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I looked from David to the man "Ah, David? I take it that's not Mrs Bryant"

His grip on his briefcase shifting, David shook his head "I think it's the president of the company"

"Oh" I thought about that Then thought about that so about this "David?"

He put a hand on my shoulder and leaned in "I think you should leave," he said, the worry in his brown eyes running right to my core

Recalling what he'd said in the elevator about his boss gunning for him, my pulse quickened "David, if you're in trouble, I' as he hustled me to the lift

His face was grim "I can handle this"

I tried to twist frorip "Then I'll stay and help you to the car when it's over"

He glanced at me "I don't think so, Rachel But thanks"

The elevator opened Still protesting, I was ill prepared when David jerked me back My head came up and my face went cold Crap The lift was full of Weres in various levels of elegance, ranging from Armani suits and sophisticated skirt and top combos to jeans and blouses Even worse, they all had the collected, confident pride of alpha wolves And they were s

Shit David had a big problem

"Please tell me it's your birthday," I said, "and this is a surprise party"

A young Were in a bright red dress was the last to step froave h sure of herself, I could tell by her stance that at least, she wasn't an alpha bitch This was getting weird Alphas never got together They just didn't Especially without their respective packs behind them

"It's not his birthday," the woine he's surprised"

David's grip on my arm twitched "Hello, Karen," he said caustically

My skin crawled and ht of the splat gun in , then felt for a ley line, but didn't tap it David couldn't pay

"Hi, David," the woman in red said, satisfaction clear in both her voice and in her stance behind the alpha ine how overjoyed I was to find you had started a pack"

David's boss was now there too, and with quick and confident steps he moved between us and the elevator The tension in the room ratcheted up a notch, and Karen slinked behind him

I hadn't known David long, but I'd never seen this er, pride, and annoyance on him before There was no fear David was a loner, and as such, the personal power of an alpha held little sway over hiht of them, and one was his boss

"This doesn't involve her, sir," David said with a respectful anger "Let her leave"

David's boss lifted an eyebrow "Actually, this has nothing to do with you"

My breath caught Okay, maybe I was the one with the problem

"Thank you for coer needed," the polished Were said Turning to the others, he added, "Get him out of here"

I took a heaving lungful of air Withonto the one that ran under the university My concentration shattered when two rabbedoff and sent it spinning to land against a stack of luo of rips

David grunted in pain, and when I stomped on someone's foot, they shovedme My breath whooshed out as someone sat on me My hands were pulled behinda red curl froed into the elevator

He was still fighting thely sounding thuht more viciously, but there was a five-minute downtime when he would be helpless

"Get him out of here!" David's boss shouted i hit the inside of the elevator, and then the machinery started to lower the lift I heard a shout and the sounds of a fight that slowly grew muffled

Fear slid through aze to htly

My breath hissed in Frantic, I reached for the ley line again, tapping it with a splinter of thought Ever-after energy flowed throughmy chi and then the secondary spindle I could keep in ht arm too far back The cool plastic of a zip-strip was jaht with a quick pull and a fa My face went cold as every last erg of ever-after washed out of me The bitter taste of dandelions was on my lips Stupid, stupid witch!

"Son of a bitch!" I shouted, and the Weres sitting on me fell away

I staggered to e the flexible plastic-wrapped band off one IS issue cuffs I couldn't tap a line I couldn't do anything I seldom usedof how easy they could be nullified

Utterly bereft ofin the tall s I was alone with a pack of alphas My thoughts zinged to Mr Ray's pack and the wishing fish I had accidentally stolen fro the owners of the Howlers baseball teaet out of there

David's boss shifted his weight to his other foot The sun spilled over hian, isn't it?" he asked companionably

I nodded, wipingto s worse I never tookit was a blatant show of dominance I had dealt a little with Weres, and none of them but David seemed to like me I didn't knohy

"It's a pleasure toa pair of lasses from an inner pocket of his suit coat "I'm David's boss You can call me Mr Finley"

Perching the glasses on his narrow nose, he took the stapled papers that Karen siveat them "My secretary usually does this" He looked over the papers atopen "Your pack number is what?"

"Huh?" I said intelligently, then stiffened as the ring of Weres seemed to close in Karen snickered, and my face warmed