Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,84

where she lay, only a few feet from the massive rock the tiger probably used as a perch. It looked like she’d moved a bit since the first time he saw her, when she’d been plastered against the rock and unmoving.

He took that as a good sign, but that didn’t mean he could afford to revel in the small victory. Dodge slunk through the enclosure, keeping a wary eye on the tiger as it stalked and charged at Silas’s antics. He reached Persephone and pressed his nose to her hair, inhaling so deeply it ignited new pain in his chest, and he closed his eyes in fury. She smelled of fear and pain and blood, and grievous wounds covered most of her visible skin. They’d hit her in the face, too, until her cheeks and jaw and eyes were swollen and dark with bruises.

He growled and she tensed, fighting back to consciousness, and dragged her arms up to shield her face. “You’re a handsome boy, just don’t eat me. Don’t eat me. I’ll bring you so many treats.”

Dodge cocked his head, trying to understand, then realized she thought he was the tiger, showing up to finish her off. He grumbled and nudged her with his nose, whining and wishing she could walk. He fought with the wolf for control of their body, but the stubborn bastard wasn’t giving up. Their mate wasn’t safe yet; the wolf wasn’t about to give up and shift to the weak human body until they had Persephone safely tucked away, or the tiger was dead.

The man side of him gave up on shifting. Instead, the wolf gently took a scrap of her clothing in his teeth and started dragging her across the enclosure. Persephone forced her eyes open and shivered. “What - who are you?”

He grumbled and moved faster, not liking that the tiger had looked back to see what moved in its territory. Dodge fixed the big cat with a predator’s glare, hoping the feline got the message that Dodge wasn’t an easy meal and wouldn’t let Persephone be any kind of meal. Silas snapped and snarled as he charged the fence and slammed into the chain-link, drawing the tiger’s attention back to him. It bought Dodge enough time to haul Persephone all the way to the small door that let humans into and out of the enclosure. There was a double door, so if he could just get her behind one fence, they would be safe from the prowling feline.

Except the damn thing was locked. He nosed it and clawed at it and slammed his shoulder into it, making the whole fence shake, but the chain and padlock remained in place. He growled and paced, furious. He didn’t dare leave her alone and the fucking wolf wouldn’t let them shift. Not that his bare hands would have been much help against a heavy-duty padlock.

Persephone stirred when he growled, and she reached a hand out to touch his side. “Don’t hurt him.”

He crouched next to her, nosing closer, and tried to make reassuring noises. Who the hell was she talking to?

She groaned but kept patting his leg. “I don’t know who you are, but please don’t hurt the tiger. It’s not his fault. They starved him. He’s just a tiger. He doesn’t know. Please don’t kill him.”

And damn him if a tear didn’t slide down her cheek.

Dodge licked her cheek and held tight to the warm feeling she ignited in his chest. She was too good for him by far, to be injured and afraid and still wanting to save someone else. He thought he couldn’t love her more than he already did, but Persephone proved him wrong. His heart wasn’t big enough for her. He’d spend the rest of his life trying to make up the difference.

He nudged her closer to the fence so he could lay down between her and the tiger, trying to keep her warm and out of shock with his body heat. He wanted to reassure her, to tell her what happened and that help was on the way, but the wolf wasn’t convinced. The tiger wouldn’t be distracted for long. Dodge concentrated enough to convince Silas to take off, to get the pack. Not that he’d be able to shift and ask for help, but the other wolves would know. They would follow him back to the sanctuary and then they’d be able to help Persephone.

Dodge licked her hand again and she sighed, her voice wobbling. “I’m so