Chapter 5
Stinger
Ihate that I’ve left Ava behind in the diner.
Hate it with every nerve in my body. It’s getting rowdy in there, and I don’t want to leave her unprotected.
But it’s too dangerous to bring her out here.
The blizzard’s getting worse. Icy gusts are blasting the truck stop, and snow is piling up everywhere, totally burying parked cars.
I’d have to lead her across six lanes of traffic, scramble over the central reservation and hightail it up the side of the highway.
She’d freeze. Her poor little face was burning after two minutes outside just now.
She’ll be safe in the diner for a few minutes. It’s a public place.
And she hasn’t even agreed to stay in my truck yet. Hell, I wouldn’t agree if I was her. There’s a reason why truck drivers have a bad rep. There are some real assholes out there.
I’m proud of her for being so safety conscious. Just wish she knew there was no way I’d hurt a hair on her head. She’s mine.
My mate.
My wolf is up, pressing beneath my skin, growling the same words on repeat:
Mine.
Mate.
Claim.
It can’t be right. A pretty little human like her. Real smart, educated.
And me—a truck driver, too feral to be let into a pack. Exiled from Perdue, even.
Guess when I was warning her about the town, I was also warning her about myself.
I arrive at the side of the highway, listen for the sound of approaching traffic. But all I can hear is the howling wind. Virgin snow lines the highway on both sides. No one’s crazy enough to drive along it now.
No one except me.
But I’ve got to make sure Ava has a safe place to sleep tonight. That’s all I care about right now.
I dash across the highway. Snow goes to the top of my boots as I hit the central reservation, and a freezing gust cuts through my leather jacket. Any other circumstances, I’d let my wolf out and stay like that until spring came around.
I leap over the barrier and dash across the other side of the highway, then I run for my truck. It’s slow going in the deep snow, but I go full pelt. Every minute I lose is another minute my girl is by herself.
At last, I’m back at my rig. I climb up, unlock, and start up the engine.
As it roars to life, a figure appears in front of the truck, waving both arms. It’s another trucker. Snarling at the interruption, I open the window.
“You got a death wish, buddy?” he bawls. “It’s lethal out there.”
Tell me something I don’t know.
“Got somewhere to be,” I growl. I edge the truck forward and he jumps out the way.
He raises his hands. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I’ll be fine. I’m gonna drive safe, because there’s no way I’m going to leave Ava unprotected.
All the way to the exit, I keep my speed super-low. One wrong move and that trailer full of contraband could jack-knife out of control—and there’ll be no more truck, because I’ll have to ditch it.
The minutes tick away, my wolf urging me on:
Hurry. Get back to mate.
At least half my energy is focused on forcing it back, not letting it get the better of me.
I pass through the exit, the turnaround, and I’m heading back to the truck stop.
Back to my girl.
And the closer I get to her, the more my blood boils with need. Her innocent floral scent fills my nostrils. I think about kissing those pretty cherry lips, stripping the clothes off her sweet body. Touching her everywhere. Spreading her virgin thighs and …
I crawl along, focused on keeping the truck dead straight, and my phone’s GPS ticks away the minutes. Ten, seven, five…
A bolt of alarm goes through me.
There’s a sour taste of fear on my tongue. Adrenaline fizzes in my veins, and my wolf forces its way up beneath my skin.
Something’s wrong.
Ava
It doesn’t take them long to notice me. A bunch of drunk guys, bored, with a long night ahead of them. They’ve been harassing the server for a while, and now their attention falls on me.
I was staring out of the window and thinking about Stinger. Thinking he’d already been gone a hell of a long time and probably wasn’t going to come back. Then they appear on my radar, already scheming.
“What’s a little girl like you doin’ all alone?” a loud, drunk voice calls. I turn back from the window in time to see a chunky guy in a too-tight, sweat-stained T-shirt squeezing himself into the seat opposite me.
“Seat’s taken,” I snap.
“Oooh,” he lets out a guttural laugh. “That’s right. It’s taken by me, honey.”
“And me.” Another guy, who could be his brother, shambles over and plonks his ass down beside me, gut pressing against my arm. He dumps his beer on the table and half of it sloshes out.
Crap.
It takes a lot of effort to look him right in his beady eyes, but I do it. “I’m with Stinger.” My voice comes out strong and calm, belying the pounding of my heart.
“Stinger?”
They exchange looks, and I can almost see the cogs of their brains turning.
The second one gives me a nasty grin, full of dirty yellow teeth. “But Stinger’s not here, is he?”
“He’s coming back.”
“That’s what he told you, huh? Looks to me like you’re all by yourself, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me sweetheart,” I hiss. “He’ll be back in a minute, and you’ll be sorry.”
The first one laughs, heh, heh, heh, and leers at me. “I think ol’ Stinger’s gone to bed.”
“‘Bout time we went to bed, too,” the second one says. “Just thinking I’d like a pretty piece of ass to keep me warm tonight.” His arm comes down heavily on my shoulders.
