Page 30 of Stealthy as a Wolf

She kept going.

Literally killing herself, only sheer stubbornness keeping her conscious.

I didn’t know what the hell happened to her in her past, but I vowed to find the fuckers who tortured her and end them.

I twisted and rummaged through the bags in the back, snatching up the medical kit. I grabbed her wrists, tightening my hold when she automatically tried to pull away. “Let me wrap your hands.”

She shook her head, scowling at me in annoyance. “Don’t bother. It will just get in the way when I remove your collar.”

“It can wait.” My voice was gruff. As much as I wanted it gone, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t put her through that kind of agony again.

“No, it can’t.” She straightened her spine, and I briefly wondered where she got the energy to stand up to me. “That tracker will lead them directly to us. I can deal with the pain, but there is no coming back from death.”

“No, it—”

“I can hold up my end of the bargain,” she snarled, the missing spark returning to her golden eyes.

And my heart sank…because she was right.

I allowed them to accompany us because we might need the muscle. If we were caught, they could be used as a distraction while we grabbed the kid and escaped.

For the first time since waking up in the back of the van, my mind was no longer on the mission but on the mystery that was Maggie, and that kind of distraction could get us all killed. Despite knowing the dangers, I couldn’t rid myself of the notion that she was important, not only to the mission, but me as well.

While I fought my growing connection to her, I understood why the others couldn’t stay away from the girl.

Though she was a little mouthier than I liked, all fire and snark, I couldn’t help but admire her.

But I was afraid her stubbornness would get her killed.

“Okay, I’m ready.” She blew out a heavy breath, lifting her chin, staring at me in defiance.

As much as I wanted to argue with her, I knew she was right. “Do it.”

She gave me a nod, her expression all business. When she straightened, then swung herself into my lap, I stiffened. For some reason, I didn’t expect her to get so close with her obvious dislike for me.

My body reacted to the feel of her on my lap, my cock hardening at the weight of her, and every muscle locked up tight. Despite the collar dampening my connection to my cat, the massive beast lifted his head to sniff at her. I waited for him to snarl or lash out. Much to my surprise, the contrary cat remained silent, almost like he registered her as the bigger threat. Before I could dig for more information, my connection with him fizzled out.

That the cat would even tolerate her touch was a miracle. My beast was a solitary creature. We’d been burned by women in the past, and he refused to have anything to do with females, finding them too flighty and mercurial.

I learned a long time ago that dating was a waste of time. If I had a need, I scheduled an appointment, paid for a good fuck, and was done with it.

No lies.

No betrayals.

No fucking drama, pitting brother against brother.

I was torn between being repelled by her nearness and wanting to drag her even closer. The sweet orange scent of her made my mouth water, and I worried how my cat would respond to her when the collar was removed. If the way the others reacted was any indication, she was going to be trouble.

When she reached for my collar, I reared back, and her eyes jumped toward mine. As much as I wanted the collar off, I couldn’t let her take all the pain. “If you insist on doing this, we’ll do it together.”

She narrowed her eyes, looked ready to protest, then shrugged. When she grabbed the collar, I did the same. If I could take even a fraction of the pain from her, I had to try. When she pulled on the collar, the charge built slowly, like static snapping under my skin.

The electricity drilled down into my bones, my teeth aching like the enamel had been removed, so even the touch of air sent a jolt through me. Damn if it didn’t feel like she was turning me fucking inside out, every second stretching out for an eternity.

I refused to fall unconscious, despite my body begging for oblivion. Only pure mulishness kept me from blacking out completely.

The pain continued to increase until my eyeballs felt like they were floating in acid. As I hovered on the verge of passing out, my eyes met hers. The golden color seemed to glow, tiny sparks flickering in their depths.

---