Midnight Kisses (Shifter Island #1) - Leia Stone Page 0,3
he challenge me on my land?
Punch him in the face? Or let it slide?
“Rage, stop,” the driver snapped and chucked a half-empty water bottle, hitting the one who glared at me square in the chest.
Dude didn’t move, just kept his evil glare fixed on me.
Hah! His actual name was Rage? How fitting.
The guard on his right bumped him with an elbow and then climbed into the passenger seat. After he closed the door, Rage stepped to the side and opened the rear passenger door while keeping his head turned toward my clan. Never look away from a threat … it was like he didn’t trust us.
He stood there, a silent sentinel, waiting for me to get into the car, and I growled. The final clone brother limped around the back before getting inside, favoring his right leg.
I took one last look at my father and Lon and the rest of my pack and nodded. There would be no big goodbye; it just wasn’t the way.
See you guys in four years … if I survive.
"I need to put my bag in the back," I growled at Rage. "Especially if you expect me to sit between two of you brutes." I circled my hand to encompass the big dudes already in the car. Why did I have to smash in with four giants?
One of them grunted, and the hatch rose, probably activated by Shotgun Dude.
I tossed my bag into the cargo area and then climbed in, sliding into the center of the leather bench seat, and then got smooshed into Clone #3 as Rage got in on the other side. He closed the door with a shoulder-check to my side that forced me to bump the mute dude on my left.
“Excuse you,” I growled at Rage, glaring at him from the corner of my eye.
Someone needed anger management.
He raised his eyebrows over his mirrored shades and said, “Oops.”
His deep voice was gravelly and did something weird to my insides. Not butterflies, definitely not butterflies. More like murder hornets.
As soon as the giant douche on my right settled into his seat, I popped him in the ribs with my elbow. “Oops,” I shot back.
“That’s enough,” Shotgun said.
The scent of leather and car freshener swirled in the vehicle, but the smell was quickly overwhelmed by eau de male wolf. The worst thing you could do to a dominant wolf like me was to trap her in a vehicle with a bunch of other dominants. I'd be lucky to get through this drive without ripping off someone’s head.
Ignoring my annoying escorts, I steeled my heart and leaned forward to stare out the window. My gaze landed solely on my father, but his stoic expression, combined with the knowledge he couldn't see me, kept me from waving.
The engine of the SUV purred to life, so quiet compared to the rumbling old truck we owned, and I wondered if the disparity of wealth had anything to do with our pack’s banishment from the magic realm. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the back of the seat, feigning sleep.
Mother Mage, help me get through this drive without becoming a murderer.
With my eyes closed, I let my thoughts wander. What was I getting into? The magical vow my father took as a young teen before entering the island—decades ago—kept him from telling me exactly what to expect. I’d prepared my entire life for battle, propriety, and the way of the alpha. But having been banished from the shifter realm when I was just a baby, I didn’t have the advantage of knowing what lay beyond the veil. Pretty sure Amazon didn’t deliver there. Nerves churned and twisted my insides. If I puked, I’d definitely be aiming for Rage.
Driver Dude drove down the winding road, the only way in or out of Crescent Valley, while I drummed my fingers on my bare knees. The vehicle was clearly built for luxury, or at least, I'd heard such from the young men in my clan who dreamed of lavishness. But the pothole-ridden path was meant to discourage visitors, so I relaxed and let the movement rock me, lulling me into semi-lucidity.
As soon as we hit the paved street, my heart lurched.
"Have you eaten yet today, cub?" asked the brother who sat shotgun.
Rage, the grouchy one to my right, snorted. "She's hardly a cub, Justice."
Justice? Rage? What kind of names were these?
I ignored their domineering question and peeled my eyes open, staring at the heads of the two in front.