Page 67 of Fallout

This goes on for a good thirty minutes with me unable to even come close to beating Blaine or Will. It’s clear that the two of them are very strong supernaturals who have trained a lot. It makes me wonder why Parker has never shown me these moves. Does he not want me to be able to protect myself? Or do I really misunderstand wolf shifter culture this much?

Will puts me in a chokehold. He’s loose enough to not actually choke me, but tight enough that I have no hope of ever getting away.

“Come on, Henley. You’re a supernatural—I know you’re stronger than this,” Will says. Even though I can’t see his face, I can hear the frown in his voice.

He’s annoyed. He thinks I’m not trying.

I’d tap into my powers and teleport away from him if I wasn’t worried about burning him. But even I know that fire could seriously hurt him.

The sound of a low growl has Will abruptly loosening his grasp on me. He’s gone in an instant and I fall backward without him supporting my weight. I land hard on my butt and groan.

“A little warning next time, Will.” I lie on my back, staring up at the sky. I’m too tired to even attempt to move.

I seriously hope I have supernatural healing like Will and Blaine said. If not, I really will be tired tomorrow. My limbs feel like noddles as it is.

Will doesn’t respond to me. He and Blaine have both gone completely silent. I glance over at them.

“Guys?”

But they’re not watching me. Instead, they’re looking toward the house, their faces pale. I glance over to see what they’re looking at and spot Parker making his way toward us. He has a scowl on his face. His entire body vibrates and his eyes are golden amber in color, meaning his wolf is close to the surface.

“I am going to kill you,” Parker threatens.

I jump up from the ground, ignoring the way my muscles ache in protest. I throw myself between Parker and the guys.

“Parker.” I hold up both hands, trying to placate him.

He clenches his jaw as he looks away from Will and Blaine to look at me. His eyes don’t change colors. If anything, they grow even more amber in color.

Oh, this is bad.

“I’m fine,” I tell him. I shoot Will a glare over my shoulder. “Will may have bruised my tailbone, but I’m sure I’ll be fine in a few hours.”

Parker growls, taking another step forward.

I push at his chest to get him to take a step back. “Parker, chill. What is wrong with you? You shouldn’t growl at your friends. It’s rude.”

Parker turns his gaze to me once more. He scans me from the top of my head all the way to my feet. I’m not sure what he’s looking for, but his shoulders relax at what he sees.

Great. Now if I can get him to stop acting like a wolf for a second.

“Am I to assume your presence means that Will and Blaine are off babysitting duty?” I ask.

Parker takes a breath through his nose and slowly exhales. “Explain what was just happening.”

But Parker isn’t looking at me—his eyes are on Will and Blaine behind me.

Will’s entire body is tense as he steps up beside me. “Henley asked us to teach her how to fight.”

“And you agreed?” Parker’s voice is low and growly.

“She said she wanted to be able to protect herself.” Blaine steps up on the other side of me.

“We tried to talk her out of it, but your mate is stubborn,” Will says.

I roll my eyes. “You calling me stubborn is a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

Will ignores me though, keeping his eyes firmly on Parker. “We didn’t hurt her, you know that. We took it easy on her. We were just showing her a few moves.”