by Anne Marsh
I rush him, lips pulled back and fangs bared.
He meets me halfway, his body slamming into mine. I go straight for his throat. And since the motherfucker won’t go down easy, we roll, taking out everything around us and cutting a fucking swath of destruction through the nail salon. Jace curses, shouting as he backs Keelie Sue and Leah away from the fight. Although he’ll get the girls to safety, I drive T.D. away from them and toward the front of the shop. Higher-pitched snarling fills the air as my teeth close over his skin and then tear through his fur. The copper tang of blood fills my mouth—best fucking flavor ever because it tastes of victory. It’s not a deathblow, but T.D. staggers, fighting back to his feet more slowly.
I need to make him hurt. Man went after Leah, and that’s not okay. When he circles away, I follow and go for him again. We slam into the big window that looks onto the street so hard that the glass shivers. This time, I take him down, pinning him beneath me. He twists, trying to turn, to get to his feet, to hide his throat because he’s wide open and vulnerable. Too late for him now. I sink my teeth deep into his throat, tearing and shaking.
Someone human roars behind me, a bellowed command to back the fuck off now.
Not happening.
T.D.’s mine.
T.D.’s dead.
Fucking Jace has other plans, though. As T.D. thrashes beneath me, still fighting because apparently he’s never learned to tap out of an ass kicking, Jace shifts. His wolf slams into me, knocking my jaws away from T.D.’s bloody throat. As we roll, fighting to see who comes out on top, T.D. shifts back to human with an agonized groan. Man’s naked and bleeding all over—I’m never gonna hear the end of that from Leah.
Leah.
I swing my head, trying to make sure she’s still on the sidelines, still safe, and Jace takes advantage of my distraction to slam me to the ground. His teeth close carefully around my throat. Not tearing into me, not yet, but reminding me that he’s Alpha.
He’s my Alpha.
Fuck fuck FUCK.
I could push him. I could challenge, but then I’d either end up dead or in charge of a pack of werewolves. Christ, my wolf wants to fight. It whines angrily, tensing to leap, and that’s when I catch sight of Leah. She’s huddled behind an overturned table, phone in hand. Her face is pale, and the hand holding the phone is shaking. She wants to leave.
She wants to leave me.
Man and wolf, we both need to calm the fuck down and go after her. Explain. Coax. Beg. I’m ready to do it all for her because I can’t, won’t lose her. I tilt my head, exposing my throat to Jace.
He lets go, springing to his feet and shifting. Still naked and way pissed off, he gets right up in my face even before I’ve shifted. He knows that even when I’m wolf, I’m in control enough to understand. “We’ve got a problem.”
No shit. I can’t believe T.D. was so goddamned stupid. He came here and tried to claim my mate? Yeah. Fucking not his best idea. Kicking his ass again seems like a good plan. The best. I stagger to my feet.
T.D.’s a dead man just as soon as I finish what I started. A quick glance at the asshole in question only reveals that he’s going nowhere fast. He’s passed out cold on the floor, bleeding like a stuck pig. Now that he’s shifted, he’ll heal, but I’ve done a hell of a lot of damage to him. He’ll wear my scars for the rest of his life.
“Calm the fuck down,” Jace growls. Leah whimpers, a soft sound that’s all but swallowed by the snarling sound coming from my throat. That’s because I’ve scared her. The one thing I swore I wouldn’t do, not ever, and I’ve done it. Christ, but Jace is right. I need to back off the killing edge before I fall over it and do something I regret. I inhale roughly because I’ve got no clue where I’ve misplaced the calm that is second nature. Breathe in. Breathe out—and I’m still pissed as fuck, adrenaline making my heart pump overtime.
T.D. went after my girl. He disrespected her, he pissed on the rules that keep the packs safe, and he refused to back the fuck down. Any one of those is a death sentence, and right now I’m jonesing to be the executioner. If I decide to take him out, there’s not a damned thing Jace can do to stop me.
He’s my Alpha and I owe him my allegiance… but he’s standing between me and my mate. I prowl around him, making for the two women crouched behind the overturned nail station. The smell of solvents and nail polish remover fills the air, stinging my nose. I’ve trashed her place but I don’t have a single regret. T.D. needed to back off, and now he will.
