Page 21 of Wolves Always Bite

"So,Nelson, tell me about yourself."Istared at him, determined to remember every little thing he said soIcould write it down later.

Nelsonmade himself smaller, like he wanted to sink into the seat and disappear.Istared at him some more.Finally,Nelsonrelented. "Okaybut quit staring at me like that.You’recreeping me out."

"Mymom taught me to look at people whenIspoke with them."

Nelson'scheeks were bright red now. “I’mokay with you looking at the road or something.”

"AmImaking you uncomfortable?I'msorry."Iforced myself to look away. "Asthe youngest of seven kids,Igave up being shy by the timeIwas two.Itwas the only way to be heard over the others.Atleast that's what my mom and dad say."

Nelson'sbody relaxed against mine, marginally, as soon as my eyes were focused elsewhere. "Whatdo you want to know?"

"I’mguessing, if you hang out with a demon and a werewolf, you aren't a regular old human like me.Sowhat are you?"

Beforehe could answer, a deafening bang exploded through the cab.

Agaping hole appeared in the windshield in front of my face.Likea bullet hole.No…Itcouldn’t be.Itried to twist around to see what was happening behind us.Nope.Badidea.Notdoing that.Myneck felt like it had been pierced with a hundred acupuncture needles all at once.Thetruck swerved, throwing me againstNelsonlikeIwas in one of those carnival rides that spun you around until you wanted to puke.

Adriancursed and yanked on the steering wheel to correct the momentum.Thetruck shook.Anotherbang resounded through the air.Andthen we were rolling.Theseatbelt dug into my hips.Mybackpack smacked my face, making my eyes water.

Thetruck lurched to a stop.Upsidedown.Myhead ached andIsworeIheard my blood rushing frantically to my head.

“Fuck…”Igroaned.

"Jeremy?"Adrian'svoice was deep and gravelly.

"I'mfine.I'malive."

"Nelson?"

"I'mgood.Let'sget these bastards."

“Someonedid that on purpose?”Iasked.

Noone answered.

Granted, it was a stupid question now thatIthought about it.

Frommy left came the sound of ripping.Adriangrunted as his body dropped away from my side andIrealized he'd cut through the seatbelt.Witha flash of one of his insanely large claws, he freed me from my seatbelt too.Ididn't fall though.Adriancaught me and lowered me gently to the ground, or rather the roof.Whatever.

IthoughtAdrianwould reach over to freeNelsontoo, but the seat was already empty.Whenhad that happened?Thedoor was closed, and the side window was, surprisingly, still intact.Howhad he gotten out?

Adrian'shand with those menacingly sharp claws cupped my cheek. “You'regoing to be okay.Ijust need to go for a minute.I'llbe right back."Hemade a show of sniffing the air. "Idon't smell any gas, so you should be safe here."

Painricocheted up the back of my neck whenItried to nod to showIunderstood what he was saying.Damn, that hurt.Agolden light shone fromAdrian'seyes briefly at my display of pain.Justa flash before it disappeared.Hmm…Glowstick eyes were something new.Somethingmore to ask about later.

"Go.I'mfine."Ishooed him away.

Thewindshield splintered into hundreds of shards whenAdriankicked it.Thenhe slipped through the jagged opening.Assoon as he was free of the truck, the air shimmered around him and suddenly there was a wolf.

Hewas incredible.

Itdidn't matter thatIwas hurt or that someone had shot at us and driven us off the road.Iwouldn’t let anything ruin this moment for me.Iwas awestruck at the majestic beast that wasAdrian.Thelower half of his body was a tawny beige color, while his back and head had darker markings.Hisfront left paw was missing a few toes, just like his hand had been missing fingers.Hisblack nose sniffed in my direction again.Hisgolden eyes stared at me for a long moment.

“Stayhere,” he reiterated.

And, honest toGod, hearing a wolf talk made me want to laugh—hysterically—either that or my brain had finally had enough and was malfunctioning.Itwas so fucking bizarre.

Thenhe leapt out of view.