Conall abruptly stopped, his hold tightening as he scowled down at her. “What is it?”
Thea scowled back. “What?”
“Your scent changed. Not fear … but something like it.”
He could smell her emotions? Well, that was invasive. “There’s nothing wrong with me. Stay out of my … scent.”
His growl was intimidating. The guy was huge. But thankfully he kept moving. However, that feeling didn’t wane and Thea began to realize it wasn’t about the Scot. There was danger waiting for them outside.
Great. Her instincts were working. They’d merely decided the werewolf hunting her wasn’t a threat. She gave an internal huff and prepared herself for whatever was coming. She could warn Conall there was something dangerous outside but why would she do that when she could use whatever it was as a distraction to escape?
The big bad wolf had just pushed open the fire door that led out into the parking lot when he went rigid. His grip on her became painful as he stared out into the shadowed lot.
“Someone’s here. A threat.” He glared down at her. “You felt them.”
She shrugged.
“You could have warned me.”
“I could have.”
“Brat,” he muttered under his breath as he stepped carefully out into the lot. He kept a hold on Thea but positioned her partially behind him.
That’s when the first shot fired.
Conall was a blur of movement as he turned to cover her body with his. She felt him jerk and grunt seconds before he pushed her behind a car.
Shocked, Thea stared at his strained features as he slumped against the wall. He’d taken a bullet for her.
What …
More bullets punched through the wall above them as Conall growled. He tried to get up but pain darkened his eyes as he collapsed.
Okay.
Maybe he took more than one bullet.
“Stay,” she ordered, turning toward the gunfire.
Two different directions.
Two gunmen.
“Dinnae.” He grabbed her wrist, his hold still strong. “Dinnae even think about it.”
She wrenched her arm away as he struggled to stand. “We’re sitting ducks.”
Conall slouched over, the color draining from his face. “Silver.” He winced in agony. “The bullets are silver. Know … know I’m a werewolf.”
Thea had read books on supernaturals and in some, they stated silver was poison to a werewolf. She’d always wondered if it was true and if so, why? Guess this was proof. But she still didn’t understand the why.
Not that it mattered.
It just meant it was up to her to deal with the shooters. Whoever they were.
Peeking around the car she saw a shadowed fighter behind a white sedan less than a hundred yards away. Thea pulled back as he fired again.
She braced herself, one hand to the wall, one to the car. And then she pushed off, a streak of movement so fast, not even the quickest supernatural could hit her.
Although Conall had certainly been fast enough to grab her, she remembered, disconcerted. But that was a worry for another time. She had more immediate problems.
One second Thea was behind the car.
Next second, she was behind the shooter, ripping the gun out of his hand and pressing it to his temple. She used his body as a shield against the other gunman somewhere on the opposite side of the lot. She peered around him, searching, and found a woman with a gun pointed at her.
“You’re both human.” Thea dug the gun into the man’s head.
She felt him tremble. “Don’t kill me.” He was English. Huh.
“Weird request coming from a guy who just tried to kill me.”
“Not you. Silver bullets won’t kill you. Our client said so. Those were for the wolf … to get him out of the way.”
“Willis, shut up!” the woman yelled.
Sirens filled the air in the distance.
Thea bit out a curse. “Looks like we don’t have a lot of time. Who sent you?”
“I can’t. They’ll kill me.”
Frustration ripped through Thea. The sirens were getting closer, and she had no time to interrogate the humans. With a growl of anger that would have impressed even Conall, she took the butt of the gun and cracked it across the back of the shooter’s head. He crumpled to the ground.
The female fired at Thea as she dashed across the parking lot, but no one could hit a target that moved as speedily as she did. Thea snapped the gun out of the shooter’s hand and threw a punch with enough strength behind it to knock out a guy Conall’s size.
After, she wiped down the gun and left it by the unconscious woman’s side, deciding to leave the shooters there as a gift for the Polish police. It would give Thea time to get out of Dodge.
With those sirens growing steadily closer, Thea glanced back at the car where Conall laid injured. The facts were that the wolf was trying to deliver her to her greatest enemy.
However, he’d also put himself in front of her when bullets began flying.