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Jess rubbed her wrists absently and my eyes followed the movement. “She was trying not to scare me.” I nodded, expecting nothing less from Sam, as I stepped closer to Jess and she swayed toward me. “I told her I knew you and she looked, well, she looked shocked to be honest.” My lip curled, amused in spite of the situation. I captured her hand as her fingers curled into her palm. I tugged her sleeve up, hissing when I saw the red blisters covering her forearms. I carefully brushed my fingers over the injuries, lifting her hand, about to lick the wounds when she spoke, her voice shaky.
“She said you were right,” Jess blurted out, freezing me in place. “And that you could do worse.” She sounded uncertain, clearly not understanding what Sam meant, but I knew she’d somehow picked up on the mark I’d placed on Jess. I dropped Jess’s hand and spun away, as I realized I’d endangered Jess.
“Ignore her,” I muttered, pacing restlessly in front of her. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” I paused and glanced at Jess. “Except for the fact that you’re not safe here. She was right about that.” I glanced over her shoulder and sighed as I spotted Caleb and Anna. “Finally,” I grumbled.
“Where were you that you even saw her?” I accused, turning on her with a hot glare. “That you were in danger?” I stalked toward her as my anger grew at the idea of her placing herself in danger.
“The store,” she whispered, holding her ground. “The store. We needed groceries. I was with my dad,” she spoke louder, her voice growing stronger as she stood up to me and some of my anger diminished.
“Is your Dad okay?” I checked and she nodded after a moment’s pause. It was then I realized she thought her Dad could protect her from the Hanleys.
“He wasn’t with me when I ran into her,” Jess admitted and I arched an eyebrow curiously. She exhaled in exasperation. “I was getting feminine products,” she explained in a rush, but I didn’t notice as my thoughts went once again to my sister and the fact that she’d saved Jess.
“Was she okay?”
Jess nodded, eyeing me carefully, and I wiped all the emotion off my face as Caleb and Anna came closer. “Don’t mention this,” I ordered, barely giving her time to nod before I lifted her into the Jeep. My hands settled around her waist, my thumb hooked under her sweater and I rubbed the exposed skin.
“Also, don’t go anywhere without one of us,” I warned in a low murmur just loud enough for her to hear.
***
Dinner with Dad was rough as I told him everything Jess had mentioned about Sam.
“A grandson,” he repeated for the thousandth time. “Another Navarre.” He wiped his face. “And I’ve never met him.”
“We will,” I vowed, tightening my hand around my fork. “One way or another we will.”
“Tread carefully, Dom,” Dad advised, his face drawn. “I don’t want to lose you because of a war with the Hanleys.”
“You won’t,” I promised thickly. “But they’ve taken too much from us. I won’t let them take anything else.”
***
“Got an intruder,” Trent reported over our link and I raced toward him from where I’d been patrolling on the south, the same area I’d lost the Hanley mutt earlier.
When I got to the motel, I didn’t spot Trent at first, expecting him to be on the border of the motel property. I scanned the area, picking up on his shadowy form as it skulled toward the apartment. “What is he doing?” I questioned internally, horror dawning when I realized one of the Hanleys was at their door. Snarls ripped through the air as Trent snapped at the hind leg of the wolf and it twisted, catching him on the shoulder.
I sprinted toward them, not noticing the wolf coming at me until it slammed into me. We went rolling in a tangle of fur and snapping teeth and I pinned the smaller wolf, but a yelp from Trent distracted me, and the Hanley pup slipped from my grip. I chased him around the back, growling deep in my throat as I charged him.
Trent herded the other wolf toward me, trapping them between us. They quickly realized they were in danger of being killed and turning, they targeted me, both wolves leaping as I twisted, trying to keep them from my throat. I bucked trying to get one off my back, as the other raked at my unprotected belly.
Trent was there in a second, biting the one attacking my stomach as I slammed my back into the side of the motel, stunning the wolf clinging to my back and finally shaking him loose.
I turned on him with a snarl, but the other wolf had broken loose from Trent and was again trying to tear my throat out. I sank my teeth into his haunch, and he gave a high pitched keening whine that caught the other wolf’s attention. He knocked into me as Trent scrambled to grab one of them and I lost my grip. They took off for the forest as Trent and I pursued them, but it was pointless. They’d crossed at the closest point in the border and going onto their land was a risky move since I didn’t have Pack support. Plus, it would leave Jess unprotected, something they seemed to want.
