“You think so?” Emily gave him a teasing grin and then shrugged. “He’s okay.”
“I don’t know what it is with Dr. Hottie McVampire that makes women go nuts.” Hunter snorted, puffing out his muscular chest.
“Dr. Hottie McVampire?” Emily stared at Hunter as if he’d lost his mind.
“It’s a name one of the Warriors’ mates gave him.” Hunter chuckled. “Sure do miss those guys though. Maybe we can go visit them before Slade and Jill come back.”
“I’d like that.” Emily beamed. With a small frown, she then asked, “Is Steve leaving?”
“Yeah, but I think he’s upset about leaving Leda.” Hunter explained about Garrett catching Leda and Steve in a kiss.
“I told them to be careful,” Emily said without thought.
“You knew about Steve and Leda?” Hunter’s eyes popped open in surprise.
“Yes, I caught them in the kitchen yesterday kissing.” Emily grinned. “It was just harmless kissing. Garrett was really that mad?”
“Well, if you consider asking Marcus how to kill a vampire is mad, then yeah, he was pretty pissed off.” Hunter grinned and then leaned down and kissed her. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to run over to the house for a second.” Hunter kissed her again.
“If Steve is still there, tell him he better come and see me before he leaves so I can say good-bye. If he doesn’t, I’ll tell Garrett what I saw in the kitchen.” Emily gave a sly grin.
Hunter smirked as he walked out the store. “That will probably send him running.”
Chapter 20
As Hunter headed to Garrett’s, he mentally called out to whoever was on watch to keep an eye on the feed store. The lights being on bothered Emily enough that it bothered him. He honestly couldn’t remember if they had been on or not. He knew that he needed to be more focused. Something big was coming, he could feel it and knew it would be soon, but unfortunately their hands were tied, and they just had to wait for the fuckers to make their move. Their pack ranks needed to grow and fast.
The first person he ran into was Steve, who had his bag and was leaving. “Hey, Emily wants you to stop by the store before you leave.”
“Was planning on it.” Steve sat his bag by the door. “Is she there now?”
“Yeah, I need to talk to Garrett for a minute, then I’m heading back over.” Hunter slapped Steve on the back as he passed. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
Garrett stood in the kitchen talking to Jill and Slade while Marcus chowed down on some breakfast. “Hey, did you guys notice the lights at the feed store being on last night after it closed?”
Marcus stopped eating, looking at Hunter. “Okay, that’s weird.”
Unease flowed through Hunter; his wolf was agitated. “What’s weird?”
“Roxy said the lights in the coffee shop were on this morning when she went in to work.” Marcus stood, wiping his mouth. “I stopped in this morning for a cup. She was a little spooked about it because she remembers turning them off, but nothing was out of place.”
“I checked the store out before letting Emily in and didn’t see anything. After I let Emily in, she said the same thing. Nothing was out of place or taken.” Hunter frowned. “None of the scouts have reported anything?”
“Nothing.” Concern pulled Garrett’s brows together. With his gaze on Marcus, he ordered, “Call the other businesses and see if they experienced the same thing.”
Before Marcus could move, a loud explosion sent them all running out of the house. Rocky’s was engulfed in flames and in the middle of the road stood Darnell. He held something in his hand while at his feet, five wolves lay lifeless, blood pouring onto the street.
The first thing Hunter saw was the feed store still standing but surrounded by fire. His heart stopped completely. With Emily inside, it was more than he could take. He made a move, but Slade grabbed his arm, nodding toward the device in the man’s hand. “Fuck!” Hunter hissed, his eyes going back to the fire creeping closer to the old wooden building. If one spark hit that wood, the building would go up in flames within seconds. His eyes searched for Steve but didn’t see him anywhere. He hoped he was with Emily.
“Foster, you were warned,” the man yelled, spreading his arms wide. “It’s time for this town to meet their new alpha and for you to get the fuck out!”
People ran into the streets to see what the explosion was. Many tried to help anyone who may have been inside the Bar and Grill, but the heat from the fire was too much for anyone.
