Page 25 of Fated Protector

“I hate to say it, but Sasha had a lot of enemies. Only the treaty kept her safe. And if the vampires are reneging on the treaty, then I think revenge is on their minds. And as for Jack–” Will opens his mouth and closes it again. “Jack has a lot of power in this town, that’s all.”

“There was a Cauchemar last night,” Jack says quietly, and Will stiffens. “In the bookstore. He got through the wards and attacked Anna. It was obviously timed with the attack on Jean-Pierre.”

“Did it get away?” Will asks.

“It’s dead. Jack killed it,” I say, shivering at the memory.

Will lets out a low whistle. “Shit, Jack, those are almost impossible to kill.”

“Not impossible.” For the first time that morning, Jack’s cocky grin makes an appearance.

“So what now?” I ask. “I’m honestly tired of running from monsters all the time. I really didn’t pack the right clothes for all this.” I turn to Jack as he begins to speak. “And if you dare say ‘research’ again, I will scream.”

“I think,” says Will, and he gives Jack a long look until, to my surprise, Jack yields his gaze to the floor. “It is time for you to meet our family, Anna.”

“Let me talk to her first,” Jack says, and he takes my hand, threading our fingers together. It’s a sweet, simple gesture that gives me hope that last night wasn’t more than a physical release. Will nods and leans back on the sofa, once again putting his feet on the floor at my stern glance.

“Come on.” Jack takes me into the magical side of the bookstore. My face flushes when I see the abandoned cot and the messy blankets on the floor. When I glance at Jack, his gaze is also there, and heat fills his eyes.

“Later,” he mutters. “That’s a promise.” His growled words send electricity deep into my belly. He guides me to the table and gestures for me to sit.

“Why do I feel like I’m at a parent-teacher conference?” I ask in a failed attempt at humor.

He gives me a grim smile and clears his throat. “It’s, uh, more like a ‘birds and the bees’ kinda conference.”

Well, shit.“I’m on birth control,” I blurt out. “I swear. And I’m clean. I get a physical every year, and I haven’t had sexual relations since my last one.”

He stares at me. “Did you just call itsexual relations? No wonder you haven’t had any since your last physical.”

I smack him lightly on his tight stomach, and his serious expression breaks slightly. “So, when two people are attracted to each other, one inserts their–”

“Jack.” I cross my arms. “Get on with it.”

“Okay, okay. So, remember how we were talking about fated Mates?”

Awareness prickles the back of my neck. “Yes?”

“Well, you see, uh….”

An ear-splitting crash and a yell of “Jack!” comes from the other room. Jack’s head snaps up, his teeth bared in a snarl. “Stay here,” he orders, and he bolts for the other room.

“Like hell I will,” I mutter, dashing off after him. I’m tired of hiding. It’s time to take my life back.

* * *

The ‘normal’bookstore is no longer normal. Bookshelves have been knocked over, and the front window is smashed into pieces. Outside, people walk by like nothing is happening, and I wonder if there is some sort of magical shield blocking them from sight. Will is crouching next to the glass, favoring his right arm. Blood drips from the side of his temple, and his face is pale. And on the other side of the room is, of course, a monster.

This is the first creature I’ve been able to see in broad daylight. The Grunch was chasing us, and we were running too quickly for me to study it. The Cauchemar was merely shadows and nightmares. This monster, though, is bare to me in all its terrifying glory.

Its gigantic, scaled body stands high enough that its head clips the ceiling. Its face is pinched, nostrils splayed and fangs bared over thin, wrinkled lips, with a visage not unlike a chimpanzee. Dark eyes like marbles glare at me, and it emits a scream of anger; it slams a great, clawed hand into another shelf, smashing it to pieces.

“We need to run!” I scream, dashing to Will and tugging on his good arm. “Jack! We gotta go!”

Will shakes his head at me, teeth clenched in pain. “Ain’t no chance to outrun one of those. That’s a swamp monster. You fight, or you die.”

His ultimatum sends chills through me. Behind me, the sickening sound of snapping bones and torn clothes has me whirling around to find Jack – or what was Jack.

Jack ischanging. His face elongates and sharpens. He roars, his hands splaying and stretching, his nails becoming claws. Fur sprouts along his body, and his clothes rip and fall in pieces as his body lengthens. Within moments, my handsome Jack is now a creature to be feared, and he lunges for the swamp monster.

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