“Aren’t I?” I pulled my hair back, and sure enough, his expression turned volcanic when he saw the bite mark. “Your brother claimed me as his. The police are on their way and know where your hideout is.” His associates started muttering at the sound of sirens getting louder. “You can either use Daria as a hostage or me.”
The fuck shoved her forward, leaving her to stumble, then fall flat on her face since her hands were bound. I darted forward, my eyes on Dax the entire time as I undid her bindings. The keys were shoved into her hand and then I hauled her upright.
“Go,” I urged.
“No, Harp?—”
“Go, Dar.” I nodded slowly. “I’ve got this. Just go.”
“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” Dax asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked me up and down. That sly smile didn’t go anywhere, though. “No matter what you have planned, Mack will still come. Even if they take me away in a body bag, he’ll be in the one next to me.”
His hand snapped out, making me realise that there was a reason why I always was scared to just follow my heart. As his fingers buried themselves in my bicep, I was reminded of how many times that had gotten me in serious trouble.
“You along with me.”
C’mon, I thought furiously as I was spun around and held close to Dax’s chest. I’d gathered together a cavalry, and now I needed them to ride over those cliffs and save the day.
While there was still a me left to save.
Chapter 38
Tor
“Harper’s in trouble,” I said as soon as I got off the phone. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Is this that terrible brother?” Mum asked. “Kieran’s?—?”
“Mack’s,” Dad corrected, then nodded to the rest of the family. “Dina, Mira, leave the cleaning.” My sisters tossed the scrapers and cleaning cloths they had been using to remove the paint sprayed over the front of the restaurant. “Where are we going, son?”
“Maybe everyone should stay here?” There was no certainty in that statement. Harper’s words, her recklessness, took my breath away, and that was saying something. “I mean?—”
“You are going to protect your mate.” Mum’s hands were tiny, but as she took mine, I felt the strength of her tiger there. “And we will come with you.”
“No, Mum?—”
“Should’ve killed that idiot a long time ago.” We all turned to see my grandmother walking out of the restaurant. “We took fur and hunted for him in the parklands in the south.”
“You what?” I yelped.
“Son, when you told us Mack was having problems, you had to have known we’d step in to try to resolve them.” Dad’s hand landed on my arm. “We hunted for some time, got a stray scent of a wolf occasionally, but nothing concrete. So you have an address?”
“Look alive, idiot.” Mira rapped me on the head, then plucked my phone from my hand before reading the address Harper had sent. “So he is in the old quarry. See, Dina, I told you.”
“So now we end this.” Mum’s voice had turned into a low growl, her eyes turning emerald green.
“This is the work of the gods,” my grandmother said, shaking her head. “Your mate is very brave and very reckless.” Her eyes narrowed. “Reminds me of someone. So, are we going to tear this jackal to pieces or what?”
I shook my head as if to dispel the haze of shock.
“Try to keep up,” I said, running towards my car.
“Are you enroute?”I barked at Kieran. I’d put a hands-free call through as I drove, weaving through traffic. It was bad enough that people were beeping at me for my insane driving, but of course, my family was hot on my heels, following me the entire way.
“Getting close now,” he replied. “Asher and his crew—” They were an organisation the bear community had set up before the Big Reveal, designed to help and support women and children leaving domestic violence situations. Asher led the crew and was devastatingly effective at taking out bad guys. He was also the reason why humans knew about shifters in the first place. His last rescue made it on the news, revealing our nature tothe world. “They’re coming, as is every damn bear the dads can find.”
“And me!” A muffled female voice called from in Kieran’s car.
“And Mum,” he huffed. “She wouldn’t stay home.”
