Oh, she was so adorable and didn’t understand a damn thing. “I protect you.” There wasn’t any need to go into it more than that.
Then he didn’t have to because the portal opened wider and the air changed. He lifted her against his chest. “Hold on.”
She did so, tucking her head beneath his chin. Her body trembled, and he held her tighter. “It’s almost over.” Then they were up in the air, spinning around. His stomach lurched, but he kept his eyes open. Blackness surrounded them and then a lighter gray, and they fell.
He tossed her to the pier and then bounced away, performing a series of flips in the air and landing in the purple water. Bubbles rose around him like acid, and he leaped out, falling onto burning-hot sand and rolling to his feet.
“Sam!” Honor yelled from the pier, standing and pressing her hands to her hips. She slid to the edge and looked frantically at the purple water.
“Don’t even think it,” he snapped, his voice echoing back at him hollowly. “It’s acid, and there’s something alive in there. Something that lives in pure acid.”
Frustration wrinkled her face, and damn if she still didn’t look like she was going to dip in a toe.
“I’m fucking not kidding,” he roared.
She jumped back, her eyes wide.
Ulric strolled out from an opening in the rocks that Sam hadn’t been able to see from the water. “Oh, Keeper. Did you have to make it so easy?” He reached out, almost casually, and punched Sam in the head.
Sam feinted to the side and dropped, coming up fast. He kicked Ulric in the neck.
The sound of his foot breaking preceded the sharp spike of pain up his leg. He hopped on the other one. “So the rumors are true,” he grunted.
Ulric cocked his head, his eyes a swirling amethyst. “Yes. I’m impenetrable. You can’t hurt me.”
Oh, they’d see about that. Sam punched him in the eye, breaking three knuckles.
Ulric snarled. Then he kicked out, turning sideways. Pain ripped through Sam’s ribs as several broke, and then he careened through the air to land on the hot sand. He grunted and rolled to his good foot. This was going to shit and fast. “Honor? I love you. I’m glad we mated.”
“Love me? You seriously love me?” she yelled. “You don’t love somebody and then put yourself in the path of a psycho immortal from hell.”
“Your female has some lungs on her,” Ulric said, circling him.
Sam rushed at him, looking for any weak spot. He settled on Ulric’s lips, punching rapidly…and breaking several bones in his hand.
Ulric reacted by smashing his fist into Sam’s left eye. The socket burst like a cracked egg.
Sam gasped, hopping back, half of his body either broken or numb. Liquid covered his face. Blood?
Ulric shook his head and strode forward. “You mated the Enhanced one?” He sniffed the air, pleasure blooming across his wide face. “Oh, she smells good. Did you taste her? Bite her?” He grabbed Sam by the hair and yanked him closer, razor-sharp fangs sliding down to his chin. “Do you know how long it’s been since I tasted a female? Especially one with power like that?”
Sam gritted his teeth and punched out, hitting Ulric in the eye. His hand bounced off, and the bones in his wrist snapped apart. The pain nearly dropped him to his knees.
Ulric laughed. He scraped his fangs along Sam’s neck and then reared back like a snake to strike, his mouth gaping wide open.
Sam punched as hard as he could into Ulric’s mouth, mentally shoving the ball of fire out of his body and down into Ulric’s. His nails scraped down inside Ulric’s throat, and his fingers burned from the blood. He made it almost to the elbow and let go of the fire.
Ulric reared back, roaring.
Sam pulled his arm and hand out of the monster’s mouth, fangs ripping into his flesh as he wrenched free. He shoved Ulric and then turned, praying his niece was still with them. “Now, Hope,” he yelled, blood gurgling out with his breath.
A big blue portal opened and sucked him up, along with Honor, who scrambled to grab onto his arm.
Ulric bellowed furiously beneath them.
Then Sam landed on his bed in Grizzly Club territory, bounced once, and passed completely out.
* * * *
Feeling better after a night and another day of sleep, Honor fetched some fresh coffee from the temporary tent set up in the middle of Grizzly Club territory while everyone rebuilt. A bunch of work trucks were lined up to one side. Burgers were on for dinner but weren’t quite cooked yet. She ran right into Bear.
He steadied her with both hands on her elbows. “Slow down. You’re newly mated, and that takes a toll on your energy.” His shaggy hair was somehow shaggier than ever, and sawdust covered his right leg. His eyes were a mellow honey brown. “Nessa is with Sam right now, and she has confirmed that his niece, Hope, is safe at demon headquarters, so take a breath. Nessa will reassure Sam.”
She did as he suggested, letting her body relax. They’d gotten home the night before, and Sam had been sleeping since. The air tingled all around him, and Bear had assured her that those were healing cells. “I’m going to kill him when he’s all healed,” she said, taking a drink of the coffee.
Bear burst out laughing and several people looked their way from the tent, surprise on their faces. “From what you said, Sam did the only thing he could—shoved his arm down Ulric’s gullet.”
A woman sauntered their way. Full hips, full lips, and a lot of wild blond hair. “Bear. Garrett told me to come grab dinner while he talked to somebody named King.” The woman’s voice was a low purr, and by the looks of things, she wanted to grab a taste of Bear. Her eyes were slightly off, kind of like a cat’s. Was she a feline shifter?
Honor instinctively put her body between them. “Hi. We haven’t met.”
Bear sighed. “Honor, this is Sylvia, Garrett’s…friend.”
“Hi,” Sylvia purred, her orange-red lipstick the wrong shade for her hair. By far. Her gaze went beyond Honor to Bear. “Rumor has it your wife is knocked up. That’s tough on a guy. I could help if you want.”
Honor’s chin lowered. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly what you think,” Sylvia said, winking at Bear.
Honor slid to the side. After that comment, there was no need for manners. “What happened to Claws?”
Bear lifted a shoulder, eyeing Sylvia warily. “Garrett ran her home this morning and returned with Sylvia here.”
Great. Why in the world had Honor dug into Garrett’s head? She had to do something about this.