Armored Hearts (The Town of Pearl 7)

She looked around. Saw the large tree trunk that had a few low branches she might be able to climb up into. She slowly headed that way as the sound of growls echoed around her. A quick glance to the right and three other wolves were heading toward her.

India didn’t know what to do as she hurried toward the tree, climbing into the higher branch, dropping the large stick on the ground. The wolves jumped at her. One biting at her ankle and pants, ripping the material and cutting her skin.

India screamed louder, over and over again in the hope that Flynn would hear her and come to her rescue.

“India!” Flynn yelled her name and at the same time she heard more growling as Magnum, Clint, and Charles came storming to her rescue, growling and barking. She didn’t want them to get killed by the wolves and she went to yell when her foot slipped and she nearly fell off the limb of the tree. The wolf scratched at her ankle. It all happened so quickly. Gunshots, the German shepherds growling and biting at the wolves as she fell to the ground landing on her ankle.

The wolves howled out in pain as Flynn kept shooting. Gunshots echoed through the otherwise quiet, empty woods. A wolf jumped at her, ripping her jacket, but Charles countered it and bit into its fur. The wolf rolled Charles over to his back and India feared for the dog’s life, lifted up the club, and swung and hit the wolf. She heard Magnum yelp right next to her as another wolf attempted to bite her and she swung the other way. The club collided with its head. Two more shots rang out. The three Shepherds gathered around her, whimpering and licking her face.

She was crying, totally in pain as another two shots went off as Grey finished off the last two wolves, putting them out of their misery.

“India. Oh God, baby, what the hell are you doing out here? Are you okay?”

She hugged him as she cried. “No. Oh God, no I’m not okay,” she said as she continued to cry. He pulled back and cupped her cheeks.

“You could have been killed. But you were so brave. You used the club. Thank God you took that with you. My God when I heard your screams and then saw the wolves attacking you. You got into the tree. That was the best thing you could do,” he carried on and she went to move and cried out. His eyebrows furrowed and the dogs barked.

“You’re hurt,” he said as he saw the damage to her ankle and to her jacket. “Fuck, the wolf bit you?”

“I don’t know. I think it was its claws.”

“Flynn? India?” They both turned to look and saw Fenton, Ford, Grey, and Fisher heading up toward them with guns in their hands.

“A wolf attack. India was heading up here looking for me when they attacked,” Flynn told them.

“Fuck. She’s hurt. Oh God, where else, India?” Fenton asked as he fell to his knees and looked at her ankle. She cried out when he turned it gently to view the bleeding. It was already swelling up and her teeth were beginning to chatter.

“We need to get her to the house then to Doc,” Fenton said and cursed again.

Flynn lifted her up into his arms, and the dogs followed.

“Flynn?” she whispered then looked around at the others as they took in what they thought happened and watched her with such true concern and fear.

Flynn, Fenton, Ford, Fisher, and Grey looked so intense and worried. Flynn’s face, a handsome display of manliness with the light shadow of beard, and the smell of soap and mint. The others all showed morning gruff on their faces, but more importantly was the love and worry in their eyes. She had to know why they didn’t want her to stay. Why didn’t they love her the way she loved them?

“Don’t talk. We need to get you to the house and to Doc’s in town. Maybe even the hospital in Keanter. You could have died, India. We would have lost you forever,” Fenton reprimanded.

“Why don’t you guys love me the way I love you?” she asked and Flynn stopped short. They all just stared at her.

“What?” Flynn asked.

The tears flowed and the pain from her injury added to her torture.

“I’m in love with the five of you and thought maybe you could love me, too, but you haven’t asked me to stay here with you. You haven’t told me that you feel what I feel and that we can work this out and be happy together. I don’t want to leave you. Can’t you see how much I love the five of you and need you, too?” she asked and sobbed.

Flynn hugged her tight.

“We thought you didn’t love us or want to stay here with us. We thought you couldn’t leave your life in Chicago to live here on an estate in Texas. That we wouldn’t be enough for you,” Flynn explained.

“Are you all out of your minds? I would give it all up for you. I don’t even have to work. I do it because I enjoy it. I wouldn’t miss Chicago. Not if I had the five of you to wake up to every morning.”

“We’ve been so stupid, India,” Ford said and Flynn began to walk again.

“We’ll talk it through later. Right now we need to get you medical attention and to report what happened here,” Grey told them.

“And no more walking through the woods on your own, India. If you’re going to be living with us out here, there are things you need to learn, city girl,” Fisher teased.

“Hey, I did pretty damn good with that club thingy,” she told them and Ford laughed.