The wolf snarls. Inhale. Exhale.
Jace’s fist slams into my stomach driving all that air right out of me. Fuck. That hurts, but it centers me, too. I find my calm in a rush.
Leah
“What the hell is wrong with you people?” Even as I scream the words, I know I’m asking the wrong question.
Blade, T.D… They’re not people. They’re… something else. Right now, I have zero interest in a biology lesson, either. My feet, my heart, my head—every part of me agrees that now is the perfect time to run. I bolt to my feet, ignoring the tug of Keelie Sue’s hands. She’s Jace’s girlfriend. Jace is the president of the Breed MC—and Jace shifts, too. I have two wolf-men rolling around my nail salon and I’m the only one who seems shocked.
I’m going to get fired. Even if my boss pulls the security tapes, there’s no explaining this amount of destruction. Doesn’t matter. I’m so out of here. My feet work, the boat works, and only an idiot with a death wish would stick around.
Keelie Sue’s hand finds my back, rubbing urgent circles over my spine as if that could make everything okay. “Stick with us, okay?”
Not sure I like that us. Us means she’s been lying to me, too. That she’s one of them, whatever them is.
She’s probably thinking that this will all be fine. That we’ll have a conversation and the guys will do some explaining and I’ll just nod my head and agree, yup, werewolves exist and I’m cool with it. Or maybe I’m a problem to be erased. Maybe the reason no one ever noticed that werewolves had infiltrated a violent MC was because wolves and bikers are a little too similar and both thrive on casual violence. Maybe I need to get out of here before I become another casualty in a club war.
T.D. groans and I can’t stop myself from looking at him. Really looking. He’s not a wolf anymore, but he’s bleeding badly, his battered, naked body sprawled on the floor of the nail salon. I don’t know where his clothes went when he shifted. It’s a stupid thing to be thinking about now, but I wish I knew the answer. Maybe everything would make more sense if I understood the rules here.
Or maybe not.
The enormous dark-furred wolf standing over T.D.’s bloodied body lifts its head and stares at me. Yellow eyes meet mine and my heart kicks into overdrive as memories assault me. Another dog, another time and place, another pants-pissing, terrifying moment I swore I’d never, ever do again. I can’t do this. I won’t. I pull away from Keelie Sue. Someone’s making a horrible, high-pitched whimpering sound. Someone who needs to shut up before the wolf comes over, before it notices her and things get so much worse.
I’m making those noises.
I’m…
“Leah.” Keelie Sue tries to wrap her arms around me.
Nope. No way. I’m not sure who or what she is but I’m not sticking around to find out. There’s no more than twenty feet between me and the door. No sudden movements, no loud noises. That’s all I have to remember because I know exactly how fast that wolf is when he’s pissed off.
The wolf takes a step toward me. No.
“Leah.” Jace’s voice is calm and soothing. I don’t care if he’s Dr. Doolittle or the mother of all animal whisperers. He can’t make this better. He can’t make me unsee what I just saw, no matter how much I wish I could. Everything was good before this happened. Blade was…
Nope. I shut that thought down.
“I’d like to tell you this isn’t what you think it is,” Jace says. “But you’ve seen some shit today that humans don’t generally get to see a
nd now we’ve got some decisions to make.”
The wolf takes another step toward me and so does Jace. I start edging my way along the wall. Jace is big, the wolf has teeth, and only a stupid person would stay put and let them pin me down. God. This is turning out to be one of those days where you waste too much time hoping and praying you wake up and it’s all a nightmare from too much beer or pizza or stress, your body acting out in your head and none of it is true.
Except it is true.
Blade is a wolf.
A really big, mean-ass wolf with ginormous teeth. There’s no sign of the man I held and who held me, who made me laugh and come so hard that I swear I saw stars. Who listened when I talked and who made me believe in second chances when clearly I was an idiot. God, I think, eyes running over the fur and fangs. How am I supposed to see beyond that? Whoever Blade was, he’s also this creature capable of tearing someone to shreds. The scars on my arms seem to come to life, throbbing and burning as if the wounds were new again. I’ve been bitten once before, and I have no desire to be bitten again. There’s only one smart thing to do here.
