Page 39 of Orlando
Liam only had a second to wonder why Cynthia wasn’t shifting into her animal form.She and Orlando clashed, and Liam had to scramble back.He’d been sitting on the couch when Cynthia arrived, so he quickly moved toward the kitchen, but he couldn’t leave Orlando alone.He knew he was of no use in a fight, but still.Abandoning his mate didn’t sit right with him.
He looked around the room, desperately needing something he could use as a weapon.He might not be a fighter, but between him and Orlando, they should be able to win this, shouldn’t they?
Liam saw one of the knives they’d used to cook breakfast on the counter.He snatched it up, squeezing his fingers around the handle.It dug into his flesh, making him swallow hard.Could he do this?Becoming a professional killer had never crossed his mind, just like he thought it had never crossed the minds of many more people.He’d never used a knife to hurt anyone, and he’d never been trained to fight, not even with his hands.He wouldn’t know where to start, although he supposed that the easiest way to use a knife was to stab people.Cynthia wouldn’t be scared if he threatened her with it.She’d probably know there was nothing he could do.
Something crashed back in the living room, so Liam quickly returned to Orlando.Cynthia had landed on her back on the coffee table, but that didn’t stop her.She had her knife raised and was about to stab Orlando in the shoulder while he snarled at her.
Liam had been worried he wouldn’t know what to do, but when he saw his mate in danger, he didn’t even hesitate.He rushed forward, his knife ready, relieved when he got Cynthia’s attention.He might be willing to hurt her if it meant saving Orlando, but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to it.
She blinked.“What are you doing with a knife?”
“Defending myself and my mate.”
Cynthia looked impressed, which Liam wasn’t sure what to think of.He didn’t want to impress people by wielding a knife.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” she said.
“And you’re going to hurt me, so what does it change?”
She inclined her head as if agreeing with Liam’s words.Liam’s hands shook, but he didn’t lower his knife.He couldn’t.If she was going to hurt Orlando, Liam was going to hurt her.
Maybe.
Orlando moved in front of Liam.He snarled at Cynthia, clearly warning her off.Unfortunately, they both knew it wouldn’t be enough.
She got to her feet, and Liam wondered if the elegance with which she did that was something they taught in that program.He was morbidly fascinated by the fact that these people had been trained to kill, and for some reason, one of them was supposed to kill him of all people.It was a mistake, but that didn’t change the fact that if he hadn’t been incredibly lucky, he would be dead right now.
Cynthia didn’t try to change Orlando’s mind.She threw herself at Liam again, quickly moving out of the way when Orlando launched himself toward her.Liam saw a flash of a knife and raised his hand.He didn’t know what that was supposed to do, but he wasn’t surprised by the flash of pain in his forearm.
He yelped and fell back.His feet tangled with Orlando’s tail, and that was the thing that saved him.He couldn’t stop his fall, not even when Cynthia stabbed the space where he’d been just seconds earlier.He landed on his back, and all the air punched out of his lungs.He stared at the spot where he’d been standing with the knowledge that he’d escaped death a second time.
Would he be able to do so a third time?
* * * *
LIAM HAD ALMOST BEENstabbed.That was the only thought in Orlando’s mind.His mate had almost been stabbed, and Orlando had almost lost him.How was he supposed to stop thinking about that?
He wasn’t.He pounced, needing to take Cynthia down.He caught her calf with his teeth, and even though he didn’t want to hurt her, he bit down.
Blood filled his mouth.Cynthia screeched, but the sound quickly cut off.They’d been trained not to attract attention, and a woman screaming would definitely do that, even if the building was half empty because most of the people who lived there were at work.
She tried to stab Orlando, and Orlando expected the hit to land.He wasn’t going to let go, though.If someone was going to die today, it wouldn’t be Liam, which meant it couldn’t be Orlando, either.Liam needed him.Orlando was the only one who could protect him, and he didn’t care if he ended up as Cynthia’s pincushion.
Orlando waited for the knife, but it never touched him.He blinked up to see that Liam had caught Cynthia’s wrist and was struggling to get her to drop the knife.He was a little green around the edges, but he was fighting anyway.He told Orlando that he could think of nothing worse than being trained to kill, but here he was, apparently ready to hurt Cynthia if she didn’t stop hurting Orlando.
Orlando hoped Liam wouldn’t regret this.He never wanted his mate to lose himself.One of the things he loved the most about Liam was how gentle and sweet he was.Watching him struggle with Cynthia for a knife wasn’t the kind of thing he should be doing.
He should be sitting on the couch, cuddling his cat and talking about plants.Orlando would make sure he could return to that.He didn’t know how he’d do it, but the only way to keep Liam safe was to stop Cynthia, and even though Orlando didn’t want to hurt her, either, it would be an easy choice if it was between her and Liam.
“Don’t make this harder on all of us,” Cynthia said.
“I’m not going to lay down and let you kill me,” Liam told her.
Orlando knew what was about to happen before Liam moved.Apparently, Cynthia had underestimated him because she didn’t react.That was the only reason Liam managed to stab the knife he’d gotten from the kitchen into her shoulder.
He looked horrified by what he’d done and took a step back.Cynthia blinked and glanced down at the knife, apparently unable to believe that Liam had stabbed her.Orlando had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that his mate had done it to save him, too.He was impressed and felt a little dizzy.He knew how torn his mate would be over it, and he wished there was something he could do to make him feel better.Right now, though, he had to focus on Cynthia.
He let go of her calf.He could still taste her blood, and he wasn’t surprised to see how deep the wound was when he moved back.She’d be limping out of the apartment.
