Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,24

said under his breath. He couldn’t help it. Her forehead wrinkled as she pondered and he damn well couldn’t stop himself from leaning down to boop her nose. “You’re cute when you’re confused, you know.”

“I’m not confused,” she said, and tried to elbow him away to stand on her own as they reached the door. “I’m mad.”

“I’m sure you are.” Dodge hit the elevator button and hoped it showed up before anyone else did. He didn’t want to share a moment of being with Persephone with anyone else.

She fished around in her purse for the keys, muttering under her breath, and he didn’t intrude. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through, trying to re-orient to a world that had changed significantly in the space of a few hours. Her breathing hitched and her hands tightened into fists, and as he nudged her into the elevator, Persephone gulped for air. Dodge pulled her against his side as she started shaking. “Just a few more seconds.”

“Wh-what?” she said, her voice going high.

“I know,” he said. Dodge couldn’t stop himself from pressing his nose to her hair and taking a deep breath. He didn’t like the hints of death and panic that still clung to her. He even closed his eyes briefly. How the hell was he going to take care of her? “We’re almost there.”

Her shaking grew worse as they stepped out of the elevator, though his senses went into high alert as he searched the hallway for signs that someone else had been there. Her door looked the same as when he’d been there earlier. Her hands shook too much to get the key in the lock, so he relieved her of the keys and did it himself.

Dodge moved her inside before closing and locking the door, then maneuvered her so she was in the adjacent kitchen. Her knees started to give way so he helped her sit on the floor and lean back against the cheap cabinets. He crouched down to murmur, “Stay right here. Don’t move. Okay?”

Her eyes were glazed as shock took over. He cursed under his breath. She’d been doing so well. He hadn’t paid close enough attention to her breathing, her state of mind. She’d been talking, been fine... He clenched his jaw and squeezed her shoulders. “Stay here, Persephone. I’ll be right back.”

She made a small sound when he stepped back, almost reaching for him, and part of Dodge’s stone-cold heart cracked. He muttered gruffly about checking the apartment and fled like a damn coward so the lost look on her face wouldn’t be his undoing. He searched each room from top to bottom, secured and re-secured the window, and checked the vents in case there were cameras or mics dropped in. It didn’t look like anyone had gotten there ahead of them. Either they didn’t know Persephone had been there as they chopped up the bodies, or they didn’t know yet. Either way, he was ahead of the game.

She was still in the kitchen when he returned, which was a good sign, though she was crying big, fat tears that dripped off her cheeks and almost sent the wolf into pure panic. Dodge debated what to do. There was no telling how long she’d stay in shock or whether she’d slide toward being full-on unresponsive. There was also no telling if they’d have to move fast that night. Maybe in the next hour, even. He ran his hands through his hair as he looked down at her. Damn it.

He really didn’t like being a dick to women. He didn’t. But he needed her alert enough to take direction, at least until the immediate danger had passed.

Dodge leaned down to pick her up, putting her on her feet as the architect stared at him, and walked her through the apartment to her bathroom. He sighed and held her close against his chest, rubbing her back, as he fiddled with the shower knobs. “I’m really sorry about this. I hope you know that.”

She looked up at him, forehead starting to wrinkle, as he put her right into the stream of cold water.

Persephone hollered like a furious cat and practically climbed the wall of the shower as she tried to get away from the soaking spray. She puffed right up and almost line-backered right through him to get out, shrieking loudly enough his ears rang. Dodge bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as she stood on the rug and smashed her fists