Loved by a Werewolf by Bronwyn Heeley Page B

guy, who kinda reminded Jex of a lamp post, had a handgun. Again, he couldn’t tell what type or anything, and he couldn’t be sure he would if he could see past a shadowy outline.
    The other three were holding…well, one held a bat. The men had called him BB, which Jex was certain meant Baby Face, since he looked like he was about twelve. His bat sparkled in the night, so Jex assumed it was metal, which was gonna hurt, since he was almost positive they weren’t going to kill him. The other two had knives. The thinness of them and the fact that the tip wasn’t all that far from their hands confirmed that fact more than anything. Those two men were average, one dark haired and one light.
    His chest still hurt as his lungs worked, and his mind was still too fucked-up from the fall to think of anything. It was blank, nearly calm, and yet, the riot of facts spun so fast, he wasn’t convinced if it mattered at all what those men were carrying because he was going to pass out soon.
    A howl screamed through the air, making the hairs on the back of Jex’s neck stand up.
    A shudder went through him as a man took a step toward him. Jex’s legs shook as he tried to get them on the ground. He wasn’t going to just let them take him—not when he’d gone through this much pain getting away.
    “Ah, mates, I think he’s trying to get up,” a man Jex surnamed Bold Blob said, his voice like a crack in a glass, something that tittered on the edge of shattering.
    “Looks to me like he’s ‘bout to pass out,” a light-haired average man said.
    “Shut it, Jeff, ya dick head. We can all see that,” Lamp Post said.
    Jex swayed even though he was nearly sitting. His feet tried to move, and yet they wouldn’t. He couldn’t move. His body killed, hurt like fucking hell, his lungs seizing with each gasp of breath he took. These arsehole fuckwits were going to take him back. Great.
    The men walked close and Jex’s body clenched with the need to move. His heartbeat doubled in time with the acknowledgement that he was going to meet pain with this encounter. There was no way men like these wouldn’t want to take the humiliation of losing him out on Jex.
    A deep growl echoed through the small clearing, and sounded as if it came from right beside Jex. Even as his head moved around, he knew he wasn’t going to see anything. The men froze, looking around themselves, their weapons in their hands, moving up, more for protection than to look menacing.
    The deep growl rumbled again and a shot of adrenaline sparked through Jex’s body, causing a hard rush of energy that got him onto his feet in a heartbeat. Yet, he didn’t move. His heart beat harder as he looked around with the other men, searching for the beast that made that deep sound.
    There were two seconds of silence in the air, Jex and the men still looking around, waiting for something to happen. Jex’s heart beat in his throat due to the rush of energy. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling—only that his body was alive and he could run a mile without a sweat, though he knew his body would pass out if he tried. His lungs still burned softly with each breath he took. His head still swam and his legs wobbled. He needed to lie down and maybe enjoy a bit of a nap, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen, not now.
    “Nothing,” Leader said, then laughed nervously. “It’s nothing, men. Let’s do this and get back to the cabin.” The rest laughed with him, their tone seemingly free of anything, like a joke they’d just brushed off because the boss said so. Dick-headed morons.
    Then they advanced again and Jex still couldn’t move. He wasn’t thinking about the beast that growled as if he was a panther or a bear. He wasn’t thinking about the fact that he was about to be fucked up by men who hated his father—or did they—and wanted more money than his punk arse was worth. At least his father would pay. That was a bonus in this fucked thing.
    A roar deafened Jex’s ears