Page 19 of Crush's Fall

They were facing Reynold, Leighton, and the men who had been working the table. The workers were split — one group facing Ranger and Benjamin, the other facing a number of Howlers. In front were Pike and Dragon, each holding goons in front of them in the same position as Ranger was holding Benjamin.

When Siren stormed in the front door moments later, he looked around frantically, no doubt searching for April. When his eyes landed on him, Lucifer tilted his head back toward the door behind him to signal she was in there and okay.

Siren let out a sigh of relief so deep that Lucifer heard it from across the large space.

“What is this about?” Reynold demanded.

In a growl, Axle replied, “You think we’re going to stand by while you snatch-grab our family? Nah.” Shaking his head, Axle eyes flashed silver light, and Lucifer was sure he imagined that.What the fuck?

Apparently, that was the signal to the Howlers to end everyone since the Howlers immediately burst into action.

It wasn’t shocking to Lucifer, really. There was one sure-fire way to make the Howlers go nuclear — Fuck with their family. It wouldliterallybe the last thing you did. Lucifer knew that before he watched what happened next, but what he saw in that warehouse solidified it in his opinion.

As Reynold shouted, “What the hell?” Leighton lifted his right arm, locked his aim on Axle, and pulled the trigger. The shot reverberated through the space as Lucifer watched Dragon dive in front of Axle. Dragon’s body jolted when the bullet hit, and his hand went to his gut as he crashed to the ground.

Lucifer’s gut clenched at the sight, hoping it wasn’t bad enough to end the man, but before Leighton or anyone else could take another shot, the space erupted into even more chaos.

One by one, Lucifer watched as the Howlers turned into motherfucking animals! One minute they were men, the men he had gotten to know over the previous several months. The next second, they were tigers, wolves, bears, and lions who were roaring, growling, and tearing people apart.What in the fucking fuck?

Lucifer stood frozen in place, mouth agape, shocked at what he was watching. A part of him was sure he had lost it. Maybe he had been knocked over the head and was dreaming. Maybe he really died back in Indiana, and this was some sort of fucked up place God sent the people who were fuck-ups in life. Maybe he had just lost his grip on reality. Whatever happened, there was no way he was really watching the people he had gotten to know as a make-shift family turn into motherfucking predatory animals. Well, not all of them. A few were still human, and they were heading his way.

His eyes shifted over to where Siren had been standing, who was now stalking toward Benjamin, whose entire body was shaking. Benjamin’s breath wheezed out of him at such a labored pace, Lucifer was sure he would pass out before long. Siren looked the same as he always did as he glared at Benjamin — Intense, deliberate, sure. When Siren was within ten feet of Benjamin, Benjamin’s frantic gaze swung around to lock on him. Gold light shone from Siren’s eyes, and the sound from his chest started off as a low grumble, but quickly grew into a roar that shook even the brick walls.

Benjamin screamed like a toddler, and the scent of urine filled the air. Lucifer didn’t blame him.That shit was crazy!In the next second, Siren turned into the biggest fucking lion Lucifer had ever seen and shredded Benjamin to pieces.

April

What sounded like an all-out war was happening just outside the room. Animal roars, gunshots, and screams filled the air moments before the door flew open and a half-dozen of familiar faces filed into the room. Lucifer was followed by Siren, Striker, Ranger, Rock, and a guy she thought was named Rebel.

When her gaze locked on Siren’s, April leapt to her feet, ignoring the shooting pain in the injured one, and threw herself at him. Relief swamped her as Siren’s arms caught her.

It was guttural when Siren groaned, “Sugar,” into the hair on top of her head with his arms wrapped around her, holding her as tight as he could. She could barely breathe, but she didn’t care.

Over Siren’s shoulder, she saw Rebel stop six feet from the two young men still sitting on the floor in the opposite corner. She watched as Rebel put a hand to his chest and started rubbing as his face twisted in pain. He was connected to those boys in some way, which made her happy. Rebel and the Howlers would help them.

“Are you okay?” The sound of Siren’s voice was so low and broken she could barely understand what he had asked her.

“My foot was cut on a rock, and my head hurts a bit, but I don’t think I have a concussion or anything.”

“You might need to stitch up her foot,” Lucifer said from a few feet away. April tried to look at him, but Siren wasn’t letting her move much.

“Siren, you have to loosen your grip.” She ran her fingers through his hair and jumped at the sound of his purr. Then she laughed and caressed his head again.

Slowly, Siren loosened his arms and pulled his head back to look at her. “Let’s get you in the van so I can check you over.” Then she was scooped up in his arms, and Siren was carrying her out of the room.

As they passed Lucifer, April noticed he looked a bit shell-shocked, with wide eyes and a slight tremble throughout his body. “Lucifer? You okay?” She patted Siren’s shoulder to stop him, and he complied.

Lucifer’s gaze slowly swung around to her. “Yeah… uh… did you… I mean… Fucking wolves… and… lions, tigers, and bears…”

April giggled. “Oh, my.”

Siren snorted a laugh, and she heard chuckles come from behind them.

“You knew?” Lucifer’s question was a bit quiet, but she heard him.

“For a few hours, yeah,” she confirmed, remembering the conversation she had with Siren early in the evening and how shocked she was by the news.

Lucifer shook his head like he was trying to shake reality into place in his brain. “I’m okay. I’m… just trying to process.” He shrugged and huffed out a breath. “I’m a bit fucking jealous, if we’re being honest.”

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