Should I feel more? Am I turning into a fucking psychopath? Maybe he’d already been one, and he just hadn’t realized it.
“Look at her neck, Jane!” Garrison pointed to the marks that the woman bore. “He bit her! I had to take precautions. For all I knew, he had her under some kind of compulsion! I found her, caught the scent of blood in the air…and she was just lying passed out in an alley. He’d fed on her and just left her there!”
“I-I want to go home,” the woman whispered.
“It’s okay,” Jane said again, her voice reassuring. “Although I can certainly understand why you’re afraid.” She glared at Garrison.
Paris whistled. He’d taken his time heading down the stairs and now he was standing near the bar, watching the scene unfold with gleaming eyes. “This is certainly not how I expected the morning to go.”
“I need another drink,” Aidan muttered.
Paris nodded. “Maybe three?”
“I-I don’t have the handcuff keys with me,” Garrison stammered. “I think they’re out in the SUV.”
Aidan shoved away from the bar. He stalked toward the woman—the marks on her neck definitely looked fresh. When she saw him approach, her eyes widened. Fear had her blanching.
“He’s not going to hurt you,” Jane said.
No. She’d been hurt enough. The bite marks on her neck and the way her body trembled…just how much blood had the vamp taken from her?
“I shot him,” Jane spoke quietly. “I should have known…with the blood loss, he’d want to feed.”
“F-feed?” the woman repeated as her trembles got worse.
Aidan walked behind her. He caught the cuffs in his hand and snapped the silver. He was looking at Jane when he broke them, and at the sound of the metal crunching, she flinched.
“Something you have in common,” Jane said.
What?
But the woman who’d been in the cuffs was lunging for the door, so Aidan didn’t get to question Jane. He moved fast to intercept the human, not touching because he didn’t want to terrify her any more than was necessary, but positioning himself directly in her path.
Because he’d moved at his enhanced speed, he caught her by surprise. She staggered to a stop, nearly barreling into him, then she screamed, “What is happening?”
Jane didn’t like it when he used his powers to influence humans, but in order for the werewolves to remain hidden in this town, sometimes, he had to do things that she didn’t like.
Or that I don’t like.
“We think you were attacked,” he told the woman gently. “And we’re trying to help you.”
She held up her hands. The broken cuffs still circled her wrists. “I-I think you kidnapped me.”
Garrison growled. “No, dammit. I found you. You were unconscious in the alley. I was helping. I was saving you!”
The woman—with her dark hair tumbling out of a ponytail—whirled to glare at him. “You gagged me! You handcuffed me! You threw me in the back of your car!”
Jane winced. “This looks really bad, I get that.”
“If you’re a cop, help me!” the human yelled as she whirled to face Jane.
Paris stayed at the bar and poured himself a drink. “I think you all have this.”
Jane held up her hands, palms forward. The good old I’m-No-Threat stance as she faced the woman. “Did you know that you’re bleeding?”
“What?”
“Your neck. You have wounds there. And blood is soaking your shirt.”
The woman’s hand flew up to touch her neck. “I…he…” She shook her head and pointed to Garrison. “What did you do to me?”’
His cheeks had reddened, a dark red to match his hair. “I get that the cuffs were the wrong move, but when I found you and you woke up, you started freaking the hell out. I needed you to come here so the alpha could talk to you—”
“So who could? What’s an alpha?” Her voice rose to an ear-splitting shriek. “What is happening?”
Jane took another step toward the woman. “Everything is okay. We are not going to hurt you.”
But the human was shaking hard and still screaming. “I don’t believe you! You—you’re going to kill me!” Then she whirled for the door, shoving against Aidan. “Get out of my way! Get out of my way! Help! Someone help me!” Her cries were high and desperate. Utterly terrified.
He had to stop her terror.
Aidan’s hands closed over her shoulders. He exhaled on a low breath, and, staring into her wide, frightened blue eyes, he called up his beast.
“Help!”
“You are safe,” he told her softly.
She’d opened her mouth to scream, but at his words, she stilled.
“You are protected. You are with friends.”
Jane rushed toward him. “Aidan…”
“You think there’s a fucking choice here, Jane?” Garrison had taken the choice away by—yes, kidnapping the woman. And Aidan’s job was to clean up the pack’s mess.
“You don’t have to control her. It’s not right. She’s been through so much.”