Page 66 of Act of Passion

She took a deep, calming breath, her fear lessening enough that Striker could sense it. She offered a soft smile to Garth. “I’m sorry about the freak-out. It’s just, well, he…he more than just hurt me. He and another man spent eight months terrorizingme.”

Smoke built around them in the room. Striker knew they had to get out of the house, but he also knew Edee needed this moment. So he resisted the urge to make hergo.

Garth eased a little closer. “Can I hugyou?”

She sighed and looked down. “I understand now that you’re not him, but, Garth, I don’t know if I can let you touch me in any wayyet.”

Garth nodded. “Iunderstand.”

“It’s not you,” Edee said quickly. “It’s just, you look exactly like him…and I spent too many nights pinned underhim.”

Striker’s wolf tried its hardest to surface. It wanted to save Garth the time and kill his brother—slowly.

Garth drew in a sharp breath. “Edee, I’m so very sorry. Please knowthat.”

She looked up at him, and inched towards him. She touched his arm lightly—then gasped, moving closer to him. “I understand now! Garth, you need to go—now. You have to get to your wife. He’d laugh when he was hurting me, telling me that he planned to do what he did to me to your mate. He said his brother was a do-gooder, and he couldn’t wait for you to walk in and find your mate with him right before he kills her. I didn’t know he had atwin.”

Garth’s brow crinkled and he slowly put his hand on Edee’s shoulder. “Edee, I’m not mated. I’ve nowife.”

“Wait, do you have another brother?” sheasked.

He shook hishead.

She cupped her mouth. “Then, yes, you do. He told me he’s been watching her for years. Since she was a child even. Watching her grow into a beauty that you didn’t deserve. Youdohave a mate—and he’s got her in hissights.”

Garth stiffened. “W-what? I have amate?”

She nodded and surprised Striker as she patted Garth’s chest. “Yes.”

The smoke thickened. “We’ve got to go,now.”

Garth looked to Striker. “I don’t want to scare her more. You take point. Edee, stay close to him. I’ll be right behindyou.”

Edee blinked at them both. “I’m not leaving. If Elm comes here for Brooke I have to helpher.”

Striker rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to regretthis.”

He went at her fast, throwing her over hisshoulder.

Chapter Twenty

Malik grabbedhis wife and put his body between hers and the hybrid rushing at them from the master bedroom. He took a fighting stance and waited for the hybrid to reach him before striking out with full force. That one went down and another dove in through the window. He made sure Brooke was still behindhim.

He smelled another hybrid coming, this one from the direction of the stairs. He went low and then came up with his claws extended. Malik snarled as he ripped out a hybrid’s throat. The one on the floor sprang up and he spun around, slicing open the thing’s face and neck. The hybrid droppedinstantly.

When he turned to go for Brooke, he found her delivering a series of wicked kicks to a hybrid in the hallway. She then punched the hybrid in the face, knocking him down the steps in the process. When she looked over her shoulder at him, it was with the face of a warrior. A woman who wouldn’t backdown.

A fiercemate.

“Bethany,” she said, her breathingheavy.

Malik ran past Brooke, grabbing her hand in the process. They took the stairs quickly. What used to be the front door was totally engulfed in flames. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he bent and tore out the throat of the hybrid Brooke had kicked the crap out of. He helped Brooke over the body, keeping her away from the flames, and then looked up to see Armand there. A man he’d not seen in at least a decade, since Armand had left the Crimson Ops division of PSI and moved over to the Shadow Agent side ofthings.

Armand had a hybrid lifted off the ground with one hand. He glanced at Malik andnodded.

Brooke slowed. “Armand, where isBethany?”

Armand tipped his head in the direction of the kitchen area. “He’s taking her out theback.”

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