Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(39)

Nicole froze. For a horrified moment, she thought she’d made a terrible mistake. Obviously this man was a part of the SAU. A strange, painful regret sliced through her heart. As if she were somehow…disappointed he was her enemy.

But when he made no effort to reveal her presence to the guards who were searching through the woods just to the south, her fear began to fade. Instead, a surge of annoyance raced through her.

Digging her claws in the soft ground, she gave a warning growl, her lips peeling back to reveal her lethal fangs.

The man should have run in terror. Instead, he leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching.

“Don’t flash those teeth at me. My bite is much worse.”

Nicole froze. Was he insane? Had all that testosterone rotted his brain?

That could be the only reasonable excuse for his lack of fear.

Dammit. Nicole might have fantasized about giving him a nip on the ass, but she didn’t actually want to hurt the gorgeous, aggravating man.

Still, she needed to get rid of him before he revealed her presence to the guards. Darting forward, she snapped her teeth directly at his face.

“Shit,” he jerked back, his eyes narrowed. “You wanna play, baby?” Without warning, he reached out to wrap his fingers around her muzzle, forcing her teeth together. “You’re coming with me.”

In disbelief, Nicole felt an arm being wrapped around her torso, and with a massive display of strength, he was tossing her over his shoulder.

Her shock lasted long enough for him to push himself upright and jog deeper into the thick woods. Then, realizing her best opportunity to sneak into the SAU headquarters was quickly slipping away, she dug her claws into his back and gave a sharp jerk.

“Stop fighting me,” he snapped, his arm tightening around her until she feared he might crack a rib. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

Nicole gave a last, frustrated growl, grudgingly accepting that she wasn’t going to able to escape. At least not by force. Which meant there was no point in staying a wolf.

With a burst of magic that was more agony than ecstasy at shifting again so soon, Nicole changed back to her human form. For a few minutes, he continued to hold her over his shoulder, heading up a steep hill. But when she began to kick her feet dangerously close to his most vulnerable spot, he gave a low grunt and turned her so she was cradled against his broad chest.

Nicole felt her breath lodge in her lungs. This was better than being carried like a sack of potatoes, but…damn.

She’d never been so aware of her nudity. No doubt because she’d never before felt the intense excitement that was currently dancing over her bare skin like lightning.

Not that he seemed to be paying attention to her body that was shivering with excitement. Hell, he didn’t even give a furtive glance at her breasts that were pressed against his hoodie.

Instead, he moved through the trees with strength and grace that proved he was no ordinary human. As if the heat pumping off his hard body weren’t enough to give him away.

“Who are you?”

“Tucker Stone,” he said, his gaze scanning the darkness as if searching for potential enemies.

“You’re a shifter. But-” She bit off her words. Soren had told her that a shifter had helped him escape with Cora. He’d said that the wolf shifter wasn’t wearing a collar and he hadn’t been branded. He’d also said that the wolf was capable of disguising his scent. “You’re an Unseen,” she breathed, angered that he hadn’t been honest from the start.

“I am.”

“Wolf?”

“Bear.”

Tucker the bear. Shit. She should have known. He was as big as a house.

“Put me down.”

At last, he allowed his gaze to lower, his expression one of disbelief.

“Do I look stupid?”

“You don’t want me to answer that,” she snapped.

He gave a slow shake of his head. “I don’t know whether to spank you or tie you to my bed.”

She widened her eyes, squashing the vivid image of being tied to this male’s bed with him posed above her. Dammit. She was supposed to be pissed. Not aroused.

“Try either and I’ll rip out your throat.”

His lips twitched. Could he read her thoughts?

“You don’t lack for courage, female,” he drawled, angling toward a narrow path. “Only brains.”

“My name is Nicole, not female,” she informed him with as much dignity as possible considering she was butt-naked and he was carrying her in his arms.

Then she sucked in a shocked breath as he stepped through the tree line and directly onto a narrow ledge that protruded from a sheer rock face. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized how high they’d climbed. Now her stomach dropped to her toes as she gazed down the long, long distance to the bottom of the ravine.

“Dammit, where are you taking me?” she croaked.

He arched a mocking brow, moving with a speed that assured her that he’d traveled the narrow ledge several times.

“Worried?”

“Angry,” she corrected, squeezing her eyes shut as he hopped from the ledge toward a flat rock just below them. “You just ruined everything.”

“Ruined?” he protested in disbelief. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I just saved your ass.”