Page 47 of Midnight Rain

Hayden took a few steps closer.

“Don’t come any closer,” Jaycee warned. “I don’t want to shoot this guy, but I will.”

A deadly sound emanated from Hayden. Cormac wasn’t sure who was going to kill the guy, him or Hayden. Jaycee was holding a gun to Bran’s head, Hayden’s mate, and there wasn’t anything Hayden wouldn’t do to save him.

Another cheetah crept up the stairs. Duncan.

“Like I said, just hand Austin over and let me walk out of here and I won’t have to put a bullet in this guy’s brains.”

By keeping Austin on lockdown, they’d forced Jaycee’s hand. Cormac just never thought the guy would shoot Austin or get inside the house.

“Carry Austin to my car,” Jaycee said. “I’ll let this guy go when I get far enough away.”

“Okay.” Cormac nodded, holding up his hands. “I have to pass you to get into the room.”

Jaycee backed up as Cormac approached. He was going to overpower the guy as soon as he was close enough. Cormac just had to make sure to throw Bran clear.

When he was ten feet away, he saw movement from the doorway behind Jaycee. Izel moved silently, growing closer. The guy must have climbed to the porch roof and slipped inside the window.

He looked at Cormac, giving a slight nod. The plan unfolded in Cormac’s head. Izel would attack from behind while Cormac yanked Bran to safety.

Hayden didn’t move, his gaze locked on Bran.

As soon as Izel slung his arm around Jaycee’s neck, Cormac dove for Bran, knocking him clear. Cormac spun and drove his fist into Jaycee’s face, letting all his anger and fear explode inside of him. Izel released Jaycee, and Cormac took him down, slamming his fist into the guy’s face repeatedly, something primal in him taking over.

Cormac didn’t relent. All he could see in his mind was the terror in Austin’s eyes, the anxiety attacks, the pain and suffering his mate had to endure because of this bastard.

“The mates are already terrified, Cormac. Stop!” Beckett shouted.

Cormac shoved off of Jaycee, the human’s face caved in, rending him unrecognizable. Cormac took a few more steps back and, from the corner of his eye, saw Bran crying in Hayden’s arms.

“We’ll bury him deep in the forest,” Izel said.

“I don’t want him anywhere near this fucking house,” Cormac snarled.

“I’ll get ahold of Sheriff Harper and let him know what happened and that the threat is over,” Duncan said from behind him. “We’ll bury Jaycee far away in the forest so he’s not anywhere near the house.”

Cormac walked past them and entered his bedroom. Santee and Orion were huddled on the floor on the other side of the bed, and they’d pulled Austin down with them. The two were hovered over Austin protectively while Austin slept.

He picked Austin up and placed him back on the bed before he turned to them. “I owe you two a debt for keeping Austin safe.”

“He’s family,” Santee said. “He would have done the same for us.”

Orion appeared too shaken to talk. He ran out of the room and launched himself into Izel’s arms, Duncan pressing his chest into Orion’s back.

Beckett moved into the room and pulled Santee into his arms, holding him tightly.

Austin moaned, but his eyes remained closed. Although Cormac hated that Bran had been used as a human shield, he was glad Austin had been unconscious. He didn’t want his mate to ever have to look at Jaycee again.

Beckett walked Santee from the room and closed the door behind him. Cormac curled around his mate, grateful the entire ordeal was over.

He never thought he could love anyone as much as he loved Austin and was thankful the two of them had met. Cormac planned to show Austin every day how much he meant to him, because he couldn’t imagine his life without the very man who made his heart beat.

* * * *

“I still think we could have done this downstairs or outside where you have more room,” Cormac said.

Austin glided his fingers through his mate’s damp hair, clipping the ends with his scissors. “This bathroom is huge, whiny butt. You also don’t cut hair outside. The breeze would be a problem.”

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