A hot thrill shot through Killian’s body.
Crush was out of the nest, almost out of the bedroom, when it occurred to Killian—”Where’s your other gun?”
The alpha pointed at the closet and rattled off a complex string of numbers. Killian was on his feet in a flash, scampering into the closet. He twisted the dial on the fireproof safe.
The lock clicked open. Elsewhere in the cabin, Crush whistled lowly. “Well done, bunny.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Killian said. But he blushed anyway. No one had complimented him on his ill-gotten skills before.
He opened the safe door and blinked at the stacks of cash tucked into the very back. Now that he had a better idea of Crush’s wealth, Killian could only imagine how big each of those bills was.
But there was no time to think about that. When Killian reached out with his hearing, he found the rumble of an armored car coming closer.
He grabbed Crush’s spare gun and checked for bullets. Then he filled an empty magazine and glanced at the other mags lying around. “Crush, do you have a spare mag on you?”
A pause. “No,” Crush said.
Killian filled a second magazine with practiced efficiency, before dashing out of the closet. He struggled into his pants and ran out of the bedroom.
Crush had already left the cabin. Killian looked around wildly. “Hansel! There’s a hoodie that Naddie was wearing. It’s spelled for protection. Please put it on her. Earmuffs too.”
“On it,” Hansel said.
Killian found the bag from Uriel—the Secret Agent Gadget Bag, as Crush had called it. He ran over and rummaged through the bag for a silencing spell, hurriedly shoving it onto the barrel of his gun. He bit his thumb and smeared blood across the thin paper; all the runes lit up and sank through the sheet, leaving it empty.
He grabbed a few more spells. Then he dashed over to the windows, peering out to see if his ears had missed anything.
In the distance, a shape moved between the trees.
Killian drew on his shift—just enough for his ears to lengthen and grow furry.
Sounds became sharper. He heard every leaf rustle; he heard each breath Crush drew, and the thumping of his heart.
Barefoot, Killian slipped out of the cabin and listened again. “I’m coming up on your 4 o’clock,” he said quietly.
Crush turned slightly to show that he had heard. Both of them tracked the car coming through the forest.
“It’s armored,” Killian whispered.
The alpha glanced at him then. And his gaze sharpened, growing appreciative as he followed the lines of Killian’s rabbit ears.
“Pretty,” Crush growled.
“It’s just ears,” Killian mumbled, his cheeks growing hot.
He went up to Crush, slipping the spare magazine into the alpha’s hand. Crush took a second to look over it. His lips quirked when he realized it was a magazine that would fit his gun.
Crush opened his mouth to say something.
Killian’s danger sense blared.
A heartbeat later, a gunshot rang out through the trees.
Crush threw himself at Killian, tumbling him onto the ground. The bullet hit a tree nearby.
A chill slithered through Killian’s stomach. That had struck too close for comfort. How had the bullet entered Uriel’s barrier? More importantly—”How did they know where I am?”
There were enough trees in the forest that they couldn’t see the car from where they were.
