Page 77 of How to Rescue Your Surprise Baby

“Now is really not the time.” Duke grunted, and there came the heavy thud of flesh on flesh.

“Plenty cute,” Telos said. “I’ll even leave the door open for you to show off.”

He wrenched open the steel door, taking the kidnapper by surprise. In the next breath, Telos punched him, sending him flying across the hallway.

A huge gray wolf bounded up to them, stopping in front of the doorway and almost bowling Telos over.

Crush shifted back into a man, straightening his shoulders and running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll protect all of you.”

“Leave some for us,” Ace and Raptor yelled somewhere outside the building.

Telos snorted and turned back into a beetle, crawling under the next cell door. This room had more omegas and babies; Telos shifted into a small, thin man, reaching into his pouch for more barrier spells.

“Who’re you?” someone asked, sounding panicked.

“Name’s Telos. My friends and I are getting you out of here. But I need to secure this room. Give me ten seconds.” Telos was slapping down the bloodied barrier spells before the men could get themselves together; by the time they looked ready to interrogate or fight him, he was on the third spell, then the fourth.

The barrier snapped into place. A couple of the omegas hissed. Telos ran around them and dove for the bottom of the door, shifting back into a beetle.

In the hallway, he flew into Mav’s bare chest, bouncing off him.

“Telos?” Mav asked, his chest heaving. Blood trickled down the side of his face.

Telos checked the hallway, then shifted back into his original shape. “You okay?”

He looked Mav over for injuries. Before he could get Mav to turn around, Mav grabbed him, and turnedhimaround. Telos squinted over his shoulder to find Mav examining his body.

“You’re fine. Good,” Mav muttered. “We’ve taken out the ones in this building, but—”

A gunshot rang out. Mav threw himself in front of Telos, slamming him against the wall. Telos had a split second to appreciate their naked chests and cocks pressing together.

A man ducked out from behind a corner, gun aimed at them.

Mav breathed a plume of orange flame at him. But the man fired anyway, the sound exploding against Telos’ eardrums.

Mav jerked and grunted in pain—he’d been shot.

Telos’ stomach clenched. Instead of collapsing, Mav kept breathing fire, grabbing Telos and shoving him down the hallway, away from the enemy.

Telos strained his ringing eardrums. They had to know if the path ahead was clear. Just that there were so many heartbeats—so many prisoners. It was impossible to hear anyone creeping up on them.

He dragged Mav into an empty room and shut the door, his heart in his throat. “Where were you shot?”

They looked down at the same time. Telos held his breath, hoping like hell the bullet hadn’t—

Blood gushed from Mav’s arm, both sides of it. The bullet hadn’t stayed in his body. Instead, it had ripped clean through the largest blood vessel.

Mav would bleed out in the next few minutes if they did nothing. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“You have spells.” Mav grabbed Telos’ spell pouch.

Their wires crackled. “Someone set fire to the main building,” Duke said urgently. “Get everyone and get out.”

“Fuck!” Telos snarled. “How the hell is it burning? This place is made of concrete!”

“Accelerants,” Duke replied tersely.

Mav cursed. “We don’t have time for this.”

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