Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“I have to admit I was surprised you didn’t race right over here.”
“Give me the girls,” Nick simply repeated.
“But I’m having fun.”
“Because you’re twisted. Not my problem.”
Hector’s eyes went hard. “I suppose it’s a good thing that you’re standing together as a unit to die. If you shift forms and start running now, you’d make it to safety.”
“We don’t run.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“If you detonate those bombs, you’ll kill us all,” Derren pointed out.
“I’ll be far away from here when that happens,” Hector told him. “See, there are three ways to detonate them. One, tamper with the vests. Two, use the triggers, which I can do remotely using this.” He held up his cell phone. “Or three, wait for the timers to run out and do the job for me. In other words, there’s no way at all for you to help the little ones. No way to save yourselves, unless you choose to abandon them.”
Sensing someone behind her, Harley twisted with a snarl, even though she recognized the scent. She and her cat were simply wound too tight.
Cain, looking much calmer than she felt, whispered, “I might be able to defuse the vests.” At her arched brow, he continued, “Let’s just say I’ve built a lot of bombs. I won’t know how complicated these are until I’ve seen them up close. I have no chance of doing that until Hector releases the pups. He doesn’t seem inclined to do that yet. When he does, I won’t have much time to defuse the vests. I need you to do what margays do best, Harley.”
Oh, her cat sure loved that idea.
Jesse went rigid. “Hector has guards.”
“And they’re watching what’s happening on the ground,” said Cain. “They won’t think to look up. It’s doubtful that they’d sense her.”
Jesse gritted his teeth. It was easy for Cain to be so blasé about it because Harley wasn’t his mate; she wasn’t his to protect and care for. It wasn’t Cain who would fall apart without her.
Harley held Jesse’s tortured gaze. “I’m going,” she said firmly but quietly. “Yes, I could be hurt. But if I don’t try to help, we all die anyway.”
“He’s going to drive away any minute now. The moment he’s far enough away not to feel the backlash of the bombs, he’ll press the triggers,” Cain pointed out. “We don’t have time to wait around.”
Harley nodded. “He won’t need to press the triggers; these are time bombs.” She could see the numbers on the little LED screens.
Cain grimaced. “I don’t know if they’re really linked to the explosives or if they’re there to fuck with our heads—I mean, why give us the luxury of knowing how much time we have? In any case, we still have little time.”
Harley squeezed Jesse’s hand. “I can do this.” Since they were at the rear of the large group, Hector wouldn’t hear her shifting—especially while he and Nick were arguing.
“I know you can do it,” Jesse said gruffly, stroking his thumb over her claiming mark. “I just don’t want you to have to.”
She gave him a quick, hard kiss. “Watch my back.”
“Always.” Once she was gone, he’d move to the front of the crowd so he was standing behind Nick and Shaya. Then if something went wrong, he could intervene. As she started to strip, Jesse shot Cain a cold look. “Turn around.”
With a roll of his eyes, the wolf did.
Harley braced herself, knowing the shift was going to hurt like a bitch thanks to all her injuries. “I should have let Ally heal me.”
“Yes, you damn well should have.”
Bones popped and cracked as she shifted; the noises made some glance over their shoulders. Understanding flashed in their eyes, and they quickly faced front.
As the little cat stretched, getting comfortable in her skin, Jesse crouched down and stroked his hand down her back. “Hey, kitty.” He scratched her head. “Be careful.”
With a low purr, the cat rubbed her flank against his leg to leave her scent on her mate. She didn’t like him being around strange wolves—especially the females—but the pups were in danger. She stayed low to the ground as she padded to the nearest tree. Satisfied she hadn’t been seen, she leapt onto the branch above.
Silently the cat crept along the branch as she hunted her prey. He was close but not close enough. She could hear him. See him. Her upper lip curled.
She swung and leapt from one tree to another, moving closer and closer to her prey. So close that she could scent him now—he smelled of decay and corruption.
He said, “You thought I wanted the eagles to take you all out, Nick, didn’t you? No. They were just to keep you busy. I can kill all of you with the single press of a button.”
“That doesn’t make you powerful,” said the Alpha male.