen humans and wolves? So what? He could always recruit more hunters, and he sure didn’t care about the wolves.

“There’s another way,” she said, desperate. “There’s always another way.”

Gage shook his head. “There’s no time.” His steps were slow as he stalked toward her. His hand lifted and the back of his fingers slid down her cheek. “The wolf is at the door, and I’m gonna tear him apart.”

Or he’d get torn apart. The humans would die.

This didn’t have to happen. “What about my brother?”

Gage looked at the door. “We’ll find him when the fight’s over.” Then his hand dropped. He marched away from her. Opened the door.

The redheaded wolf waited, with his arms loose at his sides.

“Take her back home, Shamus,” Gage directed.

Home?

The thought was so foreign to her that Kayla blinked at first. But, she did have a home. An apartment in the city. One that gave her a night-time view of the strip that took her breath away.

So why didn’t that place feel likehome?

She took a deep breath and straightened her spine. “Sorry, Shamus,” she said—and then she slammed the door shut in the shifter’s face.

Gage blinked. He looked surprised. Really? Had he truly thought she’d just follow meekly along to his plan? Not happening.

Kayla jabbed her finger in his chest. “I don’t walk away from fights. Not ever. I don’t tuck my tail between my legs and run?—”

His brows shot up. Whoops, okay, wolf reference. Her bad.

Kayla cleared her throat. “I don’t run because things get tough, got it?”

“This isn’t?—”

She jabbed him harder. “You don’t get to spout ‘mine’ bullshit one minute and then toss me out the next.” And it hurt. To go from the best sex ever to a cold toss out the door, yes, that was tough. But she wasn’t about to let him see her pain. She’d never let anyone see.

Only Jonah.

Where are you, Jonah?

“Those men don’t deserve death, and I’m not letting you claw your way through humans because a psychotic wolf has beenjerking us all around.” Kayla took another deep breath. Weren’t deep breaths supposed to calm down fury? She wasn’t feeling calm. “I’m working with you, and we’ll make sure we take out the real monster.”

There was still no emotion showing on his handsome face. “Just how are we gonna do that?” Gage wanted to know.

Yes, how the hell were they gonna do that? Plans and options spun through her mind.Think.“When the hunters come, don’t send any wolves out. Not a single one.” This was crazy, she knew it but crazy just might work. “I’m the only one who will face them. I’ll make them see reason.”

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