Primal Law (Alpha Pack #1)(10)

Shaking his head, he gave his best friend a lopsided grin. "Naw, I'm good. I'll sleep it off on the way back to the compound."

"How's your leg?"

"Bitching, but I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." He looked doubtful.

"I am."

The act of using his healing ability hit Zan every bit as hard as when Jaxon tapped into his RetroCog mojo. No way would Jaxon let his friend expend his energy over something that would easily pass with some rest.

Ryon pulled up in the SUV just as Aric and Zander got the two dead men situated in the girl's car and shut them inside. Jaxon walked over to their newest addition, a little unsteady on his feet, and took her arm, began to steer her toward their vehicle. Zander followed, but Aric hung back a safe distance from her car, facing it. Preparing to do his thing.

"Don't watch," Jaxon said as she resisted, twisting to look over her shoulder.

"What's he planning to use to start the fire?" she asked, frowning. "There's nothing in his hands. And what the heck happened to you back there?"

"I'll explain-"

"Later." She snorted. "Right. Got it."

"You ask more questions than anyone I've ever met."

"Maybe because so many people you meet end up like them?" she tossed out, waving a hand to indicate her unfortunate attackers. "Just an educated guess."

She had a point. He sighed, thinking this was going to be a long night. And not nearly as much fun as he'd originally planned.

Any retort he might've made was waylaid by a loud whoosh and a blast of heat. Automatically he turned, glancing over his shoulder at the orange and yellow flames that engulfed the car and its occupants. The conflagration shot into the air and spread out to lick at the pavement, erasing all signs of the blood Jaxon had spilled.

Aric was standing with his feet spread and arms outstretched, palms out. The inferno intensified in response to his unspoken command. After another few moments, he lowered his arms to his sides and strode toward the rest of the group.

"Oh, my God! Did he just . . . No, he didn't. That man did not just start a fire with his bare hands!" Kira was staring at Aric, a mixture of disbelief and astonishment etched on her pretty face.

"Well, that'll attract attention," Aric muttered as he reached them. "Let's hit the road."

"Come on." Jaxon pulled his reluctant new charge along, forcing her to abandon goggling at the fire and get moving.

Ryon remained behind the wheel and Zander got in front with him. Aric climbed in back without a word, taking up position to watch their tail, Jaxon knew, and eliminate any pursuers if necessary. A fact he didn't mention to Kira as they took the middle seats, Jaxon behind the driver.

Ryon floored it, getting them away from the scene as fast as he dared without gaining unwanted attention from the Las Vegas PD. By the time faint sirens could be heard in the distance, they were well on their way.

Beside him, Kira cleared her throat. "Where are we going?"

If not for the subtle tremble in her voice, he might've snapped at her. But for some weird reason, it made him want to soothe her worries. Protect her from harm as he'd done earlier. Fuck. "To our plane. We have a private jet and landing strip in a hangar not far outside the city."

"And from there?"

"Wyoming." Silence. He looked over to see her holding the purse on her lap in a death grip, eyes wide. Hoping to ease her fears, he elaborated a bit. "Shoshone National Forest. We'll land at our compound, and you'll stay there with us for the time being."

"I don't get a say?"

"No." The thought of letting her leave burrowed under his skin like a stinging nettle, though he had no clue why. What the hell was wrong with him?

Her voice rose on a note of hysteria. "So I'm going to be held captive at an unknown facility by a group of weird, mind-reading, fire-starting, vicious werewolves?"

"Hey, we're not weird," Ryon protested from the front.

Jaxon ignored him. "You're our guest, not a captive. Besides, would you rather be dead right now at the hands of those guys back there for stealing whatever's in that bag? You want us to put you out and leave you at the mercy of whoever sent them?"

She looked away, swallowing hard. "Of course not."

"Then we're your only option at the moment, so sit back and enjoy the trip. You're in safe hands. Nobody in Alpha Pack will hurt you, including me."

This brought her head around, and she scrutinized his face as though she could read the truth of his words there. "You want me to believe you're the good guys?"

He gave a soft, humorless laugh. "I'm not so sure about that. But we're not the guys you have to worry about. Let's put it that way."

She bit her lip for a moment, then sighed. "So are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

She seemed genuinely interested, and he hoped that boded well for how the next few days would shape up. He didn't want her to be afraid. "Sure. The guy driving is Ryon Hunter, and next to him is Zander Cole." The pair said their hellos, and flashed her charming smiles over their shoulders. "The warm and cuddly pup in the back is Aric Savage."

"Fuck you, man," the redhead responded, but with less rancor than before.