Page 43 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

But I was a fraction too late.

He moved toward me, claws raking across my flank, teeth sinking into my shoulder as he bit down. Fiery pain lanced through me, but I couldn’t stop. There was too much at stake. My fur grew damp with blood as I staggered. Dan was more powerful, but I was faster. I had to use that to my advantage.

He pounced again. This time, I dodged, darting out of the way even as my side screamed in protest. I couldn’t let this last much longer, not with my side as torn up as it was. Before he could spin around, I charged toward him, barreling into his side and knocking him over so he was flat on his back. My claws raked into his stomach, drawing blood as I leapt on top of him, stopping him from moving.

I pressed against his throat, making it perfectly obvious that I could crush it in a moment. He glowered, then shifted back, human eyes glaring hatefully at me.

“Why the fuck are you doing this for a human?” he demanded.

“You mean, besides the fact that it’s fucking common decency? Maybe because I care about her.”

“She would have turned on you eventually,” he spat, though the menacing effect was limited by the rasp in his voice with my hand still on his throat.

“Is that what happened to you?” I asked. “Or do you just hate humans in general?”

I could see in his eyes that I’d been on the money. Some human woman had rejected him, so he’d decided all humans were the same. “You’re a fucking idiot,” I scoffed.

Dan snarled but stayed silent. My eyes blazed fire as I glowered down at him.

“Tell me what you did with her.”

He glowered at me, but after a moment, he finally caved. “I didn’t do anything,” he said, then his grin turned wolfish. “Can’t say the same about her brother or father, though.”

The words slammed into me so hard that I nearly reeled back. He tried to use my shock to get the upper hand, his claws swiping at my face. I grabbed his hand just in time and twisted. He howled, and I was fairly certain something had snapped. I didn’t particularly care.

“What the fuck did you do?” I demanded.

“I told them where they could find Iris and that she was pregnant.” He grinned. “You know, the types of things family members generally like to know.”

“You took them to her,” I said, and he didn’t deny it. “Where are they?”

He laughed until my hand tightened around his throat, then he started choking again.

“Where are they?” I demanded.

“Home,” he choked out. “At least, that’s what I’d assume.”

I let him go, standing up. He propped himself up, glaring at me and rubbing his throat.

“Get the fuck out of my sight,” I said. “And I swear to god, if I see you again, I won’t be this lenient.”

I turned, about to shift again to race after Iris. I didn’t know exactly where her family lived, but if I could get close enough, I knew I’d be able to catch the scent. If I could get back to where I’d run into her when all this began, I knew I could find the village.

Dan rasped out a laugh. “Trust me, I won’t be around here much longer.”

The arrogant way he laughed made my blood run cold. I turned to stare at him.

“What did you do, Dan?” I asked, my throat hoarse.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “But I would say her family and that village of hers aren’t going to wait much longer. There’s a storm coming. And because I helped them, they gave me the heads-up.”

They were coming for us. That’s what he was saying. And even if I went to get Iris, we’d still be dealing with a war, and Brixton would be the first target. I was the only one who knew at the moment.

As the realization struck, I let my guard down, and Dan went in for the kill. He lunged for me again, shifting halfway through.

He nearly got the jump on me, and I barely managed to step away in time. By the time he landed, however, I was back to a wolf and racing straight to where he was going to land.

Injured as he was, Dan wasn’t expecting me to be there right when he landed. I pounced, snarling, fur bristling, as I attacked the man who had put Iris in danger. My jaws clamped around his throat and bit down. A crunch of bone and splatter of blood followed, and Dan stopped moving.

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