Chapter 126

They nearly had Nolan in the truck when that roar filled the night again. Despite everything, we all turned to stare into the darkness.

“What the fuck is that?” Gabby demanded. Her arm around my shoulders tightened, and she pulled me a little closer.

“Don’t fucking ask,” Lane snapped. He glanced at Beau and nodded. Something uncomfortable twisted my stomach as I watched Beau draw his gun. He jogged back toward the warehouse where Killian had disappeared. Something about it all didn’t sit right with me.

What was he planning to do with that gun? The hunter didn’t make that sound, and the only other person there was Killian. He wasn’t going to shoot Killian, was he?

“Is there a blanket in the truck?” I asked Gabby quietly, pretending to shiver. “I’m cold.”

“I’ve got you. We’ll get you in once they get Nolan situated.” She ran her hands up and down my arms once before rushing around the side of Lucas’s van. I watched her go, taking slow steps away from the chaos. Everyone was so busy trying to figure out how to take care of Nolan that no one noticed me.

No one saw me as I turned and ran. Because good girl Genevieve wouldn’t be the one to run right into danger.

But Killian was out there.

And I didn’t trust Beau for the life of me.

Or with Killian’s life.

Another roar shattered the night. I skidded to a stop, my heart kicking up in my chest. God, that didn’t sound good. What I would’ve given to have my wolf’s hearing.

With the third roar, I bolted as fast as my exhausted legs could carry me. I couldn’t help if I didn’t get there. My entire body begged me to just give in and give up—to sit down and cry because everything hurt. And God, I wanted to. It took everything I had to keep going until I rounded the side of the building and ran for the open door.

“Come on, Killy Boy,” Beau taunted from inside. “Give me a reason to shoot you, bud.”

No, no, no.

I rushed through the door and promptly stumbled to a stop. Beau stood along the edge of the room with his gun leveled on Killian.

Was it Killian?

I recognized parts of him but others?

I didn’t recognize my husband. He was wild and monstrous with a mouthful of fangs and claws growing out from where his nails should’ve been. Those pretty eyes I loved so much were gone, swimming with a faint midnight light. Magic? Did he have magic? That same dim light ran through the veins in his neck and hands.

The roar that ripped through him was rage-filled and terrifying. It shook the walls and rattled the glass.

It was Killian, but it wasn’t.

It was like he wasn’t in control of himself—whatever he was.

“Come on, Killian. Show me what a monster you are,” Beau said, his gun pointed straight at my husband. Oh, God. Beau planned to kill him.

“Hey!” I screamed. I banged hard on the door to get their attention. I didn’t have a plan for what I was going to do when Killian’s attention zeroed in on me. I just couldn’t let Beau kill him.

Another roar.

Another stutter of my heart.

I ran.

He chased me.

I heard the gunfire and hoped to hell every bullet missed Killian.

I headed straight for the water because if anything could break through to Killian, it was that. Panting and growling followed, drifting down my neck. I forced myself to run faster—every muscle screaming at me and my lungs burning.

The water broke my pace as I crashed into it. The blast of cold made me gasp. Killian waded through the water right behind me. The wet sand slowed him enough for me to get in front of him.

“Are you a fuckin’ moron?” Beau shouted at me from the shore.

“Oh, fuck you!” I screamed back and immediately stood between the two of them. “You’re not shooting my husband!”

Killian growled at me. His body coiled tight, ready to lunge.

“Your husband don’t know who the fuck he is!” Beau snapped. “I’m tryin’ to keep him from killin’ your stubborn ass!”

I could make that work.

“You are Killian Byrne,” I said softly as he loomed closer. “You like apple cider donuts and slow dancing in the kitchen.”

Another rumbling snarl. I bit back a small sob. I wasn’t giving up.

“You have five brothers,” I continued while he took another step toward me. “And you were raised by your mom alone.”

He bared his teeth wider.

Please, let this work. Please, let this work.

“Your favorite holiday is Christmas, but only because you love taking walks to see the lights and going to the holiday market,” I told him. “For our first date, you took me to the holiday market in Copper Spring. You were so nervous that you spilled hot chocolate all over both of us.”

He flinched. It was small, but it was there. Progress.

“On my seventeenth birthday, you gave me a straw ring, and you told me that you were going to marry me.”

Claws traced the hollow of my neck, and I refused to flinch. He wouldn’t hurt me. I just knew it.

“Ginny girl,” Beau warned. I wouldn’t be swayed to move. From the way Killian’s head cocked to the side, I could see I was getting through to him.

“When we were nineteen, you proposed at Waverly’s Farm in the same spot we picked out that first pumpkin. The spot behind Mr. Waverly’s house? Do you remember what you said, Killian? Do you remember what you said to me?”

I waited and prayed desperately for something from him. Anything. Even if it meant he forgot everything he’d said that day.

The fangs in his mouth slowly receded.

“In Greek mythology,” Killian began gruffly, his eyes slipping back to normal, “humans once had two heads, four arms, and four legs. Zeus believed them to be unstoppable. That scared him, so he separated them and left them to wander the earth, forever searching for the other half of its soul.”

He was breathing hard, teetering a fine line with his control.

“Why did you tell me that?” I asked.

“Because you’re my other half,” he whispered. “And together we can do anything.”

“Yeah.” I laced my fingers through his. His forehead pressed lightly against mine briefly. “It’s you and me, Killian. It’s always been you and me.”

“And Beau… pointing a fucking gun at your back,” he growled. His gaze darted over my shoulder as he stepped around me.

“Sorry, Killy Boy,” Beau replied. “Had to make sure you wouldn’t fuckin’ kill someone.”

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed,” Killian told me. “Why? How did you know it’d work?”

“You’ve always been angry, Ian. You’ve always had to control it. This is just… the same thing.”

“It’s a big fucking risk, Genevieve.”

“You’re worth it,” I cut him off before he could say anything more. “We need to go help Nolan. Please.”

He nodded, wrapping an arm around me as we waded out of the water. Had I been incredibly stupid to put myself between Killian and Beau? Yes, I had, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Every single time. He was mine to protect as much as I was his.