Page 17 of Softer Than Stone
His brows shot high, and pink filled his cheeks. Huh. Looked like Mr. Kick-Arse Agent wasn’t immune to being taken by surprise. And from his hard swallow and the way he darted his tongue over his bottom lip, I had zero doubt that he liked what I said.
He screeched to a halt outside of Kurranba, the speed we were going and the sound of brakes doing nothing to hide our presence. Apparently we weren’t in stealth mode.
Chris turned quickly, face angling close to mine. “You stay here and keep safe.” He pressed his lips to mine, barely a whisper of a kiss before he pulled back. “And you’ll find that I’m absolutely fucking right.” One more kiss and I was alone. He raced out of the car before I could respond, let alone catch my breath.
Holy fuck, why the hell was that so hot? Competence and badassery were one hell of an aphrodisiac. But first, I gripped my seatbelt and leaned forwards to peer out of the window as I waited while Chris did his thing.
7
CHRIS
The scentof burnt earth and incense filled my nostrils. It wasn’t one I’d smelt before. I tapped my comms, grateful I hadn’t returned home at all so I still had all of my tactical gear. “Copy, Kent. Over.”
“Kent here. Over. A scan of the area doesn’t show any movement. But there are three blind spots in the two-block radius of Kurranba. Over.”
“Copy that. How far out are Shaw and Michaels? Over.” Michaels had been my first call as soon as I’d overheard the first words of Waru’s phone call. Michaels had already been with his boyfriend, Shaw, making the request quicker. He’d then reached out to Kent and Lucas.
“ETA three minutes. Looks like the security rep for the alarm system is stuck in traffic. Figures since their reputation is for shit. Over.”
The muscle in my jaw ticked. Thank fuck I’d been with Waru. If I hadn’t been and he’d come himself, beating the response unit…. I cracked my neck, continuing to walk around the building, scenting and looking for signs of disturbance as I did so.
A glint of metal caught my attention in the window in the alleyway. “Found something. Over.”
“Copy.”
A closer look revealed the broken lock. The window wasn’t smashed, and beyond the slightly crooked steel lock, everything looked intact. “Sign of breach in third right window in alleyway. Over.”
“Michaels checking in. One minute out. Over.”
I settled at the sound of Michaels’s voice. With three of us on the scene, one of us could stay with?—
A thud, a smash, a yell.
Waru.
Fuck.
I charged around the building, shouting into comms, “Eyes on Waru. Now.”
“Fuck.” Kent sounded pissed, but it was the screech of tyres as the car accelerated that shot fury through my veins. Taillights were already fifteen metres away, glass on the ground next to where Waru’s car should be parked.
“Stay on him, Kent,” I ordered, voice tight. “I’m going to shift.” There was no way I could keep pace on two feet. Four paws and I could give the car a good run for its money.
I willed the shift to come. No slow, deliberate change this time—I needed speed and raw power. The sharp sting of pain ripped through me as my body contorted. Bones realigned with a grinding sound. Muscles stretched and swelled. Fur erupted across my skin like wildfire.
The last remnants of my tactical gear shredded and fell away, leaving me stripped of everything human—including the comms earpiece that had been my lifeline to the team.
I couldn’t call out to Kent now. Couldn’t coordinate. It was just me, my instincts, and the drive to get Waru back.
My hands became massive paws, claws sinking into the asphalt. My arms and legs thickened, the change barrelling through me faster than ever before. A low growl tore from my throat, and my senses exploded with clarity. The world tilted as I dropped to all fours, now towering in my lion form.
The scent of Waru still lingered faintly in the air, tainted by fear and that burnt earth and incense I couldn’t place. My nostrils flared as I inhaled deeply, locking onto the trail. My ears twitched, picking up the hum of the engine carrying him away.
Shit. No time to think.
I sprang forwards, muscles bunching and releasing in perfect coordination. The world blurred as I bolted towards the scent, my paws striking the pavement in a steady rhythm. I stuck to the shadows as best I could—a hard task when you’re a lion the size of a small car—but I’d trained for this. Years of tactical manoeuvres came rushing back, overriding every primal urge to roar and charge blindly.
Up ahead, the taillights swerved into an alley. My breath hitched as I poured on more speed, adrenaline surging.
