Page 63 of Marked By Moonlight

A flash of movement caught her eye. Too late. She didn’t have time to lift the gun and aim before the shrieking female charged her. Claire landed on her back with a teeth-rattling jolt. Her gun clattered against the pavement, skittering several feet away. Pinned, she couldn’t budge as razor-sharp nails attacked her neck and face, scratching and slicing in a flurry of motion. Saliva dribbled down onto her face from the crimson lips snarling above her.

With a howl of rage, Claire caught one of the flying wrists and gave it a vicious twist. The female hissed and brought her other hand crashing against Claire’s face.

Surging against her, Claire flipped the female off her. Snarling, she jumped into a crouching position, readying herself.

“Enough, Bianca,” the leader’s voice declared.

“She killed Marcus. She has to die.” Bianca jerked her head in the direction of Claire’s gun. “Let’s give her a taste of her own poison.”

The lycan crossed his arms over his silk shirt and murmured, “Then we would have two dead instead of one.”

“She killed her own kind,” Bianca snarled, body flexing beneath the red leather as if she would spring on Claire again. “She has to die.”

Claire’s stomach churned and her eyes darted back and forth between the two lycans discussing whether she lived or died.

“I don’t think so.” He rubbed his chin. “She is new. Confused. She hasn’t been properly schooled.”

“She used a silver bullet, Ian.” Her manicured hand motioned to Marcus’s corpse in disgust. “She knew what she was doing. She must pay.”

“There are ways she can serve the pack. She’s breeding. In a year she can give back a life for the one taken.”

Bianca growled her disagreement. “The decision isn’t yours.” In a flash, she was up and heading for the gun, muttering over her shoulder, “You can’t stop me.”

A definite edge entered his voice as he softly threatened, “Pick up that gun and you deal with me.”

Bianca halted and looked over her shoulder.

The air changed, altering imperceptibly. Claire waited breathlessly, observing the silent exchange between them. Indecision flickered across Bianca’s face. Her gaze drifted longingly to the gun before sliding back to Claire. “You just want to mate with her.” The words spewed from her red lips like venom.

“Now, now, kitten,” Ian chided, his tone conciliatory. “Benedict will decide—it’s his right.”

Because he was their alpha? Claire’s pulse jumped hopefully against her throat. Could this Benedict be the one?

“Fine.” Bianca glared at her, making it clear she would never be fine. Not as long as Claire lived, anyway.

“And Bianca.” Ian waited until he had her full attention again. “Benedict will agree with me. So put aside your petty jealousies. She will be one of us.”

Bianca’s lips peeled back from her teeth in a sneer. “No one will forget she killed Marcus. I won’t.”

Ian flicked his wrist and released a little sigh. “Marcus wore too much cologne. Besides, she is far prettier.”

Bianca strode past Claire, managing to sneak a kick to the ribs with the pointed toe of her boot.

“Watch the boots, would you?” Claire hissed.

Bianca’s eyes narrowed to slits, the silver glowing like light spilling from a shutter.

Suddenly, the music from inside the bar grew louder, announcing a new arrival. Claire glanced up at the heavy clang of the club’s back door, praying to see Gideon, but her hopes were dashed when she met another silver-eyed gaze. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. Where the hell was Gideon?

The newcomer assessed their tableau before his gaze settled on Claire with unnerving intensity. Dressed all in black, his face was hard as granite, his square jaw unmoving, framed by hair as black as his clothing.

He studied her for a long moment before commanding, “Come.”

“She’s ours.” Bianca declared. “Don’t interfere—”

He flashed a broad hand in the air, silencing her. “Step away if you wish to live.” His speech was oddly formal.

Bianca blinked at this edict and looked to her companion uncertainly.

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