Page 13 of Midnight Hunt (Wolves of Midnight #4)

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GRIFF

“Let’s go,” she said, hurrying past me as I stood from the lobby chair.

“Vi, what—?”

She was out the door before I could finish the sentence, and I scrambled to catch up with her.

“Vi, wait.”

“Taxi!” she belted out, holding up her hand like a seasoned New Yorker. When no one stopped for her, she began to book it down the sidewalk.

“Vi,” I called again, trailing after her. “Vi, what happened?”

“Not now,” she said, in a way that instantly filled me with worry.

I quickly ate up the distance between us and grabbed her arm. “Vi, stop.”

“No!” she shouted, wrenching her arm free. “I said not now. Help me hail a cab or keep quiet.”

The words would have stung, if it weren’t for the pain I heard in her voice.

My protective instincts immediately went haywire, and I ground out, “I’m going to kill him.”

“No, you’re not,” she snapped, whirling to face me. When I saw the tears brimming in her eyes, I stopped breathing. She whirled around again and took off down the sidewalk, saying loud enough for me to hear, “This is my fault, not his. My own stupid fault.”

I opened my mouth to question her further, then wisely sealed it shut. She was on the verge of breaking down—or exploding. Whichever came first. And it was clear she didn’t want that to happen in the middle of a city. The crowds had thinned, most humans now in their homes for the night, but Vi didn’t cry in public. If I pressed her, she would only lash out in anger to keep the tears at bay.

As she continued down the sidewalk at a fast clip, her overnight bag tightly clenched in her fist, I trailed in her wake and kept an eye on our surroundings. I hadn’t seen any Russian-looking dudes loitering around Reid’s apartment building, but I remained vigilant all the same.

In Vi’s current state, she probably wasn’t paying much attention to anything. The need to hug her was a fierce ache that grew with each step she took, but I knew she wouldn’t welcome my touch right now.

Something terrible had happened between her and Reid, and my mind raced with countless possible scenarios.

Bet she finally dumped the bleedin’ blighter , Whiskey drawled in a British accent. After all, you finally grew a pair and asked her not to move in with him .

Not now, Whiskey , I shortly replied. And can you stop with the accents for once?

You know that it’s my way of embracing the earthly plane’s many cultures. No need to get snippy with me just because your girl didn’t come running to you in a puddle of tears.

She’s not my— I started but didn’t finish. It was pointless arguing with him anyway. Even though I’d never claimed Vi, he’d considered her mine ever since I’d taken her virginity. To him, we were mates. It didn’t matter that Vi only saw me as her friend or even that she dated other males. She would come to her senses, he always said, encouraging me to properly pursue her until she had no choice but to accept me.

I knew better, though. Vi couldn’t be coerced into anything. Not since the betrothal her parents had set up for her had gone so horribly wrong.

Ever since then, the more someone pushed her, the more she retreated. If she knew half the thoughts I had about her, she’d run away so fast that I’d never be able to catch her again.

No, it was better this way. Better to be her friend, to be there when she needed me, to keep my true feelings buried so we didn’t lose what we had.

Better for who? Whiskey butted into my thoughts again. You’re both horny and in desperate need of sex. It’s been almost a year since you’ve tasted her supple flesh and plunged your dick inside her tight pussy. I don’t know how you can even stand upright at this point .

I tried to ignore his colorful words, but images flooded my mind before I could stop them. No, not images. Memories . Memories of me and Vi tangled together in heated passion. One memory in particular grabbed my attention—the last time we’d been intimate during Nora’s pack initiation a year ago.

We’d just spent an entire night in wolf form romping through the forest. The whole time, Whiskey and Sable had heavily flirted with each other, and their sexual tension had slowly become ours. When it came time to shift back into our human forms, the tension had been too great to ignore. Right there in the middle of the grassy field, surrounded by our pack, I’d given in to my lust and kissed her.

It was the only time I’d ever done so without waiting for her approval.

Thankfully, she’d eagerly responded to the kiss instead of pushing me away. Beyond excited by her acceptance, the kisses had quickly turned into touching. My hands had feverishly roved over her bare skin, and she’d touched me back, lighting a fire inside so hot that I’d laid her down on the grass and covered her body with mine.

The second our skin had pressed together, I’d lost all control and began to rub against her. The friction sent pleasure cascading through me, and I’d planned to keep going until she orgasmed, which in turn would make me orgasm.

But then she’d stunned me by saying words I’d been longing to hear. Words she only said once or twice a year.

“I need you, Griff.”

Just like that, I was inside her to the hilt, thrusting so frantically that we were both panting for release seconds later.

Remembering how good it had felt when we’d orgasmed together, I nearly fell to my knees.

