Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(9)

“Let them f*cking come,” growled Ryan. “No one will hurt him. I won’t allow it.”

She nodded. “Good.” As Ryan’s eyes returned to Zac, she said, “I can understand that your instincts are hounding you to take him. I’m glad of that. But he’s not ready yet.”

Knowing she was right didn’t make it any less frustrating. “I want to see him again tomorrow.”

“Good. The consistency will help. We’ll meet you at the diner on Lumley Street at noon. He loves the food there.” Close to the shelter, the diner was smack bam in the middle of an area that mostly housed loners. Zac would feel safer on what, for him, was home turf.

“That’s twice now you’ve dictated the time and the place that I get to see him.”

“Because I know Zac. I know what places make him feel comfortable. I know this must be hard for you in some ways, but his feelings come first to me.” Compelled to poke at him, she arched a brow. “Got a problem with that, White Fang?”

“Drop the White Fang.”

“Drop the snarl.”

“Do you have to be so annoying?”

“There’s something freeing about it.” She flashed him a farewell smile before hopping into the Mustang.

Ryan wondered how it was possible that a smile could irritate him and made his cock twitch at the same time. His little loner was—

Inwardly, Ryan scowled at his mental dialogue. She wasn’t his loner. But, he mused, he’d found her first. Besides, it was a debate that was only happening in his head, so it made no difference.

It wasn’t until the Mustang was out of sight that Ryan crossed the lot to the Chevy. The moment he slid into the passenger seat, Dante switched on the engine.

Jaime was the first to speak. “Well, it would seem that it wasn’t a trap after all.”

Ryan grunted his agreement. There was no denying that Zac was Damian’s son. They looked too much alike.

“He’s such a nice kid. Sweet. Polite.”

“And scared,” added Trey.

“I know,” said Jaime. “It was heartbreaking.”

“Did you notice he was especially distrustful of Ryan, Trey, and Dante?” Taryn asked Jaime. “Something tells me that whatever happened to Zac happened at the hands of a male.”

A growl built in Ryan’s chest. Whoever hurt him, Ryan would kill him.

Taryn’s voice was sensitive as she asked, “You okay?”

No, he wasn’t f*cking okay. He hated that a member of his own family was staying with an outsider, especially at a damn shelter. He believed firmly that people should protect their own and take responsibility for their family. Which pretty much made him the exact opposite of his mother. He took pride in that.

“I know it had to be hard to walk away from him,” said Taryn, “but yanking the kid out of the shelter would just distress him. I have a feeling he’s been through enough already. The last thing you want is to make it harder for him, right?”

Ryan grunted, unable to argue with Taryn’s reasoning.

“Makenna will keep him safe,” said Jaime. “She’s got a wild vibe about her. The kind you’d see from a lioness guarding her cubs.”

“I like her,” announced Taryn. “And I like that she’s not intimidated at all by Ryan’s terminator snarl.”

“Terminator snarl?” chuckled Dante.

“When we first met, I thought you seemed kind of robotic,” Taryn told Ryan with a smile. “But I soon realized that you were so tense all the time because you were always on guard. You’ve settled a lot since the pack grew in strength. But you’re still stoic . . . like a Shaolin Monk Master that’s the epitome of cool because he knows he can snap your neck before you blink.”

“And it seems to reel females in,” said Jaime. “Even though you intimidate them.”

Taryn shrugged. “Lots of females like the strong, silent, dangerous type.”

Ryan decided not to contribute to what was, in his mind, a pointless conversation.

“When are we next seeing Zac?” Trey asked.

“Tomorrow,” replied Ryan. “The sooner he’s comfortable around us, the sooner he’ll agree to join our pack.” Where he’d be surrounded by people who would keep him safe.

“He’ll fit into our pack nicely,” Trey commented. “But I don’t think it will be easy to win his trust. And there’s something else that might complicate things.”

“What?” Dante asked.

“Zac seems pretty attached to Makenna.”

“If she saved him, it might just be a minor case of hero worship,” suggested Jaime.

“Maybe,” conceded Trey. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”





CHAPTER FOUR





Hearing a beeping sound, Makenna took her gaze briefly off the road to glance at Zac. He was reading a message on his new cell phone. “If that’s Ryan asking where we are, tell him we’re literally two blocks away.” They were running a little late.

“It’s some guy called Marcus. He says he’s another Phoenix enforcer.”

“Really?”

“The Phoenix wolves have all been texting me to say hi and tell me a little about them.”