“You son of a fucking bitch!” Garrett took off but stopped when the man raised the device in his hand.
“Not so fast, Foster,” Darnell called out. “You take one more step, you’ll decide the fate of some pretty ladies.”
Hunter watched the man’s wicked smile spread, and he swore right then and there, the man was going to fucking die a horrible death. Glancing at Jill, he saw her share a look with Slade.
“Do it,” Hunter said, knowing that Jill and Slade could hear him. He was cautious to send any mental communication to anyone in his pack just in case one of those bastards picked up on it.
Jill sneered, shaking her head. “Wait, I need to do this at the right time.”
“What in the fuck do you want?” Garrett said, his focus on the man.
“I want you to kneel at my feet and name me alpha.” A cocky smile spread across the man’s face but didn’t reach his cruel eyes. “If you do this, take your pathetic little army and walk out of this town. No one else will be blown up. If you don’t, all I have to do is hit this button and BOOM!” He laughed, as did the other wolves in his pack.
Garrett took three steps toward the man and stopped.
“Don’t you fucking do it,” Marcus hissed at Garrett. “Goddammit, Garrett. Don’t you kneel in front of that son of a bitch.”
Everything happened at once. Garrett spat at the man’s feet, and when the man made an exaggerated movement to push a button, Jill and Slade as one pushed forward, their hands outstretched. The device was pulled from the man’s hands, Garrett catching it carefully. Slade and Jill used their powers to keep the men from running while the pack shifted, except for Hunter, who ran toward the now flame-engulfed feed mill and Marcus, who ran toward the coffee shop.
Intense heat pulsed from the burning building pushing Hunter back. “No!” Hunter ran around the structure, panic making his mind crazy. His wolf howled to be released, but Hunter knew his wolf couldn’t carry Emily if needed. Not seeing a way in, he started back toward the front, but stopped when a big portion of the upper part of the building plummeted to the ground almost hitting him.
Hearing wood splintering, Hunter cried out in agony, thinking there was another explosion. He couldn’t lose her, his mate, his life. Then he heard it. A cough and gagging. Backing up, he saw Steve kicking his way out of the building before reaching in to pull Emily out.
Backing away even further, Hunter then took off running. With a leap he hoped he could make without shifting, he landed next to Steve and Emily. Grabbing her tightly against him, he jumped back down, with Steve landing beside him. Both were coughing and gagging.
Setting her down, he was immediately pushed aside by Slade. “Get out of my way,” Slade ordered, yelling for Jill. “Get somebody over here with oxygen, now!”
That was when Hunter heard the sirens and saw firefighters and paramedics running around, one coming straight at them waving for them to follow. Hunter picked up a gasping Emily. She drifted in and out of consciousness, which forced his legs to work hard, racing to get her to the ambulance. Reaching the paramedic, Hunter laid her gently on the cot. The man expertly secured a mask on her face and started the oxygen. Slade appeared beside him, checking her pulse and pressing his ear to her chest. He then reached around the paramedic and adjusted the oxygen. All Hunter could do was kneel out of the way and pray, his hand trembling on her leg. He would not lose contact with her, never again.
It seemed like forever before Slade said a word. He knew peopl
e were behind him at the ambulance door, but he could not, would not look away from her pale face. Her breathing seemed to have slowed, but dammit, he didn’t know if that was a good sign or not. She had stopped gasping for breath and gagging. Finally, Slade looked his way.
“She’s going to be okay, but she inhaled a lot of smoke.” Slade looked back toward Emily when she coughed. “She needs to be on oxygen and monitored until her lungs are clear.”
“Then let’s go.” Hunter didn’t give a fuck where they took her as long as she was taken care of. He turned, Garrett the first person he saw.
“We have them, all of them.” Garrett’s tone was low. “Take care of her first. He’ll be here when you get back.”
Hunter knew exactly what Garrett promised him, vengeance, and he was damn sure going to collect. A police officer came to interview Emily, but Hunter refused him and not very nicely.
