“Stay away from the front of the muzz
le, Nicky!” Logan screamed.
Nicky jumped over the two, and around, looped his tied arms around Dawson’s neck, choking him and biting him on the ear. Dawson screamed, letting go of the rifle with one hand to grab Nicky by the hair, all Logan needed to wrench the rifle free and throw it clear.
“Get off him and run,” he yelled at Nicky and jammed his tied hands under Nicky’s wrists and into Dawson’s throat, determined to strangle him. In his mind, Dawson represented everything he hated—his father, the hypocrisy, and the lies. He didn’t let the sound of gunfire and screams in the distance distract him, either. Dawson was going to die.
Nicky gasped when two huge wolves, one silver, one black, slunk out of the woods. “Oh, shit. Don’t move, Logan, don’t move,” Nicky warned. “They’re—”
Nicky didn’t finish. Dawson squirmed out of Logan’s shocked, lax hold, threw Logan back on his ass and bolted, running hell bent for leather. The wolves were behind him in leaping bounds. Nicky and Logan listened to a vicious, short struggle take place just beyond their line of sight, screams of a man in terror and then a deadly silence. Nicky helped Logan get to his feet.
“Why did you tell me to freeze?” Logan asked, trying to work at the knots of rope on Nicky’s wrists with his own still bound hands.
“Sometimes when they’re in their wolf and on the hunt, they can be unpredictable. It’s better to just—oh, shit. ”
The last was barely a whisper when two wolves leaped from the brush twenty feet away, their muzzles covered in blood. Ian and Marco, in a full run, shifted back to naked human glory as they came.
Despite Nicky’s warning, Logan backed up a few steps, as Ian slowed to a stalking advance, not knowing what to expect. Fight or flight kicked in. He turned and ran, knowing as he did, it was useless. Ian overran him, locked his arms around him, lifted him off his feet, and hugged him fiercely, squeezing the air out of his lungs. Gasping for breath, he was startled when Ian threw him over his shoulder. Logan glanced back to see how Nicky fared.
Nicky tried for a brief moment to fight Marco. Wrists still tied together, he drew his hands back over his head for a double fisted strike. Marco grabbed his fists, hungNicky’s bound arms over his head and kissed him thoroughly. Nicky sagged against him. Marco spoke urgently in his ear as he bore him to the ground.
When Nicky saw Marco thundering toward him, he had a sudden flashback to their first weeks together whenMarco’s wolf almost killed him by ripping out his throat. Even though his rational mind told him this was Marco in human form, and he’d never hurt him, he panicked. Instinctively, he raised his bound hands over his shoulder to strike. Marco came to an abrupt halt in front of him, catching both fists in his hands, and locked eyes with him.
“Nicky? Do you want to fight me, baby?” Marco looped his arms over his head, bending to touch his lips gently to Nick y’s. At the first touch, Nicky surrendered, opening his mouth, greedily greetingMarco’s tongue as it swept over the inside of his mouth, searing him with a white hot heat. His own tongue met Marco’s and the old, familiar dance began. Love for this man swept over Nicky, and he sagged in Marco’s arms.
Marco pulled his head back and whispered against his lips. “Forgive me, baby. I’ve been such a fool about everything. Just don’t leave me. Never leave me again, Nicky. I can’t live without you. ”
Nicky closed his eyes. Surely he was asleep and dreaming. Marco admitting he was wrong? Had to be a dream.
“Please look at me, sweetheart. Rory told me how wrong I was—how unhappy you’ve been. Give me another chance to make it up to you. I swear I’ll try this time. ”
Nicky opened his eyes and looked into Marco’s beautiful dark ones, filled with pain. He opened his mouth to reassure him, but no words came out. For once in his life, he was speechless.
Marco groaned. “Nicky, please. Don’t look at me like that. Things will change, honey. I promise. Will you go home with me and give me a chance to prove it to you?”
Nicky licked his lips. “Uh—change how?”
“I’ve been too protective, too controlling. I even spanked you. I’ll never do it again, Nicky, I swear. You can do whatever you want, wear whatever you want. I won’t boss you around like I did before. ”
“Okay, now I know I’m dreaming. ”
“No, baby, I mean it. I was trying to keep you safe and follow the old ways, but I see now I just drove you away. ”
“Untie me, Marco. ”
Contritely, Marco pulled Nicky’s arms from around his neck and untied Nicky’s wrists, kissing each of them before he released him. He dropped to his knees, pulling Nicky down with him and watched Nicky’s face. “What are you thinking, Nicky? Please don’t say you still want to leave me. ”
“No, I don’t want to leave, Marco. I love you too, but you’re right. Some things need to change. The human pets need better treatment, and you’re the only one who can make those changes. The wolves in your pack aren’t going to like it much. A lot of them are really set in their ways. ”
“I’ll handle them,” Marco said, setting his jaw. “If they don’t like it, they can leave. I won’t tolerate a challenge to my authority. ”
“I can handle a little bossiness. It’s a part of who you are. Just treat me as another adult, not your property and an empty-headed puppet. Okay?”
“Okay, baby, so long as you talk to me when you get angry and don’t try to take off again. You have to be more careful. The Hunters would kill you, sweetheart, and until we defeat them, you’re not safe. ”
“I know that, Marco. I’ll be more careful and try not to worry you so much. There is one thing that’s not negotiable though. ”
Marco gave him a sharp look. “Okay, what is it?”