Because if these things had armor hardened against this kind of attack, I was toast.
I got three shots that ran from throat to head, before he hit me like an out-of-control shuttle. I’d have been able to dodge a fist, but he hadn’t been planning on hitting me, just pinning me… and then probably beating the living stars out of me. I’d seen the mess the last one had made of Rohan, didn’t need to imagine what that would be like.
The last head shot did it, and I managed to keep my grip on the Glazer’s hand-grip as I went over backwards, kept my head calm enough to press the stunner against the side of his skull, and fire once more before I hit the floor.
I’d part curled, but my head still connected with the deck, and I saw stars. Half a ton of wolf and armor landing on top of me didn’t help. I was just lucky Mack had chosen a much wiser course of action and had his opponent out cold in time to pull mine off me. He took one look at me and shook his head.
“I don’t know why I bring you to these things. You pass out, every time.”
I wanted to argue that I hadn’t passed out yet, and pushed up off my back. I got half way up before I stopped. Man might have a point. I watched as he dragged the wolf over to one of the emergency pods at the back of the control center, and dumped it there. He glanced across at me.
“What are my chances of getting him out of his armor before he wakes up?”
I shook my head, and then wished I hadn’t. Last I’d eaten was on Abby, and it was still threatening to come back up.
“Sheer imagination,” Abby declared. “Your stomach is totally empty.”
And I remembered throwing up when she’d woken me. “That notwithstanding.”
I was trying to come back with a smart retort, when movement caught my eye, and I’d rolled to my feet and raised the Glazer before registering Tens coming into the control room.
“Stand down!”
I stumbled back a few steps and fetched up against the seat tucked behind the security console, lowering the Glazer as I did. Tens had sidestepped, but he was quick to reach me as I slid back down to the floor. Mack might have had a point about passing out.
I closed my eyes, wishing I didn’t feel so bad.
Let Abby’s words follow me into the dark.
“I have a tank on board.”
11—Plans to Kick Free
Case was flying the Shady Marie when I woke up, again. This time, I didn’t disgrace myself by throwing up all over the nice clean decking. I also woke up in a med box on board the Shady and not in Abby’s regen tank.
Of course, it was Mack who opened the lid, when the box registered I was awake.
It was a profound relief to realize I was dressed.
Not in my armor; that would have been too much to ask, right?
“Hey,” echoed through my skull, as well as in my ears.
“Hey.”
I started to sit up, but he reached in and pushed me back down.
“Let Doc run a diagnostic first. You hit your head pretty hard.”
I’d hit my head before. Mack sighed, and rolled his eyes.
“We also retrieved your files.” He let that sink in for a moment, before continuing. “You’ll need to let your brain adjust.”
Well, since he put it that way…
“I could order you to rest.”
I scowled up at him, feeling the urge to get out of the box just to prove he wasn’t in charge.
“And I thought being your Hunt Master might mean something…” he said, starting to turn away.
Ouch! And the sudden rush of disappointment I felt came from me, and not anything he might have been feeling. Pack. And, if the Pack Leader was all, then the Hunt Master was the universe that surrounded it.
Mack paused, turned back, and quirked an eyebrow.
“Universe, huh?”
And I nodded. Dammit!
Mack thought that was funny, if the slight twist of his lips was anything to go by. Man almost seemed happy at the idea—and that was going to be a notion that was hard to quash.
“Don’t even try it, girl,” he said, menace curling along his voice, even though his mouth twitched upward, as he turned towards the door. “I’ll check in on you, later. Don’t give Doc a hard time.”
Like I’d ever dare…but I watched Mack go, with a sense of almost belonging that hadn’t been there before. Pack? Him? Confusion tumbled through my head like half a dozen puppies in a free-for-all, and Mack kept walking.
If I wasn’t mistaken, he was pretty happy with where things were at. What was more puzzling was the fact that there was a small—a very small—part of me that seemed to like it, too. I held my breath, hoping Mack hadn’t caught that, but he didn’t stop, and Doc’s face blocked my view.
“You playing rugby with werewolves, now, girl?”
I stared at him, and wondered if the clinic had been mopped clean before he’d come out of stasis.
Doc frowned.
“Implant okay?”
I closed my eyes, just to block the sight of him, and worked through the implant, noting the changes, the extra security I could trigger—and wasn’t I glad I wouldn’t be on the receiving end of that! The workmanship reminded me of Tens, but it had an extra twist.
“Abby?”
“Right here, sweetie.”
“I like what you’ve done to the place…”
“You better let Doc know. I think you’re scaring him.”
Right.
“Thanks, Abby.”
“All in a day’s work, Hun.”
I just bet it was. I took another look around, and knew it would take me a while to get used to the new set up, but I was good. I opened my eyes to tell Doc that, and saw Tens, Rohan peering over his shoulder.
“Rohan!” I said, and Tens rolled his eyes.
“Sure, look to the pup, first!”
I felt my skin
