บททั้งหมดของ Bounty for the Lycan Princess ~Nichols~: บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

Nick~ My hands shake, and my leg muscles tense as I step up onto the rotting wood. The boards creak beneath my weight, causing me to focus on the murky water below. Steve must have had another way in; there's no way he was coming and going here. Slow and steady wins the race when it's every man for himself. Now I'm an unwilling contestant in a game of sink the wolf, making my way from one board to the next. The house's leading platform isn't much better, but at least there is a power source. Graves, Brock, and the Captain joined me. "There's a generator, Captain." The Captain radios the chopper, and the deck around us lights up. It only takes a couple of pulls on the start-rope and a hit of the power switch. The inside of the house lit up. Brock rams the door, and the stench inside Steve's place is rancid. "Son of a bitch!" Brock removed a handkerchief and covered his mouth. It's a cross between musty cardboard and sour soap. Zeek has recessed far back in my mind and won't

Harley~ Nick tucked a stray curl behind my ear. "Anyway you want it, Amante." He let out the footrest of the recliner, pulled the stiff white hospital blanket over his feet, and adjusted the pillow under his head. Nick looks over at me with a smile, though I know he is uncomfortable. Half of him is in the recliner, and the other half is across the bed so that I can hold on to his arm. My fingers trail over the Wolf's head tattoo of Zeek on his forearm, and I feel the goosebumps he gets from my touch. I've never given a man goosebumps by touching him. I wonder if he knows how much it turns me on to see that I turn him on? "Goodnight, Amante." "Goodnight, Wolfman." One more night, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Regret hits about two seconds later. Without my Wolf's nose, I can't smell my Wolfman from this distance. All I got was a burst of sharp, bitter cleaning chemicals that burned my nose as the AC kicked on. I miss fresh air, beds that don't deflate, soft sh

Harley~ Convincing myself to convince Nick that he needed to go was difficult. His back going out the door, and it closing behind him, had me gripping the sheets. My eyes welled up as they darted around me. The beeps of the monitors and the clicking of the IV pump now echo in my ears. 'Get a grip, Harley!' It was a fact that Nick and I would eventually have to be separated. What I hadn't expected was my entire world coming undone. Neither is Etta pleased by Nick's absence. Her new trick is to heat my insides when my human nose loses her daddy's scent. It looks like having a normal pregnancy, whatever that is, is not an option. My brow furrowed as a slight frown came to my face while I rubbed my hands over my belly. Kylie tilts her head, and her big blue eyes sparkle. "Does your tummy hurt, Aunt Harley?" Becky came over, sat in the recliner, and patted her legs for Kylie. The little one crawled into her mother's lap. "Aunt Harley is going to have a baby, Kylie," Becky smoothed a

Nick~ Captain Howard called me three more times before I could get out of the hospital. Once I'm settled in the car, I connect the Bluetooth and accept number four. He informs me that Belinda had a match on what killed Steve. I'm supposed to meet them in the morgue; 'them' includes District Attorney Ben, of course, he would be there. 'You need to keep it cool, Nick. We know Harley and Rae belong to us; it doesn't matter what Ben thinks anymore.' 'I know, Zeek, you just remember you said that.' This is not what I expect to be doing today, not by a long shot. My intention was to drop off the files at the station and get back to Harley. Had I gained my objective, it wouldn't have been very 'FBI-ish,' but I had a plan for that too. Three middle fingers with a string of curses, two forced merges with honking horns, and a couple more close calls get me to the station. Seth's car is here unexpectedly, but it's a relief. The station gets quiet as I walk in, and all eyes are on

Nick~ Our black SUVs pull out of the hospital parking lot. More media vans waited on the street, and they pulled in behind us as we passed. Now, a caravan of five heads east through downtown LA. We take the US 395 exit and catch another gear. Harley has remained quiet with her head resting on my shoulder. Once her hand returned to its human form, I laced our fingers together. It's hotter than the Fourth of July on a tin roof in the back of the SUV. My voice was sharp when I hit the two-way and asked the driver to turn on the back vents. It didn't matter because it worked, and the AC came to life with a swoosh. Harley's hair blew back as I adjusted the vent for her, but she didn't speak. 'Just be patient with her, Nick.' 'I'm doing my best, Zeek.' 'We also need to help her get a hold of her powers before they get stronger.' 'Seeing as how she has to use those powers on us, I'd say that's an excellent idea. Though the how is a mystery, other than trial and error.' Wh