Page 47 of Untamed Instincts

“That’s one of the reasons we’re even in Midnight Falls,” Killian added. “Came to town to help the Frosts with a vampire problem and decided to stay.”

Quinton had said not all vampires were bad, but Noah was finding that hard to believe.

Damn. Hadn’t he and Quinton just had an argument about judging someone? And now Noah was doing the same thing.

Though, to be fair, their argument had been about prejudging people.

“I just feel bad for—” Noah glanced around the table when he heard a collective rumble of deep growls, yet another reminder the men weren’t human. But it was their menacing expressions that made fear sink into Noah’s bones like lead.

The bear shifters could sense something he couldn’t. Some kind of danger. Time felt like it stretched out, making minutes feel like hours.

Then Hyett’s chair scraped, and he was out of it, reaching for Wesley as Quinton rose to his full height, his razor-sharp claws sliding free from his fingers. He moved his bulky frame in front of Noah in just three steps.

“What is it?” Noah asked, even though he knew the answer.

“Where is he?” Killian’s voice was low and dangerous as everyone looked around.

The tension in the room was thick, like a weight pressing into Noah’s skin. Ryker and Killian took off, heading out of the kitchen toward the living room. Noah curled his fingers into Quinton’s shirt, clinging to him while trying to breathe. He glanced over at Wesley, who was doing the same, holding on to Hyett, his eyes closed.

Noah’s trembling worsened when he heard something crash in the next room as snarls erupted, followed by loud hissing. A blur shot around the kitchen so fast Noah had a hard time following it. He could hear the growls from Quinton, feel the vibration of the noise as he touched his mate’s back.

Then Quinton was yanked forward by the blur and thrown across the room. Whatever had the strength to hurl someone Quinton’s size was not someone Noah wanted to face.

He started to scramble around the table but stopped when he gazed at Wesley. Noah didn’t want the blur going near the guy. None of this was fair to Hyett’s mate.

Something gripped Noah’s shirt and yanked him backward, the fabric now tight around his throat, making it impossible to breathe.

“Did you think you could escape me?” Toro’s voice rang hot and heavy in Noah’s ear, a foul smell reaching his nose. He imagined the vampire feeding off of someone, leaving behind the noxious scent on Toro’s breath.

In an attempt to stop the fabric from strangling him, Noah curled his fingers into the collar of his shirt. “Where’s…Harris?” he choked out.

A roar filled the room. Noah couldn’t turn his head to look, but he didn’t have to. It was Quinton’s bear. The floor trembled as the massive bear stormed forward, causing Noah to brace himself for the impact.

Hyett shoved Wesley under the table then jumped on top of it and ran toward Noah, snatching the front of his shirt and yanking him back just as the bear slammed into the vampire.

Noah shouted as Hyett rolled them down the center of the table, away from the fight, and then landed on his feet before setting Noah down. “Get under the table.” Hyett shoved him to his knees, but not before Noah saw Quinton shift back into his human form and power-drive his fist into Toro’s jaw.

Noah sprang back up as soon as Hyett sprinted around the table to tackle a stranger who entered the room.

Just how many people had Toro brought with him? Ryker and Killian had yet to return, and the fighting in the other room could still be heard.

His gaze swung to his mate, flicked over his nakedness, at all those corded muscles flexing as he exchanged blows with Toro. How had the vampire survived one of those blows, let alone several dozen?

Someone yanked on the bottom of Noah’s pants, causing him to shout until he saw it was Wesley peering up at him. “Get under here!”

The panic in the man’s voice told Noah that he didn’t want to be alone under there. One demented glare from Toro was enough to make Noah drop and scramble under the table to join Wesley. The guy huddled in Noah’s arms, his eyes squeezed shut.

Noah shouldn’t have been the one comforting Wesley considering he was just as terrified. He watched legs moving around and knew the identities since Toro was still fully clothed and Quinton’s legs were bare.

And very hairy.

Even his mate’s calves were well defined, muscular, and as powerful as the rest of his body.

Noah and Wesley huddled under the table, both of them trembling as chaos ensued around them. They screamed when the table was lifted off of them, the opposite end smashing toward the floor.

The two hurried from under it, moving toward the corner. Noah saw what had caused one end of the table to flip upward. Quinton had crashed onto it, that side of the table turning to kindling under his massive weight. Their end looked like jaws opening up, the legs resembling teeth.

Thank god the entire table hadn’t collapsed on top of them.

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