Last chapter left everyone hanging as the gas cannister broke through the window. I picked my hubby's brain for a lot of the symptoms and reactions to the gas since, as part of his military training, he's been teargassed a few times. Needless to say, the general consensus is "not pleasant." He did give one advantage to it, though. It did great to clean out his sinuses! I don't think that's enough.
*****
Brian held his shirt
over Nulli’s face as he approached the bedroom door. His skin was on fire, like
he’d rolled in a bed of angry fire ants or a juicy pile of nettles. Water
streamed from eyes sealed shut by the burning pain. He heard the patio door
crash open. He heard footsteps in his living room. He heard the metallic click
that conjured up images of all kinds of weaponry. But he couldn’t fucking see!
He struggled to open his eyes, to overcome the gut-wrenching, searing agony
caused by the oily gas. He struggled, and failed.
As if the fire across
his skin and the hot pokers in his eyes wasn’t enough, his lungs protested the
presence of the noxious fumes. He heaved and coughed with every breath until he
felt lightheaded. He wanted to curl into a tiny ball to escape the agony. He
wanted to stand under the shower and wash away the effects. He wanted to run.
Instead, he blindly reached for his mate.
Nulli grabbed his hand.
His palm burned where they touched, but he tightened his grip. He would not be
separated from her. She hissed with every wheezing breath, growled with each
racking cough. He couldn’t imagine the amount of pain she must be in.
He kicked the door
behind them, closing off the sputtering cannister. The gas oozed through the
crack, spitting and hissing like an angry cobra. Brian pulled his mate away
from the door and felt along the wall for the landing. From below, he heard the
sound of combat. The Wardens’ growls muffled most of the humans’ screams. There
was a deep, guttural roar followed by a curse. With the gas behind them and the
fight below, he hesitated at the top of the stairs.
“Arcady!” Killian’s roar
shook the pictures on the wall. The meaty thud of a body hitting sheetrock
rattled a potted plant from its stand.
“Second floor. We’ve
been gassed.” He felt like he was going to cough out a lung. Or a toenail. His
lungs screamed for fresh air. His cat screeched for vengeance.
“On my way!”
Brian felt around for
the window facing the staircase. He fumbled for the latches, pushing it open to
provide more fresh air to soothe their burning lungs and skin. He scrubbed at
his eyes with the curtain, restoring a little of his sight. They still stung like
he’d rubbed them with a jalapeno pepper, but he could see. A little. It was
blurry, but it was better than nothing. Yanking the curtain from the rod, he
wiped at Nulli’s eyes.
“Killian is here,
sweetheart. The Wardens are, too.” He folded the cloth and wiped at her flowing
eyes. Each round of coughing brought more pain, more hisses and growls, more
tears. They also stirred his fury. “If that bitch is out there, then this
bullshit ends tonight.”
Heavy boots pounded up
the stairs. Brian whirled around, claws and fangs out and ready to defend his
mate. An unknown male, dressed all in black, topped the stairs. He carried a
flashlight in one hand, a strange pistol in the other. The intruder triggered his
mic.
“Found’em, boss. Second
floor, top of stairwell. Looks like we interrupted a bit of fun.” Brian growled
as the man’s dark eyes swept over them both, lingering with a smirk on the
harness Nulli still wore.
“Tranq them both. A
mated pair will provide invaluable research as well as a shit-ton of money.” The receiver distorted the female’s voice, but
Nulli’s low growl told him everything he needed to know. Andrea Flagston
commanded these intruders.
“Roger that.” The
soldier clicked off the mic and grinned. “Here kitty kitty kitty.”
Brian roared, swinging
at the man with his cast. He kept his body between the gun and his mate. More
footsteps on the stairs. He feinted with the cast, then slashed with his claws.
The gun fell to the floor as the man released a pained curse. Brian kicked the
weapon behind him, towards Nulli.
