Primal Heat(Wild Lake Wolves Book 3)(34)

       
           



       

Bas arced through the air, suspended for a moment in time. He was power,  grace, and ruthless violence all at once. With a great swipe of his  paw, he had Dale down on the ground. Blood sprayed from the tear in his  shoulder, landing across my nose in a red arc. Then, Bas sank his fangs  into Dale's neck, tearing the jugular with one brutal bite.

Dale's death howl cut through me with a power to haunt me for the rest  of my life. Then, his fierce golden eyes went dark, staring at hell and  nothing.





Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dean Stockard's office was bathed in blood. Dale's broken body shifted  in death, caught between his wolf and the tattered man. Alec's white  wolf stood over him. But Bas shifted, rising to his full height.

He turned to me, diving across the space between us he slid to his knees in front of me.

"Abby?"

I nodded but even the effort of that burned acid through my dislocated shoulder. Bas's eyes went wide. "Hold still."

He moved so fast I didn't have a chance to register his intentions or  protest. He put one hand on my back, the other on my upper arm. He  popped the joint back into place. One beat. Two. Then I screamed for all  I was worth. But, the pain became instantly manageable.

"I'm okay," I gasped when I had enough breath to do so.

Bas pulled me to him, cradling my head against his chest.

"How?" It was all I could manage.

"I had a hunch. I don't know. Something didn't seem right. You coming  here felt like a trap." As he held me against him, his eyes blazed fury  as he looked at Dean Stockard.

Stockard huddled against the wall. A dark patch spread across the front of his tan trousers. The man had pissed himself.

"I didn't. I swear to God. Mr. Thorp said he just had some questions. He  said the congressman sent him. I didn't know what he was."

Bas rose to his full height, towering over the dean. He was strong and  sure, his muscles coiled, ready to strike again. But, he also didn't  have a stitch of clothing on. I think that terrified the dean as much as  what he'd just seen.

I grabbed the wrecked bookshelf and pulled myself to my feet. Alec came  to my side. I reached down and sunk my hand into the soft fur of his  neck, drawing strength from his powerful presence as much as Bas's. My  wolves. My protectors.

"Well," I said. "It seems now you know what he was. And now you know  what you sent me into at the congressman's office. Like you said. You've  spent years cultivating a relationship between your program and his  office. You're lucky I survived it. From what I understand, there's  another student who ended up ruined by his experiences there. I think  Lud Morris might like to give a statement as well once I track him  down."

Bas's eyebrow raised as he followed my line of thought. He folded his  arms and looked back at poor Stockard trembling on the floor.

"I didn't. My God. I haven't . . ."

"Mr. Stockard, do you like your lungs?" My legs were still shaky, but  with Alec keeping me steady, I took a step forward. He bared his fangs  for effect as we got closer to the dean. Bas's lip twitched as I knew he  suppressed a smile.

"What?"

I leaned down, keeping my hand on Alec's neck as if I had to strain to  hold him back. A fat drop of saliva fell from one of his fangs and  landed on the dean's shoe.

"I said, do you like your lungs?"

The dean looked from Alec to Bas to me again. Then he nodded like a bobblehead doll.

"Good. So. If you'd like to keep them today, and if you'd like to keep  me from exposing the risk you put me in by sending me to Foster's, I  think maybe you'll want to reconsider that letter of reprimand."

Stockard kept on nodding, his mouth gaping.

"In fact, I think you might do well to replace it with a glowing  recommendation both from you and the congressman. I'm sure when he hears  about what happened here today, he might see me in an entirely new  light."

Stockard swallowed and forced a smile. "Of course. Anything. Yes. We . . . we were quite wrong."

Bas put out a hand, sensing my unsteadiness. He helped me rise to my feet.

"I think we're done here," I said, linking my right arm with Bas's and  keeping my left hand on Alec's back as the three of us stepped over the  dean and walked out of his office.

I made it a half a dozen steps down the hallway, then neatly threw up into one of Stockard's potted plants.





