Page 64 of Shadow Bound

“According to Ranger, you know how to get a reaction out of her.” Ryker smirks.

“Dude.” Ranger puts his fist out to Ryker. “Nice.”

I didn’t realize I missed my brothers so much until now. This is the most time I’ve spent with them in the past ten months. Now that Ryker knows his mate is on her way home to him, the dark cloud he’s been carrying around has lifted and he’s suddenly enjoyable to be around again. Ranger, who’s usually glued to Winnie’s side, has stuck around longer than I expected. Unlike Ryker, he’s clearly started to trust Beau more and knows that nothing will happen to his mate while in Tink’s presence.

My wolf seems calmer being home this time around. In the past, he would have already been itching to go hunt something, but he’s fairly content. I can’t help but think Beau has something to do with that.

Speaking of Beau, I know for a fact she hasn’t eaten today. She flew out of here in a rush after our shower ran long to go meet Winslow with whatever the hell they’re doing in the woods behind the cabin. I can sense her near and trust her to not do something stupid like run off. It’s like I’m in tune with her presence when she’s near, like she wears a beacon that only I can hear or see.

I’m grabbing one of the last blood bags Dr. V had left for her from the fridge when a gunshot goes off and ice-cold dread spreads through my bones. Without hesitation, I drop the bag, not caring if it spills on the floor, and bolt toward the back door.

I hear Ranger and Ryker on my tail but don’t slow down for them, the image of Isabeau lying in the woods with a bullet wound in her body propelling me forward. I don’t even bother with the stairs that lead off the deck, I jump the railing, free-falling to the ground below.

I take off through the trees, following the scent of honey and copper. My heart pounds in my ears like a drum, my wolf is beating against the thin barricade that keeps him at bay, desperate to get out and find her. I don’t feel like I can breathe, the idea that she’s been shot has literally taken away my ability to pull air into my lungs. The second I make it through the trees, and I lock eyes with her pale blue ones, I regain the ability. Sucking in a relieved breath, I scan the surrounding area for the source of the gunshot. Winslow and Beau seem perfectly fine. Winnie has a little bit of a nervous look on her face, but Beau looks totally at ease.

I don’t understand Winnie’s nerves until I look down and find the fucking gun in her hand, everything clicks. Ranger must see it at the same time because, he suddenly roars, “What the ever-loving fuck, Winslow!”

“Hi, honey!” she responds with false innocence, her small hand waving at him. “Isabeau was just teaching me a few things.”

Isabeau looks at Winslow like she’d just been tattled on. “Yes, because youaskedme to.”

Ranger marches forward, steam basically coming out of his ears. “You gave my mate a gun?”

“I wouldn’t say Igaveher one.” Isabeau lifts her chin. “I let herborrowone. There’s a difference.”

“Is there though?”

I shouldn’t find this whole exchange funny, but I do. I hide my smile behind my hand, but when I look at my older brother who stands beside me, I know he caught it. He just rolls his eyes at me.

“I believe there is, yes.” My girl doesn’t flinch or cower at the angry waves coming off my brother. Instead she flicks her gaze over him, an unimpressed expression on her face. “I’m letting her learn how to safely use a weapon in a controlled environment so she can better protect herself. It’s not like she’s going to take one of them home to cuddle at night. Calm down, wolf. Everything’s under control.”

“It’s not under control, Winnie has no business handling a gun. Who do you think you are? You had no right to let her play with weapons.”

I can’t help it, not liking the tone my brother is using, I bristle and take a step forward to intervene. Beau’s eyes cutting to mine, silently telling me to stay put, halts my movements. Clenching my jaw and fists, I stay where I am, but my wolf is still biting to go to her aid.

“I think I’m the perfect person to be teaching her these things. What are your weapons, Ranger? Claws and fangs.Winslowdoesn’t have those things. Never will, but she can learn how to use a gun or knife. I’ve been an expert in those two things since you were learning how to ride a bike, so relax, back up and let me help your mate learn how to kick ass.”

Peeking around her mate, Winslow smiles widely at me. “Ireallylike her. If you don’t keep her,I will.”

I cough to cover up my laugh when I see the pure look of horror on Isabeau’s face. She’s not used to peoplewantingher. She still doesn’t realize how special she is, that not everyone is going to see her as the bad guy. “Working on it, Winnie,” I admit honestly. Winslow gives me a pleased smile while Beau looks at me like she might kiss or kill me. With her, it could go either way.

Looking back at my twin, Isabeau smirks at him. “You don’t think I’m the right person to teach your mate? Let me prove to you that you’re wrong. You haven’t seen what I can do—what I can teach your mate to do.” With one more sly look at him, she pushes past him and stalks toward me.

I almost fall over in shock when she takes my hand in her smaller, cooler one. While for most people, this level of PDA would be mundane, for Beau, this is the equivalent of her sticking her tongue down my throat and letting everyone watch. Tugging me forward, she looks over her shoulder at me. “Do you trust me?”

“I trust you more than you trust me.”

“Hmm.” She purses her lips. “Fair enough.”

One day I’ll have this girl’s complete trust. I’ll fucking fight for it if I need to.

She leads me to a gigantic piece of plyboard that has a really shitty outline of a man on it. Without a word, she pushes me until my back is against the board. “What are you up to, Tink?” She doesn’t respond, instead she kicks my legs apart with her boot, widening my stance. When she’s satisfied with how my legs are positioned, she moves to my arms, lifting them at my sides and pressing them to the wood behind me.

Backing away from me, her eyes sparkle with excitement. “Just don’t move.” One second she’s standing in front of me, but in a blur of movement, she’s standing next to Winslow again. That girl is fuckingfast.

Her hands reach behind her, grabbing something that I can’t see from her waistband. Keeping her hands behind her she cocks her head at me. “Stay still, Ransom.”

That’s her only warning before she’s pulling out four throwing knives, two in each hand. I figure out fairly quick what’s about to happen and before I get a chance to protest, she’s hurling a knife at me. My gut response is to move out of the way, but she advised me not to move and now doesn’t seem like the right time to argue with her. Planting my feet and holding my breath, I stay frozen in place.

---