The intruder swung the
butt of the flashlight towards his head. He ducked out of the way of the
makeshift club. While the man was off balance, Brian backhanded him with the
cast. Bone and cartilage collapsed under the force as the soldier’s nose
shattered. The plaster cracked, sending bolts of agony up his broken arm. He
focused his pain and anger on the intruder - raining blows upon his chest,
slashing at his protective gear with his claws, and herding the man towards the
top of the staircase.
“Where’s Nulli?”
Killian’s deep voice rumbled from the stairs. The soldier turned and paled at
the sight of the large bear shifter. Killian was furrier, broader, and taller
in his hybrid form. His claws glinted in the faint light. His fangs pressed
against his lips.
“Behind me. Get her out
of here, Killian. The fuckers gassed us and her ribs haven’t healed yet.”
“On it.” Gripping the
soldier by the back of his neck, the bear shifter tossed him down the stairs
and started towards Nulli. He released a growling chuckle. “Damn, Arcady. You
are one lucky cat.” Killian unbuckled the harness before scooping Nulli into
his arms. His mate’s coughs didn’t cease, and she groaned as Killian adjusted
his hold on her. “I’ll take her outside to the garden hose. She needs away from
the gas and to have this shit hosed off her if she’s gonna get any kind of
relief.”
“Protect her, Killian.
Flagston is here. I want that bitch.”
“With my life, Brian.”
Nodding, the bobcat
prowled down the stairs, followed by Killian carrying Nulli. They moved towards
the shattered patio door while Brian stopped at the base of the stairs. The
soldier lay in a tumbled heap across the bottom three steps. When Brian kicked
his legs to the side, he was rewarded with an answering groan. If the man still
lived, he could provide information. He slapped the man’s face a few times
until his eyes fluttered open.
“Where’s Flagston?”
“Fuck you, freak.” Blood
bubbled from the soldier’s curled lip. He tried to crawl away, but the fall had
broken too much. He clutched at his chest and groaned.
Brian wrapped his
uninjured hand around the soldier’s neck, and dragged him across the floor to
the wall. He hoisted the man by his throat, holding him against the wall with
his toes inches above the floor. His claws dug into the vulnerable skin of the
intruder’s neck.
“That wasn’t a request,
asswipe.” He emphasized his point by bashing the man’s head against the wall.
The guard gurgled and clawed at his hand. “Tell me where Flagston is or I swear
I will gut you right here and now and hang you by your entrails.”
He shifted closer to his
hybrid form. Whiskers sprouted from his cheeks. His ears shifted, and the fur
tufts peeked out from his hair. Fangs pressed against his bottom lip. He let a
growl boil up from the pit of his stomach, let it build to a throaty roar. The
choking guard paled, then pissed himself.
“What a brave soldier
you are.” Brian hissed at the stench of fear and urine. “Where’s Flagston?”
The man opened and
closed his mouth like a fish. Brian eased him onto his feet, relieving some of
the pressure on the man’s throat. “White panel van, marked as AF Electric. It’s
parked two blocks south. Listen, dude. She said you were an escaped experiment.
She said you were dangerous!”
“All creatures are
dangerous when wounded and cornered. Didn’t you know that?” Brian flexed his claws,
dragging them across the soldier’s throat as he turned away.
He walked through the
living room to the patio. The door’s frame hung off one hinge, bent and
twisted. Its glass littered the floor. Brian stepped around the broken shards,
looking and listening for his mate. The backyard showed signs of the battle.
Three black-suited soldiers lay against the side of the house, covered in
blood. A fourth huddled on the patio, his arms and ankles bound by the belts of
his former associates. A naked female stood guard over the captured intruder.
“Sorry about that,
Brian.” Dr. Roberts motioned towards an unconscious wolf. “Foster was going for
the two with the tear gas but got his ass tranq’d. His yelp is all that alerted
us to the attack.”
“Have you seen Nulli?
Killian brought her out just a second ago.”
