Waking the Beast(28)

“I’ll feed you soon, Abby,” he told her. “Promise.”

“Abby? As in Abby Lane?”

Tah could feel Abby’s emotions as they tumbled through her eyes. She nipped her bottom lip with her teeth and that hand automatically dipped down to rub over the scar that marred her perfect skin.

“Abby, I’m sure you remember Logan and Reno,” he said.

She nodded and he fought the need to go to her, to take her in his arms and rub against her until his scent dominated hers, marking her as his, and only his. He wanted to hold her and diminish the uncertainty he sensed she felt. He was deeply afraid if he didn’t get a handle on this soon, he’d find himself pissing circles around her and wouldn’t that just freak them out even more.

He was fighting within himself, and he wasn’t sure if he was winning or losing. All he knew was Abby was the key to soothing the beast that fought inside him, and she kept Tah sane at a time when he worried it would be far too easy to lose it.

“Good to see you again, Abby,” Reno offered with a smile.

I bet she’s a hot little bit under all those clothes.

He remembered the first week she’d shown up at the bar and Reno saying those words. Tah had been surprised to find himself irritated enough to tell Reno to leave her alone. Remembering those words now just pissed him off.

All eyes turned to him.

Fuck. He was growling again.

Abby crossed to him and put her arm around his waist, cuddling up to his side. God love her, she knew exactly what he needed, sometimes before he did.

“I think maybe you need to start telling us exactly what’s going on,” Reno demanded.#p#分页标题#e#

“And what the hell’s up with that growl,” Logan added.

“Yeah,” Tah agreed. “Sit back down and get comfortable. This is going to sound about as insane as it can. Just try to keep an open mind and hear me out.”

“We got your back,” Logan stated, and Tah didn’t doubt it for a bit.

They’d been Marines together and spent plenty of time guarding each other’s backs. But the bonds formed in the situations they’d been in were forged in blood and lasted a lifetime, probably beyond a lifetime. He hadn’t batted an eyelash when Reno and Logan had shown up at the bar he worked at and hired on. They were his brothers—along with the seven other team members Tah was already considering getting in touch with if needed. That was part of the problem. He still was so uncertain, and he hated it.

“Just listen. No matter how much you want to interrupt, to protest, or deny. Just listen and look. I need you guys to hear me. I need you…”

“To believe him,” Abby finished for him when he let the last sentence hang in the air. She rubbed her cheek against him, offering comfort and support.

What would he do without her? He prayed he never found out. He could feel the something inside him agreeing.

“Abby and I were kidnapped.” He saw both his friends tense up but neither spoke. They were listening like he’d asked them to. “He hung me to a wall and beat the shit out of me and plunged a needle full of adrenaline into my chest.”

“Jesus, Tah.” Logan ran his gaze over Tah, and he knew just what his buddy was seeing. He didn’t look like he’d been beat up just a few days ago, and he’d been purposely vague about the ways they’d beat him. “A shot of adrenaline? You’re lucky you’re not dead.”

He cradled Abby as he felt her shudder against him. “I’m fine,” he crooned to her. No matter the battle he waged inside and tried to hide from her.

“There’s more,” Reno prompted. “Hell, I can see the physical changes from here. There’re blond streaks in your hair, maybe a little red too. I swear I think you’re bigger than you were, and that’s saying something.”

“Then there’s the wicked teeth you’re sporting and that growl thing you seem to have down pat,” Logan added.

“And was that fucking roar from you when you busted the door open?” Reno demanded.

“I swear I thought we were getting attacked by a lion or some other big fucking cat. Scared the shit out of me,” Logan confessed.

“You have no idea,” Tah muttered.

“Maybe it would help if I told you a story first,” Abby said and, with a rub of her palm over his chest, moved across the room to sit on the bed facing Reno and Logan.

“What kind of story?” Logan asked.

Tah couldn’t help himself. It was as if the beast inside him had a primal need to touch Abby when any other man was around. Tah might trust Logan and Reno, but whatever was inside him didn’t share in that. He crossed to them, lifted Abby up, and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. Abby just sighed and settled back against his chest.