Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
It all came out of her in a rush. “I was in the restroom in one of the cubicles when I heard them arguing and I figured they’d stop and one of them would walk out but then there was growling and I looked out and she had her hand wrapped around Glory’s throat and was pounding her head against the wall and I tried to pull Jaime away but she won’t listen and—”
“Jaime?” He still didn’t have a clue what was going on, but if it had something to do with Jaime, it had something to do with him.
Whatever he’d been expecting to see when he barged into the women’s restrooms, it hadn’t been Jaime sitting on and pinning down a bleeding female. Glory was lying on her stomach while Gabe looked on, appealing to Jaime for her to stop. Then Gabe had his arms around her and was tugging her backward, away from Glory.
“You have to fight it, Jaime. Please, fight it,” said Gabe.
Fight it? It was then that Dante noticed her eyes. They were wolf. There was no sign of Jaime there. If she had been in her wolf form, he’d have thought she might have gone feral. But this wasn’t feral. This wasn’t a loss of control. Not on the wolf’s part.
What he saw in her wolf’s eyes made him shudder. Rage. Pain. Fear. Torment. A primal need to defend. A primal need to protect. He saw a traumatized wolf reacting to danger in the only way it knew how.
“Please, Jaime, please, please fight it,” Gabe begged as she strained within his hold. “You can’t let your wolf win this.”
Dante still didn’t have a clue what exactly was going on with Jaime, but he did know one thing; a dominant wolf in that state wasn’t going to respond to a plea from a submissive wolf. He stalked over to her and collared her throat with his hand in a very dominant move. It gained her wolf’s attention. Jaime instantly froze and released a chilling growl.
He released a growl of his own, one that warned her not to challenge him insisting that she back down. Instead, she thrashed, apparently perceiving him as a threat and wanting only to eliminate him. At least her attention was no longer on Glory. That got him thinking…
“Tao!” He knew the Head Enforcer had followed him inside. “Get her out of here!” he ordered, gesturing to a moaning Glory. Her presence and scent would only make Jaime’s wolf worse.
As Tao passed by with Glory in tow, Jaime lunged at her with such strength that she managed to break out of both his and Gabe’s holds. Christ, she moved fast. Dante moved faster. He grabbed her just as she reached Glory and pulled her back against him. He kept his arm wrapped securely around her, pinning her arms to her sides. At the same time, he collared her throat again with his free hand. Like before, it transferred her focus to him, and she froze briefly before struggling wildly again.
“Stop,” he growled into her ear. She didn’t. He looked at the others who were all gathered near the door. “All of you out! She’ll feel cornered if there are too many in here!” Gabe lingered, looking anxious and edgy. “Out. I’ll take care of her, I promise,” he added reassuringly.
Once they were alone, Dante returned his attention to the writhing female in his arms. “Jaime, I know you’re fighting her, baby, or you’d be in wolf form by now. I need you to fight harder for me.
Concentrate on me, concentrate on my voice.” Very, very slightly, her struggles eased. “That’s it, Jaime, fight harder for me, come on.” Rocking her from side to side, he whispered things softly into her ear, hoping to calm her wolf’s mood even though he knew the animal wouldn’t understand the words.
Little by little, her struggles eased until, a minute later, she slumped against him. Sighing with relief, he turned her to face him, keeping her in his arms, and slid to the floor. Sitting there with her cradled against his chest, he continued to rock her slightly. “Jaime,” he breathed. He was surprised when her lids fluttered open. Smoky-blue eyes looked back at him.
“Now you know.” Then she passed out. Shit.
The creaking of the restroom door had him looking up. Tao was wearing an expression that was an equal mixture of concerned and wary. “Is she all right?”
“I don’t know.”
“What the hell is going on?” Tao’s voice was soft but demanding.
“I don’t know that either.”
“But you know she’s definitely not a submissive wolf, right? You must have sensed the dominant vibes—they were clogging the air.”
“Yes, I sensed them,” Dante said impatiently, irritated that he was again stuck with unanswered questions. “Look, I need you and the guys to make sure Shaya and Hope get home fine.