by Chant,Zoe
Skidding, she shot into the server room, crouching and clutching the knife. Around her, the servers hummed, filling the air with noise. She tried to listen for footsteps, but couldn’t hear anything.
Maybe Denny had decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to chase her. He could make his escape now. It would be easy. He just needed to walk out.
“You can’t hide from me.”
No such luck, Daphne thought bitterly, biting her lip. Denny’s voice rang through the room, though she still couldn’t hear his footsteps. Clearly, her act of defiance had made him angry enough that he’d rather come after her than make good his escape.
She remembered what Heath had told her about shifters’ heightened senses – the way they could bring their shifter forms forward and use their abilities. She had no idea what Denny shifted into, though. Something with night vision? The darkness of the server room wouldn’t help her then. If he could climb, then he’d spot her more easily from the top of the banks of computers. And if he was fast…
No point in speculating, Daphne told herself. Just focus on staying alive.
Edging her way along the wall of computers, Daphne realized she’d have to find some way of working out where Denny was, and if she could make a break for it.
She usually wore heels, but today she had on a pair of comfy old slip-ons – a decision she was now very pleased with. Leaning down, she slipped off her left shoe, before creeping along to the edge of the bank of computers.
Drawing in a deep breath, Daphne wound back her arm, and then hurled the shoe as hard as she could across the room.
Gunshots rang out before it had even hit the floor. She could see the flash of the barrel as it lit up the room briefly.
It seemed that, whatever his shifter form was, Denny had incredible reflexes.
Something to keep in mind, Daphne thought, with grim humor. At least it had given her somewhat of an idea where he was: he was still over by the door, at the far side of the room from her. He’d have to come further into the room if he wanted to find her, meaning Daphne could circle back and run out – or he’d just have to forget about having his revenge and leave.
Either suited her.
“If you’re waiting for a rescue, just give up,” Denny called out. “If your mate hasn’t come by now, he’s not coming. Or he’s decided you’re not worth his neck. Forget about it. He doesn’t give a shit about you.”
Daphne sneered. Denny must not have known Heath very well if that’s what he thought. She knew he was trying to frighten her, but it wouldn’t work. Her faith in Heath couldn’t be shaken – especially not by someone like Denny.
His voice sounded a little closer, though. Peering around the side of the server bank, Daphne could see his shadow as it moved along the wall, out of sight. He was going to the opposite wall, away from her.
Screwing up her courage, Daphne crept forward, staying as silent as she could. She was tempted to throw her other shoe, but she didn’t think Denny would fall for the same trick twice. Instead, she decided she’d simply keep going, slowly but steadily. The door wasn’t far away.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, she thought. She couldn’t get overconfident and run. Whatever else he was, Denny was a trained professional. He’d seize on any mistake she made.
“All right, fine.” When it came again, Denny’s voice sounded frustrated. “I wanted to help you out, and do this quickly and easily. But since you insist, we’ll just have to do this the hard way.”
The hard way…?
Daphne barely had time to think about what that could mean, when she heard the metallic clatter of the gun falling to the floor. Denny must have dropped it. Ordinarily, she would have been overjoyed to hear that sound, but in this instance, there was only one reason Denny could have dropped the gun: because he’d decided he didn’t need it to kill her.
Swallowing, Daphne knew the only thing she could do was take her chances. Kicking off her remaining shoe, she dashed toward the door, past the banks of servers. She skidded as she stopped to take cover behind one, her heart pounding in her ears. There was no sound. Whatever Denny had shifted into, it was silent.
Glancing around, Daphne took off again. The light of the doorway was bright in the darkness of the room, and she kept her eyes trained on it, getting nearer and nearer with every step – she was almost there – almost –
– Daphne felt the air suddenly heave from her lungs as something thick and heavy lashed around her ankle. Pain shot up her leg. As she fell, the knife she’d been holding was thrown from her hand and spun away, out of reach.
