36. Harley

THIRTY-SIX

HARLEY

Tate threw my clothes to me, and we got dressed as fast as we could. Once we stepped out of the bedroom, Steff was there waiting for us. The look in his eyes could only be described as anxious rage.

"They started calling to us from the woods out back. Humans wouldn't have heard it. I'll be damned if Miles was the first of us to hear them. He started yelling at me and Blayne. As soon as I saw them out there, I busted my ass over here to get you." He glanced at me and Tate awkwardly before adding, "Hope things went… well?"

"Yeah, we're good. What do they want?" Tate said.

"Haven't said. They kept saying they wanted all of us there before they'd talk."

The walk across the street was much different than the one we'd taken a few minutes before. The woods behind my house, which had always looked quaint and lush compared to the concrete and steel of New York, now seemed dark and intimidating. In those trees, Miles had been attacked. Danger stood among those shadowy branches and leaves.

We walked into the house and locked the door behind us, not wanting to be flanked if that was their idea. Blayne joined us, and we walked toward the back door. Before we opened it, Tate took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes.

"If things go badly, you need to get the hell out of here. My truck is out front with the keys in it. You run, you get the girls, and you get the hell out of here. Don't look back."

I looked into Tate's eyes. In my heart, I knew I could never leave him, especially after what we'd just done. After the deep, unending connection we'd made. I knew what he needed to hear. I looked back at him and nodded my head firmly in assent. He still didn't look comfortable letting me come outside, but I think he wanted me where he could see me. He unlocked the door and swung it open.

We stepped out, and I could see a single man in the distance, about twenty yards from my back porch. He had a rifle slung across his shoulder, but it was hanging to the side, not in his hands. His arms were crossed, and he had what I would call a prickish smile on his face. I hated him on sight, like I probably would have even if I didn't know he wanted to hurt us. This was the type of person you would cross the street to avoid.

Tate stepped in front of all three of us and called out, "Do you have a death wish? Is that why you're here? Because if so, by God, I'll grant it."

The man rocked back on his heels and laughed. "Looks like you're the one with the death wish. But no, we didn't come here to fight you. We all know the kind of magic you dragon shifters possess. Shit, you by yourself could roast all of us in a second."

I noticed rustling branches and limbs, then another six hunters appeared near the leader. Fear spiked deeper into my chest. So many? They all had guns. Could the guys take this many? I had to keep reminding myself of the mansion. There had been twice this many men there. Of course, those men had thought they were going to fight humans. These hunters knew exactly what they were up against. That had to make them more dangerous.

"You need to know there's a war coming. We plan on ridding the world of every one of you abominations. That's what we came to let you know. Say your goodbyes. Get your houses in order, because we're coming. You'll die…" he jerked a chin toward my stomach, "…and your filthy fucking devil spawn will die, too. I'll happily grind a baby shifter into the dirt with my own?—"

So fast. My God! I never knew anything on earth could be so fast. One moment Tate was standing in front of me, the next, he was roaring in rage, and was twenty yards away, holding the man in the air by his throat. It had caught the hunters off guard. They all took a half second to realize what had happened before they raised their rifles and pistols at Tate.

The leader waved them off and croaked out, "Weapons down. The boss wants the dragon for himself."

Tate started to squeeze the man's throat. "I should fucking end you right here. Right now. Pop your goddamned head off. You threaten my unborn child? Maybe I should go ahead and shift, then fucking devour you alive."

Hearing something like that would have made me piss my pants. But this man must have had balls of steel, or maybe he was totally off his rocker. Instead of begging for his life, he started laughing. His face grew redder by the second as Tate squeezed. The guy seemed to have no fear.

"If you kill me, shifter, you won't know the flaw in Emily's curse."

Tate threw the man to the ground. The guy rolled on the ground there for a few seconds, retching and coughing, rubbing at his throat.

"You are a scary son of a bitch," he said, after getting his breath back.

"What damned flaw?" Tate asked.

The man stood and took a few steps away from Tate. He pointed at me. "The flaw is her. Emily got sloppy and was going native. That's why we had to put that magical bitch down. She got close to Harley. She tried to reverse the spell but couldn't. Instead she cast a new spell of protection. Each one of you nasty motherfuckers is going to be fated to mate to a human. None of you get to be with other shifters. But her new spell will protect those women. At least as long as they accept you things for what you are."