“The bear? Yeah. He took
her to the side to hose her down. Best way to get the worst of the gas off her.
For being a randy old sod, he kicked some serious ass tonight. And damn, he’s huge!”
“I need to check on her,
then I’m going after Flagston.”
“She’s that close?
Dammit. I’ll get some of the Wardens together and go with you. She may have
more of these mercenaries.”
Brian nodded and moved
towards the side of the house. He heard Nulli’s soft growls first. They were
lower in pitch and volume than in her human form. When he rounded the corner,
his growls joined hers. Killian was very naked and sitting way too close to his
mate. The bear shifter looked up, rolled his eyes, and moved from where he was
towelling the water from the slender bobcat.
“I’m not fondling your
mate, for fuck’s sake. She’s gorgeous and bendy, but she’s yours, Brian. I know
that. You know that. And she’d be more than happy to remind me of that should I
get grabby.”
Nulli snorted before
joining him. Brian knelt and ran his fingers over her fur. “I’m going after
her, kitten. I can’t let her get away. Will you please stay with Killian? Doc
Roberts and a few of the Wardens are going with me to make sure I don’t do
something permanently stupid.”
She sat on her haunches,
tilted her head to the side, and sneezed. He sighed and shook his head with a
rueful smile. “That’s what I thought. Please, be careful at least?”
Nulli shook the water
from her fur and flashed her canines. He’d have to take that as her word.
“I’m going, too.”
Killian stood. “Someone’s got to keep you out of trouble.” He bent over,
transitioning smoothly into a huge brown bear. Brian shook his head again and
hoped the neighbors didn’t call animal control.
“Very well. She’s up the
road in a panel van. Let’s grab the wolves and get that bitch.”
Dr. Roberts shoved a
pair of sweatpants at him when he rejoined her at the back. “You can’t shift
until that cast comes off, and I forgot to pack my saw. Your neighbors might
appreciate the view, but you don’t want to get picked up for public lewdness.”
“Yeah, whatever.” He
stepped into the pants and cinched the waist tight. The cloth rubbed at his
skin, still coated with a fine layer of tear gas, and caused it to sting. He
growled, grabbing one of the mercenaries’ discarded tranquilizer guns. “How
many are going?”
“Five, but you’ll only
see the one - me. I’ll stay in human form unless my wolf is needed. The other
four will shadow you as wolves out of sight of the humans. It’s bad enough you
have a menagerie walking with you.” Nulli yawned; Killian farted. Roberts
chuckled. “Guess they told me, huh? Lead the way.”
They discussed a plan to
take the van, then left the house under the guard of the remaining Wardens. The
streets were deserted due to the late hour. A dog barked three houses down. One
of the wolf shifters growled, sending the animal running for his doghouse with
a yelp. The street lights were out closer to the white van. It sat in front of
a vacant home, bathed in shadows. The engine hummed quietly. They heard the
faint sounds of voices from within - one female and at least one male.
Nulli stepped off the
sidewalk and prowled forward. Her ears twitching with each each new sound. She
slinked under the van and got into position. Killian lumbered towards the van
down the center of the road. His large size threw all hope of stealth out the
window, so they decided to work with it. He trotted up to the van, pissed on a
tire, then dug a claw into the thick rubber. Once the air started hissing out,
he moved to the front to do the same and knocked the mirror out of alignment in
passing.
When the engine chugged
to a stop, Nulli emerged from beneath it. Whatever wires or hoses met their end
at the sharp edge of her claws had been well-chosen. She reached the yard’s
easement and kicked grass and dirt towards the van with her back paws. Brian
smothered a grin at her obvious disdain.
With the van out of
commission and the mirror disabled, Brian and Roberts moved towards the back. A
policeman’s nightstick slid through the back doors’ handles, effectively
locking them from the outside. That left only the side doors to watch. Nulli
and Roberts watched the driver’s door, while Brian and Killian guarded the
passenger side. Brian nodded. Killian ducked under the passenger window,
grabbed the sliding side door, and peeled it from the van like a sardine can
lid.
