Chapter Ten

When the lights went out, Killian huffed out an annoyed sigh, shaking his head as he pushed himself upright. “You've got to be kidding me,” he muttered. He’d barely had a moment to enjoy being wrapped around Stewart, and now, thanks to the old house’s dodgy wiring, he had to go play electrician.

Before slipping out of bed, he brushed a gentle kiss on Stewart’s temple. His mate shifted slightly, murmuring unintelligibly in his sleep, but he didn’t wake. Killian smiled. The guy deserved a good rest, especially after everything they’d been through today.

Stepping into the hallway, Killian blinked, his enhanced vision adjusting quickly to the dark. The house was silent, save for the creaks and groans that came from the old wood contracting in the cool night air. He frowned at the unsettling stillness to the place, the kind that made his instincts prickle.

Just as he reached the top of the stairs, he heard a small whimper coming from somewhere below.

Ethan.

Killian’s brows drew together, a flicker of confusion crossing his mind. Ryker was downstairs with Ethan, which meant there shouldn’t have been any reason for the cub to sound upset. He moved silently down the stairs, each step deliberate, his bare feet barely making a sound against the wooden steps.

When he reached the bottom, he scanned the darkness, seeking out any familiar shapes. In the living room, there was a soft, warm glow from the dying embers in the fireplace, but Ryker and Ethan were nowhere in sight.

Just as Killian opened his mouth to call out to his brother, something stopped him. A sound. The faintest hitch of breath, like someone was trying, and failing, to breathe quietly.

The same way Alonso had done in Ethan’s bedroom earlier. If the son of a bitch had returned, and had grabbed the cub this time…

Killian’s entire body went rigid. He could feel someone’s presence, an oppressive weight in the air that set every nerve in his body on edge.

There was also an unfamiliar scent drifting his way. Whoever was in the house was human.

Mind racing, Killian was torn between going back upstairs to guard Stewart or find Ethan. His protective instincts warred with each other, both pulls equally fierce. But the thought of Ethan—the small whimper he’d heard—being in danger made Killian’s bear roar.

The cub needed him.

With the silence of a predator, Killian followed the sound. It led him to the kitchen. The door to the backyard was slightly ajar, letting in a cold draft that sent the curtains fluttering. He eased into the room, his gaze narrowing as he spotted a shadow moving near the far end of the kitchen—a tall, lean figure trying to blend in with the darkness.

Killian pulled his lips back in a silent snarl, his muscles tensing as he prepared to lunge. But then he heard it again. Ethan’s soft whimper was coming from the figure.

The stranger, dressed in dark clothing, had Ethan clutched to his chest, a gloved hand clamped over the toddler’s mouth. Ethan’s eyes were wide, tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to twist away from the stranger’s grasp.

Oh yeah. The son of a bitch was going to die.

Then Killian noticed a second guy off to the side, closer to the pantry. He was shorter than the first man and a bit more jittery.

Alonso. This time he’d brought a friend.

Rage, hot and blinding, roared through Killian, his bear surging forward with a ferocity that threatened to tear him apart. He shifted into his bear, his gaze darting between the intruders.

“Holy shit!” Alonso looked like he was about to pass out.

The man holding Ethan turned his head slightly, his lips twisted into a smirk, his eyes glinting with something that looked almost like amusement. “Well, well,” he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. “A bear. Didn’t see that coming.”

Who in the hell is this asshole?

Killian let out a low, rumbling growl as he took a step forward. He could feel the floorboards creaking beneath his massive weight, his claws clicking softly against the wood.

The man’s grip on Ethan tightened, and then he pulled a gun from his waistband, pressing the barrel against the side of the toddler's head. “Not so fast, big guy,” he said, his voice cold. “You take one more step, and I’ll prove to you just how serious I am.”

“Tetlow, I really don’t think you should’ve done that,” Alonso said, his gaze filled with terror as he stared openly at Killian.

A shot rang out, and Killian’s head whipped to the side just in time to see Alonso crumple to the floor, a bullet hole between his eyes.

