Page 96 of Grace of a Wolf 1
Grace: I Don't Want to Go
Caine's question kind of feels like a minefield waiting to happen, so I focus on something more important.
"Could you step back, please?" I ask, keenly aware of his proximity. My skin prickles where his breath touches the nape of my neck.
He doesn't move. Not even an inch. If anything, he leans closer, his chest nearly brushing my back.
"I asked you a question." His voice rumbles, deep and demanding. "Why are you so relieved to see him alive?"
Before I can answer, something large and furry forces its way between us. Fenris wedges his massive body into the sliver of space, effectively pushing Caine backward while pressing his warmth against my side. When I turn to rub his ears, he blinks his intelligent gray eyes at me in what almost seems like reassurance.
Wait. I squint in the dim lighting. Is he bigger now? Maybe it's just the shadows playing tricks, but he seems more substantial, more imposing.
Did he get bigger so he could push Caine out of the way? If so, that's… sweet.
"You need to respect her personal space," Lyre calls out, arms crossed as she leans against the frame of the camper's doorway. "Not everyone appreciates being loomed over by strange men."
I'm falling more in love with Lyre every time she speaks.
Fenris lets out a soft huff that sounds suspiciously like agreement, nodding his massive head once before pressing harder against me.
I take a few deliberate steps away, circling around Andrew's still-immobile form. To my surprise, Caine follows, moving in tandem with each step I take, like we're engaged in some bizarre dance. When I look over my shoulder, his eyes never leave my face, tracking my movements with predatory focus.
Fenris stays between us, his massive body a living barrier. When Caine tries to step around him, the wolf snaps his jaws with a sharp click that makes the Lycan King stay back.
"Did he just—?" I start, shocked at Fenris's rebellion.
"Yes," Caine's beta says, his voice barely containing his amusement. "He did."
I can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips. Maybe Fenris isn't such a traitor after all. Between leading Caine to me and now keeping him at bay, I'm not sure whose side the wolf is actually on. But right now, he seems to be on mine. I'll take it.
"Grace." Lyre's voice cuts through the tension. She steps down from the camper, her colorful hair catching the moonlight as she squints her cat-like eyes at me. "Do you want to go with them?"
The question hangs in the night air. Andrew shifts slightly in his uncomfortable position but doesn't speak.
"No," I say, the word coming out clear and firm. "I don't."
Caine's jaw tightens. He reaches around his wolf, extending his hand toward mine. "Grace—"
The way he says my name makes my knees want to buckle. Thankfully, Fenris's teeth snap at his fingers, missing by centimeters. Caine yanks his hand back with a curse, and I stay upright, even if I'm swaying a little.
"Stop it, Fenris," he growls.
I sidestep, putting more distance between us. The wolf moves with me, still blocking Caine's path.
"I'm staying with Lyre," I tell him. My voice doesn't waver. "You don't have any right to detain me."
"I told you, I'm not—"
"You locked me in a room," I remind him. "You had guards posted outside my door. You brought me food, but wouldn't let me leave. That's the definition of imprisonment, and I'm pretty sure it's illegal." My confidence wanes the longer I talk, though, under the weight of his stormy stare.
Caine growls again, louder than before. It vibrates through the air, shaking my bones. His hands clench at his sides, and I brace for an explosion of temper. The camper's basically a tin can; if he wants to attack us, we have nowhere to hide. Running from wolves is pointless; it just delays the inevitable.
"So you're really not coming back?" Jack-Eye smoothly interrupts, stepping forward with his head tilted in curiosity.
His calmer approach helps temper the anxiety bouncing in my stomach, so I address him directly. "No, I'm not. I was kidnapped and locked in a room for no reason I can understand.I value my life—and my freedom—too much to voluntarily return to that situation." There. I sound rational. Composed, and logical. They can't argue with the facts.
Jack-Eye nods thoughtfully. Behind him, Caine continues making a low rumbling sound, like distant thunder.