The scream of tortured
metal grated on the shifters’ sensitive ears. The first mercenary to jump from
the van caught a tranquilizer dart to the chest. Brian scowled. He’d been
aiming for the bastard’s face. Tossing aside the useless weapon, he shifted
towards his hybrid form.
“Andrea Flagston,” he
growled as he advanced on the ruined door. His claws scraped down the side of
the van with a high-pitched scritching sound. “Stop hiding behind your hired
thugs. You wanted to study a shifter? Then get out here, bitch.”
The driver’s door
opened. Brian heard the quiet discharge of Robert’s pistol then his mate’s
roar. The van rocked when something, or someone, slammed against it with
extreme force. He smiled. “Two down. How many more do you have between you and
us?”
“PSI Tech knows about
you, Arcady!” The female voice held no trace of fear. Either she was that
confident or that clueless. Brian figured it was a mix of both. “They’ll come
after you again and again until we have you and your mate.”
“Bullshit. PSI Tech is
done for, and you know it. The Feds have shut you down. Even if you hadn’t been
stupid enough to come after us, you’d be going to prison.”
Brian risked a look
inside the van. It was empty other than an array of computers and a single
human female. He stepped around the shredded door. When he entered the van, she
pointed a tranquilizer pistol at him. He lunged forward and knocked it from her
hand with a growl. The crunch of bones when his cast smashed into her fingers
made him smile.
“I don’t think so.”
“What do you want?” Her
voice shook as she scrambled away from him. His smile grew wider as the scent
of her fear filled the van. “A promise that we’ll leave you alone? Fine, you’ve
got it.” He shook his head and stalked forward. She pressed against the back
doors, triggering the latch. The doors bowed open but stopped due to the
nightstick barring them shut. He chuckled softly. “Money? I’ve got a nice
stash. Name your price.”
“I don’t want your blood
money or your empty promises. You see, I already have what I want. You.” He
held up his cast. “You pushed us into traffic. You injured my mate, separated
us, scared her, almost killed her. She looks over her shoulder now, because of
you. She’s suspicious of new people now. Because of you. Her life has changed
in a way I never wanted for her. Because. Of. You.” Heat crept up the back of
his neck. Each breath was measured, his steps precise. He enjoyed the role
reversal, and he rolled his head in a small circle as he moved closer. “I’m
here to make certain you can’t do that again.”
For every time Nulli
jumped at a sound, for every instance his mate looked over her shoulder, for
every moment they spent apart in the hospital, he’d make the human pay.
Flagston had done more damage than she realized. She’d awakened a part of him
he didn’t know existed. Something wild. Primal. Dangerous.
“Of course!” Flagston
cowered against the doors, cradling her injured hand against her chest.
“Whatever you want. I’ll leave town. The state. Hell, I’ll even leave the
country if you want!”
Brian shook his head and
reached for her. “Not good enough. See, I don’t trust you, so there’s only one
way to be certain.” He wrapped his fingers around her neck. She tugged at his
wrist as tears sprang to her eyes.
“You’re not a killer,
Arcady. I’ve watched you long enough to know that.”
“I wasn’t.” Brian
tightened his grip on her neck. His claws pierced the fragile skin. She
struggled in his grasp as she realized she couldn’t talk her way out of this.
“Until you made me one.”
He watched the life fade
from her eyes as his fingers tightened on her throat. Blood poured over his
claws to stain the floor. His chest heaved. A cold chill washed over his body.
He tossed the body aside with a snarl. She lay in a crumpled heap. Her hair
obscured her face. The jagged wounds he’d caused. The blood. It couldn’t cover
the smell, though. He backed away, eyes locked on her still body. He strained
to hear her heartbeat, but couldn’t over his own as it pounded in his ears. His
stomach roiled. He had to get out of there. Scrambling from the van, Brian
avoided the Wardens’ questions. He needed air. He needed to clear his nose of
the scent of blood dripping out the back doors. He collapsed to his knees on a
grassy lawn and lost the contents of his stomach.
