Page 14 of Midnight Hunt
I threw a scowl at them, but inwardly, my heart melted a little. Growing up with three protective males had been a headache at times, but I’d missed this. It felt like forever since just the four of us had done something together. So much had changed this past year, changes I was still adjusting to.
Knowing it was pointless to argue with the three bossy males, I opened the baggie and removed the muffin. After the first bite, my appetite returned in full force. Less than a minute later, I was licking my fingers clean and reaching for the sausages.
“Are you worried that Desirae was kidnapped?” Kolton questioned me while I ate.
Not surprised that he’d properly guessed my main reason for wanting to come along, I nodded and replied around a mouthful of sausage, “It could very well be nothing, but it just seems weird that a pack member would go missing so soon after I was attacked.”
“I was thinking the same thing. You might not be their sole target, whoever ‘they’ are.”
“My only guess is that someone is trying to challenge you. No werewolf has directly done so since finding out that you can shift at will. Maybe they’re trying to get creative by taking pack members hostage. It gives them the upper hand, at least.”
“It’ll incite a manhunt if the entire pack finds out,” Jagger commented.
“True. I wouldn’t mind hunting the bastards down,” Griff said almost directly in my ear. He was still leaning against my seat, his face practically even with the headrest. Realizing what he wanted, I rolled my eyes and held up a strip of bacon. He took it from me canine-style, using his teeth to swiftly snatch it from my fingers.
“Good boy,” I crooned, reaching back to pat his head.
“Hair,” he yelped and quickly retreated.
“I swear, Griffin, you’re more obsessed with your hair than anyone I know.”
“Hey, appearances are important to me.”
I rolled my eyes again. “You look like a surfer straight from the beach, even during the winter. When’s the last time you wore actualshoesinstead of flip-flops?”
“Kolton’s the suit-wearing businessman in this family. My job doesn’t require me to wear a neck noose and overpriced shoes that pinch my toes.”
“Or anything at all,” I muttered under my breath.
“What was that, VJ? You saying I would look better in the nude? Because I will happily take off my—”
“NO!” we all shouted at him in unison.
He chuckled. “You protest, but I see you all checking out this godlike bod when you think I’m not looking.”
I nearly choked on the bacon strip I’d just put into my mouth. Swallowing, I sassily replied, “You wish.”
He suddenly leaned forward again to purr in my ear, “Don’t be coy, Violet Jane. I know you like what you see.”
Feeling a shiver work its way up my spine, I swiveled in my seat and pushed his face back with my open hand. “Get over yourself, Griffin.”
He loudly laughed in reply. When I felt a sharp tug on my hair, I bared my teeth at him and growled, “Try that again and see what happens.”
His puppy brown eyes sparkled with mischief . . . and challenge. When they briefly flashed yellow, Sable perked up in interest.
“You two bicker like an old married couple,” Jagger quietly groused.
Just like that, the playful moment came to a screeching halt.
“Uh, hello? I’ve got a boyfriend, remember?” I snarkily replied. When all Jagger did was slowly raise an eyebrow at me, I stiffly turned around and lapsed into silence.
Thankfully, Mrs. Bailey’s house wasn’t too far away from ours, so we arrived before the silence became too uncomfortable. The second the truck rolled to a stop, I scrambled out. Our former nanny was already hurrying down her porch steps to greet us, her pale face creased with worry.
“Oh, my,” she twittered, flailing her hands comically as she watched Kolton, Jagger, and Griff exit the truck. “I wasn’t expectingallof you to come. Now I feel bad for making such a fuss.”
“No worries, Mrs. Bailey,” my brother said, stopping beside me. “We take disappearances in the pack very seriously, as you know. Even if Desirae is perfectly fine, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
She bobbed her head enthusiastically, several strands of brown hair escaping her low bun. “I wholeheartedly agree. You can never be too careful. Desirae usually takes a northeastern route through the woods behind the house. I’ll point you in the right direction.”
