He shook his head. No way in hell.
“I just figured out part of the puzzle.”
Theo narrowed his eyes. “As we stood here?”
Az squeezed the wolf in his arms tighter. “That’s right, and now I’m going to keep her alive.”
Now all he had to do was figure out how to get her out of her wolf body and into her human one. Then he had to hope they actually liked each other…
And that no one else tried to fire bomb them to death while he worked on the other problems.
But hell, it was just another day in his life and this sort of thing had long ago become commonplace.
Chapter Three
Kill.
The voice resounded in Leah’s head as her eyes flew open. She looked left and right, realizing she had no idea where she was. It didn’t matter, she’d been given an order, and she needed to follow it.
The man—Azriel—stood across the room staring at the window. His brothers surrounded him on both sides. She wanted to howl with delight. Her Alpha would be so thrilled if she killed all of them. Then he’d let her come home and live in the light of his presence again.
She leaped off the table, growling. They needed to see her teeth; they needed to see how strong she was. They should know who it was who was going to end their lives.
The three men whirled around. Leah’s gaze focused solely onto Azriel. She’d kill him first. Yes, that sounded like a good plan. Drool pooled in her mouth as she imagined how he’d taste…a pang thudded in her chest. What was that? No matter, she needed to do this. She’d been ordered.
“Gods damn it, she’s having an episode.” She had no idea what Az meant by that but it didn’t matter. He was nothing but soon-to-be dead meat to her.
Gabriel lunged forward. “She’s got death in her eyes.”
“No,” Azriel pulled back on Gabriel’s arm, shoving the man back toward the wall.
Leah was impressed. She hadn’t imagined he was that strong. No matter, she’d still destroy him.
Kill the wolves.
“No one touches her but me.”
Gabriel snarled. “Look at how she’s looking at you, little brother; she’s going to kill you.”
“She can’t control herself right now. Whatever is happening to her, it’s making her delirious and psychotic. You’re right, I’m sure she does want to kill me. She probably wants all of our deaths. If she was in the lab, she’d be locked up and the only thing she’d be able to do is throw herself against the bars. Unfortunately, she’s out and this was way faster than anticipated for another episode. I think somehow it’s not a coincidence that this is happening on top of the firebombing.”
Gabriel growled, which only infuriated her. Maybe she’d kill him first. “That’s nice. We’re still going to have to subdue her.”
“No one is subduing her but me.”
Without another thought, Leah leapt forward aiming for Azriel’s throat. Seconds before she made contact a warm, white light slammed into her, throwing her backwards.
Where Az had stood, a dark wolf stared back at her. Damn, she had forgotten he could do that.
She leaned back on two of her paws ready to lunge at him again. Az growled, loudly, and she couldn’t move. Inwardly, she raised an eyebrow. It was an impressive show.
Jumping so fast she could hardly make out his form amidst the blur of color that streaked before her eyes, his mouth came down on her neck. He grabbed her by the scruff like she was a puppy, dragging her across the floor as she whimpered.
Forcing her onto her side, he stared down at her, his wolf eyes letting her know in no uncertain terms that he was in charge and she was going to cease and desist. If only it was that easy. Leah tried to make sense of her thoughts. Everything felt muddled, like her thoughts weren’t her own.
She blinked twice. It wasn’t that Az was hurting her; he hadn’t, not even when he’d forcibly moved her across the room and put her into this position of submission. Wanting to cry, she closed her eyes. What the hell was happening to her?
Damn it, I wish you could hear me.
Leah’s eyes flew open. Had she just heard Az in her head? This was really getting out of control.
Did you hear me? He narrowed his eyes above her.
If you’re actually speaking in my head—and I’m not hallucinating—then yes, I heard you. Though why she would be surprised to hear a voice in her head when she was compelled beyond resistance to ‘kill’ by the same manifestation was beyond her understanding. Of course, maybe it was because it was Azriel’s voice…
The fact that you can hear me is a very good sign. He sighed. I’m actually hearing your voice. I have to tell you, it’s a really pretty sound.
His compliment sent shivers up her spine. No one had commented on her voice before…or maybe they had and she just couldn’t remember. Thank you.
Now why don’t you tell me what’s happening to you right now. Oh…wait…I’m so ridiculous. What is your name?
It was almost more bizarre than she could handle. Here she was, trapped as a wolf, being instructed by one voice inside her head to kill people, while talking to someone who could shift between wolf and man, and about to introduce herself. In her mind, she shrugged. She could write that on her list: she was the type of person who was capable of going with the flow in truly outlandish situations.
My name is Leah St. James.
That’s a very pretty name…Leah St. James. Wait, what? Azriel, the wolf, jumped back a few feet letting go of her scruff.
She rolled over on her side and stood up. Hoping the ‘kill’ voice could hold off a few seconds, she moved forward. Do you know who I am? All I know is my name. Does my name mean something to you?
Your name means something to the entire state. You’re the daughter of one of our Senators and you’ve been missing for six months.
Azriel’s abrupt tone told her he was not thrilled with his recent discovery of her identity. She shook her head. None of what he told her rang a bell in her mind. Shouldn’t there be a big ‘a-ha’ moment now that she knew something about herself? But there was nothing. Still a blank slate with just her name to identify who she was.
The white light filled the space around Azriel again and he regained his human form.
The naked version of it, which she swore this time she would not lust after.
Kill.
She closed her eyes and pointedly refused to acknowledge the order. This was all getting rapidly out of hand. Voices in her head were not going to get to tell her what to do. She was a cognizant human being—or wolf at the moment—she decided whom she did and did not murder.
“I think we have a very large problem.” Azriel looked back and forth from his brothers to her. He thought they had a very large problem?
Gabriel stepped forward, his eyes focused entirely on her even as he spoke to Azriel.
“Were you able to communicate with her?”
“I was and her name is Leah St. James.”
Gabriel’s gaze moved to focus on Azriel as Theo, standing by the window, swore loudly. “Even for Dad, this is fucked up.”
Why was it so bad that she was Leah St. James? Wasn’t it a good thing? Now they could tell her family where she was and—
Like a light bulb turning being switched on, the truth of what Az had told her registered in her brain. She was Leah St. James, daughter of Senator Nathan St. James from Maine. Unless she was very much mistaken, people didn’t know that there were individuals running around who could be both man and animal. That meant that whatever went on here, it was secret. It wouldn’t do to have the daughter of a senator exposing it all.