Page 57 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part One

“What, are you shy, dear?” He looked over his shoulder at his companion and huffed a laugh like the whole thing wassoamusing. It made me bristle, like I did when dealing with asshole Tiffany who seemed to take special delight in tormenting me. “Perhaps you were looking for a haven from the big, scary humans? They’ve always had a relatively contentious relationship with a psionics like yourself.”

“I’m not a psionic, and I’m fine. I just wanted a good job that paid well, so I could stop living out of a motel, that’s all.”

“Aww, running from a bad situation?” He practically crooned that last part, and it made me equal parts nauseated and enraged. But I didn’t really have time to express either instinct before he took another step closer to me, completely getting into my space. “Don’t worry, you little thing. I can protect you.”

I was being harassed, and while it terrified me to my core, it was also incredibly confusing. Mostly because it felt like there was absolutely zero attraction in any of it. Chadwicke wasn’t bothering me because he found me hot or particularly alarming. He was reveling in the power he thought he had over some sort of magical person. It was all about control and him being in charge.

How pathetic.

If this were any other situation, I would have quit right there and then. No job, no matter how sweet the paycheck, was worth this fetishizing powerplay. But this wasn’t just a job. I was undercover, the linchpin in getting Leo details about the compound and sneak him inside. Then again, maybe I should just leave. Technically, I wasn’t needed for this part of the plan, and maybe it would be a bit of a distraction to have Chadwicke steaming that his new toy had left. Yeah, he definitely seemed the type to get upset about that.

“Please, I only wanna do my job. You can ask my boss. I’ve been really good for the team.” I took a step back, trying to create space between us as I internally bemoaned that he had even found me.

What were the chances that he’d just happened to be tagging along with the mother of Rosette, who just happened to stumble across me in the garden I just happened to be assigned to?

But suddenly, his hand whipped out and gripped my wrist like iron. “I’myour boss,” the warlock hissed, tone completely flipping on itself. “You would do well to remember that.”

Nope.

I was donezo. There were a lot of things I would tolerate, but that wasn’t one of them. I tried to rip my wrist out of his grip, but he was freakingstrong.

“Let me go! I’ll get my things and leave. You will never have to see me again!”

“Leave now, and miss out on the party?” His tone flipped right back to overly sweet and grossly charming. It was all sofake.“I’m sure if you stayed, you’d have a good time. I know I always do.” His smile grew far too toothy for my liking. “Then again, I’ve always been lucky that way.”

His companion huffed a laugh, but I didn’t get the joke. It was too much, and if he wouldn’t let me go, then I’d make him.

“Get off me!” I screamed before pulling my free hand back andpunching him right in the face.

“You bitch!”

Several things happened all at once. Chadwicke let go of my wrist. I stumbled back several steps. His companion rushed forward, pulling a weapon out of his jacket. Meanwhile, the warlock held a hand to his bleeding nose and began muttering words that sounded a lot like Latin. Was he about to cast a spell?

I didn’t really get to find out about the spell or the weapon because a giant wolf leaped out from a line of trees and bounded toward us.

Leo.

I would recognize his wolf form anywhere. After all, saving him in the woods had started the whole thing I had become embroiled in. Leo let out a truly terrifying howl as he charged, and both men whirled around, paying no attention to me.

That was my cue.

“Security! Where’s my security?” Chadwicke cried as I raced for cover. I had no idea where I was going, but I hoped the fight would be short enough that hunkering down behind the massive tea bush would be sufficient cover.

I still tried to position myself so I could see. Leo tackled the armed guard, barreling him over hardly even a pause. No, his eyes were set entirely on Chadwicke, who was beginning to rise off the ground and crackle with an electric sort of energy.

Whatever the warlock was planning, however, didn’t quite pan out. Because one moment Leo was racing toward him, paws galloping and his muzzle opened wide in a snarl, and the next, the wolf shifter was leaping through the air, his jaws snapping around Chadwick’s throat.

God, there was so much blood. I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t escape the sound of the visceral tearing and resulting gurgle as Leo completed his revenge. It really was awful, but balance needed to be restored.

It was hard to stomach, but I did the best I could, waiting until there was quiet before creeping out of my hiding place. Sure enough, Leo was still standing there as a wolf, his face and parts of his body completely covered with the incriminating crimson.

“You did it,” I murmured quietly, only barely straightening up. As much as I told myself that Leo would never do anything to hurt me in any of his forms, it terrified me to see him in such a grisly scene. It was a blunt reminder that he came from a different world—a world that had different rules than mine. One with a lot of savagery I wasn’t used to. “It’s done now. Let’s go find Ricky before anyone catches us.”

I should have known it was naïve to hope, but I was new to this whole assassination thing. Before the words were really even out of my mouth, several security guards rushed toward us, their weapons fully drawn. I’d thought that once they saw that their employer was dead, they’d all run for the hills.

Apparently, I was wrong.

“Encroaching shifter, three o’clock!” one shouted before they began to fire.

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