Page 24 of Into the Dawn

With the front windows rolled down, I get a blast of fresh mountain air and the heat of the sun on my face. The scents of the forest, pine, earth, and wild game flood my senses. Under it all, I catch traces of other animals marking territory, their paths crossing and recrossing. Useful information for later.

Closing my eyes, I soak it in, knowing this might be the last of the outside world I get to see for a while.

The white-hot fury I felt at their plans for Vanessa fades away, replaced by a sense of serene calm. The kind of calm that comes before a storm, before a predator strikes.

I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, and I'm going to do what the fates put me here for. It's all so clear now.

Watching Vanessa's dad's hands gripping the steering wheel, I size up his strength and how hard he'd be to take down if I made a move. The scars on his knuckles speak of experience, but also age. He's big, but more than that, you know he'll do anything to win. Fighting dirty is not something he'd be ashamed of.

I knew he was horrible to her. I knew her family was a bunch of despicable people, but this is on a whole other level, to use a woman's desire to have a child to force her into a relationship she doesn't want.

Through our bond, I feel Vanessa's resolve strengthening, matching my own growing certainty that these men won't live to see their plans through.

And with someone who undoubtedly is going to be vile, just like her father.

I watch Jed, his leg bouncing up and down, his fingers drumming against his knee, and I wonder if he isn't equally unhappy about this turn of events. Perhaps Vanessa giving her dad grandchildren somehow solidifies her, and her future mate's position within the family hierarchy, leaving him a little bit out in the cold. His anxiety is obvious in every movement, every darting glance. Another weakness to exploit.

Not that it matters to me.

Absolute certainty washes over me as I stare back and forth between the two men who care so little about my mate, their own flesh and blood, that they would gladly trade her like a piece of meat amongst their cronies.

My beast categorizes their scents, memorizes their movements. As sure as I know my own name, I know I don't need to worry about what's going to happen to Vanessa, because I'm going to kill both these men.

Whatever that means for me, I don't know. And frankly, right now, I don't care, so long as she's safe.

"You're quiet over there." Jed sneers, sensing my eyes on him. "Feeling nervous? Or just stupid at falling for such an obvious honey trap?"

Quickly glancing toward his father, who's concentrating on the road, I snap out my fist, clocking Jed square in the jaw. Thesatisfying crunch of cartilage under my knuckles sends a wave of pleasure through my beast.

His head snaps back, and I take great pleasure in the bead of blood that drips from his nose before quickly turning into a torrent. The metallic scent fills the cab.

That was entirely for Vanessa's benefit, but I pretend otherwise.

"Don't call me fucking stupid. I'm not the one who got my ass handed to me by a man who didn't even know he was a Lycan, and my tiny little cousin, who was already practically dead."

How Griffin and Kali escaped their attack is beyond me, but the mate bond is a powerful thing, and despite being injured, Kali still managed to kill one of the men who came after her before escaping. Thankfully, we got to them before Jed and his buddies could get close to them again.

"She murdered my fucking best friend," Jed shouts. The truck swerves slightly as Rusty reacts to the commotion.

"Self-defense isn't murder. And if you think you're big and bold enough to run a clan, you better find some friends who can fight." My beast notes how easily Jed loses control, how his rage makes him sloppy.

This time, I get a bitter laugh from the front.

"The man's got a point. If he was stupid enough to let a half-dead blind bitch get the jump on him, maybe he deserved what he got."

Jed looks like he's about to explode. He folds his arms over his chest like a child sulking after a temper tantrum and sits back in his seat. He's not going to get any support from his father here. My bet is the old man didn't sanction the attack, and he was happy to see Jed get knocked down a peg or two. Another crack in their relationship I can wedge open.

His dad turns to look over his shoulder at me briefly, giving me another glimpse of that weak left side.

"But Ben, keep your hands to yourself, or I swear to god, I'll cut them off."

There's no humor in that comment. I have no doubt that he'll keep his word, so I raise my hands in surrender and place them back calmly in my lap. "Yes, sir."

My beast catalogs the threat, adding it to the growing list of reasons these men need to die.

"Sir? No need for formalities son, not when we're going to be getting to know each other really well. Rusty will do."

I watch Jed rub his jaw and enjoy the red mark I left behind, and the way he sits uncomfortably after his head whipped back like that. I think I've made my point.

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