Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Bracken kicked the door shut and crossed to her. Watching him move was always a treat. Bracken never walked, he prowled. Slowly. Deliberately. Fluidly. Muscles deliciously bunched and rippled beneath his T-shirt and jeans. Oh yeah, she’d like some of that.
Her cat eyed him closely, drinking in his provocative scent of smoky cedarwood, warm cloves, and dark amber. The naturally cranky and highly unsocial feline got annoyed by people easily, but she found the wolf’s company somewhat tolerable. The cat liked his strength and aura of barely leashed aggression. Even liked the feeling of being so close to danger. But in her current mood, she’d still happily claw his face right off his skull . . . just because.
He scanned Madisyn from head to toe, taking in the grazes on her cheek and the blood on her clothes. His eyes flashed wolf, and a growl rumbled out of him.
“What happened?” His voice was a whip.
“Hello to you too,” snarked Madisyn.
“Mr. Slater,” greeted Mason with a nod. “Good to meet you. I’m Mason Grant.”
She saw respect in the tiger’s eyes, but there was also a hint of apprehension. Most people feared Bracken after what he’d done to the extremists. He’d gotten to men who couldn’t be gotten to. Found a compound that couldn’t be found. Killed people who were allegedly untouchable. And Bracken had earned himself a reputation as a most adept, indomitable, pitiless predator who would go to any lengths to get revenge . . . and woe befall anyone who blocked his path.
Not that he’d ever really been as laid-back as some people thought. What was it his Alpha female, Shaya, had once said to her?
“Very few people truly understand Bracken. He can be easygoing and playful, and he doesn’t argue much because it’s hard to offend him, but he’s got a temper that runs cold. I watched him beat the shit out of a guy, and not once did his expression show anything but utter indifference. I’ve seen him defeat an opponent with nothing but a punch to the temple and then go on about his day like it never happened. Bracken doesn’t explode. He becomes ice.”
Well, he’d lost the easygoing and playful side that Shaya had talked about. Sad as it was, there was rarely any . . . life in his eyes. Staring into them sometimes felt like looking in an open grave. Right at that moment, though, they were glittering with fury.
“Madisyn. What. Happened?” Bracken demanded, dominance radiating from him.
“Nothing I couldn’t deal with.”
“Miss Drake was confronted by sows in the restroom,” Mason cut in.
Bracken’s eyes sliced to the tiger. “Confronted?” he bit out. “Sows plural?”
“Yes, there were three. One of them felt she had a claim to the male Miss Drake was dancing with. She handled the situation. In fact, she was the only one standing when my security guard went to investigate a noise complaint.”
Bracken turned back to her. “Wait a minute. You got into a fight with three bears?”
“Not on purpose,” said Madisyn.
He snapped his teeth. “Where are they?”
“Sitting in a pool of shame.”
Rounding on the tiger, Bracken scowled. “Why didn’t you tell my Alpha this? You said she got caught up in an altercation.”
Mason sighed. “If I’d said that someone under your pack’s protection was attacked, a whole bunch of you would have appeared, ready to crush whoever harmed her. There was no need. Miss Drake defeated all three of them. We have CCTV. Even without audio, it was evident she acted in self-defense. She threw the first punch, yes, but they’d cornered her—all she did was make a preemptive strike. I banned the sows from the club and sent them on their way.”
“You’re not barring me too?” Madisyn asked.
Mason frowned. “For defending yourself? No.” He leaned forward, looking the height of concern. “It’s possible the bear clan will seek retribution—particularly since you’re a lone shifter, and you delivered a beating to the pride of three highly dominant females. It will be hard for them to let that go.” He plucked a business card out of the box on his desk. “If they give you trouble, call me.”
Bracken bristled, and his wolf bared his teeth. It was an honest-to-God struggle for him not to fist the tiger’s hair and slam his head on his own desk. “If she has trouble, she can call me or one of my pack mates.”
Mason shrugged and sank back into his chair. “It never hurts to have more friends.”
Yeah, but Bracken could see that Mason was interested in being much more than Madisyn’s friend. Which was her business, Bracken reminded himself. It was nothing to him. Not a thing.
“Let’s go,” Bracken told her. Crossing to the door, he yanked it open and tipped his chin for her to exit first. She didn’t rush. No, like any cat, she moved at her own pace. His wolf pushed up against his skin to be closer to her; he liked to watch her. Liked how she walked with poise, confidence, and a light-footed grace that had a note of catlike haughtiness.