“Don’t fucking talk to her like that.”
As Beast reached through the back window with a massive paw, apparently scrabbling for Dustin, Emma cursed them all out while beating on Beast’s massive arm with both fists.
“Stop!” Winter yelled. Winter shoved Beast’s arm as hard as she could. “Logan, unhand Dustin’s throat, Dustin, stop being a chode, Emma, you’re awesome, never change. We don’t know what is happening yet or even if we are cut for sure, but I know one thing. We’re all hungry and tired, and we shouldn’t go up to Kane’s Mountains on empty stomachs. Let’s put in our to-go order and go find out what is really going on. Logan!”
With a growl, Logan released Dustin, who immediately jammed a middle finger in Logan’s face and nearly got it bitten off. The wolf shifter removed the bird one millisecond before Logan snapped his teeth with a clack.
Emma was laughing again.
As Logan backed out of the parking spot, there was such a heavy, awkward silence it put Winter’s hair on end. It was going to suck if it was like this all day.
As they passed the opposite side of the motel, the A-Team was gathered outside of one of the rooms talking low. When they caught sight of Logan’s truck, they all stopped their conversation, and each of their lightened eyes drifted to them. They weren’t joking this morning, and really, they looked suspicious as hell.
“Anyone find it odd that they’ve been doing that shit all morning?” Logan asked as they coasted by.
“I can find out their names if you want to murder them all,” Dustin said. Apparently the wolf had caught wind of Logan’s last profession, and there was this loaded moment that hung in the air, clogging up Winter’s lungs as she waited for Logan’s reaction.
“Careful dog,” Logan said coolly. “I know your secrets, too.”
“Okay, you caught me,” Dustin said sarcastically. “I hold the world record for most masturbations in one day. Autographs later.”
Beast snorted behind them, and Emma shook her head at Winter, eyes exhausted as if she needed a nap already.
But when Dustin turned up the techno music again, Logan didn’t even yell at him, and that was some true and serious progress with this bunch. The awkward silence lifted, and Winter’s smile was back to stretching her face.
Logan had claimed her, Kane hadn’t come out and said they were eliminated, she was about to get pancakes, and she was in a truck full of her people.
Bright sides.
Chapter Fourteen
Kane was pissed. Logan could tell from the moment he drove across the territory line of the dark dragon. There was a vibration in the air that settled in his chest and made him sick to his stomach. He and everyone in this truck were insane for wanting to be a part of his crew.
He pushed the brake, unable to help himself. He couldn’t make himself take Winter any closer to the angry Dark Kane.
“Go, man,” Dustin said around a mouthful of French toast. “The later we are, the angrier he’ll be.”
“Do you feel it, too?” Logan asked.
“Of course I do, I’m not a pup. He’s mad. He’ll get over it and probably not burn us. He’s got Rowan to steady him, or however bonds work. Find your balls and hurry the fuck up.”
Logan growled, and a vision of him slitting Dustin from throat to belly button flashed across his mind. Kill him.
Feeling helpless for the first time in his life, he looked at Winter in the rearview.
“It’s okay,” she murmured, shoving the door open.
“What are you doing?” he asked as she got out.
The door shut hard, rocking the truck, and then Winter was in his window with the prettiest smile that existed on earth. Her smoky-gray eyes were all done up with dark eye-shit girls liked to slather on. Looked sexy on her. The lip sparkles on her smile did, too.
“You can’t take me farther.” She leaned her cheek against his elbow, which was resting on the open window frame. She nuzzled it like an affectionate cat and murmured, “I’ll walk from here.”
Well, that would solve the ache in his chest if she took herself to Kane, and it double-helped when Beast jumped out of the back of the truck and muttered, “I’ll walk, too. Want to get there before my ninetieth birthday.” Beast lurched at the window, but nothing scared Logan anymore, so he sat there watching him with dead eyes.
Beast lumbered away to leave Winter to trail after him, but she turned and bolted back to the truck, pecked Logan on the lips, grinned, stunned him completely, then strode off behind Beast, her sexy curves swinging like she knew he was watching.
Dustin licked his fingers loudly, dragging Logan from being damn-near hypnotized by her sexy ass. Winter waved as she walked away, and Beast flipped them all off. God, they really were the D-Team. All but Winter. She was the best person he’d ever met. He hoped her goodness rubbed off on his soul and smudged out some of the darkness. Selfish, but meh. He was a selfish monster and had accepted that long ago. The proof was in how little effort he’d made to stay away from her. There was a one-hundred-percent chance he was going to ruin her life, yet here he was, digging in deeper with his mate every chance he got.
His mate? Shit, that was an unexpected gem. He wasn’t supposed to have one. Oh, he’d seen his destiny bright and clear from age seventeen. Winter wasn’t supposed to be a part of it, but here she was, dragging him kicking and screaming into the light. Day by day. Logan shook his head and hit the gas on the bridge over the river.