A furred head butted
against his hand with a purr. He looked up and into the golden eyes of his
mate. With a choked cry, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in
the fur on her back. Roberts was talking to someone behind them. The other
Wardens stepped from the shadows to surround the van. There were sirens in the
distance. He ignored them all, clinging to his mate and inhaling her wonderful
scent.
Nulli pawed at his hand.
When he loosened his hold, she took a step towards their house. She looked over
her shoulder and mewled. He rose to his feet and glanced over his shoulder.
Killian and Dr. Roberts were talking with the Wardens. The bear shifter caught
his eye and motioned for them to leave. His eyes drifted towards the van before
returning to his friend. He nodded his thanks and followed his mate home.
The Wardens had been
busy in their absence. The bodies were gone from the patio, along with the surviving
mercenary. The patio door was boarded over with a sheet of plywood. Inside had
also been cleaned of bodies and blood. They’d swept away the broken glass,
scrubbed the walls until only a faint whiff of tear gas remained, and patched
the broken bedroom window with plastic sheeting and duct tape.
Nulli nudged him towards
the shower, shifting back to human form once the bathroom door closed behind
them. He melted into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist and
grounding himself with her scent.
She inhaled near his
neck and hissed out a breath. “Let’s get you in the shower and scrub you down.
That gas stings.”
He let her help remove
the borrowed sweat pants. His eyes followed her every movement, as if afraid
she would suddenly disappear if he looked away. Or run. Or get taken. He felt
detached from it all, like he was watching from somewhere outside his body.
When she stepped into the shower, he followed. She adjusted the spray just how
he liked it, and helped him scrub every inch.
The burning stopped, his
vision cleared completely, but he hardly noticed. He went through the motions,
but his thoughts were elsewhere. The events of the night played through his
memories like a psychotic slideshow he couldn’t escape. He remembered with perfect
clarity the sound the glass made as it dropped onto the floor, the hiss of the
cannister that emitted the tear gas. He remembered the coughs that shook his
mate’s body, her pained hisses, her agonized growls. He remembered the way time
seemed to freeze when he stared down the barrel of a gun, then the way it
rushed forward on terrified legs.
Nulli’s arms wrapped
around him. Her warm body kept him from sinking to the floor as more memories
assaulted him. Killian throwing the soldier down the stairs like so much
garbage. Brian holding him against the wall. His claws slashing his throat.
Andrea’s smug certainty in her ability to get away with it all. Her fear. Her
blood. Her death. His shoulders shook. The water washed away the gas, the soap,
and the tears. Through it all, Nulli never let go. She rubbed his back, kissed
his chest and neck, and held him.
“Are you okay, kitten?”
His voice was hoarse and muffled against her neck. He was reluctant to let her
go for even a second.
“I’m fine.” She nuzzled
into him even more, held him tighter, and exhaled a slow breath. “Are you all
right?”
“I don’t know.” He
placed a soft kiss to her neck. His hand trembled on her back. “I killed tonight,
Nulli. Two humans. I don’t know what to think about that.”
She didn’t flinch,
didn’t pull away. She kept right on holding him and never stopped running her
fingers up and down his back. “I’m glad you’re still with me, Brian. We can get
through the rest together.”
“I didn’t even think. I
just wanted them to leave us alone. To stop hunting us and hurting us. When I
had the chance, I did it without hesitation.” He pulled her closer, taking
deep, gulping breaths to stop the tears that wanted to flow. “God help me, I’d
do it again, kitten. I’d do it if it meant they couldn’t hurt you again.”
“Shh.” Nulli tilted her
head up and met his gaze. She didn’t speak at first, and when she placed a
light kiss on the corner of his mouth, he closed his eyes. “You never know what
can happen until you find yourself in the situation. It’s all over now. They
can’t hurt us anymore.”
