Page 75 of Protected By Her Mate

“L…Lennox?” he asks fearfully.

I dip my head in a nod and snuffle his injured shoulder, licking it. My saliva should help it heal faster.

“Ouch!” he jerks, but wraps his arms around my neck, hugging me, his tears soaking my fur. “I want my mom!”

I want to shift to human, to reassure him, to take him safely down to street level, but I can’t. Not yet.

As the thought leaves my head, Luke shouts, “She’s coming!” and scrambles backwards, his terrified eyes focused over my shoulder.

Before I can turn, sharp teeth sink into my shoulder and I’m dragged backward. I scramble against the metal, twisting and clawing, trying to dislodge her.

Luke yells for me, but there’s nothing he can do. He clings to the building, peering at us with wide eyes. I silently promise to come back for him and let go, allowing Edie to drag me off.

We plunge toward the street together, her teeth buried in my shoulder. We bounce off the railing of a second-floor balcony, then land on top of a closed dumpster.

I jump off, my paws splashing in a puddle as I land on the street. I glance up, seeing Luke staring at me over the railing.

Edie stands on the dumpster and shakes, flecks of water flying off her black fur. She bares her teeth, hunching her shoulders, low growls issuing from her throat. Her gaze follows mine and she pins Luke with a hungry stare. She wants to go after him, finish what she started.

She goes for him, pushing off the dumpster and leaping at the building. I hurdle after her, sinking my teeth into her back leg and dragging her back to the street.

She snarls and turns on me, swiping her paw at my face. She glances toward Luke, but knows she has no chance of getting to him while I’m alive. Her only option is to fight me or run away, try to save herself.

Her indecision costs her a few precious she doesn’t have. I pounce on her, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. She twists free and we tumble together, then separate.

We circle each other, hackles raised, teeth exposed. A low growl comes from my wolf, and she responds with a vicious bark.

Then she comes at me, but I’m ready. I catch her mid-leap and slam her into the pavement, going for her throat. But she’s fast, locks her teeth on my ear as she claws at my face. The pain forces me to loosen my grip and she twists out from under me.

Before she can scramble far, I viciously sink my teeth into her flank and rip her flesh open.

Blood oozes as she yelps and jerks backwards, then turns and races through the rainy streets.

I pursue her, thankful she’s taking us in the opposite direction of Luke. I allow her to run until I know we’re out of Luke’s sight. I don’t want him to watch me kill her.

Instead of continuing our race on the ground where her lighter weight and maneuverability is to her advantage, she surprises me by using one of my tactics. She goes high, jumping on a car and from there, on top of a truck, then onto a first-floor window ledge.

I follow close behind, keeping her in sight. She’s more agile than I am, rapidly scaling the building to the top before turning and running back toward Luke. Though I’m heavier, I’m still faster and she only makes it across a couple of rooftops before I catch her.

Grabbing hold of her tail, I toss her to the rooftop patio where she rolls before coming back up to her feet.

She stares at me with gleaming eyes, her nose wrinkled, vicious growls erupting from her throat. This is it and she knows it. She’s ready to fight me to the death, but I see the frustration in her gaze. She didn’t accomplish her goal. Both Charlie and Luke are alive, and while Luke is injured, he’ll recover. She didn’t hurt me, didn’t force me to feel the pain she’s endured for 140 years.

She throws her head back and howls with rage before launching herself at me, teeth bared. I swipe at her, but she manages to bite my injured shoulder, drawing a yelp from me. I shake her off and then jump on her, seeking her throat with my teeth but she squirms, snapping and clawing, adding fresh wounds. I hold my ground this time and finally clamp my teeth on her neck. Jerking my head, I tear through flesh, her blood spraying on me. But I haven’t killed her.

She screams in pain and then whimpering, crawls away from me, dragging herself to a corner of the roof where she shifts into her human.

Confused, I pad toward her. She’s far more vulnerable as a human than as a wolf. She doesn’t stand a chance of fighting me this way.

I realize her tactic when she holds a trembling hand out, her other going to her bloody throat. “You would really kill me?” she asks, her voice soft and vulnerable.

I stare into her eyes, see the hatred, the desperation. If I allow her to live, she’ll never stop hunting the people I love. Her feral side has taken over. It was the same with her mate and now history is about to repeat itself.

I shift to my human, growing to my full height.

She seems to take this as capitulation, relief suffusing her features. “Thank you. I promise, I’ll leave and never come back. You can have New York. You can have your mate. I won’t touch you.”

“Not good enough, Edie.”

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