“That’s the last time you call her a bitch, Lance,” Evan growled, the energy beginning to run through his veins again. “Where is your brother?”
Lance twisted the knife, staring as it reflected light around the room. “He followed her to the factory. We couldn’t find it, you know. The female is a master at using dummy corporations.” He flipped the knife up and caught the handle on the way down. “I have wanted to cut her for so long.”
Evan snarled, his chest widening. He stood taller. Her image flashed through his mind, giving him more strength. Tabi. His Tabi. He should’ve told her how he felt about her, even though it didn’t make a lick of sense that it had happened so quickly. Instead, he’d just bossed her around. Not that she didn’t need a little bit of protection and sense. “You’re not going to touch her.”
“Oh, but I am,” Lance said, twirling the knife again. “Who knew that she’d lose this game over a mate? I didn’t think she had it in her to care.”
“So you darted us and then your brother followed her to find the factory—just in case she didn’t come for me.” As a plan, it didn’t suck. Tabi was smart. She had to know she was walking into a trap. “She won’t come for me. Your brother is mistaken.”
The door opened and Tabi strode inside, holding a medium-sized light blue box. “Wrong.” Her blonde hair was long down her back, and she wore black jeans with those deadly heels giving her additional height. She looked at him, her black eyes glittering. “You okay?”
Allen walked in behind her, a green gun in his hand and a wary light in his eyes. “This was too easy.”
Evan pulled on the bar, his hand slipping off. “What the hell are you doing here?”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t just let them kill you.” One of her light eyebrows arched.
He subtly shook his head. So far, the bar hadn’t moved. Either his super strength was gone, or the bars were fortified even against such power.
She sighed. “Well. This is unfortunate.”
Man, she was cool under pressure. Or maybe she didn’t realize that their situation actually sucked. “What’s in the box, Tabitha?” Evan asked quietly.
Her grin was catlike. She tugged out a black remote control.
Allen pointed the gun at her. “What is that?”
She pressed a button, and an explosion rocked the entire county.
Evan dropped his head. “Please tell me you didn’t just blow up your factory.”
“There was nobody inside, Evan. Give me some credit.” She threw the box toward Lance. “I went inside to make sure the place was clear. See how you’re influencing me already?”
Influencing her? Considering he was in a cell and she was outside of it with two maniacal shifters, he wasn’t getting through to her. “I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t walk into danger like this.”
Allen fired the green gun toward the high roof. Green lasers zipped out and apparently turned into metal when hitting the interior metal of the roof. Shards rained down, all around him, and he didn’t so much as flinch. He then pointed the weapon at Tabitha. “Where is the formula?”
She tapped her head. “Right here, jackass. It’s the only place, you know. I created it.”
Lance stood to face her. “So we need your head and not your mate’s. Okay.”
“Nope,” she said, widening her stance. “I’m a demonness. You can’t torture me for information. He goes, and I go, and we’ll make an agreement. I’ll give you half of the company in exchange for your distribution channels. The labs remain mine.”
Evan reared up. “You are not giving in to blackmail.”
She waved a hand. “This is normal business practice in my world.”
Great. Just freaking great. “I don’t think kidnapping me should earn them fifty percent of your business, honey. It’s rewarding bad behavior,” Evan drawled, looking for a way out of the cell.
Surprise flashed in her eyes. “I thought I’d find you a little more freaked out. Maybe your time in the military prepared you better than I’d thought.”
At least she was finally seeing him. “Why are you here? Why come yourself?” He had to know.
She sighed. “Fine. I like you. Have since the beginning. You’re hot and strong and kind. Maybe a little bossy. Definitely sexy.”
“Just like me? Only like?” he asked, releasing his hold on the bars.
Allen cleared his throat. “Do you two mind? We’re in the middle of something here.”
“Right.” Tabi lowered her head. “I guess I’ll just fry your brains.” Power shot from her, nearly visible.
Allen immediately yelled in pain, blood spurting from his ears.
Lance leaped between them, taking the hit. He screamed.
Allen dropped to the floor, using his brother as a shield. He leaned around his writhing brother and fired several times toward Tabi.
Evan bellowed a warning.
Bullets hit her and she went down, her eyes wide as blood spurted from her torso. Agony darkened her expression. “Well, shit,” she muttered.
* * * *
Pain blew through Tabi’s chest and she cried out, trying to breathe. She might’ve overestimated her ability to take on both shifters with her mind. As her body rushed to heal itself, her brain slowed down with the demon mind attack. She’d been so intent on saving Evan that she hadn’t thought of the consequences. Not at all.
Whimpering, she shot out another mind attack, trying to remain conscious.
Allen stood and fired again. Blood burst from her leg a second before the pain jolted her system.
A savage roar bellowed from the cage, the sound so primal that everyone froze. She gasped and turned to see Evan grab above the bars and swing his legs, kicking two bars out. Then another two. They shot across the empty warehouse, dropping to the concrete and bouncing away with loud tings.
He moved faster than a blur, right at Allen, who pivoted and fired several lasers at Evan.
Tabi cried out and tried to sit, sending healing cells where she could. Blood continued to pour from her.
