Charming the Beast (Purgatory 3)

“Screw you,” Duncan said. Then he fired a tranq dart. The dart came at Keegan, spinning, fast—

He doubled-over. Sagged and hit the bottom of that van.

“Keep an eye on him!” Keegan heard Duncan shout. “Don’t let him out of your sight. If he so much as twitches, shoot him again.”

Then Duncan was running away.

Ah, that was the way of mates. If one was in danger, the other had to rush in to the rescue.

He uncurled his claws. Being a cross-over did have its benefits.

He’d just f**king caught that tranq with his claws. Caught it and…

“Hey, ass**le…” Keegan called to the man standing guard. “I’m twitching.”

The guard—a human—raised his weapon.

Keegan threw the dart at him. It hit the guy in the chest and the man fell back, crying out. But Keegan was already tearing at his shackles. He broke his wrists and he got his hands free. Cracked his ankles and escaped.

When he leapt from the back of that armored van, he was already transforming. He bounded out, moving fast, faster…

Duncan leapt into his path.

Hello, brother. I get to kill you first.

***

Eric beat her to the door. He ripped it right off its hinges, just yanked that heavy metal door out of the way as if it weighed nothing.

Someone has been holding back on us.

Smoke billowed out, choking her, and Chloe put her hands over her mouth. She and Connor ran inside and—

A werewolf leapt at Connor. The beast came out, with his teeth going right for Connor’s throat. Connor grabbed the wolf and slung him back.

“Stop!” Chloe screamed at the wolf. “We’re trying to help you!”

The werewolf charged at her. It rushed, moving faster and faster, and its eyes were wild.

She lifted her gun and fired. The tranq hit the werewolf in the side.

“Shoot first,” Chloe whispered. Right. Okay. She could see where that might be a good idea in this place.

Because it was chaos.

Eric grabbed the wolf Chloe had just hit and dragged him from the inferno. She saw Holly pull another unconscious wolf outside.

Chloe turned to the right and nearly ran into Connor. He wasn’t moving. Just staring at her with a glittering gaze.

“Connor?”

“We need to get out.”

“There are more—” Chloe coughed on the smoke. “More people here…we can help! They’re panicking because of the fire.”

Then she heard the low, menacing growls.

Through the smoke, she saw the increasing glow of the silver eyes.

“No,” Connor said. “They’re attacking because that’s what Keegan wants them to do.”

Connor raised his gun. Her fingers tightened on her weapon. They both fired when the werewolves—at least five of them—attacked.

***

Duncan had Keegan on the ground. Keegan could feel the press of the bastard’s claws on his throat.

He could also hear the thunder of gunfire.

“How long…will their tranqs last?” He knew how to play this jerk. “Are you going to…leave your brother again? Let him scream? Beg?”

Duncan’s gaze shot to the right. Toward the sound of that gunfire.

“Die?” Keegan taunted.

Duncan’s claws cut into Keegan’s throat.

“Maybe you are like our father…”

“Duncan!”

Fuck, now who was it?

But then he caught the scents in the air—the blonde vampire and his mate.

“Duncan, get in there and help Connor! We’ll control Keegan.”

They wished they could.

But Duncan was on his feet. And running for the house.

Keegan stayed on the ground, biding his time. Yes, the vampire was supposed to be strong. He’d researched this one. And the woman with him…he knew she was the one who’d killed David Vincent’s beast. “I should thank you,” he said to her.

The flames were crackling.

“Because of you, I got to be alpha. David was in my way for so long.” He nodded. “So I’ll let you live.”

She glared down at him.

“Don’t have a wish for me?” he taunted her. “Because I thought that was what you did. You made wishes come true.”

“Not anymore,” she told him. Ah, yes, there was a flash of fang.

How disappointing. Now she was just another vamp.

“You should have been more.” He turned his head, but made no move to leap to his feet. “Perhaps you could have saved them then.”

Because it was only a matter of time. He hadn’t just planned one explosion…

That building will burn to the ground.

Time for more fireworks.

***

Another explosion shook the building. Connor grabbed Chloe and held her tight, covering her with his body as chunks of the ceiling rained down on him. “We have to get out!” They’d already dragged out the werewolves who’d attacked them. “Come on, we need to go!”

Chloe was covered in ash and she trembled against him.

Screw this shit. It had obviously been a set-up from the beginning. He lifted Chloe into his arms and ran for the door—

“Help me!”

The words reached him as a whisper. So low. So lost.

A woman’s voice.

He stilled.

“Connor? Connor, what is it?”

He looked over his shoulder. More fire was spreading. More explosions. The place had been set so that it would destroy them when they raced inside.

And it would destroy the paranormals Keegan and the senator had kept here.

One of those paranormals sounded as if she were trapped below. And she was begging for help.

“Connor?”

He carried Chloe outside. The fire was too hot. Burning too bright.

He saw Duncan rushing toward him. Saw Holly just a few steps away. Eric was kneeling near the unconscious pile of werewolves.

Connor’s breath burned in his lungs.

“Help me!” That desperate voice wouldn’t be heard by everyone. No, it—

“Connor, someone is in there!” Chloe’s enhanced senses had picked up the cry. “Someone is trapped!”

Or someone was a trap. He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’ve got her.” And he nodded to Eric as he put Chloe down away from the fire.

I know what I’ll do for Chloe. Everything.

“Connor, wait, no, I’m the one who doesn’t stay dead!” She lunged after him. “Connor!”

He ran back into the fire.

When he looked back, he saw that Eric had wrapped his arms around Chloe and was holding her tight. She was struggling in Eric’s hold, but Eric held tightly to her.