Page 17 of Midnight Hunt
“Of course,” she replied, staring longingly at the dead moose for another moment before reluctantly stepping away. As Kolton and Jagger moved toward the moose, she spotted me and raised her hand in a shy wave. Before I could say anything, her gaze went to Griff and noticeably brightened. “Hi, Griffin.”
At the rather adoring look she gave him, I raised both eyebrows.
“Hi, Des,” he said, and my brows rose even higher.
Des? Since when had he given her anickname?
That’s what happens when you stop having sex with a male. They start looking for someone else to bone,Sable commented rather snidely.
Stop being crude, I chastised her irritably.Griff isn’t like that.
He’s a virile male in his prime. Of course he’s like that.
A sudden image of Griff and Desirae passionately kissing popped into my head. Heat flushed up my neck, and I mentally tore the image to shreds.
Well, I’m dating Reid now, I responded, focusing on Kolton and Jagger as they hoisted up the mostly-intact moose instead of the flirtatious little looks Desirae kept sending to Griff.If Griff wants to have sex with another female, he has every right to.
And he should. Desirae seemed like a nice girl. If he wanted to pursue her as his mate, I’d be happy for him. He deserved to find someone amazing. Someoneworthyof him.
If that happens, you’ll lose him for good, Sable bluntly said.
I pursed my lips, feeling the flush return.We’re friends. Family. That will never change. We’ll always be there for each other, no matter what.
Sable barked a laugh.Oh, like how he was there for you the last time you were in heat?
Beyond uncomfortable, I swiveled on my heel and started back the way we’d come. The others followed, and I heard Desirae strike up a conversation with Griff.
“Thank you again for watching my back during the initiation.”
“No problem. I was glad to help,” Griff replied in that congenial way of his. “Hopefully the unmated males didn’t freak you out too much. They get pretty excited when a new female enters the pack.”
“It was intense being surrounded by so many, but you kept them from getting too close. I really appreciate that.”
Oh, God, I inwardly groaned.She’s hero-worshipping him.
Can you blame her?Sable continued to torture me.He’s always been very helpful and attentive. You know how addictive that kind of attention is.
I did, all too well. Griff’s attention was like being swaddled in a warm blanket. He was called the pack healer for a reason. If he couldn’t fix what ailed you, his attention alone was enough to make you feel better.
Recalling how often he’d mademefeel better, I picked up the pace until I was almost jogging. As the others continued at a more sedate pace and their voices faded to a low hum, some of the tension left my body.
Deciding to cut a straighter path toward Mrs. Bailey’s, I veered off the trail we’d made and descended into a shallow gulley full of dead pine needles and leaves. Reaching the bottom, I prepared to quickly scale the other side. As I brought my foot down and sprang forward, a suddensnapcleaved the air, followed by an explosion of dirt and pine needles.
The pain was instant, streaking up my leg like a bolt of lightning.
Shocked, I crashed to my hands and knees. A bloodcurdling scream blasted my eardrums, the sound pure terror and raw agony. As it went on and on, I realized that it was mine.
I’d never felt pain like this before. A pain so wretchedly consuming that I was frozen in place, unable to do anything but scream.
Sable pushed to the surface, her need to protect me causing her to take over. The second my bones began to shift, the pain grew ten times worse.
“STOP!” I wailed, my consciousness flickering. When she obeyed my command, I promptly turned my head and threw up.
A frantic shout suddenly reached my ears, calling my name over and over.
Griff.
I tried to respond but only managed a small whimper.
