Chapter 10
Ali
The darkness in the parking garage was absolute, broken only by the wild sparks of Ali's panicked magic and the muzzle flashes from Cottonmouth's gun.She stumbled toward the sound of approaching engines, her hands outstretched, feeling for concrete pillars and parked cars while bullets sparked off metal somewhere behind her.
The rumble of diesel engines grew louder, closer, and Ali's entire body sang with recognition.Through the mate bond, she could feel Tim's rage like molten metal in her veins—not just anger, but the primal fury of a male whose mate had been threatened.He wasn't just coming to rescue her.He was coming to destroy anything that had dared to hurt what was his.
The parking garage entrance exploded in a shower of concrete and twisted metal as Tim's massive truck smashed through the barrier like it was tissue paper.The headlights cut through the darkness like avenging angels, illuminating Cottonmouth's shocked face as he realized he was no longer hunting a helpless victim.
He was facing down a legend who'd been pushed past every limit.
Tim's truck came to a stop with a screech of air brakes that echoed through the garage like the roar of some ancient beast.The door slammed open, and eight feet of furious cryptid male unfolded from the cab with the deadly purpose of a predator who'd finally cornered his prey.
"Get away from her," Tim's voice carried harmonics that seemed to vibrate through Ali's bones, "or I'll tear you apart with my bare hands."
Cottonmouth swung his gun toward Tim, but Ali's mate was already moving.Twenty years of careful control, twenty years of hiding his true nature, twenty years of restraint—all of it evaporated in the face of someone threatening his mate.
Tim covered the distance between them in heartbeats, his massive hand closing around Cottonmouth's wrist with a crack that made Ali wince.The gun went flying, clattering across the concrete floor as Cottonmouth screamed.
"You hurt her," Tim said, his voice dropping to frequencies that made Ali's magic respond with instinctive recognition.This was her mate in his most primal state, stripped of civilization and politeness, responding to threat with overwhelming force.
"Tim," Ali called, stumbling toward them through the wreckage."Tim, I'm okay.I'm not hurt."
Tim's head turned toward her, and in the harsh glare of the headlights, Ali could see his eyes had gone completely gold.The careful, gentle man who'd been so afraid of his own strength was gone, replaced by something ancient and absolutely lethal.
"He pointed a gun at you," Tim said, his voice carrying a cold fury that made Ali's nipples harden despite the circumstances.
"Yes, but I'm safe now.You saved me."
Tim looked down at Cottonmouth, who was cradling his broken wrist and whimpering.For a moment, Ali thought her mate might actually finish what her stepfather had started.The predatory stillness in Tim's posture suggested he was calculating exactly how much force it would take to snap a human neck.
Then Tim seemed to remember who he was, what he stood for, why he'd spent decades protecting instead of destroying.
He dropped Cottonmouth like garbage.
"You're not worth it," Tim said, his voice returning to normal ranges though the fury remained."You're not worth becoming a monster."