I turn and sprint for the door.
Blade
I shift so fast it feels as if I’ve been turned inside out. My heart’s hanging out there way too fucking vulnerable as Leah bolts for the door. She’s my mate, I’ve fought for her, bled for her, and now she’s abandoning me for protecting her? I shove to my feet, grabbing my jeans and jerking them on. Even with her head start, there’s no way I don’t catch her. There’s nowhere she can run where I can’t follow. Nowhere I wouldn’t want to follow.
“Blade—” Jace growls my name, stalking toward me. I can practically see him fighting not to shift again, not to punish me right here and now for challenging his authority.
I hold his gaze. Stay calm. “I go after her.”
Jace curses. “She—”
“Is mine.” Simple, right? I claimed her, so I’m the one who makes sure she can’t or won’t tell anyone the truth about the pack of werewolves living in the middle of Baton Fucking Rouge. All I have to do is strong-arm her, force her to do what I want because I’m bigger and stronger, even if I’m not better or even right.
I tear out the door. Gonna take shit from my brothers later about running barefoot and bare-chested down the street, but I’ve finally got my priorities straight. Leah comes first and she’s halfway down the street and almost even with the bikes parked at the far end. It’s a head start I can overcome easily, and my lips peel back from my teeth in a grin. Fuck, but I love chasing her. Makes both the wolf and the man happy.
First clue I have that something’s gone wrong with this game of catch-me is the sudden roar of bike pipes as someone bears down on us. I’m already turning, accelerating to place my body between Leah’s and the asshole riding too fast for the road, but this is something more.
I wrap my arms around her and pull her down behind the bikes. She doesn’t fight me, just tightens her arms around my waist and follows my lead, letting me guide her to the ground. The pop-pop-pop of gunfire has the door to the salon slamming open. Jace roars something and Fang tears out of a nearby alley.
I roll, taking Leah with me as I palm my gun. Bike’s not enough shelter. Bullets kick up the dirt around us and she sort of freezes. Fuck FUCK. I shove her beneath me and get off my first shot as I take inventory. Trouble’s riding toward us down an alley at three o’clock. Two bikers. I recognize their colors—T.D.’s boys. Maybe they’re his insurance come to pull his ass out of the salon or maybe these wolves are acting on their own. Doesn’t matter now.
My first shot hits the bigger guy in his right shoulder. He drops his gun, and I follow up with more shots at his legs. Fucker goes down hard, the bike biting it on top of him. Fang drops down beside me—looks like Jace brought his own backup. The second wolf unloads his piece at us, and it turns out he’s a better shot than the first guy. The bullet slams into my shoulder, and I grunt. Fucking hate getting shot.
Fang pulls his gun out and aims.
I don’t take my eyes off the other wolves. We’re feet from the main street. Keeping this quiet will be almost impossible if we don’t move fast. “Get Leah inside and secure her. Tell Jace we’ve also got a clean up on aisle six.”
Ignoring the burn in my shoulder, I step into the alley, raise my gun, and fire. The second wolf roars a curse and drops his gun. Fucker’s got a few less fingers to aim with now. I follow up with shots to the legs and he hits the ground.
Fang grunts and grabs Leah, hauling her to her feet. Her face is kinda white and frozen, like she’s not really there inside her head any more. When she doesn’t move, Fang doesn’t hesitate. He scoops her up, cradling her against his chest so she makes the smallest possible target, and runs like fuck for the salon. We’re gonna have cops here eventually, so we need to go. The alley may be a blind spot for the humans on the street, but they’ve got ears.
I suck in a deep breath. Fuck. They got me good, but I’m standing. I’m good—and I have business to take care of. I stride over to the two downed wolves. The one underneath the bike is either out or dead. He doesn’t so much as flinch when I nudge him hard with my boot, but the other one’s got his eyes open. He watches as I advance on him, gun out. His remaining fingers twitch, but he’s out of options and we both know it. He still tries to shift, the fur rolling over his body. Wolves can fix a hell of a lot of damage shifting, but he doesn’t get to slap a Band-Aid on this.