Ethan was bawling his eyes out, his tiny hands over his ears. “Bad man!”

Tetlow lowered the smoking gun, his expression unchanged, as if he’d merely swatted a fly. He looked back at Killian, his eyes narrowing. “See, I don’t have time for idiots,” he said, bouncing Ethan gently on his arm. “And I don’t think you do, either. So why don’t we skip the part where you pretend you can scare me and we get to the part where you give me what I came for.”

Killian’s growl deepened, the sound reverberating through the room. He took another step forward, his gaze locked on Tetlow’s, his claws digging into the floorboards.

“I wouldn't do that.” Tetlow’s voice was still maddeningly calm. “Not unless you want to see your son harmed.”

For a moment, the two of them were locked in a silent standoff, the tension in the room so thick it was suffocating. Killian’s gaze flicked to Ethan, the little boy’s small body trembling in Tetlow’s grip. He couldn’t risk it. Not with Ethan’s life on the line.

Killian shifted back to his human form. “What the fuck do you want?” His voice was a low growl, the words barely recognizable as human.

Tetlow's smirk widened, his eyes glinting with triumph. “That's more like it,” he said. “Now, let’s have a little chat, shall we? I’m fully aware Alonso used this place as a stash house, but I have to confess, I’ve never stepped foot inside the place.” He glanced at Alonso. “Maybe I should have asked him before putting a bullet in him.” He shrugged. “Oh well.” Then his attention swung back to Killian. “Since you’re a bear, I’m sure you’ve sniffed out where the merchandise is hidden.”

Killian’s muscles tensed as he fought to keep his bear under control. He couldn’t attack, not with Ethan still in danger. He had to buy time, had to find a way to get the cub away from Tetlow without risking the little boy’s life.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing here.” Killian really had no fucking idea what the guy was talking about. The house had a lot of strange smells.

Tetlow’s eyes darkened, his smirk fading as he pressed the gun harder against Ethan’s head. “Don’t lie to me.” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “I don’t like liars, and I don’t like being kept waiting. Now, where is it?”

“Get that fucking gun away from his head,” Killian snarled.

“Ethan!” Stewart raced into the room, his arms outstretched. Killian grabbed his mate around the waist, yanking him back. “Get your hands off of him!”

The cub cried harder, reaching for his uncle, but Tetlow kept the boy trapped against him. “Bad man! Bad man!”

“Please, d-don’t hurt him,” Stewart begged, tears clogging his throat as he struggled against Killian’s grip. “He’s just a baby. He has nothing to do with this.”

Hearing his mate beg a stranger not to hurt their nephew gutted Killian. It also enraged him. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to make Tetlow pay for causing his mate and the cub so much anguish.

Killian needed a distraction, something to give him the opening he needed to get Ethan away from Tetlow. He could feel his bear inside him, pacing, snarling, desperate to tear the man apart, but he forced it back, keeping his focus on Ethan’s terrified green eyes.

“I’m only here for one thing,” Tetlow replied, roughly jerking Ethan against him when the toddler kept wiggling to get free. “Find my stash and I’ll disappear like I was never in this house to begin with.”

A sound from the hallway caught Killian’s attention. A soft creak of a floorboard, followed by the faintest rustle of movement. Ryker. Ethan was making too much noise for Tetlow to have heard the floorboard.

His brother moved into position, out of Tetlow’s sight, glaring at Killian like he wanted the motherfucker dead just as badly as Killian.

“Uncuh Kill!” Ethan’s small voice called out, filled with fear and desperation. Then he bit down hard on Tetlow’s hand, causing the guy to drop his gun.

The words were all it took. Killian’s bear took the command literally, the shift happening in an instant.

With a roar that shook the windows, Killian lunged forward, his massive form barreling into Tetlow. The guy stumbled backward, his smirk replaced by a look of genuine fear.

