Page 25 of Soulmates
No one notices my arrival, though David immediately homes in on my presence with a subtle shift of his head.
They say a vampire fights better if he’s fed. I’ve never had to prove the corollary—that he fights best when he’s hungry. And I am definitely hungry.
The others are jawing, moving closer to David, closing in. One young punk is still carrying a clipboard and pen, as if he’ll somehow be making a wolf leave his paw print on whatever document they’re after him to sign.
The rangy wolf has singled Sheena out, and she cuts loose with a warrior yell. It takes either titanium balls or a heavy helping of stupid to go up against an Amazon, and she’s holding him off with a dagger and a scowl.
David’s crouched on the floor, his low growl reverberating throughout the room. Another cousin—Jesus,how many cousins does a guy need?—has aimed a gun at David, right between his eyes.
Without thought, I dive into the mix, knocking the two-legged wolf with the gun off-balance. He shoots, the bullet lodging into the floor at David’s feet, but he doesn’t go down. Before I can wrestle his gun away, he takes another shot, pinging David in the haunch. My vision turns red, and I knock him out with one heavy fist.
Rather than slow David down, the bullet to the butt seems to convince him that these assholes mean business. David leaps, landing on Mr. Clipboard and getting a mouthful of his throat.
“No. Don’t. He’s pack.” Uncle Brendan stands in the doorway as if he’s ready to take off if things get really nasty.So much for the pack enforcer.
David shakes his head, worrying the guy’s flesh.
The tallest of the two-legged wolves hauls off his own jacket as if he’s getting ready to shift. “Seriously, David. If you kill him, it’ll bebeurtielung. You know that.”
Beurtielung. The werewolf equivalent of a trial—without the impartial jury.
“Never. Stop. Hunting. You.” The guy on the floor rasps the words, his cold gaze making a promise. “And when you’re a lone fucking wolf, you’ll be stuck on two legs, and it’ll be even easier to take you down.”
There’s a pause, as if the whole group needs to process the threat that’s just been made. They’re talking about cutting him out of the pack, and then killing him.So much for pack loyalty.I take advantage of the lull to speak up.“If the rest of you guys take off, David’ll let him up.”
David’s eyes flash, and I nod my head, hoping he’ll understand what I’m after. “David’s not going to sign anything, but he won’t kill anybody either.” I scan the room, deciding who to grab first if things go south. “Now get out of here before we get arrested for trespassing.”
From the way Sheena’s eyebrow rises, I can tell my attempt at a threat might not be the most intimidating thing ever, but it’s all I’ve got. Killing half a dozen werewolves would spark a war none of us really want.
The shifted wolf backs away and the rest take baby steps toward the door. Brendan mutters a curt “let’s go,” and they all take off, pounding down the stairs. The room is empty of wolves—except for David and the guy he’s pinning—and David lets go of the guy’s throat, keeping one big paw on the center of his chest. The guy starts spouting bullshit about crime and punishment. David leans forward till they’re all but nose to nose. David growls. Mr. Clipboard buttons his lip. David snarls. The guy is barely breathing.
David swipes his paw across the guy’s chest, leaving a trail of torn fabric and blood. The guy scrambles up, looming over David as if he’s going to start something up again.
I remind him that he’s outnumbered. “He might not kill you, but I didn’t make any promises.”
The guy glances from me to David. “Arrogant fucker.” He spits the words, then takes off after his friends. I’m not sure who he’s aiming the comment at, but it doesn’t really matter. David and I are both pretty arrogant. The guy leaves, and that’s what’s important.
I follow him through the door, stopping at the top of the stairs. I listen hard to make sure they’re really gone.
I’m also giving David a chance to shift back in private.
“Think they’ll wait at the bottom?” Sheena comes up behind me and leans close enough to rest her chin on my shoulder.
“Don’t know.” I shift my weight, and she steps aside to give me space. Though we managed to clear the room of obvious threats, we’re still not safe. They could tag us at my car or follow us out of here. “We need to get far away until we figure out what’s going on.”
A blast of heat and light from behind my back tells me David has shifted back to his human form. He’s hunched over, gripping his ass cheek where a red mark is all that’s left of the bullet wound. “Ryan shot me.” He doesn’t straighten, doesn’t raise his eyes from the floor. “My fucking cousin shot me.”
My bones are telling me we need to buy some time. I raise my chin at Sheena. “We need to get out of town.”
She shrugs. “I know a place.”
Chapter Eight
“THIS IS THE kind of place they shoot horror films in, you know?”
Daviddrops his cigarette buttin an empty beer can. He’s sitting on the porch of our tiny cabin in the woods, somewhere near Idyllwild. The place has a kitchen, a bedroom, and a closet that locks from the inside. It’s not perfect, but I figure we’reonlygoing to be here for a week or so.
Just long enough for the dust to settle.
