Total pages in book: 172
Estimated words: 155984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Terry and Jet had no idea what was going on or who the enemy was. Both men had weapons out, but as exposed as they were, they had the presence of mind to go down to the ground with their hands out in a sign of surrender.
Blaise rolled under the corner of the verandah, kicked off his shoes, stripped fast, and shifted. His leopard crawled under the house to the other side and ran full out to where two SUVs with Matherson and the crews of ten shifters waited on an old little-used dirt back road behind the property.
All of the shifters were out of the vehicles, weapons ready, prowling around, looking as if they were in a high state of awareness. Blaise shifted, uncaring of his nudity. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Where is she?” Matherson demanded. “What happened?”
“She ran. She and that fucking woman ran into the house. It was some kind of setup. I thought you had it covered,” Blaise snapped.
Matherson immediately whipped out his phone and texted. “They can kill her husband now, that lying, double-crossing bitch.” He stared down at his phone. Blinked. Stared. Texted repeatedly. Swore.
“We gotta go now,” Blaise repeated. “Right now.”
Matherson shot him between the eyes and watched the body drop to the ground. “Let’s go get that little bitch. Both of them,” he shouted, waving his gun. He signaled his crew toward the house in the distance.
Like wraiths emerging from shadows high up in the trees, ghostly men dressed in combat gear appeared, guns aimed at those on the ground. “Drop your weapons.” Sevastyan gave the order in his usual calm, very quiet manner.
“Fuck you,” Matherson yelled and lifted his automatic, spraying the trees.
Immediately chaos broke out as for the next three minutes hell reigned. There was nowhere for those on the ground to hide from the barrage of return bullets coming at them and Matherson had made it impossible to surrender. Within three minutes it was once again quiet and those on the ground were either dead or dying.
Sevastyan leapt from the tree, Zinoviy and Vikenti flanking him, while Zakhar stayed close, making it clear he was acting as a bodyguard. Sevastyan gave him an annoyed warning look, but as usual, Zakhar ignored him.
The other team members came out of the trees as well, checking the downed shifters for any signs of life while Sevastyan went straight to Matherson.
“You really could be the devil, Matherson,” Sevastyan greeted, seeing he was alive.
Franco Matherson had been shot in both his shoulder and leg. The shoulder was shattered, but the leg wound looked no more than superficial. No one could be that lucky. His weapon had been flung some distance from him and he’d lain as if dead among the bodies, probably hoping no one would notice he was alive so he could slink off.
Matherson groaned but didn’t respond.
“Sevastyan,” Zakhar warned.
Sevastyan had scented the two strange shifters coming up behind them. In spite of many guns trained on them, they kept walking toward the group with easy, ground-covering strides. Both men were tall and dark-skinned. They had the roped muscles and easy fluid, flowing movements of the shifters. They were very much at ease as they walked right up to Sevastyan and bowed slightly to him.
“I am Luan. This is my brother, Arno. We’ve come a long way to find this man and bring him to justice. He has committed many crimes against our people. He has brought disgrace to our lair. I ask that you allow us to administer the final justice to him. We have to answer to the elders and our lair.”
Matherson shook his head. “I stayed away from the lair. I didn’t go near any of the women.”
Sevastyan ignored him. Luan and Arno ignored him.
“It is important for the honor of our lair,” Arno continued, as if Matherson hadn’t interrupted his brother.
“Of course. I understand completely. We have plenty of cleanup to do, but the man has to go. He’s been stalking my woman,” Sevastyan said.
Luan nodded. “I am aware of his crimes.” For the first time he looked down at Matherson, his dark eyes settling on the man. There was no malice. No personal animosity. “You betrayed every sacred law of the lair, Franco Matherson.”
“I have money. So much,” Matherson cried, thinking to bribe them.
“You failed to protect and hold sacred our women or protect and treasure our children,” Arno intoned.
“You committed crimes against the outside world and humanity,” Luan continued.
“You hunted and killed others of our species knowing they were near extinction,” Arno added to the list of crimes.
“You risked exposing all of us to outsiders,” Luan said.
“You hunted and murdered other shifters, men and women, for the sole purpose of your pleasure. You have been sentenced by the elders of the lair to die as an abomination,” Arno pronounced.