Chapter 13
Narae didn’t know what to do. Her knee-jerk reaction was to lie to the behemoth rocking her back and forth, his chest rattling with a constant low rumble.
Was he actually trying to soothe her after he’d just attacked her?
Keeping her chin tucked low, she tried to ebb the flow of tears trickling from her eyes.
Honestly, she didn’t even know why she was crying.
The bite hadn’t been too painful; it was shocking more than anything.
And really, this shifter had just done her a favor.
Narae had worked hard to get Jury free of the Biter pack, and she’d paid dearly once Bragga had discovered her treachery.
Now, bearing the mark of an outsider, Bragga was sure to exile her…
right?! He’d have to. He couldn’t keep a female who bore the mark of a male outside his pack.
Her belly dropped, and her mouth went dry when she realized Bragga would kill her before he let her walk away from his pack.
He didn’t lose at anything. And having to give up a female who had been marked in his own territory by intruders would be a humiliation that couldn’t be tolerated, especially because it was her. She was dead. Unless…
Slowly, lifting her eyes, Narae chanced a glance at the male glaring at the one who’d introduced himself as Daemon.
Her gaze then slid to Daemon. They knew Jury!
Was Jury with their pack, the Allegiance Pack?
She sifted through her brain, thinking about anything she’d heard of the Allegiance Pack.
All she’d ever heard of them was that they were enemies.
And if they were enemies of Bragga and his Biters, then that made them enemies of her enemies. Were they then friends?
The guy glaring at Daemon lowered his hard eyes to her, and they softened immediately. “I am so fucking sorry, lady.” He motioned towards Daemon, “He’s kinda stupid and refuses to listen to anyone.”
“Hey!” Daemon barked, his rocking motion halting as his head whipped around to glare at the male.
Narae had the insane urge to laugh, but held it in. Maybe she was in shock. None of this should be funny. Bragga was going to murder her the second he saw the mark on her throat.
“I’m Thrall,” the guy introduced and shot Daemon a dark look.
“I’m Beta of the Allegiance Pack, and this is not how we typically operate.
” Turning his head, he glanced over his shoulder at the pile of bodies behind him.
“I mean,” he turned back to Narae and shrugged nervously, “that’s kinda typical.
But only bad guys!” His gaze shifted back up to Daemon as he snarled, “We only hurt bad guys!”
Daemon growled, “I didn’t hurt her. I claimed her. I protected her.”
Thrall’s face blanked before his mouth fell open and he shook his head. “She’s fucking bleeding, my guy.”
Daemon’s response was a feral-sounding growl as his arms around her tightened a fraction.
Swallowing, Narae cleared her throat quietly and interrupted with a tremulous, “Y-you need to leave.” She glanced behind Thrall. “It’s too quiet. The others will be coming soon. The Enforcers.”
Thrall looked behind him, then back to Narae, “Enforcers? There are more than that?”
“Those weren’t Enforcers,” Narae whispered, drawing both Daemon and Thrall’s attention. “They were trainees. New recruits.”
“Huh!” Thrall’s brows shot up almost comically.
“Well, good. I guess. I was pretty fucking disappointed, honestly.” He planted his hands on his hips and looked up at Daemon with a smirk to say more quietly, “I mean, not for nothing, man, but I was really starting to question Koe. He’s said these Biters are formidable, but those punks weren’t shit. ”
Daemon’s brows speared down and had Thrall throwing his hands up. “I mean, I wasn’t questioning Koe like that, man. Calm the fuck down.”
“You need to leave,” Narae repeated. “They’ll be coming. Bragga has already promoted about a dozen new recruits to Enforcer status. That’s twenty altogether with the members we already had,” she glanced behind Thrall. “Even after the ones you just killed. There are too many for the two of you.”
Thrall muttered quietly, “You haven’t met Demon.”
But the information had Daemon tensing. “A dozen new Enforcers? Why the fuck would he do that?”
For the first time, Narae turned and lifted her head to stare up at Daemon.
The second their gazes locked, her whole body jerked as something undefinable tightened every muscle in her body and spasmed her stomach almost painfully.
Daemon tensed, too, as a muscle in his jaw twitched.
His expression looked strained, like he was fighting against something, and then with a pained growl, he slowly dropped to his knees, arms shaking as he struggled to keep hold of her.
Narae struggled to climb from Daemon’s arms, but he tightened his hold and dropped back onto his ass, pulling her onto his lap as he lowered his head over her body and took deep, panting breaths.
“What the fuck, D. You good?”
Narae and Daemon both ignored Thrall.
Unsure what to do, Narae fisted Daemon’s shirt and breathed through the pain of whatever was afflicting her. She tried to remain calm because they didn’t have time for whatever the hell was happening.
Lifting a shaking hand, she cupped Daemon’s jaw and slowly forced his head up.
His eyes were blown out with his wolf, and his incisors had elongated again, which should have frightened her, considering he’d just used those very teeth on her, but she wasn’t afraid.
She was worried. “You can’t stay here. They’re coming. ”
Eyes flashing, Daemon snarled, “Let them!”
Above them, Thrall sounded nervous. “A dozen, you say?”
“A dozen new Enforcers,” Narae corrected. “On top of the eight we already have.”
“Why?” Daemon growled, drawing her attention back to him.
“Because,” she said, “he wants Jury back. He knows she survived. He searched for her body for days, and when he couldn’t find her, he knew I’d helped her escape.
He’s enraged that we fooled him. He’s pissed that she’s free, and he’s planning a war with whoever took her in.
Is that you?” She couldn’t keep the hope from her voice, “Is Jury with your Allegiance pack?”
As if sensing what she needed, Daemon squeezed Narae gently. “We have her. She’s safe.”
Relief flooded Narae’s eyes, and she had to suck back her emotions. “Good,” she breathed, then shoved at his chest. “Then go back and warn your Alpha and protect Jury.”
“So you are Jury’s sister?” Daemon asked again, “You’re Narae?”
Unable to speak for fear of sobbing, Narae simply nodded before forcing out a breathy, “Yes.”
At her response, Daemon’s eyes closed, and his lips tightened into a grim line as his head fell back. Apparently, it wasn’t the answer he wanted.
Above them, Thrall hissed, “Jesus fucking Christ, Daemon!”