The instant he landed on the tiger’s back, he shoved the blade into his neck twice as they tumbled in the grass.
Krys’s wolf savagely attacked while Archer stabbed the flailing tiger. At some point, Archer lost the knife as they tumbled.
The wounded predator staggered to its feet, and when it turned toward him, Archer knew he was about to die.
Cecilia rose up on her hind legs. Both tiger and horse stared at each other for a breathless second before the hooves came down. The death blow crushed the tiger’s skull, killing him instantly.
Agitated and sweating, the mare paced back and forth.
Krys shifted to human form and assessed the situation. “I always miss out on the fun.”
“Careful,” Archer warned him. “She’s spooked.” When Archer touched the mare’s back, she rose up again. “Easy, girl.Easy.It’s just me. You’re okay now. Everything’s okay.”
The glint in her eye said otherwise.
The night Noah left town, he’d mentioned how his tiger would torment her animal. This was her first time out in a long time, and she had faced her abuser. Now fear, anger, and a taste of victory were mixing together in a confusing soup.
“You got him, Cici,” Archer said, soothing her with his tone. “He’ll never hurt you again.” While stroking her neck, he directed his words to Krys. “Find the knife. We need to call Tak and get cleaners out here fast.”
Picking up the blade, Krys flipped his long dark hair out of his face. “Stay here. I’ll go back for the phone.”
“See if you can clean up the mess we made before the warehouse owner gets back. I don’t want him having a bad impression of Cici.”
Krys scoffed. “That ship has sailed.”
Once alone, Archer stroked the midnight mare and noticed the way she put herself between him and the dead tiger.
Her protective instinct made him weep, for in that moment, Archer knew with certainty that they were life mates. Forwhatever reason, the universe had decided that a wolf and horse were destined for love.
Archer pressed a kiss to her muzzle while calmly stroking her head. “You’re free now. But this isn’t a safe place. You can shift all you want when we get home, but right now, I need Cici. Can you let her out?”
Their animals didn’t understand words, but they did pick up on intent. In a swift motion, the large animal shifted into a lovely brunette.
Cecilia frantically scanned her surroundings. When she spotted the tiger, she drew back.
“He’s dead.” Archer braced his hand on her shoulder, uncertain of her state of mind.
Cecilia turned toward him and kissed him hard. Archer stirred with amorous feelings that always followed a battle, and they were tenfold after fighting alongside his mate.
The thought of Cecilia as his life mate made him want to do bad things, like turn that tiger’s pelt into a rug and make sweet love to her on it.
He softened the kiss, his hand on her hip and the smell of victory in his nose. A soft gust of wind rustled through the grass and lifted the ends of her long hair.
Cecilia looked at her wrist. “My charms.”
“We’ll fix them.”
She turned her gaze to the open field and city lights. “Where are we?”
“Together.”
Chapter 28
“You don’t have to do this,” I pleaded, hoping Archer would listen to reason. “You already have enough scars.”
“She’s right. Listen to the voice of reason.” Salem set his black bag on the kitchen table in the heat house. “The memory of a battle is enough, don’t you think? Must one ruin oneself deliberately?”
Archer kicked off his shoes by the grey sectional and peeled off his bloody sock. “You’re a healer. You wouldn’t understand.”