“We’ve got this covered.” Garrett nodded at Hunter. “Just make sure when they do interview her, she knows nothing.”
Nodding, Hunter understood totally. This matter wasn’t a human police matter, and it was going to stay that way.
******
Emily had never been more ready to get out of the hospital. Slade and Jill, as well as Steve, had stayed, with Slade acting as her doctor. Glancing over at the chair, she smiled, watching Hunter sleep. His big frame looked uncomfortable in the small chair. He had not left the four days she had been admitted. The damage to her lungs from the smoke had been more than Slade had first thought.
Reaching out, she touched Hunter’s hair, running her fingers through its thickness. He had been so worried about her. If there’d been any doubts about his feelings, they were no longer there.
“You okay?” His voice was husky from sleep, his eyes intense as they searched hers.
“I’m fine,” she lied. Her chest ached from all the coughing, but there was no way she was staying another night at the hospital. She could handle the soreness. Her lung X-rays had come back much improved, and she had been off the oxygen for a day. Slade said if all those things happened, she could go home. “Just ready to get out of here.”
Hunter stood and stretched before leaning down and kissing her gently. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” He narrowed his eyes.
She grinned. “Never.” Frowning, she said, “Have you heard from Deb?”
Anger replaced Hunter’s light mood. “Yes.”
“And?” Emily cocked her eyebrow knowing that Hunter didn’t like her sister.
“I kicked her out.” Hunter cocked his eyebrow right back at her. “She came here with insurance papers for you to sign. She didn’t even ask how you were or anything, and it pissed me off, so I kicked her ass out. She doesn’t deserve to have a sister like you.”
She wasn’t surprised by Deb doing something like that, though it did make her sad. Deb’s attitude toward her would never change and Emily just went with it. It was nothing new to her, sad, but not new.
The door opened and in walked Slade. “How we doing today?”
“Great,” Emily replied, her voice anxious. “Please tell me I can get out of here today.”
“Well, that depends,” Slade teased, focusing on her chart.
“Not funny.” Emily pouted.
Hunter kissed the pout off her face. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll break you out of this place.”
Slade laughed. “I’m going to release you but only if you promise to do your breathing exercises and take all medications as I’ve instructed.”
“Deal.” Emily sighed, laying her head back. “Anything to get out of here and back home.”
Suddenly, it hit her. She didn’t have a home. Even with Hunter just talking to her about her sister bringing insurance papers, it just hit her. The feed store had burned to the ground along with all her belongings and clothes. Nothing was left, nothing at all. Tears filled her eyes spilling onto her cheeks. It was weird how things were hitting her at different times. It was almost more than she could take.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Hunter grasped her face, swiping the tears away with his thumb.
“I really don’t have a home.” Emily opened her eyes, knowing that her last link to her grandparents was gone.
“You have a home, Em.” Hunter kissed her knuckles. “And it’s time we make it ours.”
So many emotions swirled through her; she began to shake. She couldn’t even open her mouth to speak, afraid she would scream. How could someone be so sad and yet so damn happy at the same time? It was truly exhausting.
“Emily?” Hunter tilted her face up to meet his. “I will do whatever makes you happy. You want the feed store back? I will rebuild it for you with the same attic that you can live in if that’s what you want. I just want you happy.”
All doubt left her. Shaking her head, she smiled up at him with fresh tears flowing. “You make me happy, Hunter.” She cupped his cheek. “Only you. No home, feed store or attic… just you.”
“Thank God.” Hunter gave her a teasing grin. “I suck at building shit.”
Emily laughed and cried at once. She couldn’t quit. “I don’t believe Hunter Foster would ever admit to sucking at anything.”
“Yeah, well, let’s keep that between us.” He winked at her before pressing his lips to hers. “You are my world, Em.”
Before Emily could say anything, Slade walked in.
“It’s going to take a couple of hours before I can get everything together for your release.” Slade chuckled at her groan. He handed her the bag he had carried in. “But you can get dressed. Jill bought you some clothes.”