“Can we go to bed? I
just want to hold you. We can deal with the rest of the crap tomorrow. Tonight,
I need to know you’re okay.”
“Okay. We can do that,
but I’m all right, Brian. I promise."
"Thank you,
kitten." He pulled back and brushed his lips over hers. As they rinsed
away the last of the soap, the doorbell rang. He tensed, a low growl forming in
his chest. Stepping from the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist. His
claws and fangs lengthened. Fur formed along his arms and chest. “Stay alert.”
Nulli scrambled to throw
on a pair of shorts and a top. “I don’t think PSI Tech would ring the doorbell,
Brian.”
“Nothing would surprise
me at this point.”
He crept down the
stairs, avoiding the one that squeaked. Taking a detour into the kitchen, he
grabbed a large carving knife from the block by the stove. He peered through
the peephole in the door. His shoulders sagged. He placed the knife on a nearby
shelf before unlocking the door.
“Mr. Arcady? I’m Officer
Schweitzer. I just need to verify a few details for the reports.”
“Sure. Come on in.”
Brian opened the door with his heart thudding in his chest. What did the police
need from him? A signed confession? He reached for Nulli’s hand. She twined
their fingers together.
Schweitzer sat and
pulled out a small notebook. “Just a few questions then I can let you folks get
a bit of rest before tackling the rest of the cleanup. You notified the Wardens
of Flagston’s involvement with PSI Tech after an automobile accident. Was that
the first time you had encountered her?”
“How do you know about
the Wardens?” Nulli spoke up, a slight growl to her voice. “You’re human.”
“Yes, ma’am, but my
partner’s not. I joined the Wardens right out of the academy to help keep him
safe.” The officer pulled a photograph from his wallet. It was a typical beach
shot of a happy couple, sleek and tanned, a drink in each hand.
Brian returned the
picture, relaxing a bit more. “You look good together. My dad told me there
were sympathetic humans who worked with the Wardens. I didn’t know any had
joined, though.”
“I’m one of a few test
cases.”
“Okay.” Nulli relaxed
against his side. “I’d met Flagston a few weeks ago at the gym where I work.
Things escalated quickly after that.”
“Yeah, these groups are
quick to move once they pick a target. Bunch of vultures.” The officer shook
his head and sighed. “Okay, your very large, very inappropriate friend has
possession of the PSI Tech computers from the van. He said he could even
recover stuff that had been deleted. But damn, he comes on stronger than a
drunk hooker.”
Nulli rolled her eyes.
“That bear is out of control.”
Brian chuckled. “And you
say I have no filter, mate. If his dick is interested, he goes for it. It’s a
good thing he’s a big guy, else he’d get his ass kicked on a regular basis. I
don’t see how Melody puts up with him.”
“Or survives him.” Nulli
snorted, shaking her head.
“No kidding!” The cop
glanced over his shoulder like he expected the larger man to burst in and resume
his advances. “I thought I was going to have to taser him! I think half the
Wardens are ready to bite him.”
His mate’s light
laughter lowered his tension. “He’d probably like that.” She shook her head. “I
remember the first time I met him. He’s a lot to take in.”
“In more ways than one.”
The officer grinned. “Now, last thing, then I’ll go. Other than the Wardens, is
there anyone else who is aware of PSI Tech’s involvement in the testing of
shifters?”
“My mother, Margaret
Arcady.” Brian caressed the back of Nulli’s hand where it rested on his knee.
Her skin was so smooth, it soothed him to simply stroke her. “Melody Kleptner,
the bear’s mate.”
“The bear is mated and
still tries to bang anything that breathes? Poor woman!”
“They have a very open
relationship. Don’t try to understand it.” He smiled when Nulli started a low
purr. “Oh! There’s also Terry. Terrance Jones. They approached him for a job,
and he has been feeding us information when he could. I think that’s it,
though. Nulli?”
