Read Online Savage Seduction: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 3) by Ellis Leigh - Free Book Online Page B

paint an atrocious green color that Charmeine was sure went out of vogue in the late eighties. Still, she’d never been as thrilled as she was when she’d signed the contract to lease their temporary rescue space.
    “Do you think we can fit another set of bunk beds in that back room?” Charmeine closed the door to one of the bathrooms that she’d paid to have scrubbed and revitalized for the new tenants and continued down the hallway, checking each room. Looking behind every door.
    Ethan ran a finger over the floor plan, his meticulous notes penciled in for every room they’d investigated so far. “I believe so, yes. Though we don’t have any more bunk beds. The order was for three sets.”
    Charmeine sighed and looked around again, picturing the old medical office suite as more than…well, an office suite. It wasn’t too hard, especially considering it would be a temporary solution. Still, it wasn’t perfect. Not yet. But it would do for their immediate needs.
    This former office complex would be a new start for a lot of shifters, a safe place until Charmeine could sign on a real house. A true home. One with open land for their wolves to run and explore. Her wolf paced inside her head, nearly wild with the need to shift, to race for some sort of wilderness, to hunt and roam as she craved. Charmeine had to muzzle her, though. There was no time, and stretching Finn’s security detail just so she could take a run was ridiculous. No. Her wolf would need to settle down for a few days longer. Maybe a week. Or two.
    “Charmeine?”
    She jerked back to attention, having lost herself to her inner beast for a moment. Ethan cocked his head, looking surprised by Charmeine’s startled reaction.
    “Right. Bunk beds. I’ll call Finn,” Charmeine said, shaking off the distraction of her irritated wolf. “Maybe he can help us until Al sends the trust disbursement.”
    Ethan practically choked on a harsh, sarcastic laugh. “Maybe? The man wears a Rolex.”
    “Don’t be covetous, Ethan. Finn works hard and has to portray a certain image to be taken seriously. He’s never turned me down when I needed a loan for the rescue, but I try not to rely on him anymore. I don’t need to pile even more pressure on him because we weren’t vigilant enough in New York to get out in time to bring the valuables.”
    Well, she brought the family valuables. Pictures and baubles she’d carefully unpacked from the linen bag she’d run with. Her mother’s wedding ring, her father’s cufflinks. But those treasures weren’t worth cash, and right then, it was cash she needed.
    “Of course. My apologies,” Ethan said, though his tone was less than contrite and his eyes held more anger than not. “My apologies for assuming Finn’s obvious wealth could be shared.”
    Charmeine could only sigh. Someday, Ethan would settle down and understand that riches weren’t the answer to all things. Her family had been quite wealthy, and look where it had gotten them. The Apex Hunters hadn’t cared about the money—they’d only cared about the blood.
    Needing a distraction, Charmeine moved them along to the final room needing inspection. “How about we go up front and see if there’s anything we can do to help? People will be arriving soon.”
    And indeed, they would. The few refugees who were sleeping on couches and floor pallets at Finn’s house had begun repacking their belongings so they could move to the flat, boring building in the middle of more flat, boring buildings. It wasn’t an ideal situation and not exactly the perfect place to put them all, but the options had been limited on such a tight time frame. Most places like this weren’t zoned for overnight habitation, and most homes weren’t big enough for the number of people Charmeine knew would be heading their way. This building—this huge, empty, sprawling complex—had once housed an ambulatory surgery center and a sleep clinic, so the entire unit was zoned to accommodate