by Sadie Hart
Then Dougal’s paw slammed down across his face, his claws burying deep, and Rift couldn’t see anything past the red.
Chapter Twenty Two
Nothing could have prepared Sawyer for the sheer chaos that exploded into the small cabin room when Dougal launched himself through the closet door. She’d only had a split second to register the ribbons of red down Rift’s chest as he fell before Sans started dragging Kinsey toward the door. She’d scrambled to cover it, screaming for him to stop when a series of roars filled the room.
“I can’t get a shot,” Brandt was shouting in her ear, but Sawyer couldn’t afford to take her eyes off of Sans.
“Drop your weapon,” she screamed again, her voice growing hoarse from the shouting, when suddenly the brawling lions filled the middle of the room. The hardwood floor had turned slick with blood. So much blood.
Rift’s skin was in ribbons, his black mane matted red. Dougal looked damn near untouched, but they were too close, locked in mortal combat. Rift’s back leg slipped just as Sawyer opened her mouth to scream at Sans again. Rift slipped and his hind end spun into Kinsey’s chair.
She could hear Kins scream through the duct tape over her mouth. Sans staggered, his gun sparking as he fired.
She didn’t even think. Just reacted.
Sawyer pulled the trigger, the gun lurching in her hands as it recoiled from the shot. The scent of gunpowder and blood filled the small room.
Red bloomed over Sans’s chest as he staggered and fell. She fired a second time. He lifted his gun and she fired a third time. This one straight through his forehead.
The gun clattered to the ground and then under the roiling field of fur and blood. Rift was on his back, clawing up at Dougal, desperate, wild.
“Get back,” Brandt was shouting at Dougal, but was going to stop that fight. Nothing would deflect Dougal from his target.
“I don’t have a shot,” Sawyer cried out, feeling the prick of tears behind her eyes.
Brandt nodded. They were too close. There was no way to take out Dougal without killing Rift, too.
Then the pair spun and landed over Kinsey. The girl screamed again and Sawyer reacted, sheer instinct taking over. Her gun fell to the ground as her lioness filled her, shifting.
“Sawyer!” Brandt barked through the earpiece before that, too, faded under the magick.
Sawyer hit the ground as a lioness and lunged into the fight. She dug claws into the deep muscles of Dougal’s haunches and ripped him backwards. Skin tore under her paws and he whirled for her. The pop of Brandt’s gun shattered the roars, and in an instant Dougal went silent.
The silver bullet had bored right through the side of his head. A second shot struck the same spot as he fell. His large body hit the ground in a heavy thud. Sawyer stared at the lion bleeding out on the floor, her sides heaving, but it was Kinsey’s sobs that brought her back to the present. She shifted and ran for the girl and the lion lying beside her, his eyes closed.
His sides rose and fell, blood gushing out of his wounds with every breath.
“I need an ambulance,” she cried into the earpiece. Her hands searched over Rift, but there were so many wounds she didn’t even know where to start. Which ones to put pressure on.
Rift’s whole body gave a violent shudder. “Don’t you dare die on me.” Her voice cracked, pleading.
Brandt freed Kinsey and then knelt beside Sawyer and Rift, his hands covering a wound on Rift’s neck. His fingers weaving through the mane. Kinsey, crying, no doubt still scared out of her mind and in need of comfort, sank down next to them, pressing her hands to her father’s side as well.
“Dad,” her voice broke and she leaned her face down onto his bloody side.
“Tank,” Brandt snapped out over the comm. “Get us that ambulance, now!”
***
Sawyer’s hands shook as she watched the ambulance pull away. Sirens blaring and lights swirling, it tore across the field, kicking up chunks of dirt and grass in its wake. She took a deep, body-shaking breath as she watched it go. He’d been so still when they’d loaded him into the stretcher and carried him to vehicle.
“Sawyer,” Brandt called as she glanced down at her hands. They were red with Rift’s blood.
