Page 29 of Stealthy as a Wolf

I turned back to Boone, swallowing hard when I found his too handsome face so close, his eyes studying me like he found me fascinating. “Instead of bucking and trying to peel me off, I want you to hang on to me even tighter. Understand?”

He licked his bottom lip, the tips of his fangs flashing when he nodded. “Do it.”

I placed my hands on the collar, grimacing when I came into contact with the warm metal. I ran my fingers around the edges, feeling the slight ridges of the hidden clasp. The skin beneath the metal was already red and chafed. Over time, it would scar and burrow into his flesh, and I shook off the memories, still able to feel the weight of the damn collar in my dreams.

Suffocating me.

When it got really bad, I swore it actually became tighter and tighter.

I released a stuttering breath, my chest tightening against the coming pain, and I gripped the collar harder when my mind screamed at me to let go and get the fuck away before I did something foolish.

Concern darkened Boone’s eyes, and his grip on my hips tightened, as if to lift me away. “If it’s too much, we can find—”

I didn’t wait for him to finish the sentence, just took a deep breath and pulled at the clasp. The tips of my fingers immediately felt like they were being clamped in a vise. The harder I pulled, the more the pain shot up the digits and streaked through my hands.

I gritted my teeth, embracing the pain, doing my best to ignore the way Boone jolted beneath me. He quivered, struggling to remain still, the bruising force of his hands on my hips actually helping to keep me grounded.

The pain reached past my elbows, like shards of glass were being dragged along my bones and shredding my flesh. Boone jolted, his body practically vibrating beneath me. Even when he twisted to get away from me, I refused to release my hold.

When he suddenly went limp, I swallowed hard, but didn’t stop. If I stopped, I wouldn’t have the strength to start again. I needed to remove the collar. I pulled with all my might, gritting my teeth, until I finally heard the metal click and the collar fell away in my hands.

The pain stopped so suddenly that I sagged against Boone, struggling to suck in enough air to fill my lungs. My muscles twitched with the aftereffects of the shocks, refusing to obey my commands. Everything was so numb, I wasn’t sure I had any bones left in my body.

Wait…can I actually feel my own bones?

“Maggie?” A large hand ran up and down my back, and all I wanted to do was snuggle into that touch. My eyelids fluttered when I tried to crack open my eyes, but they felt too heavy. I must not have answered quickly enough, because that voice came again. “Can you hear me?”

I lifted my head, and my muscles screamed in agony, like they were being stripped off my bones. I couldn’t bite back the whimper that climbed up my throat. Phantom pain from years ago echoed in my head, and the lessons came back.

Small movements.

Pigheaded stubbornness.

My bones actually creaked when I turned toward the voice calling to me.

Burke.

I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the thought, then lifted my hand, and dropped the collar into his lap. My words were slightly slurred when I said, “I’m going to need a minute.”

I’d almost swear there was concern in his gaze…then his eyes slipped past mine to land on his brother. Of course it was for his brother. Annoyed, I bit back a growl as my facilities slowly returned to me, and my lips curled in a snarl. “Don’t worry, he’s still alive. Just unconscious.”

I made myself move, refusing to reveal any weakness as I slowly eased off Boone’s lap and slid back onto the seat between the men. My wolf nudged me along, lending me her strength, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn’t collapse to the floor in a pathetic heap. “Just give me a moment, Burke, and I’ll get to yours next.”

* * *

BURKE

Fuck me!

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. That little slip of a girl just ripped off Boone’s collar and dropped the smoking metal in my lap like it was nothing. Dark streaks forked their way up her fingers where I’d just watched electricity literally dance across her skin.

Her fucking fists wouldn’t even close all the way as she worked on her fingers to get them to function. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead, her face even paler than normal, her hair so full of static that it floated in the air around her.

I couldn’t imagine how she could still be fucking conscious, much less alive.

I saw Boone take the pain, saw him grit his teeth, saw his muscles spasm. He fought it, his whole focus on the girl in his lap. But he ultimately succumbed, his eyes rolling up in his head when he passed out. I’d fucking swear that I heard his tiger roar in pain and denial before they fell silent.

But Maggie didn’t give up.

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