by L. A. Banks
Sasha closed her eyes in a slow blink and turned, only to see Hunter step out of the shadows of the pass-through near the kitchen. Madison’s attention snapped toward the voice, and his lieutenants took aggressive stances.
“Good to see you, man,” Winters said, offering Hunter a fist pound that Hunter ignored as he passed him. “That’s cool . . . We were all just getting acquainted.”
Sasha stepped between Hunter and Madison. “Hunter, don’t . . .” She gave Hunter a look but could tell he’d heard enough to put him well past reason.
“I suggest you listen to the captain and stand down, soldier,” Madison said, striding up to Hunter. “Is this another one of your out-of-order—”
“I’m not the property of the U.S. government,” Hunter said as he tilted his head and rolled his shoulders. “Back off the lady. She’s off duty.”
“The lady is under my command,” Madison fired back. He looked at Sasha. “I see you run your personal life as sloppily as you run your squad. No wonder your mission failed.”
“If you have a problem, state it,” Hunter said, his voice bottoming out. “But don’t be a punk bitch and hide behind your so-called rank.”
Winters released a long, quiet whistle.
“What?” Madison took two steps closer to Hunter but stopped just short of being within his swing range, clearly not liking the fact that Hunter was taller.
“I think you heard me,” Hunter said, moving in. “Circle her again and it will be your last time to invade her space.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Okay, okay, c’mon,” Sasha said, going to Hunter. “Don’t do this, all right?”
“What I said was no threat and the lady will tell you I am no liar. That was a promise,” Hunter said, not moving forward, but speaking to Madison over Sasha’s head.
Madison turned to his men. “You did hear that, correct? This civilian threatened me—thinks he’s a Billy Badass.”
“Affirmative, Colonel. We heard it, sir,” the burly lieutenant to his left said and then smiled at the rest of their squad.
“Then, since we have received a threat, it is my duty to protect U.S. property from misuse by unauthorized hostiles,” Madison said, lolling his neck. He returned his attention to Hunter, chuckling with overconfidence. “Care to take this outside so the rest of the civvies don’t have to see you bleed?”
“Colonel, that is not a good idea,” Sasha said. She turned to Hunter. “Just let it go, all right?”
“Property? Call her that again . . .,” Hunter said with his gaze steady on the colonel.
“Dude, I mean, Colonel,” Winters said, raking his damp hair, “this is like such a bad idea.”
“What did you say?” Colonel Madison wheeled around to stare at Winters hard.
“I’m not a soldier, for one,” Winters said, lifting his chin. “So I’m not about to give you the sir, yes, sir, crap that Sasha has to—and for the record, if you go out there in the parking lot . . . you’re gonna get your ass kicked. So you might just wanna go order a brewski and a burger and relax.”
“Oh, man,” Bradley muttered as he popped Winters in the back of his head with a flat palm. “Just add gasoline on the fire, why don’t you, genius.”
“Hey!” Winters said as he grabbed his head. “Quit it, man—it’s the truth and everybody knows it.”
“Shsssh!” Clarissa hissed, and gave Winters the eye.
“Like the captain . . . or somebody said,” Fisher added crisply, keeping his stance at attention and his gaze toward the door. “This is inadvisable, sir.”
“Affirmative,” Woods said, matching Fisher’s stance.
“I think this civilian needs a lesson in manners from Delta Force Bravo Company,” the colonel said with pure hatred in his eyes as he looked Hunter up and down.
The man on the colonel’s flank patted his sidearm. “And if the she-wolf and her dogs make it an unfair fight by flipping out . . . well, we’re locked and loaded for any eventuality, sir.”
“Okay, now I know it’s time for everybody to just stand down before someone gets hurt,” Sasha said, looking at Hunter.
“You and your men threatened her with a firearm—one of your own?” Hunter said, moving closer to Madison.
“Just think of my lieutenants as peacekeeping forces so your girlfriend doesn’t get nervous under the full moon and decide to break rank, turn wolf, and jump into what should be between men when she sees you getting taken to school,” Colonel Madison said. He gave his men a half smile. “I don’t think it’s going to take much for you to learn what a real leader is made of.”