Nulli nodded. “That’s it.
I haven’t talked to anyone else about the Wardens aside from Natalia, but she’s
a Warden herself.”
“Good. If you’ll give me
some contact info on these folks, I’ll give the names to Dr. Roberts and let
her wrap things up from her end.” The officer put away his notebook and stood.
“That’s all I needed. Hopefully, things will quiet down now that the Feds have
PSI Tech’s assets wrapped up.”
“Wait.” Brian squeezed
Nulli’s hand then rose from the sofa. “What about what happened? I mean, the
break-in and the, um, bodies?”
“Ah, yes. Damn, I’d
forget my head if it wasn’t attached.” He pulled a folded paper from his pocket
and held it out. “Here’s the preliminary police report. You’ll need to wait a
few days to get the official one, but your insurance should start processing
your claim with this.”
Brian scanned the
document as his thoughts raced. He hadn’t even thought of Nulli’s insurance,
just the two deaths he’d caused. He ran his hand through his hair as he passed
the paper to his mate. “Let me get this straight. The official report will say
that we were having a party and some burglars broke the windows? That’s it?”
“That’s the official
word, Mr. Arcady. The bodies will go in the morgue with a John Doe tag on them.
They’ll be identified later as victims of a tragic camping accident.”
“But…”
“These men were the bad
guys, sir. Not you. You have a right to defend your home and your mate from
intruders. Even had we written it up differently, these men were armed so you
still wouldn’t face any charges. It’s only because they were killed with claws
that we have to disguise how they died.”
Brian reached for Nulli
and pulled her into his arms. He was shaking so badly, he needed her support.
“I wasn’t expecting…” He shook his head, burying his nose in his mate’s curls.
“It’s not ‘by the book’
for the human police department, but it’s how I’m going to write it up.
Anything else risks exposure.” He opened the door and put his hat on. “Again,
thank you for your cooperation. Have a good day.”
The click of the door
sent a shudder down his spine. “When I saw the cop at the door, I thought I was
going to jail, kitten. I killed two people. Isn’t that usually what happens
when you kill someone?”
Nulli held him tighter
and breathed deep. "After all the crap that happened tonight, I don't know
what to think. These people broke in with gas and guns. What if you didn't
fight back? What if we were here alone? I'm glad Natalia and the others were
here, but I'm glad you were too. I don't know what would have happened if you
weren't." Her voice cracked as she spoke the last words. "You saved
our lives. You didn't hesitate. If you had, we'd be at some lab or worse."
“I couldn’t let them
touch you. I couldn’t lose you like my mom lost my dad.” He nuzzled aside her
hair and kissed her neck. “All I could think about was protecting you. With the
gas making it hard to breathe for me, I knew you had to be in agony with your
ribs still broken. I was so scared they’d get to you and I would be too slow.
When I got my claws on that one human, there was no way I was letting him live.
If he lived, he could come back and hurt you. I objected strongly to that idea,
as you can see.” He looked up from her hair with a shaky smile.
"It's going to take
awhile to shake the feelings we both have about what happened, but I don't want
you beating yourself up. They came into our home ready and willing to do
whatever it took to take us. You protected us. I think the law would agree.
I've never had to end a life before, but if I was going to, keeping you safe
would be a good motivator."
He brushed a stray curl
from her face, smoothing his fingers over her cheeks. His smile firmed up and
he leaned in for a soft kiss. “I know. It’ll be a while, as you said, but even
now I can’t think of how I could have acted any other way. You’re mine, kitten.
I’m a tad possessive.” He nibbled at her bottom lip. “Now, are you awake enough
to start cleaning up or did you want to rest some more?”
A low groan rumbled in
her throat as she rolled her eyes. "This is going to take forever."
“Yeah. We’re going to
have to scrub the walls upstairs. Even though the Wardens did a decent job, I
can still smell that gas.”