Gasping, Daphne turned. Cold terror seized her heart: curled around her foot and ankle was the largest snake she had ever seen.
It wasn’t just a snake, she realized – it was a boa constrictor. Its beady black eyes glinted at her in the blinking lights of the servers, the main part of its body thicker than her thigh.
So that’s why he didn’t make a sound, Daphne thought, slightly dazed as she stared down at Denny’s new form. He wasn’t a lion or a tiger or a bear, or some other fierce, shaggy, growling animal. He was a snake. Silent and deadly.
The boa reared back, hissing, drawing its massive body up. The coil around Daphne’s ankle tightened. Clenching her fists and biting back a scream, Daphne kicked her foot viciously, trying to shake it off – but it was no good. The boa constrictor’s body was fifteen feet of pure, coiled muscle. And it was slowly creeping up her body.
Now, Daphne realized what Denny had meant about doing this the hard way.
Refusing to accept it, Daphne shook her head. This wasn’t going to happen. Gritting her teeth, Daphne turned into her stomach, reaching out to grab the corner of the nearest server. It was heavy enough that it didn’t rock as she pulled herself across the floor, away from Denny. His coils remained tight around her leg, slowly squeezing.
This wasn’t going to work, Daphne realized. He had her, and he wasn’t going to let her go.
Biting her lip, Daphne felt panic finally beginning to overwhelm her. Tears sprung into her eyes. She closed them, feeling them trickle down her cheeks –
– But just as she was about to give in, her ears were suddenly filled with the sound of a deafening, animal roar of fury.
Daphne opened her eyes wide in shock, just in time to see a massive, golden lion springing through the door of the room.
Heath. It’s Heath. He’s come for me.
But even as shocked relief flooded through her, Daphne couldn’t stop her gasp of horror. Heath’s lion was fierce and hulking, his long, saber-sharp teeth bared, but it was clear he was injured. Blood matted his beautiful golden coat and mane. She could see what was obviously a bullet wound in his muscular shoulder, and the rest of him was raked with scratches and other wounds, as if he’d been fighting for his life.
Of course, she knew he had. It was the only explanation as to where he’d been – he’d been battling the people who were trying to destroy Assured Security. But actually seeing him so obviously hurt and bloodied sent a piercing pain straight to Daphne’s heart.
Heath roared again, the sound deafening in the confines of the small room. His teeth glinted in the low light as, leaping forward, he unsheathed his massive claws. The boa constrictor hissed viciously and released Daphne’s leg as it lashed its thick body, swaying as it tried to avoid Heath’s attack.
Daphne knew that boas couldn’t ordinarily move very fast, but she supposed that usually they didn’t have much motivation to do so – and none of them were shifters. Denny was moving quickly enough now, whipping around, his vast coils unwinding as he swayed back, avoiding Heath’s sharp teeth.
Freed from his grip, Daphne got to her hands and knees, quickly crawling away from the fight. She realized that she had to give Heath room – he couldn’t be worrying about knocking her down as he pounced away from Denny before he reared back, swiping with his front paws. Breathless, she turned when she was far enough away, watching as Heath and Denny fought.
Heath might have
been a huge, strong lion, but he was injured – and Denny had his deadly coils. He could stretch himself out, distracting Heath with a strike from his fangs, while he wrapped himself around Heath’s foot or leg. If Heath didn’t move quickly, he would be trapped.
Daphne clenched her fists. Heath was fighting hard, but it was clear how badly his wounds were slowing him down. He growled, managing to evade a strike from the boa’s fangs, but so far, Heath hadn’t been able to land many blows on Denny’s sinuous body.
Daphne knew she had to do something to help. She looked around wildly. The knife was nowhere in sight – it must have fallen under a computer or to the far side of the room. She had no time to go looking for it. She had to find something else.
As she stared around, her eyes fell on a closed laptop, sitting on a shelf by one of the servers. It wasn’t much, but it did seem to be the only thing in the room that wasn’t bolted down.