“Believe me, if you pull a weapon on Sasha in my presence, it won’t help you. Your arm needs to be connected to your body when you squeeze the trigger.”
Hunter hadn’t blinked, hadn’t stuttered, and was so close to a shape-shift that she wanted to drag him out by his arm.
The colonel looked at Hunter and hesitated for a second and then laughed. “Overconfidence is always the best teacher.”
“Yeah . . . Let’s go outside and learn together,” Hunter said as the muscles in his shoulders bunched.
CHAPTER 5
This was beyond crazy, but there was no stopping the events that were unfolding too quickly. Patrons began flowing out of the tavern behind them, but thankfully Ronnie and his bouncers got between them and the small group that stalked off toward the tree line, telling people he’d call the cops if a crowd gathered.
Yet appalling as the situation was, there was also a small, glowing ember of satisfaction alive within her. The night air fanned it, brought it alive, just as the full moon stoked it, and the sound of her once dejected team trudging behind her made whatever repercussions were sure to follow all seem worthwhile.
The only saving grace was that she was on the record as having tried to intervene. According to military code, Hunter was not her spouse—he was a civilian, a private citizen, and she’d also warned her commanding officer . . . who had pressed for the fight, even after she, Woods, Fisher, and Winters had suggested he stand down. This one wouldn’t make it to the general whom Madison reported to, and would undoubtedly be a brawl that remained under the radar . . . the sort of thing this asshole was clearly used to doing—command by intimidation. So be it.
Sasha threw her shoulders back and stood taller when Hunter stopped walking. The shadows were long tonight. The trees, the parking lot trucks, all of it was beyond what Madison could comprehend. However, that also told her how foolish the man was, not realizing he’d been lured into a wolf trap. She watched the man take off his sidearm and hand it to one of his men, a smug look of confidence marring his sharp features in the moonlight. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw a fast-moving silver blur go past the tree line, but then it was gone. She couldn’t focus on that now; there was just too much else happening.
“You are so screwed,” Winters muttered and shook his head.
“Check him to see if he’s armed,” the Asian lieutenant said, glancing at the others quickly.
Before one of them could cross the wide circle the two teams had made, Hunter pulled up his jean legs one at a time with perfect balance on one leg, showing them there was nothing in his boots. Without a word, he then lifted his shirt and took it off, stripping it over his head. Methodically, moving like a tai chi instructor, Hunter then took off his amulet and tossed it to Sasha. She caught it with one hand, wishing she hadn’t left the mate to it on her dresser at home.
Moonlight washed over Hunter, adding definition to the tight ropes of sinew that made up his torso. Now that he’d passed inspection and been deemed unarmed, Madison began to slowly circle Hunter. The group backed up, giving both combatants wide berth. Sasha’s grip on Hunter’s amulet tightened as she watched the contest, then Madison lunged.
It was a skilled judo move, an impressive one that combined speed and impact, if only it had landed. But what Madison obviously hadn’t gleaned from all her reports was that wolf speed and agility were
unmatchable by a human—especially when that wolf was pissed off. The sad part was that Hunter was just toying with his prey. It was all so reckless; Madison just couldn’t seem to grasp that he was dealing with a wolf, a being stronger and faster than he’d ever be, and not a regular human. The man’s own prejudice had clearly blinded him to the facts and had left him in a state of twisted denial.
Every aggressive move Madison made, Hunter countered with an avoidance move, choosing not to land a blow. The first lesson that Madison would learn tonight was that he was expending precious energy and Hunter was just wearing him out. He’d also have his confidence shaken, as he continued to try to land blows that Hunter easily avoided. Soon frustration would make Madison sloppy and he’d know that Hunter could have put him down at will, but didn’t . . . and that would inspire fear. Sasha cringed inwardly watching it all unfold, and knowing how it would probably end.
Then Hunter did the unthinkable. On the next lunge, he spun out of Madison’s way and then bitch-slapped the colonel. Sasha’s mouth flew open.
“Teach me!” Hunter shouted. “We’ve been out here for ten minutes and all we’ve been doing is dancing.”
