Page 39 of Fire Bound

Or so I thought at first, but now that I’m closer to the house, the scent and heartbeat alert my senses. Both arehuman.

Sterling sees humans as a means to an end. Expendable. The gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. That’s why he prefers to use them as hosts for his modified embryos. If the woman dies, there’s always another human female there to take their place. He’d never send a human out on such an important job. He’d never trust them to execute his plan.

My curiosity piqued; I waltz up the staircase to the porch that wraps around the entire house. Leisurely, I walk in slow paces around the building. At the French doors at the back of the house, I find the electronic keypad has wires sticking out of it.Interesting.

Almost every wall of this house is made of floor-to-ceiling windows. Who would take the time to pick a lock when breaking the glass is so much easier? I sure as hell wouldn’t have the fucking patience.

Tires grind against the driveway out front. With one last look at the door, I turn around and meet Ranger and the witch as they pull up in Winnie’s black Mercedes SUV. I’m not overly concerned about whoever is inside. If they truly meant any harm, I’d be bleeding by now.

“Ransom and Remi are doing a perimeter check,” Ranger tells me before I can ask why he and Winnie beat them here.

“You made good time,” I remark as I descend the stairs.

Ranger jerks his thumb toward his mate with an unamused face. “That’s because she drove. She thinks speed limits are mere suggestions and/or scores that she should try to beat. All I’m saying is if you’re ever in the mood to go on a rollercoaster, just sit in the back of a car with no seat belt and let Winslow drive. You’ll think you’re at fuckingSix Flags.”

Winslow flips him the bird before looking at me. “Why are you just standing there when there could be strangers in my house sniffing my pillows and licking my spoons?”

“Of all the things to be concerned about, yourspoonsare what come to mind first?” I question, sounding dumbfounded. “Personally, I’d be more concerned about your moreintimatebelongings. Who knows what they’re doing right now with your thongs.”

Winslow’s eyes widen as she stares in disgust at her house. “People are in there right now?”

Ranger emits a low, pissed-off growl, his eyes glowing silver. Wolves are incredibly protective of their homes and someone is trespassing in his.

“Just one person, a human,” I clarify nonchalantly.

Her jaw drops. “Why are we standing here!” Winslow shrieks. “Humans are by far the worst! Have neither of you ever seen Dateline? They’re probably up there touching my panties as we speak!”

The front door swings open and a man I’ve never seen before leans against the wood railing of the balcony. “Winslow, I’m disappointed. You know I don’t wear underwear.” He waves a hand around his groin area. From here I can see his nails are painted black and spiked leather bracelets wrap around his thin wrists. “The bits like to breathe.”

Who. The. Fuck. Is. This. Man?

When Winslow’s eyes light up and she gasps out a name, I get my answer. “Whisper?” In a flash, she’s pulled away from Ranger’s protective grip and is charging up the stairs to wrap her arms around the man dressed head to toe in black.

His pants have various buckles and zippers on them, I’m not convinced they’re actually there for functionality. His arms are thin and incredibly pale. It’s like he hasn’t been outside in months. His hair is a spiky black mop that hangs forward into his eyes; eyes that sit behind a pair of thick black-rimmed glasses.

“Whisper?” I repeat.

“The hacker friend,” Ranger answers with an uninspired tone.

Confused by his tone, I look between the newcomer and the wolf shifter. “I thought we liked him?” The last I heard Whisper was an ally.

“We do,” Ranger confirms. “I liked him more when he wasn’t breaking into my house.”

“There are worse things than an emo hacker letting himself into your house,” I remark with a smirk. “It could be an emo hackerwitha panty fetish. Bullet dodged, my dude.”

“I hate you.”

In the house,we stand around the kitchen. The kitchen island that had once been bare is now littered with various computer equipment. How long has this dude been here? The setup looks advanced enough to launch a rocket into space.

“After we talked the other night, I thought you may need some more help,” Whisper explains after taking a drink from the water bottle Winnie offered him. “You were so vague about that car you wanted me to track, and I could tell that something else was going on, so I got my ass on a plane. Not a fan, by the way. Too many people and security, but a bus would have taken too long.”

“Yeah.” Winslow nods sheepishly, eyes darting nervously to Ranger. “There’s a lot going on here right now.”

“Well, that’s putting it mildly,” Whisper scoffs. “I hardly doubt life is uneventful when you’re shacked up with a goddamnwerewolf.”

The room gets so quiet we could hear a pin drop in Alaska.

I don’t know a lot about this hacker, but one thing I know for sure is Winslow has never told him the truth of what we all are. He only gets vague information. So, this begs the question, what the hell does he know? And how does he know it?

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