Warrior Wolf (Protection, Inc 4)

Unsmiling, Shane caught Nick’s shoulder to steady him. “I have the antidote.”

Shane opened a vial of heartsease and handed it to Raluca. She snatched and emptied it in a single gulp.

Almost immediately, her taut muscles relaxed against his, and she heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s better.”

Nick too relaxed. He hadn’t even realized it, but he’d been so tense with the knowledge of her pain that his whole body ached. His jaw hurt like he’d been clenching it nearly hard enough to break his teeth.

“You can put me down now,” Raluca said. “I’m fine.”

Nick didn’t want to let go of her, but she had taken the antidote. And they were safe now. Reluctantly, he set her down on her feet.

She gave Shane a graceful nod. “Thank you for the heartsease. And I am pleased to meet you.”

“Pleased to meet you, too.” Shane’s tone was polite, but his ice-blue gaze swept over her without warmth. He had a way of seeming to see right through people that was unsettling even when he wasn’t using his power. Raluca drew back slightly.

“Lay the fuck off, Shane,” Nick snapped. “She’s had a rough night.”

Shane turned that same chilly stare on Nick. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Well — don’t,” Nick said. But Shane’s cold blue gaze made him feel the idiocy of his words. Nick shut the fuck up.

His head felt like someone was driving a pickaxe into it with every beat of his heart. He hadn’t fought, but he felt like he had. Probably he’d feel better if he had. Now that he was back and Raluca was fine, or at least not poisoned and in pain, all he could think of was that he’d failed to protect her, failed to find out who was after her, failed to figure out how she’d been poisoned, even failed to notice that someone had picked his pocket.

He wasn’t looking forward to making a more detailed report to Hal. But getting deservedly chewed out by his boss was the least of his problems.

I let my mate get hurt

. I didn’t protect her.

“I fucked up,” Nick said to Shane. “I have to... Wait, is anyone else here?”

“Catalina and Ellie and Hal,” Shane said.

Shane’s voice softened as he said Catalina’s name, so subtly that he probably wasn’t even aware of it. She was Shane’s mate, Ellie’s best friend, and would be Nick’s teammate once her training was finished and her probationary period was over.

Nick had liked Catalina right away. Like him, she’d grow up poor and had to fight for everything she’d ever gotten. But his chest hurt again when Shane mentioned her. Even that hard man had found his mate. His love for her rang out like a bell whenever he so much as spoke her name, and glowed like a fire between them when they were together. Ellie and Hal were the same way with each other, as were Journey and Lucas.

Only Nick had managed to piss off his mate until she wanted nothing to do with him. “Fuck-up” didn’t even begin to cover that. Someone would need to invent a whole new word.

Shane went on, “Ellie’s inside, in case Raluca needed medical assistance. Hal and Catalina are outside, so they could ambush the ambush. But they saw you come in safe, so they’ll meet you in the office.”

Nick tried to pull his thoughts together. “Ellie or Catalina or you should check Raluca while I report to Hal. Just in case.” To Raluca, he explained, “They’re paramedics. Shane too. I mean, obviously that’s not his job, but he’s had the training. I’m sure you’re fine, but Hal will order it even if I don’t, so you might as well get it over with. It’ll be quick. And they’re nice. No swearing or glaring, I promise.”

To Nick’s relief, Raluca didn’t object. Instead, she said, “Yes, I agree that I should have a medical examination. Just to be sure.”

Nick ditched his bulletproof vest in the car, remembering again how she’d risen from the floor to strap it over his chest. She’d risked her life for him, and she didn’t even like him. Maybe it was out of shifters’ honor. But Nick could still feel the hot touch of her fingers from the few times she’d brushed against him, skin to skin.

As they headed for the elevators, Nick said to Shane, “Raluca needs a place to stay tonight. We can figure out tomorrow if the hotel is still safe, but I don’t think we should risk it. I think one of the spare rooms here would be best. Maybe Ellie and Catalina could help her get set up for the night? All her stuff is at the hotel.”

Shane gave a brief nod. “Sounds good.”

Nick turned to Raluca. “You’re completely safe here. This is the most secure building in Santa Martina. And we have rooms with beds, for this sort of thing or in case one of us needs to spend the night. They’re kind of basic, but...”

“That is perfectly acceptable,” Raluca said as they stepped into the elevator. “I agree, it would be unwise to return to the hotel.”

She was being so cooperative that it made him suspicious. Steeling himself for an explosion, he said, “Okay, I’m going to report to Hal. I think it’ll take... uh, maybe an hour? We have a lot to go over. Can you stay awake that long? I want to talk to you before you go to bed.”

Raluca showed no signs of exploding. “Certainly. I will await your knock.”