Last Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin 1)

Michael, who should have found him by now.

But Solo still refused to believe his friends were dead. In their line of work, you had to see the body to believe. And even then it was iffy.

John was wily. Blue was a charmer. They were both survivors. No one could keep them down for long. And Solo, well, he was the fixer. He’d always been the problem solver and he would solve this.

Together, they had saved this world from many, many terrible people. Drug suppliers, human slavers, murderers, and those thinking to put together an army and rise up to power. The boys were due for a rescue of their own. And they would reap it, he assured himself. He would make sure of it.

For the next six hours, he was careful to avoid the areas with heavy wolf and bear tracks. And he did well, until a pack of wolves stepped to the edge of the cliff above him. He wanted to curse, but really, there was nothing he could have done. There’d been no tracks to avoid—because the animals had clearly been hunting him.

Bright yellow gazes scanned the daylight, diligently searching for the tasty treat that had been scented. Solo stopped and tossed a narrow glance at Vika, a demand for silence. She nodded to show she understood. He lifted her off her feet and carried her to the nearest boulder. He might outweigh her by more than a hundred and fifty pounds, but still his steps were lighter.

He set the bag at her feet and placed a swift kiss on her lips. Her eyes were wide, glazed with fear and fatigue, but she remained upright as he moved away from her. He was prouder of her with every second that passed.

A low, menacing growl split the air, followed by another.

The wolves had spotted him. Now they jumped, landing behind him in quick succession. He heard the thump of their paws, and could calculate the location of each.

Solo spun around, palming the rifle and squeezing off a shot. There was no loud bang, only a mild pop, the makeshift silencer doing its job. One creature stilled, his leg now sporting an open wound, while the others leapt at him. Rage engulfed him. Rage that these animals had placed his woman in danger, that they could have harmed her.

Just before contact, he morphed into his other form, making it impossible to use the rifle. He dropped the gun and grabbed two of the wolves by the scruffs of their necks, slamming them together, blocking one of their friends from his jugular. The other bounced to the ground, and he tossed the ones he held on top.

The remaining three had latched onto his legs and were chewing on his calves. Red dripped and splattered across the snow, scenting the air with a copper tang. He tossed one to the left, one to the right, and grabbed hold of the last. Lifting the creature high, he threw back his head and roared.

The others began to back away from him. He launched the one squirming in his grip, and the wolf slammed into its friends. No longer content to inch away, the entire pack turned tail and ran.

A strange sound behind him had him looking back, concerned. Vika stood in the very place he’d left her, but she was holding the gun X had told her to steal. And she was shaking, pale.

“I . . . I couldn’t fire. I’m sorry. I tried. I wanted to help you, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t, because all I could think about was One Day, and the way he looked at me when Jecis made me shoot him, and the others as they died, and I . . . I’m so, so sorry!”

An apology. After everything she’d just witnessed. Once again, she wasn’t disgusted by his fighting ability and the knowledge floored him.

He held his hands up, palms out and moved toward her. His nails retracted. “Sweetheart, it’s okay. It’s actually better that you didn’t. You haven’t practiced with a gun, and you could have shot me. Do you want to shoot me?”

“No!”

Gently he pried the gun from her kung fu grip and stuffed the barrel into the waist of his pants. He tugged her into his arms and held her, just held her as she cried, very glad he had allowed the wolves to live.

“I’m sorry. Now isn’t the time for emotion.” She lifted her head, revealing watery eyes that hurt his very soul. “I need to tend to your injuries.”

“And you can, the moment we get to the cabin.” He cupped her cheeks, his thumbs dusting away the tears that would always be his undoing. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve had to endure over the years, sweetheart.”

She sniffled out a trembling, “Thank you. But Solo? If you were smart, you’d leave me behind. I know I’ve been trying my best to keep up, just as I promised, but I’m still dragging you down, aren’t I?”

If you were smart, she’d said, obviously clueless about just how badly she’d insulted him.

Why did he want to smile?

“You would be miles and miles from here if you didn’t have to worry about me,” she continued. “Wouldn’t you?”

Probably. “Body heat is important in weather like this.” Not for him, though. Solo didn’t experience cold the same way the humans did. Still he said, “Maybe you’re saving me from frostbite. Maybe you’re saving me from dying of boredom. You’re quite entertaining.”

That mollified her somewhat, and she fiddled with the collar of his shirt. “You’re right. I’m sure I am saving you. And by the way, you’re welcome.”

“Well, it’s about time you two started trusting each other,” a familiar voice said. “It was the lipstick, wasn’t it? I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist her.”

Solo didn’t have to look to know that X had just landed on his shoulder. “Where have you been?”

Vika frowned up at him. “Right here.”

“X,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Really?” She looked right. She looked left. “Where is he?”

“You can’t see or hear him?”

“No.”

“Why can’t she see or hear you right now?” he asked X.

“I am only able to manifest to one person at a time. And to answer your earlier question, I have been recharging. I’ve had to do that a lot lately.”

“It’s taking you longer than usual.”

“I’m using more energy than usual.”

“Where did you go, anyway?”

X looked down, kicked out a sandaled foot. “You know I will not tell you where.”

No, he never did. Still, “thank you” hardly seemed adequate. “I owe you.”

“And I’ll collect, I’m sure,” the little man said with a grin.

But he wouldn’t. He never did.

Why did Solo suddenly feel like ruffling the male’s hair? “Where’s Dr. E?” And how odd to have this conversation in front of someone. He’d never done that before.