Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
No one could beat that entrance.
He flies toward me, scoops me into his arms and carries me to the snowmobile. “Madison. Fuck.”
I say nothing. I actually don’t feel altogether capable of speaking. Not after nearly dying of hypothermia and being eaten by wolves. I suspect shock has set in because I feel absolutely nothing. Not joy at being found. Not gratitude. It’s like my emotions went numb, too.
He drops me onto the seat of the snowmobile, then climbs in front of me. He grabs my wrists and wraps my arms around his waist, holding them there with one hand as he uses his other to give the snowmobile gas.
We lurch forward, and he takes off at the same speed he arrived. He twists around several times to peer at my face.
I’ve never seen him worried before, but I can tell he is. Frantically worried.
I must look terrible.
The ride is bumpy and fast. I have no sense of time, but it feels like a ten minute ride back to the lodge.
Blackthroat pulls up in front of the back door and leaves the snowmobile there, hopping off and scooping me back into his arms. “Madison, are you okay? Talk to me.”
I say nothing. It’s less a silent treatment and more that I seem to have lost my ability to speak back there with those wolves hunting me.
“Say something. Madison?”
I hear real fear in his voice, so I force my numb lips to move. “Fuck you.”
Not the nicest response to a guy who just rescued me, but he deserves it.
Blackthroat’s shoulders sag with relief, like it’s the best thing he’s ever heard from me. He strides swiftly into the house, kicking open the door.
Liz is there and the woman who looks like his mother. Others, too. His buddies, and his sister, maybe.
“Quick–what do we do?” Blackthroat snaps. “She probably has frostbite and hypothermia.”
“I’m Googling.” Ruby lunges for a phone.
He doesn’t stop to take off my snowy clothes, just carries me down the hall into the great room where twin fires burn. The entire crowd follows us.
“Maybe put her in a warm bath,” someone suggests.
Blackthroat veers off, back toward my bedroom.
“No, not a bath.” Ruby jogs along behind us reading from her phone. “It says that can cause burns. You need to be very gentle, it says. Remove her wet clothing and get her under blankets. Administer warm fluids.”
“I’ll get something hot for her to drink.” Liz veers away.
“I’ll get blankets,” the old man says.
We arrive at my bedroom, and Brick kicks the door in and sets me on my feet. He unbuttons my coat and gently tugs my gloves off my hands, holding each one between his large warm ones.
The men fall back and disappear, giving me some privacy, but Ruby and the woman who must be their mother stay. She gently unwinds my scarf, then helps me out of the sweater. “I read about this once,” she says. “The best way to warm her up is with your body heat. You need to strip off your clothing, too, and get under the covers with her.”
“I think I’ve heard that, too,” Ruby says. She shares a glance with her mother.
She and Brick both crouch to remove my boots while their mother steadies me. “Her socks are soaked,” Ruby breathes with chagrin.
Their mom unhooks my bra. I should probably feel awkward, but I can’t find it in me to care if perfect strangers see my breasts.
“Th-there were wolves out there.” I finally find my voice.
The older woman meets my gaze. She takes my hand between both of hers, holding it sandwiched in her warmth like Brick had done. Hot pins and needles make me gasp and pull it back. “Are you hurt, sweetheart?”
Brick gently peels down the wet, woolen leggings. “She’s bruised,” he growls angrily.
“Wolves,” I repeat in a whisper. I find it strange that no one seems upset about a pack of wolves that are on the property and were about to eat me.
“You’re in shock,” the older woman says.
As if to prove it, my body starts to shake uncontrollably. It seems like a delayed reaction, since I’m inside now. It’s like my body was too frozen before to even shiver.
“Blankets are out here in the hall, a gruff male voice calls from the other side of the door.
“Thank you, Dane.” Ruby cracks the door to retrieve them.
A light tap sounds on the door, and Liz bustles in carrying a silver-colored serving tray. "Hot cocoa. And chicken noodle soup. She’s probably starving.” I notice she averts her gaze from me. Probably because I’m mostly naked at this point. “And here’s hot tea if she doesn’t like the cocoa.” She sets the tray down on the bedside table and quickly disappears.
“Get her in the bed.” Brick’s mother pulls back the covers.
I shiver in my panties, teeth chattering, body shaking. My eyeballs burn in the warmth like they, too, were nearly frozen solid out there. Blackthroat gently scoops me up to carry me the two feet to the bed and carefully places me in the middle.