Never Cry Wolf (Night Watch #4)(39)
Author: Cynthia Eden

But Caleb wasn’t fighting or answering. Caleb wasn’t—

Watch out! Sarah’s voice in his mind. Weaker than before.

Lucas jumped back instinctively, but the bullet still hit him; this time, it lodged in his back. Fuck. Fire burned near his spine. Lucas’s claws dug into the earth. The coyotes were coming back, closing in, but screw them.

He took the pain that blazed through his body. Took it, used it, and Lucas launched into the air. His paws crashed into Rafe, and the ass**le fell. The gun flew from his fingers and hit the ground. Rafe fought him, catching his claws, holding tight with both hands. Lucas’s blood dripped on the bastard.

A coyote locked his teeth around Lucas’s right hind leg. Another dog caught the left. They dragged him off as he howled his rage.

Rafe laughed. “Guess the mighty have f**king fallen, huh?” The other coyotes attacked.

The last thing Lucas saw was Sarah’s face. She’d staggered to her feet. Blood dripped down her cheek and terror filled her eyes.

Lucas. Her desperate fear filled his mind.

Don’t worry, babe. I got this.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Then he couldn’t see anything but teeth and claws.

“Stay here,” Dane ordered as the van squealed to a stop.

“You try to break free, you so much as make a single sound . . .”

The woman with the golden eyes blinked at him. She lifted her bound hands and pointed to her gag.

“You try to escape, I’ll have to knock you out again.” Right, he was bullshitting there. He wouldn’t be around to knock her out. Because the blood was flowing close by and the fight called. He grabbed her arms and jerked her up toward him. “Stay here.”

She blinked and then gave a slow nod.

He sprang from the van, ran, and knew that she’d be long gone when he came back.

If he came back.

He rushed down the dark road. He hadn’t parked too close, that would have been dangerous. But he could hear the fight, the snarls and the growls, and when he rounded the corner, he knew he’d see—

Caleb jumped at him and took his ass down to the pavement.

“You bitch,” Rafe snarled, whirling on Sarah. “I was going to let you live, I was going to—”

Bullshit. He’d already sent his attack dogs after her. Hayden had been ready to slice her open.

Piers had finally shaken free of the coyotes who’d attacked him. The big white wolf stalked toward the group attacking Lucas. His movements were slow, and blood soaked his right side.

“For old times’ sake,” Rafe told her with the grin that had once made her heart race faster, “I’ll make it quick.”

She kept her gaze on him, but she let her thoughts shoot out, let her mind connect with the wolf. Piers.

His rage hit her first. The wild fury of the wolf. Destroy. Attack. Protect Alpha.

“Our old times are over,” Sarah said, lifting her chin. She could feel the wetness of blood on her cheek. “And they were never that good.”

Rafe’s eyes narrowed with a flare of rage.

Piers, come to me.

The white wolf froze. She swallowed and kept her gaze on Rafe. He could strike at any moment. She didn’t have time for . . .

“You’re right,” Rafe said. “They weren’t that good.” His gaze dismissed her. “So maybe I will make this hurt.”

Great. She should have kept her mouth shut.

Piers, here. Attack!

The white wolf’s body shuddered and he began running toward her. Fast, faster . . . “There’s something you should know,” Sarah told Rafe quietly.

One brow rose.

“I definitely plan to make your death hurt.” Attack him Piers! The white wolf hit Rafe, and they both barreled to the ground.

She muttered, “Guess you didn’t see him coming,” and her shoulders sagged.

Go for the throat, Piers. Go for—

Rafe shoved off the white wolf as he screamed in agony. Piers had bitten him. Not a death bite, not deep enough but—

Rafe tossed the white wolf into the side of the warehouse. Piers was so weak he wasn’t fighting back.

“No!”

Rafe spun back to her. “You—”

Get back, Sarah. Lucas’s order, drifting in her mind. Run.

She stumbled, nearly fell in the blood on the ground, but then she turned and ran as fast as she could.

“Come back, damn you!” Rafe’s scream. He’d be running after her. He’d be—

She risked a glance over her shoulder. Lucas had him. They were fighting, man versus wolf. Rafe wouldn’t be able to defeat Lucas, not while Lucas was in wolf form. But . . .

But Lucas was hurt. He’d taken two silver hits. His pain beat at her, steady, burning, a fire that churned from the inside of his body. In the blood.

Lucas?

Rafe lifted something, metal glinted. No, not just metal. Silver. Her knife. Sarah tripped and hit the cement. Her hand went to her ankle sheath. Gone. Hell, no, she’d lost her knife.

She whipped her head back to the fight. The coyotes were down or limping away, Piers wasn’t moving, but Rafe was still up, and slashing out with that knife.

She couldn’t run and leave Lucas. If Rafe killed him . . .

Snarls reached her ears. Angry, fierce. Sarah barely had time to stagger to her feet when two more wolves burst onto the scene.

A white wolf with a pelt already stained red. A black wolf with teeth dripping blood. Caleb and Dane.

She tried to reach their minds, but found only a tangle of fury and desperation.

Sarah sucked in a deep breath. She could do this. Rafe had been right about one thing. She had her secrets. Not weak. At least, not now she couldn’t be weak. Her heart pounded so hard her chest shook but she advanced on Caleb and Dane.

Dane, break away. Go help Lucas.

Dane’s big body shuddered. He glanced up at her. Caleb swiped his claws down Dane’s right side. Sarah winced, feeling the pain herself. Dane, go.

He wouldn’t be able to resist her order. In wolf form, he’d be helpless.

Because Sarah couldn’t just talk to the wolves. Rafe had actually spoken the truth. She could control the wolves.

A rare charmer—and a dangerous one. As Rafe had come to learn.

Dane bounded away from Caleb. The white wolf shook his head, frowning. She caught Caleb’s thoughts, heard the—

Come back and fight, bastard—

“No.” She stepped forward. Caleb growled at her as his head lowered toward the ground. He arched, bending low, getting ready to attack. Stand down, Caleb.

A tremor shook his body.