He looked like he wanted to be sick, as if the very idea of a human wanting to be with a shifter was too much to stand. He was a bigot of the highest caliber. He made me want to be sick.

He then held up a finger and smiled a dark, mischievous smile. It made my skin crawl seeing it. "Just 'cause we can't hurt you ladies, doesn't mean we can't make your lives miserable. And we very much plan on making your existence a living hell. At least until the boss decides it's time to end your unnatural lives. You see, this is your warning. To get all the humans in your life out of here before it gets really bad. I've seen the young girls who live here. They haven't been sullied yet. They deserve to go on and live good human lives. This is your one chance to get them out of here. Do what you need to before we come back."

He took a step closer to his team, and they all began to try and fade back into the woods. He pushed his rifle back behind him and rested his hand on the pistol at his hip. He and Tate stared at each other, each radiating hatred back at the other.

The man flashed a feral smile at me. "One thing Miss Shifter-fucker. That protection for mates only covers humans. Once you let one of these filthy beasts change you? Protection is gone."

Without hesitation, he swiftly pulled the pistol from his holster. Time seemed to slow as he raised the barrel toward me. Tate roared out in rage and shock. The pistol bucked in the man's hand. There was time for me to think of all the things I'd done, all the people I'd loved. My girls' faces, their first cries when they were born, the first time my son kicked in my womb, the moment Tate said he loved me.

In less than a half second, the bullet slammed into my chest. There was a massive flash of light and a pop like an electrical conduit blowing. I was thrown back, stumbling, but I remained on my feet. The bullet, smashed and warped, fell to the stone patio. The slight plink sound was the only thing I could hear. I looked at my chest, looking for a bullet hole. Instead, I saw the opal necklace Emily had given me.

"Fucking damned witches," the man screamed and turned to run, his team following.

Steff and Blayne leaped into action, sprinting into the woods after the hunters. I eased myself down to the ground. My hands and body shook. I should have been dead. A bullet should have ripped through my chest, bursting my heart and blowing a hole out my back. I would be dead. If not for Emily.

Tate knelt next to me, his eyes as bright as flashlights. I'd never seen them like that. His face was a mask of rage and worry.

"Are you okay?" His voice shook as he spoke.

Gunshots echoed from the forest. I tried to ignore them. I looked up at Tate and touched the necklace. "I am. I'm fine."

There was a deep bass growl from behind Tate. We both turned to look, and the biggest grizzly bear I'd ever seen erupted from the trees. It had to be a thousand pounds, if not more. Behind it came a thickly muscled panther. The creatures skidded to a stop. The bear turned into Steff, and the panther morphed into Blayne.

Even after watching Tate become a dragon, after seeing what they'd done to Luis's men, hearing the stories, and knowing it was all true, my jaw still dropped. I was still shocked that all this was real. Magic was real , but so was the danger that came with it.

Blayne put his hands on his knees, sucking breath. "They got away. They had a truck waiting in the woods. I ran as fast as I could, but I couldn't catch them. They took some shots at us while they went."

"Assholes nicked me," Steff said, fingering a bloody scratch on his shoulder. "I'll live."

Once we were sure they were gone, we went inside. Tate secured all the windows and doors and checked and double-checked that the alarm system was on while Steff and Blayne helped bring Miles downstairs. They set him up on the couch, and I was surprised at how much better he looked. It made me wonder if shifters healed faster than humans.

Tate, finally sure the house was secure, sat with us. "Okay, good news. I don't think the hunters are going to make any more moves very soon."

"Why do you say that?" Miles asked, frowning in confusion.

"Well, the guy made sure to let us know that there's someone bigger in charge, who wants me for himself. They know I'm a dragon, and that will require they take their time planning. I think this whole thing today was their attempt to kill Harley or one of you three." He nodded toward Blayne, Steff, and Miles. "They wanted to do something that would send me over the edge and make me easier to take down. That whole plan went to hell. They'll have to drop back and be more careful with the next plan."

"We can't let our guards down, but I think we've bought some time. For now, the danger is moving away from us. It's coming back, but not immediately."

Steff pointed at my necklace. "So, I guess the witch wasn't all bad after all. Did you guys see that thing?

Tate raised his hand and gently thumbed the opal around my neck. I could see the look in his eyes. He was as thankful for Emily as I was. Even in death, she'd saved my life. It made me more heartsick. Maybe she could have truly changed if she'd had a little more time. I wished she was here, even for only a few seconds, so I could tell her how grateful I was to her.