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parents. I don t want them to hurt you. He grabbed
Kiernan s arm and tugged.  Please, he pleaded.
For a second, Demitri didn t think Kiernan would come,
but then he nodded.  Come on, babe, Kiernan murmured.
 Let s get you someplace safe.
Kiernan followed Demitri into the massive walk-in closet.
He wedged a baseball bat under the doorknob for good
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measure. For several seconds, they didn t hear anything.
Then his father s voice drifted through the door.  Demitri,
come out now and no one has to get hurt.
Demitri bit his lip, praying help would arrive soon. If it
had just been his parents, he wouldn t mind taking them on.
His mother wasn t a dominant wolf, which explained why
she let her husband call the shots. But there were at least two
others with them, and he didn t want to risk his mate.
 You know you can t hide from your mother, Demitri. If I
have to track you down, I m going to be very angry!
The more words were spoken, the louder they became,
telling Demitri they were now upstairs.
 The bathroom s clear, said another male. From the
voice, Demitri guessed that it was his father s friend,
Michael.
A nose appeared, sniffing along the bottom of the door.
 Oh god, Demitri murmured. His mother was tracking
him?
 In the closet, Rachel? Cooper asked.  Good, girl.
Demitri held back a snarl. How dare his father treat his
mother like a damn dog! The doorknob turned, but the bat
lodged under the handle kept them from being able to push
the door open.
As every second passed, Demitri hoped to hear Declan or
even the howling of wolves. But there was nothing.
Realizing the door wasn t going to hold against the
intruder s onslaught, Demitri turned around in Kiernan s
arms. He peered up at his lover and whispered,  I love you.
No matter what happens, please know that. And I d never
hurt you, no matter what.
Kiernan frowned.  Just relax. The police will be here any
minute, he stated, faithfully believing Demitri s words.
 I can t let anything happen to you, Demitri said,
reaching up and touching Kiernan s creased brow. Standing
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on his toes, he pressed a quick kiss to his lips then pulled
away. Demitri gave his lover one more beseeching look,
before initiating his shift.
Over the last month and a half, Frankie had helped
Demitri become more comfortable with his wolf. He d
managed to speed up his transition quite a bit. What used to
take a good minute, he could now complete in half that time.
His body contorted, bones snapped, and muscles popped.
Thick silver and blond fur sprouted and his tail grew.
The splinter of wood as the door gave way almost
drowned out the gasp of his lover. Demitri knew there was
no way he could reassure his lover at this point, so as soon
as a wide enough gap appeared, he launched through the
opening and attacked Michael s leering expression.
Snarling, Demitri slammed into the man. He missed
sinking his teeth into Michael s arm by less than an inch,
only managing to snag the guy s coat. When Michael swung
his arm, the fabric tore, sending Demitri careening sideways
into the bed frame.
He rose on his front paws and shook his head. Michael
lifted a gun and pointed it at Demitri. Before he could get the
shot off, a golf club came down on Michael s arm. The guy
dropped the gun and screamed, cradling the possibly broken
arm against his chest. Kiernan lifted the club again, but
before he could swing it at Cooper, the next closest man,
Rachel leaped at him. Demitri lunged, intercepting her and
they went down in a tangle of fur, teeth, and claws, snarling
and snapping.
Pain stabbed into Demitri s shoulder. He glanced down
and spotted a feathered end.
Tranq darts!
The guy who d shot him, Brett if Demitri remembered
correctly, swung his arm, preparing to shoot at Kiernan
where he grappled with Cooper. Demitri whimpered,
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struggling to get back to his feet. His legs buckled and his
vision swam.
A vicious snarl rent the air followed by the thump of
bodies. Male voices yelled. Pulling on his last reserves,
Demitri staggered back to his feet and stumbled sideways,
putting himself between their attackers where they fought a
pair of wolves he recognized as Frankie and his brother, Reb,
and his wide-eyed, shocked-looking mate.
Demitri and Kiernan s uninvited guests turned and fled.
For a second, it seemed like the brothers would follow them,
but then soft growls from outside reached Demitri s ears
through the open window.
Frankie trotted over to him, his head down, ears forward,
expression beseeching. Demitri knew the huge wolf was just
trying to figure out if he was okay. Unfortunately, Kiernan
didn t know that.
 Get back, he screamed, waving the golf club.
Demitri whimpered. He really wanted to reassure his
mate, but everything was so fuzzy. He couldn t seem to
concentrate enough to shift back to human form.
Fortunately, Reb had no such problem and quickly
shifted.  Please, Kiernan, calm down. We re here to help
you.
Frankie took his cue from his brother and shifted.
 Holy shit! Kiernan hissed.  What the hell are all of
you?
 I am sorry ye had to find out this way, Declan said,
striding up the stairs toward them.  If ye give me just a wee
moment of yer time, I can explain.
Kiernan frowned, but at least he started lowering the golf
club.  How the hell can you explain? My lover turned into a
wolf. And these men&  He shook his head, his eyes turning
a little wild.  These men& 
 These men, Declan finished for him,  are shifters. He
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held up a hand and focused on Demitri.  How ye doing,
pup? Can ye shift back, yet?
 You talk to him like he can understand you, Kiernan
said, clearly confused.
 Aye, he can, Declan replied.  Just because Demitri is in
wolf form, doesn t mean he s any less sentient. A shifter is
the same person when either man or beast. He paused for a
moment, lifting a brow.  I know ye ll have questions, but
first, I need ye to take a couple deep breaths. Take a moment
to gather yerself while we see to Demitri.
Demitri really wished it was his mate crouching in front
of him and not his alpha, but it still felt nice to have his head
rubbed. Reassuring. He whined and licked Declan s hand.
 All right, pup, Declan said, giving him a small smile.
 Give shifting back another go.
It took all his concentration, but finally, Demitri felt the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]