Page 50 of The Protector’s Heart

“Where would she go?” Ren asked.

“I told her to go to Acksel’s.”

Ren nodded. Malachi used the corner of his shirt to wipe the blood off his face. He was going to be in a hell of a lot of pain later, but right now all he could think about was keeping Nila safe.

They sailed down a dark road, and in the distance he saw the SUV’s taillights. Suddenly, the SUV jerked to the right and then sharply to the left as the brakes squealed. It spun around until it was facing them and didn’t move.

Ren stopped the SUV in front of the one Nila was driving and they both got out. Malachi scented the air and smelled fresh blood. Ren went around the other side of the vehicle as Malachi rapped on the driver’s side window.

Nila looked especially pale. Even in the glow from the dashboard he thought she looked like she was going to pass out. Jack was in her lap, and he turned his head and met Malachi’s eyes and smiled.

“Carrot,” he said, the word muffled through the closed window. Malachi’s eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of fangs in Jack’s mouth.

What the hell?

“Nila?” Malachi said, but she didn’t move, her hand gripping the steering wheel and her gaze straight forward.

“Mal? Come back here for a second,” Ren called.

Malachi told Jack he’d be right back and walked around to the back of the truck, stopping in surprise as he saw the body of a wolf. He recognized the coloring as belonging to Damien. Ren knelt next to the wolf and looked up at Malachi.

“He’s dead.”

“What the hell happened?”

Ren shrugged. “I’m guessing that he ran out into the road to try to stop her. Maybe he thought she’d crash instead of hitting and killing him.”

Malachi looked at the SUV. Did Nila know she’d killed Damien?

“Damn it,” he spoke softly. He didn’t want Nila to suffer with the knowledge that she’d killed someone, even if it was her psycho ex.

Ren stood slowly and said, “Get your mate and son out of the SUV and take the other one home. I’ll wait for Acksel here.”

“This is my mess, Ren.”

“It’s pack business. When are you going to learn that?”

“I’m pretty hardheaded,” Malachi said.

“Yeah, well, I know that, but I still like your sorry ass.” Ren pulled his phone from his pocket and Malachi went to the driver’s door. Jack had his face pressed to the glass, and he squeaked in excitement when Malachi stopped in front of him. Banging his little palm against the window, he said, “Carrot!”

“Yeah, buddy. Nila. Nila!” He called her name and jerked on the handle a few times, hoping that Jack had just suddenly figured out how to unlock the doors.

“Nila!” He shouted her name sternly and she seemed to react to that, at least a little. He wondered if she was in shock. “Open the door now, Nila. Jack needs help.”

Her whole body jerked and she blinked several times, looking around before locking eyes with Malachi. He knew then that she did know what she’d done. “Don’t break down on me now, sweetheart,” he said loudly. “Open the door and let me take you and Jack out of here.”

Her hand moved so slowly he wasn’t sure it would ever reach the button to unlock the door. The second the door clicked, Malachi wrenched it open and lifted Jack from her lap. He clung to Malachi like a monkey, repeating carrot and burying his face in Malachi’s neck. Malachi reached for Nila and helped her out. She was stiff as a board, but followed him dutifully to the other SUV. He cursed not thinking of putting in a car seat before they left, but he’d been so focused on getting Jack back that he hadn’t gotten the car seat out of his own SUV.

Malachi helped Nila buckle in and put Jack in her lap, and she held him tightly. Malachi grabbed a jacket from the backseat and laid it over Jack to warm him up, turning the heater on high. When he started the engine, Jack laid his cold little hand on Malachi’s bicep and whispered, “Dada.”

“We’ll be home soon, son,” Malachi said, glancing at Nila and seeing her eyes fill with tears. “Did you hear me, sweetheart? Home.”

“I heard you, Mal. We both did.”

* * *

Nila wasn’t watching the scenery blur by as Malachi drove them home; she just looked at Jack. She desperately wanted to check him over, but the dim lighting from the dashboard wasn’t enough for her to see anything.

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