Evan impacted Allen, taking him down to the concrete. Blood and dirt coated the way he’d traveled. The gun spun away, smashing into the broken cell.
Tabitha scrambled toward it along with Lance, both of them fighting to reach the weapon.
Allen shrieked, the high decibels reaching every corner of the warehouse. Tabi paused, shaking, turning to see Evan lift the shifter’s head up and throw it into the cell. Allen’s hair caught on the broken bars, and his head hung there, swinging back and forth.
Lance swung his entire body around and kicked the gun to fly yards away. Yelling, he lowered his head.
Tabi leaned up. “Run, Evan! He’s going to shift. Now!” The percussions sent out might kill them both.
Evan stood and turned, blood coating his chest.
Lance’s arms and legs stretched out, and fur emerged all over his face.
Evan leaped over him, landing next to Tabi, and rolled her across the floor. Ripples spread around them and a crash echoed. Evan stopped them yards away, planting his body over hers and covering her head to toe.
The air exploded, sucking in and then out. The force pulled Evan off her, and he fought to cover her, tucking his head over her neck.
Then silence.
She gasped and looked over to see a fully formed wolf.
Evan shoved to his feet, positioning himself between Tabi and the animal. “Holy shit, he’s big,” he muttered. “Bigger than any wolf.”
The animal snarled, saliva dripping from its razor sharp canines.
Tabi planted one bloody hand on the cement and forced herself to stand. She wobbled. “He’s much stronger in this form.”
Evan’s back was covered in blood, too. Had the bullets gone all the way through? He sucked in air, pain cascading off him. “Get out of the way, Tabitha.” He staggered forward, pushing her behind him with one dirty hand still dripping with Allen’s blood.
Tabi elbowed him in the side. “I
’ve got this.” She lowered her chin, but before she could send out an attack, the wolf leaped through the air.
The animal hit them both, sending them sprawling across the cement floor. Tabi smashed her head on the wall, and lights flashed behind her eyes just as the bone in her wrist snapped in two. She yelped.
The wolf growled and jumped for her.
Evan careened off the floor and wrapped both arms around the wolf’s body, tackling the beast to the cement. They landed hard, both scrambling for purchase. The wolf raked sharp claws down Evan’s arm, and he bellowed, punching rapidly toward the animal’s throat.
Grunting, swearing, Evan scissored his legs around the wolf, trapping it. Then he punched the animal between the eyes, his fists too fast to track.
The wolf snarled and snapped its teeth, aiming for Evan’s neck.
Evan swore and grabbed the wolf’s jaw with both hands, yanking in the opposing directions. The bone dislocated with a loud snap, and the animal yipped. Evan kept going, tearing the head in two. The body shuddered, furry and bloody, into death.
Holy crap. Tabi turned and coughed, trying not to throw up.
Evan hitched toward her, leaning down. “Like me? You only like me?”
She tried to answer, but everything hurt. “We need to heal ourselves.” She pulled him to sit next to her while also sending healing cells to her wrist. The bone popped back into place, and she jumped.
His eyebrows rose. “Okay.”
She took a deep breath. “Imagine your injuries and send healing cells to them. Close your eyes. You can do it.”
He followed her orders. “We’re not done talking, mate.” Then the cut on his forehead healed much faster than any new mate’s should.
It figured.
Chapter 15
The storm continued outside while Evan finished showering, letting the heated water get rid of all the blood and dirt. He looked at his chest. Oh, the scars from his time in the military were still there, but no recent bullet holes. Not a one. He should feel good about that.
Right now, something was driving him. Something deep and uncomfortable. He didn’t regret killing the Popovs, because those two would’ve never stopped coming for Tabi and her company. While he didn’t give two fucks about the company, she did, so that mattered. More importantly, she mattered.
He flipped off the water and stepped out of the steam, drying off. Power sang through him, even more so after the fight. Was that normal? Maybe it was just normal for him. He’d have to figure this whole immortal thing out and deal with this bizarre strength, but that was second.
First was waiting for him in his living room because he’d told her to wait there. After her shower.
He stalked into his room, not surprised to see both dogs on his bed. He gave them a look and drew up clean jeans, not bothering to button them. Then he padded barefoot into the living room and finger combed his hair as he went.
Tabi sat on the sofa, dressed in his faded Metallica T-shirt with a blanket over her knees. “Feel better?”
“No.” He paused, looking at her. God, she was beautiful. Strong and smart and fragile and spunky. An entire package, and she’d only lived a sliver of her long life. What would she be like in a hundred years? A thousand? Everything inside him wanted to know. Wanted to be there. But there had to be a there. “You will never walk into danger like that again.” The words were out, and he let them hang in the air.
She paused in her perusal of his healed chest. “They had you in a cell.”
“I got out of the cell,” he countered.
She plucked a string on the blanket. “How did I know you could get out of a cell?”
“Again, that doesn’t matter. What you know or don’t know—don’t ever walk into a trap like that. You’re smart, Tabitha. You knew it was a trap.” More importantly, she had to learn to trust him. He could take care of himself, even in this new world. “Yet you came—with a fucking light blue box from a jewelry store.”