Oh . . . my . . . God.
Madison ran in, fury propelling his body forward in a near-blind rage. This time Hunter allowed their bodies to connect, flipping Madison and body-slamming him to the ground. Hunter moved away with an angry smirk and allowed Madison to get up.
“If you go to New Orleans like this, you’ll die, you stupid bastard,” Hunter said, slipping into a shadow and coming out behind Madison. “You’ll get your men killed. Not that I care, but it’s good information for you to have.”
Madison spun and stepped back, giving himself safety space. His men immediately drew on Hunter.
“You’re one of them!” Madison shouted, and then turned toward Sasha. “He’s a goddamned beast like you!”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Hunter said, canines ripping through his gums as his eyes changed. “Lower your weapons. Threaten my mate and instinct takes over.”
Frightened men backed up, brandishing weapons, turning wildly. Sasha’s team remained still as stones, their gazes nervous as they shot glances among the jittery second squad.
“Easy, everybody . . . no need for an accident,” Woods said.
“Back away from the two known targets of value,” Madison said to Woods and then glanced at Clarissa. “Now! Or we will have to assume that you’re all infected.”
“Back up, people,” Sasha said quickly, watching Madison’s men toss him his sidearm.
“Get out of here, Sasha,” Hunter said in a low growl. “This insane bastard won’t hesitate to come up with a reason to blow you and your entire squad away.”
“You’ve got that right!” Madison said, pulling back farther to stand with his men.
Sasha backed up and stood close enough to enter an SUV shadow if necessary. She watched Hunter ease back toward the long shadow of a tree.
“Put the guns down. This was supposed to be a fight, man-to-man, Colonel.” Hunter’s gaze held Madison’s, the threat implicit within it.
“But that’s just it,” Madison said, looking between Hunter and Sasha. “It never was man-to-man. It was man-to-wolf. Fuck you!”
The second Madison’s bicep contracted, Hunter spun into a shadow. Gunshot report cut through the night. Clarissa screamed as Woods and Fisher pushed her to the ground, yelling for everyone else to get down. Shells ripped though bark, chasing the direction Hunter had disappeared, and before Sasha could draw her next breath they had spun around to aim at her.
She was gone in an instant, a blur that became one with the shadow beside her. Hunter came out of his in milliseconds to land a knockout blow at the back of two of Madison’s lieutenants’ skulls, dropping them on the spot before seeking cover in another car shadow. When Sasha came out, she was on the far side of the lot, but she could see what Hunter was doing. He’d gone into a wood-source shadow, come out and landed blows that would be like striking a man with a two-by-four, then eluded them again. But that was indeed showing considerable restraint—especially since they’d threatened her. He could have come out of the SUV’s shadow and hit both men with the force of metal, rendering them brain-damaged . . . or gone straight wolf and simply ripped their weapons arms out of the sockets.
Regardless, a ricocheting bullet could still hit any of her squad who couldn’t escape into a shadow. This was so irresponsible that she wanted to really show them what primal wolf was all about. Picking off the closest lieutenant, she went in for a quick arm twist, stopping just short of breaking it, and stripped him of his weapon, then was gone. Hunter popped out of the shadow by the last man standing and threw an old-fashioned haymaker, dropping the man where he stood. As Madison spun around to follow the sound, Hunter came out of the shadow behind him with a weapon at his temple.
“Drop it,” Hunter said in a threatening rumble in Madison’s ear.
He waited until Madison released his weapon and then glanced at the lieutenant that Sasha had stripped.
“Tell your man not to be foolish,” Hunter said, practically growling.
“Stand down!” Madison yelled.
“Good boy,” Hunter said and then shoved Madison away from him. “And what have we learned tonight?” He circled Madison slowly, clearly enjoying the fear in the man’s eyes. “Maybe you learned that if you can’t run with the big dogs, you might want to stay on the porch?”
When Madison didn’t answer, Hunter gave in to a full canine presentation. “I asked you a question, soldier!”
“Sir . . . yes . . . sir,” Madison said slowly and quietly with hatred, and then spit on the ground.
