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“Interesting….” The alpha glanced between them. Then settled on her. “Exactly, what are you doing here?” Olcan moved closer to her, then signaled for Shota to let her go. “Going against what your shifter protector commanded?”
She crossed her arms, rubbing the spots where she’d been restrained.
“It’s scary out there. I’ve been attacked, marked, stolen from. My friend’s been murdered by vampires—vampires—and my co-worker turned into one. And the man I’ve come to…to…care for, the only person I think I can trust, is a shifter who’s kept me alive even knowing—knowing my issues, and I guess I’m a little protective, too.”
“He needs protection.” Shota started laughing again.
Kodiak’s eyes narrowed. “Watch your mouth or I’ll rip your heart out. And I think Tamaska might enjoy seeing that.”
Her stomach heaved even as a bolt of excitement ran through her. He’d kill her for. It was horrible, vile and…weirdly romantic.
“I’m protective because he’s all I’ve got. He’s the one person who will keep me alive. But, I don’t want him to lose his pack, so I’ll go.”
Olcan shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.
“She won’t last out there with the vampires hunting her.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her in close, his touch firm and gentle. “So she’s not going anywhere. I’ll walk after this. I’ll do what the fuck you want. But she lives. She stays safe. After all, isn’t our duty to protect humans?”
“They’re after us now,” Olcan said.
“She’s been marked by Amdis.” He lifted her arm and pointed to the blood-colored tattoo in the shape of the moon.
Olcan walked closer and peered at the mark. “Fuck. I didn’t realize.”
Tamaska shivered.
“See, I wasn’t wrong to protect her,” said Kodiak. He let go of her arm and stood close to her. The warmth of his body soothed her fear. She wanted his arms around her, wanted to forget what was happening.
“This is all about that damned Blood Opal,” said Olcan. “Did you find it, by any chance?”
“No,” said Kodiak. “Close, but we were attacked, which is why I had to kill more of those vamps. We had to flee to the hut. I was injured. If there was another way out of this, I’d take it, but that mark, Olcan… We need to work together to help her, and for whatever reason, there’s a connection between us and the Blood Opal. We won’t find it if we don’t work together.”
“I don’t like this at all.” Olcan frowned. “We can’t let humans know we exist.”
“I’m not going to go around announcing it,” Tamaska said. “I don’t feel like being locked up. I’m also not about to talk about magic gems and tattoos and vampires, either.”
“This isn’t safe, Kodiak.” Olcan shook his head, then ran a hand through his hair. “We can’t look after her here, not with the vampires attacking.”
“Are they after her, or us?” asked Kodiak. “I’m thinking both.”
Olcan shrugged. “Until you arrived, I thought us, but now I’m thinking it might be a trap.”
“What do you mean?” asked Kodiak.
“They’re leading you here because they want her.”
“Why?” Tamaska whispered.
“We might have found that out already if they weren’t keeping us busy with their attacks.”
Tamaska wanted nothing more than to run. Problem was, she got the feeling there was nowhere to run to, not with the mark on her. Not with these attacks.
Oh, for her old life, free of supernatural bullshit. She wanted to laugh at the idea of them being worried she’d tell people, because apart from the whole disbelief of it all, who the hell would want to be part of a world fraught with danger like this?
Real, everyday danger she could deal with. This?
She suppressed a shudder.
Tamaska should run.
