Page 146 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

A small break in the trees came into view. That had to be where they’d hidden the vehicle.How close to the road is it?Maybe we’d have a chance to get out of here after all.

It’s a cutout, so not even a quarter-mile,Griffin answered, not missing a beat.I want you in the front seat with me, okay?

Julius needed to be in the far back seat so he wouldn’t be close to a door.I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The enemy vehicle had arrived at the house, and the sound of doors opening and closing made my skin crawl.

“What the hell happened here?” one guy asked, clearly at a loss for words. His baritone voice sounded worried. “How the hell did this happen with Julius being a fucking silver wolf?”

“I don’t know,” another guy spoke as he sniffed. “But they aren’t far away. He must be chasing them because his scent blends with theirs. Do you smell how fresh it is?”

They would be on us soon if we didn’t move our asses. They wouldn’t be able to catch us, but if they were anything like the others, they had guns and could blow out the car tires.

Black peeked through the thinning trees, revealing the rental car about fifty yards ahead. They’d rented a Chevrolet Traverse to go unnoticed. The car didn’t stand out, and no one would expect these young alphas to drive something so standard; everyone was used to Killian’s fancy truck and Griffin’s Navigator.

Our group increased the pace, but one guy’s raspy voice yelled, “She came this way.”

“What do we do then?” the baritone asked.

“We were instructed to kill the Shadow City alpha, too, if he interferes,” the raspy guy answered. “Don’t chicken out now. We’re in too deep.”

Don’t chicken out? And now Griffin was a target. My being his mate had put a target on his back. The realization sank in before I could do anything about it.

“I’ll distract them,” Rosemary huffed, and flew toward them, trying to buy us time.

I hated that she kept putting herself in danger for me, but I’d gladly take her help. I normally wouldn’t be as accepting, but her wings protected her in ways that none of us could equal.

Our breathing grew ragged as we rushed ahead. I could now see Sierra jump out of the driver’s seat and dive into the back. She was as ready to get the hell out of here as the rest of us.

“Angel!” the baritone screamed. Rosemary must have begun her attack. “I’ll take her, the rest of you go after them!”

At least that would keep one of the guards busy. Gunfire started once again, which wasn’t surprising. These guys had the one consistent way of fighting, which still seemed so strange to me: they fought like humans instead of animals. Yes, guns were deadly, but our animals empowered our magic and made shifters the most formidable enemy. I used my wolf as much as possible, which I believed was one reason we kept winning, despite being outnumbered.

We reached the car, and Griffin pointed at the front seat. “Sterlyn goes there. The rest of you get in the back.” He ran straight to the driver’s seat and got in. “Sierra, move so that Killian can sit in the far back with Julius.”

Sierra nodded and climbed into the middle bench seat as I opened the back door, hoping to help speed up the process. Julius frowned, pausing.

Get your ass in there.He obviously didn’t want to sit in the very back, but he was going to have to learn his place in our circle…sooner rather than later.I might have pushed for you to come, but if you put my family at risk, I’ll leave you here without a second thought.I shoved forward those feelings, wanting him to know that I meant them.If you don’t believe me, then test it.

He huffed and climbed over the middle seat into the back while his conflicted feelings of both respect and hatred hit me. I wasn’t sure why he felt either, but I could analyze all that later.

Killian and Randall reached the car door, and the poor kid jumped in headfirst, no doubt desperate to get out of here. I couldn’t blame him. My skin crawled after being in thatbasement half a day, and he’d been there for a week, if not longer.

Grunting, Killian climbed over Sierra and into the back with Julius. He growled, “No funny business, jackass. One strange look, and I’ll kick your ass.”

The three guards darted toward us and broke through the thinning trees. They raised their guns and fired at us as Sierra reached for the door.

Griffin gunned the engine, causing the SUV’s wheels to spin and fling dirt before we lurched forward.

“Close the door,” Julius yelled, as Sierra bent and grabbed the door handle.

“I’m doing it, dumbass,” Sierra growled back as another shot fired and Killian yelped in pain. The door slammed shut, but the metallic scent of blood filled the SUV.

Our attackers continued to shoot as Griffin spun onto the road, taking off toward Shadow Ridge. The bullets hit the plastic of the SUV, but luckily didn’t hit the tires or any spots that would make the vehicle stop. Though their shots continued, we were out of harm's way as Griffin pushed the car, making the engine redline.

Since we were out of immediate danger, I turned around and scanned Killian, looking for the injury, as Randall leaned over the back of the seat to help his alpha. Killian bent forward, helping Randall survey the injury.

Blood soaked Killian’s shirt at the shoulder. “Did the bullet exit?” I asked. The memory of when I’d been shot flashed through my head, the sensation of the phantom bullet turning my stomach. Griffin had gotten it out, but the extraction had hurt like a bitch, worse than when I’d been shot in the first place. But it was better to get the bullet out before your shifter healing set in, instead of having to reopen the wound later.

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