Ice shoots down my spine and I freeze. Then I elbow him in the ribs.
“Oww!” he says in a mocking, high voice, but he doesn’t move. It’s like trying to shove a brick wall.
“Get the hell off me!” I snap.
“Or what?” His arm tightens around my shoulders.
I look desperately for the server, but she’s in the far corner, fending off another bunch of guys. No other person is looking in my direction. Panic pours through me in waves.
“I could have you out of here in a second. Before you can say truck-stop hooker.” His voice is low, nasty, and stinking of beer. “Now you gonna come easy, or you gonna make a scene?”
“You’re making a big mistake!” I’m trying to yell, but my throat is tight with terror, and my voice disappears into the general roaring and hubbub.
The second one wraps his arm around my waist and drags me toward him. “Let’s go.”
“Get the fuck off me!” I cling onto the table, but he peels my fingers away.
Fuck. Is this really happening?
Stinger. Please help me.
I say the words to myself, like a prayer.
But it’s no use. He just left me here. He’s not coming back.
And no one in this godforsaken dump is going to help me.
“I love me a curvy chick.” Hands grope at my breasts, my ass. I slap them away, but they’re like tentacles, coming back faster than I can get rid of them.
I fight and fight, but soon I’m on my feet, a heavy arm clamped around me. “Come on, sweetheart. That’s it. We’re going to have a real good time.” Foul breath keeps blasting my nostrils, while filthy fingers dig into my hip.
Tears spring to my eyes as they drag me across the room and through the doors.
The cold is like a slap in the face. It seems to stun my captors, too, as they come to a skidding stop.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” a voice roars, ear-splittingly loud.
I look up, and I see the real reason why they stopped moving.
Stinger.
Standing there, feet apart, arms folded. Even bigger and more forbidding than I remember him. My heart pounds. I want to run to him.
“Just having a little fun,” the first one says.
“Fun?” Stinger’s eyes get so bright, they seem to glow in the dark. “Don’t look like fun to me.”
“They just dragged me out of the diner,” I say.
“Get off her.” Stinger’s face is tense with rage, and he’s clenching and unclenching his fists.
Four nasty hands drop from my body. Instinctively, I step back, take three four steps, closer to the diner.
“Didn’t you hear that she’s my girl?” he demands.
His girl?
Did he just say that? My breath catches in my throat.
“I-I thought she was lying,” the second one says, his voice higher than before.
“If a woman tells you to leave her alone, you leave her THE FUCK alone.” Stinger’s voice is so calm it sends shivers through me. “But you made a big mistake tonight. A real big mistake.”
“We weren’t gonna do anything,” the second one mumbles.
“Relax, bro. Two against one.” The first one mutters to him, and his hand moves to his belt.
“I think he’s got a gun—” I start to yell.
Then everything happens fast.
Stinger is no longer there.
In his place is a huge, pure-white wolf. Eyes blazing like blue neon, ears pricked up, lips drawn back in a snarl. A ton of pointy teeth.
“What the—?” one of the assholes mumbles. They exchange glances.
With a feral roar that echoes around the station, the wolf attacks.
The first asshole crashes to the floor.
“Oh, shit,” I squeak.
I don’t know what happens next. It’s all a blur. Snarls and screams and teeth and blood, half hidden by the fast-falling snow.
It goes on and on, and I put my hands over my face and turn away. I’ve already witnessed enough violence to last me a lifetime.
When I next dare look, the two assholes are nowhere to be seen. But there are a bunch of red stains on the snow.
And there’s Stinger. Not injured. Clothing drenched in wet snow, but otherwise looking pretty much as he did when he went to get the truck.
I give a gasp of relief.
And I don’t stop to think; I sprint at him.
He opens his arms wide, and I crash into his massive chest. I fling my arms around him and nuzzle my face against his soft shirt, and suddenly, I’m sobbing.
“It’s okay now, Ava. They can’t hurt you.” His voice is a low, soothing rasp. He wraps his big arms around me. “You’re safe now.”
“Fuck, I was so scared.”
“I know.”
“Huh?” I pull my head back from his chest and look up at him.
“I felt it. Halfway back here. I never should’ve left you alone.” His voice is taut with self-recrimination.
“It’s not your fault,” I tell him. “I was ready to spend the whole night there alone. Just hadn’t realized it’d get so feral.”
“Truck stops,” he grunts. “Drunk assholes.” He shakes his head violently. “Wanted to keep you out the snow. But I made a dumb decision.”
He looks so mad at himself, my heart aches.
“Stinger—” I lay my hand on his broad chest, right where his heart is. “It wasn’t your fault. You saved me tonight. Twice.”
“Should’ve protected you.” His eyes turn tender as he strokes my hair with his huge hand. Tingles of euphoria trail after it like stardust.
Hardly knowing what I’m doing, I stretch up and stroke the stubble covering his square jaw. “You did.”
His irises darken, filling with questions.
Then he dips his head and kisses me.