Page 99 of Wrapped in Their Arms

“Well,Ididn’t find anything in his bedroom,”Noellesaid, sighing.“Andbelieve me,Ilooked.Ieven went through his nasty pockets.”

“You what?”Burnlooked horrified.

“Iwas careful!” she said quickly.“Butthere was no key—nothing but trash and grime and those disgusting pictures.”

“That’s okay, sweetheart,”Brightsaid, sitting beside her on the other side of the bed and putting an arm around her shoulders.“Wemight be able to?—”

But he didn’t get to finish the sentence.

A guttural roar split the air from the hallway outside.

Noelle jerked upright, her stomach twisting into a cold knot.

Please let it beCookieagain,she thought desperately.Pleaselet it just beCookieyelling about something stupid…

But then came that familiar, grating voice.

“Piggy-wigs!Getout hereNOW!”

Her heart leapt into her throat and her heart started pounding.

“Oh no…” she whispered.“It’sThune.”

And suddenly, her room didn’t feel like a sanctuary anymore…

It felt like a cage.

55

BURN

Burn felt a deep, rumbling growl rise in his throat, his entire body vibrating with rage.

The hallway echoed with theTrollox’svoice, loud and grating, each word like a slap of sound against his ears.

“Piggy-wigs, get out here now!”

Gods, how he fuckinghatedthat name.

He andBrightmoved as one—shoulder to shoulder, instinctively forming a shield in front ofNoelle.Burnstepped slightly in front, ready to absorb the brunt of whatever the three-headed bastard was about to dish out.

She’s ours now.Nomatter what this fucker says—she belongs to us.I’lldie beforeIlet him touch her!he thought grimly.

The door slammed open hard enough to rattle the frame.

There stoodThune, blocking the threshold like some nightmarish parody of a bad fairytale.Allthree of his thick necks bulged with muscle, and all six of his piggy little eyes were narrowed in accusation.

“What did we tell you about being in the same room?”he barked.“Nomingling and no breeding until we say so!”

Burn curled his upper lip in a snarl.

“We weren’tbreeding,you big ugly fuck—we weretalking!”

The room echoed with his fury.Besidehim,Brightheld steady, still shieldingNoelle, even thoughBurncould feel the tension vibrating off him like a tuning fork ready to snap.

Thune’s three mouths twisted into something between amusement and cruelty.

“No talking back!”he thundered, and the remote in his thick, meaty hand clicked.