Reed (Nano Wolves #4) - Donna McDonald Page 0,58

snarling at him.

“Shoo,” he ordered the cubs. Then he snatched the guy’s weapon from his fingers and tossed it like a spear into the nearby woods. He picked the guy up and slammed him into the building just like he’d done to the other one.

The cubs ran into the building, yapping and growling to get Stewart to follow. He almost passed by Yana, who was tied to a chair. Stewart walked over and shredded her bindings.

Yana looked at him and shook her head. “You have nightmare form. Heidi has it too.”

His Aunt Heidi looked like this? Stewart shook his scraggly hair. It was hard to believe.

Together they made their way to Terra’s room. Terra was poking the attacker with one of her crutches to keep him away. Stewart’s howl of fury echoed in the room. The two cubs stopped and howled with him.

Yana clapped her hands. “You two are adorable,” she exclaimed.

Stewart grabbed the attacker by the neck and dragged him out of the room.

Terra huddled into a corner. Then she was sliding down the wall until her butt hit the floor. “Who were those guys? And what was that thing?”

Yana shrugged, but also grinned. The two cubs trotted forward and crawled into Terra’s lap to be hugged.

“Who are you two?” Terra asked.

When their heads turned to the room’s doorway, the freaky ugly wolf guy appeared in it. He hesitated, then walked inside.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” he asked.

Terra stopped crying to stare. She sat the cubs on the floor and stood. Hobbling over to the ugly creature, she searched his gaze. “Stewart? Is that you?”

The creature lifted his arms. “I was supposed to be a wolf—like them,” he said, pointing at the two cubs. “It’s not fair.”

Terra gasped. “Oh, my… those cubs are Kent and Aggie?”

Stewart nodded. “It happened last night, but I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

Terra stared and stared. “Wow—that’s the only word that covers this.”

She moved in closer. “Can I touch your face?”

“You can touch anything. It’s safe. I’m sure.”

Giggling, she ran her fingers over stretched cheekbones and felt his large nose. She giggled harder when he smiled wide to show her his fangs and teeth.

“You’ve been my hero twice. I guess that makes me your girlfriend.”

“You just want to tell the world that you’re dating a freak.”

“That could be true. Maybe,” Terra said with a giggle.

Kent and Aggie bounded over and ran between them, romping around their legs. Stewart looked down at them. They were too cute to describe.

He moved his gaze back to Terra’s. “Will it make me an awful person if I prefer them like this?” Terra’s laughter over his joke was his best reward ever.

The phone in his pocket rang. He couldn’t get it out with his claws. Finally, Terra did it for him. It was his Mom. She held the phone for him while he reassured his mother that they had taken care of the attackers. Then she asked the loaded question. Were there any attackers left alive for her to torture into talking? His sigh was long and heavy.

“I might have left a couple alive outside. I’ll get Aggie to check when she shifts back. What? Yeah, it just happened. She and Kent both shifted into tiny wolf cubs. Everyone keeps saying they’re adorable. Yeah, I miss you too. See you soon.”

He smiled his gratitude—or at least tried to—when Terra slid the phone back into his pocket.

“So what’s next,” Terra asked.

“I have to find Yana. I need her to help me tie up the guards outside. My claws are meant for shredding, not tying ropes.”

“Can I come watch?” Terra asked.

“Sure,” Stewart said. He looked down at his brother and sister. “You guys come too. You can keep an eye on Terra for me.”

Kent and Aggie ran out of the room yipping and yowling.

Terra laughed. “They sound like feral cats. Are you sure they’re wolves?”

Stewart heard himself laughing, but it sounded more like grunting, which made him feel less confident. It would take a very long time to get used to what he’d become.

19

Katarina stared at her smirking father who danced around the outer ring doing odd movements that loosely mirrored a martial arts warm-up. He’d already made her wait twenty minutes, and it looked like it would take thirty for forty before he actively engaged.

“Stalling will not keep me from killing you. I mirror you, Dmitri Volkov. I always have. Your genes made me strong.”

“Da. I wish you’d gotten more from your mother.”

“My mother did not deserve to