Wild by Eve Langlais Read Free Book Online Page B

surface of the desk.
    Dancing and hot. Very hot. He needed to grab the extinguisher from the hall, but that meant leaving Lulu here with the bears and the flames. He needed to get her to safety first before he attempted to fight the flames.
    Who was he kidding? By the time he solved the bear dilemma, got his mate to safety, and returned, the fire would have spread too far.
    At this point, the only logical thing left to do was escape.
    With Lulu, who thus far lay slumped on the floor still clear of flame, but how long would that last?
    It seemed the thug saw his dilemma. “What’s it going to be, alley cat? You gonna waste time trying to take me out or save the girl?”
    There was never any question. Lulu came first, and yet at the same time, he didn’t dare turn his back on the other shifter. He couldn’t help Lulu if the bastard clocked him from behind.
    Sensing his dilemma, the thug laughed. “Guess we’re at an impasse.”
    Brody snarled and took a step toward the shifter. If he tore the guy’s throat out quickly, then he could still change shapes and grab Lulu, making sure they both escaped the spreading flames.
    A plan that might have worked better if he’d not assumed the brown bear in the hall would take off.
    A heavy body hit him from behind, driving him into the flame-ridden desk. He hit it hard enough that it tilted first away from him then rocked back, spilling some of the burning fuel onto his lovely striped coat.
    No.
    The burn on his skin, and the retched smell of singeing hair, had him dropping to his side and smothering it. All animals, even shifters, had a healthy fear of fire. A throwback to times when a forest fire could wipe out herds and clans.
    While he made sure he didn’t turn into a literal tiger, tiger burning bright, the bears left, slamming the door shut behind them.
    While he would have liked to chase them, because now he really wanted a bear rug, make that two, for his place, Lulu needed him more.
    But she needed a man to carry her out, not a cat.
    However, a cat was what she’d get. During his tussle with the bears, or just after, she’d regained consciousness. Big eyes peered at him through the thickening, smoky air.
    â€œWhat the hell is a tiger doing in my office?” She didn’t say anything else as she coughed. Coughed again. She drew the collar of her shirt up to cover her mouth and crawled to the door, smart girl keeping low while muttering, “If you’re real, please don’t eat me.”
    If she could get out of here on her own, then he’d have no reason to reveal his true self yet. Perhaps she’d pass his presence off as a hallucination.
    More bad luck. The bears hadn’t just closed the door. They’d wedged something under the handle. No matter which way she pushed and pulled and turned at the knob, the damned door wouldn’t open.
    â€œAre you freaking kidding me?” she cried, banging open-handed on the door, frustration bubbling. An inhalation of breath had her coughing and doubling over.
    Since he couldn’t exactly tell her to get out of the way, he head-butted her.
    She jumped.
    â€œHoly cow, don’t tell me you’re real?”
    Real enough and big enough that he could throw his body at the door, and while whatever was wedged under the handle didn’t give, the frame did.
    Which proved good and bad.
    Good, she could wrench the door out of the way, the chair beyond it toppling. Bad because all that fresh air got sucked into the room, and the fire behind them whooshed as the smoke billowed.
    Lulu slumped, overcome by coughing. He nudged her, pushing her to move up the hall, but she staggered, her steps uneven, her breathing raspy.
    She slid down to the floor, her head lolling to the side.
    He nosed her.
    She didn’t get up.
    He licked her.
    She grumbled but crawled, coughing all the way. His own lungs were getting tighter, and he knew they needed to stop wasting time. He