I tuck the gun back in my jeans. Pulling out my blades, I crouch down beside the injured wolf. “Hard way or the easy way?”
Leah
Blade strides over to the fallen bike, crouches down beside the injured man, and whips out a pair of the biggest knives I’ve ever seen. I need to look away. Get away. Every time I blink, though, I see those blades and hear the muted growl as he says something to the guy on the ground. I stop trying to look around Fang and start fighting.
“Down,” I snap. I’m not a baby that needs to be carried or some kind of fair damsel in need of rescue. Standing—and running—on my own two feet works just fine for me. And right now I need to get the hell out of here, away from the biker-wolf-man.
Fang just jogs for the salon. “Inside.”
He’s bigger, stronger, and meaner than I am. I buck harder, twisting for good measure. Doesn’t do me any good, but the last move gives me an even better view of Blade and what he’s doing. I gag. Blood splatters, followed by high-pitched squeals and a lower, rougher growl. The body on the ground bucks. Is Blade killing the guy?
Fang shoves the door open and deposits my ass on the floor next to Keelie Sue. I can’t stop thinking about what I saw. Sure, those guys shot at us, and I don’t actually have a problem with shooting back. But the guy on the ground was out of commission.
And Blade still went for him.
His knife had been in the guy’s leg.
Blade stabbed a guy—and not just in self-defense. What would I see if I stepped outside right now? I can’t just forget what I saw, and he has to know it. The laid-back guy who slept first on my couch and then in my bed. The sexy bayou lover and the man who punched my V-card. The friend who just put himself between me and a hail of bullets. And the club enforcer and werewolf who went to work on a guy who was already down and out. Which one is the real Blade?
I hate myself for thinking it, but it’s the last one I can’t live with. I need to be smart about this, though. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that since I’m holed up with bikers with biker business going on outside, I can’t just waltz out of here. I need to buy myself some time.
“I really need to go,” I tell Keelie Sue. “If you can help me make that happen, I’d appreciate it.”
Sweet, not sour.
That’s me playing things smart.
Keelie Sue gives me a look. “Blade won’t be happy if you leave without him.”
Interpretation: go nowhere. Her gaze keeps going to the door and it doesn’t take a genius to realize she’s worried, too.
Her man ran out there, and while it doesn’t sound like the apocalypse has hit, any place with guns and knives can’t be safe. Surely, the cops are bound to show up soon, right?
“What I do is none of his business,” I say as firmly as I can. “All this—”
I stop because how do I describe what just happened?
“Shit,” Keelie Sue provides. “I think that’s the word you’re looking for.”
“Shit,” I agree. “All this shit is also none of my business. Whatever goes on here isn’t my business.”
That’s an awesome speech if I do say so. Succinct, heartfelt—and one hundred percent true. I’m not a biker, and I’m not an old lady. If they’re werewolves, I’ll happily pretend to forget that I ever saw two grown men change into wolves. Honestly, it’s almost impossible to wrap my head around anyhow.
Keelie Sue shakes her head, looking doubtful. “But if it’s—”
The front door opens, cutting off Keelie Sue’s reply. Three guys step inside, cutting off all the oxygen in the room. Jace, Keelie Sue’s man, is first inside. She bolts, launching herself at his chest. He wraps his arms around her and, just like that, they’re locked in their own world. Fang stands next to him, arms crossed over his chest, legs apart. And behind them…
Yeah.
The rest of me kind of inhales and forgets to exhale as Blade prowls closer. He’s big and snarly and radiates hostility—and his gaze locks onto me and doesn’t waver. He’s apparently made time to pull on the rest of his clothes after he finished killing things out there, and his black T-shirt stretches tight over his chest. Wait. I’m done with him and his stupid, violent, no-good club. I’m so out of here.
I don’t want anything to do with him or with his werewolf buddies. I definitely don’t want to be sucked into a life where casual violence doesn’t shock anyone. He thinks I won’t run. He thinks I’ll do what I’m told, that this relationship is a one-way street and he’s in control of it.
