Promising Peter (Bad Boy Alphas) (Shrew & Company Book 6) by Holley Trent Page A

delirious.”
    “She’s not delirious. Why would my mate doing a little better than simply enduring me be so unfathomable?”
    Tamara retreated to the chair at the side of the bed and sank into it. “Because I know you. You’re an insufferable piece of shit.”
    “I love you too, little sister. I’m so glad to see you.”
    Bryan moved to the bed and sat, his substantial weight making Andrea’s listless body roll a bit to the right. “Damn,” he said. “Seeing her like this… I can’t even process this. Her being in mortal danger is one thing. I know what to do about that. My body reacts the way it should without too much thought. Instinct . But fixing things after someone’s already hurt…” He gave his head a hard shake. “That’s just not something I know how to do.”
    “You don’t have to be able to do everything ,” Tamara said. “You just need to know who to put into place to fill your gaps.”
    “Can she hear us?” Bryan asked.
    Peter moved slowly to the bedside so as not to arouse Bryan’s inner bear and sat beside the concealed lump that was Andrea. “Depends on whether or not she’s awake. I imagine she’s awake since she was just talking to Tam.”
    He would have preferred her to be asleep. He’d expected that Bryan and Tamara wouldn’t waste any time driving up, but he didn’t think they would drop everything . Andrea would have been fine until sunrise, and he regretted not having a few more hours alone with her. His inner bear was being as patient as could be expected, but he wanted to finish claiming his mate. The half-done nature of their relationship was contributing to the building burn around his heart. The situation was making him anxious, and that wasn’t a state Peter was used to dwelling in.
    “There’s nothing we can do for her right now, anyway, is there?” Bryan asked.
    Peter shook his head. “My friend told me not to call for twenty-four hours.”
    “Then let Drea sleep for a few more hours.” Bryan tipped his head toward the door in an obvious Let’s go gesture.
    Grunting, Peter followed. He’d planned on curling up beside Andrea and keeping her warm. Holding her close and assuring himself she was fine, really. He thought he might die if she weren’t.
    He closed the door gently and joined Bryan and Tamara in the little kitchen.
    “How long have you had this place?” Tamara asked.
    “A few years.”
    “And Soren doesn’t know about it?”
    He shrugged and planted his palms atop the spindly table. “I imagine Soren has his secrets as well.”
    “You have other hideouts like this?”
    Peter made a noncommittal grunting sound. He couldn’t think of a single good reason to confess that.
    Of course he had other places he could go to at the drop of a hat—in case he needed to run and hole up until dust settled and law enforcement agencies decided to withdraw the warrants they had out on him.
    They usually did. Most of the time, they figured out that Peter was just doing a public service and that the people he dealt with were ones they couldn’t legally touch. Evidence disappeared pretty quickly when cops realized the folly of charging a man for murdering someone who’d killed ten or more innocents—especially when those men didn’t seem quite human.
    Bryan pulled out a chair and sat. He flicked the donut box open and took out one of the slightly stale confections. “Tamara and I wondered if we should divide and conquer—if I should come here and let her deal with Soren.”
    “What, precisely, is Soren doing? I haven’t spoken to him.”
    “He’s taken a shine to Maria’s sister, Marcella. We need him out chasing Gene, but his brain is so scrambled right now, he’s of no use to anyone.”
    “Sister? What sister?” Peter knew all of the Shrews and also any local family they had. The hippie didn’t have siblings, the last he heard.
    Tamara chuckled and fished a chocolate-covered donut out of the box. “Long story. All you need to know is that she