Bile rose from Honor’s stomach. She’d seen Sam fight, but she’d had no clue he was this deadly.
Sounds of running feet pierced the thundering rain.
She gulped and wiped rain and mud from her eyes, trying to focus so she could shoot. Anywhere.
“Forget it,” Sam said, his voice clipped, blood spray across his bare chest. His gray sweats, now soaked with rain, mud, and blood, were plastered against his legs. “Just run. If you need to shoot, I’ll tell you.”
She fell into step beside him, ducking her head and trying to keep up. The rhythmic sound of helicopter blades wafted down through the punishing rain.
Then a spotlight flashed hot and bright in front of them. Bullets pattered down, splattering clumps of mud.
“Shit.” Sam grabbed her arm and ducked between two trees, blood and rain commingling on his neck. He looked around, power steaming from him. “Hold on.” Without waiting for her to respond, he whipped her onto his back with one arm. “Shut your eyes, go limp against me, and trust me.”
The wind burst out of her chest when she collided with the solid wall of his back. She manacled her arms around his neck, clamped her thighs to his flanks, shut her eyes, and went limp against him.
Trusting him.
* * * *
Sam fired to the left, barely hearing a cry of pain before he ran faster, his bare feet kicking up debris. Honor held tight to him, her heart beating so hard he could feel it pulse against his back. He leaped between two trees, taking cover and trying to protect her from the branches. He’d gone cold. Rock solid, pure-crystal arctic cold. Later the heat and fury would come.
Now. Survival.
Two bears—in full vibrating fury mode—careened out of the forest to the left, jumping between him and the force coming at him.
He ducked his head, running as fast as he could, no longer worrying about the soldiers.
Everyone knew to protect the human. Hopefully her eyes were closed, because he ripped between a series of trees so fast, the outside world was just a blur, even to him. He emerged into the clearing in front of Bear’s mechanic shop, where the alpha was issuing orders and looking more pissed off than Sam had ever seen him.
Shifter soldiers surged around him, some in human form with weapons and others in bear form, also with weapons. Claws and teeth.
Bear caught sight of him, the rain plastering his shaggy hair to his head. “Go through the office—door at the back is already open. Leads down to a tunnel to the safe room. Make sure Nessa is there and staying safe.” He turned back to yelling at his people and giving directions.
Sam kept going, running inside the office of Bear’s business and through the open doorway, taking the steps down four at a time. The tunnel was calm and cool with the earth surrounding them. Jagged slashes of silver gleamed in the rock, as well as a multitude of gun barrels and blades. Somebody had known he was coming.
He ran for almost a mile and then reached a solid steel metal door that was already opening. Inside were Nessa, a couple of computer techs, three pregnant women, and several children. The cavern was wide, with doors at each cardinal direction, and he’d entered through the east one. “You okay?” he asked Nessa as he helped Honor down. Her entire body was trembling.
Nessa watched a screen showing satellite feed of the area. She leaned forward, and her dainty finger hit a key on a black keyboard. A missile exploded from the earth and hit one of the three helicopters hovering over the forest. Metal exploded, fire reigned, and gravity took over. “I’m great.” She looked over her shoulder, her eyes bright and pissed. “You?”
“Good. Honor’s yours. Lock the door behind me.” He hurried out. “Don’t let any of those weapons in the tunnels loose until I’m free. Please.” The door shut before he had finished speaking. Then he turned and ran, his feet not feeling the pain of the hard rock. Now that Honor was safe, he let the fury roar through his veins.
His home had been attacked.
He reached the office and ran outside, nearly colliding with Bear. “Where’s Garrett?”
“Went east,” Bear yelled, yanking off his shirt, an earbud in his right ear. “Forces attacked from the east and west, all on foot except for three helicopters. Now two,” he reported.
A wisp of sound pierced the rain, and a second helicopter blew into a myriad of pieces, the bright flames bursting through the black underbelly of the angry clouds.
“One helicopter left,” he corrected. “My forces are stronger to the west. You take east.”
Sam turned and ran back the way he’d come, looking for a fight. Any fight. A punch of power hit him from behind, propelling him even faster. Bear must’ve shifted.
Two Kurjan soldiers met him at his deck, and he leaped forward for one while Garrett jumped from out of nowhere to take down the other. These were better seasoned than the ones earlier and gave a better fight. Even so, soon both of their heads rolled beneath the deck.
Sam stood, letting the rain wash away the burning blood. “You good, G?”
Garrett panted and wiped blood off his hand on his jeans. “Yeah. It’s unbelievable. Attacking a shifter stronghold. This is war, right?”
Sam wiped rain out of his eyes. “Only if Bear reports it to the other nations.” He looked around, but only grizzly bears met his sight. A pop sounded, and the third helicopter blew into nothingness. Nessa was dangerous with a satellite feed and explosives. Metal pummeled the forest, taking out a couple of trees. As the helicopter’s remains hit the ground, the entire world seemed to shake.
He caught sight of a Cyst soldier battling with two fully formed grizzly bears. “That guy.” He ran in, avoiding the claws and jaws of both bears. “He’s alive. We need him that way,” Sam yelled.
The nearest bear roared in displeasure.
Garrett moved to Sam’s side. “He’s ours, boys. You did a good job.” Then he scented the air through the rain. “There’s a squad of three coming at us from the north. They’re all yours.”
The bears turned and ran off, their muscles moving smoothly beneath their sleek fur.
The Cyst punched Sam in the head, and he saw stars as he pivoted. The solider started to come at him and then stopped cold. His purple eyes widened. He struggled but couldn’t move.
Sam looked over at Garrett. “I’d forgotten you could do that.”
Garrett shrugged, his attention solely on his prey. “I got more than stunning good looks from my father.” A muscle ticked in his jaw, but otherwise, Sam wouldn’t have been able to tell that Garrett had halted a century-old Cyst soldier just with his mind. “You want to mess with him?”
“No.” Sam would save the demon mind attack for interrogation. “Let’s just lock him down until the territory is clear.”