Or shock.
I laugh unintentionally. “I think I’m losing it, Garrett.”
“You have reason to, but I’ve got you now, and we’re getting out of here. Both of us.”
“And the others?”
Silence. He can’t help them.
And I shouldn’t put that burden on him, not when this mess is my doing, not his. Saving my victims is on me to figure out.
My eyes find Garrett. His jaw clenches as he takes in my condition. I can’t even save myself.
“I understand.”
When he lets go of me, I stumble, unable to bear weight on my right hip.
“I’ve got you.” He pulls me in against his torso and wraps those muscular arms around me. I’m not sure if he’s holding me against him to warm me or give me the chance to regain my sense of balance. I’ve been stuffed in the crate for nearly ten hours, which makes standing painful, but not impossible. I just need a few minutes to center myself.
“Which one’s Schneider?” Garrett asks as he peers through the glass window.
“The taller of the two.”
“Hard to tell which is which when they’re sitting.”
Admittedly, they both look the same from back here. “The one with the belt buckle that has a dent in the bottom left corner.”
“That’s oddly specific.”
“Spent too much time on my knees in front of his dick not to notice.”
The sharp inhale tells me I’ve said too much.
“They’ll pay for ever touching you,” he whispers in my ear before kissing my cheek, easing me to the floor, then wrapping the tarp around me. “Don’t move. Stay hidden.”
“And think warm thoughts?”
“Precisely.”
I pull my knees up against my chest, watching as this handsome, muscular male—with thick, black hair that I’d love to weave my fingers through—shifts into the most gorgeous silverwolf I’ve ever seen. Dark silver and black fur covers him everywhere except his belly, legs, and chest which are mostly white. As for his shift…. damn, he’s wicked fast, as in alpha-fast.
Garrett’s hackles rise the length of his back, down to his tail, turning an already impressive wolf into one that will no doubt send the humans running. He’s fearless and ready to charge into battle.
And what do I do? Hug my legs to my chest and focus on keeping my neck from touching the fucking spikes in the collar. I’m useless, but I can’t let myself drown in self-pity. I have to make it out of here alive, if only to make up for what I’ve done.
The roll door suddenly flies upward. Sun reflecting off snow blinds me for a moment, but there’s no mistaking the sound of bullets spraying the inside of the truck. I flatten myself to the floor as Garrett leaps from the truck.
Seconds later, the forest falls quiet. For a moment, I wonder if I just hallucinated the barrage of bullets, but the very real hole in the crate next to me tells me I didn’t.
It’s a death trap in here, and the quiet… it’s unsettling. I leave my hidey-hole and venture out, praying Garrett’s safe.
Blood-stained snow surrounds the truck, but there are no bodies. Only a silver wolf pacing between the trees, his face and torso matted with blood.
“Garrett?” I call out.
His wolf stops pacing and those teal eyes lock on me as I shuffle toward him. Standing still makes the burn of the snow against my bare feet intensify for several breaths before the fire fades to tiny pricks. I don’t understand how my wolf has any energy left to protect my feet. She’s been trapped for months, unable to run, to connect with the earth.
I drop to my knees in front of Garrett and sink my hand into his blood-matted fur. “It’s okay, Garrett. You can shift back now. Unless… unless you need to leave. I can find my way from here.”
