A Cougar Among Wolves Read Online Free PDF Page A

safety, he had hoped to gain some favor from the beautiful stranger. It never occurred to him, she would respond with animosity, but, she was injured and alone in a strange place. If he had his way, she would never be alone again.
    The dire need to protect her and stay by her side clenched his heart. If only he could make her understand the wild desire. If only he understood it himself. Had he become a 18

    blundering idiot over a maiden in distress? Or was this deep-seated need a result of saving her life? None of it made sense.
    “Of course.” Bastian tucked her gown over her and eased her into place. “How does the wound feel now?”
    “Less intense.” She rolled her shoulders and cringed. “Still hurts like hell.”
    “I can give you something for the pain.”
    “Won’t do any good. It’ll burn out of my system before it does anything.” She waved off the offer.
    “Will she be able to walk?” Ryker was relentless. Did the enforcer really need her gone that much?
    “She’ll need time,” Seth interceded. Then, his breath hitched. Why was she sneering at him? Hadn’t he just helped her? To rush her out the door before she was healed, and send her on her own would have been callous and risky. How did this suggestion make him the bad guy?
    “We’re getting to that part soon. The doctor went to the foot of the bed and pressed the tip of his pen against her the soles of her feet. “We’re almost done. Can you feel this?”
    “Yeah, I can.” She wiggled her toes.
    Sensation in the feet was a good sign, wasn’t it?
    Doc continued to test other parts of her legs. She flinched and gasped.
    “Sorry, I want to be sure there are no complications from the wound.” He tucked the sheet over her legs.
    “I’m not paralyzed, I feel everything,” she whispered.
    “You need to stay on bed rest for a while before I release you.”
    “I have nowhere to go.” She stared up toward the ceiling. Tears spilled down the sides of her face.
    “Klaya, I’m Ryker, Drew’s….”
    “His enforcer, second in command, I know who you are. And Bastian Storm, the doctor, and the kid over there is Seth,” she scoffed.
    His heart sank. “Kid?”
    “Now we’re finished with the introductions, can you all leave me alone for a while?”
    “Not yet.” He shook his head. “Who did this to you?”
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    “I don’t know who they are.” Tears filled her eyes.
    The sweetness of her scent shifted. A peppery spike in her pheromones revealed her fear. The pulse behind his ears thrummed and the hair on the back of his neck spiked. He stepped closer to shield her from any more interrogation.
    If Ryker picked up on the same cues he had, the enforcer didn’t show it. “Where were you when they attacked?”
    Klaya’s chin quivered. “Our cabin in Keystone.”
    “What happened to Griffith?” he persisted in his typical cold monotone.
    “They shot him,” she barked.
    Ryker nodded once. “That’s it?”
    The cougar white-knuckled the cotton sheet draped over her and glowered at Ryker.
    The rapid beating of her heart echoed in Seth’s ears.
    “No, first they shot us with tranq darts. When we woke up, they had us chained up in some cellar and they tortured him.” She gritted her teeth. “They sliced my arm open and shoved something inside it.” She inspected her bandaged forearm. “Before they could do anything else to me, Griffith attacked them to give me a chance to escape. Even though he sacrificed himself, they still tracked me down in the forest. After they shot me, I can’t remember anything else.”
    The enforcer remained silent.
    Klaya snarled. “That’s it, there’s nothing else to tell.”
    Another nod.
    “Where’s Drew?” she demanded
    “Busy.” Ryker headed for the door. With a wave, he motioned Bastian to follow.
    Seth lingered on the spot, his heart aching for the pain and suffering she had endured.
    “What do you want?” she barked at him.
    His stomach churned under her spiteful glare. “Uh,