She shouldn’t have let him follow them in. Dougal had been waiting for him. Her breath shuddered and, as if on cue, the rest of her body started trembling. The shivers started in her soul and wracked their way through her from head to toe.
Brandt caught her shoulder. “You should go with Kinsey. Tank’s driving her. We got Tavis. Your brothers caught him trying to run after shots were fired. They pinned him down before my guys could get off a shot. We’re taking him and Jerome into custody.”
“I shouldn’t have let him go in.” Her voice wavered, broken on the edge of sobs.
“Hell, known of us knew. Tavis didn’t even know his brother was up at the cabin.” He squeezed her shoulder. “We made a call based on the information we had.”
“And Rift could die because of it.”
“You think that’s fair to him?” Brandt stepped in front of her, forced her to meet his eye. “Not many men are willing to let the woman they love walk into danger first. Not many lions tolerate having women in their life that they can’t protect. I’ll never forget the day I met Lennox’s two. It takes a lot of man to stand back and let someone they care about put themselves in harm’s way. He was willing to do that for you. He accepted you for you. Job and all. Are you telling me you can’t give him the same respect?”
The words hit her like a slap. Her breath hitched in her throat and Brandt pointed firmly at the car.
“Now he’s lost a lot of blood, but hell, if he can stand with you, he’s gotta be a fighter. But I bet he wants you there when he comes to.”
“The debriefing?” she looked at her bloody, shaking hands again.
“Don’t worry about it. My pack, I can handle this. I’ll get your paperwork later.”
She glanced back in the direction of the main house. The dorm. No doubt the lionesses there were terrified out of their minds. The pride didn’t need to be corralled by Hounds. They needed something familiar. “The lionesses...”
“Your brothers already have them. Now go.”
He didn’t have to tell her again. Sawyer ran for the car, catching up with Tank as he reached the driver’s side door. Kinsey was already huddled in the passenger’s seat. She was unharmed outside of a bloody lip, but shell-shocked. The moment she saw Sawyer, some of the tension eased out of her face and a tear slipped down her cheek.
“Do you think he’s going to be...” she couldn’t even finish. Kinsey turned away and pressed her face against the window.
Sawyer slid into the back seat and leaned forward against the bars. “He’s going to be fine,” she whispered, hoping with all of her heart that she was right. She gripped the mesh bars blocking off the front seats and held on tight, as if she could hold them together with nothing but prayers.
***
Rift closed his eyes against the blinding sunlight pouring through the hospital blinds. His head throbbed, but other than that he felt good. Damn good, especially since he was still alive. Forcing himself to sit up a notch, he tried to shake off the lingering exhaustion that gripped his body. “Dad,” Kinsey said, her voice full of tears and hope.
Groggy, he glanced at her only to have a feminine hand press against his chest.
“Lie down, Rift. You need rest.”
Sawyer. Relief welled inside him and he slumped back against the bed. They were both okay. Somehow, they’d managed to get out of this alive. Intact.
He focused his gaze on Kinsey first. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Brandt’s making sure you have custody. I’m not going back there ever again.”
There was so much strength in her voice, despite the way it quivered over the words, that it squeezed his heart. He reached a hand toward her, disregarding the IV, and pulled her into a half hug. “I’ll never let you go. You d
on’t have to worry about that.”
He could feel her smile against his shoulder. “That’s what Sawyer said, too. And Mace. And Cutter.”
A weary glow built in his chest, and he realized he felt content. Proud. Among all of them, they’d make sure Kinsey stayed safe. He brushed his fingers through her hair. “Your mother?” he whispered and Kinsey shook her head violently.
“I don’t want to talk to her.” Her voice broke and she pulled away, her arms wrapping around herself in a hug. Her chin lifted. “Sawyer’s my mom now.”
The look she sent Sawyer dared her to deny it. Instead, Sawyer reached for her and pulled her into a hug. “You know damn well you’re mine.”
“So you’re not leaving again?”
