Page 14 of Protected By Her Wolves

He’ll be fine. He’s got an entire unit of trackers with him.He squeezed her shoulder.You’ve had a tiring few days. Take a nap.

Fatigue threatened to weigh down her eyelids as she let him pull her against his chest. More of his body heat soaked into her skin, and her teeth chattered less. Maybe if she got some rest, she wouldn’t be so worried. Perhaps lack of sleep was making her neurotic. Then again, her instincts usually never failed her. Stifling a yawn, she finally gave into her fatigue, though she feared she’d fall asleep, only to wake up to a nightmare.

* * *

Amara woke with a poundingin her skull, awhump, whump, whumpthat she realized was the echo of the overhead blades. Why were they still in the helicopter? Her feet and hands felt like blocks of ice and her nose was frozen to her face as the mid-morning sun’s glare pierced her eyes.

She shifted in Drasko’s arms, blinking up at him, then winced at a kink in her neck.

He kissed her temple.Have a nice nap?he asked through thought.

Not really.She rubbed her sore neck.Shouldn’t we be there by now?

He frowned, rubbing warmth into her back.We had to divert around a whiteout.

Just great. At this rate, it would take forever for her to get home to her babies.Where are we?

About an hour northeast of Nome.

Luc’s camp was a few hours northwest of Nome. Were they flying in circles?So we overshot it?

To avoid the storm, yes.

She gasped, slamming against Drasko when the helicopter banked hard to the right.

“Hey!” Drasko hollered above the din. “What’s going on?”

“We see something down there,” one of the pilots called back.

Drasko’s eyes flashed yellow. “What?”

“Probably just hunters,” the other pilot called out, “but this is a restricted zone.”

Amara’s nostrils flared as she tried to scent the air, her shoulders slumping when she remembered she couldn’t access her wolf.Do you smell their fear?she asked Drasko.

We’ll be fine.He squeezed her, flashing a tight smile.These guys know what they’re doing.

She snorted at that.I don’t trust human instincts.

Amara,he reassured her,I won’t let anything happen to us.

The patter of what sounded like rocks striking glass was their only warning before blood painted the windshield and one of the pilots slumped in his seat. The helicopter dipped, and the other pilot tried to maneuver the stick while pressing the intercom. “Mayday, mayday! Incoming!” he cried before more bullets hit the windshield and he slumped over, too.

Amara screamed as the helicopter spun out of control. She was barely aware of Drasko’s roar when he shifted into a mighty protector, shielding her as a cyclone spun in her skull. She clung to her protector, fearing for their lives and the life of her unborn child as they spiraled toward the ground.

* * *

Drasko

Drasko held his matein his arms, blinking up as light shards pierced the warped door above them. Somehow, they’d survived the crash, but now they were trapped inside a giant, twisted sardine can, and whatever had shot them down was still out there. His head throbbed and blood trickled into his eye, but all he cared about was getting his pregnant mate to safety. With a roar, he kicked the jammed door open as a ray of sunlight struck his face. The metal crumpled beneath the weight of his powerful blow. He had enough sense to remember to grab a first aid backpack before he slung his limp mate into his arms. Her head was bleeding, but she had a strong pulse. He had to get her the hell out of there.

He threw the backpack out of the helicopter and climbed outside, letting out a predatory roar should whoever shot at them think to try again. He cradled Amara to his chest and jumped into the snow, quickly scanning his surroundings, a flat, white wasteland. The wind was picking up speed, bringing fresh snow with it and reducing visibility. Stinging ice pelted his face and strange voices carried across the wind as he snatched up the backpack and ran across the tundra.

“Medved!” he heard a male voice cry out behind him. Mid vid? He recognized that word. It was Russian for bear.

Russians! What the fuck were Russians doing here? And why had they shot down their helicopter?

He ran faster, dodging bullets that chased him like the flames of hell lapping at his heels. Chest heaving as icy air burned his lungs, he raced for an outcropping of trees in the distance.

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