Wolf Fur Hire(31)
Vera canted her head, her strange, blue and gold-colored eyes narrowing on him. “Where is the growling and the bleeding and the head-slapping then?”
“If you mean the side effects, he did his bleeding all over the ice in front of my cabin,” Nicole said helpfully, scrunching up her nose at the memory. “It’ll probably draw all the predators within a two mile range.”
“Huh.” Vera pursed her lips and leaned forward, sniffing Link. “You still smell broken.”
Link made a clicking sound and pushed past her into the house. “Let us in, woman. We’re freezing.”
He tugged Nicole’s hand, but Vera stopped her just inside in a gentle game of tug-of-war. She hugged her close and murmured against her ear, “Is he okay?”
“It’s touch and go,” Nicole whispered as she hugged Vera snuggly. “Thanks for trying to help us.”
“We’re going to be friends.”
Nicole laughed and gave her another squeeze before she released her. “I’d like that.”
Link wore a tight-lipped smile, as though he’d heard every word of their whispered conversation. Of course he had—Wolf heard everything. He angled her shoulders toward the three giant mountain men gathering in the entryway, then introduced her to Ian, Jenner, and Tobias, one-by-one. And then she met Elyse with her honey-hued hair, green eyes, and long red scar down her cheekbone. Nicole did her best not to stare, because she knew what it was like to have a mark that drew people’s constant attention. Still, Link had told her how she’d gotten it. His brother, Miller, had marked Elyse with an ax blade because she’d fought like a demon to protect Ian while he was hibernating. Elyse had single-handedly waged a war with the McCalls, and when she’d called out to Link for help, he’d turned on his own pack to protect her. Nicole couldn’t imagine the pain Elyse had endured to have a mark like that.#p#分页标题#e#
Lena was next with her easy smile, dark hair dyed auburn at the tips. She wore a camera around her neck, as if at any moment, a picture opportunity would present itself.
“It’s so nice to meet you all,” Nicole said nervously as Link helped her out of her jacket. “Of course, I already feel like I know you from how much Link talks about you.”
“Well, Link has stayed quiet about you,” Ian said, clapping her gently on the back.
She gasped at the pain from her new bite and lurched forward. Link snarled and yanked her behind him as he placed himself between her and Ian. “Back the fuck off, bear.”
Ian looked face-slapped. “What did I do?”
“Ours. Touch her again, and I’ll rip your fucking throat out.”
“Wolf,” Nicole whispered, running her hands up the back of his sweater. “He accidentally touched the bite. I’m okay. Look.” She turned him slowly and waited until he ripped his furious gaze from Ian. “I’m really okay. He didn’t know.”
“Bite?” Elyse asked, hope infused in the word. She clasped her hands in front of her mouth as her eyes welled with emotion. “Did Link claim you?”
Link swallowed hard and tugged at the loose neck of her sweater until the bandage he’d doctored her with was exposed. “Ours,” he said in a softer tone.
Breaking the thick silence that followed, Jenner said, “Beer. This calls for beer because our little weird-ass pack just grew by one.” He disappeared into an open kitchen with gleaming granite countertops and wooden cabinets that matched the log walls.
Tobias gripped Link’s shoulder and shook him slowly, a big grin plastered across his face. “Are you serious man?”
Link snapped at him, clacking his teeth together mere millimeters away from Tobias’s hand before Tobias yanked it back with lightning quick reflexes.
Tobias’s grin didn’t falter. “Damn.” He swung his wide, green eyes to Nicole. “You must be something special.”
“She is,” Link agreed, relaxing under her palms.
Slowly, they all trickled into a dining room with a sprawling table under a pair of moose antler chandeliers.
“Wow,” she gasped out, holding Link’s hand as he led her into the space. The roof pitched high here, making the room with its dark log walls feel bigger.
Tobias turned and explained, “When we all worked to build this house together, it was nothing but a two-room shack that had nearly collapsed. We used that foundation for the living room, but we realized none of the other houses on the property had a place to gather in that would be big enough for all of us for dinners, holidays—”
“When we start breeding,” Elyse added, smiling up at Ian. “We wanted a space big enough to host all of us, even when we have cubs someday.”