Page 68 of Protected By Her Mate

My body is still healing, but I can’t wait.

I glance around. No one is paying attention to me. The two officers up front are talking in low tones. The one with the stun gun has his head twisted around as he looks through the tiny window at the back of the van. The last one is looking at me. Not me, my body, his lascivious eyes holding a vicious glee at my helplessness.

I’ll kill him second.

Taking a deep breath in, I jerk my hands up, tearing out the pin holding my handcuffs to the floor. I grip the wrists of the guard holding the stun gun and squeeze with all my strength, shattering his bones while his screams fill the van. After I’ve neutralized the stun gun, I grip him by the neck and crush his windpipe.

One down.

Everyone is shouting and trying to grab hold of me, but the close quarters are to my advantage. They can’t get a shot off for fear of shooting each other. Their soft bodies are sitting ducks under my shifter strength.

I revel in the power I have over them, viciously snapping the bones of the other guard in the back when he tries to grab me. By the time I’m finished with him, his arms are shattered and his head is twisted almost backward. I drop him to the floor.

Two down.

I shift into my wolf as one of the guards from the front aims his high-powered rifle at me. Before he can shoot me, I tear his arm off with my teeth, spraying blood through the van. The van swerves sharply, as the driver tries to control it. It throws me off balance but doesn’t stop me. I right myself and tear the throat out of the one-armed man.

Three down.

I want to kill every single one of them, but I have to think of myself. Killing the driver means no one’s in control of the van. I’ve come this far to exact my vengeance. I can’t die yet. Not until I destroy the man who destroyed my life.

I throw my body into the back door repeatedly and it gives way as the van veers and slides on the road while the driver fights to control it. Behind us another vehicle screeches to a stop.

Through the windshield, I see a couple of bear shifters.

Damn it. I hadn’t anticipated an escort.

I can’t fight bears in my condition.

There’s only one thing I can do if I’m to have a chance at escape.

I leap from the back of the van as the bears throw the doors to their vehicle open. A massive man lumbers toward me, his body sprouting fur, his proportions doubling as he gains momentum.

I turn my back, his roar echoing in my ears, and I race for the edge of the bridge, scaling the barrier. His clawed arm swipes me, but he doesn’t have enough time to grab me.

I jump, hurtling from the bridge, the inky black water of the East River rushing up to envelope me.

CHARLIE

Chaos erupts around us. Teams of officers are gearing up for the hunt, their equipment and voices banging around in the background while Charlamagne and Lennox argue.

“Charlie is Edie’s target,” Lennox growls sharply. “She needs to be taken into protective custody immediately. I’ll take her to Wolf-Haven; we’ll hunker down until you’ve caught Edie.”

“I refuse to lose my best detective with a murderer on the loose,” Charlamagne argues. “Besides, Charlie is useful to us here. We can use her to lure…”

Lennox steps toward his captain, his fists clenching, his incisors growing. “You’re stepping into dangerous territory, Charlamagne.”

“I’m your Captain!” Charlamagne growls. “Despite what you may think, I’m the one who gives the orders around here.”

“When it comes to Charlie, I am the only one qualified to make decisions on her behalf.”

I step in between them, placing my palms on Lennox’s chest. “Calm down and listen to yourself. When it comes to me, I’m the one who decides what happens and I’m not going anywhere.”

Lennox glares and grips my waist, drawing me against him. Fear and rage vibrate through him, an inferno about to take over. The desire to hunt Edie is strong within him, which tells me he doesn’t want to leave New York any more than I do.

“We’re needed here,” I add. “Captain Charlamagne is right; I can be useful in trapping Edie.”

“Absolutely not.” Lennox’s brows lower and I hear the arguments in his mind.

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