Page 161 of The Dragon's Mate

“Shoot it!” The senator shouted as the massivegrizzly ran into the hanger, its paws slapping down on the concrete with hardbooming thuds.

Screaming, Martin shoved Cadmus to theground and aimed his gun at the grizzly.

“Bishop!” Kaida screamed as Martin fired.The bullet hit the grizzly in the right shoulder and Bishop roared angrilybefore slamming one paw into Martin’s side. The force of the blow drove Martinback, the gun flying from his hand as he crashed into the side of the hangarand dropped to the floor.

One of the other men aimed his gun at thesnarling grizzly. Barking and growling, the grey wolf leaped onto the man, knockinghim to the ground. The man screamed, and fired his gun, the bullet ricochetingoff the metal roof. His scream turned into a gurgling moan when the wolf sunkhis teeth into his throat and tore it open.

“Cadmus!” Bones charged forward, growlingwith pain when the gunshot echoed in the hangar and blood appeared in a bright bloomon Bones’s shirt. He clapped a hand to his ribcage and bared his teeth at theman who had shot him before stalking forward.

“I-I’m sorry,” the man whispered. “Please,I didn’t mean…”

He threw the gun down on the floor andturned and fled toward the back of the hangar, slipping out through a side door.

“Say goodbye, you stupid dragon bitch!”

Kaida froze, her dragon screamed behind itsglass wall, throwing itself at the glass with renewed frenzy as Kaida stared atthe barrel of the gun pointed directly at her chest.

“Ain’t no way you’ll survive a bullet to theheart.” The man about to kill her was small and unremarkable looking.Freckles were scattered across his nose and his pupils were huge. She couldsmell the fear and adrenaline rolling off of him like mist on a lake.

Vaguely, she could hear the angry roar of Bishop,could feel the floor trembling as he bolted for her. He wouldn’t make it intime. She was going to die today in this cold hangar. She was going to die,and she’d never told Bren how much she loved him.

She flinched back at the gunfire, waiting forthe pain in her chest, and the agonizing screams of her dragon.

There was nothing. No pain or weakness.She watched in numb shock as the man about to kill her, crumpled to his knees andfell forward, his face hitting the concrete with a harsh smacking sound thatreminded her of rubber soles on wet pavement.

There was a large bloody hole where the backof his head used to be, and she stared at the bloodied bits of grey matteroozing out of his skull with a numb sense of shock.

“Kaida!”

Bren was standing a few feet behind her. Shestared at him as he lowered his gun. Her dragon sang with happiness, the soundmuffled behind that terrible glass wall. “Bren?”

He tried to smile at her, but it came outmore like a grimace. “Sorry I’m late. I can’t run as fast as a grizzly and awolf.”

She started toward him, her relief turning tohorror when his father stepped up behind him. “Bren, watch out!”

She froze in place, the heat that alwaysburned within her turning cold when Bren’s father pressed the gun against his temple.

Bren stiffened, his hand tightening aroundhis own gun. “Hello, Dad.”

“Drop the gun, Bren.” The senator’s gazedarted around the now quiet hangar as both Bishop and Mal changed to theirhuman forms with low popping sounds.

“It’s over Senator,” Mal said. He held hishands up in a non-threatening manner. “Your men are dead or have run away. You’rethe only one left.”

“Martin,” the senator said. “Martin, getyour ass over here.”

“He’s gone.” Bishop pointed to the far door.“He ran out of here just like everyone else. You’re done.”

“Shut the fuck up!” The senator’s voicewas panicked.

“Let him go.” Kaida moved slowly towardthem. From the corner of her eye, she could see Bones step in front of Cadmus,shielding the high elder with his body.

“Don’t you dare say a fucking word to me,you - you animal.” The senator turned his empty gaze toward her. “This is allyour fucking fault. You seduced my son. You -”

“She didn’t. I asked her out first,” Brensaid. “You wanna be pissed with someone, be pissed with me.”

“Shut up, Bren,” his father snarled. “Foronce in your fucking life, just shut up.”

“It’s over, Dad,” Bren said. “Whatever youhad planned? It’s finished. Give me the gun.”

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