Rescued by the Pack (10 page)

Michael lurched to a stop, nearly throwing her from his back. She quickly scrambled down, and the three wolves shifted back into human form. Allison barely noticed their nakedness, now. It had become so familiar. 

Michael burst through the front door as flames gushed out explosively around him. He disappeared into the dancing orange and yellow fire and emerged moments later carrying a limp Lydia, who had obviously been worked over quite badly before the fire started.

Luke and Logan shifted back into wolf form once more, and Michael laid Lydia’s lifeless body across Luke’s back. Then Michael too shifted, and Allison quickly jumped aboard.

They raced back to the house and found it miraculously standing. As soon as Allison dismounted, Michael shifted and snatched Lydia from Luke’s back, bursting through the cabin door
and laying her limply on the same bed Allison had found herself shackled to when she’d first come to in their den.

“Lydia,” he said gently, tapping her face.

Luke and Logan entered and stood solemnly beside the bed, watching anxiously for any sign of life.

“Lydia!” Michael shouted, slapping her squarely.

Her eyelids fluttered, and the brothers inhaled sharply. Her eyes opened, and she coughed.

“Get her some water!” Michael snapped, and Logan dashed into the kitchen returning with a glass jar full of tap water.

Michael snatched it away and held it to Lydia’s lips. She took a small sip and weakly pulled her head away.

“Lydia, what happened?” Michael asked.

She took his hand in hers and looked deeply into his eyes. Her lips parted, and she tried once… twice… three times to speak. Then she sighed and closed her mouth, swallowing hard.

Michael leaned his ear as closely to her mouth as possible, and she finally managed to croak, “Simon.”

Her eyes closed and her hand went limp, slipping from Michael’s and flopping lifelessly onto the bed.

“Lydia, no!” Logan wailed, kneeling beside the bed and taking her hand in his, pressing it to his forehead.

“Goodbye, sister,” Luke said, his hand gripping the bedpost fiercely.

Michael turned to the others and said, “She said Simon. That can only mean one thing. He’s back.”

“Oh, Jesus,” Luke said. “You don’t really think… you don’t think Simon’s really back here, do you?”

“I’m afraid so,” Michael answered. “And that means none of us are safe. We need to leave town, and quickly.”

“Who’s Simon?” Allison asked.

“Logan, pack a bag of food right away,” Michael said, and Logan kissed Lydia’s hand and wiped the tears from his eyes, disappearing into the kitchen. “Luke, get to the safe and put every dollar we have in a backpack, now!” Luke dashed upstairs.

“Who’s Simon?” Allison repeated.

Michael carefully lifted Lydia’s body and headed for the door. He turned to Allison and said gruffly, “Stay here.”

“Michael, who’s…” but her words went unheeded as Michael disappeared.

Just as he returned, Luke and Logan also came back from their tasks and Michael said, “Let’s go.”

“Who is Simon, and where are we going?” Allison demanded.

“I’ll explain when we get there, now let’s go!” Michael shouted.

Outside, they shifted rapidly, and Allison lifted the backpack onto her shoulders and hefted the bag of food onto Michael’s back in front of her. And off they dashed.

Book Two in the Pack Instincts series is coming soon! Be sure you check out the other steamy romance reads by Leah Knight!

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