Therian Prize(86)
“I’m fine.” She waved away his concern but could no longer keep her eyes open. “Love you. Just so…tired.”
* * * * *
When Heather awoke she was alone in bed and the room was still dark. She looked around for a clock but didn’t see one. It had been late morning when they returned from the clinic. Despite the importance of her definition, the entire process hadn’t taken more than an hour. But she had no idea how long she’d slept.
Dismissing the useless speculation, she flipped back the covers and crawled out of bed. The television was on and Jake had fallen asleep on the sofa, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. According to the cable box, it was 1:38 a.m.
Jake had been running nearly nonstop since he found her in the alley behind his bar. She didn’t want to spend the night without him, but she’d wake him after she showered and found something to eat. Her stomach was cramping, she was so hungry.
Deciding that her hunger wouldn’t wait, she hurried back to the bedroom and found Jake’s t-shirt. It covered her to mid-thigh, which was adequate for making a sandwich. She paused on her way through the living room, unable to resist another look at her mate. With his features relaxed by sleep, he looked younger and even more attractive.
Her tigress paced restlessly, annoyed by the long period of inactivity. Heather would have to see if Jake knew a way to let her tigress off her leash.
With a contented sigh, she dragged her gaze away from Jake and walked into the kitchen. The house was surprisingly open. Floor plans from this era tended to be chopped up and boxy. Digging through the refrigerator, she retrieved what she’d need to make a sandwich. She arranged everything on the counter and reached for the loaf of bread.
A chill raced down her spine and her tigress roared. The glass door exploded inward, propelled by a patio chair. Shards of glass showered the dining room and sections of the kitchen. Heather jumped back, too stunned to do more than scream.
Two massive wolves leapt into the dining room, followed immediately by her father. Two additional wolves entered after Nate but Heather’s attention was drawn to the gun in his hand.
“Where is Dhane?” He stomped across the kitchen, gun directed at her face.
Jake jumped over the back of the sofa, transforming in midair. The tiger roared so loudly it hurt Heather’s ears, but she didn’t shift her gaze from her father’s angry face.
“Tell him to back off or I’ll break your arm.” He grabbed her wrist with his free hand, viciously twisting until she cried out.
Dread spread through Heather like cancer. The ruthless gleam in her father’s gaze made it easy to believe him. “Jake. Not yet.” She could feel Jake’s lethal fury so she sent the warning across their private link as well.
He didn’t speak, didn’t distract her from the threat, yet he calmed down enough to send encouragement into her mind. He growled low and long then snapped at the nearest wolf.
“Like Landon, you’re now dead to me.” Bitterness hardened each word as he released her wrist and shoved her back a step. “All I want is Dhane.”
“I don’t know where he is.” She stared into her father’s eyes feeling…nothing but pity. For the first time in her life she saw Nate Fitzroy without the filter of a daughter’s love. He was selfish and cruel and disloyal. And she would do nothing to help him.
He grabbed her throat and moved the gun closer to her face. “You worthless—”
Jake leapt across the kitchen and knocked Nate to the floor with one swipe of his powerful paw. The gun went off but the bullet lodged harmlessly in an upper cupboard. The wolves closed in, growling menacingly as they took up strategic positions. Two angled their bodies, blocking the only retreat. One guarded the shattered glass door while the other jumped onto the breakfast bar, the counter nearest Heather.
Her father lay at her feet, moaning. He’d let go of the gun as he fell and it lay a short distance away. His back was laid open from shoulder to waist and blood from the four deep grooves quickly soaked his shirt. Heather bent and snatched the gun off the floor, pointing it at the wolves.
“Get out!”
The wolf on the counter bared its teeth and snarled. The others quickly echoed the sound.
Heather nudged her father with her foot. “Tell them to leave.”
“Fuck you,” he muttered, then, “Attack!”
The wolves on the floor jumped together, attacking Jake. The lead wolf, crouching on the breakfast bar, leapt for Heather but she ducked and the wolf hit the wall. The wolf by the glass door joined the fray, jumping onto Jake’s back as the others continued their assault. Snarls, growls and yelps overlapped as the combatants rolled and twisted. Jaws snapped and claws slashed in a blur of fur and sharp teeth.