Shocked, Emily took the bag and pulled out the clothes. “How did she know my size?”
“I told her.” Hunter looked damn proud of himself.
“How did you know my size?” She stared up at Hunter surprised but pleased to be going home in anything other than the clothes she came in with. No way could all the smoke smell be washed out of them.
“The things I know about you now, Em, would shock you.” Hunter nodded proudly. “Jill was kind enough to go for me to get you some new clothes. After you’re better, we’ll go shopping so you can replace everything you lost.”
Emily wondered if she would ever stop crying. Holy hell she couldn’t stop. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you.” Hunter smiled down at her. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to run, get me a change of clothes and a quick shower. I’ll also grab a car because I don’t think the doc will allow you to leave on my bike.”
“No chance,” Slade agreed, marking something on her chart.
“Are you okay with that?” Hunter asked, his eyes serious hinting that if she wasn’t, he wouldn’t budge from the spot.
“Of course. I can’t believe you haven’t left at all,” Emily replied, and she was really shocked that he had been by her side her entire stay in the hospital. She had to get used to this new relationship with Hunter.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” With a small smile, Hunter pressed his lips against hers.
Chapter 21
Garrett had arranged for Hunter’s bike to be dropped off at the hospital. Hunter went straight for it, sent a text and took off. His whole attitude changed once the door to Emily’s hospital room closed behind him. He had business to take care of before Emily came back to town and he was anxious to get it done.
In record time, he pulled up to the old barn that sat hidden in the woods. The farmhouse had been torn down years ago, but the barn still stood. Climbing off his bike, he stomped to the door with purpose. Once inside, he knew Garrett, Dell, Marcus, and the other shifters were there waiting for him, but his eyes found his target. Sitting tied to a chair was the bastard who almost succeeded in killing his mate.
When Darnell spotted him, he grinned. “How’s your bitch.”
Without breaking his stride, Hunter moved straight for him and thrust kicked the son of a bitch in the face, sending him and the chair sailing across the room.
“Untie him!
” Hunter ordered, tossing his phone to Marcus.
Dell walked over, snatching the man up by the hair. The chair was broken in pieces, but the rope held. Dell pulled out a wicked-looking knife, cutting the ropes and nicking the bastard in the process. When that was done, Dell pushed the man toward Hunter.
“Come on, we’re all shifters here and know how things work,” the man said and then spat blood and teeth on the dirt floor. “I just went a little overboard. You’ve already killed my pack. What else do you—”
Hunter backhanded him, then spun and kicked him in the face, sending the man into the wall of the barn. Walking over, he grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him up off his feet, staring up at him.
“You are nothing like us,” Hunter hissed, squeezing tight enough to kill the bastard. He loosened his hold despite his wolf fighting to break free, wanting vengeance. “You fucked with the wrong pack, motherfucker, and you are going to pay the price.”
A movement from the back of the barn caught Hunter’s attention.
The fierce eyes of Garrett stared back at him with approval. “Making sure this little pussy will go and spread the word of what happens when anyone fucks with the Lee County Wolves.” Garrett flicked his head at Marcus, who pulled the young wolf out of the darkness. “He’s the only other survivor and has no real loyalty to this stupid bastard.”
“Good.” Hunter still held the man in the air, but his eyes were on the young wolf. “And if I ever see your face near our town again, I will do worse to you than what I’m about to do to him. You got that?”
He nodded quickly, his eyes wide open as he stared at Hunter.
With disgust, Hunter dropped Darnell to the ground. It was time to give him his wolf. “You bring me clothes?” he asked, still glaring at the man on the ground, who was rubbing his throat.
“Yep.” Marcus nodded.
“Good.” Hunter’s body shook, letting his wolf free.
During the change, Darnell stood quickly, shaking his head back and forth. “We don’t have to do this.” He no longer appeared confident. “We can work this out some other way. No need to shift.”
Forbidden Seduction (Lee County Wolves Series) Book #2 Page 14
