Instead it hit the tree just behind them, and a freaking branch snapped off, hitting Dave in the head and knocking him out.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Stay down, Grace. I’m going to have to find him and take him out,” Hiroshi whispered in her ear.

She nodded slightly, keeping herself plastered to the ground.

Hiroshi moved off like a shadow but some moments that felt like hours later, she heard the crack of the gun again and then a growl in the distance. Cade was there!

When the gun went off again she’d had it with the whole situation. She was tired and pissed off.

Cade was in the treeline, looking for a way to get to the shooter. Lex was off to his right and he reached out through the link and knew Grace was alive and unharmed. Suddenly, the bubbling heat of her rage flooded the link and he saw her moving toward the shooter so fast he couldn’t believe his eyes.

He couldn’t yell at her to stop or he’d put her in more danger but as he and Lex moved to get the shooter’s attention, he planned to spank that pretty little ass of hers when this was all over.

Ducking and running, charging at the shooter, he watched in total amazement as his tiny wife hauled her laptop bag up and knocked the shit out of the shooter when she hit him in the head with it.

He crumpled to the ground and as Cade reached her, he heard her say, “Softball from middle school all through college.”

She kicked the weapon away and turned to see him coming. Without missing a beat, she raced to him and jumped into his arms.

“Honey, what were you doing?” he asked between patting her all over to be sure she was unharmed.

“My job. Where’s Hiroshi? I need my medical bag to check Dave out.”

“You charged a man with a rifle, Grace. Are you out of your mind?”

She scrambled down and narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. “Do you really want to remind me how pissed off I am at you? I still have my laptop bag. And where’s Hiroshi?”

“Here! I’ve been hit in the shoulder.”

She spun as she yelled back to them to get her bag pronto.

Lex actually had the balls to chuckle as he jogged to get her bag from inside the Hummer once their prisoner had been restrained.

She didn’t say another word to him until they got back home. She ordered Dave into bed. He didn’t have a concussion, just a big goose egg and once he’d transformed back at the lab, even that started to go down. Hiroshi had a bandage on his shoulder but he too managed to transform to work the silver through him. Efficiently, Grace gave people tasks and put Hiroshi to bed as well.

Lex disappeared with the prisoner and Cade didn’t ask a thing. Lex had a job to do. Three other guards went with him.

“I’m starved and then I need a shower and some sleep,” she announced as she walked past him and into the kitchen.

“Sit down. I’ll get you something.” Cade plopped her into a chair and turned to work.

“Did you just pick me up like I was furniture?”

“Are you trying to pick a fight? I’m making you a meal. That’s a nice thing. I’d think most women would like that.”

She cocked her head and a trickle of fear ran through him.

“I’m aware that because of my general nature, most people think I’m easy. And I usually am. I let most stuff roll off because in the big scheme of things, they’re not important. There are a number of things I believe, Cade Warden. First, duty is important. I have a duty to serve my wolves and so, while your method of making decisions is totally selfish, sucks and treats me as if I don’t matter at all, I accept your choice to do this Challenge.” She slammed a hand on the table when he opened his mouth to interrupt and he closed his lips.

“However, that does not mean I’m not hurt by your seeming inability to at least ask me if I want to rip up my roots, once again, and become the Supreme Alpha of the United States and move to Boston. That does not mean you can just make decisions that affect us as a couple assuming I’ll be fine because hey, she’s easy and never complains anyway!”

Her voice rose and he moved back until the counter dug into his back. She remained seated, watching him through narrowed eyes.

“Just because I’m short doesn’t mean you can pick me up like I’m a chair or something. Just because I don’t flip out and start fights all the time doesn’t mean you can make choices that endanger your life and uproot mine without even asking me! I think most women expect their spouses to you know, consult them on the big stuff. I don’t care how you want to wear your hair, I don’t care what kind of car you drive. But when it comes to oh, say challenges to the death with homicidal maniacs and essentially drafting me to become the First Lady of the werewolves, I’d like the damned courtesy of at least you pretending my voice matters!” Her eyes flashed so much hurt and fury it nearly made him lose his knees.

Instead, he went to her and knelt, putting his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair with a sigh. “I love you, Cade. I’m proud of your sense of justice and duty. I really don’t want you to fight Warren to the death and I’m pretty steamed at Templeton for not asking you in private. There’s a lot I’m steamed about, including being shot at, yet again. But this is a relationship and I can’t be happy if you make my choices for me, or make choices for us without even consulting me.”

“When you ran off, I didn’t get much of a chance to. But okay, before you maim me like you did that wolf at the lab, I should have spoken to you. Your opinion does matter. I’m just used to making my own choices and not having to ask. And I did not treat you like furniture. I’d have picked up Nina that way too.” She growled and he quickly added, “Or Megan or anyone else. I just wanted you to sit so I could take care of you.”