Series: Lee Savino
Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“Paloma.” Darius steps in front of me.
A huge man steps out from the shadows behind Thom. He’s holding an oddly shaped gun with a giant barrel. He fires two blasts back to back.
I flinch, but Darius takes the hit. He falls, half covering me. I stagger under his weight, and we both sag to the floor.
A few feet away, Matthias slams against the wall. He tears at his shoulder, which is bloody. He’s been hit. He groans and slides down the wall, leaving a bloody smear. His head falls back, and his eyes close.
Darius groans and pushes off me. His side is bloody, but he’s still able to move. The bullet must have clipped him.
I scramble out from under him. He braces his hands on the floor, veins in his face popping.
“Get…away…” he tells me. His eyes are pools of fire. His teeth elongate, growing until they don’t fit his jaw. His bear is about to break free.
I scramble backwards, just in time to clear the space for Thom’s henchman to deploy a silver net.
Darius roars loud enough to deafen me. He’s pinned under the net, his body writhing. His bones pop and grind as his bear fights him.
Thom’s henchman raises the shotgun.
“No!” I lunge, stepping in front of the barrel. “Don’t hurt them.” Making sure I keep my body between Darius and the shotgun, I face Thom. “It’s me you want. Take me. Just don’t hurt them.”
“She’s right. She’s the money. Take her,” Thom tells the huge man.
The man prowls forward, moving with that predatory grace that I’ve noticed in the other shifters. His eyes are pitch black. Like a demon from a nightmare.
Thom leaves Wren’s side. She slumps to the floor, her head lolling on her neck.
“Wren,” I shout. The big guy grabs me. I twist, trying to break his grip, but it might as well be an iron shackle. His hand is so large, it wraps around my arm.
Thom’s at the back of the safe room, keying something into a keypad.
“What’s wrong with my sister?” I snarl at him. “What did you do?”
“I told you, you were too late,” he says. The keypad beeps, and a door swings open, leading to a musty smelling tunnel. “I already injected her. But sadly, we won’t be able to wait around to watch her die.”
“No,” I scream. Under the net, Darius roars. Thom ducks into the escape tunnel, motioning for his henchman to follow. I plant my feet, but am helpless as the brute drags me away.
Darius
I’m pinned. All my strength is going to fight the bear. My spine cracks as he tries to take over. The wound in my side doesn’t help. The bullet only grazed me, but it was silver. I’m bleeding, and the silver poison is making my bear feral. I’m losing control.
I can only watch as Thom and his guard–some kind of shifter–drag Paloma through a second vault door. It closes and hisses as it locks. I’m left alone with my fallen brother and Paloma’s sister.
No. Get her now, my bear thrashes. If I shift now, the silver will burn every part of my bear’s body. I have to keep him down.
Matthias groans beside me. He’s been hit by a silver bullet. I can tell by his extreme weakness that the slug is still inside him. I need to free myself from the net, so I can help him.
“Matthias? Darius?” Teddy roars from the opposite end of the hall. He charges up to us, holding a machine gun in hand. He’s in a black bodysuit made of a special material that his shifter ops team wears on missions. It conforms to their bodies even when they shift. Blood smears his face and beard. The fighting on the beach must have been bad.
“Here,” I shout.
Stopping to rip the flak vest off a fallen guard, he wraps his hands to protect them before grabbing the silver net and pulling it off me. I rise, choking on adrenaline, and he whips around to crouch by Matthias.
“What happened?” Teddy asks.
“Thom’s bodyguard shot Matthias. Took Paloma.”
I clench my fists, bracing against the bear. My nails have grown to claws, and they shred my palms.
Let me OUT, the bear snarls.
Never, I reply.
Teddy frowns at me, but turns back to steady Matthais against the wall. He’s alive, his canines elongated as his bear fights the poison.
“Shoulder,” Matthias gasps. “Silver bullet.”
Teddy raises his hand, his nails elongating to claws. He scratches at Matthias’ shoulder. Matthias roars loud enough to shake the walls as Teddy digs the bullet out.
I win the fight with my bear and rise to go to Wren. She’s lying slumped on the floor, her eyes closed, her face pale. I put a hand to her throat, feeling for a pulse.
It’s there, but it’s faint.
“No,” I pant. “No…” I’ve failed Paloma.
I’ve failed Wren. I’ve failed everything.