Page 56 of Shadow Bound

The wolf takes a step toward me. “Come on,” I encourage. “Are you going to play nice this time?”

His lips pull back again, the tips of his fangs showing. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re a big scary wolf.” I roll my eyes while continuing to beckon him to me. His eyes glare at his twin who still stands behind me. Snapping my fingers, I draw his attention back to me. “Hey! Ignore him. Come to me.”

I don’t know if it’s the wolf or Ransom that finally decides to move toward me, but finally he takes the final steps toward me. Once he’s close, I sink my fingers into the thick fur at the scruff of his neck. His massive head drops low and he presses his forehead against mine. Another piece of that iron wall I’d build around myself cracks. Even if I haven’t admitted it aloud, I was already a sucker for the man, but the wolf has just won me over too. That wasn’t the plan, I wasn’t supposed to like either one of them. They were supposed to be a means to an end.

When a sound, almost like a purr, comes from the blood-covered beast, I can’t help the small smile that grows on my face. I hide it from his family, not really ready for them to see just how much Ransom has affected me. I don’t know if he’s broken me or fixed me. Either way, he’s permanently changed me. For the better or worse? I’m not sure. Depends on who you ask.

If Nessa or Sterling saw the change in me, they would classify me as a failure. The old Alexandre would be proud of me—or I’d like to think he would be. The guilt I’ve been carrying around for almost two decades doesn’t feel so heavy anymore, for that alone, I’m grateful.

“Time to come back,” I whisper to the wolf but intend it for Ransom. “Come back to me.”

The wolf whines in protest, not ready to give up control quite yet. “We’ll play again soon,” I promise him, digging my fingers deeper into the silver fur.

After a beat, the wolf pulls away from me. The fur melts away and bones break and shift, until the wolf is gone, and the man remains. Ransom stands to his full height. I don’t miss the wince on his face when he moves. Shooting up from my crouching position, I move toward him, my hands move of their own accord, pressing to his side where he has a fairly deep laceration. I ignore the burning in the back of my throat, the sudden chest pain and the way my hand shakes as I apply pressure to the wound. That dull stomach pain I’ve been suffering from for the past two days intensifies and my mouth waters with nausea and hunger.

I shouldn’t still be hungry, Ransom has provided me with plenty of blood, but I guess that’s the problem with my ever-developing case of bloodlust. I’ll never have enough.

Tilting my head, I look up at his face. He’s already looking down at me, searching me for signs of injury. There’s an emotion reflected in his eyes and for a second it almost looks like…adoration? But as if he’s actively trying to guard himself from me now, he blinks twice and the look is gone, replaced with an impassive, cautious expression.

The change in his attitude is justified, I’ve been pretty hot and cold with him, but it still stings. I can physically feel him trying to pull away from me. This is what needs to happen, there isn’t a place in Ransom’s life for me after all of this is over. I know this and I accept it, but it doesn’t make the ache in my chest subside.

Ithurtsto know he’s pulling away from me.

With a stiff nod, I back away from him.

Winslow, with a stupid smile on her face, skips forward. While she’s insanely brave and doesn’t bat an eye at much, it’s clear she’s also alittle crazy. According to the research Sterling had me memorize; Winslow spent a couple months locked up in a mental health hospital last year.

Looping her thin arm with mine, she stands at my side. Frowning at the black wolf who’s stopped shaking, she says, “Don’t take it personally, he tried to attack me last year too. It’s almost like an initiation with him. You’re basically family now.”

Ransom scoffs. “She doesn’t takeanythingpersonally.”Ouch.I fight a wince, just barely holding it at bay. “And don’t get attached, Winnie, Isabeau sure as hell won’t. Isn’t that right?” His blue eyes blaze.

His change in mood is giving me whiplash, but doing what I do best, I shove my feelings down and fix my mask tightly over my face. “I’ve never had someone get close enough to become attached to them,” I respond coldly.

“It’s not like you make it easy.”

Double ouch.

Winslow’s breath hitches, a small gasp coming from her. Apparently, she wasn’t expecting Ransom to talk to me like this. She doesn’t know that I deserve it. I hurt him first when I lied and said the only reason I was coming home with him was for Nessa. He’s just trying to hurt me back, and it might be working.

In my peripheral vision, I see Ryker shift back to his human form, groaning he rolls onto his back.

“I’ve got like… three hundred questions. half of them are in regard to the sexual tension between the two of you that I’m basicallychoking on. Though I feel like there might be more pressing matters at hand. Let’s agree to circle back to this, ‘kay?” Remington’s bluntness never fails to shock me. She says it how she sees it and doesn’t hold back. I’m envious of her ability to just say what she’s thinking. “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, please get Tweedle Twat off the ground. Take his bitter ass inside, we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

The twins scoop Ryker up from under his massively large tattooed arms and drag him toward the house.

Winslow, still holding my arm, pulls me after them. With a sly smirk on her face, she turns her head in my direction. “Can you get me one of those?” She points at the taser baton in my other hand.

Ranger, hearing this, yells over his shoulder. “Absolutely not, Winslow.”

Her response is to stick her tongue out at the back of her mate’s head.

* * *

I’ve met my match.

I thought I was good at staring contests, but Ryker might have me beat. He sits across the room, glaring at me. If he’s blinked once in the past hour, I missed it. Being a competitive bitch, I just stare blankly back at him, refusing to be the first one to give in. Plus, I need the distraction, the need to look at Ransom is strong. I’ve felt his eyes on me periodically as he explains all the information we’ve uncovered.

Ransom’s family didn’t want to believe that it’s Noah that is coming for them. The denial was strong. It took fifteen minutes of them all yelling and talking over each other before one by one they all started to accept it. Ryker, of course, first tried to twist the facts, saying somehow Noah and I were working together. While I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the tattooed giant, it was Ranger who came to my defense, telling him how idiotic he sounded.

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