Ryker moved at the same moment, scooping Ethan up and pulling him out of the line of fire, his arms wrapping tightly around the small boy as he darted toward the hallway, forcing Stewart out of the room as well.

Killian swiped at Tetlow, his razor-sharp claws flashing as they raked across the man’s chest. Tetlow let out a strangled cry, his composure shattering as he scrambled backward, blood staining his shirt.

Now that his mate and nephew were out of harm’s way, Killian shifted back into his human form, giving Tetlow the beatdown he deserved. “You want to put a fucking gun to a toddler’s head? You want to traumatize my boy and my mate?”

Killian wailed on the guy, landing blow after blow until strong arms wrapped around him and yanked him backward. “He’s dead, son.”

But Killian’s head was still in a red haze. All he kept seeing was Ethan’s terrified expression. All he heard was Stewart’s desperate plea for his nephew. Now he fully understood how Hyett and his father felt when their mates were in danger, understood the paralyzing fear and the willingness to do anything to keep them safe.

Killian breathed heavily, wishing he could kill Tetlow all over again. The son of a bitch deserved a slow death.

“Cops are on their way.” Ryker stepped into the kitchen.

“Where in the fuck were you?” Killian bellowed at his brother. “You were supposed to be watching Ethan!”

His dad grabbed him again when Killian went for Ryker’s throat.

“The cub fell asleep so I went outside for some fresh air!” Ryker shot back. “There was no indication that someone was watching me. I didn’t smell anyone in the house or sense any danger. The bastard must’ve come in through the back as soon as I closed the front door.”

“Killian?”

His head snapped around at the sound of Stewart’s scared voice. Quinton released him, but Killian didn’t move. He was naked and bloody and didn’t want to hold his mate with death smeared all over him.

Stewart didn’t seem to care. He ran across the room and fell into Killian’s arms, and damn, it felt so good to hold him.

“Thank you,” Stewart said into his chest. “Thank you for saving Ethan.”

Killian glanced at Ryker, who looked like he’d been kicked in the nuts. His gaze kept darting to the living room, where Killian heard Hyett’s voice pitched softly as he talked to the cub.

“I don’t blame you,” Killian finally said to his brother. “My head was still in a bad place.”

The side of Ryker’s mouth turned upward before he walked out of the kitchen. A moment later, Killian heard the front door open and close. He needed to talk to Ryker, to convince the guy not to feel guilty about what happened, but first Killian needed to get dressed then talk with the cops.

And find out what this was all about.

Five hours later, Killian had his answer. Ethan’s bed was shoved aside, a part of the floor beneath it opened to reveal a ton of drugs.

Rage filled Killian all over again. The cub had taken a nap in that bed, had been sleeping over the twenty white bricks the deputies pulled out of the floor, each one triple wrapped.

That’s why Killian hadn’t smelled them.

The deputies searched the entire house, making sure there weren’t any more stashes while the coroner removed Alonso’s and Tetlow’s bodies.

Stewart now stood in the upstairs hallway, rubbing his arms as he glanced around. Ethan was downstairs with Quinton.

Killian took a quick shower to get rid of Tetlow’s blood, and his dad had given him his go-bag so he could dress.

“You must regret moving here.” Killian leaned against the wall, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “It’s barely been forty-eight hours and look at the insanity that unfolded.”

He wouldn’t blame his mate if the guy wanted to move away, but Stewart wasn’t leaving him behind. Killian might have fucked up when it came to protecting them at the most crucial moment, but he couldn’t see himself living without his mate and cub.

Stewart glanced at him, a weary smile playing at his lips. “Not really. At least here, Ethan and I have a hero. We never had one with Clive. I’d rather relive the past two days over than any of the ones I spent with my ex.”

The statement shocked Killian. Then he pushed from the wall and folded Stewart into his arms. “How about we just chill from here on out? No more insanity or bad men.”

Stewart’s green eyes shimmered as he smiled up at Killian. “Sounds like heaven to me.”

So did spending the rest of his life with the man he loved, a brave little cub in tow.

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