Lanie


    We pulled up to a run-down motel off the mountain road a couple of hourster.


    Night had fallen by now, and some gruff-looking men were camped out outside of a room, in the dark. | was suddenly d Ste


    wasn’t with us.


    chain-smoking


    “We''re in human territory now,” Zane said, turning off the car. “We''re less likely to be recognized at a ce


    like this.”


    “Yeah, less likely to be recognized. ..but more likely to be killed in our sleep,” | said.


    Zane snorted out augh. “I''d like to see those guys even try toy a hand on you,” he said, nodding to the smoking men. “TIl f


    uck ’em up so quick, they won''t know what hit them.”


    It was my turn tough.


    “Hey now,” Zane said, looking affronted. “You don’t think | can take them?”


    | raised my eyebrow at him. “Chill out, big man. | know you can.”


    We both sat there in silence for a second, looking at each other and smirking. It felt nice to be here with Zane justughing and


    giving each other s hit. Being alone with him reminded me how easy things always


    were between us.


    “I''ll be right back with the room key,” he said, and | watched him run into the office


    | thought about staying in the car until he came back, but it seemed like a silly thing to do when | could be unloading. He wouldn''t


    be that long anyway.


    | popped the trunk and leaned in, pulling out our bags.


    “What brings you here, littledy?” | heard a throaty voice say behind me.


    The hair on the back of my neck stood up. | turned around slowly, and one of the smoking men was


    sauntering up to me.


    “Just need a ce to stay.” | said firmly, shutting the trunk and walking toward the office.


    S hit. Zane and | had literally just joked about this, but suddenly the idea of these mening any closer


    wasn''t the least bit funny.


    But as soon as | started moving, | was suddenly surrounded. All the men who''d been sitting in the shadows were standing ina


    circle around me and for a moment, | thought they might be wolves, the way they were circling me like prey.


    Did they recognize us after all? Were they going to take me away to the facility and trap me there, too?


    | took a deep breath in. No wolf scent.


    Could |, though? Sure, | was a wolf with wolf strength, but | rarely had to use it in a fight. Plus, | could onlypel them one at a


    time, | might not be able to stop all three of them quickly enough if they decided to


    charge at me.


    | nced toward the office.


    “Your boyfriend can’t help you now,” one of the men said. “There’s three of us and one of him, anyway.”


    | stood there frozen like an idiot. What the hell was wrong with me? These were dirty human men, and I''d just helped a vampire


    kill a f ucking Alpha. But my hands were shaking so hard | struggled to hold onto our


    bags.


    “Don''t think of running, either,” another one of the men said. “You wouldn''t get too far.”


    They all took another step forward, and it was like my mind was shutting down. | wanted to move or call


    out to Zane, but | couldn’t.


    “Come with us littledy,” the first guy said, nodding toward the room they were sitting outside of. “Or we''ll make you


    “| don’t like those options,” Zane said, stomping up behind the men. Before they could move, he had one of the guys by the neck.


    Then Zane yanked up the guy’s wrist with his left hand. It snapped like a tiny twig.


    He groaned in pain and fell to the ground.


    “Hey, hey, we don’t want any trouble,” the first guy sald, holding up his hands and backing up.


    “That’s what | thought,” Zane said, taking me by the elbow and leading me back to the car.


    We climbed in and he pulled away again.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I


    “I''m sorry | didn’t call out to you, | couldn''t... | started to say, but Zane interrupted me.


    “| shouldn''t have left you alone. We''ll find another ce.” His face was stony and he was quiet the rest of


    the ride.


    Alittle whileter, we were throwing our bags down in another run-down motel room and copsing on the bed, fully clothed. No


    way was | crawling under those musty-a ss sheets.


    Zane’s nose wrinkled, and | could tell he was thinking the same thing. At times like these, | wished my


    wolf senses weren''t so heightened.


    | turned away from Zane and my stomach suddenly swooped with fear. How the hell was | supposed to sleep tonight knowing we


    had to wake up in the morning and stake out the hybrid testing facility?


    Especially since I''d just choked up around some weak, dirty humans? The guards at the facility were


    much stronger and scarier.


    And if we didn’t sessfully knock out a guard and make it into the facility tomorrow, then that was one more day the twins were


    trapped there with goddess knows what happening to them.


    Awave of nausea passed over me. This was so much pressure, and so much could go wrong.


    | felt Zane move closer to me and ce a reassuring hand on the dip of my waist. He could probably 2/3


    Any other night in any other ce, this might''ve been romantic, s exy even. But not tonight.


    Tonight, we didn’t move or even speak. a fitful sleep.


    ne just held me until | drifted off into