Page 66 of Midnight Hunt

Now, Sable!I barked, panic gripping me when I saw bloody bullet holes in Griff’s tanned skin.

She relinquished control without another word, allowing the shift to overtake us. Seconds later, I was scrambling toward a trembling Griff on the ground.

“Let me see. Let me see!” I said in a high-pitched voice, reaching out to help him into a sitting position. Moments later, I felt two more bodies crowd in close, but I already knew who they were. Without looking up, I told them in a shaky voice, “Sable left one alive. We could use him for questioning.”

“I’ll get him, Boss,” Jagger said to my brother before taking off again.

Kolton crouched by my side and lifted a hand to help me with Griff, but I snapped, “Don’ttouchhim.”

Kolton’s hand froze midair. “Vi,” he quietly,softlysaid, as if speaking to an unhinged person. And Ifeltunhinged, the need to protect Griff a feral thing inside me. “He’s been shot with silver bullets. They have to come out.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll take them out.”

My brother was silent for a moment, then said, “You don’t want to do that, Vi.”

“Yes, Ido!” I shot back, turning my head to glare at him. He studied my face, his own expression impassive. Whatever he saw made him slowly nod and sit back on his heels.

“He’s all yours,” Kolton said, his voice remaining calm despite how I’d spoken to him. “I’m here if you need me to take over.”

“I won’t,” I firmly replied, returning my focus to Griff. He was awake, but I could tell by the grimace on his face that he was in excruciating pain. Gentling my voice, I said to him, “Let me put you under.”

He barked a laugh, then sucked in a pained hiss through his teeth. “Not a chance. If you’re going to play doctor on me, I want to watch.”

“Griff, this isn’t funny.”

“I know,” he groaned, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. “This pain might actually be worse than the tree. But at least none of the bullets are rubbing against my heart.”

“Tree?” Kolton couldn’t help but question.

“We have a lot to tell you,” I said, searching Griff’s back until I found the first bullet that had hit him. When I saw that his skin had already started to heal over it, nausea stirred in my gut.

“Apparently,” Kolton muttered. “Mind explaining why you’re wearing Griff’s tattoo?”

Oh crap. I glanced down at the snake on my arm, then at my brother’s face. He didn’t look mad, per se, but he definitely looked troubled.

“It was in case we got separated,” Griff answered for me, his voice sounding weaker by the second.

Kolton looked between us, then bluntly asked, “And the sex?”

Ahhell, he did not just go there.

“That’s none of your business, Kolton,” I said, giving him a warning look to back off.

“It is when my best friend promised me that something like this wouldn’t happen. It is when heknowsmy little sister goes to him for comfort, and he chose to take advantage of that.”

My jaw dropped. “That’s not—”

“I love her, Kol,” Griff interjected, his voice firm, even as his breaths came in short spurts. “Vi is no longer dating Reid, and I finally told her how I feel. If you still think I overstepped, I take full responsibility for my actions and will face whatever punishment you believe I deserve. But Vi is innocent in all this. She did nothing wrong.”

I opened my mouth but quickly shut it again, knowing that now wasn’t the right time to undo all that I’d done. Griff was in enough pain already.

Kolton slowly blinked at us both, looking a bit shell-shocked. He opened his mouth only to close it, not willing to stir the pot further for the time being.

Refocusing on the rapidly-healing wound on Griff’s back, I said, “One last chance, Griff. This’ll be a lot easier for us both if you’re asleep.”

“Sorry, but you’re just gonna have to endure my screams,” he wheezed, swaying enough that he’d probably pass out on his own if the bullets remained in him much longer. But I couldn’t wait that long, couldn’t stand seeing him in pain for one more second.

“Okay. I’ll be as quick as I can,” I reassured, more to myself than him. In a situation like this, there was nothing we could do but dig the bullets out. And the fastest way to do that was with our claws. Pursing my lips, I willed my claws to emerge and gripped his shoulder to hold him steady. “Don’t move, or this will hurt worse.”

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