Into Their Woods (The Eerie, #1)(122)

Did she really just say that to me?

I don’t know if I want to tell her to fuck off or laugh.

“You’re not coming, are you? I knew it. I told him, look at that resume! She’s not reliable. That girl has no loyalty.”

“I ran into an unforeseen detour. I thought it would be temporary, but it turned out to be something permanent,” I try to explain, hoping to steer things back to a professional lane.

I was already planning on emailing Dr. Jindra; I was just calling as a courtesy to give him a heads-up about the email, but maybe I shouldn’t have bothered.

“I don’t care what your excuse is. You’re never going to go anywhere in life if you don’t honor your commitments,” she bleats, like I give two fucks what she thinks about me.

“Patrice,” I interrupt, getting her attention. “You are the human version of menstrual cramps,” I tell her. And then I hang up.

I can still hear her outraged gasp as I toss the phone on the bed and run my fingers through my hair. With a shake of my head, I start to laugh, because damn, did this den just help me dodge a bullet.

My den.

My mates.

A little thrill bounces in my stomach as I stand and head for the door. I’m staying. It’s official. And I need to tell them right now, because I’ve got big plans. Plans that involve pair biting. Claiming the fucking shit out of each of them. And hoping that helps these stalkers to fuck off.

Either way, I’d like to spend the next few days screaming my mates’ names and marking them up to my wolf’s satisfaction. Maybe we can do some running and chasing too, more fucking, a little face train…each of them taking a turn eating me out, and then I return the favor.

The possibilities are endless.

A stupid, wide grin is stuck to my face as I descend the stairs. I spy them all seated at the table, looking so badass and serious, laptops open in front of them. I can’t wait to watch their jaws all drop when I tell them.

I touch down on the bottom step and head toward them, a giddy little spring in my step. New-start butterflies have escaped my stomach and are spiraling up my throat because I’m about to tell this den I’m ready for the biggest new start of them all.

“FUCK!” Ellery curses and shoots out of his seat, nearly tipping it over. All around him, the guys stand, turning toward the sliders that lead to the deck. A surge of panic taints the air with a coppery scent that’s quickly followed by a dark burst of violence. Every single one of my mates has black veins running up and down his neck.

“Wait!” I call out, running toward them as they spin away from me.

Ellery turns back, his eyes glowing, his teeth already the sharp, feral fangs of his beast. In a low tone that’s so guttural I almost can’t understand him, he orders, “Stay here. Do not leave for any reason. ANY REASON.”

“What’s going on?” I ask, eyes darting around in search of someone who’s not quite hovering so close to his shift.

“Something happened with the orcs and they’re attacking the enforcers,” Ruger rushes to explain as Ellery’s massive gray wolf bursts through. The crack of the celestial’s bones fills the space as he transforms. Meanwhile, the rest of the den eye me.

“Deputies are coming, okay? Stay here. Don’t let anyone else in. Understand?” Perth’s amber eyes blaze around his expanding pupils, resembling the sun during a lunar eclipse.

I shake my head. “Wait. No. Why can’t I come with you?”

Gannon opens his mouth to answer, but his explanation is cut off when a massive pine tree flies out of the forest nearby. It zooms up through the sky, launched like a spear. My jaw drops and I gape at it as it grows closer. And closer. It falls with a thud just shy of the deck, and I can feel the ground shudder as hundreds of pounds of ponderosa pine smash into it.

“Fuck, they’re in a rage. This is not good!” Gannon curses as Ruger shifts into his wolf.

Perth opens the slider and the two wolves go bounding out as he starts to shift on the deck.

Gannon steps closer, grabbing my wrist and looming over me. I can feel ferocity emanating from him in waves so strong that it nearly buckles my knees. “When orcs rampage, they can be incredibly dangerous. Do not go outside.”

I nod, silently assuring him that I won’t. A bellow tears through the forest and invades the house. It’s as loud and percussive as thunder, and I jump in shock. Gannon cups my cheek for a second, then his hand glides down to clamp gently around my neck.

The spot that’s aching for his bite pulses.

His grin is dark with malice, but not aimed at me, for me—on my behalf. “Now, stay here. Stay safe. And when we get back…you can tell all of us that you’re finally ready.”

With a swift and brutal kiss that leaves my lips feeling bruised, he disappears. Running through the slider and slamming it closed behind him, he twists and shifts into his wolf in less time than it takes for me to blink.

In a shocked daze, I walk over to the sliding glass door and lock it out of habit. When I stare down at the lock, though, I almost start bitterly laughing. What good is that going to do against an orc who can throw whole-ass trees like they’re toothpicks?

Deciding it’s probably best to get the hell away from the windows, I wander back into the dining room and sit at the abandoned table. I huff out a sigh, worry for the guys corroding my stomach.