“It was an extra box,” she said, all sass.
“Watch it, baby,” he warned, wanting to go gentle since it had been a shitty night. “I like your sass usually. Not so much right now.”
Her eyes flared and warmed. Yeah, she liked it when he called her baby. She equally didn’t like being told what to do. He knew both facts about her, because her feelings all but danced across her pretty face. “Please. I knew one of them wanted to follow me to and from my factory to find it. Yet I figured I could get you free. Didn’t know you could break bars,” she muttered.
“You blew up your factory for me.” The idea warmed him, while the sight of her bloody on the ground chilled him at the same time.
She shrugged. “Yeah. You’re more important than a factory.”
Now she was trying to charm him? It was working. “How far behind does this put you?”
Her body visibly relaxed as they turned to business talk. “Only a month or two. I know the recipe, and the techs are mine, so we just need to get another production facility up and running. And buy the ingredients, of course.”
“Good. Have you ever seen shifters do that before?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
He licked his bottom lip. “So you knew about the percussion wave created when one of them shifted near you?”
She moved uneasily on the sofa, sliding to stand. “Well, kind of.”
“Tabi?” His voice softened, and she was smart enough to catch it. “What happens to a demon mind attack when a shifter turns into a wolf?”
She swallowed. “I don’t think that’s really—”
“Tabi.” He waited. Not so patiently.
“Fine. When a shifter turns to the animal form, most often, a demon mind attack no longer, er, works.” Then she rolled her eyes.
Mistake. Big one.
* * * *
Nerves jumped inside Tabi’s belly. So she rolled her eyes.
He came at her then. Full on, right for her. She was a second late in identifying the vibe in the room as scary, pissed-off immortal. She swallowed and sidled around the coffee table.
He stopped. One eyebrow rose.
She moved a little more, edging toward the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice gravelly and low.
“Thirsty?” If she could just get some air, she could figure this out.
“No.” He clocked her progress, looking big and bad and pretty damn sexy. “You done trying to make a run for it?”
It was one of her skills. “You’re in a mood.” One that was having the interesting result of heating her abdomen and softening her thighs. What was it about him?
“Good of you to notice.” He tracked her then, sure and strong steps.
She backed away, her heart thundering, her body healed. “What are you doing?”
“Settling things.” He reached her, his scent of smoke and honey wafting along her skin.
She took another step back, caught between the wall and his body. If she could just slide to the right, she could reach the kitchen. Although the broad spanse of his ripped chest all but begged for her mouth.
As if reading her mind, he planted a hand on the wall by her head, caging her. Easily. “I’d like to give you another chance to respond to my statement that you do not just breezily walk into danger that does not include you rolling your eyes.” While his voice was soft, his eyes were intense, and his body vibrating.
She couldn’t have rolled her eyes if her life depended on it. Plus, breezily hadn’t exactly described her actions. “I guess I could agree to those conditions.” Her lungs seemed to be fighting her.
“No more danger, Tabitha.”
She shivered from the heat in his eyes. Human, her ass. He was all immortal badass. “Danger isn’t my thing.” She tried to sound agreeable.
He traced his free hand along her jaw and down her front, between her breasts. “Right. You go into business with shifters, and you double-cross them.”
She gasped.
Now he rol
led his eyes. “Please.”
Okay. Her grin even felt sassy. “No more business arrangements with shifters.”
“Good. No more beating up humans, either.” His fingers were gentle as he lifted the shirt over her head, baring her to him.
She shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t have to beat people up.” Although, those boys had certainly deserved it. She caressed over his chest and down his abdomen, tucking the pads of her fingers into each hard ridge. She purred.
He tangled his fingers in her hair and twisted, forcing her to meet his gaze. “No more casually walking into traps. In fact, no more traps. If there’s a trap, you find a way to not be in the middle of it.”
Well, he’d probably need some time to really figure out the immortal world. Half the fun of traps was springing them. She leaned up and licked along his too firm bottom lip.
His hands—both hands—manacled her hips and lifted her. Fast. Way faster than she could move. He pressed her back to the wall and leaned in, his nose touching hers. Those eyes, blue and dangerous and slightly amused. Yeah, he knew her. Somehow. Maybe this had been his trap all along. “Panties off,” he ordered, kissing her before she could respond.
Heck, yeah. She shoved them down, tucking her hands in his jeans and pushing. “Now.”
He pushed inside her, going slow, easily holding her, his body warm and strong. “You merely like me?”
Pleasure rippled through her, so much and so strong. She laughed, enjoying everything about him. He was more than she could’ve ever wanted—and she gave herself over. Finally. “All right. I love you. Happy now?”
“Oh, I’m just getting started.” He moved then, driving inside her, taking everything she was. “I think you knew exactly who I’d be. Who I am.”
Maybe. Although admitting that to herself hadn’t been easy. She’d been alone for so long, and now she’d found somebody who’d never let her go. Yeah, it was a dream she’d always held but hadn’t thought would work out. So much for handling him. “Harder.”
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