Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
After that, there was only silence, except for the heaving breathing and the dripping of blood.
And the chewing.
Like all skirmishes, it was over before it began, and there was a split second where Tohr and his brothers swept their gun muzzles around, in case there were more attackers coming. And the fact that he was able to recover his senses so fast from an almost-mortal event was the only benefit you got from having been shot at so many times: His brain was used to close calls.
But he knew he wasn’t going to sleep right for a couple of days.
Meanwhile, across the way, Mayhem and the female lowered their weapons to the floor and put their hands up—
“You’re fine,” Tohr barked. “At ease.”
Justlikethat, the wolves retreated, the predators ghosting out of the broken windows, disappearing into the wintery night. Except for one. The white predator who had made a meal out of Remis was still inside, standing over his prey.
“Clear the rest of the house,” Tohr ordered Rhage as he took out his phone and headed grimly for Apex. Hitting send on a number he called all too often, the ring was answered immediately. “Jane, we need you—”
V bent over and picked up a suit of white snow clothes. Then he reached into a duffle and brought out something that gleamed gold in the light.
Apex, the male who by all rights should be dead, said, “I did it. I killed Broadius . . .”
“We know,” V said as he unsheathed a black dagger and started cutting all kinds of zip ties. “I heard it all, on the feed you sent me.”
And then Apex seemed to pass out—or maybe that was his death confession.
Meanwhile, that white wolf wheeled around and leaped over two dead bodies to get to the male.
The great predator whimpered and nudged at Apex’s arm. Then he lay down, and a set of ice-blue eyes looked over at Tohr, begging for help.
“It’s on the way,” he told the animal. “We’re going to take care of him.”
If he lives, Tohr tacked on to himself.
CHAPTER FORTY–FOUR
The first thing Apex smelled was a flower.
In the dense darkness of all his wounds, he couldn’t identify what kind of rose it was, or even where it was around him. But he knew that someone had brought him . . . a rose.
Opening his lids was like lifting a car, but he was so compelled to answer the mystery of where he was and why—
“It’s . . . you,” he croaked.
Callum was sitting at whatever bedside this was, right beside him. And as the wolven came to attention, those gleaming, husky eyes were luminous with unshed tears as they locked on his own.
Or rather, the one that he was able to see out of.
“You’re awake.” As Callum took his hand, that touch, that connection, did more for him than any drug ever could. “You’re back.”
Apex tried to nod, but holy hell, his neck hurt. So he just said, “You brought me a rose?”
Callum moved to the side so that the bloom, in its slender vase, could be properly seen. It was not white. It was red. The color of . . .
“You remembered that I liked white flowers,” the wolven said roughly. “So when I went to the florist’s for you, I thought . . . what would he like. What flower would he choose, this vampire . . . of mine.”
That was when he saw the others. There were yellow daffodils, and blue something-or-others, and pink sprays. All in little slender vases.
“Beautiful,” Apex wheezed. Although he wasn’t sure whether he was talking about the buds . . . or the male. “Where am I?”
“The Brotherhood’s training center. The clinic there.”
Apex looked around, seeing all kinds of medical equipment surrounding a hospital bed. Very nice sheets, smooth and soft, had been folded over his bare chest, and the pillows under his head registered as quite luxurious.
“How long . . .”
“Three nights.” Callum ran his thumb back and forth over Apex’s inner wrist. “And it’s going to be a while before you can be safely released. ”
“Were you here—”
“The whole time.” Callum stifled a sob. “And I’m not leaving unless you tell me to—”
“Never.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
“I know.” Apex tried to sit up, and couldn’t manage it, so he just slumped back down on all the very nice bedding. “Why did you come back to the big house? How did you . . . know?”
He was never going to forget the sight of that wolf crashing through that window at just the right time—and going after Remis like the male was a meal he’d ordered for takeout.
Callum sniffled and wiped his eyes. “Are you sure you want to go through all this now—”
“I need to know. It was . . . too close. It was almost . . . over for me.”