Dire Needs: A Novel of the Eternal Wolf Clan by Stephanie Tyler Page B

Vice drawled, watching the young man squirm nervously beneath him. Jinx was taking care of the body and checking out the area to see if they were still safe or if the chick had a team behind her.
    “Why were you protecting a human from a weretrapper?” Vice demanded of the boy, who started but didn’t back down.
    “I don’t know. I just sensed… no, smelled that shewas in trouble. I think I hurt her instead of helping.”
    “We stopped you before you could. Actually, you saved her.” Vice stared at him. “Now, who are you?”
    “I’m part of the NYC pack.”
    “You’re an outlaw?”
    He blinked. “The outlaws tried to kill me because I’m Linus’s son.”
    Vice didn’t say anything, the enormity of the situation too much to handle, with the naked young man who would be king wounded in the middle of the woods.
    This was Liam, next in line to take over the Weres, at least before the pack wars had started. “Who’s the witch?”
    “I don’t know. But the outlaws are still after me. And I have to survive for the sake of my pack,” Liam whispered, and for the first time since encountering the young wolf, Vice scented his fear.
    Vice didn’t know whether Liam was talking about the weretrappers or the outlaw pack, but it didn’t matter. He stroked a hand through the boy’s hair. “’S okay. I’ll get you someplace safe.”
    Vice got off him and helped him to his feet, ended up carrying him to the truck and leaning him there while Jinx tied the witch’s body to the roof rack.
    “What’s the deal? We gonna perform funeral services?” Vice asked him.
    “It’s Seb’s sister.”
    Liam paled even further, and Vice whistled and shook his head. “Brother, we’ve got more trouble than we can handle. I’m probably the only one looking forward to it.”
    Vice dressed quickly—there were always extra clothes inside the trucks, for obvious reasons—and he took the driver’s seat so Jinx could fix up Liam as best he could.
    He’dcalled Cyd on the way to pick up Rifter’s Harley from the woods, if the trappers hadn’t taken it already. He found a text now from the twin saying it was safe and sound, and being checked out for bugs and explosives before being brought back to the mansion.
    Now he barreled toward the human’s address, then slowed with the lights off as he got close and saw the car in the driveway. Muttered, “Fuck me,” as he caught sight of Rifter’s Brother Wolf taking out some weretrappers.
    What he hadn’t expected was the human woman fighting alongside the wolf. Hadn’t expected the goddamned house to explode either, but that’s exactly what it did while he and Jinx watched helplessly and Liam slipped into unconsciousness.
    The fiery blast blew Gwen off the front porch and into the yard, her body’s fall cushioned by fur. It slammed just the same, though, rattling her enough that she couldn’t catch her breath.
    The smoke from the fire didn’t help, and she crawled away with the wolf urging her onward—half dragging, half pushing her—and she felt the sticky blood as her hand touched its hind leg. And then just as suddenly she was alone and there was a truck barreling toward her, stopping less than a foot away, causing her to jump to her feet.
    She felt like running again—but where?
    There was no one left to trust.
    Trust the wolf,
the rustling seemed to say. Her heart pounded and she felt the familiar aura of the seizure. In seconds, she’d be helpless.
    He won’t hurt you
. But she couldn’t be sure of anything, even her own mental health. Besides, the wolf was gone.
    Oddly, the seizure never materialized, but she was still light-headed. She was picked up gently, but as with Liam earlier, the strength of this grip was something she couldn’t break. A strange combo.
    Still, she turned to try to see the face of the man carrying her.
    “Don’t bother fighting, sweetheart. Besides, I’m on your side,” the husky voice told her, and she smelled chocolate and whiskey and