Page 41 of A Lion's Heart
He remembered the years when he’d entered high school and armed guards stood at the doors of the school watching every student enter and exit. It was like that everywhere he went. Guards filled the streets looking for any signs of the shifters—namely, the reported leaders of the species, Rome and his friends.
“We worked with Cole tracking down Reed’s killers and making sure a shifter named Boden and all of his rogues were dead.”
Decan knew that name. Boden Estevez was the rogue Topétenia shifter who along with Captain Lawrence Crowe were responsible for unveiling the shifters to the world.
“Then, a year ago there was a fire,” Blaez continued.
Decan tensed. There was a fire a year ago at the SIC in Arizona. It came after the explosion and it had nearly killed him.
“We were in Sedona,” Blaez was now saying. “In the area near where Sebastian Perry’s resort used to be. Cole had sensed a large group of rogues there. The fire started before we could find them. And when it was over, Cole was gone.”
“Gone? Where?” Decan asked and then he paused.
White hot pain speared through his chest. His hands trembled and the lion inside roared. He stood so abruptly his knee hit the table and his glass tumbled to the floor. Blaez stood as well. His eyes flickering an intense blue for a second before returning to normal.
“Nisa,” Decan whispered.
“Death,” Blaez said.
CHAPTER 11
Nisa jumped from the bed swinging her arm so that her claws swiped the man named Patch across the side of his face for a second time.
“Gun!” Kyss yelled from across the room.
Nisa ducked in time to have bullets cracking the bedframe behind her. She crawled on her hands and knees, teeth bared just before she jumped on one of the humans who had burst into the room. Her teeth clamped down over his wrist, sending the gun he’d just fired to the floor.
Adrenaline pumped through her veins, the instinct to fight for her life pounding against her skull like a brick. Her cat was ready to kill. It would be so easy to shift and take them out quickly, but she refrained. It was hard, but she did it and the next human that aimed a gun at her was rewarded for his efforts by her jumping on him, knocking him to the floor, her claws digging into his chest as she leaned her face into his and roared with all the ferocity she possessed.
That’s when she heard the glass breaking and more roars filling the space. She looked up in time to see a black wolf with bright blue eyes landing on the floor before charging the human that had the bad luck of standing closest to it. Kyss was lifting her leg to kick a gun out of one man’s hand, while reaching behind her to sink her claws into the stomach of another.
Nisa growled as heavy rope wrapped around her neck and yanked her head back. Her hands went to the rope as she tried to break free. The person on the other end was strong, pulling her so that the heels on her shoes broke as she was dragged across the floor. She managed to turn around just in time to see the tall bulky guy who thought he’d caught her. Her teeth bared, she roared once more before yanking on the rope so hard the guy lost his footing and tumbled toward her. He was just about to fall on top of her when a blur of white flashed before her eyes, and a roar like none she’d ever heard before vibrated throughout the room.
The man hit the wall with a sickening thud. He appeared dazed momentarily, to be followed by the spurt of blood from the quick and efficient bite to his throat. Nisa had only a moment to gasp before the new arrival turned to her, a man’s body with the lion’s face.
His hair had gone completely white, his eyes like glaciers. The beard was longer, blood dripping from his teeth as he glared at her.
“Decan?” she whispered before being pushed to the side as he charged another human.
Kyss came to her then, helping her up off the floor as the white lion and the black wolf finished the last two humans in the room. An eerie silence fell over the space as Nisa came to her feet, her claws and teeth retracting.
“Your shoes are fucked,” Kyss said glibly.
Nisa looked down and kicked what was left of the sandals off her feet.
Footsteps approached and seconds later Keller and Gold entered the room.
“They’re coming,” Gold announced.
“There’s a back elevator. Let’s go!” Keller insisted and moved to touch Nisa’s arm.
Decan roared so loud everyone stilled again.
His face was normal now, his hair back to its black and white streaks, but his eyes, they spoke clearly of rage and Keller immediately dropped his hand from Nisa’s arm. Decan moved first, coming toward her and scooping her up in his arms. Nisa wrapped her arms around his neck. A part of her wanted to say something, to tell him she could walk, or to stop being so grouchy, but the words didn’t surface. Something inside held her tongue and kept her still in his arms as they followed Gold out of the room. They all boarded the elevator and stepped out into the darkness of the parking garage. In seconds three large vehicles pulled up and Decan moved them toward the first one.
“We need to lay low, at least for tonight,” Gold said.
A man she didn’t recognize came from around the other side of the vehicle holding what looked like one of the human’s bloody jackets around his waist to hide the better part of his nudity.
