Ruler (Wolves of Royal Paynes #2) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,62

It's Faust."

"Faust?" Storri yelped.

Slowly, the kittens stood, their movements reluctant as they climbed off of Storri and Hallie, returning to their mother, who licked each proudly.

"Thank you," Storri breathed, his eyes on the mother lion. "You saved us. Thank you."

Hallie popped up from under him, hair sticking out in every direction while her cheeks were red and sweaty.

Storri had taken the protective role, covering Hallie with his body. My heart pounded while my chest tightened, proud but also horror-stricken.

"Did you get the bitch?" Hallie asked with a snarl that rivaled the cougar's.

I pulled Storri into my arms, lifting him entirely off his feet. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you? What happened? I'm so sorry. Storri, I am so sorry." I kissed every inch of his face.

"It's okay. We're okay. I'm okay. Thanks to those guys." He pulled back, turning his head to the mother. "We were lucky they were nearby."

Diesel hauled Hallie to her feet.

I didn't have to turn around to know Dog and the twins had secured the woman. Her grunting screams made her hard to miss.

"What do you want me to do with her?" Jagger held the woman's cuffed wrists.

"You'll let me go if you know what's good for you."

I snarled, and the woman went silent immediately. "Take her, but follow after. I won't have that in the same car as Storri."

"Good idea," the woman snapped. "Spend time with him while you can."

I tightened my hold on Storri. His soft curves kept me calm enough to think through the woman's threat.

Just as we'd suspected, Storri was in danger, but not from who we thought.

This was much worse.

Chapter Eleven

Storri

My hands shook, but that was fine because they only matched the shaking going on in every other part of my body, inside and out.

I'd never been more afraid in my life, not even when it became clear Mr. Grouse had planned on leaving me in that tower. At least then I'd been the only one in danger.

I didn't know where they'd taken the woman claiming to be my aunt, but she was nowhere to be seen when Faust brought me inside the hotel. Jazz, Knox, and Angus waited with medical supplies, but other than scratches and bruises, neither Hallie nor myself had any injuries.

"None of you needs to be blaming yourself right now," Hallie snapped in her usual way of angry caring. "She had me fooled. I was about to give her recommendations on where to eat in Rockshell when she tried to throw me from a moving vehicle."

"Why didn't she shoot you?" Diesel asked, and though my stomach twisted violently at the question, no one else blinked.

"Storri," Hallie replied without hesitation.

Our eyes met, and it dawned on me what she meant by that. "I'd been afraid the moment the door shut," I said to no one person in particular. "Hallie let me hug her."

"And the lady couldn't get a clean shot," Diesel added.

Even though that was likely accurate, I didn't want to nod.

Jazz flitted between the two of us, offering everything from a blanket to tea. "Are you hungry? Fear burns calories."

Knox caught Jazz around the middle before he could sprint into the kitchen. "Just breathe, love. We all feel it."

"She tried pushing you out, but you didn't go? Then what?" Knox prompted.

"Storri again. He grabbed me so tightly I wasn't going anywhere without him. We fell from the car, but she'd already slowed down. When we got to our feet, we ran, but—"

"I can't run far." Admitting as much felt like a confession of guilt. Hallie could've kept running; I'd been out of breath immediately. "I fell."

Hallie threw a pad of gauze at me. "And then you pushed me under your body and yelled for help until a pack of freaking mountain lions came out to protect us. You saved us, Storri. You saved me."

I'd been lucky that the mountain lions had already been nearby and that the mother had cubs. She'd been feeling particularly maternal and protective. But everyone didn't look at me like I'd been lucky. They looked at me like I'd done something heroic, and that simply wasn't the case.

"This is my fau—"

"Shush," Diesel ordered. "You saved her. Thank you." He pressed his forehead to mine. I didn't so much mind him there as I wondered what the heck was going on. When I glanced at Faust, his chin dipped in a small nod. Diesel breathed in softly, and I felt vaguely like a plate of dinner, but one Diesel seemed content to only