Page 11 of His Beast Mate

My hand shook. He’d trained me to respond to this tone of voice. I gritted my teeth and swung. William jumped back. A man stepped out of his cover and raised his weapon, because not all humans were made the same way. Some wanted us dead. Some wanted a paycheck. Some gave a shit.

My mate fired. Bullets breezed past me. I leapt away from the line of fire and stood by the wall. William followed.

I slashed. Got his thigh. His impassive facade slid away like a mask. Pain didn’t suit him, though. He snarled and attacked. Fast. Left slice, right, under and over. I deflected, keeping one eye on my mate and the security closing in on him. Two bullets left.

The blade sliced my shoulder, making me drop my sword. I bent, and William slashed again. Damn him. Nicked my wrist. Blood welled at my shoulder and near my wrist. If he slashed lower, he’d get my wrist. I hadn’t paid him enough attention, and I was gonna pay for it.

The tip of his blade pressed under my chin, and he nudged me up. I stood, following the blade. He had just opened his mouth when a bullet hit his temple. His brains spattered on the wall, but he stayed on his feet, eyes locked with mine. I picked up my sword and sliced at both corners of his mouth so I could remember his permagrin. Willam’s body hit the floor.

One bullet left.

I crawled behind the couch.

“You’re bleeding,” John said.

I nodded and unwrapped the tablecloth I’d worn as a tunic. I bit the corner and tore off two strips. I wrapped my shoulder and my wrist. “Done. I heal fast.”

John glanced at me. “When this is over, we’re gonna have a word,” he said, voice low and measured, hands above the couch and holding the gun. Security shot at us, then they paused to reload. They didn’t know John had only one bullet left. For all they knew, he was armed to his teeth.

Two men had gone to the basement, so that made a total of ten left here, provided the other two got busy with trying to open the cages. Some lingered outside, I presumed. So I’d estimate five men against the pair of us, then five more outside. One group at a time. “We should rush them,” I said.

“With what? A tank?”

I giggled.

John shook his head. “I’m happy you’re finding this funny.”

“And sexy,” I added.

“Christ.” He scrubbed his face and pocketed the gun.

“There’s still one left.”

“That’s for me.”

I understood. Torrent and I had wished for a bullet many times during our captivity, especially during times when they’d tortured him for information. “Okay.”

He spun around and took my face between his palms, his gray eyes cold, his features serious and firm. My whole body tensed, anticipating my mate’s command. “You must follow me and do what I tell you to do.”

“Yes, mate.”

“Don’t disappoint me.”

“No, no, I won’t.”

“Follow me out of here and let me do what I came here to do.”

“Yes, mate.”

A bullet zipped past and hit the vase on the bookshelf behind us. The porcelain shattered. They opened fire, the noise ringing in my ears. My mate tucked his hands under the couch and lifted. He threw the object at the incoming security team. Bullets hit the ceiling, dust falling on us. The bookshelf was next. He moved it away from the wall, lifted it, then rammed it against the window. The entire house shook, the window crashing into pieces. He swept me off my feet, leapt over the bookshelf, and rushed outside onto the front lawn.

The bright sun blinded me. My eyes watered, trying to adjust, but I couldn’t close them now. Through a haze, I saw neighbors in nightgowns and slippers had already gathered around William’s house. I snapped my head behind us to see one security guy come out. The other three on the roof held their rifles but didn’t shoot. “Where’s your car?”

“Fuck the car.”

The man who’d come out fired.

John sprinted, zigzagging across the lawn. The bullets flew around us, and I tucked my face into the crook of his neck. His chest was solid, his scent divine, and he made me feel like nothing could hurt me. I clutched his shoulders as he raced across the neighborhoods for several blocks until we reached a familiar one. I could smell the water. And beasts.

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