Hot Blooded (Wolf Springs Chronicles) - By Nancy Holder Page 0,104

she’s still barely conscious.”

Katelyn looked down at the ground. “I could never do it. I’m not a killer.”

There was a beat. “Yes, you are. You’re a werewolf.” His voice was steady, firm. When she didn’t respond, he said, “And you have done it before.”

She whipped up her head. Babette was lying at his feet, and she saw that he had put her facedown. Katelyn’s stomach contracted hard as Justin stepped over Babette and came toward Katelyn.

“Quentin Lloyd,” he said.

Her heart leaped into her throat. She felt icy, and unaccountably abandoned. “No. You said—”

“I said what I said. But was it really very different?” He cocked his head. “You knew what you were doing.”

“No.” She tried to take a step backwards. But something inside her was beginning to respond to Justin’s approach — interest, warmth. She was shocked.

“Katelyn, you already have to lie to so many people. But you don’t have to lie to me. I’m like you. We’re predators. There’s no shame in that. Hell, humans eat meat.”

“I didn’t,” she rasped, “before I got here.”

There was silence. She peered up at him through her lashes and she was sure she caught the shadow of a fleeting smile on his face. Outraged, she turned her back on him.

She took a deep breath. “I’ll help you.”

“No, you’re the one he wants to kill her.”

“No, I mean I’ll help you.”

He turned her around. “What are you saying?” he asked, face intense.

“I will support you. All the insanity, death, it has to stop. I will help however I can.” She rubbed her arm that had been injured in the silver trap, not wanting to mention her immunity in front of Babette, worried that she’d already said too much in front of the Gaudin werewolf.

Justin got the message and she could see the thought quickening in his eyes. “Your price?” he asked.

She ticked her gaze over to Babette, now crouched on the ground in her human form, clearly terrified, and he grimaced. She held her breath, waiting to see what he would do.

Then he chuckled deep in his throat and said, “Run, Babette.”

Katelyn jerked, hard, as Justin shifted his weight so that she could see around him. Babette was ready to run, but first the Gaudin werewolf stopped and tears rolled down her bruised face.

“I swear I will never, ever set foot on Fenner territory again,” she whispered, all her earlier bravado gone. “Please.”

“If I catch you,” Justin said, “I will kill you.”

As an answer, Babette nodded, then dashed into the forest. Katelyn could scent her, hear her crashing through the underbrush.

“If Lee finds out, there will be hell to pay,” Justin said. He smiled. “Now, where were we?”

“Thank you,” Katelyn said, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

He held her tight for a minute and then stepped back. “Let’s go home.”

Justin had blood on his shirt and, looking down, she realized that she did now, too. Babette’s blood might be on her clothes, but at least her death wouldn’t have to be on Katelyn’s conscience.

When they finally trudged out of the woods and made it back to the house, Katelyn saw that everyone was still gathered. Heads turned at their arrival and she forced herself to try and stay calm. There was no reason to panic.

She felt a text message come in on her phone but she kept it in her pocket — she couldn’t read any messages until she was alone. And as she and Justin came to a stop before Mr. Fenner and the rest of the pack, Katelyn had never felt so alone.

Lucy was staring at them both, fire in her eyes. “How could you!” she demanded before anyone else could speak.

Katelyn froze as her mind tried to process what was happening.

“I can smell you all over him!”

Katelyn blinked in shock. All the times that Justin had kissed her and they’d never been caught, and now, over just a simple hug, Lucy was coming unglued. She opened her mouth to say something, anything.

“Lu, you’re just upset,” Justin said soothingly.

“You go to hell, Justin Fenner! You lying, cheating bastard!” Lucy shouted.

Then Lucy leaped at Katelyn, knocking her to the ground, and wrapped her hands around Katelyn’s throat. Katelyn felt her phone fall out of her pocket as she flailed at Lucy, arms windmilling, trying to bat at her. She was too panicked to remember how to defend herself.

Over Lucy’s shoulder, Jesse was screaming and Justin was holding him back.

Holding him back from helping either one of us. This is a