“Julian.” Cade’s voice was exasperated. “If you’re going to make a new wolf, the least you can do is be certain she’s prepared.”
“He isn’t going to come here,” Julian said.
Cade lifted his gaze. “She needs to know.”
“Know what?” she asked. “And he, who?”
Cade put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. Alex was so startled she let him. Then it felt so nice, she didn’t move away. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had touched her with anything but violence or lust.
Or in the case of Barlow—violence and lust.
“There’s a secret society,” he began.
“That’s enough.”
Alex glanced over her shoulder. Barlow’s nostrils flared, his eyes, fixed on Cade’s arm, blazed. What was he so mad about?
“I’ll tell her,” he said.
“I don’t mind.” Cade smiled, and Alex smiled back. She felt so much more at ease with Cade than she could ever feel with his brother. “Besides, you’ve got places to go, Inuit to see.”
“Just find out what’s wrong with her.” Julian plucked his brother’s arm off Alex’s shoulder, snatched her by the wrist, and yanked her with him toward the door.
“Keep your skin on!” she said, hanging back.
Fury flashed, and for an instant she thought he might grab her by the throat. Instead, he bent, hitting her in the gut with his shoulder and effectively stifling any further protest before he lifted her over his back and headed down the corridor.
By the time she recovered her breath, he’d kicked open the rear door and fresh air wafted across her overheated face. “What is wrong with you?”
He unceremoniously dumped her to the ground. The only reason she didn’t land on her ass in the snow was that she was getting more lithe on her feet with each passing hour.
His eyes still blazed; his voice now rumbled between wolf and man. “What we’re concerned with here is what’s wrong with you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me that you didn’t make wrong with me.”
Barlow turned away, presenting her with his back as he leaned against the white building. “You need to leave Cade alone,” he said. “He has work to do. You can’t…fuck with him like you fuck with me.”
Alex stiffened. “Excuse me?”
Obviously Barlow didn’t hear the danger in her voice, because he just kept talking.
“He’s innocent. A bit of a doofus. He’s spent his life trying to heal people. All he cares about is helping others.”
“I bet I could make him care about me.”
Barlow spun so fast
she didn’t have time to move away. Not that she would have. She’d meant to poke the beast. He’d poked her.
“Leave him alone.” His skin rippled. He was losing control.
Good. So was she.
Alex stepped in close; then she lowered her voice so that even super-wolf had to lean in to hear what she said. “You think I just bang anyone who comes along?” She lifted her eyes and showed him her fury. “Like you?”
He snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her against him. Despite her sweater and his flannel shirt, she could feel the heat wafting off him like the waves of the sun across the asphalt in August.
“You’ll bang no one,” he said between gritted teeth. “Except me.”