Standing on wobbly legs, Daphne dashed across the room, picking up the laptop in both hands, before turning back to where Heath and Denny were fighting.
Denny was veering wildly from side to side, but all his attention seemed to be focused on Heath – which it had to be in order to avoid the swipes of Heath’s massive paws. Daphne crept a little closer, clutching the laptop closely. Denny was moving quickly, his head darting this way and that.
Daphne gritted her teeth. She could do this. She crept a little closer, and waited. She wasn’t sure if Heath had seen her, or guessed her intentions, but in the end, it didn’t matter: Denny reared back, hissing, trying to get away from Heath’s teeth. But the movement brought his head close enough to Daphne that she could take her chance.
Winding back, Daphne swung the laptop as hard as she could, smashing it into the snake’s head. Denny flopped down, writhing, clearly left utterly dazed by the sudden blow. It was all Heath needed. Bounding forward with a roar, he sunk his teeth into Denny’s thick body, before swinging his head, throwing Denny against the wall. He hit it with a sickening thump. The snake stopped moving, its coils going slack.
Daphne stared at it, her breath coming in short pants, but the giant boa didn’t move again. Then, slowly, its body began to shrink, scales turning into skin, thick midsection becoming arms and legs. It was a man again. He lay still, slumped against the wall.
“Daphne.”
Daphne turned to find Heath too had shifted and was kneeling on the ground. She gasped – he was covered in wounds, small and large. Blood was running out of the bullet hole in his shoulder. On his human form, it looked much larger and more serious than it had on the lion.
“Oh my God, Heath…”
She dashed to him, wanting to throw her arms around him, but frightened to hurt him. In the end, however, it was he who folded her into an embrace, wrapping her in his muscular arms and drawing him close to his chest.
“That was incredible,” Heath said, his fingers in her hair. “How did you –”
Daphne couldn’t stifle a small giggle, though she knew it was partially from feverish relief. “I’ve always been good with computers.”
She heard his low exhalation, which she supposed was the closest he could get to laughing right now.
“I’m so sorry, Daphne,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. You must have thought –”
“Quiet,” Daphne said. “I was only frightened because I knew you must be hurt, and I couldn’t stand the thought. I knew you’d come – I didn’t doubt it for a second.” She pulled back, cupping his jaw with her hands to look into his eyes. He held her gaze steadily, before leaning forward to kiss her. His lips were warm against hers, and she kissed him back feverishly, desperate to assure herself that he really was here with her now. This wasn’t any hallucination: Heath was alive, holding her in his arms, solid and strong and real.
“Come on,” she said, when she could bear to pull away. “I need to bandage you, and then we need to call an ambulance.”
Heath shook his head, the movement obviously causing him pain. “No need. They’ve been called, along with the SWAT team. Sandra and Hector had holed themselves up in an office upstairs and were fighting the bastards off. One of the agents who shifts into a bird flew out the window and went to the cops Assured Security liaises with. They know about us.”
Despite herself, Daphne let out a low laugh. Being a shifter definitely had its advantages, that was for sure. It was obvious, though, that some people were determined to use their amazing power for evil. She glanced back at Denny’s prone body on the floor.
“He’s not dead – just unconscious,” Heath told her, as if she could possibly have cared less about that when her mate was in front of her, injured and bleeding. She wouldn’t have cared if he was dead, except that he deserved to face justice for what he’d done.
“I wanted him alive so I could wring some answers out of the asshole,” Heath said, his voice hard. “I have to know why they’d do something like this.”
“He told me they did it because they believe humans are inferior,” Daphne said, tearing her eyes away from Denny’s comatose body. “And that they panicked after Sandra said she’d investigate shifter criminals in the city more closely.”
Heath nodded. “I can believe it. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of no-good shifters in the world.”
“Just like there’s no-good humans, too,” Daphne said. “Come on. You’re bleeding badly. We need to get you first aid. I know a little, but –”
“Paramedic! Where are you hurt?”