“I didn’t hear you!” Hunter shouted, flinging the weapon he held away from them both.
“That’s enough, Hunter,” Sasha said, coming up beside him. She placed a palm on Hunter’s chest and then looped his amulet from around her neck. “Enough for one night . . . sirens are getting closer.”
Hunter inclined his head, then finally nodded, hearing what the rest of the team wouldn’t hear for five more minutes. Her squad slowly stood, dusting themselves off, each glaring at Madison and the one lieutenant whom Hunter and Sasha hadn’t dropped.
“This isn’t over, Captain,” Madison said though his teeth.
“It had better be,” Hunter said, rolling his shoulders. “Next class won’t be the remedial one like tonight’s.”
“You guys okay?” Sasha said, glancing at her squad.
“Yeah . . . just sucks to get shot at,” Winters said, glaring at Madison. “You tell on us, and trust me, we’re gonna tell on you. We were unarmed civilians and this shit got out of control—you egomaniac! You drew a weapon on a fellow officer! I’ll bring charges!”
“C’mon, let’s get outta here before the local cops get here,” Clarissa said. “All of this needs to be off the record.”
But before anyone could react to Clarissa’s sensible observation, she doubled over and retched up horrible green slime. She shut her eyes tightly and held on to Bradley. “I’m all right. I’m all right,” she said, wheezing, and then waved Sasha and the others away. “Drinks, a case of bad nerves, and then getting shot at, all of it went down the wrong way.”
Sasha looked at the ground and then at Clarissa as she turned away with her eyes closed, leaning on Bradley. She watched Madison’s men begin to stir, then glanced at Hunter and back at her team. “Get outta here, guys.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” Woods said sarcastically, mocking the colonel as they passed him.
Hunter grabbed Sasha’s hand. “You’re off duty and coming with me.”
“What was that?” Sasha shouted the moment they entered the shadows.
“That was me saying enough!” Hunter shouted back. “That guy is a jerk, he was—”
“My commanding officer until I decide differently!” She walked away from Hunter, raking her hair, trying not to grab it in bunches within her fists and begin pulling. This was ins
ane!
“But—”
“It’s my choice, Hunter! My career!” she said, walking in a circle with her eyes closed now. “Jesus . . . there’s no coming back from this.”
“I did not injure the man,” Hunter said in a low growl.
“Oh, yeah, ya did,” she said, and then stopped and folded her arms over her chest. “You just fly-kicked his ego out of the—”
“Like he didn’t deserve that?” Hunter paced and spun on her. “Do not ask me to stand by and watch him breach your personal space, your territory, threaten your life, and that of your team—which is your family . . . even your familiars, Woods and Fisher, whom I have come to respect, and not react. That goes against nature, Sasha!” Hunter slapped the center of his chest, eyes glowing a rich, deep amber. “I am what I am, alpha Shadow—do not ask me to pretend to be a beta . . . you wouldn’t like that in me, anyway.”
Although it was a standoff, the man had a point.
“That’s true,” she said after a bit, frowning at the concept. “I can’t see you as a beta.”
“Thank you!” He walked away from her and gave her his back to consider, arms folded.
“I appreciate where you were coming from . . . but it’s just that, I was sort of thinking about making the career change, haven’t completely committed to the concept, and you’re forcing my hand. That’s what I don’t like.”
Hunter turned around slowly and stared at her with an unblinking gaze. “You know what I don’t like, Sasha, is how you are straddling the border between worlds in this critical time.”
“Okay, now that’s not fair,” she said, defensiveness weighting every word.
“It is fair!” he said, opening his arms wide, and gesturing wildly. “What’s not fair is having to live in the shadows like your pet! Like your faithful, obedient dog that you call when you want comfort or affection and then gets put in the yard to guard your house—but who has no authority or decision-making involvement in your life! I never signed up for that tour of duty, Sasha! Never! What’s also not fair is having to always put the national interests of the Shadow Clans second to those of your human leadership, no matter how ill informed or misguided—people who know nothing about our sovereign nations! For all intents and purposes I have been your goddamned beta, Sasha—but no more!”