“No.” She cupped Kinsey’s chin. “And I was stupid for leaving that time, but I swear I thought you were safe.”
“I know.” Kinsey leaned into her and Rift felt the strength radiating off of Sawyer. The calm.
When she looked at him, everything fell into place. This was exactly what he wanted. If he could look into those eyes for the rest of his life, he’d die a happy man. He smiled, and the one she gave back to him warmed his heart.
“How long until I get out of here?”
Exasperation floated across her face. “Whenever the doctor says, and not a moment sooner.” She swallowed, the rest of her words coming out hushed. Scared. “They had to give you a lot of blood, Rift. You’d lost so much.”
He grunted. The son of a bitch had jumped him. He hadn’t had a chance, man to lion. He was lucky he’d managed to shift at all, lucky he’d managed to stay alive and in the fight as long as he had.
The fear that danced in those amber depths of hers mangled what was left of his heart. He didn’t dare tell Sawyer he was okay. She’d seen him at his worst. She could still see him now—flat on his back in a damn hospital bed.
“Come here,” he whispered instead.
Sawyer pressed a kiss to Kinsey’s forehead and let her go, stepping closer to his bed.
“All the way,” he said and she laughed.
She didn’t need further instruction. Sawyer leaned down and pressed her lips to his. There weren’t enough words in the world to tell her how much he loved her, how sorry he was for scaring her, and how if he could turn back time he wouldn’t have changed a damn thing. She could have walked in there with Dougal in that closet without him there to play punching bag. She’d have died while he sat outside.
No. He didn’t have the words to describe the hurricane of emotions churning through him.
But as his lips found hers, Rift didn’t need words. The love was already there between them, and she knew him every bit as well as he knew her. With one touch, the words left unsaid were as a good as spoken.
She pulled away, then pressed a kiss to his forehead, too, her lips quivering. “You’re lucky I love you,” she whispered.
Rift gave a soft laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
***
Sawyer finished her paperwork and shoved back from the desk. They had a half hour before they had to get to the airport, and she’d left Rift and Kinsey in their hotel room to pull what few things they had together. It felt oddly like going back to the beginning. A hotel room, small bags, to be on the move at a moment’s notice.
Except this time they knew where they were going. Home.
Brandt strode out of the office, a red-haired man behind him. They turned and shook hands, twin smiles on their faces before Brandt headed her way.
“Paper work’s done,” she said and he grinned. “Sawyer, meet Gabriel Ross. He’s going to be the new alpha here.”
The red-haired man leaned forward and took her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” She glanced at Brandt. “And Beckett?”
“Dismissed. Lennox talked with Federal Enforcement. We need people at the top who care about shifters as much as they do the normal human population. Beckett did not, and he deliberately put the lives of Hounds and that pride in danger.”
“And that pride needs someone who cares about what happens to them. We’ve already had some new pride males move in, but I’ll be ensuring that these guys are a better lot than the Slades. The women of Cane Creek deserve that,” Ross said.
“And if some of them want to leave?”
“Then we’ll help them leave. They’ve been prisoners in hell long enough.”
Relief flooded her. So many of them had been beaten, raped, tortured. They deserved a chance at happiness.
“We’ll also get a therapist out there and make sure they know they can get help dealing with what was done to them. And I want to thank you, Reyes, for fighting to get out there in the first place. Someone has to care before changes can be made.”
With a nod of his head, Ross headed back to his office and Sawyer sat there, stunned.
“He’s a good friend of mine. He’ll take good care of this pack.”
“The entire Hound pack here was corrupt.”
Brandt nodded. “And he’ll weed through them. I trust him.”
And that was good enough for her. She trusted Brandt as much as she did Lennox. Sawyer smiled. Shifter Town Enforcement was slowly on its way to actually caring. She wondered how long it would be before all the prejudices wore off, or if they ever would.
But that wasn’t a question for Brandt. Only time could answer that one.
Instead, she looked up at him. “You heading home with us today?”
