Past My Defenses (Taming the Pack series) (Entangled Ignite) by Wendy Sparrow Read Free Book Online Page A

that needed offspring.
    She bounded to her feet, and the bottle in her hand dropped as she shifted faster than she ever had. The human in her may have been unsure of what she wanted, but the wolf was never more certain about anything.

Chapter Three
    Dane locked Lucifer in a cage and crouched beside it as the cat gave him a look of pure venom. “She’ll be coming for you tomorrow, and I just swept up enough of your hair to make another one of you. I think, somehow, you’ve been shedding on purpose.”
    Then the pudgy black cat went still and looked at the door. Hissing, he backed against the wall, back arched.
    The hair on the back of Dane’s neck stood up. The cat hadn’t been afraid of anything thus far. A rush of trepidation made his breath hitch. What the hell had spooked the spawn of Satan?
    He went to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. Then he went to the locked cabinet. Shotgun or tranq gun? If it scared Lucifer… He grabbed the shotgun and, since Lucifer’s hissing was distracting, locked the mudroom’s door and bounded up the stairs. Initially, he felt paranoid and neurotic for opening the door with the shotgun at his shoulder—until he saw the biggest wolf he’d ever seen rushing toward him, its teeth bared as it snarled.
    He swore and pulled the butt of the gun tight against his shoulder and put his sight on the wolf. “Stop! I will shoot you!” Yesterday, he would have felt ridiculous yelling at a wolf.
    And then the wolf started swerving to throw off his aim—unlike any real wolf would. It’d crossed into the yard, and his finger was itching as adrenaline worked against him.
    Don’t, Dane. Go inside… go inside… You have no idea who this is to Vanessa. This could be her brother—hell, maybe her father was pissed his little girl had spent the night at your house. Don’t. Go inside.
    As if his frantic thoughts had drawn her there, a silver wolf leaped out of the woods on a collision course with the giant black one. He jerked the muzzle skyward as the silver wolf tackled the black wolf. The black beast shook her off and then turned back toward him, but the sleek silver female jumped between him and the other one. The she-wolf snarled in a way that, absurdly, reminded him of Vanessa’s snoring—only quieter.
    They circled, snarling and jolting toward each other as if playing chicken. The black one feinted toward Dane and, in a David versus Goliath moment, the silver wolf leaped toward it and dragged it down with her teeth at its throat.
    Okay, not her dad.
    The element of surprise worked for only a second before the black wolf had flung her on her back and stood above her, growling.
    Dane pulled the shotgun to his shoulder. “Vanessa, get clear of my shot!”
    Both wolves turned and in a classic “mind your own business” statement, roared at him.
    He dropped the shotgun, rolling his eyes. Fine. Apparently, this was mythical creature territory. The showdown had become a staring contest. Just when he was feeling proud that his wolf was holding her own, she lay at the feet of the black wolf and twisted her head to the side, baring her neck.
    He yanked the shotgun back up. Pack or no pack, he’d shoot the black wolf if it so much as leaned toward her. The black wolf lifted its charcoal eyes and stared at him. Dane felt like it was looking inside him, searching for every dark thought he’d ever had. Finally, it snuffled what sounded like an insult, and leaned down and nudged the she-wolf with its muzzle. Then it was gone, loping off toward the forest.
    The silver wolf lay there, halfway between the woods and his porch. At the edge of the cleared yard, the black wolf turned back and stared between them, then jerked its head, motioning for the silver to follow.
    “Are you kidding me?” Dane asked. He stared at Vanessa. What the hell? She wasn’t really going to put up with this, was she? That black wolf had tried to kill her.
    The she-wolf stood and swung her gaze between them. The