Chapter Twenty-Eight

Alec mimicked me puking into the plant for about the tenth time as they  regaled the rest of the pack with everything that happened back at  Stockard's office. I sat in Bas's lap, resting my head against his  shoulder. My hand flew up to my mouth as I tried to stifle a yawn.                       
       
           



       

We'd gathered back at the Wild Lake lodge. Seth had prepared a huge wild  game dinner, and my wolves had gorged themselves for hours. The pack  was together, happy, healthy, whole.

"That's all well and good," I said. "But I'm still out of a job."

"Oh, I'm fairly certain there's an opening at W.L.O. How do you feel  about corporate law after you graduate?" Bas said. I shook my head and  lobbed a roll at him. The effort of doing it brought an ache across my  back from my injured shoulder.

Sensing my growing exhaustion, Bas smiled, nipped my ear, and carried me up the stairs to the master bedroom.

"Oh, no," I said as he stretched me out on the bed. "I'm spent. Wrecked. You can't possibly think I've got anything left."

Bas smiled as he peeled off his shirt and shed his jeans. I couldn't  even think about doing the same. My shoulder was wrapped in a sling, but  still throbbed. Bas hooked his fingers through the loops of my jeans  and pulled me gently forward. Wordlessly, he unfastened them and slid  them off me. Mercifully, he left my t-shirt alone.

He spread my legs and entered me slowly, gently, but filling me completely.

"Hush," he said as he smoothed the hair away from my face.

And he was right. I was tired, but I still needed him like this as much as air in my lungs.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked. "Things got a little intense back there."

"I'm more than all right. You came for me, Bas."

"Always, my love. And God, Abby, you were incredible afterward. You sure you don't have a little bit of wolf in you?"

I laughed then winced at the pain shooting through my shoulder. "Well,  Mr. Lanier, don't sell yourself short. Just at the moment, I have quite a  lot of wolf in me."

He buried his face in my hair and snorted with laughter.

"I love you," he said. His eyes flashed silver when he looked into mine again.

"I love you, too."

"Are you sure you want this? Granted, the last couple of weeks have been  a little more intense than usual, but I'm not going to lie to you and  say life with a pack of werewolves will ever be dull. And I wasn't  kidding about the corporate job. And don't think I'm doing you any  favors. It's a tough gig. But, I think you're suited for it. Plus, I'll  fire your ass in a heartbeat if you slack off."

He leaned down and nipped my uninjured shoulder.

"Mmm." I carved my fingers through his hair and tilted his head down so I  could lean up and kiss him. "I think I can get used to it you and your  wolves. But, maybe we could take it easy, at least for a little while."

"I'll try." Bas moved in me, sending a wave of pleasure through me.

I smoothed my hand down his back. "It's not all the way over though, is it?"

I'd seen looks pass between Alec and Bas all night. Something had him on edge still. He'd tried to shield me from it.

Bas stayed inside of me, but he brought his weight up on his elbows. "It's Kane," he said.

I bit my lip. I'd been afraid he'd say that. "You think he knew Dale was coming after me?"

Bas pursed his lips together. "Dale should have been long gone and out  of the state if Kane had done what he promised immediately. So, either  Kane didn't banish Dale. Or it was something worse. He gave him  permission to stay. Either way, Dale never would have been there this  morning if Kane had kept his promise. Best case scenario, it means I  can't trust him. Worst case scenario, he's working with whoever Dale  was."

My heart stuttered. "God. You mean directly against the Wild Lake packs?"

"I don't know for sure."

"What are you going to do?"

Bas kissed my forehead. "Don't worry, my love. You don't have to take on all the pack problems on your first day."

I slapped Bas's ass. "Don't do that. Tell me. I'm in this, Bas. All the way."

He smiled and kissed me soundly. Then, he flipped me so I straddled him.  It got harder and harder to concentrate on the conversation.

"If I challenge Kane outright, I have to be prepared for the  consequences. I have to take him out. If I take him out, I inherit his  pack. I'm not sure I want to do that. The dynamic of this pack is about  as perfect as I can make it."