“Okay, come on,” Dad finally says with a sigh as he pulls me along. “We need to go back to your bedroom to see how the wolves are getting on. The cleanup needs to be done now.”
I want to go to see the wolves, especially Creed, because I know how phenomenal he can make me feel, but I also don’t want to go back there. I don’t know if I will ever be able to sleep in my bedroom again. Not without the memories of the murder. My own and Creed’s.
But because I’m still a little stunned and off kilter, I let Dad drag me back there. Even when my blood runs ice cold and my pulse begins to pound like crazy, I continue down the hallway. I swallow hard, hoping I can shove my fear down before I face it again.
But there isn’t anything to see anymore. The evidence is long gone. In that short time where I was facing the leaders of the other mobs, the wolves finished cleaning up the crime scene. There isn’t any more blood or bodies; it’s almost like nothing happened. I blink a few times, stunned to the core.
“You have done really well,” Dad commends Creed while patting him on the back. “Not only did you save my daughter’s life, but you cleaned up the mess too.”
Creed’s eyes dart towards me. “Skylar actually did a great job of taking care of herself.”
“Mmm, sure.” It shouldn’t shock me that my father doesn’t want to hear this, but it stings.
“She stood her ground against those men,” Creed insists. “I wasn’t the only person who killed. Skylar took out the first man before we even got there.”
Dad doesn’t seem to hear it. It hurts to see that he doesn’t care that I had to kill someone. And I might not have survived if Creed hadn’t jumped in and taken out the other guy.
“Well, I need to figure out what will happen next,” he states while tapping his chin. “I don’t know how I’m going to keep Skylar safe while I don’t even know who is responsible for the attack. I would like to keep her away from here while I figure it out.”
Why the hell is he talking about me as if I’m not here? I fold my arms across my chest and squeeze my lips tightly shut so I don’t say something I’ll regret. I really don’t have the energy for another argument with my dad. Plus, I do kind of want to get out of here for a while. Maybe I could go to a hotel or something. Spend some time locked away somewhere I can relax and be pampered. I think I deserve that after all this.
“We have a safe house,” Creed offers.
All my lazy morning swims and massages go flying out the window. I stare at him in horror. What on earth does he mean by “safe house”?
“It’s out of the city, and no one knows where it is. We could keep her safe.”
“Where is it located?” Dad demands.
“Well, I don’t want to give you the actual location because, obviously, it’s a safe house, but it’s on Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Not the sort of place people will look.”
I look between Dad and Creed, curious as to which way this is going to go. Right now, there’s no way to tell. I don’t even know which way I want things to go. The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie isn’t exactly the relaxing daydream I just conjured up, but at the same time, I wouldn’t complain about these four men keeping me safe.
I already know I have an intense, passionate spark with Creed. Some time with him in the bedroom would be a good way to distract myself from my life being on the line. Then I also shared a flirty moment with Sam, and I would like to explore that. I can sense an animal underneath this sweet exterior of him, and I need to know more.
Having Rex’s beefy arms around me made me feel so safe and protected, I didn’t want him to ever let me go. And then there is Clay. I don’t know much about him yet, but I would like to know more. He’s definitely gorgeous and I bet there’s a great personality there. This would be a good chance to really see him.
Who knows how long we will be at this safe house? I could have tons of time to get to know these men. I wonder if they will be okay with me getting to know them all. Creed might be a bit possessive, I did get that impression when we were fooling around, but I don’t really know what the truth is.
“Right, well, I guess that might have to happen,” Dad eventually says. “Because I cannothave these assholes thinking they can get their hands on my daughter.”
Oh shit, it’s really happening. I’m going to the safe house with the sexy wolfpack. My heart isn’t pounding now because I’m afraid, but because I’m excited. This is going to be an adventure. One I can’t wait to get on board with.
Dad and Creed talk seriously about the best ways to keep me safe, away from the eyes of everyone else, and without the threat of spies, as I hurriedly pack up the belongings I want to take. I also pack some sexy underwear without my father noticing. There’s no need for him to see what sort of trip this is going to end up being.
“I also need your help finding out who is behind this,” Dad says. “I can only dig so much without it becoming obvious that I don’t trust them. Plus, it might be a good idea to have someone on the outside looking in. You won’t have the same preconceived notions as I do. The pay will be good.”
Creed nods without even looking at the other guys. It gives me the impression that he is the one who makes all the decisions. The alpha of the pack. He does give off alpha energy, and he did that night as well. That’s what set me alight.
“We won’t let you down,” Creed promises. “We will figure out what’s going on keep Skylar safe the whole time. You can trust us.”
“Good,” Dad says, pleased. “Because right now I don’t know if I can trust anyone at all.”
I have never trusted any of the people in my father’s life. I do instinctively trust the wolves, though. I don’t know exactly where that comes from, I guess it’s my gut feeling, but I hope it turns out well for me and I don’t end up screwed. I hope they don’t let me down1.
Sam meets my eyes and shoots me a shy smile, a little lopsided grin that makes me instantly feel about a million times better. Of course I can trust these guys. They wouldn’t hurt me.
Creed leaves with my father for a moment to get all the information he needs about the people him and his pack have to keep me safe from, and Rex isn’t far behind him. Sam instantly snaps into action, helping me get all packed up, which is really nice of him, but my eyes remain fixed on Clay. There is definitely so much more to him than meets the eye. I can’t wait to reveal it.