Daphne looked up as the voice rang out. A man in a paramedic’s uniform was standing in the doorway, while behind him, men Daphne recognized as the SWAT team rushed into the corridor.
As the man came into the room and Daphne sat back a little to allow him to tend to Heath’s wounds, she couldn’t stop a sob from rising in her chest.
As if sensing her relief, Heath looked over at her, and squeezed her hand.
Finally allowing herself to relax, Daphne let the tears come. Heath didn’t let go of her hand, even as the medic examined his wounds.
It’s over, Daphne thought, feeling the tears on her cheeks. Thank God, it’s over.
It was finished.
And they had won.
Chapter Thirteen
Heath
“Wow. You look like shit, Heath.”
Leaning back in his chair, Heath’s cousin and the sheriff of Coldstream County, Mason Whittaker, grinned broadly across the table at him.
“At least I can blame the way I look on my recent massive blood loss,” Heath retorted. “What’s your excuse?”
“Now, now,” Mason said mildly. “There’s no point in being jealous of my natural charm and athleticism. Just accept we can’t all be so blessed.”
Heath rolled his eyes. “And you wonder why I don’t visit here more often.”
That wasn’t true in the slightest. If he could have, Heath would have loved to spend more time with his cousins and uncle here on the ranch. His mother lived a relatively short distance away, in her own small house. He could have gone to visit her easily, too.
But unless he wanted to be a rancher, there just wasn’t a whole lot to do out here. Heath thought that one day he might like to turn his hand to farm work, but for now, he wanted the excitement of the city. Though visiting was a welcome break.
He’d been given leave from Assured Security in order to recover from his injuries – and while they rebuilt after the attack on their headquarters. Some employees hadn’t been so lucky as Heath. Some had died. Some had been injured far worse than he had. But the only thing Heath could do now was reflect on his good fortune. He was safe. His mate was safe. And they were both here with his family on his Uncle Lincoln’s ranch in Cedar Hill, being looked after better than they could have dreamed of.
“Are you two boys fighting already?” Mason’s mate, Charity, came into the room, putting one hand on her hip, the other cradling her pregnant belly.
Mason stood up immediately, putting his arm arou
nd his mate. “Charity, didn’t I tell you to rest?”
Charity swatted at him good-naturedly. “And didn’t I tell you I’d rather die than sit around doing nothing all day? I think I’m old enough to know when I need a rest, Mason.”
For a moment, Mason looked like he might argue, but then he pressed a kiss to the top of Charity’s head, before placing his own hand over hers on her belly. “I know, love. I just fret about you, that’s all.”
Charity smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Heath watched them as they stood together: a lion and his mate. A cub on the way. They looked perfect – just what every lion wanted for his life. Heath swallowed. Maybe one day this would be what he and Daphne had. His lion immediately raised its head at the thought, purring loudly. It definitely liked that idea.
Take it easy, boy, Heath told it. For now, they just needed to focus on being together, especially after everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks. Daphne needed time to adjust to being a shifter’s mate and all the things that came with it – such as the family of lions that formed their pride.
“Did your mom text you?” Mason asked, turning to look at Heath, his arm still around Charity.
Heath nodded. “Only about fifty times. She’ll be here in the morning. Casey’s driving her down.”
“Good. We’re trying to keep Casey busy at the moment, and keep him out of trouble.”
Casey was their youngest cousin. He’d been a thoughtless brat in his younger years – Heath’s mother had spoiled him after her own children had left home, and he’d caused a lot of trouble for Mason and Charity last year after falling in with a gang of shifter bikers. Heath wasn’t sure if Mason was just being too hard on him or whether Casey still needed such a close eye on him, but he wasn’t about to get into that discussion right now.
“Anyway, I just came to tell you that dinner will be on the table soon,” Charity said, leaning up to kiss Mason on the cheek. “Don’t spend too long in here, having your incredibly mature man fights, will you?”