Page 6 of Shadow Bound

I look at my hand that is firmly holding her in place. “I think I can still do it.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong,wolf.”

In a move I never saw coming, nor can my eyes track it as it happens, she escapes my hold in one fluid—andfast—move. Her arms slam into mine, breaking my hold on her throat and in a flash, she’s standing behind me. She uses a slender finger to push a strand of dark hair out of her face.

She’s pretty—beautiful even. In a haunting kind of way. Her face is sharp and angular with high cheekbones. Her arctic eyes are lined in dark makeup making them stand out even more. She’s dressed head to toe in black, I don’t know if it’s part of her assassin uniform, but I can’t imagine this girl in any other color—the thought of her wearing something pink or lace is laughable. Her hair is as black as the clothes she wears, falling down to her waist in a thick curtain.

With anger and a twinge of my wolf’s bloodlust fueling me, I lunge at her again, my claws slashing out at her face as I try to get ahold of her again. Her arm comes up before my claws can touch her, blocking me and batting my hand away. She backs up farther from me, moving closer to the exit of the building. If she thinks I’m going to let her leave here, she’s mistaken.

I’d usually never hit a girl, but right now I don’t care she’s half my size. She shot Pru and she’s clearly not weak. I swing my fist and she blocks it again while her leg swings up, slamming the sole of her boot into my chest. The hit makes me stumble back a step, but I shake it off easily.

We circle each other, each of us assessing the other. Her cool eyes rake over me, looking for a tell that will alert her to my next move. I keep my fists up, ready to strike at any second, but keep my movement methodical and calm—not giving anything away.

Again, she looks bored over this whole thing, like we’re playing a game she already knows she’ll win.

“Who are you?” I find myself asking, my curiosity getting the best of me. “Did Sterling send you?”

Her head cocks just slightly to the side. “Has your family angered any other spiteful psychopaths recently?”

Her response catches me off guard. It’s odd she’d call the boss she’s clearly dedicated to spiteful.

“Not that I know of, but Remington’s got a mouth on her so she could have,” I snide. “But I’ll make a mental note to double-check when we’re done here.”

She strikes first this time, her fists swing at my face in rapid succession. I’m able to block the first but the second lands squarely on my jaw making me instantly taste blood. I don’t have time to recover before her leg kicks out again at my gut. My hands grab her ankle before she can connect with my body. Holding tight, I grip her leg and using the momentum from her blow, I throw her through the air. Her back and head collide with the wall to the side. The drywall cracks from the force, the paint and plaster fall around her as she lands on the ground.

She’s quick to pull herself into a crouching position, one hand on the tile floor to keep herself steady.

I spit the mouthful of blood onto the white tile and wipe my bloodied mouth with the back of my hand. Her eyes dart to the small puddle of blood and narrow ever so slightly.

Snarling in frustration, she looks back at me. “I don’t have time for this.”

“I know. You’ve got places to be—people to kill—but like I said, I’m not letting you get anywhere near Pru.” I take a step forward, but she’s ready for me.

Her leg swoops out, wiping my own legs out from under me, making me fall backward. My spine connects with the tile floor, making my breath leave my chest for a second.

Just as I’m able to pull air back into my lungs, she straddles me, pinning me to the floor. As I’m about to throw her smaller body off of me, she reaches behind her and pulls a small curved blade from her belt. In a flash, she has it pressed into my jugular.

I freeze and glare up at her.

“I didn’t come here to kill her—oryou,” she snaps down at me. “So, don’t tempt me.”

My wolf snaps his teeth in my head, urging me to let myself shift so he can break this girl’s neck.

“You don’t want us dead? YoushotPruitt,” I remind her with a snarl.

She takes in an agitated breath, her jaw muscle tics as she grinds her molars. “If I truly wanted your sister-in-law dead, I would have put a bullet in her head and called it a day. It would have been easier—this whole thing has turned into a fucking hassle.”

I shift underneath her to see just how serious she is about using that wickedly sharp knife. In a flash, she’s digging the blade deeper into my skin. There’s a slight burn as it slices my skin. Her eyes once again shoot to the trail of blood dripping down on my throat. Her features pull slightly like she’s in pain, but she’s quick to make her face expressionless once more.

“I didn’t come here to finish the job and I didn’t miss her heart earlier—Inevermiss,” she explains tightly like the words pain her to say. “I came here to warn her that Sterling wants her dead. Your family has messed up his big plans and he wants revenge.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I wasn’t planning on tellingyou, I was going to go tell her and Ryker, but you found me first.”

“Lucky me,” I drawl sarcastically.

She glowers at me. “Sterling was watching today; he saw her get shot and believes that I shot her through the heart. I have given you a twenty-four-hour window to get Pruitt out of here and hide her away. Fake her death orsomething. If he learns she’s still alive, he’ll send someone else and trust me when I say they won’t be as generous as I am.”

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