Season of the Witch (Claws Clause 2)

“Not yet.”

Rafe shook his head. “I didn’t think you were right for him, but he’s got his heart set on you. He won’t like this.”

“He doesn’t need to know. It’s nothing.”

Nothing?

Colt couldn’t stop himself as he turned to look at her. With her locked-down shields, he couldn’t catch her true feelings through her scent, but he refused to believe she meant it when she said that he was nothing.

Her expression was wretched. Full of worry and fear, she had her hands folded in front of her chest. She couldn’t meet the demands written in every hard line of Colt’s body, instead pleading wordlessly with the Nightwalker.

Colt stood there, stunned.

What the hell was going on?

Shea gasped again before reaching out to clutch Colt’s arm. “Look out!”

He spun around, breaking contact with Shea as he moved forward to intercept Rafe.

The Nightwalker had taken his momentary lapse as an invitation to fight. As soon as Colt’s back was turned, he made his move.

Rafe was quick. Not as quick as Colt and his wolf, but quicker than he expected. He moved like a blur, making Colt’s head spin as he hunched his shoulders, tracking his target. Shifting would take a second, but he didn’t even have that much time to spare with the Nightwalker threat so close to his mate.

He had something to protect. It made him more vulnerable than he would’ve liked since he had to keep one ear cocked for Shea, the other listening to the wind whistle as Rafe darted around him, looking for the perfect opportunity to attack. He got in a few lucky swipes, carving Colt’s bare arms up like he was a hunk of meat, but he never got close enough for either of them to use their fangs.

Colt could sense Shea hovering a few steps behind him. Terrified that Rafe was only distracting him so that he could get to the witch, Colt spared one brief second to toss an order over his shoulder—“Shea, get inside”—before he stretched his fingers, extending his claws, ready to strike back.

Turned out, that second really was one second too long. Rafe took advantage of it, folding his hands together, swinging up toward Colt’s face, connecting with his cheek and shattering his cheekbone.

It was a sucker punch. Rafe was a Nightwalker. He’d been expecting fangs, not a cheap shot dead in the face. It was the only reason he was taken by surprise.

The hit sent his head reeling, his chin jerking over his shoulder as he followed through with the punch. Something cracked. Pain flared, dulled almost immediately after. He shook it off.

He did.

A scream tore through the air, slamming into his eardrums and making him wince, it was so high-pitched and super loud.

Shea!

She was crumpled on the ground, her hands clutching her head like she was the one who’d been hit. It looked like she’d been in the middle of listening to Colt’s demand, sprinting toward the open door when something felled her.

Colt’s wolf yipped to see his mate hurting, snapping to catch the man’s attention. Of course she was in agony. Any hit that Colt took, she’d feel the echo through their bond. Not enough to incapacitate her, but even the tiniest twinge was too fucking much.

His wolf was all for the challenge. Toying with the Nightwalker before putting him down was something he would’ve normally done—but not if it meant Shea felt the effects of any lucky hit Rafe got in.

Playtime was over. Time to end this.

The next time Rafe came within reach, Colt lashed his arms out, raking the corpse in the side. Thick, red blood splattered the street, dotting the last of the snow. Rafe hissed, reaching for the gash—though, Colt had to admit, the Nightwalker was probably way more pissed that Colt had clawed him right through two layers, tearing a slit in his expensive suit jacket and the designer shirt underneath.

It was the distraction he needed. Ducking his head, Colt ran at Rafe like he was a linebacker for the PFL. His body might be leaner than his older brother’s, but Colt had spent his entire puphood sparring with Maddox. He could mimic Maddox’s moves better than most.

The Nightwalker never knew what hit him.

Colt led with his shoulder, hitting Rafe square in the chest. Grabbing him by the waist, using his momentum to snatch him off of the ground, Colt threw Rafe as far away from him as he could—

Smash.

—which just so happened to be right at the front window of Moonshadow Apothecary.