N. Walters - Finding Chrissten

The urge to share himself with her shoved aside common sense and he’d held his breath after he’d asked her if she wanted to see his wolf. Pleasure burst through him when she’d nodded.

Now they were lying face to face on the floor with her inching her way toward him until their noses barely touched. Once again, he swiped his tongue out, licking her muzzle. This time she didn’t pull away, but accepted his touch.

The moment was fraught with emotion. There was nothing sexual about their touch, yet it felt even more intimate than if their bodies were joined. They were sharing themselves freely with one another, opening themselves up and saying, “This is what I am.”

His ears perked up as a faint sound reached them. He jumped to his feet and whirled around as the knob turned and the door opened.

Quinn stood in the doorway, his expression fierce. Tension rolled off him in waves. “What the fuck is going on here?”

Quinn took a step into the room and Hank immediately positioned himself in front of Chrissten, protecting her. He didn’t care if Quinn was her brother. He’d seen the flash of panic in her gaze when she’d realized someone was coming. And not just anyone. Her brother. Her twin.

They had a bond that Hank couldn’t even begin to fathom. But he didn’t care. He had a bond with Chrissten too. And if he had his way that bond would eventually intensify and become the deepest one of all—mates.

Quinn strode forward and stopped short when Hank growled at him, showing his extremely sharp fangs. That’s right. Think before you take another step . He’d take Quinn down if he had to.

He heard a rustling sound behind him and wanted to howl in frustration. Chrissten had shifted back to human form and he’d missed the transformation. He’d wanted to see her change, something else for him to be pissed at Quinn about. Not only had he interrupted them, but he’d also robbed Hank of something very special.

A slender hand came down on the top of his head. The sleeve of her nightgown brushed his fur. Hank stilled but didn’t back down.

“I can change into my wolf.” Chrissten’s voice was calm and Hank was so proud of her, of the way she faced her brother.

“That’s great, but what the hell is he doing?” Quinn pointed at him where he stood slightly in front of Chrissten. Hank responded by giving a menacing growl.

“Stop it, both of you.” Chrissten curled her fingers inward, gripping his fur as firmly as she could. That wouldn’t keep him from attacking Quinn if he did anything to upset her.

“I’d never seen anyone else change into a wolf besides you and Brian. I wanted to see what Hank’s wolf looked like.”

It was more than that, so much more. But he instinctively knew she didn’t want her brother to discover the intimacy growing between them. Although the guy would have to be an idiot not to suspect something was up. And Quinn was nobody’s dummy.

“I don’t like it,” Quinn rumbled.

“It’s not up to you,” Chrissten shot back. She stepped around Hank and went to her brother. He trotted alongside her, not willing to leave her undefended, not for a second. It didn’t matter to him that Quinn was her brother.

“Quinn.” She put her hand on his chest. “I had to see if I could still do it, if I could reach my wolf. I haven’t been able to for such a long time now.”

Shit . Hank hadn’t known that. And from the looks of Quinn’s face he hadn’t either. He couldn’t imagine not being able to access his wolf. It would be like losing one of your senses. Or worse.

Quinn raked his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t know.” His eyes reflected the horror he felt. “What happened?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it was because I was so weak. Maybe a part of me was rejecting that part of myself because of all the pain and suffering it brought into my life. I don’t know. All I know is I reached for her one day and couldn’t connect with her.” She lowered her head and sighed. Hank could hear a world of pain in that soft sound. “It was like a part of me was gone.”

Quinn dragged his sister into his arms. Hank felt out of place, like the third wheel. He slowly backed away from the pair. Chrissten’s back was to him as he shifted into his human form and quickly dressed. Quinn glared at him over his sister’s shoulder. Hank ignored him. He didn’t care what Quinn thought. He’d done what was best for Chrissten.

Chrissten pulled away from her brother, turned her head and smiled at him. “Thank you, Hank.”

He didn’t want her thanks. He especially didn’t like the tone of her voice. It was almost dismissive. Like she didn’t want to admit just how intimate things had gotten between them. She was setting up barriers again.

That was okay. He was good at getting around obstacles. Most men would make the mistake of trying to knock down her defenses. Hank was smart enough to know that would only make her reinforce them even more. No, he’d bide his time and sneak around her defenses when the time was right.

“My pleasure.” Those two words said so much. Chrissten blushed and Quinn frowned at him.

Quinn took his sister by the shoulders. “You need to get dressed and come downstairs. Donovan wants to talk to you.”

Hank noted neither sibling called Donovan Brody father. Not that he blamed them. They’d spent their entire lives without him. Yet he was an ally, a strong one, and one they couldn’t turn away. Not with a group of purebloods searching for Chrissten and other females to claim.

Hank could understand their longing for a mate. But he could not, would not tolerate their violence and lack of respect toward females. They were more than simply brood mates. They had rights and feelings that needed to be respected. Any male who hurt a female was the lowest form of scum as far as Hank was concerned, and in need of killing.

“I’ll wait downstairs.” As much as he wanted to stay with Chrissten while she dressed and walk her down, he knew Quinn wouldn’t allow it. He could fight with the other male but it would get him nowhere with Chrissten.

There was a time and a place to fight, and this wasn’t it. Suppressing his urges to remain with Chrissten, he nodded at her and headed toward the door. She put her hand on his arm, stopping him.

She started to say something but stopped. Having Quinn there was seriously putting a damper on things between them. Hank offered her a smile. “It’s okay. I understand.” And he did. Probably better than anyone else.

He knew Chrissten well enough to know she wanted to go after Brian. Maybe her brother knew it, too, but he didn’t think Quinn really believed she would. Hank did. Chrissten was not the same woman she was when she was captured. Her experience had changed her. She was tougher in some ways and extremely fragile in others.

But she was all heart and courage. He knew she didn’t want her family anywhere near Brian and the other purebloods. That’s why he had to find them first. No matter what happened to him, he wanted Chrissten safe and happy in the arms of her family.

He patted her hand, nodded at Quinn and left the apartment.

“What the hell was that?”

Chrissten watched Hank leave, missing his calm and steadying presence already. “Don’t start with me, Quinn.” She turned her back on him and went to the chair where she’d stacked her clothing. She needed to get dressed and go downstairs and deal with her father. Just saying the word felt wrong. Father. He’d never been that to either of them. But that’s exactly who he was.

“Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.” Her brother grabbed her arm and she whirled around, her teeth bared. A low growl came from deep within her and Quinn took a step back, his eyes showing a world of hurt.