"I really wish I
could just hire someone, leave, and come back to things being the way they
were. Guess that's not possible, huh?"
“I don’t see why not. We
could at least get estimates.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Anything for my
kitten. I’m just so damn happy you’re okay, I’d agree to most anything.”
"Well, kind of hard
to explain what happened to a cleaning company." Nulli paused and
scrunched her nose. "Do we even know how to clean tear gas? I think the
windows are covered by homeowners insurance. If the police report is accepted,
that is."
“I have no clue how to
clean tear gas. I’m sure we could Google it. You can find out everything else
in the world, why not that?” He backed up, pulling her along until he bumped
into the sofa. Sitting, he pulled her onto his lap and buried his nose in her
hair with a soft purr. “We could also ask the doctor if she knows of any
shifter companies who contract with the Wardens. They’ve probably run into this
sort of thing before.”
Nulli smiled and
returned his purr with one of her own. “That sounds like a plan. I’m sure
she’ll stop by before she leaves. If there weren’t any new asses to sniff,
Killian would already be back.”
Brian chuckled and
nipped her neck. “Behave. That bear may have saved our ass tonight,
sweetheart. Although…” His purr shifted to a low growl. “He was a bit too close
to you when you were naked. And he was naked. I’m not too thrilled with that
part. Lecherous bear better keep his damn hands to himself.”
“I don’t think he had a
chance to see everything. I shifted and walked out of the dress.” She closed
her eyes tight and shook her head. “God, he saw me in the dress. Quick, kiss me
or something before I die of embarrassment.”
“Now that is an idea I
can support with enthusiasm.” He nibbled his way along her jaw then up to her
lips. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, lapped at it with his tongue,
then scraped it with a fang. Releasing it, he traced her lips with his tongue
before delving inside her mouth. God, she tasted like honey and ambrosia and
all things wonderful. Purring, he pulled her closer, tangling his hand in her
riot of curls. When he finally came up for air, they were both breathing
heavily and all thoughts of their ursine friend had fled.
After a few quick
breaths, Nulli pinched his ear. “Easy, kitty. You know our guests will
be back.”
He groaned, leaning his
head back onto the cushion. “Can’t we tell them to go flush their heads? This
is much more therapeutic.”
Nulli raised an eyebrow
and rolled her eyes. “Do you really think Killian would leave if he thought he
might get to watch, or listen in?”
“You have a point.
Damned perverted bear. Why are we friends again?”
“That’s a loaded
question, kitty.” Not a hint of malice bled into her tone, and given the context,
he was grateful for that. “So, you try and calm that cock of yours down, and
I’ll try to keep my hips still until they’re all gone. Deal?” She leaned up and
flashed her fangs. “And if you’re good, I won’t be later.”
“You are making it very
hard to be good, mate.” He grabbed her hips and held them still. “I think it’s
my turn to be bad. I had all the fun last time. It’s time to spoil you silly.”
“Really?” Killian’s
booming voice echoed in the small room as the door cracked against the wall. “I
want to watch! Didn’t see near enough of that sexy, bendy body when she went
all furry on me. Damn, Nulli, you couldn’t have taken the dress off first?”
Nulli scooted out from
under him and glared at Killian. “You still don’t have any clothes on bear.”
“Nope!” He flexed with a
grin, showing off a pair of giant… fangs. “On my way to get them now. I
didn’t shift wearing my clothes like someone I know. Carry on. When I get back,
I expect a show. I have a few bucks I can throw.” He winked and crossed the
room, ducking the cushion Brian threw at him.
“I’m going to kill him.”
Brian flexed his claws as he glared at Killian’s broad back. “Shred him into
bitty-bits and scatter him in a pig sty.”
“He saved our asses,
remember? That’s what you told me.” Nulli shrugged before her own claws
appeared. “I wish he would throw money at me. I will not leave bits for the
pigs.”
“I heard that!”
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