“Nah, I’ll stick around here a bit longer. Make sure Gabe is settled in and what’s left of Cane Creek’s old coalition is dealt with. Tavis and Jerome will not be walking away from this to torment another pride.” He held out his hand and she took it, giving it a solid shake. “Take care of your pride, Sawyer.”
“Lennox was going to see if I could transfer to your pack, since we’re staying in Colorado.”
He nodded. “I already signed the papers. My second will get you settled in on Wednesday. Take the time off while you can.”
That she would. She wanted a few days with Rift and Kinsey. Time to let what had happened here wash away a bit. “Thank you.”
And she walked out of the Texan Shifter Town Enforcement office one last time, more than ready to head home.
Epilogue
Rift paused at the edge of the hill, turning his face into the golden glow of sunset to see Sawyer and Kinsey enjoying the twin rocking chairs on the front porch. A soft breeze plucked at Kinsey’s powder blue dress, her flip-flop bouncing as she used it to keep the momentum going. It was the most down-home he’d seen her, and though the neon pink stripes she’d added to her hair kept the wild teenage spark burning strong, she looked happy. Content.
Rona lay curled in her lap, the cat’s head tilted into Kinsey’s fingers. Sawyer half lay in the chair beside them, a jeaned leg over one arm rest, her arms and head on the other as she snoozed through the oncoming twilight.
The perfect picture of relaxation, comfort, home.
And, damn, but this was exactly what he’d never dreamed of having, but now couldn’t imagine living without.
Rift rocked back on his heels at the realization, his breath whisked away on the wind. Cutter’s jeep spun on the gravel down the path, and he knew his pride brothers were on their way out to have a night of fun. It’d become a ritual for Mace and Cutter, and, oddly enough, Rift did just fine living this close to the two of them. They gave each other distance and, outside of an occasional beer during football games, it didn’t feel that different from life as a rogue.
Except for the two ladies sitting on Rift’s front porch. The kitchen was still a work in progress and the basement unfinished, but standing on the outside, looking at the view in front of him, the place was perfect.
Grinning, Rift headed for the house. Kinsey glanced up at him as his boots hit the steps and grinned. “Hey, Dad.”
“Oh, it’s Dad today?” Rift shook his head, amused. “You still pressing for that kitten?”
“She’s ado
rable! Black with little white socks. I could call her Boots.” Rift started to shake his head, but hell, he knew he was going to cave. Especially when he looked at Rona purring contently on her lap. Most fathers probably couldn’t get their teenage daughters to clean the litter box. Kinsey didn’t have any problem doing it.
Anything for Rona.
But if he wasn’t careful she’d turn them all into crazy cat hoarders.
“You need to stay off the rescue sites.”
“Her whiskers were burned off.”
Sawyer snorted. “I thought she was found in a dumpster.”
“No, that was Mojo. Grace adopted her.” She shot Rift a look he knew all too well. Grace’s dad said yes.
“Grace didn’t already have a cat,” Rift muttered.
A smile quirked on Sawyer’s lips and Rift leaned over her, bracing one hand on the back of her chair, and one on the armrest to keep it from rocking as he bent down to look her in the eye. “What are you laughing about?”
“You might as well just say yes. You’re going to cave and we all know it.”
Rift made a low, contented sound in the back of his throat and pressed his lips to Sawyer’s. “Maybe.”
“Really?!” Kinsey squealed, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Yeah. We’ll pick her up Monday.”
Kinsey launched herself out of the chair, Rona clutched in one arm, and bear-hugged Rift with her other arm. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
She kissed his cheek and started dancing around the deck with Rona in her arms. He shook his head.
“Minus kittens, how are you holding up?”
He knew Jenna had been calling lately, trying to patch things up. As far as he knew Kinsey had yet to give her mother the time of day. The thirteen-year-old scowled at him as if he’d ruined her celebration, but Rift shrugged. Better to ask now when she had an upcoming kitten to cheer her up.
