Eddie reaches for his own weapon, half running toward Goldie, but my fear for her safety puts a supernatural speed on my gallop. My massive paws slam into his back, pushing him to the ground. I hear the wind being knocked out of him as he gasps for air with a strained croak.
Goldie trembles violently, her face a mask of awe and terror. The tang of her terror coats me in its sickening stickiness.
She says something, but I can’t understand through the blood rushing in my own ears. My animal senses are in full swing, but I work to focus the human part of my mind.
“Don’t kill him,” she pleads in a ragged voice.
Stepping off the man who’s peed himself, I step around him, until I’m standing between him and Goldie.
I growl a low warning at him, my massive bear form looming over him. The two thugs have already scrambled into the SUV, and the leader staggers to them as quickly as he can, leaving a pair of crushed mini mirrors behind. The men peel out of there with a spray of gravel. I watch them go, but my beast is still restless, still angry, still protective.
But I hate the tanginess of Goldie’s terror. I need to change back, to make it go away.
With a deep rumbling sigh, I force myself to shift back to my human form, wincing at the sting of the transformation. I stumble a little, my bare feet finding purchase in the dirt, my torn clothes barely hanging on me.
Goldie rushes forward, her eyes wide, her face a little pale, "You’re a were?”
I only grunt in response.
“Are you okay?" She breathes.
I nod, but my eyes are still trained on where I last saw the retreating SUV. They kicked up as much gravel and dust as when they careened in. Unfortunately, I know they’ll be back. They always come back until they are paid.
My voice is low and rough, "I'm fine."
Goldie looks up at me, her eyes wide and filled with concern, and then she does something I don't expect. She hugs me, her arms wrapping around my waist, her face buried in my chest. My arms hesitantly close around her, accepting her embrace.
After a few minutes, she pulls back, her eyes flying wide. "You're bleeding!" She exclaims, her fingers lightly touching the wound on the right side of my torso. A bullet wound. It missed any major organs, but it does sting.
"It's nothing, Goldie," I reassure her, but inside, I'm shaken. She was almost hurt because of my brother's debts. And that's something I can't allow to happen again.
The fact the dracanoid scented out magic on her also leaves me deeply unsettled. Does she know? Of course, she knows. Mages are born with their powers and sent to a special school where they are trained to use their magic and classified into a level. But she seemed so shocked, like she was hearing it for the first time too.
Goldie looks up at me, her eyes a storm of emotions. "Thank you, Ted. You saved me, er,again."
I nod, my throat too tight to speak. I gently disentangle myself from her and pull a bit of torn shirt around me for some semblance of decency. "Just stay inside, okay? Lock the doors. I need to make some calls, make sure they don't come back."
I turn and stride toward my cabin, my mind racing. I need to find my brother, need to find out how deep his debts go, and I need to make sure Goldie stays safe. It's the least I can do for the woman who's brought a splash of color into my otherwise gray world.
She shakes her head, grabbing my arm before I get far. “Hell no. We need to get you patched up.” She wraps an arm around me, steadying me. I don’t know how much I need her help, but I like the feel of her against me too much. “Let’s get you inside. I have the best first aid kit in the whole world. I’ve had to use it for not two, but three broken nails. So I’m practically a nurse now.”
How the hell can I refuse that?
A familiar rough voice comes up on my other side. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know—”
“Go get me some clothes.” I give Eli the command without even looking at him. “And call JJ. Tell him to get his ass over here. Family emergency.”
Time to get the damn pack together. I refuse to let this shit spill over onto Goldie, but I fear the damage has been done.
Chapter22
The Forbidden Name
TED
Gingerly sitting on the floral couch in Goldie’s living room, one of her throw blankets draped across my naked lap, I'm careful not to get blood on anything. By the time she returns from upstairs, I’m already half healed.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sensing it before I even understand why I can sense her distress.
