Snow Wolf: Wolves of Willow Bend (Book 9) by Heather Long Read Free Book Online Page B

her. The race of her pulse betrayed her—when he slid his fingers to thread with hers she relinquished a small measure of control.
    It was far better to accept his assistance than to run screaming up the stairs or worse—burst into tears. Her pride wouldn’t survive either. Mirroring his use of the sub vocal, she murmured, “Thank you.”
    He gave her hand a light squeeze then resumed his descent. With no choice but to join him, she fought the harsh tightness of her lungs. Rasping pants wouldn’t do much for her ego or her image. Strength steadied her, buoying her past the initial panic.
    Inch by inch, the shadows ebbed into light. Either her night vision only noticed the subtle lighting at the edges of the walls or it illuminated slowly of its own accord as they descended. The surety in Diesel’s steps offered her almost as much comfort as the hand he held tight in his grasp.
    It felt as though they walked forever, though a distant part of her mind acknowledged it couldn’t be more than two flights. At the bottom, a panel of red lights offered the hope their time in the dark drew to a close. Diesel released her hand, but shifted so he could rest his free hand against her back.
    The liberty should have annoyed her, but since it kept her from turning into a shaking, blubbering idiot, she said nothing. Pressing his palm to a flat screen she hadn’t seen, an entirely new shock went through her system. He has a palm reader?
    Panel lights going green, the door released with a hiss of hydraulic pressure, then swung inward almost silently. Light flooded out of the opening, a split second after Diesel said, “Close your eyes.”
    It dazzled her, blinding in its effect, and she squinted her eyes shut too late to avoid the brilliance. Spots danced over her closed eyelids, and her claws sliced out. It took her a moment to regain her equilibrium. When her claws retracted, Diesel gave her a light nudge to step inside.
    Thankfully, they entered a much wider area. Once she was able to open her eyes to mere slits, almost daytime brightness had been achieved by the lighting embedded around the walls. It was an empty room, and a second door waited at the end.
    “A gating system,” she verbalized her thoughts, impressed. “In case someone breeches it.” The second door seemed barely visible, and it had no access panel that she could see.
    “Exactly.” Diesel seemed to watch her intently. Movement had her turning as Julian and the other pair of Yukon wolves trailed them into the room. She’d half-forgotten they weren’t alone. Grateful for the distraction, she shook off the layer of intimacy which seemed to have draped around her while Diesel held her hand. The light helped, though she couldn’t say she cared for the enclosure.
    Once they were all inside, Diesel nodded to one of his wolves. The male put his palm on the access panel and sealed the door behind them. A minute vibration passed through the floor. The gears? Or mechanisms maybe? The feeling rotated through the floor, faint but when she cocked her head, she could almost hear the machinery. It had to be top of the line because it was near silent. Across from her, the lines around Diesel’s eyes tightened. Did the sound bother him?
    Curiosity welled within her. Everything she knew about the Yukon said primitive, yet nothing of their design suggested the same. How had they hidden this from the representatives who came to see them? Dylan certainly hadn’t mentioned it.
    When the door opened on the far side, Diesel spread his hand and gestured for her to take lead. Or was he simply allowing her to walk in front of him? Confusion tangled with her curiosity. Nothing about this Alpha matched what she’d been told. Cataloging each new discovery, she experienced a stab of guilt. The emotion didn’t belong; she was Mason’s wolf. Whatever she learned, she had a right to share, didn’t she?
    Two steps from the open door, she paused. Someone approached from the opposite side.