Wolf Hunter by Ryan Loveless Page B

dance making him snippy.
    “ Well, do them here.” Westley was almost whining.
    Jaylen put his fork down. “If I could, I would. But I have responsibilities. I don’t usually even bother explaining this to people.”
    “So I should feel special?” Westley asked, with bitterness.
    “ No, yes. I don’t know. Look—we just met. So, what you’re doing here, it’s a little weird.” Now Westley was definitely on his nerves. It was a rehash of the night before. What was Westley’s problem? No way he wanted Jaylen’s hot bod that much.
    “ Do you want to fuck me over the kitchen counter?”
    Jaylen blinked. He hadn’t expected that redirective. Westley stared at him, full of hope. “Tell you what. I’ll take a raincheck. I’ll come back tonight and fuck you on whatever surfaces you want.”
    Westley didn’t answer for a long time. He sat in silence so long that Jaylen went into the bedroom to get dressed. When he returned, Westley hadn’t moved. Christ, what the fuck was wrong with him?
    “ Westley—” Westley ducked away and wiped his eyes. “Are you crying?”
    “ You won’t stay?”
    “ Honestly, this is not normal what you’re doing.” He cursed himself. Usually he was better at avoiding the clingy ones. Westley’s appearance and dopey smile had blinded him. “Well, uh, I’m going to go before you decide to chain me in the basement.”
    “ I wouldn’t do that,” Westley said dully.
    “ Right. Okay. Um.” He debated giving Westley a parting kiss and decided it was best to run.
    Which he did.
    His hands started trembling on the drive. He reached the motel as the first wave of strong cramps hit. A few cars were parked in scattered places along the front of the motel as Jaylen pulled in. He recognized most. There was a red truck he hadn’t seen before. He parked and got out of the car. As he walked toward his room, his tongue dried and the veins in his arms burned. Wolves. Fuck. His body needed to get clear of the drug, but he couldn’t think about that now. Had to figure out where that wolf was and get safe before his body’s reactions put him into more danger.
    “ Got you.” It grabbed him from behind and shoved him against his own door. He dropped to his knees, pulled his knife from his boot and came up swinging. The wolf didn’t have a weapon, but it had a smile that started with lips and ended with a bloody stripe of slashed skin.
    “ Thought I killed you last night,” Jaylen said.
    “ Thought wrong,” it said. Its stringy brown hair flopped in its face. Jaylen stabbed and slashed before it could grab him again. He cut its throat and shoved the shaking corpse away.
    “ Hate it when they don’t stay dead,” he muttered. With the knife still at the ready, he shoved his key into the lock.
    “ Austin!” He jerked up at the sound of the howl. Goddammit, should have known that was why his veins still raged with the drug’s fire. Fucking cramps distracting him. There were more of them. He spun around, back to the door. Fucking hell. One of them was huge. “I told him to wait. He never was a good listener.” Its eyes flashed gold, evil in a beautiful face. The bigger they are...
    Jaylen sprung at it.
    The other one, a blond about Jaylen’s height with spiky hair and a pissed off smile, grabbed his arm and knocked him back. It thrust his arm up and banged Jaylen’s hand on the door until the knife fell free. Jaylen scrabbled for the door knob. Suddenly, the wolf looked confused.
    “ Tom?” It said, glancing to its partner. The other wolf closed in. It, too, stopped and peered curiously at Jaylen. Its mouth opened stupidly and its nose wrinkled. Jaylen took the distraction for the offering it was and twisted the key in the door knob. He fell backwards into his room. The wolves recovered themselves and attempted to dive in after him. The blond one fell backwards screaming. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
    “ Wolfsbane, fuckers,” Jaylen crowed from the floor. “Tom” picked its friend