See? This keeping silent thing isn’t good for anyone , Whiskey grumbled. If you don’t bang your girl soon, you’re going to combust .

Shaking off the memory before it made me come in my pants, I refocused on the fierce brunette still hurrying down the sidewalk. She seemed to be lost in thought, unaware of the cab turning on to our street.

I raised a hand, and the taxi slowed.

“Vi,” I said, but she was already stepping off the sidewalk and making for the cab.

The second we pulled away from the curb, she muttered under her breath, “I have to call Randy.”

“I’ll do it.” I reached into my back pocket to pull out my phone. “Should I tell him we need to leave as soon as possible?”

She nodded, then looked out the window. I quickly relayed the message to our pilot, keeping an eye on Vi and our surroundings as we headed back to the airport. She didn’t speak the entire way there, and I didn’t press her for answers.

It was killing me, though. The not knowing. The possibilities.

What if she had broken up with Reid? Was I responsible for whatever had happened between them?

I’d tried so hard to give her space the past few days, to keep myself carefully in check after she’d told me what Reid had said. But the minute she’d announced her intentions to visit him, I’d started to unravel again.

“Don’t say yes. Don’t move in with him.”

What the hell was wrong with me? I had no right to tell her that, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself. The thought of letting her go for good had been too much, and I’d done what I swore I wouldn’t do.

I’d tried to sabotage their relationship.

I felt awful, but I couldn’t bring myself to apologize for the words I’d said. The second I’d uttered them, a great weight had lifted off me. I could breathe again. Think again.

My only regret was the part I’d played in causing Vi pain. She was staying strong like she always did, but I could sense how miserable she was. I almost reached across the seat to hold her hand. Almost. Not knowing if she wanted my comfort kept me from touching her, though.

Sex had definitely complicated our relationship despite my efforts not to let it. I would always be there for her. That would never change. But I couldn’t help wanting more.

More than she was willing to give me.

Curling my hands into fists, I rested them on my thighs and allowed the silence between us to grow. It didn’t matter what I wanted—not if she didn’t want it. Still, I allowed myself to hope a little.

She was going home. That had to mean something.

Maybe, just maybe . . .

By the time we reached the airport, my hopeful thoughts were making it nearly impossible to keep quiet. Still, I made it all the way into the plane before finally breaking the silence. “Did you say no?”

From her spot across the aisle from me, she quietly snorted and replied, “He didn’t give me the chance to.” When she didn’t elaborate, I opened my mouth again. “No more questions, Griff. Please. I just can’t right now.”

Hearing the quiver in her voice, the need to pull her into my arms was almost unbearable. Not knowing how else to comfort her, I respected her wishes and didn’t question her further. As we taxied down the runway and took off, though, my mind kept throwing possibilities at me. For the next forty minutes, I thoroughly tortured myself with what-ifs, even entertaining Whiskey’s suggestions.

We’d just passed over Mount Marcy when the jet suddenly shuddered. I looked out the window and quickly spotted the reason.

“Just a storm,” I said aloud for Vi’s benefit. “I’m sure Randy will—”

A clanking noise drew my attention out the window again, just as the engine burst into a ball of orange flames. I was out of my seat in a flash, racing for the cockpit.

“Randy!”

Before I could reach the front, the plane listed sharply to the right, violently throwing me sideways.

“Griff!” Vi cried as my head cracked against a window. My supernatural healing immediately started to dull the pain and repair the damage, and I was up on my feet again seconds later.

Vi was suddenly there, latching on to my arm to help me upright, except that we were no longer upright. As the plane rapidly started to lose altitude, I grabbed Vi and tried to buckle her into a seat. Every time I tried, she batted my hands away and tried to force me into a seat.

“Violet!” I thundered, fear for her safety driving me to overpower her. I captured both her wrists in one hand, using the other to secure the buckle.

“No!” she shouted, fighting against my grip. The wind outside the cabin roared as we descended faster and faster, the plane spiraling out of control.

I prepared to make another run for the cockpit, but the second I released Vi, she grabbed my hand and sank her nails—no, claws —into my flesh.

“Don’t leave me!” she cried, her voice filled with terror. For a brief moment, our eyes met. So many things passed between us in that split second. So many emotions and unspoken thoughts.

I opened my mouth to reassure her, but the world suddenly exploded around us. Vi screamed as a force violently tore my hand from hers, catapulting me into the air. I struck object after object, unable to control my speed. Pain splintered my vision, filling every corner of my body.

Metal shrieked. Wind snatched at my clothes and hair, ripping me farther and farther away from Vi.

Before I could find my way back to her, I hit the ground at breakneck speed, and the world went dark.