Page 19 of Beginnings

Rawson roared and lunged, his form shifting from man to beast. The bear leapt for Doherty but red eyes burst into action. They crashed together in a storm of claws, teeth and power. I willed Rawson to win. His claws swiped at the agent who moved quicker than my eyes could track. One moment the agent was locked in the bear's claws, the next he was behind Rawson. Rawson’s bear flew across the room like he weighed nothing. Rawson’s head slammed into the wall, his huge body landing with a thud and a grunt of pain.

I swallowed my gasp. Whatever this man was, he had just flung a huge alpha bear away like he was swatting a fly. I needed to leave. I knew it, but couldn’t seem to move.

Rawson forced himself up and charged again. His eyes were wild. His roar rocked the foundations of the house, vibrating through the floor and walls, right before he barrelled through the red eyed man, sending him flying this time. Doherty yelled, his eyes wide. He tried to spin out of the murderous bear's way but Rawson was quicker. He swiped his claws, catching Doherty’s face. Doherty fell, screaming and clutching his severed flesh.

Red eyes flipped to his feet and pressed on the mask which covered his mouth. I swallowed hard. There must be a microphone embedded in it.

My heart sank as he called for reinforcements. I knew I should run, but I couldn’t. Instead, I grabbed the door handle. It was suicide to go out there but I needed to help the man who had taken me in and given me everything. I swallowed the ache in my throat. He was my family.

Rawson inhaled. He growled and glared at the cupboard. His eyes narrowed on me and he shook his big furry head. He turned towards red eyes who now had his weapon trained at Rawson.

There was a slight pop, pop, pop.

Rawson spun, his claws slipping on the laminate floor. He opened his massive jaw and bellowed, staggering forward, but it wasn’t to get to red eyes. No, he knew what they’d shot into him. His last conscious moments, he wanted to spend with Lyss. Her soul wasn’t there anymore, but it didn’t matter. Rawson limped towards her remains and laid down against his beloved mate, placing his huge head next to hers.

He released the most pained, mournful sound I’d ever heard. Tears blurred my vision. He glanced at me just before his eyes dropped shut and the door burst open.

SBI agents piled in, their weapons held steady and pointed at the bear.

Holding in my sobs, I forced myself to crawl back into the vent and headed away from my family. Halfway to the exit, I grabbed the bag I’d stowed for emergencies. I had all the money Rawson and Lyss had given me over the years, and the cash I’d earned from Som’s jobs. I’d spent very little. I hadn’t bought clothes because Rawson and Lyss had always bought them for me. I didn’t wear makeup, and I only needed a few toiletries. I didn’t have a passport but that didn’t matter. I knew how to survive under the radar of the SBI. I grabbed the knives and sheaths I’d taken from Lyss’s stash, then the weapons Rawson pretended he didn’t know I had from where I’d stuck them to the pipes.

Like I said—prepared.

Voices echoed behind me.

“I can scent someone in here!” a voice yelled.

Shit! I stuffed everything in my bag, wriggling and crawling as quickly as I could through the duct. There was no time for being careful. I shoved the bag up through the hatch, not bothering to close it, and dove straight under the bushes. I could hear men swearing from inside the duct.

Hope you’re stuck there forever. I could squeeze through because I was small, only five feet four inches and still skinny, but a grown-assed shifter? No way in hell were they going to fit. I scuttled along on my hands and knees right past the rats. Grimacing, I grabbed a rotting carcass and smeared it on my bag, jeans and jacket. It was better than being hunted down.

Dragging the bag behind me with my leg through the handle, I crawled back through the bushes. I reached the lane just as the back garden was illuminated. Glancing back over my shoulder was a big mistake. I didn’t see the agents waiting in the lane. A hand reached into the bush and grabbed my hair. Pain burned across my scalp, but I had the presence of mind to kick the bag off my leg. I prayed that it would be missed in the darkness. I’d be back for it...

The hand wrapped in my bright red hair and dragged me, screeching, from the bushes.

“Shackle her quickly, before she shifts. Don’t want an angry she-wolf on our hands.”

Yeah, especially this one! I wasn’t going down without a fight! My muscles tensed and I slammed my fist up into the SBI agent’s groin. He let go of my hair as I’d hoped he would. I threw my weight down. Landing on my back, I swung my leg around the back of his and took his knees out. He fell forward with a yell. Taking my opportunity, I hammered my boot heel down on his head in an axe kick. He grunted, then laid still. I flicked up onto my feet only to feel a sting in the side of my neck. Instinctively my hand slapped to the source of the pain. Damn! The dart was lodged into my skin. I tugged at it but couldn’t pull it out.

Out of the darkness the shape of a large man approached. Red eyes glinted at me.

“Oh shit…” I uttered and tried to run but my legs wouldn’t respond. I looked down at my stupid unresponsive feet and cursed my own body. Confusion fogged my mind. I had to run. Why couldn’t I? I lashed out at another figure I sensed standing to my right, calling on my wolf to help me. I missed him, my heart squeezing and a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead when my wolf thrashed to escape and couldn’t. Fire perked to attention, sensing my plight. Too late… I told her. I blinked slowly as a blurred figure came to a halt in front of me where I swayed drunkenly.

“Now, now, Ember. Don’t fight. I can’t let you go, not after what you witnessed.” Doherty held a cloth to his bleeding face. Inside, I smirked even though I knew the muscles of my face weren’t responding. I hoped the wounds Rawson had inflicted got infected, and the evil fucker dropped dead. “Besides, I need you for another reason.” His fingers brushed my face and he leaned in close enough his breath warmed my cheek. I flinched away, or I tried. He’d always had an unhealthy obsession with me—one I didn’t understand. “You took something from me, Ember. I want it back. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.”

There was another sharp sting in my neck.

I hissed.

Doherty gave a truly terrifying smile. “Until I find what I need to retrieve her, I can use you for something else.”

The world tilted as I began to fall.

I hit the tarmac but didn’t feel a thing, not even when my head bounced on the road. My eyes closed no matter how much I tried to keep them open.

“Bring her,” Doherty ordered, his voice muffled.

I was lifted, far more gently than I’d expected and shuffled until I was resting against a broad shoulder. The smell of burning and something dark that reminded me of Som, filled my nose. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was overpowering, making my heart pound as if subconsciously I knew I should be scared of this person. But running wasn’t an option, and despite pushing against my body, my wolf couldn’t break through. My head lolled sideways onto hard muscle when I lost all coherent thought and fell into the darkness.

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